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CNN Live At Daybreak

Anthrax Scare; 'Business Buzz'; Call With the Force

Aired March 16, 2005 - 06:30   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: It is 6:30 Eastern. Let's check the stories "Now in the News."
A car bomb explodes at an Iraqi army checkpoint, killing at least two Iraqi soldiers and wounding five others. The blast happened at a major intersection in northern Baquba.

How many bank accounts do you have? A Senate panel says Chile's former dictator Augusto Pinochet and his associates used more than 100 U.S. bank accounts to hide his money. It's many more than U.S. officials previously knew about.

OPEC makes a bid to try to hold down oil prices. In a meeting in Iran just this morning, the oil cartel agreed to immediately boost production by half-a-million barrels a day. Oil prices around the world have been falling amid the news, and hopefully gas prices here will soon follow.

And this winter wonderland scene is from Texas, of all places. A storm dumped five to seven inches of snow in parts of the Panhandle. Wait a minute, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

COSTELLO: It's only five days until spring.

MYERS: On the calendar. I've been telling you.

COSTELLO: I know.

MYERS: It's not the end of winter. It's just the beginning of spring.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Some frightening "what ifs" in our "Security Watch" this morning. "The New York Times" says the Homeland Security Department has a new report coming out. It details a number of ways in which terrorists could attack the United States.

Here are some of the scenarios. Now, keep in mind, these are all hypothetical. What if terrorists released an pneumonia-like plague in the bathrooms of an airport, sports arena or train station? The report says 2,500 people could die. If a chlorine gas storage tank were to be blown up, that could result in 17,500 deaths. And 180 people could be killed if a radioactive dirty bomb went off in a median or a large city. The radiation could contaminate 20,000 others.

As to why these scenarios are being pushed forward is to get governments across the United States to pay attention to what could happen and prepare.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien now joins us for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

And we have much more this morning on what some people are calling that doomsday plan. In fact, we're going to talk to a former inspector general with the Homeland Security Department. Also, you know, this information about which targets could actually be vulnerable is now public knowledge. That in itself was an accident. We're going to find out if there is now a danger because that information has been released.

Also this morning, we're going to update you on some new developments in the case of that little girl in Florida who has been missing, Jessica Lunsford. Police now say they are looking for a person of interest. That's what they're calling it, a person of interest in that case.

They also say that there was a polygraph test with Jessica's grandmother that raised some red flags. They're not being any more specific than that, though. We're going to talk this morning with Marc Klaas, a victims' advocate, about what he thinks all of this means.

That's ahead this morning at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: And, you know, I believe there is a 7:00 a.m. Eastern news conference from the father. Is that correct?

O'BRIEN: That is correct. They're going to be holding a press conference. Any developments out of that we'll bring to you as well this morning.

COSTELLO: Of course. Thank you, Soledad.

An anthrax scare that shut off mail delivery to the entire federal government in Washington was probably just that -- a scare. That's according to government officials, who say mail facilities outside the Pentagon and other locations in the capital could reopen today. But delivery to federal offices will remain on hold.

To Washington now and CNN Radio reporter Dick Uliano.

You know, yesterday, everybody was scared about this, Dick, because the tests came back positive for anthrax.

DICK ULIANO, CNN RADIO: Well, it was a reminder of the horrible anthrax attack in 2001, October 2001. And all of this was sparked, Carol, by a remote -- rather, a routine test at a Pentagon remote mail facility on Thursday. They routinely test the air filters. And apparently, one of these preliminary tests came back positive for anthrax. And that kind of touched things off. A hundred sixty-six Postal Service workers were given dosages of the antibiotic Cipro, as were about 700 Pentagon employees.

But we're told by Pentagon officials some 60 follow-up tests have all come back negative for the presence of anthrax. So, hopefully, things will get back to normal, although the Postal Service wants to wait a bit longer before it reopens some of its mail facilities.

COSTELLO: Well, you could certainly understand that. As for the Cipro, I know people were given -- what? -- a two-week prescription?

ULIANO: I think it's a three-day dosage.

COSTELLO: Oh.

ULIANO: And they would be in their second day, Carol. They would have started this on Tuesday. And they will make a determination as to whether they need to continue it and take it tomorrow.

By the way, no one came down with any symptoms of anthrax, and there was no suspect letter. It was simply a filter. And, you know, on top of all of this, Carol, there was even a little scare at the IRS yesterday. HAZMAT teams were sent there when they discovered a suspect envelope with black powder. We usually hear about suspect white powder. And this turned out to be rat poison, apparently.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Dick Uliano reporting live for us from Washington this morning. Thank you.

Steroid use and baseball? Lawmakers and others are taking a swing at the issue this week. You know about that. Well, how about this? XM Satellite Radio is hosting a town hall forum today. It features former slugger Jose Canseco, who came out with that tell-all book. Tomorrow, a House panel holds a hearing on steroids, but lawmakers have now excused New York Yankee Jason Giambi from testifying amid fears his appearance could hamper a federal probe.

In the meantime, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling may also skip the hearing even though he was called to show up. He says he cannot afford to take time away from spring training, so he might ignore his congressional subpoena.

We'll keep you posted.

A jury has already decided that Scott Peterson should be sentenced to death in the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci. At a hearing today, he'll find out if the judge agrees. Family members will get a chance to speak.

But Laci Peterson's mom is already blasting the court for limiting the number of seats for Laci's friends and family members. In a statement, Sharon Rocha said: "All of these strangers who were given priority seating will walk out of that courtroom with smiles on their faces and be able to say, 'I was in the courtroom when Scott Peterson was sentenced.' To them, it's a show, entertainment, a status quo. They'll go on with their lives and put all of this behind them. This is not a show for us. This is not entertainment for us. This is not a status quo for us. This is a huge part of our lives."

Your Social Security number up for sale? Straight ahead no DAYBREAK, we'll tell you how some lawmakers are trying to keep that from happening.

Also, a galaxy far, far away is coming to a cell phone near you. Chad will have a look at that.

And here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time now for a little "Business Buzz." Should companies be allowed to sell your Social Security number? Congress may restrict that process in order to protect your identity.

Chris Huntington has more.

It's such a strange question, because common sense would say, Hell no!

CHRIS HUNGTINGTON, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You'd think so. I mean, this is in a sense, this is the real Social Security crisis that we have to deal with right now. I mean, for thousands of people who get their identity stolen, it starts with the fact that somebody has sold their Social Security number.

There are companies out there, obviously, that compile data on all of us -- our credit card history, our banking habits, our purchasing habits and all of that, including your Social Security number -- to sell to other marketers and retailers.

This is a scary fact for a lot of folks, and a lot of people don't realize that their Social Security numbers is what we regard perhaps as the most private identity number that we have. It's actually something that is a commodity out there.

On Capitol Hill yesterday, a couple of the major players in this business, a company called ChoicePoint and LexisNexis, which has a subsidiary that does this kind of brokering -- data brokering, they call it -- were facing some harsh, harsh criticism from some of the lawmakers.

There are several members of the House promising to introduce bills to make it possible for individuals, for all of us, to basically call up these companies, and similar to sort of the, you know, do-not- call feature, call these companies and say, you cannot sell my information. Right now, we don't have that privilege. It's really -- it is common sense.

COSTELLO: It's still astounding that even if all of that stuff passes, you have to call and tell them not to do that. That should just be automatic.

HUNTINGTON: You'd think so. You absolutely would think so. But the law basically treats this information as public domain information; hence, these companies can trade on it. And they do, and they make a pretty penny at it. They do quite well.

And speaking of pennies, these companies -- by the way, ChoicePoint is a publicly-traded company. The stock is still doing quite well, holding up quite well, despite all of this scrutiny.

Also on Wall Street today, look for Proctor and Gamble to do well. It's pushing ahead. You know, it's trying to buy Gillette, and there are some members of Gillette's board that are fighting that. But it looks like Proctor and Gamble is going to push through with that. So, that stock will do well.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

HUNTINGTON: And, of course, oil is really a big story.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, because OPEC...

HUNTINGTON: Well, you mentioned OPEC.

COSTELLO: Yes.

HUNTINGTON: OPEC...

COSTELLO: Decided to produce more oil.

HUNTINGTON: Well, what they did is they decided to raise their official quota another 500,000 barrels. And we'll see if that really means more oil coming to market. There's always that game between what they say and what actually happens. But OPEC is, and certainly Saudi Arabia is taking the lead, trying to put as much oil in the market as possible.

COSTELLO: Chris Huntington, thank you.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, we will hear more from the brother of Brian Nichols. What was this man like before his arrest for the Atlanta courthouse shootings?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Calls for unity from Iraq's leaders as the new National Assembly is sworn in. It's the country's first freely-elected parliament in 50 years. About half a dozen explosions rattled through the convention center during the ceremony, but not a single person left. OPEC ministers say the cartel agreed today to immediately increase oil production quotas by half a million barrels a day. That's in an effort to cool down rising oil prices.

Pepsi plans to advertise without celebrities and not on TV. The company wants to connect directly with consumers, so it's planning promotional events, online films, construction site posters and even trading cards.

In culture, the much-anticipated musical based on "The Lord of the Rings" is set to have its world premiere in Toronto next year. The show will combine words, music, physical theater and, of course, spectacle.

The Miami Heat is in the NBA playoffs, thanks to their win, 98- 96, over the New York Knicks. Oh, it was a dramatic game last night at the Madison Square Garden. It was the Heat's 10th win in a row, and earned them a league-high 50th victory.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Let's check in with CNN's Jack Cafferty for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Carol.

The threat of laser attacks on commercial airlines. We're going to talk to a pilot who had dramatic testimony for Congress Tuesday. He was landing a plane last September when a laser shined in the cockpit and momentarily blinded him. It eventually caused excruciating pain. We'll ask him how much danger passengers are in if these kinds of incidents continue.

Also, identity theft. It's the fastest growing crime in the country. We'll tell you about the early signs, warning signs, so that you don't become a victim. It's coming up in about 12 minutes.

COSTELLO: We'll be here. Thank you, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Sure.

COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK, a school mascot is at the center of controversy. And the book one church does not want you to read, but I bet you've already read it. Hear what religious leaders are saying about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A gentle giant, not a murderous monster? That's how Atlanta shooting suspect Brian Nichols is portrayed by his older brother. Mark Nichols spoke exclusively with CNN's Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK NICHOLS, BROTHER OF BRIAN NICHOLS: My brother isn't a monster like he's been portrayed to be. He may be a big person as far as physically, but he's gentle. He's laid back. I mean, you know, I sit back and think about how we won't be able to sit there and play "Madden" all night, playing Playstation all night. You know, we would sit there and play the Playstation all night long, as grown as we are. Playing football all night or barbecuing at the pool anymore. You know, going to play basketball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Mark Nichols says he wants his brother to know that the family is not turning against him, and that they're still there for him.

It's 6:51 Eastern. Here is what's making news later today.

An historic first meeting for Iraq's newly-elected National Assembly. Actually, that's going on right now. In the opening speeches at Baghdad's convention center, leading lawmakers called for national unity. The 275-member assembly was sworn in even though a series of explosions shook the area.

A group of Catholic leaders say it's bad reading. They're meeting in Italy today to criticize the best-selling novel, "The Da Vinci Code." A top cardinal blasts the novel as gross and absurd.

And finally, is this school mascot a racial stereotype? Some Native American lawyers say it is. They're suing the University of Illinois over a mascot, a buckskin-clad figure called Chief Illini (ph) -- Chief Illiniwek, I should say.

This sixth and final installment of the "Star Wars" movie "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" opens in May. But you can enjoy your "Star Wars" right now.

MYERS: Carol, there are more than "Star Wars" now than Jason's "Friday the 13ths." I know that finally there are more "Star Wars" than "Rambos." But, oh, my goodness.

COSTELLO: People are excited about it, though. So, I think these ring tones will be big sellers.

MYERS: I need ring tones on my phone, because my phone sounds like everybody else's. First Chewbaka.

COSTELLO: Let's listen. That would be a fantastic ring tone, you have to admit.

MYERS: Especially if you're out on a date, and your date says, "Was that your stomach?"

Now the "Star Wars" theme. Pretty predictable, I think.

COSTELLO: Yes, Chewbaka was better. MYERS: Obi-Wan, though. Obi-Wan Kenobi.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

OBI-WAN KENOBI: And the force will be with you. Always.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, that would be ultra-cool.

MYERS: Yes. But I don't think you can hear that. You know, it's not going to break the regular sound.

COSTELLO: Maybe you can get it to play over and over and over as your phone continues to ring. That would be annoying.

MYERS: This one will definitely wake you up in the morning. CP30.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is you. It is you.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MYERS: And, of course, R2D2.

COSTELLO: Oh, that would be ultra -- can you imagine sitting in a restaurant and hearing someone's phone ring in that manner?

MYERS: I like Chewbaka the best.

COSTELLO: Yes, Chewbaka is great. I wouldn't mind hearing that -- well, yes, I would.

MYERS: I just don't know how to download those into my phone. So...

COSTELLO: It's only a buck or so. Or maybe it's more for those ring tones, who knows?

MYERS: I don't know.

COSTELLO: But I'm sure they'll make a mint.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: So just for them, Chad, a little R2D2 as we head to break.

MYERS: All right.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We had so many correct answers to our DAYBREAK coffee mug quiz, I don't know how you picked a winner, Chad. MYERS: It really is at random. We throw them all, the right one. There are many of them that actually didn't get all of the questions right, because you have to answer both questions. People aren't figuring that out yet. You have to answer both. CNN.com/daybreak is the place to get it.

Here are the questions, though, from yesterday. And literally we did have over 500 correct answers. Who was just named to a public diplomacy post at the State Department? That, of course, was Karen Hughes. And this year's inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? We'll give you -- oh, we give you five of them or so. U2, the O'Jays, Percy Sledge, the Pretenders and Buddy Guy.

The winner from Kansas, Humberto Gonzalez, Manhattan, Kansas. You get a coffee mug out there.

And now the questions for today. Which movies are making more money in the U.S., "R" or "PG?" And a jury just found the former CEO of what company guilty of all crimes?

CNN.com/daybreak. Submit your answers. If the questions are still old when you go there, that's OK. Just give us the answers for today. CNN.com. They're quickly typing in the questions right now, because they just found out about them, too.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Chad. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now. Thank you for joining us.

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 16, 2005 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is 6:30 Eastern. Let's check the stories "Now in the News."
A car bomb explodes at an Iraqi army checkpoint, killing at least two Iraqi soldiers and wounding five others. The blast happened at a major intersection in northern Baquba.

How many bank accounts do you have? A Senate panel says Chile's former dictator Augusto Pinochet and his associates used more than 100 U.S. bank accounts to hide his money. It's many more than U.S. officials previously knew about.

OPEC makes a bid to try to hold down oil prices. In a meeting in Iran just this morning, the oil cartel agreed to immediately boost production by half-a-million barrels a day. Oil prices around the world have been falling amid the news, and hopefully gas prices here will soon follow.

And this winter wonderland scene is from Texas, of all places. A storm dumped five to seven inches of snow in parts of the Panhandle. Wait a minute, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

COSTELLO: It's only five days until spring.

MYERS: On the calendar. I've been telling you.

COSTELLO: I know.

MYERS: It's not the end of winter. It's just the beginning of spring.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Some frightening "what ifs" in our "Security Watch" this morning. "The New York Times" says the Homeland Security Department has a new report coming out. It details a number of ways in which terrorists could attack the United States.

Here are some of the scenarios. Now, keep in mind, these are all hypothetical. What if terrorists released an pneumonia-like plague in the bathrooms of an airport, sports arena or train station? The report says 2,500 people could die. If a chlorine gas storage tank were to be blown up, that could result in 17,500 deaths. And 180 people could be killed if a radioactive dirty bomb went off in a median or a large city. The radiation could contaminate 20,000 others.

As to why these scenarios are being pushed forward is to get governments across the United States to pay attention to what could happen and prepare.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien now joins us for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

And we have much more this morning on what some people are calling that doomsday plan. In fact, we're going to talk to a former inspector general with the Homeland Security Department. Also, you know, this information about which targets could actually be vulnerable is now public knowledge. That in itself was an accident. We're going to find out if there is now a danger because that information has been released.

Also this morning, we're going to update you on some new developments in the case of that little girl in Florida who has been missing, Jessica Lunsford. Police now say they are looking for a person of interest. That's what they're calling it, a person of interest in that case.

They also say that there was a polygraph test with Jessica's grandmother that raised some red flags. They're not being any more specific than that, though. We're going to talk this morning with Marc Klaas, a victims' advocate, about what he thinks all of this means.

That's ahead this morning at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: And, you know, I believe there is a 7:00 a.m. Eastern news conference from the father. Is that correct?

O'BRIEN: That is correct. They're going to be holding a press conference. Any developments out of that we'll bring to you as well this morning.

COSTELLO: Of course. Thank you, Soledad.

An anthrax scare that shut off mail delivery to the entire federal government in Washington was probably just that -- a scare. That's according to government officials, who say mail facilities outside the Pentagon and other locations in the capital could reopen today. But delivery to federal offices will remain on hold.

To Washington now and CNN Radio reporter Dick Uliano.

You know, yesterday, everybody was scared about this, Dick, because the tests came back positive for anthrax.

DICK ULIANO, CNN RADIO: Well, it was a reminder of the horrible anthrax attack in 2001, October 2001. And all of this was sparked, Carol, by a remote -- rather, a routine test at a Pentagon remote mail facility on Thursday. They routinely test the air filters. And apparently, one of these preliminary tests came back positive for anthrax. And that kind of touched things off. A hundred sixty-six Postal Service workers were given dosages of the antibiotic Cipro, as were about 700 Pentagon employees.

But we're told by Pentagon officials some 60 follow-up tests have all come back negative for the presence of anthrax. So, hopefully, things will get back to normal, although the Postal Service wants to wait a bit longer before it reopens some of its mail facilities.

COSTELLO: Well, you could certainly understand that. As for the Cipro, I know people were given -- what? -- a two-week prescription?

ULIANO: I think it's a three-day dosage.

COSTELLO: Oh.

ULIANO: And they would be in their second day, Carol. They would have started this on Tuesday. And they will make a determination as to whether they need to continue it and take it tomorrow.

By the way, no one came down with any symptoms of anthrax, and there was no suspect letter. It was simply a filter. And, you know, on top of all of this, Carol, there was even a little scare at the IRS yesterday. HAZMAT teams were sent there when they discovered a suspect envelope with black powder. We usually hear about suspect white powder. And this turned out to be rat poison, apparently.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Dick Uliano reporting live for us from Washington this morning. Thank you.

Steroid use and baseball? Lawmakers and others are taking a swing at the issue this week. You know about that. Well, how about this? XM Satellite Radio is hosting a town hall forum today. It features former slugger Jose Canseco, who came out with that tell-all book. Tomorrow, a House panel holds a hearing on steroids, but lawmakers have now excused New York Yankee Jason Giambi from testifying amid fears his appearance could hamper a federal probe.

In the meantime, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling may also skip the hearing even though he was called to show up. He says he cannot afford to take time away from spring training, so he might ignore his congressional subpoena.

We'll keep you posted.

A jury has already decided that Scott Peterson should be sentenced to death in the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci. At a hearing today, he'll find out if the judge agrees. Family members will get a chance to speak.

But Laci Peterson's mom is already blasting the court for limiting the number of seats for Laci's friends and family members. In a statement, Sharon Rocha said: "All of these strangers who were given priority seating will walk out of that courtroom with smiles on their faces and be able to say, 'I was in the courtroom when Scott Peterson was sentenced.' To them, it's a show, entertainment, a status quo. They'll go on with their lives and put all of this behind them. This is not a show for us. This is not entertainment for us. This is not a status quo for us. This is a huge part of our lives."

Your Social Security number up for sale? Straight ahead no DAYBREAK, we'll tell you how some lawmakers are trying to keep that from happening.

Also, a galaxy far, far away is coming to a cell phone near you. Chad will have a look at that.

And here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time now for a little "Business Buzz." Should companies be allowed to sell your Social Security number? Congress may restrict that process in order to protect your identity.

Chris Huntington has more.

It's such a strange question, because common sense would say, Hell no!

CHRIS HUNGTINGTON, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You'd think so. I mean, this is in a sense, this is the real Social Security crisis that we have to deal with right now. I mean, for thousands of people who get their identity stolen, it starts with the fact that somebody has sold their Social Security number.

There are companies out there, obviously, that compile data on all of us -- our credit card history, our banking habits, our purchasing habits and all of that, including your Social Security number -- to sell to other marketers and retailers.

This is a scary fact for a lot of folks, and a lot of people don't realize that their Social Security numbers is what we regard perhaps as the most private identity number that we have. It's actually something that is a commodity out there.

On Capitol Hill yesterday, a couple of the major players in this business, a company called ChoicePoint and LexisNexis, which has a subsidiary that does this kind of brokering -- data brokering, they call it -- were facing some harsh, harsh criticism from some of the lawmakers.

There are several members of the House promising to introduce bills to make it possible for individuals, for all of us, to basically call up these companies, and similar to sort of the, you know, do-not- call feature, call these companies and say, you cannot sell my information. Right now, we don't have that privilege. It's really -- it is common sense.

COSTELLO: It's still astounding that even if all of that stuff passes, you have to call and tell them not to do that. That should just be automatic.

HUNTINGTON: You'd think so. You absolutely would think so. But the law basically treats this information as public domain information; hence, these companies can trade on it. And they do, and they make a pretty penny at it. They do quite well.

And speaking of pennies, these companies -- by the way, ChoicePoint is a publicly-traded company. The stock is still doing quite well, holding up quite well, despite all of this scrutiny.

Also on Wall Street today, look for Proctor and Gamble to do well. It's pushing ahead. You know, it's trying to buy Gillette, and there are some members of Gillette's board that are fighting that. But it looks like Proctor and Gamble is going to push through with that. So, that stock will do well.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

HUNTINGTON: And, of course, oil is really a big story.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, because OPEC...

HUNTINGTON: Well, you mentioned OPEC.

COSTELLO: Yes.

HUNTINGTON: OPEC...

COSTELLO: Decided to produce more oil.

HUNTINGTON: Well, what they did is they decided to raise their official quota another 500,000 barrels. And we'll see if that really means more oil coming to market. There's always that game between what they say and what actually happens. But OPEC is, and certainly Saudi Arabia is taking the lead, trying to put as much oil in the market as possible.

COSTELLO: Chris Huntington, thank you.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, we will hear more from the brother of Brian Nichols. What was this man like before his arrest for the Atlanta courthouse shootings?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Calls for unity from Iraq's leaders as the new National Assembly is sworn in. It's the country's first freely-elected parliament in 50 years. About half a dozen explosions rattled through the convention center during the ceremony, but not a single person left. OPEC ministers say the cartel agreed today to immediately increase oil production quotas by half a million barrels a day. That's in an effort to cool down rising oil prices.

Pepsi plans to advertise without celebrities and not on TV. The company wants to connect directly with consumers, so it's planning promotional events, online films, construction site posters and even trading cards.

In culture, the much-anticipated musical based on "The Lord of the Rings" is set to have its world premiere in Toronto next year. The show will combine words, music, physical theater and, of course, spectacle.

The Miami Heat is in the NBA playoffs, thanks to their win, 98- 96, over the New York Knicks. Oh, it was a dramatic game last night at the Madison Square Garden. It was the Heat's 10th win in a row, and earned them a league-high 50th victory.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Let's check in with CNN's Jack Cafferty for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Carol.

The threat of laser attacks on commercial airlines. We're going to talk to a pilot who had dramatic testimony for Congress Tuesday. He was landing a plane last September when a laser shined in the cockpit and momentarily blinded him. It eventually caused excruciating pain. We'll ask him how much danger passengers are in if these kinds of incidents continue.

Also, identity theft. It's the fastest growing crime in the country. We'll tell you about the early signs, warning signs, so that you don't become a victim. It's coming up in about 12 minutes.

COSTELLO: We'll be here. Thank you, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Sure.

COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK, a school mascot is at the center of controversy. And the book one church does not want you to read, but I bet you've already read it. Hear what religious leaders are saying about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A gentle giant, not a murderous monster? That's how Atlanta shooting suspect Brian Nichols is portrayed by his older brother. Mark Nichols spoke exclusively with CNN's Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK NICHOLS, BROTHER OF BRIAN NICHOLS: My brother isn't a monster like he's been portrayed to be. He may be a big person as far as physically, but he's gentle. He's laid back. I mean, you know, I sit back and think about how we won't be able to sit there and play "Madden" all night, playing Playstation all night. You know, we would sit there and play the Playstation all night long, as grown as we are. Playing football all night or barbecuing at the pool anymore. You know, going to play basketball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Mark Nichols says he wants his brother to know that the family is not turning against him, and that they're still there for him.

It's 6:51 Eastern. Here is what's making news later today.

An historic first meeting for Iraq's newly-elected National Assembly. Actually, that's going on right now. In the opening speeches at Baghdad's convention center, leading lawmakers called for national unity. The 275-member assembly was sworn in even though a series of explosions shook the area.

A group of Catholic leaders say it's bad reading. They're meeting in Italy today to criticize the best-selling novel, "The Da Vinci Code." A top cardinal blasts the novel as gross and absurd.

And finally, is this school mascot a racial stereotype? Some Native American lawyers say it is. They're suing the University of Illinois over a mascot, a buckskin-clad figure called Chief Illini (ph) -- Chief Illiniwek, I should say.

This sixth and final installment of the "Star Wars" movie "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" opens in May. But you can enjoy your "Star Wars" right now.

MYERS: Carol, there are more than "Star Wars" now than Jason's "Friday the 13ths." I know that finally there are more "Star Wars" than "Rambos." But, oh, my goodness.

COSTELLO: People are excited about it, though. So, I think these ring tones will be big sellers.

MYERS: I need ring tones on my phone, because my phone sounds like everybody else's. First Chewbaka.

COSTELLO: Let's listen. That would be a fantastic ring tone, you have to admit.

MYERS: Especially if you're out on a date, and your date says, "Was that your stomach?"

Now the "Star Wars" theme. Pretty predictable, I think.

COSTELLO: Yes, Chewbaka was better. MYERS: Obi-Wan, though. Obi-Wan Kenobi.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

OBI-WAN KENOBI: And the force will be with you. Always.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, that would be ultra-cool.

MYERS: Yes. But I don't think you can hear that. You know, it's not going to break the regular sound.

COSTELLO: Maybe you can get it to play over and over and over as your phone continues to ring. That would be annoying.

MYERS: This one will definitely wake you up in the morning. CP30.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is you. It is you.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MYERS: And, of course, R2D2.

COSTELLO: Oh, that would be ultra -- can you imagine sitting in a restaurant and hearing someone's phone ring in that manner?

MYERS: I like Chewbaka the best.

COSTELLO: Yes, Chewbaka is great. I wouldn't mind hearing that -- well, yes, I would.

MYERS: I just don't know how to download those into my phone. So...

COSTELLO: It's only a buck or so. Or maybe it's more for those ring tones, who knows?

MYERS: I don't know.

COSTELLO: But I'm sure they'll make a mint.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: So just for them, Chad, a little R2D2 as we head to break.

MYERS: All right.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We had so many correct answers to our DAYBREAK coffee mug quiz, I don't know how you picked a winner, Chad. MYERS: It really is at random. We throw them all, the right one. There are many of them that actually didn't get all of the questions right, because you have to answer both questions. People aren't figuring that out yet. You have to answer both. CNN.com/daybreak is the place to get it.

Here are the questions, though, from yesterday. And literally we did have over 500 correct answers. Who was just named to a public diplomacy post at the State Department? That, of course, was Karen Hughes. And this year's inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? We'll give you -- oh, we give you five of them or so. U2, the O'Jays, Percy Sledge, the Pretenders and Buddy Guy.

The winner from Kansas, Humberto Gonzalez, Manhattan, Kansas. You get a coffee mug out there.

And now the questions for today. Which movies are making more money in the U.S., "R" or "PG?" And a jury just found the former CEO of what company guilty of all crimes?

CNN.com/daybreak. Submit your answers. If the questions are still old when you go there, that's OK. Just give us the answers for today. CNN.com. They're quickly typing in the questions right now, because they just found out about them, too.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Chad. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now. Thank you for joining us.

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