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CNN Live At Daybreak

Virginia Shootings Hate Crimes?; San Francisco 49ers Spoof Goof; Flying Phones

Aired June 02, 2005 - 06:29   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.


ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner center in New York, this is DAYBREAK, with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. Thank you for waking up with us.

Also coming up this half-hour, it was done in jest, but now a videotape from a training camp is coming back to haunt the San Francisco 49ers. This is the mild stuff from the video.

But first, "Now in the News."

It is being called an assassination in Lebanon. A prominent journalist was killed in a car bomb in Beirut just a short time ago. He was known for his strong opposition to Syria's presence in Lebanon.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has had minor heart surgery to clear blocked arteries. An adviser says the procedure went off without any complications. It was performed on Tuesday in Jordan.

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin today in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. Jackson's spokeswoman says the entertainer was nervous and upset while the judge gave final instructions to the jury.

To the forecast center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Police in Richmond, Virginia, are investigating a string of murders as possible hate crimes. The suspect is still on the loose this morning. Witnesses say the African-American suspect made racist statements before shooting at least two men.

CNN's Tom Foreman joins us now live with more from Richmond, Virginia.

Tell us more -- Tom.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I'm right now outside the two stores here, where these killings -- where some of these killings took place.

Here's how it happened last night. About 7:00, in one of the housing projects around here, this African-American man shot and killed another African-American man. It's not clear why. Police don't know why that killing took place. But within 10 minutes, he came to these stores, which were close by. He went to a food store here, where there was a man inside who was a native of Yemen, who has been in this country for about 12 years, father of three. He went in there, yelled out racial insults at this man, while robbing him and then killing him.

He then walked, I should say, it's about 40 feet here to the next door, which is this place called the Polly Clean Center (ph), a laundry and dry cleaning service, which is operated by a Korean man. Same thing. Yelled out racial insults, shot and killed this man, while robbing him also.

Now, police here make the point of saying these certainly would qualify as hate crimes, based on what he did. They don't really think that's the driving motive behind this. They think that this was -- they're not sure exactly what was going on. Robbery was part of it. Clearly this guy went on this rampage for about 10 minutes here. That's about all it took. Very quick.

Police got here very quickly thereafter. And they're circulating these pictures now of the crime, because they're pretty sure they know who this guy is now. They just can't figure out how he's managed to elude them all night. They want people to look at these pictures, because they're thinking maybe he left town.

COSTELLO: OK. We're looking at the picture now. And, of course, this was obviously taken by one of the surveillance cameras in one of those convenience stores.

Do they have a name on him? Does he have a previous record? Do we know anymore about him?

FOREMAN: He's got some previous record. We don't know a whole lot of details about that right now, because the police, understandably, are, as always, being careful with this information, because they think they can work this out. But they've got to get people looking at these pictures, especially if he left town. You know, he's described as a 6-foot tall, more than 200-pound black man. He has braided hair, wearing a little pinkie ring, gold medallions, white shirt, jeans -- that sort of thing.

So, they're just trying to get that description out there and see if the guy who they think is responsible for this can be scooped up and questioned and figure out if he is the guy.

This they know for sure: Because of the nature of these crimes, whether a hate crime was involved or not, these are capital offenses. In this state, you commit a series of murders like this, you commit murder in the course of a robbery, and you're facing a possible death penalty.

So, they're very serious about getting this guy. A real shock here to have this kind of thing happen so quickly and so explosively in the course of, again, 10 or 15 minutes.

COSTELLO: That's really frightening. You can see the gun in his hand. Tom Foreman, I'm sure you'll be reporting much more on this throughout the morning and throughout the day here on CNN. Tom Foreman live from Richmond, Virginia.

A standoff in Shelbyville, Indiana, is well into its 18th hour this morning. Police continue to talk with the armed suspect, who is holding one woman hostage. The man ducked into the store after shooting at police at the end of a 35-mile chase. Police say they'll wait it out as long as necessary.

We opened this box of worms in the last hour of DAYBREAK, a rude, crass and offensive San Francisco 49ers training video. It was produced in-house and meant to stay in-house. But somebody leaked it to the media.

Rita Williams of CNN affiliate KTVU in San Francisco has it all for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RITA WILLIAMS, CNN AFFILIATE KTVU REPORTER (voice over): This is the videotape causing all of the ruckus. San Francisco 49er public relations director Kirk Reynolds, taking over Gavin Newsom's office as mayor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm here in San Francisco. It's a beautiful, diverse, tremendous city.

WILLIAMS: And then, Reynolds takes a tour of the city, ostensibly to teach 49er players how to deal with the diverse media here; along the way, making off-color jokes about everything from the mayor to gay marriages to the city's Chinese community.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) feels good. He feels good now.

WILLIAMS: And liberally featuring women in various states of undress.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are women in the locker room. There are women in the locker room. So, grab a towel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's patently offensive. This is a piece of electronic excrement.

WILLIAMS: The team saw the video in August. The mayor saw it yesterday after someone leaked it to "The Chronicle."

MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SAN FRANCISCO: I'm used to the belittling, as they attempted to do in the video. But it wasn't right to do it to the Asian community and to the Chinese community. It was wrong to do it to the gay-lesbian community. It was wrong to exploit women as they were exploited in this video. The video is reprehensible.

WILLIAMS: And the man responsible for making the tape couldn't agree with the mayor more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The intention certainly was good. I mean, I certainly had positive thoughts in my intention to deliver messages to our players in a format that they would, you know, receive. I used very poor taste and bad judgment, and I take full responsibility for that.

WILLIAMS: A remorseful Reynolds, now looking for a new job, told KTVU sports reporter Fred Englis (ph) today, he had planned to leave the 49ers soon anyway. He said this is the fifth year he's produced a video, the first one, he says, that crossed the line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whether it was seen by the outside world or not, I did use bad judgment. There is no getting around that.

WILLIAMS: 49ers owner John York says he was shocked. Quote: "The content of this training material was never cleared by any officer of this organization and is absolutely contradictory to the ideals and values of the San Francisco 49ers."

MIKE NOLAN, 49ERS HEAD COACH: Although I was not a part of the regime, so to speak, before, I would like to say that I do apologize for the events that took place, because I am part of the 49er family at this time.

WILLIAMS: 49er consultant and sports sociologist Harry Edwards said he saw the tape for the first time yesterday.

HARRY EDWARDS, 49ERS CONSULTANT: I think that it probably, to some degree, to the level of stupidity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You might hurt your teammates. You don't want to do anything that's going to impact the team in a negative way.

WILLIAMS: And the videotape apparently has taught that lesson to players and done its job, just not in the way it was intended.

Rita Williams, KTVU, Channel 2 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: It just makes you want to slap your head, doesn't it? What was he thinking?

Well, the National Football League has a thing or two to say about this video. It applauds the owners of the 49ers for firing Reynolds. Others are weighing in, too, like our guest this morning, Vinnie Iyer from the "Sporting News."

Good morning, Vinnie.

VINNIE IYER, EDITOR, "SPORTING NEWS": Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, allow me to read you a quote from Julian Peterson, a linebacker with the 49ers. He says: "I know it wasn't intentionally negative in particular. It was just an in-house thing at the end of camp. It wasn't meant to harm anybody or be any kind of negative fashion at all."

He was in the video.

IYER: Well, in the NFL locker rooms, you have a lot of guys- will-be-guys type of a close-knit fraternity, what happens behind the locker room doors. It's sort of their right. And what goes on is seen acceptable for whatever happens. And I think this sort of opens the door to that.

And it's kind of a weird situation for the players. You talk to a couple of them who have come out and said, you know, they didn't see much wrong with it. I think the big thing is that sort of door that they have to their world was violated here.

COSTELLO: So, is it true that most of the players thought it was funny?

IYER: I think for their purposes, as far as, like, if you think as, like, a fraternity, a frat house sort of in the locker room. I mean, you think about guys. I mean, they just watch this and think of it as, like, a comedy piece. I mean, you think they think it's OK. But, you know, you can think about the big picture of it, and you think, what a stupid thing to do, especially for a team of such limited success. They need all the best PR they can get at this point, and this doesn't help at all.

COSTELLO: The once great San Francisco 49ers. This Reynolds guy, he's been fired by the owners of the 49ers, but he says he was on his way out anyway. Was there some bad blood between him and the team?

IYER: I don't think we'll ever know about that. But, you know, if you're making a video like this, at least you should hire another actor. I mean, he put himself in it, and I don't think that helps your case at all, not only to produce the video, to be like the main star, being in all of these controversial scenes with topless women and all of these things that are going on.

So, I think that added something to it that not only he produced it, but he seemed to be the main star of it from most of the pictures they have on the site.

COSTELLO: The coach, Mike Nolan, he was the one left to talk about this to the media. He said the video reflected the old regime, and that the team is heading in the right direction now. Will there be more fallout from this, do you think?

IYER: I think once they get down to the business of training camp and getting players in, I think Nolan is a guy that has been a hard-nosed guy. His father was the coach of the league. And he's got the experience from the Baltimore Ravens.

So, I think they will be going in a different direction. I think they need to, based on what their success has been on the field and just the disarray they've been in lately.

COSTELLO: Vinnie Iyer from the "Sporting News" joining DAYBREAK this morning. Thank you. IYER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come, first it was no pretzels for you. Now, it's no magazines for you. We'll tell you what length one airline is going to in the name of penny-pinching.

And it is that time of year when the best spellers line up for the big bee.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A check of the international markets now. The Nikkei is down almost 50 points, the London FTSE down just about 3, the German DAX down just over 5 points.

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

Police in Richmond, Virginia, hope security camera photos will help them find the suspect in a string of shooting deaths. Witnesses say the African-American suspect made racist comments before shooting two men -- a Korean and a Middle Easterner.

In money news, Wall Street hopes that their telecommunication systems snafu is fixed. The closing bell rang yesterday, cutting trading short four minutes.

In culture, add Paul McCartney to the list of celebs writing children's books. McCartney says he's been working on his book for years. "High in the Clouds: an Urban-Free Tale" is expected out in October.

In sports, the San Antonio Spurs make it to the NBA finals with a 101-95 win over the Phoenix Suns. The Spurs will face the winner of the Detroit-Miami series.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: That's a look at the latest headlines for you this morning.

Coming up, you know the types, the rude cell phone talkers, the ones who clearly do not care where they are when they're having an unusually loud conversation. And why do people speak more loudly when they're on the phone? Anyway, restaurants, theaters, stores and now airplanes, why homeland security does not want cell phones in the sky -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time now for some in-flight news. Canada is hoping to avoid a problem with American airspace. It's concerned about a proposal that requires passenger lists for all flights that cross into U.S. airspace. That affects thousands of flights between Canadian cities. Canada may also need to look for ways to fly around U.S. airspace on the way to Mexico and other international destinations.

A week after announcing that they won't be serving pretzels anymore, Northwest Airlines announced another way to cut costs. This time, it's dropping magazines from planes and airport lounges. The move is expected to save Northwest more than $560,000 next year. So bring a book.

The FAA is considering whether you can use your cell phone when flying. But now the Department of Homeland Security thinks that's a really bad idea.

"USA Today" airline reporter Ben Mutzabaugh joins us from Washington to tell us why.

So, why, Ben?

BEN MUTZABAUGH, "USA TODAY" AIRLINE REPORTER: Well, there are a number of concerns. Of course, the most obvious concern would be they're concerned about terrorism. If people can use cell phones in flight, will someone on the ground be able to coordinate an attack in the air? Or, in a worst-case scenario, if somehow a bomb gets smuggled onto a plane, can one of these cell phones be used to detonate a bomb, as they have been in Iraq? And that's one of the things that federal security officials are saying, hey, at least make sure you've considered this before you OK cell phones in flight.

COSTELLO: Now, wait a minute. You can still bring your cell phone on the flight, though. You're just not able to use it. So, do they think that the terrorist won't, like, sneakily use the cell phone in air?

MUTZABAUGH: Well, that's what some of the critics are saying. They're saying, well, hold on. You know, if you're really that concerned about this, you know, potential problem, do you really think they're going to listen to you, just because you say it's against regulations to not use your cell phone in flight? Because, clearly, you can as long as a flight attendant doesn't see you.

COSTELLO: Plus, aren't there phones on planes anyway, you know, those phones behind the seats that can be used?

MUTZABAUGH: There are. They're a little more -- they're bulkier. They're more cumbersome. So, in theory they're not as easy to use if you're trying to coordinate something in the air.

But one of the interesting things is, is the flight attendants have really come out against cell phones and use, and they're saying a completely different reason than terrorism. They're saying it could lead to increased incidents of air rage on planes.

I mean, imagine, someone sitting next to you in the seat and you're hearing them talk about their great aunt Hilda and all of their exploits for the weekend, while all you want to do is sleep on the red eye, it could be a little much to take.

COSTELLO: Oh, you're not kidding. You know, what's irritating, though, is they tell you that you can't use your cell phone because they say it endangers you, because it interferes with the pilot. But that's really not true, is it?

MUTZABAUGH: There still seems to be some discussion about whether that's really a concern or not. But most studies that I have seen indicate that it's probably not a big deal.

COSTELLO: Ben Mutzabaugh, thanks for enlightening us this morning. And you can read more of Ben's airline expertise online. Just visit usatoday.com/travel and click on "Today in the Sky."

It is 6:52 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

Reporter Bob Woodward reveals more about his friendship with Mark Felt, the man he nicknamed "Deep Throat." There is a fascinating article in today's "Washington Post." You must read it online.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld heads to Asia today. First stop is Singapore. His mission is to consult with Asian allies about containing North Korea's nuclear threat.

And today is the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Fifty-one of the 273 hopefuls are still standing. They'll tackle words most of us have never heard of, never mind spell.

Let's go to something much simpler now.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Mug, M-U-G. I couldn't use it in a sentence. I'm about to give away a coffee mug. There you go.

Here you go. The questions from yesterday. Who was appointed head of the FBI during the Nixon administration? Who was the number one guy? Patrick Gray was the answer we were looking for. And what is the alternative sentence a judge in Kentucky is offering some inmates? And that is to attend worship services.

And the winner from Vallejo, California, Arthur Davis. The mug, M-U-G, is in the mail.

Carol, now the questions for today. What city is now shaming homeowners to clean up property, property that hasn't been painted in years? What city is that? Who just resigned from a post at the SEC?

Submit your answers online to CNN.com/daybreak. There's a link there to send in your answers -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Did you find your mug?

MYERS: No, it's gone.

COSTELLO: Rob Marciano, he stole it.

MYERS: No. Actually I gave it to the big boss when he was in town.

COSTELLO: John Klein (ph)?

MYERS: I gave it to John Klein (ph), because he likes our show so much.

COSTELLO: Brownnoser.

MYERS: I know.

COSTELLO: When we come back, more headlines and a look at your travel forecast. This is DAYBREAK for a Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Now in the News."

Three suicide car bombs have killed at least 16 people and wounded 53 others in Iraq. This damage is from Kirkuk, where the bomber was targeting an American diplomatic convoy. The blast ended up killing two children.

A leading anti-Syrian journalist has been killed in Beirut when a bomb in his car exploded. Security sources say the bomb went off when he started the car. He wrote for Lebanon's biggest selling daily newspaper.

Israel is releasing about 400 more Palestinian prisoners. Busloads of Palestinians are being set free into the West Bank and Gaza under an agreement made between the two sides in February.

Police in Richmond, Virginia, are looking for this man. Well, actually you're about to see him, we hope. They say that man is responsible for three murders. The separate shootings all took place in about 15 minutes. Police believe two of the murders may have been racially motivated. There is the picture. Let's leave that up for just a second. Police are looking for that man. He's 6-feet tall. They believe he is responsible for three murders in Richmond, Virginia.

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin today in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. Jackson's spokeswoman says the entertainer was nervous and upset while the judge gave final instructions to the jury.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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


Aired June 2, 2005 - 06:29   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner center in New York, this is DAYBREAK, with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. Thank you for waking up with us.

Also coming up this half-hour, it was done in jest, but now a videotape from a training camp is coming back to haunt the San Francisco 49ers. This is the mild stuff from the video.

But first, "Now in the News."

It is being called an assassination in Lebanon. A prominent journalist was killed in a car bomb in Beirut just a short time ago. He was known for his strong opposition to Syria's presence in Lebanon.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has had minor heart surgery to clear blocked arteries. An adviser says the procedure went off without any complications. It was performed on Tuesday in Jordan.

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin today in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. Jackson's spokeswoman says the entertainer was nervous and upset while the judge gave final instructions to the jury.

To the forecast center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Police in Richmond, Virginia, are investigating a string of murders as possible hate crimes. The suspect is still on the loose this morning. Witnesses say the African-American suspect made racist statements before shooting at least two men.

CNN's Tom Foreman joins us now live with more from Richmond, Virginia.

Tell us more -- Tom.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I'm right now outside the two stores here, where these killings -- where some of these killings took place.

Here's how it happened last night. About 7:00, in one of the housing projects around here, this African-American man shot and killed another African-American man. It's not clear why. Police don't know why that killing took place. But within 10 minutes, he came to these stores, which were close by. He went to a food store here, where there was a man inside who was a native of Yemen, who has been in this country for about 12 years, father of three. He went in there, yelled out racial insults at this man, while robbing him and then killing him.

He then walked, I should say, it's about 40 feet here to the next door, which is this place called the Polly Clean Center (ph), a laundry and dry cleaning service, which is operated by a Korean man. Same thing. Yelled out racial insults, shot and killed this man, while robbing him also.

Now, police here make the point of saying these certainly would qualify as hate crimes, based on what he did. They don't really think that's the driving motive behind this. They think that this was -- they're not sure exactly what was going on. Robbery was part of it. Clearly this guy went on this rampage for about 10 minutes here. That's about all it took. Very quick.

Police got here very quickly thereafter. And they're circulating these pictures now of the crime, because they're pretty sure they know who this guy is now. They just can't figure out how he's managed to elude them all night. They want people to look at these pictures, because they're thinking maybe he left town.

COSTELLO: OK. We're looking at the picture now. And, of course, this was obviously taken by one of the surveillance cameras in one of those convenience stores.

Do they have a name on him? Does he have a previous record? Do we know anymore about him?

FOREMAN: He's got some previous record. We don't know a whole lot of details about that right now, because the police, understandably, are, as always, being careful with this information, because they think they can work this out. But they've got to get people looking at these pictures, especially if he left town. You know, he's described as a 6-foot tall, more than 200-pound black man. He has braided hair, wearing a little pinkie ring, gold medallions, white shirt, jeans -- that sort of thing.

So, they're just trying to get that description out there and see if the guy who they think is responsible for this can be scooped up and questioned and figure out if he is the guy.

This they know for sure: Because of the nature of these crimes, whether a hate crime was involved or not, these are capital offenses. In this state, you commit a series of murders like this, you commit murder in the course of a robbery, and you're facing a possible death penalty.

So, they're very serious about getting this guy. A real shock here to have this kind of thing happen so quickly and so explosively in the course of, again, 10 or 15 minutes.

COSTELLO: That's really frightening. You can see the gun in his hand. Tom Foreman, I'm sure you'll be reporting much more on this throughout the morning and throughout the day here on CNN. Tom Foreman live from Richmond, Virginia.

A standoff in Shelbyville, Indiana, is well into its 18th hour this morning. Police continue to talk with the armed suspect, who is holding one woman hostage. The man ducked into the store after shooting at police at the end of a 35-mile chase. Police say they'll wait it out as long as necessary.

We opened this box of worms in the last hour of DAYBREAK, a rude, crass and offensive San Francisco 49ers training video. It was produced in-house and meant to stay in-house. But somebody leaked it to the media.

Rita Williams of CNN affiliate KTVU in San Francisco has it all for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RITA WILLIAMS, CNN AFFILIATE KTVU REPORTER (voice over): This is the videotape causing all of the ruckus. San Francisco 49er public relations director Kirk Reynolds, taking over Gavin Newsom's office as mayor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm here in San Francisco. It's a beautiful, diverse, tremendous city.

WILLIAMS: And then, Reynolds takes a tour of the city, ostensibly to teach 49er players how to deal with the diverse media here; along the way, making off-color jokes about everything from the mayor to gay marriages to the city's Chinese community.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) feels good. He feels good now.

WILLIAMS: And liberally featuring women in various states of undress.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are women in the locker room. There are women in the locker room. So, grab a towel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's patently offensive. This is a piece of electronic excrement.

WILLIAMS: The team saw the video in August. The mayor saw it yesterday after someone leaked it to "The Chronicle."

MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SAN FRANCISCO: I'm used to the belittling, as they attempted to do in the video. But it wasn't right to do it to the Asian community and to the Chinese community. It was wrong to do it to the gay-lesbian community. It was wrong to exploit women as they were exploited in this video. The video is reprehensible.

WILLIAMS: And the man responsible for making the tape couldn't agree with the mayor more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The intention certainly was good. I mean, I certainly had positive thoughts in my intention to deliver messages to our players in a format that they would, you know, receive. I used very poor taste and bad judgment, and I take full responsibility for that.

WILLIAMS: A remorseful Reynolds, now looking for a new job, told KTVU sports reporter Fred Englis (ph) today, he had planned to leave the 49ers soon anyway. He said this is the fifth year he's produced a video, the first one, he says, that crossed the line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whether it was seen by the outside world or not, I did use bad judgment. There is no getting around that.

WILLIAMS: 49ers owner John York says he was shocked. Quote: "The content of this training material was never cleared by any officer of this organization and is absolutely contradictory to the ideals and values of the San Francisco 49ers."

MIKE NOLAN, 49ERS HEAD COACH: Although I was not a part of the regime, so to speak, before, I would like to say that I do apologize for the events that took place, because I am part of the 49er family at this time.

WILLIAMS: 49er consultant and sports sociologist Harry Edwards said he saw the tape for the first time yesterday.

HARRY EDWARDS, 49ERS CONSULTANT: I think that it probably, to some degree, to the level of stupidity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You might hurt your teammates. You don't want to do anything that's going to impact the team in a negative way.

WILLIAMS: And the videotape apparently has taught that lesson to players and done its job, just not in the way it was intended.

Rita Williams, KTVU, Channel 2 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: It just makes you want to slap your head, doesn't it? What was he thinking?

Well, the National Football League has a thing or two to say about this video. It applauds the owners of the 49ers for firing Reynolds. Others are weighing in, too, like our guest this morning, Vinnie Iyer from the "Sporting News."

Good morning, Vinnie.

VINNIE IYER, EDITOR, "SPORTING NEWS": Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, allow me to read you a quote from Julian Peterson, a linebacker with the 49ers. He says: "I know it wasn't intentionally negative in particular. It was just an in-house thing at the end of camp. It wasn't meant to harm anybody or be any kind of negative fashion at all."

He was in the video.

IYER: Well, in the NFL locker rooms, you have a lot of guys- will-be-guys type of a close-knit fraternity, what happens behind the locker room doors. It's sort of their right. And what goes on is seen acceptable for whatever happens. And I think this sort of opens the door to that.

And it's kind of a weird situation for the players. You talk to a couple of them who have come out and said, you know, they didn't see much wrong with it. I think the big thing is that sort of door that they have to their world was violated here.

COSTELLO: So, is it true that most of the players thought it was funny?

IYER: I think for their purposes, as far as, like, if you think as, like, a fraternity, a frat house sort of in the locker room. I mean, you think about guys. I mean, they just watch this and think of it as, like, a comedy piece. I mean, you think they think it's OK. But, you know, you can think about the big picture of it, and you think, what a stupid thing to do, especially for a team of such limited success. They need all the best PR they can get at this point, and this doesn't help at all.

COSTELLO: The once great San Francisco 49ers. This Reynolds guy, he's been fired by the owners of the 49ers, but he says he was on his way out anyway. Was there some bad blood between him and the team?

IYER: I don't think we'll ever know about that. But, you know, if you're making a video like this, at least you should hire another actor. I mean, he put himself in it, and I don't think that helps your case at all, not only to produce the video, to be like the main star, being in all of these controversial scenes with topless women and all of these things that are going on.

So, I think that added something to it that not only he produced it, but he seemed to be the main star of it from most of the pictures they have on the site.

COSTELLO: The coach, Mike Nolan, he was the one left to talk about this to the media. He said the video reflected the old regime, and that the team is heading in the right direction now. Will there be more fallout from this, do you think?

IYER: I think once they get down to the business of training camp and getting players in, I think Nolan is a guy that has been a hard-nosed guy. His father was the coach of the league. And he's got the experience from the Baltimore Ravens.

So, I think they will be going in a different direction. I think they need to, based on what their success has been on the field and just the disarray they've been in lately.

COSTELLO: Vinnie Iyer from the "Sporting News" joining DAYBREAK this morning. Thank you. IYER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come, first it was no pretzels for you. Now, it's no magazines for you. We'll tell you what length one airline is going to in the name of penny-pinching.

And it is that time of year when the best spellers line up for the big bee.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A check of the international markets now. The Nikkei is down almost 50 points, the London FTSE down just about 3, the German DAX down just over 5 points.

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

Police in Richmond, Virginia, hope security camera photos will help them find the suspect in a string of shooting deaths. Witnesses say the African-American suspect made racist comments before shooting two men -- a Korean and a Middle Easterner.

In money news, Wall Street hopes that their telecommunication systems snafu is fixed. The closing bell rang yesterday, cutting trading short four minutes.

In culture, add Paul McCartney to the list of celebs writing children's books. McCartney says he's been working on his book for years. "High in the Clouds: an Urban-Free Tale" is expected out in October.

In sports, the San Antonio Spurs make it to the NBA finals with a 101-95 win over the Phoenix Suns. The Spurs will face the winner of the Detroit-Miami series.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: That's a look at the latest headlines for you this morning.

Coming up, you know the types, the rude cell phone talkers, the ones who clearly do not care where they are when they're having an unusually loud conversation. And why do people speak more loudly when they're on the phone? Anyway, restaurants, theaters, stores and now airplanes, why homeland security does not want cell phones in the sky -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time now for some in-flight news. Canada is hoping to avoid a problem with American airspace. It's concerned about a proposal that requires passenger lists for all flights that cross into U.S. airspace. That affects thousands of flights between Canadian cities. Canada may also need to look for ways to fly around U.S. airspace on the way to Mexico and other international destinations.

A week after announcing that they won't be serving pretzels anymore, Northwest Airlines announced another way to cut costs. This time, it's dropping magazines from planes and airport lounges. The move is expected to save Northwest more than $560,000 next year. So bring a book.

The FAA is considering whether you can use your cell phone when flying. But now the Department of Homeland Security thinks that's a really bad idea.

"USA Today" airline reporter Ben Mutzabaugh joins us from Washington to tell us why.

So, why, Ben?

BEN MUTZABAUGH, "USA TODAY" AIRLINE REPORTER: Well, there are a number of concerns. Of course, the most obvious concern would be they're concerned about terrorism. If people can use cell phones in flight, will someone on the ground be able to coordinate an attack in the air? Or, in a worst-case scenario, if somehow a bomb gets smuggled onto a plane, can one of these cell phones be used to detonate a bomb, as they have been in Iraq? And that's one of the things that federal security officials are saying, hey, at least make sure you've considered this before you OK cell phones in flight.

COSTELLO: Now, wait a minute. You can still bring your cell phone on the flight, though. You're just not able to use it. So, do they think that the terrorist won't, like, sneakily use the cell phone in air?

MUTZABAUGH: Well, that's what some of the critics are saying. They're saying, well, hold on. You know, if you're really that concerned about this, you know, potential problem, do you really think they're going to listen to you, just because you say it's against regulations to not use your cell phone in flight? Because, clearly, you can as long as a flight attendant doesn't see you.

COSTELLO: Plus, aren't there phones on planes anyway, you know, those phones behind the seats that can be used?

MUTZABAUGH: There are. They're a little more -- they're bulkier. They're more cumbersome. So, in theory they're not as easy to use if you're trying to coordinate something in the air.

But one of the interesting things is, is the flight attendants have really come out against cell phones and use, and they're saying a completely different reason than terrorism. They're saying it could lead to increased incidents of air rage on planes.

I mean, imagine, someone sitting next to you in the seat and you're hearing them talk about their great aunt Hilda and all of their exploits for the weekend, while all you want to do is sleep on the red eye, it could be a little much to take.

COSTELLO: Oh, you're not kidding. You know, what's irritating, though, is they tell you that you can't use your cell phone because they say it endangers you, because it interferes with the pilot. But that's really not true, is it?

MUTZABAUGH: There still seems to be some discussion about whether that's really a concern or not. But most studies that I have seen indicate that it's probably not a big deal.

COSTELLO: Ben Mutzabaugh, thanks for enlightening us this morning. And you can read more of Ben's airline expertise online. Just visit usatoday.com/travel and click on "Today in the Sky."

It is 6:52 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

Reporter Bob Woodward reveals more about his friendship with Mark Felt, the man he nicknamed "Deep Throat." There is a fascinating article in today's "Washington Post." You must read it online.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld heads to Asia today. First stop is Singapore. His mission is to consult with Asian allies about containing North Korea's nuclear threat.

And today is the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Fifty-one of the 273 hopefuls are still standing. They'll tackle words most of us have never heard of, never mind spell.

Let's go to something much simpler now.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Mug, M-U-G. I couldn't use it in a sentence. I'm about to give away a coffee mug. There you go.

Here you go. The questions from yesterday. Who was appointed head of the FBI during the Nixon administration? Who was the number one guy? Patrick Gray was the answer we were looking for. And what is the alternative sentence a judge in Kentucky is offering some inmates? And that is to attend worship services.

And the winner from Vallejo, California, Arthur Davis. The mug, M-U-G, is in the mail.

Carol, now the questions for today. What city is now shaming homeowners to clean up property, property that hasn't been painted in years? What city is that? Who just resigned from a post at the SEC?

Submit your answers online to CNN.com/daybreak. There's a link there to send in your answers -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Did you find your mug?

MYERS: No, it's gone.

COSTELLO: Rob Marciano, he stole it.

MYERS: No. Actually I gave it to the big boss when he was in town.

COSTELLO: John Klein (ph)?

MYERS: I gave it to John Klein (ph), because he likes our show so much.

COSTELLO: Brownnoser.

MYERS: I know.

COSTELLO: When we come back, more headlines and a look at your travel forecast. This is DAYBREAK for a Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Now in the News."

Three suicide car bombs have killed at least 16 people and wounded 53 others in Iraq. This damage is from Kirkuk, where the bomber was targeting an American diplomatic convoy. The blast ended up killing two children.

A leading anti-Syrian journalist has been killed in Beirut when a bomb in his car exploded. Security sources say the bomb went off when he started the car. He wrote for Lebanon's biggest selling daily newspaper.

Israel is releasing about 400 more Palestinian prisoners. Busloads of Palestinians are being set free into the West Bank and Gaza under an agreement made between the two sides in February.

Police in Richmond, Virginia, are looking for this man. Well, actually you're about to see him, we hope. They say that man is responsible for three murders. The separate shootings all took place in about 15 minutes. Police believe two of the murders may have been racially motivated. There is the picture. Let's leave that up for just a second. Police are looking for that man. He's 6-feet tall. They believe he is responsible for three murders in Richmond, Virginia.

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin today in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. Jackson's spokeswoman says the entertainer was nervous and upset while the judge gave final instructions to the jury.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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