Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Iraq National Assembly Approves Cabinet Ministries; Stopping a Terrorist; Internet Child Porn; 'Idol' Expose

Aired April 28, 2005 - 05:30   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: And a reminder, our e-mail "Question of the Day," high gas prices: who's responsible? Let us know what you think, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

This news just in to CNN.

We've been waiting for this for a long time. The Iraqi government has named a partial parliament, some cabinet members, in other words, which is important because perhaps the government can be up and running and running effectively.

Let's head live to Baghdad for more. Ryan Chilcote is standing by.

Hello -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Carol.

Well we're actually in the convention center where the National Assembly just convened. That is where they approved Iraq's new government. Quite a historic moment there, 180 members of the National Assembly, that's the name of Iraq's legislative body, voting in favor of this government.

There had been a lot of discussion leading up to the vote today, perhaps that it should be delayed. But in the end, the prime minister, the incoming prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, made an impassioned plea to vote today. He said that this was an important step in Iraq's move towards democracy.

He also said that he had made every effort to be inclusive in this government and in particularly in trying to include Sunni Arabs. Sunni Arabs, by and large, stayed away from the polls that took place on January 30 here, the first election here, and they are blamed by many for supporting the insurgency. So it was thought to be very important to try and include them in this government.

Mr. Jaafari today saying he has done that. He's now giving a press conference. Really quite an exciting moment here in the convention center, Iraq has its first government elected, rather, formed on the basis of a democratic election in a half century -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Ryan Chilcote, live from Baghdad this morning, thank you.

Other stories "Now in the News" this morning.

Family and friends of a 32-year-old suburban Atlanta woman are looking for her. Jennifer Wilbanks, planning to be married on Saturday, has been missing since she left her home to go jogging on Tuesday night.

President Bush goes prime time tonight. He scheduled a news conference to talk about his plans to change Social Security and his energy policy, designed to bring down high gas prices. CNN plans coverage of the event starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

No surprise here, Exxon Mobile is reporting faster earnings growth in the first quarter, thanks to higher energy prices. The company is expected to report a 43 percent share increase in earnings.

It may be time for a change in Indiana. The Indiana House of Representatives may vote today on changing to Daylight Savings Time. We'll talk with a school principal in College Corner, Ohio or is it Indiana. Actually, it's both. The border runs right through the school's basketball court. So it should be an interesting interview.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So you can be an hour late for class on one side and on time on the other side.

COSTELLO: Isn't that strange?

MYERS: Well that's a little odd. I'm sure they have to kind of cut it differently than that, but you know, yes, it is kind of funny to think about that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right, thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Oakland, California has become the first port in the nation to scan all incoming cargo for radioactive material. Oakland is the nation's fourth largest port. About 2,000 cargo containers a day enter through the port. Inspectors had to be careful for false alarms. Bananas, kitty litter and medical equipment all set off the new detectors.

Sentencing for an Algerian-born man convicted of plotting to bomb the Los Angeles airport has been postponed. Ahmed Ressam's sentencing hearing is now set for July 28. Ressam was arrested in Seattle after he tried to enter the United States with bomb-making material for a millennium eve plot. A sharp-eyed agent led to his arrest.

Our Rusty Dornin tells us how Diana Dean stopped a terrorist.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANA DEAN, U.S. CUSTOMS AGENT (RET): Hello there, where do you folks live?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day, every car met with the same question, the same sweet smile. On December 14, 1999, it began just like that for customs agent Diana Dean, just another car on another day.

The ferry had just arrived in Port Angeles, Washington. This car was the last off the boat. The driver picked Dean's line. She was the only woman on duty that day.

He said his name was Benni Noris from Montreal headed to Seattle on business. Dean vividly remembers her reaction.

(on camera): What made you so suspicious about him?

DEAN: The answers he gave me or the answers he didn't give me to my questions. His itinerary didn't make any sense to me. And I'd only asked him a couple of questions when he started getting very, very nervous.

DORNIN (voice-over): She asked him to fill out a customs declaration, then told him he would have to do a secondary inspection. Other officers joined her and they opened the trunk.

(on camera): When you saw the stuff in his trunk, did you have any idea that you were looking at an act of terrorism?

DEAN: No, absolutely no idea at all. All that we -- we thought it was probably drugs of some kind. It was bags of white powder. And at that particular point really all we saw was the bags of white powder, because we had tunnel vision for a few minutes. And then we saw the timers and the nitroglycerin.

DORNIN (voice-over): One hundred and twenty-five pounds of explosives, enough to kill or injure hundreds of innocent people. They later learned his target was busy, crowded Los Angeles airport.

The terrorist now known as Ahmed Ressam ran but was caught a short time later.

DEAN: I hate to even think of what might have happened if we hadn't become suspicious, because then he would have been on his way down the road.

DORNIN: Credited with preventing a potential tragedy, in January, she and another inspector were honored. An anti-terrorism award was named after them. They were heroes.

But Dean brushes off the hero moniker and said she just followed her instincts and her training.

DEAN: He looked like he wasn't telling the truth, and so we stopped him. We had no idea that we would find a bomb. And we just stopped a person that looked suspicious.

DORNIN: Now retired, a grandmother, and living in North Dakota, Dean came back for what she called the final chapter: the sentencing of Ahmed Ressam.

Now that the chapter has been continued, she says she'll be back again.

Rusty Dornin, CNN, Seattle, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Another fan arrested at a pro sports game. Next time you get tickets to the big game, are you going to need to take your lawyer, too? That's ahead at 13 before the hour.

And later, "American Idol" fans get a big surprise last night, a fav gets cut. But we've got even more surprises for you from backstage at "Idol" at four minutes to the hour.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Get ready for an awful story. Hundreds of pictures of a little girl being sexually abused have been making the rounds on the Internet for years. Now police are hoping the picture of another young girl could lead to a break in the case.

CNN's David Mattingly has details from Orlando, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Her face remains hidden to the public, but she is well known to child porn investigators around the world who are desperately trying to find her in ways they've never dared before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are releasing the photograph of the material witness in hope that if a citizen can identify her, it will greatly increase the chances of successfully identifying the perpetrator and recovering the victim.

MATTINGLY: Orlando police now take the extraordinary step of going public with a child they believe is a material witness in the case, about 9 years old in this picture when it was taken a couple of years ago. Investigators have no evidence she is a victim or witnessed any acts of abuse. But they believe she is sitting on the same couch in the same room where this highly sought after girl was photographed being sexually abused.

A tip line has been set up in Central Florida to take calls from anywhere, 1-866-635-HELP. Find the girl on the couch, investigators hope, and they will find their victim.

DET. SGT. PAUL GILLESPIE, TORONTO POLICE: I'm confident that the victim perhaps knows this person and this witness might be able to help us out with that.

MATTINGLY: On the trail of this case for years, Paul Gillespie of the Toronto Police Child Exploitation Unit has been hampered, he says, by secrecy. It's been the rule in law enforcement to never reveal the faces of child pornography victims out of fear that it could place the child in danger from the abuser. But according to Gillespie, it's a rule, he says, that needs to be changed.

GILLESPIE: I think we have to take into account that we have to start taking, perhaps, a little more aggressive measures to get in and break this cycle.

MATTINGLY: Using computers earlier this year, Toronto detectives removed the victim girl from her own pictures and re-created the rooms behind her. Pictures they could then show to the public.

And it paid off, someone recognized a bed spread from an Orlando resort. It was an unheard of break, but the hotel records, with thousands of names, didn't take them very far.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think those records are going to prove valuable from an historical standpoint. But at this point, we have no idea who we're looking for. So one name means nothing more than the next name at this point.

MATTINGLY: Investigators believe this potential witness photograph is their last, best hope. Years spent scouring more than 200 photographs of the unknown victim have yielded few usable clues. If this girl's photograph doesn't help find their victim, more extreme measure, they say, may be taken.

(on camera): How close are you to releasing this girl's picture?

GILLESPIE: That's always going to be an option, to be quite honest with you.

MATTINGLY: If that comes to pass, it would be a landmark step in the fight against child pornography. But for now, investigators in two countries wait, hoping the next phone call brings the break they've been looking for.

David Mattingly, CNN, Orlando, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: If you have any information on this case, please call Central Florida Crimeline at 1-866-635-HELP.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:46 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Russia's president is defending the planned sale of anti-aircraft missiles to Syria. Vladimir Putin says the sale does not pose a threat to Israel. Israeli leaders have been trying to get the Russian leaders not to go through with the sale.

Just minutes ago, the Iraqi National Assembly approved a list of cabinet members proposed by Prime Minister designate Ibrahim al- Jaafari. It's the first democratically elected government to be formed in almost 50 years in Iraq.

In money news, there could be a new $1 coin in your pocket next year. Gold, like the Sacajawea coin. This one will bear the faces of the presidents. Congress also has authorized the nation's first investment grade 24-karat gold bullion coin.

In culture, an "Idol" upset. Heartthrob Constantine Maroulis was eliminated from "American Idol," much to the shock of the studio audience. The hard rocker was considered a favorite to make it all the way. Six "Idol" hopefuls are left.

In sports, a man was arrested at a Philadelphia-Detroit game after allegedly throwing a quarter that hit 76ers Allen Iverson. Iverson was not hurt. But as you can see, that fan was arrested. Happened on the Pistons home court -- Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

Talk about a battle royal, two networks go to battle over "American Idol." And they're pulling out all the stops, as in lawsuits. We'll bring you the details straight-ahead on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's a beautiful morning in New York, and we're talking about gas prices, which aren't so beautiful.

MYERS: No, not really. Who's to blame -- Carol?

COSTELLO: That's what we're asking you this morning, and you have answered us in droves.

MYERS: Or in French, it's ouey repon seplay (ph).

COSTELLO: Oh gee!

MYERS: No, no, that was yesterday, sorry.

COSTELLO: Go ahead -- Chad.

MYERS: I got one here. I got the right answer. The media, they're always at fault for everything.

COSTELLO: Oh god!

MYERS: And can we blame the French for this one, too? Maybe we should rename it freedom fuel.

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: I like Al (ph). He's from Morgantown, West Virginia. He says define high.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: We pay near $15 a gallon for bottled water. Is $2.15 for gas high?

MYERS: Well all right.

And Dottie (ph) says milk is more than a gallon of gas. Who can fix that? And beer is more than a dollar, you know, two bucks a gallon, too. We've got some fixing to do in this country.

COSTELLO: I know.

This is from Richard (ph) from Pennsylvania. He says the gas price situation didn't just start today. Did everyone forget about standing for an hour or more in gas lines in the '70s? We should have come up with a solution back then. All of a sudden now it's a big problem. I guess in the long run it gave the oil companies more profits so they wouldn't have to build more refineries.

Very astute this morning.

MYERS: Michael (ph) from New Lenox got it pretty much on the money, there's just one little thing missing. He's actually putting the blame on China. Richard Nixon visited China, thus opening free trade. Americans buying so much Chinese goods, we are spending all of our money sending all of our money over there. They are becoming the wealthiest country in the world, soon. They're buying more cars, they're using more oil; so, therefore, the oil that would have been coming to America is now going there. But can't we all just get along?

COSTELLO: Obviously not.

Thanks to all of you sending us e-mails this morning. We always enjoy them.

In the next hour of DAYBREAK, we're going to take you to a town with an identity crisis. College Corner is a rather schizophrenic place to call home. We'll tell you why just ahead.

Also, all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK, just how much credit do you give your children? We're talking the plastic kind, not just kind words.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.

Entertainment headlines for you this morning.

"Pretty Woman" Julia Roberts is even more beautiful after having twins last November. That's according to "People" magazine. She is on the cover of their annual 50 most beautiful people issue due out Friday. What a daring choice.

Tom Cruise is in a hot new relationship with actress Katie Holmes. Cruise's sister, who is also his publicist, says they've been dating for a few weeks now.

Chad, he's 42 and she's 26, does this break the rule?

MYERS: Forty-two divided by 2 is 21, plus 7 is 28. But you know what, she is so gorgeous, maybe you can break the rule.

COSTELLO: That just has an icky factor to me, I don't know.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: An 11-year-old boy has saved Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tune pals. Warner Brothers had plans for a new cartoon called Lunatics with scary-looking prototypes of a futuristic Bugs and the bunch. But the boy's Internet petition drive convinced the company to soften the characters. Warner Brothers is a division of Time Warner, CNN's parent company.

And "American Idol" fans want to know did judge Paula Abdul have an affair with a former contestant? That may be one of the allegations made by "Idol" wannabe Corey Clark in a new tell-all book.

Abdul's spokesperson released this statement, and I -- quote -- "Paula Abdul will not dignify the false statements made by Corey Clark with a response. Mr. Clark is an admitted liar and opportunist who engages in unlawful activities. He is communicating lies about Paula Abdul in order to generate interest in a book deal."

And Simon Cowell had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON COWELL, "AMERICAN IDOL": To be fair to her, we'll spend more time backstage with the contestants, giving encouragement and everything else, but that's not a bad thing. I do think they're complete rubbish. Yes, I think this is a guy who's out there to publicize a book.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's David Haffenreffer reports details of the allegations could come out in an ABC documentary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the television special that claims you'll never watch "American Idol" the same way again. ABC started airing this advertisement this week promoting "Primetime Live" special "Fallen Idol." Details of exactly what's in the special report are sketchy. ABC is not talking. Fox has no comment. Nineteen Entertainment, nothing either. That's the company that created "Idol."

The prime time show could be juicy. ABC is airing the special next Wednesday, putting it right in the middle of the important May sweeps period where the networks pull out all the stops to get ratings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's been promised is not an explosive expose, but explosive claims, maybe some of the judges play favorites both behind the scenes and in front of the scenes as well. But you know this isn't really a shock. This is a show that is designed from the get-go where you can stack the deck. But I have a feeling that at the end of this thing the "American Idol" juggernaut will be just as powerful as it was before the expose played.

HAFFENREFFER (on camera): We may not know much about the show. But one thing we do know is that ABC is moving this episode from its usual Thursday night slot to Wednesday. Wednesday also happens to be "American Idol" night on Fox.

RANDY JACKSON, "AMERICAN IDOL": You were just under like almost the whole song. I don't know, it just never quite...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What a coincidence they change the scheduling. Of course it's a sweep's something practice pure and simple. But you know as we look at what ABC is doing, we shouldn't forget that this kind of stuff goes on across the board. You take the success of "American Idol" and you use it for your own network's purposes. And I'll bet you that that report gets a higher rating than most of the prime time reports get from ABC throughout the rest of this season.

RYAN SEACREST, "AMERICAN IDOL": The stars come out for the "Idol."

HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): "American Idol" continues to be red hot in the ratings. More than 24 million people watched the remaining six contestants duke it out. Whatever the "Primetime" special reveals, it probably won't do much to "Idol's" ratings. Numbers didn't dip earlier this season when someone put the wrong phone numbers on screen for three contestants. It also came out unscathed after the media learned that contestant Scott Savol was arrested and charged four years ago with hitting his girlfriend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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 April 28, 2005 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And a reminder, our e-mail "Question of the Day," high gas prices: who's responsible? Let us know what you think, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

This news just in to CNN.

We've been waiting for this for a long time. The Iraqi government has named a partial parliament, some cabinet members, in other words, which is important because perhaps the government can be up and running and running effectively.

Let's head live to Baghdad for more. Ryan Chilcote is standing by.

Hello -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Carol.

Well we're actually in the convention center where the National Assembly just convened. That is where they approved Iraq's new government. Quite a historic moment there, 180 members of the National Assembly, that's the name of Iraq's legislative body, voting in favor of this government.

There had been a lot of discussion leading up to the vote today, perhaps that it should be delayed. But in the end, the prime minister, the incoming prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, made an impassioned plea to vote today. He said that this was an important step in Iraq's move towards democracy.

He also said that he had made every effort to be inclusive in this government and in particularly in trying to include Sunni Arabs. Sunni Arabs, by and large, stayed away from the polls that took place on January 30 here, the first election here, and they are blamed by many for supporting the insurgency. So it was thought to be very important to try and include them in this government.

Mr. Jaafari today saying he has done that. He's now giving a press conference. Really quite an exciting moment here in the convention center, Iraq has its first government elected, rather, formed on the basis of a democratic election in a half century -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Ryan Chilcote, live from Baghdad this morning, thank you.

Other stories "Now in the News" this morning.

Family and friends of a 32-year-old suburban Atlanta woman are looking for her. Jennifer Wilbanks, planning to be married on Saturday, has been missing since she left her home to go jogging on Tuesday night.

President Bush goes prime time tonight. He scheduled a news conference to talk about his plans to change Social Security and his energy policy, designed to bring down high gas prices. CNN plans coverage of the event starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

No surprise here, Exxon Mobile is reporting faster earnings growth in the first quarter, thanks to higher energy prices. The company is expected to report a 43 percent share increase in earnings.

It may be time for a change in Indiana. The Indiana House of Representatives may vote today on changing to Daylight Savings Time. We'll talk with a school principal in College Corner, Ohio or is it Indiana. Actually, it's both. The border runs right through the school's basketball court. So it should be an interesting interview.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So you can be an hour late for class on one side and on time on the other side.

COSTELLO: Isn't that strange?

MYERS: Well that's a little odd. I'm sure they have to kind of cut it differently than that, but you know, yes, it is kind of funny to think about that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right, thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Oakland, California has become the first port in the nation to scan all incoming cargo for radioactive material. Oakland is the nation's fourth largest port. About 2,000 cargo containers a day enter through the port. Inspectors had to be careful for false alarms. Bananas, kitty litter and medical equipment all set off the new detectors.

Sentencing for an Algerian-born man convicted of plotting to bomb the Los Angeles airport has been postponed. Ahmed Ressam's sentencing hearing is now set for July 28. Ressam was arrested in Seattle after he tried to enter the United States with bomb-making material for a millennium eve plot. A sharp-eyed agent led to his arrest.

Our Rusty Dornin tells us how Diana Dean stopped a terrorist.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANA DEAN, U.S. CUSTOMS AGENT (RET): Hello there, where do you folks live?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day, every car met with the same question, the same sweet smile. On December 14, 1999, it began just like that for customs agent Diana Dean, just another car on another day.

The ferry had just arrived in Port Angeles, Washington. This car was the last off the boat. The driver picked Dean's line. She was the only woman on duty that day.

He said his name was Benni Noris from Montreal headed to Seattle on business. Dean vividly remembers her reaction.

(on camera): What made you so suspicious about him?

DEAN: The answers he gave me or the answers he didn't give me to my questions. His itinerary didn't make any sense to me. And I'd only asked him a couple of questions when he started getting very, very nervous.

DORNIN (voice-over): She asked him to fill out a customs declaration, then told him he would have to do a secondary inspection. Other officers joined her and they opened the trunk.

(on camera): When you saw the stuff in his trunk, did you have any idea that you were looking at an act of terrorism?

DEAN: No, absolutely no idea at all. All that we -- we thought it was probably drugs of some kind. It was bags of white powder. And at that particular point really all we saw was the bags of white powder, because we had tunnel vision for a few minutes. And then we saw the timers and the nitroglycerin.

DORNIN (voice-over): One hundred and twenty-five pounds of explosives, enough to kill or injure hundreds of innocent people. They later learned his target was busy, crowded Los Angeles airport.

The terrorist now known as Ahmed Ressam ran but was caught a short time later.

DEAN: I hate to even think of what might have happened if we hadn't become suspicious, because then he would have been on his way down the road.

DORNIN: Credited with preventing a potential tragedy, in January, she and another inspector were honored. An anti-terrorism award was named after them. They were heroes.

But Dean brushes off the hero moniker and said she just followed her instincts and her training.

DEAN: He looked like he wasn't telling the truth, and so we stopped him. We had no idea that we would find a bomb. And we just stopped a person that looked suspicious.

DORNIN: Now retired, a grandmother, and living in North Dakota, Dean came back for what she called the final chapter: the sentencing of Ahmed Ressam.

Now that the chapter has been continued, she says she'll be back again.

Rusty Dornin, CNN, Seattle, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Another fan arrested at a pro sports game. Next time you get tickets to the big game, are you going to need to take your lawyer, too? That's ahead at 13 before the hour.

And later, "American Idol" fans get a big surprise last night, a fav gets cut. But we've got even more surprises for you from backstage at "Idol" at four minutes to the hour.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Get ready for an awful story. Hundreds of pictures of a little girl being sexually abused have been making the rounds on the Internet for years. Now police are hoping the picture of another young girl could lead to a break in the case.

CNN's David Mattingly has details from Orlando, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Her face remains hidden to the public, but she is well known to child porn investigators around the world who are desperately trying to find her in ways they've never dared before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are releasing the photograph of the material witness in hope that if a citizen can identify her, it will greatly increase the chances of successfully identifying the perpetrator and recovering the victim.

MATTINGLY: Orlando police now take the extraordinary step of going public with a child they believe is a material witness in the case, about 9 years old in this picture when it was taken a couple of years ago. Investigators have no evidence she is a victim or witnessed any acts of abuse. But they believe she is sitting on the same couch in the same room where this highly sought after girl was photographed being sexually abused.

A tip line has been set up in Central Florida to take calls from anywhere, 1-866-635-HELP. Find the girl on the couch, investigators hope, and they will find their victim.

DET. SGT. PAUL GILLESPIE, TORONTO POLICE: I'm confident that the victim perhaps knows this person and this witness might be able to help us out with that.

MATTINGLY: On the trail of this case for years, Paul Gillespie of the Toronto Police Child Exploitation Unit has been hampered, he says, by secrecy. It's been the rule in law enforcement to never reveal the faces of child pornography victims out of fear that it could place the child in danger from the abuser. But according to Gillespie, it's a rule, he says, that needs to be changed.

GILLESPIE: I think we have to take into account that we have to start taking, perhaps, a little more aggressive measures to get in and break this cycle.

MATTINGLY: Using computers earlier this year, Toronto detectives removed the victim girl from her own pictures and re-created the rooms behind her. Pictures they could then show to the public.

And it paid off, someone recognized a bed spread from an Orlando resort. It was an unheard of break, but the hotel records, with thousands of names, didn't take them very far.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think those records are going to prove valuable from an historical standpoint. But at this point, we have no idea who we're looking for. So one name means nothing more than the next name at this point.

MATTINGLY: Investigators believe this potential witness photograph is their last, best hope. Years spent scouring more than 200 photographs of the unknown victim have yielded few usable clues. If this girl's photograph doesn't help find their victim, more extreme measure, they say, may be taken.

(on camera): How close are you to releasing this girl's picture?

GILLESPIE: That's always going to be an option, to be quite honest with you.

MATTINGLY: If that comes to pass, it would be a landmark step in the fight against child pornography. But for now, investigators in two countries wait, hoping the next phone call brings the break they've been looking for.

David Mattingly, CNN, Orlando, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: If you have any information on this case, please call Central Florida Crimeline at 1-866-635-HELP.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:46 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Russia's president is defending the planned sale of anti-aircraft missiles to Syria. Vladimir Putin says the sale does not pose a threat to Israel. Israeli leaders have been trying to get the Russian leaders not to go through with the sale.

Just minutes ago, the Iraqi National Assembly approved a list of cabinet members proposed by Prime Minister designate Ibrahim al- Jaafari. It's the first democratically elected government to be formed in almost 50 years in Iraq.

In money news, there could be a new $1 coin in your pocket next year. Gold, like the Sacajawea coin. This one will bear the faces of the presidents. Congress also has authorized the nation's first investment grade 24-karat gold bullion coin.

In culture, an "Idol" upset. Heartthrob Constantine Maroulis was eliminated from "American Idol," much to the shock of the studio audience. The hard rocker was considered a favorite to make it all the way. Six "Idol" hopefuls are left.

In sports, a man was arrested at a Philadelphia-Detroit game after allegedly throwing a quarter that hit 76ers Allen Iverson. Iverson was not hurt. But as you can see, that fan was arrested. Happened on the Pistons home court -- Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

Talk about a battle royal, two networks go to battle over "American Idol." And they're pulling out all the stops, as in lawsuits. We'll bring you the details straight-ahead on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's a beautiful morning in New York, and we're talking about gas prices, which aren't so beautiful.

MYERS: No, not really. Who's to blame -- Carol?

COSTELLO: That's what we're asking you this morning, and you have answered us in droves.

MYERS: Or in French, it's ouey repon seplay (ph).

COSTELLO: Oh gee!

MYERS: No, no, that was yesterday, sorry.

COSTELLO: Go ahead -- Chad.

MYERS: I got one here. I got the right answer. The media, they're always at fault for everything.

COSTELLO: Oh god!

MYERS: And can we blame the French for this one, too? Maybe we should rename it freedom fuel.

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: I like Al (ph). He's from Morgantown, West Virginia. He says define high.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: We pay near $15 a gallon for bottled water. Is $2.15 for gas high?

MYERS: Well all right.

And Dottie (ph) says milk is more than a gallon of gas. Who can fix that? And beer is more than a dollar, you know, two bucks a gallon, too. We've got some fixing to do in this country.

COSTELLO: I know.

This is from Richard (ph) from Pennsylvania. He says the gas price situation didn't just start today. Did everyone forget about standing for an hour or more in gas lines in the '70s? We should have come up with a solution back then. All of a sudden now it's a big problem. I guess in the long run it gave the oil companies more profits so they wouldn't have to build more refineries.

Very astute this morning.

MYERS: Michael (ph) from New Lenox got it pretty much on the money, there's just one little thing missing. He's actually putting the blame on China. Richard Nixon visited China, thus opening free trade. Americans buying so much Chinese goods, we are spending all of our money sending all of our money over there. They are becoming the wealthiest country in the world, soon. They're buying more cars, they're using more oil; so, therefore, the oil that would have been coming to America is now going there. But can't we all just get along?

COSTELLO: Obviously not.

Thanks to all of you sending us e-mails this morning. We always enjoy them.

In the next hour of DAYBREAK, we're going to take you to a town with an identity crisis. College Corner is a rather schizophrenic place to call home. We'll tell you why just ahead.

Also, all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK, just how much credit do you give your children? We're talking the plastic kind, not just kind words.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.

Entertainment headlines for you this morning.

"Pretty Woman" Julia Roberts is even more beautiful after having twins last November. That's according to "People" magazine. She is on the cover of their annual 50 most beautiful people issue due out Friday. What a daring choice.

Tom Cruise is in a hot new relationship with actress Katie Holmes. Cruise's sister, who is also his publicist, says they've been dating for a few weeks now.

Chad, he's 42 and she's 26, does this break the rule?

MYERS: Forty-two divided by 2 is 21, plus 7 is 28. But you know what, she is so gorgeous, maybe you can break the rule.

COSTELLO: That just has an icky factor to me, I don't know.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: An 11-year-old boy has saved Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tune pals. Warner Brothers had plans for a new cartoon called Lunatics with scary-looking prototypes of a futuristic Bugs and the bunch. But the boy's Internet petition drive convinced the company to soften the characters. Warner Brothers is a division of Time Warner, CNN's parent company.

And "American Idol" fans want to know did judge Paula Abdul have an affair with a former contestant? That may be one of the allegations made by "Idol" wannabe Corey Clark in a new tell-all book.

Abdul's spokesperson released this statement, and I -- quote -- "Paula Abdul will not dignify the false statements made by Corey Clark with a response. Mr. Clark is an admitted liar and opportunist who engages in unlawful activities. He is communicating lies about Paula Abdul in order to generate interest in a book deal."

And Simon Cowell had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON COWELL, "AMERICAN IDOL": To be fair to her, we'll spend more time backstage with the contestants, giving encouragement and everything else, but that's not a bad thing. I do think they're complete rubbish. Yes, I think this is a guy who's out there to publicize a book.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's David Haffenreffer reports details of the allegations could come out in an ABC documentary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the television special that claims you'll never watch "American Idol" the same way again. ABC started airing this advertisement this week promoting "Primetime Live" special "Fallen Idol." Details of exactly what's in the special report are sketchy. ABC is not talking. Fox has no comment. Nineteen Entertainment, nothing either. That's the company that created "Idol."

The prime time show could be juicy. ABC is airing the special next Wednesday, putting it right in the middle of the important May sweeps period where the networks pull out all the stops to get ratings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's been promised is not an explosive expose, but explosive claims, maybe some of the judges play favorites both behind the scenes and in front of the scenes as well. But you know this isn't really a shock. This is a show that is designed from the get-go where you can stack the deck. But I have a feeling that at the end of this thing the "American Idol" juggernaut will be just as powerful as it was before the expose played.

HAFFENREFFER (on camera): We may not know much about the show. But one thing we do know is that ABC is moving this episode from its usual Thursday night slot to Wednesday. Wednesday also happens to be "American Idol" night on Fox.

RANDY JACKSON, "AMERICAN IDOL": You were just under like almost the whole song. I don't know, it just never quite...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What a coincidence they change the scheduling. Of course it's a sweep's something practice pure and simple. But you know as we look at what ABC is doing, we shouldn't forget that this kind of stuff goes on across the board. You take the success of "American Idol" and you use it for your own network's purposes. And I'll bet you that that report gets a higher rating than most of the prime time reports get from ABC throughout the rest of this season.

RYAN SEACREST, "AMERICAN IDOL": The stars come out for the "Idol."

HAFFENREFFER (voice-over): "American Idol" continues to be red hot in the ratings. More than 24 million people watched the remaining six contestants duke it out. Whatever the "Primetime" special reveals, it probably won't do much to "Idol's" ratings. Numbers didn't dip earlier this season when someone put the wrong phone numbers on screen for three contestants. It also came out unscathed after the media learned that contestant Scott Savol was arrested and charged four years ago with hitting his girlfriend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com