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CNN Live At Daybreak

Another Deadly Day in Baghdad; Day Two of Rice Hearings

Aired January 19, 2005 - 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: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, a sea of faithful in the land of the Prophet Muhammad. We'll take you live to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Plus, CNN's "Security Watch." The nation's busiest seaport and an economy at risk. Is this a prime target for a dirty bomb?

And echoes of Abu Ghraib. This time British soldiers are capturing the headlines.

It is Wednesday, January 19.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, just 30 minutes ago a car bomb exploded at the Baghdad bank, where Iraqi police officers were getting paid. It's among a series of car bombings and explosions in and near the city. At least 26 people died in four of those attacks.

Confirmation hearings for Condoleezza Rice resume four hours from now. The secretary of state nominee was criticized yesterday over her statements about the threat of Iraq's suspected weapons programs.

And the top Palestinian security official in Gaza says forces will be placed along the border with Israel to stop attacks on Israelis. That comes as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets again today with Hamas leaders in an effort to end militant attacks.

And you want proof of the global fear from last month's deadly tsunamis? Just a few hours ago, Japan issued a tsunami warning after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off its eastern coast. But there were absolutely no big waves. In fact, big waves, Chad, were not even predicted.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Carol, when you get a strong earthquake that's in the water, even the day before, a couple of days before we had the 9.0 there over by Indonesia, by Banda Aceh, there was an 8.2 not that far from Australia. And they issued a warning just in case because sometimes you don't know whether they're going to generate a tsunami or not. And so then when you know that it doesn't exist, then you cancel the tsunami. You'd rather be safe than sorry, you know? It's like putting a tornado warning out when radar shows it, even though no one has seen the tornado yet. And sometimes they don't fall out and sometimes they do. So it's probably not a bad idea to at least get people off the beaches, obviously. We can see what that power can do.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Developing news this morning, across Baghdad's skyline right now, smoke from a series of bombings. It is, indeed, a violent and deadly day. There have been at least four suicide bombings in Baghdad. Some 26 people are dead, dozens injured. The latest a car bombing at a bank where Iraqi police were collecting their paychecks.

North of Hillah, a car bomb attack killed an Iraqi police officer and seriously injured two others. And earlier, a suicide bomber struck near the Australian embassy, killing two Iraqis. Also, at a police station in central Baghdad, a car bomb killed six people.

Jeff Koinange joins us at the half hour to update us on all of this violence leading up to the Iraqi elections.

Back here in the States, Condoleezza Rice sparred with several Democrats over the war in Iraq.

State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel has more on day one of the Rice confirmation hearing.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you swear to tell the truth...

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Condoleezza Rice sought to highlight her new role as presidential adviser turned top U.S. diplomat.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: The time for diplomacy is now.

KOPPEL: But Democrats quickly took her to task.

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: And the time for diplomacy, in my view, is long overdue.

KOPPEL: Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry grilled Rice on Iraq.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The current policy is growing the insurgency, not diminishing it.

KOPPEL: And Kerry warned the January 30th elections could make things worse.

KERRY: The dynamics of the election could actually, without the proper actions, provide a greater capacity for civil war.

KOPPEL: Rice urged patience. CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The political process, as you well know and you all know better than I, is one of coming to terms with divisions.

KOPPEL: California Democrat Barbara Boxer took the gloves off, suggesting Rice deliberately hyped the Iraq threat and used the image of a nuclear mushroom cloud to scare the American people.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: This is my personal view, that your loyalty to the mission you were given to sell this war overwhelmed your respect for the truth. And I don't say it lightly.

RICE: I have to say that I have never, ever lost respect for the truth in the service of anything. It is not my nature. It is not my character.

BOXER: If you were rolling out a new product, like a can opener, who would care about what we said? But this product is a war and people are dead and dying.

RICE: Senator, I'm happy to continue the discussion, but I really hope that you will not imply that I take the truth lightly.

KOPPEL: Known by some as the velvet hammer for her steely composure, Rice grew up in the segregated South. Now poised to become the first African American woman secretary of state, history was clearly on her mind.

RICE: I personally am indebted to those who fought and sacrificed in the civil rights movement so that I could be here today.

KOPPEL (on camera): During 10 hours of tough questioning, Rice gave no ground and made no apologies. But if she's confirmed as expected, Secretary of State Rice is sure to face many more days like this one.

Andrea Koppel, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: President Bush formally ushers in his second term tomorrow when he takes the oath of office. In the meantime, the inaugural parties have already kicked off in Washington. This youth concert featured stars like Hilary Duff and pop singer JoJo. Critics say the nonstop festivities go too far, especially in a time of war. But the president says he looks forward to his second inauguration.

He talked to CNN White House correspondent John King about the road ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm so honored to be the person who has been chosen to lead us for four more years. I think this time around it will be a little different. I'll be a better spectator than I was the first time. The first time I was pretty well overwhelmed by the moment and stayed focused on delivering the speech. I would hope that after four years as the president, that I'll be able to not only stay focused on delivering the speech, but will also be able to take in the sights and sounds of this glorious moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Americans have mixed feelings about President Bush's next four years. In a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 52 percent of Americans surveyed think the president will do an outstanding or above average job. That's up from 47 percent who felt the same way in January of 2001 at the beginning of his first term. The poll also shows a boost in the number of people who think he'll perform below average or poorly. Forty-two percent now think so. Thirty-six percent felt that way in 2001.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Washington might look more like a city under siege for tomorrow's inauguration. Authorities plan the tightest security ever for such an event. They're closing off 100 blocks worth of city streets for the inaugural parade and lining them with steel fences and concrete barriers. At least half a million people are expected to come to Washington for the nation's 55th presidential inauguration. Local residents are already finding "no parking" signs all over the place. And utility crews are welding manhole covers shut, which is snarling traffic.

From the swearing in to the parade to the parties, CNN will bring you live special coverage of all the inaugural events. That's all day tomorrow.

Now to "Defending America." Rail safety is a big concern for the nation's mayors. They've sent an open letter to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. The mayors are demanding more information from the federal government about trains carrying hazardous materials through their cities. This comes less than two weeks after a train wreck leaked toxic chlorine gas in Graniteville, South Carolina. It killed nine people, injured hundreds more and forced thousands from their homes.

And this past weekend, a sealed shipping container with 32 Chinese immigrants arrived at the Port of Los Angeles. The illegal cargo was only discovered when the immigrants started climbing out. But this incident could have been much worse. What if something was, what if there was something more dangerous inside that container?

CNN's David Mattingly takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation's biggest container port. Forty-three percent of all the goods that come into the U.S. by water in shipping containers come through here. STEPHEN E. FLYNN, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: The Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach is arguably not only America's most critical port, but potentially the most important port in the world.

MATTINGLY (on camera): It is one of the single biggest engines driving the U.S. economy, a gateway to more than $200 billion in annual trade, with more than 5,000 ships unloading over nine million cargo containers a year. If the numbers don't impress you, consider this -- without this port, store shelves would empty, factories would close and untold thousands would find themselves out of a job.

(voice-over): If terrorists inserted one of their agents somewhere into the long chain of companies involved in sending a product from a factory in South China to the United States, they would be in a position to get a nuclear device into a box, then on to a container, into the frenzy of commerce heading west and onto a ship headed for California. And the device would not have to detonate to the blow a hole in the U.S. economy. If authorities got a tip about a nuclear device in one of these boxes, they might well shut down the port to find it.

FLYNN: And so if you shut down this port you're talking about -- these are the warehouses for the entire national economy. We don't have big warehouses anymore. It's in this transportation system.

MATTINGLY: Steve Flynn has been banging the drum, raising awareness about maritime security he says is deeply vulnerable.

FLYNN: Most Americans that I meet are simply flummoxed by the fact that, well, we can track -- FAA can track airplanes. It turns out we can't track ships.

It's a fool's game to be playing this way. There are things that we could be doing at reasonable costs to rein in this risk, not to eliminate it, but to rein it in.

MATTINGLY: Here, the federal government is testing how its agencies would react if a dirty bomb shipped to the U.S. in a container exploded in the Port of Los Angeles.

The exercise mobilized the FBI, Department of Energy, FEMA, the Coast Guard, Customs, the EPA and Defense Departments, and an army of local authorities. Similar exercises were held across the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our goal here is to take the lessons of 9/11, where we've seen failings in coordination, command, communication, and try and stress those and fix them.

MATTINGLY: In the post-exercise analysis, authorities concluded some things work well. Some things, like communications between the 50 agencies involved, did not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, chief, we got five critical who need to be transported. I can't get EMS six to answer.

CHIEF NOEL CUNNINGHAM, PORT OF LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, we know we're vulnerable and are there gaps, but we're trying to make sure it doesn't happen here. But we believe it will happen.

MATTINGLY: A dirty bomb blowing up in the port, threatening surrounding neighborhoods, is one terrible possibility. But there's one much worse. In this scenario, a bomb similar in size to those used on Japan in World War II comes into the L.A. port in a container and is loaded onto a truck. The truck drives into downtown Los Angeles and the bomb is detonated by remote control.

MATTHEW MCKINZIE, PHYSICIST, NRDC: Thirty-two thousand people would die. These people would die as a result of intense blast, high winds, intense heat radiation from the fireball. A further 160,000 people, though, could die as a result of exposure to fallout.

MATTINGLY: Matthew McKinzie is a physicist working for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Using the same special software that helps the federal government gauge the impact of a nuclear war, he can create a model for a catastrophe. Just enter the city, the date and the size of the bomb, a simple point and click for the ultimate terrorist attack.

MCKINZIE: What the code shows is a hole, basically, burned and blasted out of the center of Los Angeles.

MATTINGLY (on camera): What about the radiation?

MCKINZIE: The radiation, the fallout plume, impacts a much larger area of Los Angeles.

MATTHEW BUNN, HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT: A nuclear bomb is what happened to Hiroshima, where an entire city was obliterated in an instant by a single bomb. That's what we're talking about here. And unfortunately, it does not take a Manhattan Project to make a nuclear bomb. Potentially, even a relatively modest cell of reasonably skilled people could put together at least a crude nuclear bomb that would be capable of incinerating the heart of any major city in the world.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Any city, like Los Angeles, or maybe New York, or Washington, D.C., the cities attacked on September 11.

BUNN: No one, of course, can reliably calculate the probability of a nuclear terrorist attack in the United States. But I believe it's likely enough that it significantly reduces the life expectancy of everyone who lives and works in downtown Washington, D.C., or New York.

MATTINGLY: David Mattingly, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Security is the focus of our special look at "Defending America" coming up tonight. CNN's special report comes to you at 7:00 p.m. Eastern with Anderson Cooper and Paula Zahn. And we'll have more "Defending America" coverage at 10:00 p.m. with Aaron Brown. So stick with CNN.

And be sure to stay tuned all day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Much more to come on DAYBREAK.

Islam's holiest cities are packed with worshippers today as a pilgrimage of prayer comes to a climax. We'll take you live.

Also, disturbing pictures out of Iraq. They could mean danger for British troops in the field and for British leaders back home.

And he was one of America's most powerful business figures. Today, he's a defendant.

Now here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning, January 19th.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 5:18 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Round two of Condoleezza Rice's confirmation hearing gets underway this morning. Rice faced tough questions on the war in Iraq during day one. Even so, she's expected to win approval from the Senate to become the next secretary of state.

Three British soldiers are back in court today to face charges they abused Iraqi prisoners. One of the three admitted to assaulting a detainee, but denied other charges of abuse and sexual humiliation.

In money news, two new Chevrolet models will debut next month, but only in China. General Motors announced the new China only models as part of the company's expansion into the market. The Chevys are aimed at Chinese yuppies.

In culture, CBS says it might turn the evening news over to an anchor team when Dan Rather steps down in March. The network says the move could help lure younger viewers. The so-called ensemble cast could also broadcast from different cities.

In sports, Andre Agassi made quick work of a second round opponent at the Australian Open. He lost just four games on his way to the straight set victory. Agassi faces follow American Taylor Dent in the next round.

To the forecast center and Chad -- good morning.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: I think I want to go out West today. MYERS: I think so, too.

COSTELLO: Hey, Chad, stick around for the e-mail question.

MYERS: What's that?

COSTELLO: Well, I know you don't go to movies, but you do know the drill, don't you? You rush to the movie theater to catch the 8:30 show, you impatiently wait in line to buy popcorn and then you dash to your seat just in time to sit through 25 minutes of commercials and previews.

MYERS: Oh, I hate that.

COSTELLO: Aren't you sick of it?

MYERS: And, you know, I saw an Anderson Cooper commercial the other day and I still didn't like it. I was like oh, come on, give me the movie.

COSTELLO: Enough already.

Well, a proposed law in Connecticut could change all of that. It calls for theaters to list the time the movie will actually start and then a separate listing will tell you when the commercials and the previews begin. Connecticut State Representative Andrew Fleischmann, the bill's author, says this could be as popular as the state's do not call list, which, of course, as you know, went national.

But, theaters say all those commercials help keep the price of movie tickets reasonable. That's what they say, Chad.

MYERS: Yes? I like that.

COSTELLO: Well, that brings us to our DAYBREAK E-Mail Question of the Day. Should movie theaters be required to list exact start times? Or are you one of those people who actually likes to see the previous and the commercials? Are you crazy?

MYERS: They're the same people that sit through the entire list of actors at the end.

COSTELLO: My husband does that. He's so strange.

Anyway, e-mail us your thoughts this morning. Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

And we're back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is one of the five pillars of Islam, the annual Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, considered the holiest of shrines to the millions and millions of Muslims throughout the world. Today, Muslims are converging on Mount Arafat for the climax of that pilgrimage.

Our Zain Verjee joins us now there with more -- good morning.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

More than two million people have poured into the desert known as the Plain of Arafat. All around, what you see is a sea of white. Everyone is chanting this here, labekh Allah hama labekh (ph), which means god, I am here at your service.

And you know what's really extraordinary about being here is seeing the logistics of this operation. I mean you have to coordinate the safety, the transport, food and water for more than two million people in a desert for five days of the year.

We came across some interesting numbers. They organize and provide 10 million loaves of bread a day, more than 12,000 food outlets are set up for the Hajj and more than 14,000 buses. That's more buses that are in operation then in New York City.

The most important day of the Hajj, as you say, is today. It's Muslims (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from noon until sunset. They essentially miss the whole Hajj. Many of them have been saving up their entire lives to perform this spiritual pilgrimage.

I've been seeing Muslims out on the streets reading their Koran, praying, some of them waving their hands in supplication, asking for forgiveness.

Now, there's a small hill that's sort of smack in the middle of the desert. It's called the Mount of Mercy and it's believed that the Prophet Muhammad held his farewell sermon there. So a lot of people will go there and they'll stand there or even sit there in prayer and in reflection. And Muslims, Carol, also believe that this is a practice day for the day of judgment. So they stand in humility, in prayer and in reflection all day.

COSTELLO: A question for you. We see people at the microphone.

What are they saying and who are they?

VERJEE: The people at the microphones, well, right now it's prayer time and so we've been hearing the call to prayer. And many Muslims here, in fact, all the Muslims here will be turning toward the Kabbah in Mecca, the black cube like structure that Muslims say symbolizes that god is at the center of their lives. So it's prayer time and that's what you're hearing.

COSTELLO: Fascinating pictures. Fascinating story.

Zain Verjee joining us live this morning.

Thank you.

Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

Allegations of prisoner abuse. But this time it's not Americans who are being accused. Will the new round of images put troops in Iraq in more danger?

And straight ahead, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with militant leaders in pursuit of a cease-fire. A look at what he's up against straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Hello, everyone.

We wanted to ask you this question this morning. The DAYBREAK, Question of the Day. Should movie theaters be required to list exact start times so you won't have to sit through all those previews? We want you to e-mail us this morning with your thoughts. Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired January 19, 2005 - 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: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, a sea of faithful in the land of the Prophet Muhammad. We'll take you live to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Plus, CNN's "Security Watch." The nation's busiest seaport and an economy at risk. Is this a prime target for a dirty bomb?

And echoes of Abu Ghraib. This time British soldiers are capturing the headlines.

It is Wednesday, January 19.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, just 30 minutes ago a car bomb exploded at the Baghdad bank, where Iraqi police officers were getting paid. It's among a series of car bombings and explosions in and near the city. At least 26 people died in four of those attacks.

Confirmation hearings for Condoleezza Rice resume four hours from now. The secretary of state nominee was criticized yesterday over her statements about the threat of Iraq's suspected weapons programs.

And the top Palestinian security official in Gaza says forces will be placed along the border with Israel to stop attacks on Israelis. That comes as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets again today with Hamas leaders in an effort to end militant attacks.

And you want proof of the global fear from last month's deadly tsunamis? Just a few hours ago, Japan issued a tsunami warning after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off its eastern coast. But there were absolutely no big waves. In fact, big waves, Chad, were not even predicted.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Carol, when you get a strong earthquake that's in the water, even the day before, a couple of days before we had the 9.0 there over by Indonesia, by Banda Aceh, there was an 8.2 not that far from Australia. And they issued a warning just in case because sometimes you don't know whether they're going to generate a tsunami or not. And so then when you know that it doesn't exist, then you cancel the tsunami. You'd rather be safe than sorry, you know? It's like putting a tornado warning out when radar shows it, even though no one has seen the tornado yet. And sometimes they don't fall out and sometimes they do. So it's probably not a bad idea to at least get people off the beaches, obviously. We can see what that power can do.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Developing news this morning, across Baghdad's skyline right now, smoke from a series of bombings. It is, indeed, a violent and deadly day. There have been at least four suicide bombings in Baghdad. Some 26 people are dead, dozens injured. The latest a car bombing at a bank where Iraqi police were collecting their paychecks.

North of Hillah, a car bomb attack killed an Iraqi police officer and seriously injured two others. And earlier, a suicide bomber struck near the Australian embassy, killing two Iraqis. Also, at a police station in central Baghdad, a car bomb killed six people.

Jeff Koinange joins us at the half hour to update us on all of this violence leading up to the Iraqi elections.

Back here in the States, Condoleezza Rice sparred with several Democrats over the war in Iraq.

State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel has more on day one of the Rice confirmation hearing.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you swear to tell the truth...

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Condoleezza Rice sought to highlight her new role as presidential adviser turned top U.S. diplomat.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE NOMINEE: The time for diplomacy is now.

KOPPEL: But Democrats quickly took her to task.

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: And the time for diplomacy, in my view, is long overdue.

KOPPEL: Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry grilled Rice on Iraq.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The current policy is growing the insurgency, not diminishing it.

KOPPEL: And Kerry warned the January 30th elections could make things worse.

KERRY: The dynamics of the election could actually, without the proper actions, provide a greater capacity for civil war.

KOPPEL: Rice urged patience. CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The political process, as you well know and you all know better than I, is one of coming to terms with divisions.

KOPPEL: California Democrat Barbara Boxer took the gloves off, suggesting Rice deliberately hyped the Iraq threat and used the image of a nuclear mushroom cloud to scare the American people.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: This is my personal view, that your loyalty to the mission you were given to sell this war overwhelmed your respect for the truth. And I don't say it lightly.

RICE: I have to say that I have never, ever lost respect for the truth in the service of anything. It is not my nature. It is not my character.

BOXER: If you were rolling out a new product, like a can opener, who would care about what we said? But this product is a war and people are dead and dying.

RICE: Senator, I'm happy to continue the discussion, but I really hope that you will not imply that I take the truth lightly.

KOPPEL: Known by some as the velvet hammer for her steely composure, Rice grew up in the segregated South. Now poised to become the first African American woman secretary of state, history was clearly on her mind.

RICE: I personally am indebted to those who fought and sacrificed in the civil rights movement so that I could be here today.

KOPPEL (on camera): During 10 hours of tough questioning, Rice gave no ground and made no apologies. But if she's confirmed as expected, Secretary of State Rice is sure to face many more days like this one.

Andrea Koppel, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: President Bush formally ushers in his second term tomorrow when he takes the oath of office. In the meantime, the inaugural parties have already kicked off in Washington. This youth concert featured stars like Hilary Duff and pop singer JoJo. Critics say the nonstop festivities go too far, especially in a time of war. But the president says he looks forward to his second inauguration.

He talked to CNN White House correspondent John King about the road ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm so honored to be the person who has been chosen to lead us for four more years. I think this time around it will be a little different. I'll be a better spectator than I was the first time. The first time I was pretty well overwhelmed by the moment and stayed focused on delivering the speech. I would hope that after four years as the president, that I'll be able to not only stay focused on delivering the speech, but will also be able to take in the sights and sounds of this glorious moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Americans have mixed feelings about President Bush's next four years. In a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 52 percent of Americans surveyed think the president will do an outstanding or above average job. That's up from 47 percent who felt the same way in January of 2001 at the beginning of his first term. The poll also shows a boost in the number of people who think he'll perform below average or poorly. Forty-two percent now think so. Thirty-six percent felt that way in 2001.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Washington might look more like a city under siege for tomorrow's inauguration. Authorities plan the tightest security ever for such an event. They're closing off 100 blocks worth of city streets for the inaugural parade and lining them with steel fences and concrete barriers. At least half a million people are expected to come to Washington for the nation's 55th presidential inauguration. Local residents are already finding "no parking" signs all over the place. And utility crews are welding manhole covers shut, which is snarling traffic.

From the swearing in to the parade to the parties, CNN will bring you live special coverage of all the inaugural events. That's all day tomorrow.

Now to "Defending America." Rail safety is a big concern for the nation's mayors. They've sent an open letter to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. The mayors are demanding more information from the federal government about trains carrying hazardous materials through their cities. This comes less than two weeks after a train wreck leaked toxic chlorine gas in Graniteville, South Carolina. It killed nine people, injured hundreds more and forced thousands from their homes.

And this past weekend, a sealed shipping container with 32 Chinese immigrants arrived at the Port of Los Angeles. The illegal cargo was only discovered when the immigrants started climbing out. But this incident could have been much worse. What if something was, what if there was something more dangerous inside that container?

CNN's David Mattingly takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation's biggest container port. Forty-three percent of all the goods that come into the U.S. by water in shipping containers come through here. STEPHEN E. FLYNN, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: The Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach is arguably not only America's most critical port, but potentially the most important port in the world.

MATTINGLY (on camera): It is one of the single biggest engines driving the U.S. economy, a gateway to more than $200 billion in annual trade, with more than 5,000 ships unloading over nine million cargo containers a year. If the numbers don't impress you, consider this -- without this port, store shelves would empty, factories would close and untold thousands would find themselves out of a job.

(voice-over): If terrorists inserted one of their agents somewhere into the long chain of companies involved in sending a product from a factory in South China to the United States, they would be in a position to get a nuclear device into a box, then on to a container, into the frenzy of commerce heading west and onto a ship headed for California. And the device would not have to detonate to the blow a hole in the U.S. economy. If authorities got a tip about a nuclear device in one of these boxes, they might well shut down the port to find it.

FLYNN: And so if you shut down this port you're talking about -- these are the warehouses for the entire national economy. We don't have big warehouses anymore. It's in this transportation system.

MATTINGLY: Steve Flynn has been banging the drum, raising awareness about maritime security he says is deeply vulnerable.

FLYNN: Most Americans that I meet are simply flummoxed by the fact that, well, we can track -- FAA can track airplanes. It turns out we can't track ships.

It's a fool's game to be playing this way. There are things that we could be doing at reasonable costs to rein in this risk, not to eliminate it, but to rein it in.

MATTINGLY: Here, the federal government is testing how its agencies would react if a dirty bomb shipped to the U.S. in a container exploded in the Port of Los Angeles.

The exercise mobilized the FBI, Department of Energy, FEMA, the Coast Guard, Customs, the EPA and Defense Departments, and an army of local authorities. Similar exercises were held across the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our goal here is to take the lessons of 9/11, where we've seen failings in coordination, command, communication, and try and stress those and fix them.

MATTINGLY: In the post-exercise analysis, authorities concluded some things work well. Some things, like communications between the 50 agencies involved, did not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, chief, we got five critical who need to be transported. I can't get EMS six to answer.

CHIEF NOEL CUNNINGHAM, PORT OF LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, we know we're vulnerable and are there gaps, but we're trying to make sure it doesn't happen here. But we believe it will happen.

MATTINGLY: A dirty bomb blowing up in the port, threatening surrounding neighborhoods, is one terrible possibility. But there's one much worse. In this scenario, a bomb similar in size to those used on Japan in World War II comes into the L.A. port in a container and is loaded onto a truck. The truck drives into downtown Los Angeles and the bomb is detonated by remote control.

MATTHEW MCKINZIE, PHYSICIST, NRDC: Thirty-two thousand people would die. These people would die as a result of intense blast, high winds, intense heat radiation from the fireball. A further 160,000 people, though, could die as a result of exposure to fallout.

MATTINGLY: Matthew McKinzie is a physicist working for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Using the same special software that helps the federal government gauge the impact of a nuclear war, he can create a model for a catastrophe. Just enter the city, the date and the size of the bomb, a simple point and click for the ultimate terrorist attack.

MCKINZIE: What the code shows is a hole, basically, burned and blasted out of the center of Los Angeles.

MATTINGLY (on camera): What about the radiation?

MCKINZIE: The radiation, the fallout plume, impacts a much larger area of Los Angeles.

MATTHEW BUNN, HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT: A nuclear bomb is what happened to Hiroshima, where an entire city was obliterated in an instant by a single bomb. That's what we're talking about here. And unfortunately, it does not take a Manhattan Project to make a nuclear bomb. Potentially, even a relatively modest cell of reasonably skilled people could put together at least a crude nuclear bomb that would be capable of incinerating the heart of any major city in the world.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Any city, like Los Angeles, or maybe New York, or Washington, D.C., the cities attacked on September 11.

BUNN: No one, of course, can reliably calculate the probability of a nuclear terrorist attack in the United States. But I believe it's likely enough that it significantly reduces the life expectancy of everyone who lives and works in downtown Washington, D.C., or New York.

MATTINGLY: David Mattingly, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Security is the focus of our special look at "Defending America" coming up tonight. CNN's special report comes to you at 7:00 p.m. Eastern with Anderson Cooper and Paula Zahn. And we'll have more "Defending America" coverage at 10:00 p.m. with Aaron Brown. So stick with CNN.

And be sure to stay tuned all day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Much more to come on DAYBREAK.

Islam's holiest cities are packed with worshippers today as a pilgrimage of prayer comes to a climax. We'll take you live.

Also, disturbing pictures out of Iraq. They could mean danger for British troops in the field and for British leaders back home.

And he was one of America's most powerful business figures. Today, he's a defendant.

Now here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning, January 19th.

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(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 5:18 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Round two of Condoleezza Rice's confirmation hearing gets underway this morning. Rice faced tough questions on the war in Iraq during day one. Even so, she's expected to win approval from the Senate to become the next secretary of state.

Three British soldiers are back in court today to face charges they abused Iraqi prisoners. One of the three admitted to assaulting a detainee, but denied other charges of abuse and sexual humiliation.

In money news, two new Chevrolet models will debut next month, but only in China. General Motors announced the new China only models as part of the company's expansion into the market. The Chevys are aimed at Chinese yuppies.

In culture, CBS says it might turn the evening news over to an anchor team when Dan Rather steps down in March. The network says the move could help lure younger viewers. The so-called ensemble cast could also broadcast from different cities.

In sports, Andre Agassi made quick work of a second round opponent at the Australian Open. He lost just four games on his way to the straight set victory. Agassi faces follow American Taylor Dent in the next round.

To the forecast center and Chad -- good morning.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: I think I want to go out West today. MYERS: I think so, too.

COSTELLO: Hey, Chad, stick around for the e-mail question.

MYERS: What's that?

COSTELLO: Well, I know you don't go to movies, but you do know the drill, don't you? You rush to the movie theater to catch the 8:30 show, you impatiently wait in line to buy popcorn and then you dash to your seat just in time to sit through 25 minutes of commercials and previews.

MYERS: Oh, I hate that.

COSTELLO: Aren't you sick of it?

MYERS: And, you know, I saw an Anderson Cooper commercial the other day and I still didn't like it. I was like oh, come on, give me the movie.

COSTELLO: Enough already.

Well, a proposed law in Connecticut could change all of that. It calls for theaters to list the time the movie will actually start and then a separate listing will tell you when the commercials and the previews begin. Connecticut State Representative Andrew Fleischmann, the bill's author, says this could be as popular as the state's do not call list, which, of course, as you know, went national.

But, theaters say all those commercials help keep the price of movie tickets reasonable. That's what they say, Chad.

MYERS: Yes? I like that.

COSTELLO: Well, that brings us to our DAYBREAK E-Mail Question of the Day. Should movie theaters be required to list exact start times? Or are you one of those people who actually likes to see the previous and the commercials? Are you crazy?

MYERS: They're the same people that sit through the entire list of actors at the end.

COSTELLO: My husband does that. He's so strange.

Anyway, e-mail us your thoughts this morning. Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

And we're back after a quick break.

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COSTELLO: It is one of the five pillars of Islam, the annual Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, considered the holiest of shrines to the millions and millions of Muslims throughout the world. Today, Muslims are converging on Mount Arafat for the climax of that pilgrimage.

Our Zain Verjee joins us now there with more -- good morning.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

More than two million people have poured into the desert known as the Plain of Arafat. All around, what you see is a sea of white. Everyone is chanting this here, labekh Allah hama labekh (ph), which means god, I am here at your service.

And you know what's really extraordinary about being here is seeing the logistics of this operation. I mean you have to coordinate the safety, the transport, food and water for more than two million people in a desert for five days of the year.

We came across some interesting numbers. They organize and provide 10 million loaves of bread a day, more than 12,000 food outlets are set up for the Hajj and more than 14,000 buses. That's more buses that are in operation then in New York City.

The most important day of the Hajj, as you say, is today. It's Muslims (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from noon until sunset. They essentially miss the whole Hajj. Many of them have been saving up their entire lives to perform this spiritual pilgrimage.

I've been seeing Muslims out on the streets reading their Koran, praying, some of them waving their hands in supplication, asking for forgiveness.

Now, there's a small hill that's sort of smack in the middle of the desert. It's called the Mount of Mercy and it's believed that the Prophet Muhammad held his farewell sermon there. So a lot of people will go there and they'll stand there or even sit there in prayer and in reflection. And Muslims, Carol, also believe that this is a practice day for the day of judgment. So they stand in humility, in prayer and in reflection all day.

COSTELLO: A question for you. We see people at the microphone.

What are they saying and who are they?

VERJEE: The people at the microphones, well, right now it's prayer time and so we've been hearing the call to prayer. And many Muslims here, in fact, all the Muslims here will be turning toward the Kabbah in Mecca, the black cube like structure that Muslims say symbolizes that god is at the center of their lives. So it's prayer time and that's what you're hearing.

COSTELLO: Fascinating pictures. Fascinating story.

Zain Verjee joining us live this morning.

Thank you.

Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

Allegations of prisoner abuse. But this time it's not Americans who are being accused. Will the new round of images put troops in Iraq in more danger?

And straight ahead, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with militant leaders in pursuit of a cease-fire. A look at what he's up against straight ahead.

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COSTELLO: Hello, everyone.

We wanted to ask you this question this morning. The DAYBREAK, Question of the Day. Should movie theaters be required to list exact start times so you won't have to sit through all those previews? We want you to e-mail us this morning with your thoughts. Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

We'll be right back.

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