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CNN Live At Daybreak
Base Closings; MPG vs. MPH
Aired May 13, 2005 - 5:00 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michael Ross did not have any final words. He said --when asked if he wanted any final words, he said, "No thank you."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, a rapist and killer of young women pays the ultimate price. A psychological barrier against the death penalty tumbled in Connecticut.
Plus, the faster you drive the more you lose. Pushing the pedal to the metal could drain your wallet, as well as your gas tank.
And imitation is said to be the highest form of flattery. So what's up with "Napoleon Dynamite?" Nerds rule. That's right.
It is Friday, May 13. And this is DAYBREAK.
And good Friday morning to you. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, in for Carol Costello, along with Rob Marciano, who's in for Chad Myers.
"Now in the News," armed rebels have stormed a prison in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, freeing hundreds of inmates and clashing with soldiers. Ten people have died and 34 others wounded, including a man who was mistakenly shot to death at the Israeli embassy.
Convicted serial killer Michael Ross was executed by lethal injection about two-and-a-half hours ago in Connecticut. It was the first execution in New England in 45 years. Ross was convicted of killing four teenage girls and confessed to another four murders.
If you're commuting into New York City this morning, you can expect a Friday the 13th traffic nightmare. A railroad bridge fire has shut down train service between New Jersey and Manhattan.
A Senate panel will release part of an energy bill today. It is aimed at boosting the nation's emergency oil stockpile, among other things, but it does not include the most contentious issues regarding domestic oil drilling.
And in Montana a nightmare. That nightmare, flooding. Unusual heavy rain and snow have soaked parts of the state, prompting some school and road closures. To the forecast center now in Atlanta. Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers.
Rob, great to see you. Snow in Montana in May?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, over two feet of it in spots. Unbelievable, Kelly.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: OK, Rob. We'll talk to you in a little bit. Thanks so much.
Just about five hours from now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will announce which domestic military bases he thinks should be closed. A number of bases across the country will also be realigned, and some could even be expanded to pick up the flack. Secretary Rumsfeld says there will be fewer closings than initially anticipated. He says the closures will save the government nearly $49 billion over the next 20 years.
A congressional commission will hold public hearings on the changes, then send its recommendations to President Bush by September 8.
Well, as you can imagine, across the country people who work on military bases are wondering if they will be on the chopping block this morning. More now from our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Illinois, Rock Island arsenals workers make parts urgently needed for armored vehicles in Iraq. But is it all about to end? At Rock Island and communities across the country, worries that their bases will be on the Pentagon's hit list. Jobs may be lost, local towns hit hard.
The Pentagon will send its proposed list of bases to be closed to an independent commission for review. Eventually, it will make its way to Capitol Hill, where the list is already a political hot potato.
SEN. TRENT LOTT, (R) MISSISSIPPI: And anybody that thinks politics won't come into play in this hasn't been to Washington lately. They're not living in the real world.
STARR: Lawmakers are wary.
REP. CURT WELDON, (R) PENNSYLVANIA: Because the Congress does not want to be burned by either a Democrat or a Republican president that randomly and specifically selects those bases that he thinks are most important politically.
STARR: Lobbyists are lining up to make their case to the commission. Charles Smith represents Illinois in its effort to make sure Rock Island and other bases stay open. He was the senior staffer on the last commission in 1995.
CHARLES SMITH, LOBBYIST: It gets very tough when you've got to make that vote because you're putting people out of work.
STARR: Ninety-seven bases have been closed since 1988, saving an estimated $18 billion. But it has cost $22 billion to clean them up and close them down.
This base closure round is different. Lott and Weldon, strong Republican military supporters, differ on whether the whole effort should be delayed.
LOTT: I think the timing is completely wrong. Here we are fighting two wars, one in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a war on terrorism.
STARR: Weldon says money saved by base closing can help troops at war.
WELDON: We need to put the focus on our sons and daughters and give them the best equipment, the most modern technology.
STARR (on camera): Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the Pentagon's proposed base closure list, if approved, will save the military nearly $50 billion over the next 20 years.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Sticking with the military now, is the Army using widespread fakery to meet its recruiting goals? There are reports that some recruiters are willing to do almost anything to get people to sign up. So the Army has ordered a one-day halt in recruitment so that commanders can remind recruiters about the right way to do their jobs.
The Army, as you know, has been having a tough time attracting volunteers. Some reports say officers have helped recruits get fake high school diplomas and told them how to illegally pass drug tests.
Well, just hours ago, Connecticut put to death a convicted serial killer. It was New England's first execution in 45 years.
Michael Ross was executed by lethal injection for the murder of four women in the 1980s. Ross confessed to killing a total of eight women, six in Connecticut and two in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDWIN SHELLEY, FATHER OF VICTIM: My daughter, Leslie Anne Shelley, along with her best friend, April Dawn Brunais, were murdered April 22, 1984. They were 14 years of age.
We have waited 21 years for justice. And I would like to thank the jury in Bridgeport, the jury in New London, and finally the state of Connecticut for finally giving us the justice that our children are due.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Clearly an emotional time for those families.
Before the execution, hundreds of people on both sides of the death penalty debate gathered near the prison where Ross was executed. For months, Ross refused to fight for his own life, saying he didn't want any appeals.
More news "Across America" this morning.
A federal court has struck down Nebraska's ban on gay marriage. The constitutional amendment passed five years ago banned any legal recognition for same-sex relationships. The judge says the ban denied gay couples equal protection by the government. The state is expected to appeal.
Just what New Jersey commuters need, a Friday the 13th getting to work headache. You see the pictures there. A bridge fire in Kearny, New Jersey, has disrupted train service to New York's Penn Station. No word on when trains will be clickity-clacking again, but bus lines are honoring rail tickets.
In Manhattan, a different kind of headache. The northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway remain closed after a retaining wall collapsed. The collapse littered the busy roadway with tons of debris and fallen trees. It brought rush hour traffic to a screeching halt, and that, of course, jammed up other roads out of the city.
Well, some state workers in Georgia, you can say, they are just fuming. The governor has signed legislation that could cost state workers who smoke close to $500 a more in health insurance, and that includes public schoolteachers and their families.
About 650,000 people are on the state health insurance plan, but it's not clear how many are smokers. West Virginia, Alabama and Kentucky also have a health insurance surcharge for workers who smoke. And that brings us to our DAYBREAK email "Question of the Day."
Smoking surcharge, is it right, is it wrong? What do you think? Send us your emails at DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
Coming up, some say you only have yourself to blame when it comes to high gas prices. Call it the pedal to the metal syndrome. We'll drive that home in just six minutes.
From college campuses to high schools, America is gripped in the throws of Texas Hold 'Em fever. We'll deal the cards in 38 minutes.
And "Napoleon Dynamite" is, well, dynamite among America's teenagers. We'll find out why in 46 minutes.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: The international markets are all lower this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei is down nearly 29 points. The London FTSE is lower by 25. And the German DAX is down 11 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's just about 13 minutes after the hour. And here's what's all new this morning.
John Bolton's nomination for U.N. ambassador moves now to the full Senate. The bitterly-divided Foreign Relations Committee voted along party lines to advance his nomination but without a recommendation for approval.
An Air France jetliner on its way from Paris to Boston was diverted to Bangor, Maine, after a passenger's name appeared to match one on the U.S. no-fly list. But after an hour and 40 minute delay, the man and the plane were allowed to travel on to Boston.
In money, it is getting more expensive to buy a house. The 30- year fixed rate mortgage has inched up to 5.77 percent after falling for five weeks in a row. It is the first rate increase since last March.
In culture, "Saturday Night Live" will close out this season with Lindsay Lohan as host. It will be Lohan's second time hosting the show. British band Coldplay is the musical guest.
And in sports, Miami takes a 3-0 lead over Washington in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 102-95 win. The Heat won without the Shaq. Shaquille O'Neal, who has a bruised thigh, it was the first time in his career that O'Neal has missed a playoff game.
Rob, did you stay up late to watch the game last night?
MARCIANO: No, but I'm glad that you're bringing me the highlights this morning.
WALLACE: All right. Keeping you up to date.
MARCIANO: The basketball playoffs continue, I think, probably through August or something like that. So...
WALLACE: I know. They go on and on and on.
MARCIANO: ... we still have some time.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: All right, Rob. We'll talk to you in a few minutes. Thanks so much.
Well, if record-high gas prices aren't enough to slow you down, maybe checking your gas mileage will do the trick. CNN's Chris Huntington shows us how you can save gas and money along the way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New Jersey State trooper Paul Blanda has more than 20 years' experience patrolling some of the busy highways in America.
SGT. PAUL BLANDA, NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE: Four com (ph) 2967.
HUNTINGTON: He is an expert on speeding and says Americans are driving at least 10 miles per hour faster than they were in the mid 1980s.
BLANDA: Seventy and above is basically the norm now.
HUNTINGTON: We certainly found that to be the case.
(on camera): We're going 70 miles an hour right now. That's five miles an hour above the posted speed limit. And as you can see, folks are whizzing by.
(voice-over): And frequently, the passing vehicles, left or right, were SUVs or pickup trucks.
BLANDA: The general trend with an SUV and light truck is I believe they -- they consistently speed or they tend to speed more due to the fact that they think that they're safe in their vehicle.
HUNTINGTON: But what speeders, particularly in SUVs or pickup trucks, might not know, or perhaps just ignore, is how much extra fuel they burn to push those extra few miles per hour. A study done for the Department of Energy found that average fuel economy peaks between 50 and 55 miles per hour, then falls off steadily as speed increases. At 75 miles an hour, average gas mileage is down by 24 percent.
But SUVs and pickup trucks hit peak fuel efficiency at around 45 miles per hour. By the time they're going 75, their gas mileage is down by nearly 30 percent.
Rowland Hwang studies automotive efficiency for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
ROLAND HWANG, ENVIRONMENTALIST: However, if you're driving a big chunky SUV that's, you know, basically like a brick when it comes to its aerodynamics, the more energy you need to push through that air, the more fuel you're burning.
HUNTINGTON: Still, some say the best way to save fuel would be to raise speed limits to what people are actually driving.
ERIC SKRUM, NATIONAL MOTORISTS ASSOCIATION: When you keep traffic moving at a steady pace, that's where you're going to have the gas savings. It doesn't matter if it's 65, 70, 75 or 80. As long as that vehicle is keeping that steady pace, not slowing down, not speeding up, you're going to have that vehicle burning less fuel.
HUNTINGTON: While traffic jams certainly kill gas mileage, one veteran trooper doubts that speeding up will solve the problem.
BLANDA: That's affirmed.
HUNTINGTON: Chris Huntington, CNN, Hamilton, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Some good advice for all of us on the roadways.
Well, coming up here on DAYBREAK, a major drug bust in Arizona breaks up a ring of traffickers. But, in this case, it's hard to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad ones.
And later, you won't be surprised to hear that Texas Hold 'Em is popular. But you may be surprised to hear who's playing. We'll ante up just ahead on DAYBREAK.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Friday, May 13. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: And welcome back. So, we've been telling you it's Friday the 13th.
Rob, we can use some laughs, right...
MARCIANO: Yes.
WALLACE: ... to get this day going?
MARCIANO: Yes.
WALLACE: I think so.
MARCIANO: Time to show some highlights of late night stuff last night.
WALLACE: We can always count on our late night comics for something, can't we? We certainly thought that the John Bolton issue, his nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N., would have some of the comics doing something. Take a listen to Comedy Central's Jon Stewart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH (R), OHIO: It is my opinion that John Bolton is the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be.
JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW": Then this is it. Slam dunk! Bolton's not coming out of committee. Say goodnight, Gracie.
VOINOVICH: That being said, Mr. Chairman, we owe it to the president to give Mr. Bolton an up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate.
(LAUGHTER) STEWART: I got Voinoviched. Hates (ph), no; votes, yes. So the Bolton nomination moves on because George Voinovich voted for the guy that he believes is the opposite of what a diplomat should be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Rob, he created a new verb there, get "Voinoviched."
MARCIANO: Yes, I like it. Well, he's got a point. I mean, these Senate hearings, they do nothing but, you know, moan and groan about how they don't like the candidate, and then they're like, oh, yes, sure, he's OK now.
WALLACE: I know.
MARCIANO: They just have to make their political stump, their speech.
WALLACE: It -- he's -- Jon Stewart's always so good at that, though, taking -- we all watched the hearing yesterday, but he did take sort of this blistering attack coming from Senator Voinovich on John Bolton, and then, right, at the end he said, but I do think the nomination should go to the Senate floor.
MARCIANO: Some people don't like to be yelled and screamed at, you know?
WALLACE: Yes, exactly.
MARCIANO: I don't mind.
WALLACE: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: Just don't do it to me.
WALLACE: We won't talk about bosses here, right? No, not at all. All right, Rob.
Well, let's listen and look at some DAYBREAK "Eye Openers," shall we?
MARCIANO: OK.
WALLACE: You can say the sky's the limit, or was, that is, when Tracy and Keith Wagoner (ph) got married in Rome -- or make that over Rome and in a gondola. Take a look at this.
This gondola is suspended under a hot-air balloon 500 feet up. Apparently -- and we didn't know this -- balloon pilots have the same power to marry as boat captains.
MARCIANO: That's a cool looking balloon, too.
WALLACE: It is. Here's another one for you. Japan's world of sumo wrestling is in a fight to preserve its traditions. Sumo wrestlers compete mostly naked, save for that loin cloth-type garment with nothing underneath -- we had to add that. And sometimes it comes off during bout. Well, now, sumo pants similar to cycling shorts are being promoted, hoping more shy young men will take up the dwindling sport.
Rob, do you think it will work?
MARCIANO: Oh, I say there's going to be a huge controversy. This is -- there's going to be a worldwide petition to go back to the old school, I'm sure.
WALLACE: That's right. All right.
And here's another one for you. Caution: gator crossing.
A 14-foot alligator stopped traffic in the middle of downtown Miami. Pretty soon, the guys from Pesky Critters rounded up the beast and took it safely away.
MARCIANO: Those guys get on air quite a bit from Pesky Critters.
WALLACE: They do. They do.
And finally, in Nairobi, Kenya, the dog with no name gets food for life. The dog rescued baby Angel after the 2-week-old infant girl was abandoned in the forest. That dog carried the baby in its mouth across a busy road and back to its home.
MARCIANO: That's an amazing story.
WALLACE: That is an amazing story. So, here-here to the dog and to the little baby.
Rob, we're not getting many emails.
MARCIANO: No, you're right.
WALLACE: We're not. So we're going to...
MARCIANO: It's a good topic.
WALLACE: It's a great topic. Controversial.
MARCIANO: They'll come in. Folks are just waking up.
WALLACE: That's right. OK. Here's the question.
We're talking about in Georgia a new surcharge for state employees on their health insurance for smoking. Here's the question.
Smoking surcharge, right or wrong? Email us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com. Rob and I will go through those emails and tell everybody what you're thinking. So send us what you're thinking. We want to hear.
And here's what is all new in the next half-hour.
You may think your kids are studying at college. Chances are you are wrong. They're playing poker.
Plus, let's hear it for the nerds. That's right, we'll tell you how one indie film made heroes out of Napoleon and Pedro and why your kids may actually want to be nerdy.
Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: And good morning to you. And welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.
"Now in the News," fast-moving developments in Uzbekistan this morning. Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Andijan, demanding government reform. Earlier, a gunman stormed a prison, freeing hundreds of inmates. Nine people have been killed. Some gunmen remain holed up in two buildings.
The first execution in New England in 45 years was carried out in Connecticut just about three hours ago. Michael Ross was put to death for killing four women in the 1980s.
Commuter trouble ahead this morning for New Jersey to New York commuters. Rail traffic is suspended over a fire-damaged bridge in Kearny, New Jersey. Safety officials will inspect the damage this morning.
And get out your lifesaver. "Star Wars" is back. "Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith" opens next weekend, but some folks in nine cities shelled out $500 a ticket for a preview last night. After the showings, guests munched on Wookie cookies.
To Rob Marciano in Atlanta.
Rob, are you a big "Star Wars" fan?
MARCIANO: You know -- you know, right there. I'll go see it at some point. How many -- there's like -- there's like...
WALLACE: You're not going to pay $500 to see it, I don't think.
MARCIANO: No, no. But there's like 10 or 20 of them out now, isn't there? I can't keep track. I just remember the first three.
WALLACE: It's hard to keep track.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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 May 13, 2005 - 5:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michael Ross did not have any final words. He said --when asked if he wanted any final words, he said, "No thank you."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, a rapist and killer of young women pays the ultimate price. A psychological barrier against the death penalty tumbled in Connecticut.
Plus, the faster you drive the more you lose. Pushing the pedal to the metal could drain your wallet, as well as your gas tank.
And imitation is said to be the highest form of flattery. So what's up with "Napoleon Dynamite?" Nerds rule. That's right.
It is Friday, May 13. And this is DAYBREAK.
And good Friday morning to you. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, in for Carol Costello, along with Rob Marciano, who's in for Chad Myers.
"Now in the News," armed rebels have stormed a prison in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, freeing hundreds of inmates and clashing with soldiers. Ten people have died and 34 others wounded, including a man who was mistakenly shot to death at the Israeli embassy.
Convicted serial killer Michael Ross was executed by lethal injection about two-and-a-half hours ago in Connecticut. It was the first execution in New England in 45 years. Ross was convicted of killing four teenage girls and confessed to another four murders.
If you're commuting into New York City this morning, you can expect a Friday the 13th traffic nightmare. A railroad bridge fire has shut down train service between New Jersey and Manhattan.
A Senate panel will release part of an energy bill today. It is aimed at boosting the nation's emergency oil stockpile, among other things, but it does not include the most contentious issues regarding domestic oil drilling.
And in Montana a nightmare. That nightmare, flooding. Unusual heavy rain and snow have soaked parts of the state, prompting some school and road closures. To the forecast center now in Atlanta. Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers.
Rob, great to see you. Snow in Montana in May?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, over two feet of it in spots. Unbelievable, Kelly.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: OK, Rob. We'll talk to you in a little bit. Thanks so much.
Just about five hours from now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will announce which domestic military bases he thinks should be closed. A number of bases across the country will also be realigned, and some could even be expanded to pick up the flack. Secretary Rumsfeld says there will be fewer closings than initially anticipated. He says the closures will save the government nearly $49 billion over the next 20 years.
A congressional commission will hold public hearings on the changes, then send its recommendations to President Bush by September 8.
Well, as you can imagine, across the country people who work on military bases are wondering if they will be on the chopping block this morning. More now from our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Illinois, Rock Island arsenals workers make parts urgently needed for armored vehicles in Iraq. But is it all about to end? At Rock Island and communities across the country, worries that their bases will be on the Pentagon's hit list. Jobs may be lost, local towns hit hard.
The Pentagon will send its proposed list of bases to be closed to an independent commission for review. Eventually, it will make its way to Capitol Hill, where the list is already a political hot potato.
SEN. TRENT LOTT, (R) MISSISSIPPI: And anybody that thinks politics won't come into play in this hasn't been to Washington lately. They're not living in the real world.
STARR: Lawmakers are wary.
REP. CURT WELDON, (R) PENNSYLVANIA: Because the Congress does not want to be burned by either a Democrat or a Republican president that randomly and specifically selects those bases that he thinks are most important politically.
STARR: Lobbyists are lining up to make their case to the commission. Charles Smith represents Illinois in its effort to make sure Rock Island and other bases stay open. He was the senior staffer on the last commission in 1995.
CHARLES SMITH, LOBBYIST: It gets very tough when you've got to make that vote because you're putting people out of work.
STARR: Ninety-seven bases have been closed since 1988, saving an estimated $18 billion. But it has cost $22 billion to clean them up and close them down.
This base closure round is different. Lott and Weldon, strong Republican military supporters, differ on whether the whole effort should be delayed.
LOTT: I think the timing is completely wrong. Here we are fighting two wars, one in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a war on terrorism.
STARR: Weldon says money saved by base closing can help troops at war.
WELDON: We need to put the focus on our sons and daughters and give them the best equipment, the most modern technology.
STARR (on camera): Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the Pentagon's proposed base closure list, if approved, will save the military nearly $50 billion over the next 20 years.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Sticking with the military now, is the Army using widespread fakery to meet its recruiting goals? There are reports that some recruiters are willing to do almost anything to get people to sign up. So the Army has ordered a one-day halt in recruitment so that commanders can remind recruiters about the right way to do their jobs.
The Army, as you know, has been having a tough time attracting volunteers. Some reports say officers have helped recruits get fake high school diplomas and told them how to illegally pass drug tests.
Well, just hours ago, Connecticut put to death a convicted serial killer. It was New England's first execution in 45 years.
Michael Ross was executed by lethal injection for the murder of four women in the 1980s. Ross confessed to killing a total of eight women, six in Connecticut and two in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDWIN SHELLEY, FATHER OF VICTIM: My daughter, Leslie Anne Shelley, along with her best friend, April Dawn Brunais, were murdered April 22, 1984. They were 14 years of age.
We have waited 21 years for justice. And I would like to thank the jury in Bridgeport, the jury in New London, and finally the state of Connecticut for finally giving us the justice that our children are due.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Clearly an emotional time for those families.
Before the execution, hundreds of people on both sides of the death penalty debate gathered near the prison where Ross was executed. For months, Ross refused to fight for his own life, saying he didn't want any appeals.
More news "Across America" this morning.
A federal court has struck down Nebraska's ban on gay marriage. The constitutional amendment passed five years ago banned any legal recognition for same-sex relationships. The judge says the ban denied gay couples equal protection by the government. The state is expected to appeal.
Just what New Jersey commuters need, a Friday the 13th getting to work headache. You see the pictures there. A bridge fire in Kearny, New Jersey, has disrupted train service to New York's Penn Station. No word on when trains will be clickity-clacking again, but bus lines are honoring rail tickets.
In Manhattan, a different kind of headache. The northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway remain closed after a retaining wall collapsed. The collapse littered the busy roadway with tons of debris and fallen trees. It brought rush hour traffic to a screeching halt, and that, of course, jammed up other roads out of the city.
Well, some state workers in Georgia, you can say, they are just fuming. The governor has signed legislation that could cost state workers who smoke close to $500 a more in health insurance, and that includes public schoolteachers and their families.
About 650,000 people are on the state health insurance plan, but it's not clear how many are smokers. West Virginia, Alabama and Kentucky also have a health insurance surcharge for workers who smoke. And that brings us to our DAYBREAK email "Question of the Day."
Smoking surcharge, is it right, is it wrong? What do you think? Send us your emails at DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
Coming up, some say you only have yourself to blame when it comes to high gas prices. Call it the pedal to the metal syndrome. We'll drive that home in just six minutes.
From college campuses to high schools, America is gripped in the throws of Texas Hold 'Em fever. We'll deal the cards in 38 minutes.
And "Napoleon Dynamite" is, well, dynamite among America's teenagers. We'll find out why in 46 minutes.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: The international markets are all lower this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei is down nearly 29 points. The London FTSE is lower by 25. And the German DAX is down 11 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's just about 13 minutes after the hour. And here's what's all new this morning.
John Bolton's nomination for U.N. ambassador moves now to the full Senate. The bitterly-divided Foreign Relations Committee voted along party lines to advance his nomination but without a recommendation for approval.
An Air France jetliner on its way from Paris to Boston was diverted to Bangor, Maine, after a passenger's name appeared to match one on the U.S. no-fly list. But after an hour and 40 minute delay, the man and the plane were allowed to travel on to Boston.
In money, it is getting more expensive to buy a house. The 30- year fixed rate mortgage has inched up to 5.77 percent after falling for five weeks in a row. It is the first rate increase since last March.
In culture, "Saturday Night Live" will close out this season with Lindsay Lohan as host. It will be Lohan's second time hosting the show. British band Coldplay is the musical guest.
And in sports, Miami takes a 3-0 lead over Washington in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 102-95 win. The Heat won without the Shaq. Shaquille O'Neal, who has a bruised thigh, it was the first time in his career that O'Neal has missed a playoff game.
Rob, did you stay up late to watch the game last night?
MARCIANO: No, but I'm glad that you're bringing me the highlights this morning.
WALLACE: All right. Keeping you up to date.
MARCIANO: The basketball playoffs continue, I think, probably through August or something like that. So...
WALLACE: I know. They go on and on and on.
MARCIANO: ... we still have some time.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: All right, Rob. We'll talk to you in a few minutes. Thanks so much.
Well, if record-high gas prices aren't enough to slow you down, maybe checking your gas mileage will do the trick. CNN's Chris Huntington shows us how you can save gas and money along the way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New Jersey State trooper Paul Blanda has more than 20 years' experience patrolling some of the busy highways in America.
SGT. PAUL BLANDA, NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE: Four com (ph) 2967.
HUNTINGTON: He is an expert on speeding and says Americans are driving at least 10 miles per hour faster than they were in the mid 1980s.
BLANDA: Seventy and above is basically the norm now.
HUNTINGTON: We certainly found that to be the case.
(on camera): We're going 70 miles an hour right now. That's five miles an hour above the posted speed limit. And as you can see, folks are whizzing by.
(voice-over): And frequently, the passing vehicles, left or right, were SUVs or pickup trucks.
BLANDA: The general trend with an SUV and light truck is I believe they -- they consistently speed or they tend to speed more due to the fact that they think that they're safe in their vehicle.
HUNTINGTON: But what speeders, particularly in SUVs or pickup trucks, might not know, or perhaps just ignore, is how much extra fuel they burn to push those extra few miles per hour. A study done for the Department of Energy found that average fuel economy peaks between 50 and 55 miles per hour, then falls off steadily as speed increases. At 75 miles an hour, average gas mileage is down by 24 percent.
But SUVs and pickup trucks hit peak fuel efficiency at around 45 miles per hour. By the time they're going 75, their gas mileage is down by nearly 30 percent.
Rowland Hwang studies automotive efficiency for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
ROLAND HWANG, ENVIRONMENTALIST: However, if you're driving a big chunky SUV that's, you know, basically like a brick when it comes to its aerodynamics, the more energy you need to push through that air, the more fuel you're burning.
HUNTINGTON: Still, some say the best way to save fuel would be to raise speed limits to what people are actually driving.
ERIC SKRUM, NATIONAL MOTORISTS ASSOCIATION: When you keep traffic moving at a steady pace, that's where you're going to have the gas savings. It doesn't matter if it's 65, 70, 75 or 80. As long as that vehicle is keeping that steady pace, not slowing down, not speeding up, you're going to have that vehicle burning less fuel.
HUNTINGTON: While traffic jams certainly kill gas mileage, one veteran trooper doubts that speeding up will solve the problem.
BLANDA: That's affirmed.
HUNTINGTON: Chris Huntington, CNN, Hamilton, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: Some good advice for all of us on the roadways.
Well, coming up here on DAYBREAK, a major drug bust in Arizona breaks up a ring of traffickers. But, in this case, it's hard to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad ones.
And later, you won't be surprised to hear that Texas Hold 'Em is popular. But you may be surprised to hear who's playing. We'll ante up just ahead on DAYBREAK.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Friday, May 13. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: And welcome back. So, we've been telling you it's Friday the 13th.
Rob, we can use some laughs, right...
MARCIANO: Yes.
WALLACE: ... to get this day going?
MARCIANO: Yes.
WALLACE: I think so.
MARCIANO: Time to show some highlights of late night stuff last night.
WALLACE: We can always count on our late night comics for something, can't we? We certainly thought that the John Bolton issue, his nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N., would have some of the comics doing something. Take a listen to Comedy Central's Jon Stewart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH (R), OHIO: It is my opinion that John Bolton is the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be.
JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW": Then this is it. Slam dunk! Bolton's not coming out of committee. Say goodnight, Gracie.
VOINOVICH: That being said, Mr. Chairman, we owe it to the president to give Mr. Bolton an up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate.
(LAUGHTER) STEWART: I got Voinoviched. Hates (ph), no; votes, yes. So the Bolton nomination moves on because George Voinovich voted for the guy that he believes is the opposite of what a diplomat should be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Rob, he created a new verb there, get "Voinoviched."
MARCIANO: Yes, I like it. Well, he's got a point. I mean, these Senate hearings, they do nothing but, you know, moan and groan about how they don't like the candidate, and then they're like, oh, yes, sure, he's OK now.
WALLACE: I know.
MARCIANO: They just have to make their political stump, their speech.
WALLACE: It -- he's -- Jon Stewart's always so good at that, though, taking -- we all watched the hearing yesterday, but he did take sort of this blistering attack coming from Senator Voinovich on John Bolton, and then, right, at the end he said, but I do think the nomination should go to the Senate floor.
MARCIANO: Some people don't like to be yelled and screamed at, you know?
WALLACE: Yes, exactly.
MARCIANO: I don't mind.
WALLACE: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: Just don't do it to me.
WALLACE: We won't talk about bosses here, right? No, not at all. All right, Rob.
Well, let's listen and look at some DAYBREAK "Eye Openers," shall we?
MARCIANO: OK.
WALLACE: You can say the sky's the limit, or was, that is, when Tracy and Keith Wagoner (ph) got married in Rome -- or make that over Rome and in a gondola. Take a look at this.
This gondola is suspended under a hot-air balloon 500 feet up. Apparently -- and we didn't know this -- balloon pilots have the same power to marry as boat captains.
MARCIANO: That's a cool looking balloon, too.
WALLACE: It is. Here's another one for you. Japan's world of sumo wrestling is in a fight to preserve its traditions. Sumo wrestlers compete mostly naked, save for that loin cloth-type garment with nothing underneath -- we had to add that. And sometimes it comes off during bout. Well, now, sumo pants similar to cycling shorts are being promoted, hoping more shy young men will take up the dwindling sport.
Rob, do you think it will work?
MARCIANO: Oh, I say there's going to be a huge controversy. This is -- there's going to be a worldwide petition to go back to the old school, I'm sure.
WALLACE: That's right. All right.
And here's another one for you. Caution: gator crossing.
A 14-foot alligator stopped traffic in the middle of downtown Miami. Pretty soon, the guys from Pesky Critters rounded up the beast and took it safely away.
MARCIANO: Those guys get on air quite a bit from Pesky Critters.
WALLACE: They do. They do.
And finally, in Nairobi, Kenya, the dog with no name gets food for life. The dog rescued baby Angel after the 2-week-old infant girl was abandoned in the forest. That dog carried the baby in its mouth across a busy road and back to its home.
MARCIANO: That's an amazing story.
WALLACE: That is an amazing story. So, here-here to the dog and to the little baby.
Rob, we're not getting many emails.
MARCIANO: No, you're right.
WALLACE: We're not. So we're going to...
MARCIANO: It's a good topic.
WALLACE: It's a great topic. Controversial.
MARCIANO: They'll come in. Folks are just waking up.
WALLACE: That's right. OK. Here's the question.
We're talking about in Georgia a new surcharge for state employees on their health insurance for smoking. Here's the question.
Smoking surcharge, right or wrong? Email us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com. Rob and I will go through those emails and tell everybody what you're thinking. So send us what you're thinking. We want to hear.
And here's what is all new in the next half-hour.
You may think your kids are studying at college. Chances are you are wrong. They're playing poker.
Plus, let's hear it for the nerds. That's right, we'll tell you how one indie film made heroes out of Napoleon and Pedro and why your kids may actually want to be nerdy.
Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: And good morning to you. And welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.
"Now in the News," fast-moving developments in Uzbekistan this morning. Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Andijan, demanding government reform. Earlier, a gunman stormed a prison, freeing hundreds of inmates. Nine people have been killed. Some gunmen remain holed up in two buildings.
The first execution in New England in 45 years was carried out in Connecticut just about three hours ago. Michael Ross was put to death for killing four women in the 1980s.
Commuter trouble ahead this morning for New Jersey to New York commuters. Rail traffic is suspended over a fire-damaged bridge in Kearny, New Jersey. Safety officials will inspect the damage this morning.
And get out your lifesaver. "Star Wars" is back. "Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith" opens next weekend, but some folks in nine cities shelled out $500 a ticket for a preview last night. After the showings, guests munched on Wookie cookies.
To Rob Marciano in Atlanta.
Rob, are you a big "Star Wars" fan?
MARCIANO: You know -- you know, right there. I'll go see it at some point. How many -- there's like -- there's like...
WALLACE: You're not going to pay $500 to see it, I don't think.
MARCIANO: No, no. But there's like 10 or 20 of them out now, isn't there? I can't keep track. I just remember the first three.
WALLACE: It's hard to keep track.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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