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CNN Live At Daybreak

Need Not Apply; Holiday Travel; Self-Help

Aired November 23, 2005 - 05:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A CNN "Security Watch" now. A federal jury has convicted a Virginia man on terrorism charges. Ahmed Abu Ali was accused of joining al Qaeda and conspiring to assassinate President Bush. Ali had claimed Saudi authorities tortured him into confessing. The 24-year-old Ali faces a sentence of 20 years to life.
And the Justice Department has indicted so-called dirty bomb suspect Jose Padilla. It accuses him of belonging to a terrorist group but ignores the more serious allegations the government had made against him. Padilla has been held as an enemy combatant for more than three years, despite being a U.S. citizen.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

The Vatican wants to make it perfectly clear, it does not want gays to become priests. In fact, a new document says anyone with homosexual tendencies must be straight for three years before trying to enter the seminary. But is this really necessary?

CNN's faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher takes a look at how this is playing among priests.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REV. FRED DALEY, ST. FRANCIS DE SALES CHURCH: It took me a long time to, in my spiritual journey, to accept myself as a gay person.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Father Fred Daley knows all too well what this document means to men like him.

DALEY: I'm afraid this sort of trying to glean out homosexuals and whatever is going to put that whole area back in the closet and will keep folks from being able to work those issues out in the seminary, which I'm afraid the direction we're going is going to move us into once again an unhealthy situation.

GALLAGHER: Last year, Father Daley came out, announcing to his congregation, his community and his bishop that he is gay. He says he didn't realize he was gay until after his ordination in 1974, in part because the seminary system in the '60s and '70s discouraged discussion about sexuality, which he believes may lie at the heart of the Church's recent sex abuse scandals.

DALEY: My fear is that there are a number of folks in high, high places in the Church that are scapegoating gay priests rather than facing the root issues of this tragic sexual abuse crisis. The issue should be focused on, are men capable and responsible to make a healthy decision concerning celibacy and human sexuality in their lives?

GALLAGHER: His reason for speaking out now. This document set to be released by the Vatican next week but leaked to the press today. It reiterates the church's stance that homosexuals acts are -- quote -- "intrinsically disordered" and calls homosexual tendencies -- quote -- "objectively disordered."

The document is designed to prevent gay men from entering the priesthood, stopping them before they start their seminary training. It says, in part, "If a candidate practices homosexuality or presents deeply rooted homosexual tendencies, his spiritual director, like his confessor, have the duty to dissuade him in conscience from proceeding to Ordination."

Monsignor Steve Rolfs is the rector at Mt. St. Mary's Seminary in Maryland, one of the men charged with enforcing the rules written in to the document. Rules that he says are not only right but necessary.

MSGR. STEVE ROLFS, MT. ST. MARY'S SEMINARY: And, obviously, we didn't do a good job at educating men to be confident and happy celibates. We didn't do a good enough job of it.

GALLAGHER: But Monsignor Rolfs also acknowledges that the rules are subject to interpretation.

ROLFS: It's a nuance document in which those who want gays admitted will be upset and those who want gays completely ostracized will also be upset.

GALLAGHER: Seminarians we met at Mt. St. Mary's said they don't disagree with the document. In fact, they say it simply follows God's law.

JOE YOKUM, SEMINARIAN: And therefore, just as in the nature of a priest who takes on that Altos Christos (ph), being another Christ, he is seen as the bride to the church who is the bridegroom, which is an inordinate relationship between two men.

GALLAGHER: You won't find much agreement from Father Daley, a man who dedicated his life to the church. A church he thinks this time got it wrong.

DALEY: There's wonderful things in the Catholic family, but we're dysfunctional in some areas. And one area that we're very dysfunctional on is the whole area of human sexuality. When push comes to shove, we react to most of those issues like the Earth is still flat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That report from CNN's Delia Gallagher.

It was in 1961 that the Vatican first publicly stated that homosexuals were not allowed to be ordained. As for Father Daley, the new document says nothing about removing current priests who admit to being gay.

In other news "Across America" this morning, that Tampa, Florida- area middle school teacher accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student will not be going to jail. Twenty-five-year-old Debra LaFave pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior. LaFave said she was sorry for what she did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBRA LAFAVE, FORMER MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER: I want to apologize to the court, to the young man involved and to his family for my actions. I accept full responsibility for my actions. And I am very sorry for everything which has occurred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: LaFave was sentenced to three years house arrest, followed by seven years probation. She must also register as a sex offender. If convicted, LaFave could have faced up to 15 years in prison.

The French Spider-Man is going down. Actually, he never got up. Alain Robert is a daredevil climber known as the French Spider-Man. He travels the globe scaling tall buildings and defying authorities. Police got a tip he was planning to climb the 46-story Houston Center. A police officer grabbed him by the ankles just as he was getting under way.

In Atlanta, firefighters and police rescued a person from a storm drain. Take a look. It's not clear how the person got stuck. Stormy weather knocked out power to some 25,000 Georgia Power customers yesterday.

Still to come this morning, Ted Koppel says good-bye with a few words of wisdom and a reality check. His "Nightline" farewell just ahead.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: If you are heading to the airport this morning to get to your holiday destination, I hope you packed your patience because some of the delays have already begun.

Let's head live to the Philadelphia International Airport. Reporter Amy Buckman of CNN affiliate WPVI joins us now.

How's it going out there -- Amy?

AMY BUCKMAN, WPVI-TV REPORTER: Well good morning, Carol.

It's better here today than it was yesterday when we experienced a lot of weather delays at Philadelphia International. But already at this early hour, lines are beginning to form here and airport officials are urging everyone to be as patient as possible. They are expecting long lines at both the ticketing counters and at the security checkpoints.

They are urging people to remember to do things like take off their thick soled shoes. If they are bringing any holiday presents with them, not to wrap them so that the security personnel can check out what's in those boxes.

And of course to check the list of items that you are not allowed to bring with in your carry-on or checked luggage, and make sure that you leave those items at home. If everyone does that, the airport officials tell us that the lines should move along a little more quickly.

The other big issue here in Philadelphia is parking. We don't have enough parking spaces for all the people who are expected to travel through the airport. And so the airport actually has taken the unusual step on their Web site of urging people and giving them directions to using the off-site airport parking lot, which offers shuttle bus services to here at the airport.

So it's going to be a busy day. But so far not too many delays this morning. Things have cleared up from yesterday -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well that is a relief. But Jacqui Jeras says some nasty weather might be moving in a little later in Philadelphia. What are you hearing?

BUCKMAN: Well we're hearing that today should be OK, but tomorrow morning we could be in for a mix of rain and snow. We have our big Thanksgiving Day Parade here. The oldest Thanksgiving Day Parade in the city of Philadelphia tomorrow, so we're not looking forward to that forecast on a whole number of fronts.

COSTELLO: You're not kidding.

Let's bring in Jacqui Jeras, just so you can get a specific forecast for the city of Philadelphia.

So, Jacqui, take it away.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We're getting our camera turned around the other way.

COSTELLO: That's OK, go ahead.

JERAS: Sorry, guys, I came over here.

COSTELLO: Talk away.

JERAS: Philadelphia, actually, yes, we think a mix of rain and snow, and that even could be coming in overnight tonight and into tomorrow. So today is a great day for travel in Philadelphia. But here is your forecast for tomorrow with that mix, 46 degrees, falling temperatures. Friday, Saturday, Sunday all looking great. Temperatures gradually warming up. So, yes, tomorrow is going to be the big trouble day. You're going to probably want the umbrella and the winter jackets to bundle up for the parade tomorrow morning.

COSTELLO: OK, Amy, so there you have it.

Amy Buckman reporting live for us from the Philadelphia International Airport this morning.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:41 Eastern. And here is what's all new this morning.

Some disturbing news out of NASA. Engineers investigating the insulating foam that broke off during shuttle Discovery's launch last summer have found nine small cracks. The cracks are in the foam on the external tank.

In money news, there's been a settlement in a pay-for-play probe of Warner Music Group by the New York State attorney general. Warner Music will pay $5 million to several groups funding music education in New York State.

In pop culture, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are going to Pakistan. The pair plan to tour areas hit by last month's devastating earthquake. Jolie, of course, is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations, but this is the first time both stars have undertaken a humanitarian mission together.

In sports, the Florida Marlins may be moving. Failure to get a new downtown Miami stadium deal could lead to them leaving Florida within the next few years. The owner wants to keep the team in the state, but may look to Portland, Oregon and even Las Vegas as possible new homes.

To Jacqui again in the Forecast Center.

JERAS: Hey, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Jacqui.

It is hard to believe ABC's Ted Koppel has signed off "Nightline" for a final time after more than a quarter century.

We bring you his closing remarks as we take you "Beyond the Soundbite."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED KOPPEL, ABC ANCHOR: There's this quiz I give to some of our young interns when they first arrive at "Nightline." I didn't do it with the last batch. It's a little too close to home. How many of you, I'll ask, can tell me anything about Eric Sevroy (ph)? Blank stares. How about Howard K. Smith or Frank Reynolds? Not a twitch of recognition. Chet Huntley? Jack Chancellor (ph)? Still nothing. David Brinkley sometimes causes a hand or two to be raised. And Walter Cronkite may be glad to learn that a lot of young people still have a vague recollection that he once worked in television news.

What none of these young men and women in their late teens and early 20s appreciates, until I point it out to them, is that they have just heard the names of seven anchormen or commentators who were once so famous that everyone in the country knew their names, everybody.

Trust me, the transition from one anchor to another is not that big a deal. Cronkite begot Rather, Chancellor begot Brokaw, Reynolds begot Jennings, and each of them did a pretty fair job in his own right.

You have always been very nice to me, so give this new anchor team for "Nightline" a fair break. If you don't, I promise you, the network will just put another comedy show in this time slot and then you'll be sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Certainly put things into perspective, didn't he? The new "Nightline" debuts Monday with a revamped format and hosts Martin Bashir, Cynthia McFadden and Terry Moran will be onboard.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, can't get enough of Dr. Phil or Oprah? You could be a self-help addict. A lot of people are. Is it good for you? We'll have that story ahead.

And tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. So our e-mail question is, what are you thankful for this year? Let us know what you think, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking the headlines for you this morning.

Women being treated for cancer in the pelvic area can have a higher risk of breaking a hip if they are getting radiation treatment. That's the conclusion of a study involving almost 6,500 women aged 65 or older. The author of the study says it's not clear if the findings apply to younger women or to men. Men's bones are denser, by the way.

If you know someone with a spinal problem causing back and leg pain, listen up, there is an alternative to surgery. The FDA has authorized a device called the Xstop (ph). It fits to a vertebrae in the lower back. Because it's implanted close to the surface of the skin, it only requires local anesthesia.

And with fears of an Avian Flu pandemic in mind, federal health officials now want airlines to report sick passengers. Passengers showing symptoms associated with nine diseases that might require quarantine would have to be reported to the CDC.

Are you trying to be the best you can be? If you're like millions of Americans, the answer is yes. And there is a ton of self- help information out there feeding your desire. From TV to radio to infomercials to books and tapes, the self-help industry is expected to be worth $10 billion this year.

CNN's Adaora Udoji reports on who is buying what.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. LAURA SCHLESSINGER, RADIO HOST: I'm Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Got problems in your life? Let's talk about it.

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Americans like a fix. Want to live better? There's Steve Covey.

STEVEN COVEY, "7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE": To live, to love, to learn to leave a legacy represent the essence of it.

UDOJI: Or to love better, Hugh John Gray (ph).

HUGH JOHN GRAY: There's a whole goldmine of love that you can create in your relationship.

UDOJI: Just want to be a little more interesting, tune in to Dr. Phil.

PHIL MCGRAW, TALK SHOW HOST: I have a theory, I really do have a theory. I think that bored people are boring.

UDOJI: Self-help celebrities, motivational speakers, Web sites, books and tapes and books on tape are all selling us promises. We can be richer, thinner, better investors, have better sex, and, yes, find God, and we're buying it.

JOHN LAROSA, MARKETDATA ENTERPRISES INC.: Fifty dollars for you know buying some self-improvement books ranging all the way up to $10,000 or more for personal sessions with one of the big celebrities.

UDOJI: But who is buying this stuff? John Larosa says half of all Americans have bought a self-help book, like "Chicken Soup for the Soul," one of the fastest movers in the genre. And women mostly. Female consumers buy 70 percent of the material. The self-help it girl tends to be 40-something earning more than $50,000 a year.

LAROSA: Willing to try new things and experiment with things. This is -- you have to remember that the self-improvement industry is really an experience industry.

UDOJI: And marketers say the sexes like to experience different things. Men gravitate toward money making and improving memory. Women like spirituality and relationships.

But does all this self-help help? Oprah is just one self-help celeb who has built a billion-dollar business around the assumption it does.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: There is one threat running through each show we do, it is the message that you, you are not alone.

UDOJI: Nor is Oprah and the enormous multimedia self-help market. But be careful, anyone can dish out self-help advise. There is no license required. And that has some critics calling it a sham.

STEVE SALERNO, AUTHOR, "SHAM": Anybody can get in. There is no basis in any kind of testing for any of these regiments that they preach. The people that they are preaching to may or may not have the problems that they supposedly go to the gurus for and it causes all sorts of collateral damage along the way.

SCHLESSINGER: I got a new attitude, yes.

UDOJI: Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Now you know.

Let's read some e-mail now. Lots of you have been e-mailing us this morning, and we appreciate it, because we know you must be busy getting ready for Thanksgiving Day.

But, Jacqui, we wanted to know what people felt thankful for today.

JERAS: A lot of answers coming in, Carol. A lot of people thankful for their families. A lot of people writing in about soldiers coming home.

This one from Paul (ph) in Crystal River, Florida, says he's 62 today and thankful to have perfect health and a great family.

Happy birthday, also, to you, Paul.

This one from Lori Emerson (ph) in Biloxi, Mississippi, she says that she is thankful for having a home to live in and a family who are all safe and sound. She is also thankful for all the wonderfully generous people who came from all around the country after Hurricane Katrina to help her city get back onto its feet.

I know.

Ruth (ph) from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, here's a little humor for you today. She is thankful she -- or this year I am most thankful for presidential term limits.

COSTELLO: Politics always has to rare it's ugly head in our e- mail box.

JERAS: I know, it does, but that one kind of made me laugh. Anyway, Carol (ph) from South Ryegate, Vermont says she is thankful to be one of several hundred Vermonters who will welcome home our soldiers before Christmas.

And you wanted to cry -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm ready.

JERAS: This one kind of touched my heart. This is from Geraline Hinterhoff (ph). She didn't say where she was from. But this is actually a card that she sends out to her family.

She says we're so grateful for our children who are thriving and delighting us every day. For facing life's adventures and challenges with our families who draw us closer and stronger as time marches on. For our neighbors who admire our costumes, applaud our achievements and visit our curbside hairdo stands. Not sure what those are about.

For baseball coaches and tutors, for priests and teachers, for aunties and cousins and everyone who share of themselves. For the pleasure we find in our work and its fruits. For our health and the joy we take in each other and for our immense blessings.

COSTELLO: That's excellent.

JERAS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Who is that from?

JERAS: Geraline Hinterhoff.

COSTELLO: That's good enough. Thank you, Geraline, you made our day.

And thanks for all of your comments this morning. We always appreciate them.

The story today, will you get home by the time the turkey is done? We've got your holiday travel tips in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A little Gwen Stefani for you this day before Thanksgiving.

Everybody has got turkey on the brain right now. So let's see what the late night funny men had to say about the Thanksgiving holiday. It's time for "Late Night Laughs."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": I want you to answer honestly, how many are going to try and get out of having your relatives over for Thanksgiving by telling them your turkey has the Bird Flu? I'm just curious. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, "THE LATE SHOW": I knew it happened earlier this week, and this is one of those great White House traditions, every year at this time the president, President Bush, pardoned the White House turkey. Yes. But this was only after Dick Cheney had the CIA torture it.

How many folks have seen the big Harry Potter movie? This is like the third or fourth movie or something, $100 million for the first weekend, $100 million. Crazy. I believe it's the most money made by a teenaged boy without suing Michael Jackson. I think, but I'm not sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That one got me, I have to admit, I laughed.

JERAS: I know, I laughed, too.

COSTELLO: OK, let's move right along, shall we?

JERAS: All right.

COSTELLO: And get to our DAYBREAK "Eye Openers."

This statue of the Virgin Mary appears to be crying tears of blood. Take a look at that. This is in the Sacramento area in front of the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church. The tears were first reported last week. Church members say samples were taken. They are being tested. So, as we say, stay tuned.

Remember the Rubik's Cube? It's still around. This is Budapest, the home of Enro Rubik, the inventor of the cube that has frustrated so many people since 1974. Remember that thing?

JERAS: Yes, frustrated me so much I took it apart to get it right.

COSTELLO: I smashed it with a hammer I think.

The city, by the way, held a Rubik's Cube competition. And one competitor set a record lining up all the colors in, get this, Jacqui, 11 seconds.

JERAS: And they have their they are blindfolded?

COSTELLO: Apparently he was.

JERAS: He's blindfolded.

COSTELLO: That means there's some weird trick to it. Some counting trick.

JERAS: Maybe. Either that or he's got Braille on that thing or something. I don't know.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: I'm going to ask him. Bizarre though.

We've got some sad news now, one of our all-time favorite characters has passed away. So, please, put down your cereal spoons for your own good. Sam is dead. Sam is the three time defending ugly dog champion. His owner says the hideous appearance was just an accident of breeding. And I think we can all be thankful that he was fixed. But we all came to love that mangy mug. Sam the ugly dog was 14 years old.

JERAS: Really is, I know.

COSTELLO: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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