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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Latest on Deadly Attack at U.S. Military Base in Mosul; Should You Let Your Children Play Violent Video Games?

Aired December 22, 2004 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Unforgettable images show the bloody cost of conflict a day after one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops since the start of the war. Fallen soldiers begin their journey home.
And does the violence on the video screen lead to real life violence? This is one debate that's not going to go away any time soon.

And how to indulge in holiday cocktails without compromising your waistline. Just how many calories are in that glass of wine, anyway?

It is Wednesday, December 22.

You are watching DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, British Prime Minister Tony Blair hopes an upcoming international conference in London will help get the Middle East peace process rolling again. He announced the summit after meeting this morning with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He sees Palestinian leaders later in the day.

Police say a tanker truck has crashed and exploded near the Pentagon, sending flames shooting into the air. One person has died. The accident is on Interstate 395 in Arlington, Virginia. All lanes in both directions now shut down.

Democrats in Washington State are taking their turn to claim victory. They say a third recount on Christine Gregoire has her on top by eight votes in the hotly contested governor's race. GOP leaders say the race is too close to call.

President Bush has granted four people presidential pardons. None of the four mostly white collar criminals served any jail time for their crimes. The announcement puts his total presidential pardons at 31, far fewer than his recent counterparts.

Ooh, it's nasty outside.

Let's head to the forecast center and Chad. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And you know what? The people in Boston and New York are saying it ain't nasty here. It's nice. And in D.C., it's actually very good, all the way down through Philadelphia and Atlanta.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: The latest now on the deadly attack at a U.S. military base in Mosul, Iraq. The military says it's possible yesterday's attack was caused by a bomb planted inside the crowded mess tent, not from an outside rocket attack, as first reported.

In the meantime, the military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany is scrambling to get doctors back from Christmas vacation to treat dozens of soldiers wounded in Mosul. They're due to arrive at Ramstein Air Force Base some time this morning.

Well, we take you live to Germany now to Matthew Chance -- hello, Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

And we are actually outside Ramstein Air Force Base here in Germany, where we're awaiting that aircraft from Iraq, which is said by U.S. military officials to be carrying at least 35 of the injured from that devastating attack in Mosul.

Medical officials here in Germany, U.S. Army medical officials, that is, are saying that they've received forward accounts of the kind of injuries they're expecting. Many of those 35 are said to be in extremely critical condition, having sustained very serious injuries, indeed, as a result of that blast in Mosul.

From the air base, when they arrive here in about three hours from now, they'll be taken just a few miles down the road to the Landstuhl medical facility, which is the biggest U.S. Army medical facility outside of the U.S., where they'll receive whatever intensive care, whatever treatment they need before they're stable enough to sustain a flight back home to the United States.

It is interesting, and you mentioned this already, about the sort of staffing arrangements at Landstuhl, because this was a relatively quiet period. There was -- these were sort of unexpected casualties, if you like, because there wasn't an offensive under way in Iraq at the time when this attack took place.

It's Christmas, as well, of course, and over this holiday period, many of the staff, many of the medical teams had been given time off to spend with their families. There's now a frantic effort under way to try and recall those staff members from the surrounding area around Landstuhl, to get the right teams in place to make sure that these soldiers can get the right kind of treatment when they need it when they arrive -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm sure they'll be back in time.

Matthew Chance live from Germany this morning.

And from a desert military base in Kuwait, the bodies of U.S. soldiers killed in that attack are making their final journeys home.

CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is in Kuwait and she describes this somber ceremony.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a cold, clear, very quiet morning here in the Kuwaiti desert. We have come to an airfield and seen quite a remarkable sight -- a C130 aircraft landing from Iraq here in Kuwait. The back half of the airplane opening and approximately 20 soldiers here lining up in a double line at the back. A quiet salute and then they began to bring off the human remains from the attack in Mosul. A very dignified ceremony. There was no one really to observe it except a CNN crew, and yet it had all the dignity of any grand military ceremony.

Very quietly, very deliberately, the remains, in body bags at this point, were brought off by the soldiers, who saluted their fallen comrades. They were placed very reverently in some vehicles and then driven off to mortuary affairs specialists here at the Air Force facility in Kuwait.

They will then begin their final journey home to the United States. Then the C130 will return and, as one soldier told us, there are human remains flights from Iraq almost every day into this air base in Kuwait.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Kuwait.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And our military analyst, Gen. David Grange, will join us in the next half hour of DAYBREAK for more on that deadly attack in Mosul, especially the idea that someone may have actually gone into that mess tent and planted a bomb. We'll ask the general about that.

In News Across America now, the Coast Guard is searching around the clock for five fishermen lost off the coast of Nantucket. Their fishing boat capsized on Monday. The Coast Guard says the search has become more desperate as water temperatures in the area drop well below 50 degrees.

In Pennsylvania, the body of a missing autistic boy was found just a mile and a half from his South Williamsport home. Hundreds of volunteers had helped search for the 9-year-old Logan Mitcheltree after he went missing on Saturday. An autopsy is scheduled for today, but investigators say there are no apparent signs of foul play.

In what may seem like a strange move these days, the New York Giants have offered to pay the entire price for a new football stadium. The $700 million venue would replace the current Giants Stadium. The only catch is that they want to build on state land near the Meadowlands in New Jersey and they want to stay there rent-free. Researchers are hoping to learn a lot from the newest addition at Sea World in San Diego. This baby killer whale was born yesterday. The blood tests determined if the six foot, 300 pound orca is male or female. Sea World now has eight killer whales in San Diego.

And just imagine, your husband is a soldier in Iraq. You get a phone call. Just ahead, we'll meet a wife whose husband is in Mosul. We'll hear what message he had for his wife after that attack there.

Also ahead on DAYBREAK, there are new warnings about another pain reliever. But this one's over the counter. We've got some things you might want to talk to your doctor about.

And later, if your holiday indulgences include a cup or two of good cheer, we'll tell you how to enjoy them without facing too many New Yorker's regrets.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 6:11 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Britain will host a conference on Palestinian reforms in the near future. Prime Minister Tony Blair made the announcement this morning on a trip to Israel aimed at reviving peace efforts.

Poland's prime minister became the second world leader to pay a surprise visit to Iraq in the last two days. The prime minister and his defense minister met with Iraqi leaders before heading to southern Iraq to visit Polish troops.

In money news, one fat actress has landed a fat commercial deal. Kirstie Alley now working on a new Showtime series called "Fat Actress" has signed a deal to lose weight with Jenny Craig. Alley will soon start appearing in the ads touting the weight loss centers.

In culture, comic magicians Penn and Teller are reviving their Dreaming of a Red Christmas blood drive. They're donating two tickets to their Las Vegas show for anyone donating blood through the end of the year. Last year's drive cost them $400,000 in free tickets.

In sports, the Randy Johnson deal is dead for now. The three team, 10 player trade that would have sent Johnson to the New York Yankees was nixed by the Dodgers. Los Angeles pulled their five players out of the deal, saying the trade made no sense for them.

Ooh. Some lucidity in baseball -- Chad.

MYERS: I don't know where they get all that money from. I don't know. Because it can't be from ticket prices. Anyway, it must be from the...

COSTELLO: Oh, it could be.

MYERS: It must be from the hot dogs.

COSTELLO: Have you seen how much it costs for a baseball ticket now?

MYERS: Yes, I know.

Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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

Time now for a little "Business Buzz."

An accounting scandal at the nation's biggest mortgage company leads to the retirement of the company's CEO, the retirement.

Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ market site.

Did he really retire?

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, no, Carol.

Both CEO Franklin Raines and CFO Timothy Howard are being forced out of Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae, of course, the nation's second largest financial institution. And this surrounding a big accounting scandal at the company, a scandal that's likely going to force Fannie to wipe out $9 billion in profits over the past four years. So they're going to have to account for this somehow.

Franklin Raines and Howard both stepping down after lengthy negotiations between Fannie's board and the company's chief government regulator.

Now, Raines has said in the past that he would step down if he needed to. So he's basically paying attention to his word. He had said in October that he would take the blame if serious accounting problems were found.

Now, taking a look at Fannie's stock, it's in the $70 range. It did take a big hit back in September, when news of this accounting scandal first came out, when there were some questions, I should say, surrounding the company's accounting. Rather interesting, because Fannie is seen, or has been in the past seen as a rather safe haven. This is actually chartered by Congress to ensure a constant flow of funds into the mortgage market. They buy loans. They also repackaging them and sell them. And this is going to be a boon for the Bush administration, which has been pushing for more regulation as far as oversight of Fannie Mae and its smaller competitor, Freddie Mac.

So that is the latest on Fannie Mae -- Carol. We'll certainly be watching the stock today -- back to you.

COSTELLO: Oh, but before you go, can you check the futures for us?

LEE: Yes. Things aren't looking too bad. Looking like a little bit of a higher open, I would say modestly higher is a fair way of putting it. Meanwhile, the Dow up 97 points yesterday, the Nasdaq gaining, as well, up 23 points. So yesterday a good day for the bulls and it looks like the buying is going to continue, at least in the early going.

COSTELLO: Boy, we hope so.

Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ market site.

It is a tough decision for modern day parents -- should you let your children play violent video games? The debate about whether virtual violence inspires real life violence is ongoing. But the breathtaking realism and often extreme violence in today's games has turned up the volume on controversy.

Here's our technology correspondent, Daniel Sieberg.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: There's this car down the street that's fun. So I go in a shoot this woman in the head. And people are screaming and running all over. And there's blood everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A public service announcement released by the National Institute On Media and the Family, timed to coincide with the annual video game report card from the group and Senator Joe Lieberman.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Violent and sexually provocative video games are not just games, they are a deadly serious matter with real consequences not just for the people, the kids who play them, but for the rest of us and our families that live in the same communities with people who play these games.

SIEBERG: Senator Lieberman says parents are under informed and that the video game rating system, which is similar to that of the movies, is vague and under enforced.

But the industry says they've done their job. In fact, they say, 83 percent of the time parents are the ones making the purchase. The Entertainment Software Association also takes issue with the researcher on video games and youth violence. They cite a study done by the Washington State Department of Health that concluded: "Research evidence is not supportive of a major public concern that violent video games lead to real life violence." A lead researcher in the field, Craig Anderson from Iowa State University, disagrees.

CRAIG ANDERSON, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY: The true research experts have come to a solid conclusion here that these violent games really are not appropriate, even the cartoonish violent ones are not appropriate for children, that there are negative effects.

SIEBERG: Dr. Anderson's work was published by the American Psychological Association in April of the following year, concluding that laboratory exposure to a graphic violent video game increased aggressive thoughts and behavior.

Industry representatives contend there's a big difference between violence and aggression.

DOUG LOWENSTEIN, ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE ASSOCIATION: Look, people watch football games and are more aggressive after they watch a football game. We've just seen an instance in this country where basketball players and fans got into a full fledge brawl. There weren't any video games involved in that. But we don't necessarily think going to a basketball game is harmful to your health.

SIEBERG: Supporters of the game industry say critics are on a witch-hunt, that studies are simply irrelevant when you look at the fact that while the popularity of games has increased, statistics from the Justice Department suggest that youth violence is down. And ultimately, they say, it's a family affair.

LOWENSTEIN: It isn't for me to tell them what's the right choice for their family, it isn't for Senator Lieberman to tell them what's the right choice. It's for parents to take the tools that are available and make choices that they think are appropriate for their family. And most parents, I think, care about that and do a good job at that.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SIEBERG: And no matter which side of the debate you fall on, it's good for parents to be informed of the ratings system that's out there. We have an example of what parents need to look for, especially while shopping for last minute gifts.

You can see at the bottom corner of every game out there, there's the rating system. You can see the E for everyone, T for teen and then on the more mature side, there's an M rating. On the back of all the games, just a little bit more of an explanation so you can find out why it's rated M, T or E. The most popular game out there right now, or one of the most, Halo 2, gets a lot of buzz, but it is rated M for mature. So that means 17 and older.

Incidentally, every game that's on the market is rated at the Electronic Software Rating Board Web site at esrb.org.

So, Carol, you can go there for more information.

COSTELLO: Good advice.

Daniel Sieberg live in Atlanta.

Thank you.

Tomorrow, Daniel goes to the Olympics of competitive video gaming and Friday a video game where you might not win or lose, but perhaps become the person you'd like to be. Ooh, I can't wait for that one.

Video Games: The Series with Daniel Sieberg all this week on DAYBREAK.

We're back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Can you spell confusion when you only want to spell R- E-L-I-E-F? If you don't know what pain medication to take because every day it seems the one you're taking is dangerous, you are not alone. Doctors are confused, too.

Live to Atlanta and Dr. Ziyad Ghazzal from Emory University.

Good morning, doctor.

DR. ZIYAD GHAZZAL, CARDIOLOGIST, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Let me read you a quote from the folks at Bayer. This is from Helmut Schaefers. He's a spokesman. He says: "We are in agreement with FDA regulators that people taking Aleve should consult their doctors and avoid taking the drug for more than 10 days."

So, hearing that, what will you now tell your patients?

GHAZZAL: Well, I would tell them exactly the same thing. Certainly, Carol, you started saying that the confusion is all around and, yes, it is. But we need to kind of put things in perspective right now and not confuse our patients and go with what we know.

COSTELLO: Well, what do you know and how can you limit the confusion?

GHAZZAL: Well, what we know right now is what the FDA came up with, which is stick by the labels and take your Aleve not more than twice a day for more than 10 days. And we're going to just have to await more information from the FDA. I understand they're going to be putting a panel of experts together, maybe next month, to try to come out with some recommendation to relieve all that confusion.

COSTELLO: But Dr. Ghazzal, how much does this confuse you and concern you? Here you are, you're prescribing these medications to your patients for a long period of time and all of a sudden and FDA says oh, wait a minute, these are dangerous?

GHAZZAL: Yes. Well, we have to remember how this all came about. It all came about with one story breaking after another. And really right now, as physicians, we are not really privileged to see all the scientific data that's coming out in scientific journals so that we can analyze them and really go by the accurate data. So right now it's, I think we are -- putting things in perspective, we can say that Aleve can be taken as recommended by the FDA and if you're going to go beyond 10 days, check with your doctors and cases are individuals. Patients differ and that's why checking with a doctor is not a bad idea.

COSTELLO: Well, you know what everybody thinks, it's like what's going to be next? Is it going to be Tylenol? Is it going to be Advil?

GHAZZAL: Well, certainly that's, Carol, a very good concern. But right now I am personally not concerned about these other medications. I'm not really even concerned about Aleve, about naproxen, simply because the data that has come out really shows a possible problem -- and I want to stress the problem possible -- from a study that has been using Aleve for three years. Therefore -- and patients don't usually use that does for that long of a period of time. And surprise, you know, from that same study we learned that Celebrex was not a problem.

So, you know, we just need to put things in perspective, look at all the studies as a unit rather than as bits and pieces and really come up with real scientific information, base ourselves on scientific information.

If we don't do that, we're just going to be going from one, you know, news break to another and just confuse ourselves and the patients more.

COSTELLO: Oh, boy, you're exactly right about that. And, of course, those changes have to come from the FDA. And we'll see if in the future any changes will come.

GHAZZAL: And if...

COSTELLO: Dr. Ziyad Ghazzal from Emory University.

Thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

GHAZZAL: Thank you very much, Carol.

COSTELLO: I wish we had more time to spend with you.

The attack in Mosul reinforced the fears of many military families. Coming up, we've got the story of one woman who is dealing with that uncertainty and the stress of having a husband on the front lines.

And the deadline is coming to use or lose those flexible spending health care accounts. Say what? We've got some helpful tips that will make your money work for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

Welcome to the last half hour of DAYBREAK.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, Britain moves forward with Mideast peace efforts. Just about an hour ago, on a trip to Israel, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said London plans to host an international meeting next year. The topic? Palestinian reforms.

A mortgage giant is cleaning house. Two top executives have been forced out at Fannie Mae, including the chief executive. The institution is being investigated by federal authorities for possible accounting mistakes.

To count or not to count, that's the question before Washington State's Supreme Court today. It considers whether some 730 disputed ballots should be counted in the state's still unsettled governor's race.

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