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CNN Live At Daybreak
Spanish Voters Send Clear Message; Where Do Things Stand Now in Iraq?
Aired March 15, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
It is Monday, March 15.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Thanks for joining us this morning.
Spain's prime minister elect says he will keep his campaign pledge. He will recall Spain's 1,300 peacekeeping troops from Iraq by June 30.
Police in Karachi, Pakistan head off a potential threat to the U.S. consulate. A large bomb left in a stolen van outside the consulate is defused.
Court is dark in the Scott Peterson trial today, but defense attorney Mark Geragos is staying busy. He plans to file a motion for the second change of venue.
And in Fresno, California, police are investigating whether the suspected killer of nine family members was helped by one of the victims.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next news update comes your way at 5:15 Eastern.
Spanish voters have sent a clear message after last week's terrorist bombings in Madrid. The government that supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq has been soundly defeated at the polls and the prime minister elect says he's going to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq.
CNN's Alessio Vinci is live in Madrid this morning -- brings us up to date, Alessio.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.
Well, first of all, regarding that campaign pledge, one must point out that the prime minister elect said that he would withdraw those troops from Iraq unless the United Nations passes a resolution backing a presence, a military presence in Iraq. So therefore it is not necessarily sure that by the end of July that Spain will withdraw those troops.
However, the Spanish voters have sent a clear message to the Spanish politicians here, and that is that they want a change, change because the policies of the previous prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, in supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq, failed, according to the voters here, and the attacks of last Thursday appear to be a clear indication of that, according to the voters.
The results gave 164 seats to the Socialist Party against 148 for the ruling Conservatives. Just about a week ago, the Conservative Party was leading in all the opinion polls here. So definitely the terrorist attacks that took place last Thursday really clearly shifted the mood here in this country.
The reason why that happened is that because many analysts believe, first of all, is that the government did somehow mismanage the investigation. If you -- you may remember that in the hours after the attacks, they blamed ETA, the Basque separatist organization considered by the U.S. and the E.U. a terrorist organization. They blamed ETA right away and sort of pretty much ignored the idea of having a militant, Islamic militants involvement in that.
In the last few hours before the Spaniards went to the vote, it was clear that the lead in the investigation now points towards al Qaeda and Islamic militants -- back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Alessio, as far as the investigation is concerned, brings us up to date on that.
Is there now hard core evidence that al Qaeda was to blame?
VINCI: No hard core evidence yet, but a lot of little elements. First of all, five arrests. Of these people who have been arrested, three Moroccans, two Indians. Of those three Moroccans, one is a known person here among Spanish investigators because this man came up in an indictment that was handed out last fall, in an indictment against a leader of an al Qaeda cell here in Spain believed to be involved in organizing the September 11 attacks. So, Spanish officials here believe that this man is connected to that cell, which, by the way -- whose leader, by the way, is now in prison here in Madrid.
The other indication is that only a few hours before the voting started, Spanish officials recovered a tape. In this tape, there is a man of Moroccan origins claiming responsibility on behalf of al Qaeda for these attacks.
So these are very strong leads that investigators now are following, much more an al Qaeda/Islamic militants linked to the investigation rather than the original thought that it was an attack perpetrated by ETA -- back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Alessio Vinci reporting live from Madrid this morning.
One year after the beginning of the war in Iraq, a demonstration protesting it moves to the park right across the street from the White House. The protest began in Delaware, with veterans and military families joining in.
Here's CNN's Elaine Quijano. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jane Bright carries with her a burden she hopes no other family will have to endure.
JANE BRIGHT, LOST SON IN IRAQ: He was beautiful. He was 24 years old. He was a gifted student.
QUIJANO: Last summer, Bright sat vigil for two nights beside her son's body at a funeral home in California. Her son, Sergeant Evan Ashcraft with 101st Airborne Division, was killed in an attack near Mosul, Iraq, last July.
JIM BRIGHT, STEPSON KILLED IN IRAQ: And he died for something, I think, was a mistake, a big, huge mistake and it's a horrible waste, and it has to be changed.
QUIJANO: Bright was among several hundred anti-war demonstrators. Among them, veterans, peace activists and parents many of whom marched several miles to Delaware's Dover Air Force Base where the remains of U.S. servicemen and women first return home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John T. Rivero, 23, U.S. army.
QUIJANO: Along the way, they read the names of those killed, Americans and Iraqis alike. They then gathered and remembered those lost near the mortuary where their loved ones once lay.
JANE BRIGHT: I'm here today because I want to, in my mind, memorialize my son's journey home from Iraq.
QUIJANO: Their message, peace and the safe return of troops home from Iraq as well as the hope that people remember their loved one's sacrifices.
JANE BRIGHT: We want the American public to not lose sight as they go about their daily lives that people are still dying.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: A lot has happened since the start of the war -- death, destruction and rebuilding. Militarily and politically, where do things stand now?
CNN's Walter Rodgers was on the front lines during the conflict.
He's in Baghdad live now and he joins us with some insight -- hello.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, it would seem more is being made of the anniversary of the war back in the United States than it is here on the streets of Baghdad, or, for that matter, in the hamlets of the Iraqi countryside. It is an election year in the United States and it would also seem that many in the administration feel it's necessary to justify the war now, in view of election year criticism. Part of the reason for a need to justify this is that, of course, no weapons of mass destruction have ever been found here and probably are not going to be found, according to the experts.
Additionally, you have 560 Americans killed here and 400 of those killed were killed since last May, when President Bush declared combat operations over, or major combat operations over.
Additionally, the administration is having to defend and justify this war a year later because it's apparent no one anticipated that there would be a long and bloody guerrilla war afterwards. Many critics, particularly on the Democratic side of the political spectrum in the United States, are saying the Bush administration had no post- war plan, or if it was, they had the wrong plan.
Now, when you look at this war a year later, it's like looking at those two masks in theaters. One of them is smiling. No one can question or criticize the military brilliance of the United States during the war, that is to say, the American Army just sliced through Iraq and made -- toppled the regime here.
The other side, the other mask which we see, the kinds of masks you see in theaters, has a much less certain face. Part of that uncertainty about the future of Iraq stems from the fact that while you have an interim law that may lead to a constitution, the Americans are turning over authority in Iraq on June 30. The worst case scenario here is that could be a civil war. The best case scenario, more lawlessness -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Walter, I was just wondering, you were embedded during the war.
Do you keep in contact with any of the soldiers? What was your most clear memory?
RODGERS: I do keep in contact with some of the soldiers, the reason being I'm writing a book. So I need to talk to the soldiers. So, yes, in that sense.
And the other reason I stay in contact with the soldiers is because what we went through was so hellacious that there's a need to validate the experience, the being under fire day after day after day. And I have to ask myself was it as bad as I remember it or did I imagine it? And when I talk to the soldiers, talk to my friends Jeff Barwaz (ph), Charlie Miller and Paul Jordan, who went through the war with me, they, too, validate it and say, yes, it was every bit as bad as you remember -- Carol.
COSTELLO: It should be a fascinating book.
Walter Rodgers live from Baghdad this morning.
Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING two hours from now, Iraq: Lessons Learned, the first installment in CNN's one year anniversary series, A Year In Iraq. Also, Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson live from Washington on public transportation and terrorism.
A tragic story in Pittsburgh tops some other stories making headlines across America. Authorities are trying to determine if a problem with the electrical system caused a historic church to go up in flames. The weekend blaze killed two firefighters and injured more than 30 others. The firefighters were killed when the church's bell tower collapsed.
In Baltimore, divers will return to the Inner Harbor today to search for the body of the final person missing since a water taxi capsized nine days ago. Crews pulled the bodies of two victims from 60 feet of water about 300 yards from the accident site.
Attorney General John Ashcroft back home this morning after being discharged from a Washington hospital. Ashcroft underwent surgery last week to remove his gallbladder. No word yet on when he will return back to work.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. back in top form. Earnhardt passed Jeremy Mayfield with 15 laps to go and won the Golden Corral 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Earnhardt had a lousy run last week, finishing 35th in the Nextel Cup Race in Las Vegas. But why am I talking about this?
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Because...
COSTELLO: A man who knows much more...
MYERS: Because I didn't watch it.
COSTELLO: You're kidding?
MYERS: No. No, this is all still pre-season to me.
COSTELLO: Oh, I see.
MYERS: Yes, I'm not going to watch it until the last 10 races, because those are the only ones that count. I was...
COSTELLO: So, Mr. Earnhardt shouldn't be all that happy?
MYERS: I was staining my deck, that's how important the race was to me yesterday.
Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, I'm glad we had that story on our air this morning, then, Chad.
MYERS: Well, no, I mean obviously there are 26 races of those last 10, but the last 10 are the only ones that count.
COSTELLO: Got you.
MYERS: Yes, anyway.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Chad.
A runway it is not. This pickup truck had a passenger it was not expecting.
Plus, a war divided -- in light of the bombing in Spain, is the coalition against terrorism unraveling?
And change of venue -- will another move for the Scott Peterson trial really help the defense?
It is Monday, March 15.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 5:30 Eastern time.
Time to take a quick look at the top stories now.
Spain's new socialist prime minister elect says he will pull his troops out of Iraq. Spain has 1,300 troops there.
A bomb apparently meant for the U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan was defused today. Police found a tank filled with nearly 200 gallons of liquid explosives inside a stolen minivan.
And investigators today are trying to learn how a woman fell to her death from a ride at an amusement park in Tennessee.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 5:30 Eastern.
The European financial markets opened flat today? Was it because of the bombings in Madrid?
Well, let's see where the markets stand now.
Live to London and Todd Benjamin -- good morning, Todd.
TODD BENJAMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, you're absolutely right, they opened flat but we're about two hours into the trading session right now and actually they've become much worse. I think we're having a lingering hangover from the bombings in Madrid last Thursday. And now that there are growing indications that al Qaeda planted those bombs, investors are becoming unnerved, questioning, at least in the short-term, whether the risk of owning equities is worth it versus bonds.
I mean we were ripe for a correction. The market sold off last week before rebounding on Friday. And certainly in the U.S., the futures market is indicating a much weaker open on Wall Street, with most of the damage to the NASDAQ at the opening.
The other factor going on is the dollar has weakened once again and here in Europe, the FTSE is off nearly one percent. The DAX is off 1 1/2 percent in Frankfurt. Paris is off one percent. And the ibex, this is the main index for the Spanish stock market, it is off 2.8 percent, not only, of course, on fears of terrorism related to al Qaeda, but that surprise victory by the socialists in the election on Sunday -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Todd Benjamin reporting live from London.
Coming up next on DAYBREAK, the White House says it's winning the war on terror, but the bombings in Spain have some European leaders thinking about regrouping. We'll have that story just ahead.
It was man against machine as a quick thinking pilot makes a near perfect landing. We'll tell you how that pickup truck was involved.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: You know, this could be some kind of commercial. It certainly was an adventure. A small plane made an emergency landing right on -- there's the small plane. That plane made an emergency landing right on top of this Dodge Ram pickup truck in Florida. Can you imagine? And the truck was moving at the time. There was a driver in the cab. He was driving and whoops, there was a plane on his roof.
As you can see, the roof caved in a little, but not much. Neither the driver nor the pilot was seriously injured.
But can you imagine -- Chad?
MYERS: No, wait, was this on purpose?
COSTELLO: Well, I'm sure that the pilot didn't really mean to land on top of the pickup truck, but, you know, in emergency landings, sometimes you can't help where you exactly land.
MYERS: Oh. Well, you know, you've seen that real TV stuff where the plane, the guy is driving in the pickup truck and he's trying to pull the landing gear down and stuff like that? I didn't know if he was trying to actually land on the truck till you showed that.
COSTELLO: Not as far as we know.
MYERS: Interesting.
COSTELLO: You never know. But what an amazing thing.
MYERS: Yes, what are the odds? The guy should buy some lottery tickets today.
COSTELLO: I know. (WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Five days until spring, Chad.
MYERS: It is getting close. It felt like spring across a lot of the country this weekend. It really, really did.
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
Hey, we're starting something new on DAYBREAK.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: You know, we always show you those shots of city skylines? Well, we only have so many cameras across the country, but we know that you have a camera in your home.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: So we want a shot of your town at DAYBREAK. Anything that identifies your town, send it to us at DAYBREAK -- ooh, that's pretty.
MYERS: That was quick.
COSTELLO: There it is.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: That's much better.
MYERS: It looks like Gilligan's Island.
COSTELLO: Daybreak@cnn.com. We want pictures like that of your town.
MYERS: That would be good.
COSTELLO: Because I know you can do better out there. Daybreak@cnn.com. Send us your pictures, download them or whatever you do on those digital cameras -- they're amazing -- and we will show them on DAYBREAK.
MYERS: Good.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Chad.
Jesus still king at the box office. It is amazing -- for the third week in a row, "The Passion of the Christ" drew the most moviegoers. Estimates show it sold nearly $32 million in tickets. "Secret Window" opened second with $19 million. "Starsky & Hutch" came in third, followed by "Hidalgo." And "Agent Cody Banks: Destination London" rounds out the top five.
You stick around. We've got a lot more to tell you about in the next half hour of DAYBREAK. Oh, yes, rock and roll fans, lend me your ears. Your favorite music maker could be heading to the Hall of Fame. We've got the A list about 18 minutes from now.
Also, no surprise at the polls in Russia. Vladimir Putin delivers a knock out punch. But just how democratic was the election? We're going to take you live to Russia.
And peace efforts in the Middle East take another deadly hit. We got live to Jerusalem.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning.
Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.
It is Monday, March 15.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Thank you for joining us.
In Pakistan today, police in Karachi defuse a huge bomb found inside a stolen minivan. It had been left outside the walls of the U.S. consulate. In 2002, a bomb outside that same consulate killed 12 Pakistanis.
Three key senators are looking for a way to get other countries to help the U.S. in Afghanistan. They're suggesting the U.S. might pull troops out of Afghanistan to make their point.
Gasoline prices in the States have reached a record high. The national average now stands at $1.77. Just this year, the average price has risen by nearly $0.26 a gallon.
Attorney General John Ashcroft is home this morning after surgery to remove his gallbladder. He underwent the surgery last week, but it is not known when he will return to work.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 5:45 Eastern time.
European officials are wrestling right now with how to protect against terrorism. This is a live picture we're showing you. The president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, is talking about boosting spending on security research. This, of course, comes on the heels of the deadliest terrorist attacks on a European city, those train bombings in Madrid that killed 200 people. This meeting taking place this morning in Paris.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Now in Iraq?>
Aired March 15, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
It is Monday, March 15.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Thanks for joining us this morning.
Spain's prime minister elect says he will keep his campaign pledge. He will recall Spain's 1,300 peacekeeping troops from Iraq by June 30.
Police in Karachi, Pakistan head off a potential threat to the U.S. consulate. A large bomb left in a stolen van outside the consulate is defused.
Court is dark in the Scott Peterson trial today, but defense attorney Mark Geragos is staying busy. He plans to file a motion for the second change of venue.
And in Fresno, California, police are investigating whether the suspected killer of nine family members was helped by one of the victims.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next news update comes your way at 5:15 Eastern.
Spanish voters have sent a clear message after last week's terrorist bombings in Madrid. The government that supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq has been soundly defeated at the polls and the prime minister elect says he's going to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq.
CNN's Alessio Vinci is live in Madrid this morning -- brings us up to date, Alessio.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.
Well, first of all, regarding that campaign pledge, one must point out that the prime minister elect said that he would withdraw those troops from Iraq unless the United Nations passes a resolution backing a presence, a military presence in Iraq. So therefore it is not necessarily sure that by the end of July that Spain will withdraw those troops.
However, the Spanish voters have sent a clear message to the Spanish politicians here, and that is that they want a change, change because the policies of the previous prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, in supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq, failed, according to the voters here, and the attacks of last Thursday appear to be a clear indication of that, according to the voters.
The results gave 164 seats to the Socialist Party against 148 for the ruling Conservatives. Just about a week ago, the Conservative Party was leading in all the opinion polls here. So definitely the terrorist attacks that took place last Thursday really clearly shifted the mood here in this country.
The reason why that happened is that because many analysts believe, first of all, is that the government did somehow mismanage the investigation. If you -- you may remember that in the hours after the attacks, they blamed ETA, the Basque separatist organization considered by the U.S. and the E.U. a terrorist organization. They blamed ETA right away and sort of pretty much ignored the idea of having a militant, Islamic militants involvement in that.
In the last few hours before the Spaniards went to the vote, it was clear that the lead in the investigation now points towards al Qaeda and Islamic militants -- back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Alessio, as far as the investigation is concerned, brings us up to date on that.
Is there now hard core evidence that al Qaeda was to blame?
VINCI: No hard core evidence yet, but a lot of little elements. First of all, five arrests. Of these people who have been arrested, three Moroccans, two Indians. Of those three Moroccans, one is a known person here among Spanish investigators because this man came up in an indictment that was handed out last fall, in an indictment against a leader of an al Qaeda cell here in Spain believed to be involved in organizing the September 11 attacks. So, Spanish officials here believe that this man is connected to that cell, which, by the way -- whose leader, by the way, is now in prison here in Madrid.
The other indication is that only a few hours before the voting started, Spanish officials recovered a tape. In this tape, there is a man of Moroccan origins claiming responsibility on behalf of al Qaeda for these attacks.
So these are very strong leads that investigators now are following, much more an al Qaeda/Islamic militants linked to the investigation rather than the original thought that it was an attack perpetrated by ETA -- back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Alessio Vinci reporting live from Madrid this morning.
One year after the beginning of the war in Iraq, a demonstration protesting it moves to the park right across the street from the White House. The protest began in Delaware, with veterans and military families joining in.
Here's CNN's Elaine Quijano. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jane Bright carries with her a burden she hopes no other family will have to endure.
JANE BRIGHT, LOST SON IN IRAQ: He was beautiful. He was 24 years old. He was a gifted student.
QUIJANO: Last summer, Bright sat vigil for two nights beside her son's body at a funeral home in California. Her son, Sergeant Evan Ashcraft with 101st Airborne Division, was killed in an attack near Mosul, Iraq, last July.
JIM BRIGHT, STEPSON KILLED IN IRAQ: And he died for something, I think, was a mistake, a big, huge mistake and it's a horrible waste, and it has to be changed.
QUIJANO: Bright was among several hundred anti-war demonstrators. Among them, veterans, peace activists and parents many of whom marched several miles to Delaware's Dover Air Force Base where the remains of U.S. servicemen and women first return home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John T. Rivero, 23, U.S. army.
QUIJANO: Along the way, they read the names of those killed, Americans and Iraqis alike. They then gathered and remembered those lost near the mortuary where their loved ones once lay.
JANE BRIGHT: I'm here today because I want to, in my mind, memorialize my son's journey home from Iraq.
QUIJANO: Their message, peace and the safe return of troops home from Iraq as well as the hope that people remember their loved one's sacrifices.
JANE BRIGHT: We want the American public to not lose sight as they go about their daily lives that people are still dying.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: A lot has happened since the start of the war -- death, destruction and rebuilding. Militarily and politically, where do things stand now?
CNN's Walter Rodgers was on the front lines during the conflict.
He's in Baghdad live now and he joins us with some insight -- hello.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, it would seem more is being made of the anniversary of the war back in the United States than it is here on the streets of Baghdad, or, for that matter, in the hamlets of the Iraqi countryside. It is an election year in the United States and it would also seem that many in the administration feel it's necessary to justify the war now, in view of election year criticism. Part of the reason for a need to justify this is that, of course, no weapons of mass destruction have ever been found here and probably are not going to be found, according to the experts.
Additionally, you have 560 Americans killed here and 400 of those killed were killed since last May, when President Bush declared combat operations over, or major combat operations over.
Additionally, the administration is having to defend and justify this war a year later because it's apparent no one anticipated that there would be a long and bloody guerrilla war afterwards. Many critics, particularly on the Democratic side of the political spectrum in the United States, are saying the Bush administration had no post- war plan, or if it was, they had the wrong plan.
Now, when you look at this war a year later, it's like looking at those two masks in theaters. One of them is smiling. No one can question or criticize the military brilliance of the United States during the war, that is to say, the American Army just sliced through Iraq and made -- toppled the regime here.
The other side, the other mask which we see, the kinds of masks you see in theaters, has a much less certain face. Part of that uncertainty about the future of Iraq stems from the fact that while you have an interim law that may lead to a constitution, the Americans are turning over authority in Iraq on June 30. The worst case scenario here is that could be a civil war. The best case scenario, more lawlessness -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Walter, I was just wondering, you were embedded during the war.
Do you keep in contact with any of the soldiers? What was your most clear memory?
RODGERS: I do keep in contact with some of the soldiers, the reason being I'm writing a book. So I need to talk to the soldiers. So, yes, in that sense.
And the other reason I stay in contact with the soldiers is because what we went through was so hellacious that there's a need to validate the experience, the being under fire day after day after day. And I have to ask myself was it as bad as I remember it or did I imagine it? And when I talk to the soldiers, talk to my friends Jeff Barwaz (ph), Charlie Miller and Paul Jordan, who went through the war with me, they, too, validate it and say, yes, it was every bit as bad as you remember -- Carol.
COSTELLO: It should be a fascinating book.
Walter Rodgers live from Baghdad this morning.
Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING two hours from now, Iraq: Lessons Learned, the first installment in CNN's one year anniversary series, A Year In Iraq. Also, Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson live from Washington on public transportation and terrorism.
A tragic story in Pittsburgh tops some other stories making headlines across America. Authorities are trying to determine if a problem with the electrical system caused a historic church to go up in flames. The weekend blaze killed two firefighters and injured more than 30 others. The firefighters were killed when the church's bell tower collapsed.
In Baltimore, divers will return to the Inner Harbor today to search for the body of the final person missing since a water taxi capsized nine days ago. Crews pulled the bodies of two victims from 60 feet of water about 300 yards from the accident site.
Attorney General John Ashcroft back home this morning after being discharged from a Washington hospital. Ashcroft underwent surgery last week to remove his gallbladder. No word yet on when he will return back to work.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. back in top form. Earnhardt passed Jeremy Mayfield with 15 laps to go and won the Golden Corral 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Earnhardt had a lousy run last week, finishing 35th in the Nextel Cup Race in Las Vegas. But why am I talking about this?
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Because...
COSTELLO: A man who knows much more...
MYERS: Because I didn't watch it.
COSTELLO: You're kidding?
MYERS: No. No, this is all still pre-season to me.
COSTELLO: Oh, I see.
MYERS: Yes, I'm not going to watch it until the last 10 races, because those are the only ones that count. I was...
COSTELLO: So, Mr. Earnhardt shouldn't be all that happy?
MYERS: I was staining my deck, that's how important the race was to me yesterday.
Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, I'm glad we had that story on our air this morning, then, Chad.
MYERS: Well, no, I mean obviously there are 26 races of those last 10, but the last 10 are the only ones that count.
COSTELLO: Got you.
MYERS: Yes, anyway.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Chad.
A runway it is not. This pickup truck had a passenger it was not expecting.
Plus, a war divided -- in light of the bombing in Spain, is the coalition against terrorism unraveling?
And change of venue -- will another move for the Scott Peterson trial really help the defense?
It is Monday, March 15.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 5:30 Eastern time.
Time to take a quick look at the top stories now.
Spain's new socialist prime minister elect says he will pull his troops out of Iraq. Spain has 1,300 troops there.
A bomb apparently meant for the U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan was defused today. Police found a tank filled with nearly 200 gallons of liquid explosives inside a stolen minivan.
And investigators today are trying to learn how a woman fell to her death from a ride at an amusement park in Tennessee.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 5:30 Eastern.
The European financial markets opened flat today? Was it because of the bombings in Madrid?
Well, let's see where the markets stand now.
Live to London and Todd Benjamin -- good morning, Todd.
TODD BENJAMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, you're absolutely right, they opened flat but we're about two hours into the trading session right now and actually they've become much worse. I think we're having a lingering hangover from the bombings in Madrid last Thursday. And now that there are growing indications that al Qaeda planted those bombs, investors are becoming unnerved, questioning, at least in the short-term, whether the risk of owning equities is worth it versus bonds.
I mean we were ripe for a correction. The market sold off last week before rebounding on Friday. And certainly in the U.S., the futures market is indicating a much weaker open on Wall Street, with most of the damage to the NASDAQ at the opening.
The other factor going on is the dollar has weakened once again and here in Europe, the FTSE is off nearly one percent. The DAX is off 1 1/2 percent in Frankfurt. Paris is off one percent. And the ibex, this is the main index for the Spanish stock market, it is off 2.8 percent, not only, of course, on fears of terrorism related to al Qaeda, but that surprise victory by the socialists in the election on Sunday -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Todd Benjamin reporting live from London.
Coming up next on DAYBREAK, the White House says it's winning the war on terror, but the bombings in Spain have some European leaders thinking about regrouping. We'll have that story just ahead.
It was man against machine as a quick thinking pilot makes a near perfect landing. We'll tell you how that pickup truck was involved.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: You know, this could be some kind of commercial. It certainly was an adventure. A small plane made an emergency landing right on -- there's the small plane. That plane made an emergency landing right on top of this Dodge Ram pickup truck in Florida. Can you imagine? And the truck was moving at the time. There was a driver in the cab. He was driving and whoops, there was a plane on his roof.
As you can see, the roof caved in a little, but not much. Neither the driver nor the pilot was seriously injured.
But can you imagine -- Chad?
MYERS: No, wait, was this on purpose?
COSTELLO: Well, I'm sure that the pilot didn't really mean to land on top of the pickup truck, but, you know, in emergency landings, sometimes you can't help where you exactly land.
MYERS: Oh. Well, you know, you've seen that real TV stuff where the plane, the guy is driving in the pickup truck and he's trying to pull the landing gear down and stuff like that? I didn't know if he was trying to actually land on the truck till you showed that.
COSTELLO: Not as far as we know.
MYERS: Interesting.
COSTELLO: You never know. But what an amazing thing.
MYERS: Yes, what are the odds? The guy should buy some lottery tickets today.
COSTELLO: I know. (WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Five days until spring, Chad.
MYERS: It is getting close. It felt like spring across a lot of the country this weekend. It really, really did.
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
Hey, we're starting something new on DAYBREAK.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: You know, we always show you those shots of city skylines? Well, we only have so many cameras across the country, but we know that you have a camera in your home.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: So we want a shot of your town at DAYBREAK. Anything that identifies your town, send it to us at DAYBREAK -- ooh, that's pretty.
MYERS: That was quick.
COSTELLO: There it is.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: That's much better.
MYERS: It looks like Gilligan's Island.
COSTELLO: Daybreak@cnn.com. We want pictures like that of your town.
MYERS: That would be good.
COSTELLO: Because I know you can do better out there. Daybreak@cnn.com. Send us your pictures, download them or whatever you do on those digital cameras -- they're amazing -- and we will show them on DAYBREAK.
MYERS: Good.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Chad.
Jesus still king at the box office. It is amazing -- for the third week in a row, "The Passion of the Christ" drew the most moviegoers. Estimates show it sold nearly $32 million in tickets. "Secret Window" opened second with $19 million. "Starsky & Hutch" came in third, followed by "Hidalgo." And "Agent Cody Banks: Destination London" rounds out the top five.
You stick around. We've got a lot more to tell you about in the next half hour of DAYBREAK. Oh, yes, rock and roll fans, lend me your ears. Your favorite music maker could be heading to the Hall of Fame. We've got the A list about 18 minutes from now.
Also, no surprise at the polls in Russia. Vladimir Putin delivers a knock out punch. But just how democratic was the election? We're going to take you live to Russia.
And peace efforts in the Middle East take another deadly hit. We got live to Jerusalem.
We'll be right back.
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COSTELLO: Good morning.
Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.
It is Monday, March 15.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Thank you for joining us.
In Pakistan today, police in Karachi defuse a huge bomb found inside a stolen minivan. It had been left outside the walls of the U.S. consulate. In 2002, a bomb outside that same consulate killed 12 Pakistanis.
Three key senators are looking for a way to get other countries to help the U.S. in Afghanistan. They're suggesting the U.S. might pull troops out of Afghanistan to make their point.
Gasoline prices in the States have reached a record high. The national average now stands at $1.77. Just this year, the average price has risen by nearly $0.26 a gallon.
Attorney General John Ashcroft is home this morning after surgery to remove his gallbladder. He underwent the surgery last week, but it is not known when he will return to work.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 5:45 Eastern time.
European officials are wrestling right now with how to protect against terrorism. This is a live picture we're showing you. The president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, is talking about boosting spending on security research. This, of course, comes on the heels of the deadliest terrorist attacks on a European city, those train bombings in Madrid that killed 200 people. This meeting taking place this morning in Paris.
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