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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Tracking Terrorism; Changing South Korea; Church Closings; Cosby's Comments; Preventing Melanoma

Aired May 26, 2004 - 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: In sports, the L.A. Lakers take the lead in the NBA finals with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The final score 100 to 89. The Lakers are now ahead in the finals two games to one.
In culture, new research finds that junior high school students who see lots of movies showing alcohol use are three times more likely to try drinking. The study was done by Dartmouth Medical School -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Chad.

We expect to learn much more today about new concerns over a possible terrorist attack on U.S. soil this summer. Already security has been heightened for Saturday's dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington. U.S. officials say intelligence information indicates a major attack is possible. The FBI gives guidance on the threat in its weekly bulletin. That's out later today. Law enforcement officials say the threat of terrorism is becoming a way of life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, LOS ANGELES POLICE: Some of this in the real world we now live in is going to be a part of the new normal. We're going to ride this roller coaster for a while. We're going to have to react to intelligence information as it comes in, as it's assessed. And we're going to have to go from a heightened state of alert, which we're going to be on for a while, as events like the elections approach, the Olympics in Athens, the International Association of Police Chiefs meeting here in Los Angeles and so many other major events that are coming our way. This is part of -- part of what we do now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The FBI is hoping New York's 70,000 police officers can help them track possible terrorists. And now they have set up a new program in a secret location so the agencies can share information.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick has more for you. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the months leading up to the 9/11 attacks, 3 of the 19 hijackers were pulled over for speeding. At the time, no one had a clue what they were up to, but the significance of those traffic stops has not been lost on authorities.

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: We all know terrorists and their supporters are mobile, networked, operate across jurisdictional boundaries, and we can defeat these adversaries only, only if our agencies work together.

FEYERICK: In the first program of its kind, the FBI will soon begin sharing some of its counterterrorism data with New York State troopers, sheriffs and local police. In exchange, the FBI gets lots more foot soldiers, some 70,000 officers statewide looking for bad guys.

JAMES KALLSTROM, NEW YORK COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: The targets may be in places like New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, L.A. or Houston, but the terrorists aren't necessarily there. The terrorists could be in some small town in this great state.

FEYERICK: Officials tell CNN, since 9/11, police in small cities have been frustrated by the lack of intelligence they get, even when the country is on high alert. The database includes people of interest to authorities and those on government watch lists. Once an officer has those details, they may receive guidance from the state's new intelligence center on what to do next.

SHERIFF JAMES KRALICK, ROCKLAND CO., NEW YORK: It is a major step forward for that cop on the street.

FEYERICK: Officials say the intelligence data cannot be used to go on fishing expeditions, a violation of civil liberties.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our goal is very simple, to do everything in our power to prevent another terrorist attack.

FEYERICK (on camera): Officials say the program is not yet foolproof. For example, potential terrorists may remain under the radar, like the three 9/11 hijackers stopped for speeding and let go. If the program does work, the FBI plans to expand it across the country.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The terrorist network, al Qaeda, has an estimated 18,000 potential fighters. Read about that and the security precautions being taken for several high profile events this summer. The address to get the information, CNN.com.

The new Iraqi government is starting to come together just over a month before the handover of power. Top administration officials say the new prime minister will likely be this man, Hussain Shahristani, a Shiite Muslim nuclear scientist. Shahristani is one of two chief scientific advisors to Iraq's nuclear program. In 1978, he was appointed chief scientific advisor to the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission. He was in prison for 12 years in the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison beginning in 1979 for refusing to take part in Saddam's weapons program.

Want to talk more about who this man is. Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us now.

He just seemed to pop out of nowhere.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: He did. We've been aware of him in the background for quite some time, both before and during the war. He's a man who really, in some ways, I've been sort of reading up on him overnight to refresh my memory, but he's a man who, in some ways, sort of personifies this entire story. A man, as you just said, who refused to make weapons of mass destruction for Saddam Hussein, a man who suffered under Saddam Hussein in Abu Ghraib Prison. If you want to talk about abuses in Abu Ghraib, he can tell you all about that.

A man who is a humanitarian rights fighter for the Iraqi people as a dissident outside Iraq after he escaped. But also a man who, as a dissident, talked a lot about his sources in Iraq, telling them that Saddam Hussein had masses of chemical and biological weapons, weapons of mass destruction, with storing them. He was the source of, or one of the main sources of this chemical ring idea. He said on CNN, before the war, that there were chemical and biological weapons being stored in massive amounts around Baghdad, so...

COSTELLO: Well that's kind of disturbing because, of course, those were never found.

CLINCH: They have never been found. So he is not -- we're not calling him a Chalabi type figure, but he's definitely one of his parts of his background is that he was a dissident pushing for the downfall of Saddam Hussein and talking about weapons of mass destruction.

COSTELLO: So that leads to the question will the Iraqi people accept him?

CLINCH: Well they most likely will, because one of the other aspects is and one of the reasons we're told that Lakhdar Brahimi has latched on to this man. And obviously this has not been -- his appointment has not been confirmed yet, is that he has been a very strong critic of the United States. He was a critic of the United States, even the idea of an invasion before the war, and since the war has been very critical of the military action there, of the effect on the civilian population and most recently, very critical of the prison abuse scandal. So he is not exactly a person who keeps his opinions to himself and has been very critical of the U.S.

He is also tied very closely to the Shiite cleric Ayatollah Sistani, the main Shiite figure in Iraq. So that gives him a lot of credibility amongst the majority. Also, of course, his political views are very close to Sistani, which means they want elections quickly because the Shiite majority thinks elections, we're the majority, they get the power.

COSTELLO: So you want me to pin you down now on when we'll know if he's the guy?

CLINCH: I think we'll know fairly soon. We are going to speak to Lakhdar Brahimi ourselves within the next couple of days in Baghdad and then we'll hear from him directly. And they want to get this all wrapped up very soon. The counterbalance to that, to his appointment, will be what -- who are the Sunnis who will also become part of this group and who are the Kurds. That is very much still being worked out.

COSTELLO: Well maybe Mr. Brahimi will answer those questions.

CLINCH: Yes, hope so.

COSTELLO: Hope so. Thank you, David.

There has been an attack today on Russian civilians in Iraq. Let's look at that and other news out of Iraq right now.

Russia's Foreign Ministry says two of its citizens were killed and five wounded. The contractors' bus was attacked south of Baghdad.

A man who may be a high level aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has been arrested in Najaf. Authorities are trying to confirm his identity.

And tests of an artillery shell used in a roadside bombing confirms that it did contain the nerve agent Sarin. The shell went off on May 15 causing minor health problems for two U.S. soldiers.

Coming up in the 7:00 a.m. Eastern hour, Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, relieved as head of the military police at Abu Ghraib Prison, talks about the prison abuse scandal with Bill and Soledad. Of course that's on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Some 3,600 American troops are saying good-bye to South Korea. They are packing up and they are heading for Iraq.

CNN's Sohn Jie-Ae looks at what this new trend means for Seoul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A recent poll taken by a leading South Korean daily, the "Tomai Ubo (ph)," found more than a half of South Koreans polled are not worried about a reduction of U.S. troops.

Edai Yong (ph) is a Seoul businessman.

"We're economically and militarily advanced enough so we don't need U.S. soldiers," he says.

But not everyone agrees. This university student worries what almost 10 percent of American troops leaving means to South Korea's economy.

"I think it will be difficult for us to invest the additional money to beef up our defenses," he says.

SOHN: The Seoul government's recent policy of engaging in talks with the North has brought a growing number of exchanges between the two Koreas and a growing feeling in the South that relations between the two are better than ever.

Past efforts by Washington to reduce U.S. troops in the South met strong objections from Seoul. But this time, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun told his cabinet to remain levelheaded and expressed confidence about the ability of South Korean soldiers.

Critics say that attitude underestimates the threat from North Korea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: North Korea has a whole barrage of missiles, continues to have artillery pieces, which are all forwardly based, and it also has nuclear weapons program.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOHN: Now the two Koreas did make a small but symbolic step towards easing the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Generals on both sides reaching the highest level of military leaders on both sides did sit down for talks in North Korea. They really didn't touch upon the broader issues, such as the nuclear weapons program in North Korea, but more specifically they focused on a bilateral issue, how to avoid naval skirmishes on the western coast of the Korean Peninsula, especially in May and June which is peak crab catching season.

Now no agreement was reached today, but the two sides did agree to meet again next week, this time in South Korea. And so there is a hope here in the South is that a more regular type of military meetings between the two sides could lead to a more broader agreement and a more broader discussion on the easing military tension. Now this has become even more important here in South Korea as a number of U.S. troops, at least for the time being, does seem to be getting smaller -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Sohn Jie-Ae reporting live from Seoul, South Korea, this morning.

In the next hour of DAYBREAK, severe weather blankets parts of this country, but is the worst still to come? Chad will talk to another weather expert as they take us into the eye of the storm.

And America's favorite TV dad takes a punch at poor parenting and some African-Americans are steaming mad.

This is DAYBREAK for Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:44 Eastern Time. Here is what's all new this morning.

Several officials are warning that a major terror attack could happen this summer here on U.S. soil. Sources say intelligence information points to an increased threat.

Japanese police have raided several homes in a widening terror investigation. Several people taken into custody, and according to police, all had some connection to a Frenchman with suspected links to al Qaeda.

In money news, Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan wants to know how much you owe and owe. He wrote letters to 10,000 random households urging those homeowners to take part in this year's Federal Reserve survey.

In sports, 20 years after she last won the French Open, Martina Navratilova returns but only to lose big after two sets. The 47-year- old was knocked out by 19-year-old Gisela Dulko from Argentina.

In culture, one of the most famous guitars in country music has been sold to an anonymous buyer for a whopping $575,000. It was owned by mother Maybelle Carter and then her daughter, June Carter Cash -- Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

Those are the latest headlines for you.

Many churchgoers in Boston may have nowhere to go. The archdiocese announced it will have to close down dozens of parishes due to a shortage of money and priests.

CNN's Dan Lothian has the story from Boston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The fate of Catholic parishes in Boston's Archdiocese came sealed in a FedEx envelope. For parishioners in 65 of the 357 churches...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, God, give us back our church.

LOTHIAN: ... the message was painful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saint Susanna Parish must close. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The great parish must close.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did everything for the church and now I have nothing.

LOTHIAN: This is all part of what the archdiocese calls a massive restructuring, prompted in part by a shortage of priests, declining attendance and donations.

SEAN O'MALLEY, ARCHBISHOP OF BOSTON: I wish that there were some way that all of these wonderful houses of life and prayer could remain open and alive and full. But there is not.

LOTHIAN: Archbishop Sean O'Malley calls the closures necessary for the future health of the church. But many who gathered at their churches to hear the news were angry, lost in the memories of baptisms, first communions and marriages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I personally feel betrayed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will not give one dime any more to the archdiocese.

LOTHIAN: Some vowed to appeal. Others at this parish in the Boston suburb of Dedham talked about going it alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I say give here. Let's be independent.

LOTHIAN: The archdiocese, already bruised by the clergy's sex abuse scandal, says the closures are not connected. But Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented many of the abused victims and continues to file lawsuits, says the church is paying a price for the past.

MITCHELL GARABEDIAN, ATTORNEY: It is the result of so much evil happening over so many years.

LOTHIAN: In fact, some blame the scandal for the decrease in donations and shortage of priests, now resulting in closures. On a day filled with tears of sadness, there were also tears of joy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't it great? It is great.

LOTHIAN: The letter that arrived here at a much more positive message. This church, like nearly 300 others, will not be closing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank God for little favors and prayers. I believe in prayers.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Well it has taken a few days to pick up steam, but it's hot now. Bill Cosby, the comedian, made some controversial remarks in front of the NAACP on the anniversary of Brown versus the Board of Education. He was talking about African-Americans -- African-American parents who, he says, do not raise their children properly or responsibly.

One of his comments -- I'm quoting here -- Bill Cosby said "these people are not parenting. They are buying things for their kids -- $500 sneakers, for what? -- and won't spend $200 for 'Hooked on Phonics.'" Tonight Cosby will appear on PBS to talk more about his comments.

And this morning we have tuned the radio dial to WSB here in Atlanta and to Royal Marshall to give us some perspective on why Cosby's remarks are so divisive within the black community.

Good morning -- Royal.

ROYAL MARSHALL, TALK SHOW HOST, WSB RADIO: Good morning -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So why are some African-Americans upset about Bill Cosby's comments?

MARSHALL: Well I think the opinion among some would be that Bill is airing our dirty laundry and that maybe he shouldn't have said these things. But my friends, Carol, are telling me that you know what, we're behind Bill 100 percent. He's telling the truth. And you know a lot of people that I know are actually happy that someone has stood up and said this.

COSTELLO: Well you know it's interesting to read how different newspapers cover the story. Some said the NAACP's leadership sat there uncomfortable and stone faced. Some say the NAACP's President Kweisi Mfume agreed with Cosby. What's true?

MARSHALL: Well I'm not sure with the leadership of the NAACP, but I know in the community there are a lot of people that are secretly behind the scene saying, Bill, we are with you 100 percent, 1,000 percent, because a lot of things that he said rings so true.

And unfortunately, I have heard people comment well if it was a white person that said this, maybe the reaction would be a lot different. People would be calling the white person a racist and such and such. But I think with Bill Cosby, you have to look at his intentions and his intentions were not racist at all. They were just maybe to correct something that he sees as amiss and awry in the black community that a lot of people see that are civilized problems in the black culture.

COSTELLO: Well it's interesting you bring up the point that if a white person had said it that it might sound racist. Because this is from an article from the "AJC," Rush Limbaugh's show picked it up, Neil Borg's (ph) show picked it up, and of course you're part of the Neil Borg show, we know that.

MARSHALL: Yes.

COSTELLO: Both conservative commentators on the radio. Bill Cosby said he was chagrined that conservative radio talk shows seized on his comments and recirculated them. Yet, he said, he was more concerned about protecting children in unsafe neighborhoods.

I'm going to read you his quote. He says "if I weigh a loud- mouthed, conservative racist announcer's thoughts and opinions against a 12-year-old child being shot, concern for the child wins," he says. So he's not backing off, he's just upset that it seems that conservative talk show hosts are taking up the charge for their own reasons.

MARSHALL: Well, you know, I think what happens is you kind of have to look at the motivation behind the comments, also. I think within the black community there is a universal feeling that Bill Cosby is -- quote/unquote -- "a friend of ours," if you will. The man has, you know, pretty much built the Morehouse School of Medicine with the money he has donated to the college. And so then the motivation behind other people's comments is not quite as clear.

And so with Bill Cosby, I think you know it's sort of like some within the family can talk about the family, but if someone outside of the family starts talking about the family, then you know there are concerns. Even in that -- he can -- apparently he can see that there is even a schism when someone inside the family talks about the family, because, again, it's that sense of is he airing our dirty laundry. But the reality is if there was any dirty laundry, it's out there and all of America gets to see it all day on TV anyway. So you know, Bill, I'm really curious to hear what he has to say tonight though, and hopefully he doesn't back down.

COSTELLO: Definitely.

MARSHALL: Hopefully he kind of stands his ground and says you know what, people, some things about our culture are uncomfortable but we need to address these issues. And I am glad that Bill has put the issues out on the stage.

COSTELLO: Yes, Bill Cosby is not apologizing. And he will be on PBS tonight on "The Tavis Smiley Show."

Royal Marshall, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be back with much more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.

If you have been complacent about wearing sunscreen, think again. It won't just keep your skin looking younger and smoother, it could save your life.

CNN's medical correspondent Holly Firfer talks to one young woman with melanoma.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ANN PLANAS, MELANOMA PATIENT: Hit a ball. Go, go, go, go, go, go.

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eight years ago, Ann Planas noticed a spot on her chest. This sun lover went to the doctor and was told it was melanoma. Doctors removed it and told her she was in the clear.

PLANAS: Excellent, we're in great shape. You know small little scar, no big deal. We, you know, go on.

Come on, buddy.

FIRFER: Two years ago that all changed.

PLANAS: I was playing with my son around Christmastime, and he was bouncing on my stomach, and I had a pain on my side. And about a week later, I started having like flu-like symptoms.

FIRFER: By Valentine's Day, doctors determined Ann's melanoma was back and had spread. She would undergo liver surgery, like this one, but for her it was a matter of life and death.

PLANAS: Approximately about two weeks before surgery, my husband and I weren't really trying, but we found out that I was -- I was pregnant.

FIRFER: Last September, she gave birth to a healthy, happy baby girl she named Angelina (ph). But her joy was short-lived, three weeks after giving birth, she was told there were three more tumors, this time on her lungs. She would undergo another surgery this past January as the melanoma continued to spread.

DR. CARL WASHINGTON, EMORY UNIVERSITY: For the most part, once it's spread beyond the regional lymph nodes, it's a pretty bad prognosis.

FIRFER: Ann's last body scan showed the melanoma had returned to her liver. Although she has a brave face, she knows her time may be limited.

PLANAS: I have written people letters, because if it happens, you know I don't want to not tell people something. I tell my family I love them as much as I can.

In Atlanta, I'm Holly Firfer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: New signs of a terror attack in the making. Could al Qaeda be on the verge of launching an attack on U.S. soil this summer? We've got the latest for you. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A major terror attack could come as early as this summer and the U.S. is planning for it.

This is DAYBREAK for Wednesday, May 26.

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