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CNN Live At Daybreak
Tape Supposedly Recorded By Bin Laden's Number Two Surfaces; Things Very Tense in Taiwan
Aired March 26, 2004 - 06:00 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 to you.
It is Friday, March 26th.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Thank you for joining us.
Let me bring you up to date now.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice wants to get her side of the story. She's asking for another private meeting with the 9/11 Commission to counter Richard Clarke's attacks.
Residents of an eastern Turkish village survey the damage following a moderate earthquake. Nine people, mostly children, were killed and about 44 people injured.
A truck with 12,000 gallons of fuel crashes in Bridgeport, Connecticut, forcing both sides of the rush hour artery I-95 to close. These are live pictures we're showing you. Detours are posted. Thankfully, no one seriously hurt in that accident. But the incident is expected to cause a traffic nightmare for anyone heading to and from New York this morning. As I said, detours are posted, but take the Merritt instead.
The Senate passes a bill making it a federal crime to harm a fetus during an attack on a pregnant woman. The bill now goes to President Bush, who is expected to sign it.
And businesses shut down. Most Italian workers join a general strike today to protest government plans to raise the retirement age from 57 to 60.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:15 Eastern.
It's personal now. A tape supposedly recorded by Osama bin Laden's number two has surfaced. On it, a voice, supposedly Ayman al- Zawahiri, urges a military uprising in Pakistan and calls President Pervez Musharraf a traitor.
Is the tape authentic?
We take you live to Pakistan and Ash-Har Quraishi.
Any word on its authenticity yet?
ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not yet, Carol, but that's really what Pakistani officials are waiting for. They say they won't comment on the latest tape that's purported to be from Ayman al- Zawahiri until its authenticity is verified.
We understand that the CIA is looking at this tape, trying to match its voice to other recordings known to be recorded by Ayman al- Zawahiri. But in the past we've seen the government's reaction to these types of tapes pretty much subdued, not really directly trying to discuss what they thought about this.
A tape like this has come out in the past, back in September, a similar tape, reported to be of Ayman al-Zawahiri, talking about President Musharraf and that -- asking for Pakistanis to really overthrow him because of his support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism.
Now, also, this comes at a time when the Pakistani military has launched its heaviest ever offensive against suspected al Qaeda fighters. That offensive lasting more than a week and a half at this point.
Now, here today in Pakistan, Friday prayers. Of course, after Friday prayers, those religious parties have called for strikes, calling for an end to these operations, these military operations against these tribals who are alleged to be harboring al Qaeda suspects in South Waziristan, in the northwest of Pakistan.
So while these tapes, of course, are taken into consideration, really, the government so far is saying they are going to wait until the voracity of the tapes has been ascertained before they come out with any kind of an official comment on it -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ash-Har Quraishi reporting live from Islamabad this morning.
Call it correcting the record or damage control, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice wants to talk to the 9/11 Commission, but not in public. She's met once with the panel in a private session and has offered another private meeting. And now the White House is making the offer official.
White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales has written a letter to the Commission, saying, "Another session with Condoleezza Rice would allow her to clear up a number of mischaracterizations of Dr. Rice's statements and positions."
The Bush administration is trying to counter the highly publicized testimony of former counter-terrorism adviser Richard Clarke. He alleges the administration mishandled terror threats before September 11.
Secretary of State Colin Powell is again defending the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: But what's the mean, what's the balance between patience and power? How does the president decide when everyone knows there are risks and dangers in both directions, risks and dangers of using too much power and of using too little. The president doesn't know. He can't know for sure. No president can. No one can see into the future. A president assembles the best advice he can and then uses his best judgment. Such judgments aren't easy. It's hard to be president. All of our greatest presidents from history have told us so. Every future president will know it, too, or learn it quick enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: No word on exactly when Rice may have that private session with the 9/11 Commission. Panel members and victims' families had wanted a public meeting.
Bush in Kerry country -- the president took his reelection campaign to Boston, where he called Massachusetts Senator John Kerry a tax and spend liberal. Mr. Bush also talked about terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: September the 11th, 2001, taught a lesson I will never forget -- America must confront threats before they fully materialize.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president heads for the Southwest today to tout increases in home ownership on his watch.
In Washington, the gang was all there -- a who's who of the Democratic Party. Two former presidents, a former presidential candidate and most of John Kerry's former rivals for the nomination turned out for this unity rally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I thought I'd start just by saying something nice about President Bush. Of all the presidents that we've had with the last name of Bush, his economic plan ranks in the top two.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Kerry begins rolling out his economic plan for the nation today, the first of three speeches set for Detroit, Michigan.
And Kerry got a boost from those two former presidents at that rally last night. Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter shared the stage with the likely Democratic nominee.
Clinton says the choice is clear in November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If people think in this election, if they think about the choices that have been made and the vision John Kerry offers, we win. Therefore they have to get people to stop thinking. And they're real good at that. And we already see what they do. They've got to turn John Kerry from a three dimensional human being into a two dimensional cartoon. And it's what they know to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Jimmy Carter chided Ralph Nader for joining the 2004 race as an independent and possibly siphoning votes from Kerry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Go back to umpiring softball games or examining the rear end of automobiles and don't risk costing the Democrats the White House this year, as you did four years ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Hmm, pretty sharp words from Jimmy Carter, huh -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Carol. But -- yes.
COSTELLO: He's usually so nice and gentlemanly.
MYERS: You know, as he was saying that, all I could think about was the Corvair. Right? Remember Ralph Nader and the Corvair?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: Unsafe at any speed. It's the car I always wanted but never actually had one.
Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: But now it's time to keep our eye on something else.
MYERS: It is time, Carol, to give away the DAYBREAK coffee mug.
COSTELLO: It's such an exciting time in the morning.
So, review the questions from yesterday, Chad.
MYERS: Here they are -- and they weren't too bad, but you had to be paying attention. What percentage of American children have allergies? The percentage is 40 percent. And the Olympic torch is expected to be lit today -- actually, that was obviously yesterday. When will it be in America? And the answer to that question was in June, I think the 16th to the 19th.
And the winner, the winner that got them both right now -- I've been getting a lot of answers only answering one.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: You know what? You've got to answer them both. Yesterday's winner, Pattye Bartholomew of Rochester, New York. Thank you for the drum roll.
COSTELLO: Yes. And your cup will be in the mail soon. We've ordered them in all different colors and they'll look kind of like this.
MYERS: Gold?
COSTELLO: But some will be in different colors.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: And you won't want to miss what's going on right now in Taiwan, where an election dispute appears on the verge of spinning out of control. You're taking a look at a live picture. We'll take you there live a little later.
Also, "The Passion of the Christ" apparently leads a man to repent and confess to murder.
And National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice says she wants to set the record straight, but she wants to do it in private. More on that when we talk with Judilyn Lily (ph) in Washington, D.C. That's coming up in just a bit.
This is DAYBREAK for TGI Friday, March 26th.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Well, things are very tense in Taiwan this morning. In fact, we want to bring you there now. A week long protest of the disputed presidential election gets even more raucous today, as demonstrators storm a government building.
Our senior Asia correspondent Mike Chinoy has been covering the protests -- Mike, it doesn't look pretty behind you.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not pretty at all, Carol. This is the central election commission in downtown Taipei. It's here that the election commission which oversaw last weekend's election has just formally certified that President Chen Shui-bian won that election by a razor thin margin. That's infuriated opposition supporters and there is a scuffle going on behind me as that result is being formally posted. A small group of opposition supporters have been pushing and shoving with the police. They're very angry. They claim President Chen rigged the election.
This episode now follows earlier scuffling in the last hour or two in which a crowd of several hundred opposition supporters tried to occupy this building, throwing objects which broke the main windows in the lobby. Several hundred riot police who have been standing by so far using great restraint despite the protesters' anger. The government here trying to keep this from boiling over. There is concern that it could get more tense on Saturday, because opposition leaders have called for hundreds of thousands of people to flood the streets in front of the presidential office, to press campaign against President Chen -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Mike, I see things being thrown behind you. What are they shoring? I know they're throwing eggs. Anything else?
CHINOY: They have been throwing eggs and water bottles. Earlier there were some rocks thrown, apparently. The crowd here is really very, very angry, although opinion polls suggest that a majority of Taiwanese do not share their view. There's a lot of people who would like to see a recount, but the number of people who support this very, very hard-line protest totally denying the legitimacy of the election on the Chen government, according to the opinion polls, is relatively small.
But these hard-line opposition supporters say that they're going to keep the momentum up. They want to create pressure on President Chen to nullify the election, if possible.
The president, for his part, is standing pat, saying he's got a majority. He's trying to work with the opposition and the legislature to pass a law that would mandate a recount, but the opposition government is so far apart on that, they haven't been able to find a compromise. Meanwhile, these protests in the streets continue -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And as we watch more of the protesters being hauled away, perhaps your photographer can pan off and show us the security forces there.
Why is this election important to us here in the United States?
Are you OK, Mike?
CHINOY: OK. Well, I'll ask my cameraman to pan a little bit to his right. You can see some of the riot police here.
This election is very important. Taiwan is an island off the coast of China that's claimed by mainland China, which sees it as a renegade province. President Chen Shui-bian has advocated independence for Taiwan. The Bush administration has pressured him to tone down his position because Beijing has threatened it would use military force to intervene if Taiwan moved towards independence.
So if Chen is consolidated in his position as president and presses this independence agenda, Washington is worried about a reaction from Beijing. But equally, the Chinese government has said that turmoil here in Taiwan would be another grounds that Beijing would consider possible reason to act against Taiwan. So if the situation gets out of hand here now, that also could have serious implications in terms of Taiwan's dealings with China and could put the United States in an uncomfortable position -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand.
Will China, at any point, interfere with what's going on right now, I mean physically come into the country?
CHINOY: It's hard to imagine -- it's hard to imagine that China would use military force at this stage with the situation so fluid. But the danger is the longer this deadlock continues, the more the sense of instability, the greater the anxiety in Beijing about what's going to happen here in Taiwan.
So there's a lot of anxious diplomats watching the situation. The Chinese are afraid that if Chen Shui-bian consolidates his power and moves towards further separating Taiwan from mainland China, that it will make impossible down the road any chance of Beijing achieving its goal of some kind of formal reunification between China and Taiwan. And that's what the Chinese are worried about. And the Bush administration, too, as I said, is worried that Chen may push things too far.
But the danger now here is not that long-term question. The danger now is short-term, whether stability here can be restored or whether the situation gets out of hand and you have a real political crisis going on for a long period of time here in Taiwan -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Mike Chinoy reporting live from Taipei this morning.
Many thanks to you and you stay safe out there.
Time for a little business buzz right now.
Talks are getting heated in the Tyco jury room. Is a mistrial next?
Stacey Tisdale reporting live from the NASDAQ market site.
This is really interesting.
Tell us about it.
STACEY TISDALE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's turned into quite a soap opera, Carol.
The big question, as you mentioned, is could the trial of former Tyco chief Dennis Kozlowski and former Chief Financial Officer Mark Swartz, be, indeed, headed for a mistrial.
Now, listen to this. Jurors said in a note to the judge yesterday afternoon that the atmosphere in the jury room is poisonous. One juror actually stopped deliberating and the note said that he or she believes he's being prosecuted.
The majority do believe that they could reach a fair conclusion without this juror, but a unanimous verdict is needed for acquittal or conviction and it looks like we could have a hung jury. That's what some analysts are saying.
In that case, the judge would declare a mistrial and prosecutors would have to decide whether or not to retry the case.
Now, analysts say a mistrial would be a big victory for the defendants and prosecutors have actually been criticized for presenting too complex a case this time around, Carol.
So it's looking like that's starting to weigh possibly on the jury a bit. And if you're not too familiar with this, Mr. Kozlowski and Mr. Swartz are accused of looting Tyco for $600 million in unauthorized compensation and illicit stock sales. This is really turning into quite a soap opera.
COSTELLO: And I think if you just mention shower curtain and the amount of money that Mr....
TISDALE: A $6,000 shower curtain. That's the case.
COSTELLO: That's the case.
TISDALE: Those guys, yes.
COSTELLO: Stacey Tisdale, live from the NASDAQ market site.
Many thanks.
Did a movie help solve a murder mystery? Hear what one man felt compelled to do after watching "The Passion of the Christ."
And a little boy lost and then found -- the happy ending to share with you this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 6:23 Eastern time.
Police in Houston now have a murder case on their hands when they thought they had a suicide. How come? Here's a clue -- "The Passion of the Christ."
Detail now from Cynthia Hunt of CNN affiliate KPRC in Houston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CYNTHIA HUNT, KPRC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Detectives say 21-year-old Dan Leach confessed to murdering 19-year-old Ashley Nicole Wilson after he saw the movie "The Passion of the Christ." CRAIG BRADY, FORT BEND COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: He made an admission that viewing "The Passion of the Christ" had some impact on him.
HUNT: Dan Leach's preacher, evangelist Darrell Powell, visited Leach in jail. Powell says before Leach confessed, he went before his entire church congregation in Rosenberg, saying he had committed a terrible sin.
REV. DARRELL POWELL, SUSPECT'S MINISTER: He was obviously disturbed greatly for, you know, his actions and what he had done, and asked for the prayers.
HUNT: Detectives say Leach murdered Ashley in her apartment in Pecan Grove and that he staged it to look like a suicide.
(on camera): Detectives say that Leach had a cold and calculating murder plan. They say first he coaxed Ashley into writing a letter about all the bad things in her life. Then they say he coaxed her into doing a trust exercise. He told them he put a pillow over Ashley's head and at the right moment he says he struggled her to death with a cord.
BRADY: He used the same device that she was hanging from to strangle her, which is one of the reasons that the M.E. probably even missed it.
HUNT: Chief Deputy Craig Brady openly admits his detectives made mistakes. But he says nothing on the surface pointed to murder.
Leach's preacher says his church member did see "The Passion of the Christ" but denies the movie was the main reason he confessed to murder.
POWELL: He said that it's unfortunate that the movie is getting more glory than god.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That report from Cynthia Hunt of our hypertension affiliate, KPRC.
Let's head live to the forecast center now to check in with Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Tell me it's going to be a nice day in Washington tomorrow.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK, a workout you can do without a trip to the gym.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An exercise routine so simple even Chad can do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MYERS: Oh, no!
COSTELLO: Even you, Chad. How to make your own home gym, cheap, coming up.
And what's this famous Texas tycoon up to? No, he's not running for president.
Also ahead, Kobe Bryant's accuser -- life in an uncomfortable spotlight. Will that put the basketball star on trial sooner rather than later? Kendall Coffey will join us for some Coffey Talk, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you.
Welcome back to DAYBREAK.
I'm Carol Costello.
Happy Friday.
It is March 26th.
Let me bring you up to date.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice formally asked the 9/11 Commission for another private meeting. She wants to clear up what the White House lawyer calls mischaracterizations of her positions by former anti-terror director Richard Clarke.
The incoming Spanish prime minister tells his party's conference Spain is united against terrorism. Nearly 200 people were killed in terrorist bombings in Madrid just about two weeks ago.
Trouble at the Tyco trial. The judge is expected to give jurors new instructions this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired March 26, 2004 - 06:00 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 to you.
It is Friday, March 26th.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Thank you for joining us.
Let me bring you up to date now.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice wants to get her side of the story. She's asking for another private meeting with the 9/11 Commission to counter Richard Clarke's attacks.
Residents of an eastern Turkish village survey the damage following a moderate earthquake. Nine people, mostly children, were killed and about 44 people injured.
A truck with 12,000 gallons of fuel crashes in Bridgeport, Connecticut, forcing both sides of the rush hour artery I-95 to close. These are live pictures we're showing you. Detours are posted. Thankfully, no one seriously hurt in that accident. But the incident is expected to cause a traffic nightmare for anyone heading to and from New York this morning. As I said, detours are posted, but take the Merritt instead.
The Senate passes a bill making it a federal crime to harm a fetus during an attack on a pregnant woman. The bill now goes to President Bush, who is expected to sign it.
And businesses shut down. Most Italian workers join a general strike today to protest government plans to raise the retirement age from 57 to 60.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:15 Eastern.
It's personal now. A tape supposedly recorded by Osama bin Laden's number two has surfaced. On it, a voice, supposedly Ayman al- Zawahiri, urges a military uprising in Pakistan and calls President Pervez Musharraf a traitor.
Is the tape authentic?
We take you live to Pakistan and Ash-Har Quraishi.
Any word on its authenticity yet?
ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not yet, Carol, but that's really what Pakistani officials are waiting for. They say they won't comment on the latest tape that's purported to be from Ayman al- Zawahiri until its authenticity is verified.
We understand that the CIA is looking at this tape, trying to match its voice to other recordings known to be recorded by Ayman al- Zawahiri. But in the past we've seen the government's reaction to these types of tapes pretty much subdued, not really directly trying to discuss what they thought about this.
A tape like this has come out in the past, back in September, a similar tape, reported to be of Ayman al-Zawahiri, talking about President Musharraf and that -- asking for Pakistanis to really overthrow him because of his support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism.
Now, also, this comes at a time when the Pakistani military has launched its heaviest ever offensive against suspected al Qaeda fighters. That offensive lasting more than a week and a half at this point.
Now, here today in Pakistan, Friday prayers. Of course, after Friday prayers, those religious parties have called for strikes, calling for an end to these operations, these military operations against these tribals who are alleged to be harboring al Qaeda suspects in South Waziristan, in the northwest of Pakistan.
So while these tapes, of course, are taken into consideration, really, the government so far is saying they are going to wait until the voracity of the tapes has been ascertained before they come out with any kind of an official comment on it -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ash-Har Quraishi reporting live from Islamabad this morning.
Call it correcting the record or damage control, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice wants to talk to the 9/11 Commission, but not in public. She's met once with the panel in a private session and has offered another private meeting. And now the White House is making the offer official.
White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales has written a letter to the Commission, saying, "Another session with Condoleezza Rice would allow her to clear up a number of mischaracterizations of Dr. Rice's statements and positions."
The Bush administration is trying to counter the highly publicized testimony of former counter-terrorism adviser Richard Clarke. He alleges the administration mishandled terror threats before September 11.
Secretary of State Colin Powell is again defending the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: But what's the mean, what's the balance between patience and power? How does the president decide when everyone knows there are risks and dangers in both directions, risks and dangers of using too much power and of using too little. The president doesn't know. He can't know for sure. No president can. No one can see into the future. A president assembles the best advice he can and then uses his best judgment. Such judgments aren't easy. It's hard to be president. All of our greatest presidents from history have told us so. Every future president will know it, too, or learn it quick enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: No word on exactly when Rice may have that private session with the 9/11 Commission. Panel members and victims' families had wanted a public meeting.
Bush in Kerry country -- the president took his reelection campaign to Boston, where he called Massachusetts Senator John Kerry a tax and spend liberal. Mr. Bush also talked about terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: September the 11th, 2001, taught a lesson I will never forget -- America must confront threats before they fully materialize.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president heads for the Southwest today to tout increases in home ownership on his watch.
In Washington, the gang was all there -- a who's who of the Democratic Party. Two former presidents, a former presidential candidate and most of John Kerry's former rivals for the nomination turned out for this unity rally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I thought I'd start just by saying something nice about President Bush. Of all the presidents that we've had with the last name of Bush, his economic plan ranks in the top two.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Kerry begins rolling out his economic plan for the nation today, the first of three speeches set for Detroit, Michigan.
And Kerry got a boost from those two former presidents at that rally last night. Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter shared the stage with the likely Democratic nominee.
Clinton says the choice is clear in November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If people think in this election, if they think about the choices that have been made and the vision John Kerry offers, we win. Therefore they have to get people to stop thinking. And they're real good at that. And we already see what they do. They've got to turn John Kerry from a three dimensional human being into a two dimensional cartoon. And it's what they know to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Jimmy Carter chided Ralph Nader for joining the 2004 race as an independent and possibly siphoning votes from Kerry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Go back to umpiring softball games or examining the rear end of automobiles and don't risk costing the Democrats the White House this year, as you did four years ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Hmm, pretty sharp words from Jimmy Carter, huh -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Carol. But -- yes.
COSTELLO: He's usually so nice and gentlemanly.
MYERS: You know, as he was saying that, all I could think about was the Corvair. Right? Remember Ralph Nader and the Corvair?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: Unsafe at any speed. It's the car I always wanted but never actually had one.
Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: But now it's time to keep our eye on something else.
MYERS: It is time, Carol, to give away the DAYBREAK coffee mug.
COSTELLO: It's such an exciting time in the morning.
So, review the questions from yesterday, Chad.
MYERS: Here they are -- and they weren't too bad, but you had to be paying attention. What percentage of American children have allergies? The percentage is 40 percent. And the Olympic torch is expected to be lit today -- actually, that was obviously yesterday. When will it be in America? And the answer to that question was in June, I think the 16th to the 19th.
And the winner, the winner that got them both right now -- I've been getting a lot of answers only answering one.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: You know what? You've got to answer them both. Yesterday's winner, Pattye Bartholomew of Rochester, New York. Thank you for the drum roll.
COSTELLO: Yes. And your cup will be in the mail soon. We've ordered them in all different colors and they'll look kind of like this.
MYERS: Gold?
COSTELLO: But some will be in different colors.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: And you won't want to miss what's going on right now in Taiwan, where an election dispute appears on the verge of spinning out of control. You're taking a look at a live picture. We'll take you there live a little later.
Also, "The Passion of the Christ" apparently leads a man to repent and confess to murder.
And National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice says she wants to set the record straight, but she wants to do it in private. More on that when we talk with Judilyn Lily (ph) in Washington, D.C. That's coming up in just a bit.
This is DAYBREAK for TGI Friday, March 26th.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Well, things are very tense in Taiwan this morning. In fact, we want to bring you there now. A week long protest of the disputed presidential election gets even more raucous today, as demonstrators storm a government building.
Our senior Asia correspondent Mike Chinoy has been covering the protests -- Mike, it doesn't look pretty behind you.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not pretty at all, Carol. This is the central election commission in downtown Taipei. It's here that the election commission which oversaw last weekend's election has just formally certified that President Chen Shui-bian won that election by a razor thin margin. That's infuriated opposition supporters and there is a scuffle going on behind me as that result is being formally posted. A small group of opposition supporters have been pushing and shoving with the police. They're very angry. They claim President Chen rigged the election.
This episode now follows earlier scuffling in the last hour or two in which a crowd of several hundred opposition supporters tried to occupy this building, throwing objects which broke the main windows in the lobby. Several hundred riot police who have been standing by so far using great restraint despite the protesters' anger. The government here trying to keep this from boiling over. There is concern that it could get more tense on Saturday, because opposition leaders have called for hundreds of thousands of people to flood the streets in front of the presidential office, to press campaign against President Chen -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Mike, I see things being thrown behind you. What are they shoring? I know they're throwing eggs. Anything else?
CHINOY: They have been throwing eggs and water bottles. Earlier there were some rocks thrown, apparently. The crowd here is really very, very angry, although opinion polls suggest that a majority of Taiwanese do not share their view. There's a lot of people who would like to see a recount, but the number of people who support this very, very hard-line protest totally denying the legitimacy of the election on the Chen government, according to the opinion polls, is relatively small.
But these hard-line opposition supporters say that they're going to keep the momentum up. They want to create pressure on President Chen to nullify the election, if possible.
The president, for his part, is standing pat, saying he's got a majority. He's trying to work with the opposition and the legislature to pass a law that would mandate a recount, but the opposition government is so far apart on that, they haven't been able to find a compromise. Meanwhile, these protests in the streets continue -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And as we watch more of the protesters being hauled away, perhaps your photographer can pan off and show us the security forces there.
Why is this election important to us here in the United States?
Are you OK, Mike?
CHINOY: OK. Well, I'll ask my cameraman to pan a little bit to his right. You can see some of the riot police here.
This election is very important. Taiwan is an island off the coast of China that's claimed by mainland China, which sees it as a renegade province. President Chen Shui-bian has advocated independence for Taiwan. The Bush administration has pressured him to tone down his position because Beijing has threatened it would use military force to intervene if Taiwan moved towards independence.
So if Chen is consolidated in his position as president and presses this independence agenda, Washington is worried about a reaction from Beijing. But equally, the Chinese government has said that turmoil here in Taiwan would be another grounds that Beijing would consider possible reason to act against Taiwan. So if the situation gets out of hand here now, that also could have serious implications in terms of Taiwan's dealings with China and could put the United States in an uncomfortable position -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand.
Will China, at any point, interfere with what's going on right now, I mean physically come into the country?
CHINOY: It's hard to imagine -- it's hard to imagine that China would use military force at this stage with the situation so fluid. But the danger is the longer this deadlock continues, the more the sense of instability, the greater the anxiety in Beijing about what's going to happen here in Taiwan.
So there's a lot of anxious diplomats watching the situation. The Chinese are afraid that if Chen Shui-bian consolidates his power and moves towards further separating Taiwan from mainland China, that it will make impossible down the road any chance of Beijing achieving its goal of some kind of formal reunification between China and Taiwan. And that's what the Chinese are worried about. And the Bush administration, too, as I said, is worried that Chen may push things too far.
But the danger now here is not that long-term question. The danger now is short-term, whether stability here can be restored or whether the situation gets out of hand and you have a real political crisis going on for a long period of time here in Taiwan -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Mike Chinoy reporting live from Taipei this morning.
Many thanks to you and you stay safe out there.
Time for a little business buzz right now.
Talks are getting heated in the Tyco jury room. Is a mistrial next?
Stacey Tisdale reporting live from the NASDAQ market site.
This is really interesting.
Tell us about it.
STACEY TISDALE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's turned into quite a soap opera, Carol.
The big question, as you mentioned, is could the trial of former Tyco chief Dennis Kozlowski and former Chief Financial Officer Mark Swartz, be, indeed, headed for a mistrial.
Now, listen to this. Jurors said in a note to the judge yesterday afternoon that the atmosphere in the jury room is poisonous. One juror actually stopped deliberating and the note said that he or she believes he's being prosecuted.
The majority do believe that they could reach a fair conclusion without this juror, but a unanimous verdict is needed for acquittal or conviction and it looks like we could have a hung jury. That's what some analysts are saying.
In that case, the judge would declare a mistrial and prosecutors would have to decide whether or not to retry the case.
Now, analysts say a mistrial would be a big victory for the defendants and prosecutors have actually been criticized for presenting too complex a case this time around, Carol.
So it's looking like that's starting to weigh possibly on the jury a bit. And if you're not too familiar with this, Mr. Kozlowski and Mr. Swartz are accused of looting Tyco for $600 million in unauthorized compensation and illicit stock sales. This is really turning into quite a soap opera.
COSTELLO: And I think if you just mention shower curtain and the amount of money that Mr....
TISDALE: A $6,000 shower curtain. That's the case.
COSTELLO: That's the case.
TISDALE: Those guys, yes.
COSTELLO: Stacey Tisdale, live from the NASDAQ market site.
Many thanks.
Did a movie help solve a murder mystery? Hear what one man felt compelled to do after watching "The Passion of the Christ."
And a little boy lost and then found -- the happy ending to share with you this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 6:23 Eastern time.
Police in Houston now have a murder case on their hands when they thought they had a suicide. How come? Here's a clue -- "The Passion of the Christ."
Detail now from Cynthia Hunt of CNN affiliate KPRC in Houston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CYNTHIA HUNT, KPRC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Detectives say 21-year-old Dan Leach confessed to murdering 19-year-old Ashley Nicole Wilson after he saw the movie "The Passion of the Christ." CRAIG BRADY, FORT BEND COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: He made an admission that viewing "The Passion of the Christ" had some impact on him.
HUNT: Dan Leach's preacher, evangelist Darrell Powell, visited Leach in jail. Powell says before Leach confessed, he went before his entire church congregation in Rosenberg, saying he had committed a terrible sin.
REV. DARRELL POWELL, SUSPECT'S MINISTER: He was obviously disturbed greatly for, you know, his actions and what he had done, and asked for the prayers.
HUNT: Detectives say Leach murdered Ashley in her apartment in Pecan Grove and that he staged it to look like a suicide.
(on camera): Detectives say that Leach had a cold and calculating murder plan. They say first he coaxed Ashley into writing a letter about all the bad things in her life. Then they say he coaxed her into doing a trust exercise. He told them he put a pillow over Ashley's head and at the right moment he says he struggled her to death with a cord.
BRADY: He used the same device that she was hanging from to strangle her, which is one of the reasons that the M.E. probably even missed it.
HUNT: Chief Deputy Craig Brady openly admits his detectives made mistakes. But he says nothing on the surface pointed to murder.
Leach's preacher says his church member did see "The Passion of the Christ" but denies the movie was the main reason he confessed to murder.
POWELL: He said that it's unfortunate that the movie is getting more glory than god.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That report from Cynthia Hunt of our hypertension affiliate, KPRC.
Let's head live to the forecast center now to check in with Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Tell me it's going to be a nice day in Washington tomorrow.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK, a workout you can do without a trip to the gym.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An exercise routine so simple even Chad can do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MYERS: Oh, no!
COSTELLO: Even you, Chad. How to make your own home gym, cheap, coming up.
And what's this famous Texas tycoon up to? No, he's not running for president.
Also ahead, Kobe Bryant's accuser -- life in an uncomfortable spotlight. Will that put the basketball star on trial sooner rather than later? Kendall Coffey will join us for some Coffey Talk, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you.
Welcome back to DAYBREAK.
I'm Carol Costello.
Happy Friday.
It is March 26th.
Let me bring you up to date.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice formally asked the 9/11 Commission for another private meeting. She wants to clear up what the White House lawyer calls mischaracterizations of her positions by former anti-terror director Richard Clarke.
The incoming Spanish prime minister tells his party's conference Spain is united against terrorism. Nearly 200 people were killed in terrorist bombings in Madrid just about two weeks ago.
Trouble at the Tyco trial. The judge is expected to give jurors new instructions this morning.
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