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CNN Live At Daybreak

Fog of Politics; School Bus Safety; Weekend Movies

Aired August 20, 2004 - 06:32   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.


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: His campaign was going to take some time off from new TV commercials -- until now. This morning's swift reaction from the Kerry camp to the Swift Boat ad controversy.
It's Friday, August 20, and this is DAYBREAK.

Well, good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Betty Nguyen in for Carol Costello.

Now in the news, heavy fighting overnight in the Iraqi city of Najaf. Seven Iraqis killed there and 39 wounded. An aide says radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his fighters to turn the mosque in Najaf over to religious authorities. But there is no indication that they're doing it.

Now to Fallujah west of Baghdad, at least two Iraqis have been killed by a U.S. airstrike. Witnesses say Fallujah residents are -- or were shooting at a U.S. fighter jet with a machine gun just before the bombs were dropped.

We want to show you some live video now of Moss Bluff, Texas, after another huge explosion rocks an underground gas storage facility. Flames are shooting high into the sky some 40 miles from Houston. Residents within a three-mile radius are being evacuated, and additional shelters are being set up.

Today marks one week since Hurricane Charley made landfall, and parts of coastal Florida still look like a war zone. In all, emergency officials say 23 people were killed either during the storm or in hurricane-related accidents.

(WEATHER BREAK)

NGUYEN: On the campaign trail, President Bush is relaxing for a week at his Texas ranch, but aides say he's also working on the acceptance speech he'll deliver at the Republican National Convention in two weeks.

John Kerry takes his campaign to North Carolina and Florida today. In Florida, he'll get a first-hand look at damage from Hurricane Charley. He stayed away after the storm hit, saying he didn't want to get in the way of recovery efforts.

And Senator Kerry is going on the offensive. He is launching a new ad campaign in key battleground states to counter attack ads that criticize his Vietnam War record.

CNN's Bill Schneider has more on the ads that turned up the political heat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): There's no shortage of issues in this campaign: terrorism, war, jobs, health care, energy. So why are we stuck in a debate about something that happened more than 35 years ago?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, SWIFT BOAT VETERANS FOR TRUTH AD)

GEORGE ELLIOTT, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER, TWO BRONZE STARS: John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Issues are not what got Kerry the Democratic nomination. Democrats saw Kerry as electable. Why? His Vietnam War record. Kerry made it the centerpiece of his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, KERRY-EDWARDS AD)

SEN. JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I thought it was important, if you had a lot of privileges, as I had had, to go to a great university like Yale, to give something back to your country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Now that his record is being challenged, Kerry feels he has to fight back with something more than press releases.

KERRY: If he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: Bring it on!

SCHNEIDER: Brave words. But the fact is, Kerry is not likely to beat Bush on personal qualities. Polls show Bush has a clear advantage over Kerry as a strong leader who is good in a crisis, down to earth and sticks to his positions. Kerry's personal strength, like any good Democrat, he cares about people.

When you talk about most issues, the advantage shifts to Kerry. Voters rate Kerry better on the economy, jobs, education and health care. Bush's issue advantage is on terrorism. That's it.

What about Iraq? The two are rated about equal. Kerry has to get the debate off personal qualities and onto the issues. His supporters know that.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FMR. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Stop the Swift Boat campaign. Pull it all off the air. Let's get down to the issues.

SCHNEIDER: Kerry's opponents are doing their best to make sure that doesn't happen.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Here's a reminder: All next week on DAYBREAK, Carol Costello brings you special reports on the candidates and the issues. On Monday, she'll outline their positions on civil rights, from affirmative action and hate crimes to gay marriage and gay adoption. You'll want to tune in for that.

Other stories across America this Friday. Another allegation in the Michael Jackson case. The stepfather of the boy who accuses Jackson of molesting him says Jackson's camp offered the family a new home and a free college education for the children. In exchange, Jackson wanted the family to rebut any unflattering documentary about the pop star. Jackson has denied accusations that he molested the youngster.

In Gilmore, Arkansas, a family grieves for their 7-year-old daughter, missing since Sunday. The body of Patricia Ann Miles was discovered in a field not far from where her shoes and bicycle were recovered. A family friend is charged with kidnapping and is being held on $1 million bond.

In Cincinnati, three fire companies are still on the scene of a smoky warehouse fire almost 12 hours after it broke out. An EPA crew will check for hazardous chemicals. Firefighters could hear explosions very few minutes, sparking fears the century-old warehouse would collapse. No one was thought to be inside at the time. Well, good news there.

Still to come here on DAYBREAK, how safe are your kids when they ride in a school bus every morning? We'll take a look at buses, seat belts and the business of safety at 48 past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Your news, money, weather and sports. The time right now is 6:42 Eastern. And here is what's all new this morning.

Heavy fighting in the Iraqi city of Najaf. Seven Iraqis have been killed and 39 wounded overnight. And the sacred Imam Ali Mosque has been damaged. An aide says radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his fighters to turn the mosque over to Shiite leaders, but there are no indications that that has happened.

New York police get into a dust-up with chanting demonstrators, but it's all just training for the Republican National Convention. The mock protest was to review arrest procedures ahead of the convention at Madison Square Garden beginning August 30.

In money, Google scores big on opening day. Stock in the Internet search engine climbed from its $85 initial price to end at just above $100 a share. That's an increase of about 18 percent.

In culture, Saturday is Fantasia Barrino day in North Carolina. Mark your calendars. The "American Idol" winner makes her first home state appearance with the "American Idol's" tour. Now to sports. The Carolina Panthers spoiled Eli Manning's decent debut as the Giants starting quarterback, but the Panthers' Jake DelHomme stole the show from the top draft pick. Carolina topped New York 27-20 in preseason play.

(WEATHER BREAK)

NGUYEN: We want to check in now with Bill and Heidi in New York for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Betty.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Betty, good morning to you on a Friday morning. More on Najaf. We followed this story closely yesterday. Battles again overnight. U.S. and Iraqi forces trading fire with insurgents there. Live to Iraq. We'll also talk with a member of the U.S. Army outside that city, and we'll find out what's happening today.

COLLINS: Yes, a lot going on there.

Also, John Kerry fires back at a veteran's group questioning his military record and calls on President Bush to denounce them. Who is behind the negative ads, and are they hurting Kerry with the vets? We'll talk about that. Bill Schneider is going to weigh in.

HEMMER: All right. The Scott Peterson case off for Monday.

COLLINS: Right.

HEMMER: We've got another case for you, Betty. Michael Jackson, more accusations inside the courtroom against the pop star, while he is defending his image in public. So we'll get to all of that this morning as well.

What's Jack doing today?

COLLINS: Jack is doing all kinds of (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HEMMER: It's got something to do with Ted Kennedy actually. He followed this story, a true story. Yes, we'll have it for you at the top of the hour, Betty. See you then. Have a great weekend.

NGUYEN: Hey, Jack is doing what he always does. That's Jack.

HEMMER: Jack's thing. See you later.

COLLINS: Bye.

NGUYEN: Coming up, and how far-fetched is this futuristic thriller? Our fighting movie review includes Nicolas Cage's new flick.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Kids are heading back to school, but in many parts of the country bussing has been cut because of dwindling budgets. That eliminates the safest way to travel to and from school.

CNN's Julie Vallese joins us now live with more on this bussing dilemma.

And it has become a real dilemma, hasn't it, Julie?

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really has. But statistically, riding in a school bus really is the safest way to travel. When all school districts are back in session, more than 400,000 school buses will transport some 24 million schoolchildren to and from school. That's billions of miles traveled.

But each year how to get students to and from school safety is always an issue with parents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALLESE (voice over): An ill bus driver, some scared children, and a frantic few minutes, it's video like this that makes parents wonder how safe a child is on the school bus.

CHUCK HURLEY, NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL: Parents should be comforted that school bus travel is probably the safest time of a child's day.

VALLESE: That's because of its safety record. Fewer than 10 children a year die in school bus crashes. Even so, some are pushing to add seat belts to buses, something the industry would support if money was no object.

CHARLES GAUTHIER, PUPIL TRANSPORTATION SVCS. ASSN.: Unless we have the necessary funding to not only pay for the lap-shoulder belts, but also the additional school buses that we need, you may end up actually having fewer kids in yellow school buses and more kids out in the less safe forms of transportation.

VALLESE: The government agrees. In tests crashing buses, both in the side and head-on, it concluded the current structure that's been around for almost 30 years is safety-effective.

GAUTHIER: It's got some weaknesses in terms of side impacts and rollover impacts, but overall it's done an excellent job.

VALLESE: It would take hundreds of millions of dollars to fit all school buses with lap-shoulder belts. Some states have decided to spend money to add the belts. All new buses in California will have them.

As for the current system, it worked in this crash. No children were seriously hurt.

(END VIDEOTAPE) Now, where children who do take the bus get hurt is outside the bus. So parents need to remind their children take 10 steps to the side of the bus and never cross the road until directed by the driver -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, Julie Vallese, thank you.

We want to check our "Web Clicks" this morning. What stories are getting your attention on our Web site? Let's go to CNN.com to check them out.

First up, missing Arkansas girl found dead. That's No. 1.

Up next, Michael Jackson lavish and bizarre lifestyle documented on tape during court hearing.

And then finally, shoe bomber Richard Reid sues a prison for harsh conditions.

So, what do you think? Want to see mover coverage of a story? Peeved about something? Think we're doing a good job? Shoot us an e- mail and let it all out. The address is Daybreak@CNN.com.

Well, Benji -- you remember Benji. Benji is "Off the Leash," Seth Green is "Without a Paddle," and Tim Robbins takes on a sci-fi romance. Just a bit of what you'll find in theaters this weekend.

And Tom O'Neil from "US Weekly" joins us now with a preview.

Boy, this runs the gamut, doesn't it?

TOM O'NEIL, "US Weekly": It does. And I have bad news for you in general, though, Betty. This is one of those times that we call dump month.

NGUYEN: Oh.

O'NEIL: But, you know, it makes sense. The producers have released all of their good movies already, and they've got to drop the stinker bombs. Stay away from the theaters this week.

NGUYEN: No!

O'NEIL: If you're going to look for new releases, stay with movies like "Garden State" and "Open Water" and "The Bourne Supremacy."

NGUYEN: All right. Well, we have to go through the list of stinker bombs, as you like to call them. So, let's start with "Code 46." What's this all about?

O'NEIL: Oh, it's a futuristic world, where desert has consumed the planet and you must live in a city. But to live in the city, you must need a little piece of insurance paper called a pappel (ph). And Samantha Morton makes those forgeries, and it's Tim Robbins' job to get her. Of course, they fall in love, and they're on the run. And that's what you should do with this movie. Run as fast as you can away from it.

NGUYEN: Oh, you know, the studios are not loving you this morning.

All right. Let's talk about Benji. Now, how can Benji be a bad movie? Well, you know what? I could see it.

O'NEIL: Do you know what? Actually, it's not a bad movie, Betty. But it's very, very controversial in Benji-land, because Benji doesn't look like Benji here.

NGUYEN: That's a problem.

O'NEIL: They've got the color of the dog

NGUYEN: Benji has to look like Benji for us to believe it's Benji, right?

O'NEIL: I know. Benji's name is all wrong! He's called Puppy here. And he is a she. So you can see how very controversial these issues are.

NGUYEN: Oh no!

O'NEIL: However, it's still a charming little movie about Benji and his associate, Forked Lizard Tongue I think the dog's name is, who actually looks more like Benji. It gets very confusing. Then they go out save Benji's mom from an evil dog breeder. Meanwhile, they're being chased by some comical bungling dog catcher. And overall, it's charming but a little slow.

NGUYEN: Well, it looks like something children might enjoy.

O'NEIL: Yes, actually. Mom and dad should kind of drop them off at the theater, I think. Find something else...

NGUYEN: Oh, and leave them by themselves with Benji, OK.

And "Without a Paddle," anything with Seth Green has to be funny, right?

O'NEIL: Oh, this is so bad...

NGUYEN: No!

O'NEIL: ... so horrible that I noticed this morning "The New York Times" has labeled this movie...

NGUYEN: Oh, look at that shot.

O'NEIL: ... loathsome. It should be called "without a clue." These three guys are on an expedition through Washington State to try to find the old legendary D.V. Cooper treasure, and it's just dumb, dumb guy humor. They encounter bears who eat cell phones. There is the bear.

NGUYEN: Not the drunk bear that we talked about yesterday, though, right?

O'NEIL: Yes, yes. And it's just -- it's really, really an awful movie.

NGUYEN: Well, don't you think teenagers would enjoy something like this?

O'NEIL: Well, if they stop off at the saloon beforehand, but teenagers can't do that. This is, unfortunately, one of those weekends -- and we're going to have another one next weekend, too -- where before Labor Day kicks in officially they're just going to be getting rid of these terrible movies.

NGUYEN: Terrible, OK. And we don't have video of this, but I want to bring it up just quickly. The "Exorcist" prequel, is that a good one? Is that as scary the one I remember watching and thought, 'There is no way I'm going to watch this ever again?'

O'NEIL: You know, it's so bad...

NGUYEN: Really?

O'NEIL: ... that they actually made two prequels. The other one was -- this is the least bad of the two.

NGUYEN: If that's possible, right?

O'NEIL: If that's possible. And it's proof that Hollywood is possessed by Satan that they would unleash this evil on the world. You go back to where it all began where Lucifer fell from the sky after his fight with Satan. And it's in this bizarre church in Africa. It's really terrible.

NGUYEN: Tom O'Neil, you're not mincing words today at all. Your advice: Stay home, rent a movie.

O'NEIL: Or go see the other movies that you haven't caught up with yet that are still in the theaters.

NGUYEN: All right, Tom O'Neil, thank you very much.

O'NEIL: Thanks.

NGUYEN: Well, today's mug quiz ahead in two minutes, but first this is DAYBREAK for a Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right, we've finally done it.

NGUYEN: Uh-oh!

MYERS: We have stumped you. No winners in yesterday's DAYBREAK coffee mug questions.

The two questions we had, and actually the second one was probably the hardest. But, in a recent poll of registered voters in Ohio, what percentage said they'd vote for President Bush and what percentage said they'd vote for Senator Kerry? Forty-two for Bush, 52 for Kerry.

And then the question here, how many people play or volunteer at Little League games each year? We didn't say it, but it was on the screen at the bottom in what we call the words or the kyron (ph) right on the bottom of the screen. That number is four million.

Nobody got it, so today we'll give away two. Here you go. Here are the questions for today.

In what state will all new school buses have lap and shoulder belts, those three-point harnesses? We just had that story. And what celebrity items are being auctioned to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Charley?

We'll give you the answers on Monday.

NGUYEN: And we want a winner tomorrow.

MYERS: Better hurry up.

NGUYEN: Yes.

From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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 August 20, 2004 - 06:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: His campaign was going to take some time off from new TV commercials -- until now. This morning's swift reaction from the Kerry camp to the Swift Boat ad controversy.
It's Friday, August 20, and this is DAYBREAK.

Well, good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Betty Nguyen in for Carol Costello.

Now in the news, heavy fighting overnight in the Iraqi city of Najaf. Seven Iraqis killed there and 39 wounded. An aide says radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his fighters to turn the mosque in Najaf over to religious authorities. But there is no indication that they're doing it.

Now to Fallujah west of Baghdad, at least two Iraqis have been killed by a U.S. airstrike. Witnesses say Fallujah residents are -- or were shooting at a U.S. fighter jet with a machine gun just before the bombs were dropped.

We want to show you some live video now of Moss Bluff, Texas, after another huge explosion rocks an underground gas storage facility. Flames are shooting high into the sky some 40 miles from Houston. Residents within a three-mile radius are being evacuated, and additional shelters are being set up.

Today marks one week since Hurricane Charley made landfall, and parts of coastal Florida still look like a war zone. In all, emergency officials say 23 people were killed either during the storm or in hurricane-related accidents.

(WEATHER BREAK)

NGUYEN: On the campaign trail, President Bush is relaxing for a week at his Texas ranch, but aides say he's also working on the acceptance speech he'll deliver at the Republican National Convention in two weeks.

John Kerry takes his campaign to North Carolina and Florida today. In Florida, he'll get a first-hand look at damage from Hurricane Charley. He stayed away after the storm hit, saying he didn't want to get in the way of recovery efforts.

And Senator Kerry is going on the offensive. He is launching a new ad campaign in key battleground states to counter attack ads that criticize his Vietnam War record.

CNN's Bill Schneider has more on the ads that turned up the political heat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): There's no shortage of issues in this campaign: terrorism, war, jobs, health care, energy. So why are we stuck in a debate about something that happened more than 35 years ago?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, SWIFT BOAT VETERANS FOR TRUTH AD)

GEORGE ELLIOTT, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER, TWO BRONZE STARS: John Kerry has not been honest about what happened in Vietnam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Issues are not what got Kerry the Democratic nomination. Democrats saw Kerry as electable. Why? His Vietnam War record. Kerry made it the centerpiece of his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, KERRY-EDWARDS AD)

SEN. JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I thought it was important, if you had a lot of privileges, as I had had, to go to a great university like Yale, to give something back to your country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Now that his record is being challenged, Kerry feels he has to fight back with something more than press releases.

KERRY: If he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: Bring it on!

SCHNEIDER: Brave words. But the fact is, Kerry is not likely to beat Bush on personal qualities. Polls show Bush has a clear advantage over Kerry as a strong leader who is good in a crisis, down to earth and sticks to his positions. Kerry's personal strength, like any good Democrat, he cares about people.

When you talk about most issues, the advantage shifts to Kerry. Voters rate Kerry better on the economy, jobs, education and health care. Bush's issue advantage is on terrorism. That's it.

What about Iraq? The two are rated about equal. Kerry has to get the debate off personal qualities and onto the issues. His supporters know that.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FMR. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Stop the Swift Boat campaign. Pull it all off the air. Let's get down to the issues.

SCHNEIDER: Kerry's opponents are doing their best to make sure that doesn't happen.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Here's a reminder: All next week on DAYBREAK, Carol Costello brings you special reports on the candidates and the issues. On Monday, she'll outline their positions on civil rights, from affirmative action and hate crimes to gay marriage and gay adoption. You'll want to tune in for that.

Other stories across America this Friday. Another allegation in the Michael Jackson case. The stepfather of the boy who accuses Jackson of molesting him says Jackson's camp offered the family a new home and a free college education for the children. In exchange, Jackson wanted the family to rebut any unflattering documentary about the pop star. Jackson has denied accusations that he molested the youngster.

In Gilmore, Arkansas, a family grieves for their 7-year-old daughter, missing since Sunday. The body of Patricia Ann Miles was discovered in a field not far from where her shoes and bicycle were recovered. A family friend is charged with kidnapping and is being held on $1 million bond.

In Cincinnati, three fire companies are still on the scene of a smoky warehouse fire almost 12 hours after it broke out. An EPA crew will check for hazardous chemicals. Firefighters could hear explosions very few minutes, sparking fears the century-old warehouse would collapse. No one was thought to be inside at the time. Well, good news there.

Still to come here on DAYBREAK, how safe are your kids when they ride in a school bus every morning? We'll take a look at buses, seat belts and the business of safety at 48 past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Your news, money, weather and sports. The time right now is 6:42 Eastern. And here is what's all new this morning.

Heavy fighting in the Iraqi city of Najaf. Seven Iraqis have been killed and 39 wounded overnight. And the sacred Imam Ali Mosque has been damaged. An aide says radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his fighters to turn the mosque over to Shiite leaders, but there are no indications that that has happened.

New York police get into a dust-up with chanting demonstrators, but it's all just training for the Republican National Convention. The mock protest was to review arrest procedures ahead of the convention at Madison Square Garden beginning August 30.

In money, Google scores big on opening day. Stock in the Internet search engine climbed from its $85 initial price to end at just above $100 a share. That's an increase of about 18 percent.

In culture, Saturday is Fantasia Barrino day in North Carolina. Mark your calendars. The "American Idol" winner makes her first home state appearance with the "American Idol's" tour. Now to sports. The Carolina Panthers spoiled Eli Manning's decent debut as the Giants starting quarterback, but the Panthers' Jake DelHomme stole the show from the top draft pick. Carolina topped New York 27-20 in preseason play.

(WEATHER BREAK)

NGUYEN: We want to check in now with Bill and Heidi in New York for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Betty.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Betty, good morning to you on a Friday morning. More on Najaf. We followed this story closely yesterday. Battles again overnight. U.S. and Iraqi forces trading fire with insurgents there. Live to Iraq. We'll also talk with a member of the U.S. Army outside that city, and we'll find out what's happening today.

COLLINS: Yes, a lot going on there.

Also, John Kerry fires back at a veteran's group questioning his military record and calls on President Bush to denounce them. Who is behind the negative ads, and are they hurting Kerry with the vets? We'll talk about that. Bill Schneider is going to weigh in.

HEMMER: All right. The Scott Peterson case off for Monday.

COLLINS: Right.

HEMMER: We've got another case for you, Betty. Michael Jackson, more accusations inside the courtroom against the pop star, while he is defending his image in public. So we'll get to all of that this morning as well.

What's Jack doing today?

COLLINS: Jack is doing all kinds of (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HEMMER: It's got something to do with Ted Kennedy actually. He followed this story, a true story. Yes, we'll have it for you at the top of the hour, Betty. See you then. Have a great weekend.

NGUYEN: Hey, Jack is doing what he always does. That's Jack.

HEMMER: Jack's thing. See you later.

COLLINS: Bye.

NGUYEN: Coming up, and how far-fetched is this futuristic thriller? Our fighting movie review includes Nicolas Cage's new flick.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Kids are heading back to school, but in many parts of the country bussing has been cut because of dwindling budgets. That eliminates the safest way to travel to and from school.

CNN's Julie Vallese joins us now live with more on this bussing dilemma.

And it has become a real dilemma, hasn't it, Julie?

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really has. But statistically, riding in a school bus really is the safest way to travel. When all school districts are back in session, more than 400,000 school buses will transport some 24 million schoolchildren to and from school. That's billions of miles traveled.

But each year how to get students to and from school safety is always an issue with parents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALLESE (voice over): An ill bus driver, some scared children, and a frantic few minutes, it's video like this that makes parents wonder how safe a child is on the school bus.

CHUCK HURLEY, NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL: Parents should be comforted that school bus travel is probably the safest time of a child's day.

VALLESE: That's because of its safety record. Fewer than 10 children a year die in school bus crashes. Even so, some are pushing to add seat belts to buses, something the industry would support if money was no object.

CHARLES GAUTHIER, PUPIL TRANSPORTATION SVCS. ASSN.: Unless we have the necessary funding to not only pay for the lap-shoulder belts, but also the additional school buses that we need, you may end up actually having fewer kids in yellow school buses and more kids out in the less safe forms of transportation.

VALLESE: The government agrees. In tests crashing buses, both in the side and head-on, it concluded the current structure that's been around for almost 30 years is safety-effective.

GAUTHIER: It's got some weaknesses in terms of side impacts and rollover impacts, but overall it's done an excellent job.

VALLESE: It would take hundreds of millions of dollars to fit all school buses with lap-shoulder belts. Some states have decided to spend money to add the belts. All new buses in California will have them.

As for the current system, it worked in this crash. No children were seriously hurt.

(END VIDEOTAPE) Now, where children who do take the bus get hurt is outside the bus. So parents need to remind their children take 10 steps to the side of the bus and never cross the road until directed by the driver -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, Julie Vallese, thank you.

We want to check our "Web Clicks" this morning. What stories are getting your attention on our Web site? Let's go to CNN.com to check them out.

First up, missing Arkansas girl found dead. That's No. 1.

Up next, Michael Jackson lavish and bizarre lifestyle documented on tape during court hearing.

And then finally, shoe bomber Richard Reid sues a prison for harsh conditions.

So, what do you think? Want to see mover coverage of a story? Peeved about something? Think we're doing a good job? Shoot us an e- mail and let it all out. The address is Daybreak@CNN.com.

Well, Benji -- you remember Benji. Benji is "Off the Leash," Seth Green is "Without a Paddle," and Tim Robbins takes on a sci-fi romance. Just a bit of what you'll find in theaters this weekend.

And Tom O'Neil from "US Weekly" joins us now with a preview.

Boy, this runs the gamut, doesn't it?

TOM O'NEIL, "US Weekly": It does. And I have bad news for you in general, though, Betty. This is one of those times that we call dump month.

NGUYEN: Oh.

O'NEIL: But, you know, it makes sense. The producers have released all of their good movies already, and they've got to drop the stinker bombs. Stay away from the theaters this week.

NGUYEN: No!

O'NEIL: If you're going to look for new releases, stay with movies like "Garden State" and "Open Water" and "The Bourne Supremacy."

NGUYEN: All right. Well, we have to go through the list of stinker bombs, as you like to call them. So, let's start with "Code 46." What's this all about?

O'NEIL: Oh, it's a futuristic world, where desert has consumed the planet and you must live in a city. But to live in the city, you must need a little piece of insurance paper called a pappel (ph). And Samantha Morton makes those forgeries, and it's Tim Robbins' job to get her. Of course, they fall in love, and they're on the run. And that's what you should do with this movie. Run as fast as you can away from it.

NGUYEN: Oh, you know, the studios are not loving you this morning.

All right. Let's talk about Benji. Now, how can Benji be a bad movie? Well, you know what? I could see it.

O'NEIL: Do you know what? Actually, it's not a bad movie, Betty. But it's very, very controversial in Benji-land, because Benji doesn't look like Benji here.

NGUYEN: That's a problem.

O'NEIL: They've got the color of the dog

NGUYEN: Benji has to look like Benji for us to believe it's Benji, right?

O'NEIL: I know. Benji's name is all wrong! He's called Puppy here. And he is a she. So you can see how very controversial these issues are.

NGUYEN: Oh no!

O'NEIL: However, it's still a charming little movie about Benji and his associate, Forked Lizard Tongue I think the dog's name is, who actually looks more like Benji. It gets very confusing. Then they go out save Benji's mom from an evil dog breeder. Meanwhile, they're being chased by some comical bungling dog catcher. And overall, it's charming but a little slow.

NGUYEN: Well, it looks like something children might enjoy.

O'NEIL: Yes, actually. Mom and dad should kind of drop them off at the theater, I think. Find something else...

NGUYEN: Oh, and leave them by themselves with Benji, OK.

And "Without a Paddle," anything with Seth Green has to be funny, right?

O'NEIL: Oh, this is so bad...

NGUYEN: No!

O'NEIL: ... so horrible that I noticed this morning "The New York Times" has labeled this movie...

NGUYEN: Oh, look at that shot.

O'NEIL: ... loathsome. It should be called "without a clue." These three guys are on an expedition through Washington State to try to find the old legendary D.V. Cooper treasure, and it's just dumb, dumb guy humor. They encounter bears who eat cell phones. There is the bear.

NGUYEN: Not the drunk bear that we talked about yesterday, though, right?

O'NEIL: Yes, yes. And it's just -- it's really, really an awful movie.

NGUYEN: Well, don't you think teenagers would enjoy something like this?

O'NEIL: Well, if they stop off at the saloon beforehand, but teenagers can't do that. This is, unfortunately, one of those weekends -- and we're going to have another one next weekend, too -- where before Labor Day kicks in officially they're just going to be getting rid of these terrible movies.

NGUYEN: Terrible, OK. And we don't have video of this, but I want to bring it up just quickly. The "Exorcist" prequel, is that a good one? Is that as scary the one I remember watching and thought, 'There is no way I'm going to watch this ever again?'

O'NEIL: You know, it's so bad...

NGUYEN: Really?

O'NEIL: ... that they actually made two prequels. The other one was -- this is the least bad of the two.

NGUYEN: If that's possible, right?

O'NEIL: If that's possible. And it's proof that Hollywood is possessed by Satan that they would unleash this evil on the world. You go back to where it all began where Lucifer fell from the sky after his fight with Satan. And it's in this bizarre church in Africa. It's really terrible.

NGUYEN: Tom O'Neil, you're not mincing words today at all. Your advice: Stay home, rent a movie.

O'NEIL: Or go see the other movies that you haven't caught up with yet that are still in the theaters.

NGUYEN: All right, Tom O'Neil, thank you very much.

O'NEIL: Thanks.

NGUYEN: Well, today's mug quiz ahead in two minutes, but first this is DAYBREAK for a Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right, we've finally done it.

NGUYEN: Uh-oh!

MYERS: We have stumped you. No winners in yesterday's DAYBREAK coffee mug questions.

The two questions we had, and actually the second one was probably the hardest. But, in a recent poll of registered voters in Ohio, what percentage said they'd vote for President Bush and what percentage said they'd vote for Senator Kerry? Forty-two for Bush, 52 for Kerry.

And then the question here, how many people play or volunteer at Little League games each year? We didn't say it, but it was on the screen at the bottom in what we call the words or the kyron (ph) right on the bottom of the screen. That number is four million.

Nobody got it, so today we'll give away two. Here you go. Here are the questions for today.

In what state will all new school buses have lap and shoulder belts, those three-point harnesses? We just had that story. And what celebrity items are being auctioned to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Charley?

We'll give you the answers on Monday.

NGUYEN: And we want a winner tomorrow.

MYERS: Better hurry up.

NGUYEN: Yes.

From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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