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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

A Settlement in Kobe Bryant Civil Case; Cuba Lays Down the Law to Its Tourism Industry

Aired March 3, 2005 - 05:00   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, a settlement in the Kobe Bryant civil case. Lips are sealed, but what about the fallout?
Plus, Cuba lays down the law to its tourism industry. The message to workers -- keep your mouth shut.

And read the label then raise your glass to your health. It is a first in the wine industry.

Today is Thursday, March 3.

This is 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, a milestone in Iraq. The U.S. death toll there now stands at 1,500. The military announced today that the landmark death came in Iraq's northern Babul Province. The soldier, who died on Wednesday, was serving alongside the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

A suicide car bomber blew himself up in Ba'qubah, Iraq this morning. We're still checking on casualties there. The blast follows two others just minutes apart that ripped through Baghdad this morning. Five people killed, seven wounded. Both explosions hit a checkpoint outside the interior ministry in eastern Baghdad. All of the victims are Iraqi policemen.

An Indonesian cleric has been sentenced to 30 months in jail for his role in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings. The cleric was acquitted on more serious charges in the attacks that killed 202 people.

In Virginia, the state's highest court is set to rule today in the appeal of D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad. Muhammad is trying to have his conviction reversed and his case dismissed. He's also seeking a new trial.

To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Hey, you know what day it is, don't you think?

MYERS: It is stumpy the big headed weatherman day.

COSTELLO: It's our favorite day here on DAYBREAK. It's that day when you can send your weather questions to Chad and try to stump him.

MYERS: Boy, I was skinny in that picture.

COSTELLO: You were. But your head was larger.

MYERS: I know it was.

COSTELLO: Well, send your questions to daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

MYERS: Awesome.

COSTELLO: And Chad will do his best to answer them.

MYERS: You bet.

COSTELLO: The big question this morning, how many Border Patrol agents are needed to defend America's borders against smugglers and terrorists? That's one of the questions before a House subcommittee today.

CNN's Ed Lavandera met some of the agents who are making the decisions minute by minute about your safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Laura Jimenez is a door keeper. Her post is at the Bridge of the Americas, which connects El Paso to Juarez, Mexico. Her job, she says, is like answering the door at home -- deciding who comes in and who stays out.

LAURA JIMENEZ, CUSTOMS AND BORDER INSPECTOR: You just never know when you're going to get that needle in the haystack.

LAVANDERA: Jimenez has worked the Texas-Mexico border the last eight years. She became a customs and border protection agent after spending the first part of her professional life working for a defense contractor. Now she helps determine who gets special visas allowing free access inside the United States.

But the most important part of her job, she says, is making sure a villain doesn't slip through.

JIMENEZ: It's fun. For me it's fun when you actually can go in and pick, you know, you pick up the bad people who are trying to snatch somebody away from -- trying to come in and do something vicious.

LAVANDERA: It's not lost on her that many of the 9/11 hijackers entered the United States legally. She knows every person who steps up to her window must be scrutinized.

JIMENEZ: We really don't rest. You can't. You can't really take a back seat into thinking well, no, this subject is the same, he comes every day, you know, he's not going to do anything. We don't know.

LAVANDERA: Jimenez is trained to sniff out liars, asking questions in a soft, methodical manner. She studies movements, always listening.

JIMENEZ: Those things will give it away sometimes in your heart. And we look for those kinds of things all the time. So we do study the persons and their behavior and anything that may give us an inclination that there's something shady going on.

LAVANDERA: Jimenez and the other agents here know even the most intense vigilance won't keep out everyone who desperately wants in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Echo units 390, 394.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just had about six of them come across through there.

LAVANDERA: Border Patrol agents here pick up hundreds of illegal immigrants every day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Marioso.

LAVANDERA: Agent Sergio Arambula asks this man why he's so nervous. Arambula has worked the border 10 years. He relies on the latest fingerprint and facial image technology to learn about those who have been captured.

SERGIO ARAMBULA, BORDER PATROL AGENT: We take all 10 fingerprints, thumbs, palms, everything. Then it's a minute to the FBI network.

LAVANDERA: Arambula can instantly get a person's criminal background and a list of when and where that person has made other attempts to cross into the country. It was this man's first attempt. If he's captured again, the government will know all about him, even if he's captured in California.

ARAMBULA: They won't be honest, you know, or forthright with their information. So they'll come and give you false names, whatever. But this one takes a lot of the guesswork out.

LAVANDERA: The agents like to say fingerprints don't lie.

(on camera): Customs and border protection rolled out the fingerprint and facial technology toward the end of last year. In the first three months, Border Patrol agents caught more than 23,000 people trying to sneak back into the United States who were wanted on criminal charges.

(voice-over): More than 50 million people cross the El Paso bridges every year. Agents check what they can but they can't inspect every car in detail. At the end of the day, every border agent will tell you it's impossible to keep everyone out. It's the nature of a illegal immigration -- seal up one weak spot, another will open.

JIMENEZ: Time to head home and make dinner.

LAVANDERA: That doesn't mean Laura Jimenez is giving up.

JIMENEZ: They're very creative. They're very inventive. They're very crafty. They're very good. But I like to think that we're better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See you later.

JIMENEZ: Catch you later.

LAVANDERA: Jimenez ends another shift, but the doorkeeper knows...

JIMENEZ: Bye-bye.

LAVANDERA: ... the knocking on the border door never ends.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, El Paso, Texas.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: Another note on our borders, take a look at this. This is actually a tunnel, possibly one of the most sophisticated found, beneath the California-Mexico border. It's five foot high. It has lighting, a tile floor, ventilation tubing and it also has security cameras. The link was forged 20 feet underground. Border officials believe it was used to move people and to move drugs.

In the next half hour of DAYBREAK, we'll see how defending America's borders to the north has changed since 9/11.

Turning to safety in the skies, the government is preparing to start testing its newest passenger pre-screening system, known as Secure Flight. Two unmanned airlines will begin giving passenger lists to the Transportation Security Administration in August. Right now the pre-screening is handled by the airlines. But authorities say the terrorist lists used by the airlines are now complete.

And soon you will not be allowed to carry your Zippo or any other lighter on planes or even in sensitive areas of the nation's airports. The TSA says lighters are being banned beyond airport security checkpoints. The policy will be enforced beginning April 14.

In legal news this morning, Kobe Bryant has settled a civil lawsuit with the woman who accused him of rape. No details of the settlement have been released.

Here's how the Los Angeles Lakers player responded when asked about it last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Can we get any comment on the settlement in the legal case? Is it a weight off your mind?

KOBE BRYANT, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Gentlemen, anybody with basketball questions, gentlemen?

QUESTION: Did you feel any freer or any looser out on the court today?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Bryant's attorney says the settlement was reached to the satisfaction of both parties. We'll talk more about Kobe and the settlement later this hour when I'm joined by our legal analyst, Kendall Coffey.

In the hunt for those who killed the husband and mother of a federal judge in Chicago, police have now released sketches of two persons of interest seen near the judge's home. One of the men is described as 50 to 60 years old, with hazel eyes and a large build. The other man is in his mid-20s, with strawberry blonde hair. The Associated Press reports investigators have a bloody footprint and a fingerprint from the crime scene. The "Chicago Sun-Times" Web site quotes Judge Joan Lefkow as saying she is furious over what she calls a cold-blooded attack.

Changing gears now to the health of Pope John Paul II. Today marks one week since the 84-year-old pontiff was rushed to the hospital for throat surgery. We are awaiting another Vatican update on his health.

But let's head live to Rome now and CNN's Allessio Vinci.

He's outside the hospital where the pope is recovering -- good morning.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

Well, Vatican officials are continuing to portray the pope's recovery in a positive light, if you want. A few top Vatican cardinals have been among the few who have actually seen the pope in the last few days, have told reporters that the pope is doing quite well. One cardinal saying that the pope has already began speaking at least in two languages. You know the pope speaks many languages. And another cardinal actually was surprised about how strong the pope's voice was yesterday. That cardinal actually also telling reporters that he was looking forward to the pope's trip next summer to Cologne, Germany for World Youth Day.

We do know that the pope has begun already breathing therapy and voice therapy. As you know, the tracheotomy has left him temporarily voiceless. That is usually what happens when you have that kind of operation. And the pope, of course, has a very important appointment at the end of this month, when Easter celebrations begin in the Catholic Canon there. And the pope, of course, would like not to miss the celebrations from the Vatican.

No word, of course, on when the pope is expected to be discharged from this hospital. We are expecting in the next hour or so an update on his health. But it is unclear whether or not the pope will actually be able to attend the ceremonies at the end of the month.

Back to you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Alessio Vinci reporting live from Rome this morning.

Thank you.

Just ahead here on DAYBREAK, at 18 minutes after, communism clashes with capitalism and tourists in Cuba get a rude surprise.

And then, more on the Kobe Bryant civil case. We'll talk to our legal analyst about the settlement at 45 minutes past the hour.

Plus, it's a wine lover's dream come true. We've got details at 51 minutes past.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 5:15 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

A sheriff's photographer is back on the witness stand today at Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. He's testifying about Jackson's Neverland Ranch, which prosecutors say is the scene of the crime.

The jockey for Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones has an immigration hearing today. INS agents detained jockey Stewart Elliott over a felony assault conviction four years ago. Elliott is Canadian.

In money news, the IRS reports increased tax refunds and more electronic filing. Early filers have seen federal tax refunds jump an average of $200.

In culture, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" chucked up 11 daytime Emmy nominations in the talk show category. Martha Stewart, who's only been watching TV of late, picked up three nominations.

In sports, Jackie Robinson gets a posthumous congressional gold medal. At the White House ceremony, President Bush presented the award to Robinson's widow, Rachel.

To the forecast center and Chad. MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: We had one question for stumpy the big-headed weatherman. "How far south can lake effect snow go?"

In fact, we had a little bit here in Atlanta two days ago -- back to you.

COSTELLO: We're getting a lot of "Stump The Weatherman" questions this morning.

MYERS: Keep them coming.

COSTELLO: If you have a weather question for Chad, daybreak@cnn.com.

Let's talk a little bit about Steve Fossett now, Chad.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: He's getting closer to completing his around the world solo flight, but he's having some trouble.

MYERS: Yes, he was running out of gas. He said a fuel gauge or something wasn't working properly.

What happened overnight?

COSTELLO: Well, apparently they thought he lost fuel upon takeoff. And, you know, you need a certain amount of fuel to make it around the world on one tank of gas, so to speak.

MYERS: Well, of course.

COSTELLO: They don't really know where he lost the fuel, whether it was in the air or on takeoff. But apparently he has decided he has enough fuel to go on.

MYERS: Oh, he's going to try? Good.

Where is he now?

COSTELLO: You know, I think he's approaching Hawaii.

MYERS: We will get it.

COSTELLO: But we're going to have to check out the Web site.

MYERS: Yes. Actually, you can see his exact position within five minutes on the Web site. I'm going to get to it right now. We'll update you in 11 minutes -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK.

Obviously that was not him.

MYERS: Oh, I see.

COSTELLO: That was Richard Branson, wasn't it?

MYERS: Yes, but he funded it.

COSTELLO: He funded it, but he's also helping like navigate it from their control center.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: And hopefully we're going to have a live update soon.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: So we'll pass the information along, of course.

MYERS: It sounds good.

COSTELLO: Cuba's government is basically telling tourists to keep their distance, not from the island, but from the Cuban people.

CNN Havana bureau chief Lucia Newman looks at the new non-contact policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Havana's arts and crafts fair is packed with tourists from nearby beach resorts, like Donna from Canada, who came to Cuba not just for sun and sand, but to meet the people.

DONNA: And my parents have been here nine times. And they love the people.

NEWMAN: Well, getting to know them won't be that easy anymore. A new tourism ministry regulation prohibits employees from having any contact of a personal nature with foreigners, be they tourists or ex- pats. It goes beyond the normal rules that apply to hotel staff around the world. No gifts, no tips. And here everyone from the waiter to tourism executives have 72 hours to inform a superior of any non-professional contact that even a member of their family has had with a foreigner.

Most Cubans that tourists meet while at resorts are employed by the tourism ministry.

DONNA: So we've enjoyed becoming friends with the local people. So if they're limited, it's going to affect how they interact with the tourists.

NEWMAN: If a foreigner says anything derogatory about the Cuban government, employees of Cuba's largest industry, tourism, are now obliged to report it. This Canadian couple is stunned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's communist so I guess that's -- they want to rule your life. And it's very unfortunate.

NEWMAN: The new resolution requires a witness being present during business negotiations with foreigners, who manage most Cuban hotels. No one would talk to us on camera.

(on camera): But off camera, both Cuban and foreign staff have plenty to say, and none of it good. Some even comparing the new measures to the Chinese Cultural Revolution. And what everyone seems to agree on is that the attempt to regulate contact between foreigners and Cubans won't work.

(voice-over): With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba turned to tourism, a necessary evil, said Fidel Castro, that contaminates Cuban society with capitalist vices and stimulates corruption. Now, to reign in that corruption that comes with two million visitors a year, authorities are trying to turn the clock back to the old days, when Cubans didn't mix with foreigners from capitalist countries.

Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: A lot more to come on DAYBREAK.

What happens when the best surfers take on the planet's most dangerous waves? More of these fabulous pictures just ahead.

Plus, we'll tell you what makes this bottle of wine so darned special. Here's a hint -- it has very little to do with the pinot grape. Or maybe it does.

You are watching DAYBREAK for Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, it's time to laugh right now, Chad.

MYERS: Oh, good.

COSTELLO: Is it one more day until Friday?

MYERS: It is. Today's Thursday.

COSTELLO: Yes.

Anyway, in case you missed Jay Leno, it is time for our "Late Night Laughs" segment.

Jay Leno, as you know, or maybe not, he's been subpoenaed to the Michael Jackson case.

MYERS: Oh, I did hear that. Yes.

COSTELLO: Yes. And it has not stopped him from commenting on the first few days of Jackson's trial.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO," COURTESY NBC)

JAY LENO, HOST: The prosecuting attorney, Tom Sneddon, said that Jackson presided over Neverland as a kind of haven for adolescent boys who were allowed to skip school, drink alcohol, view pornography and stay up all night. You know, you take Michael out of the picture, that's not a bad deal. You know, I would go there now. You know, I hadn't thought of going to Neverland before, but now...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounds good to me.

LENO: Actually, Michael was furious when he heard these allegations. At one point, he became so angry, he actually got some color in his face. It was amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO," COURTESY NBC)

LENO: Michael Jackson claims that his partners would sleep in the bed while he slept on the floor. It was the same arrangement the Clintons have, you know, basically. You sleep on the floor. Basically the same. The same thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MYERS: That was funny.

COSTELLO: It was very funny.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Jay Leno really has been subpoenaed.

MYERS: I know.

COSTELLO: Because allegedly this mother tried to extort money from him, as well.

MYERS: And he broke off that friendship or relationship or any conversation with that mother right away.

COSTELLO: Yes.

We'll see what happens.

MYERS: We'll see what he says in court.

COSTELLO: Exactly. And, of course, we'll have an update on the Michael Jackson trial in just a bit.

Time now, though, for our DAYBREAK "Eye Openers." Twenty-four of the world's best surfers tried to tame what are called the most dangerous waves on the planet. The one day Maverick Surfing Competition drew thousands of spectators to Half Moon Bay, which is south of San Francisco. American Anthony Tashnick ripped through the 30-foot waves to win the $25,000 title. Listen to the sound on this next video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm here to make Maxim Radio Sexy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'm here to give Maxim Radio a sexy edge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That had nothing to do with surfing, I know. But what do you think? Does it make you feel sexy this morning? These people are vying for the title of sexiest radio voice for "Maxim" magazine. "Maxim" and Sirius Satellite Radio held open casting calls in New York and L.A. to find the new voice of Maxim Radio. The winner gets $1,000 and will do promotional pieces for the network.

Want to give it a try, Chad?

MYERS: No, I just want to take a shower. I'm feeling dirty.

COSTELLO: I'm glad it worked for you, honey.

Here's an update on a story we told you about yesterday. Bubba the Lobster has died.

MYERS: Oh!

COSTELLO: Oh! The 22-pound crustacean was saved from the dinner plate just a day before. But the trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo proved to be too much stress for his delicate system. It is...

MYERS: He was over 100, yes.

COSTELLO: Yes. It's unknown if there was a run on those little tiny forks at the zoo's gift shop. Oh, that's so mean, isn't it?

MYERS: You said it, I didn't.

COSTELLO: The poor lobster.

MYERS: Oh, I know. He was doing -- he was so happy there.

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COSTELLO: Hey, did you pull some "Stump The Weatherman" questions?

MYERS: I did. I had... COSTELLO: I'm looking on my computer now.

MYERS: I have some good ones here. I had one from Richard in New Jersey. It says: "If a hurricane forms on the equator, which way will it spin?"

A hurricane can't form on the equator because there's not enough spin to spin it. In fact, if you own a big sailboat, you have to sail it south of about five or seven degrees north or south and get it close to the equator to actually keep it in insurance, or, obviously, get it out of the water. Down there, all those people that rent those boats under the British Virgin Islands, they actually sail down to Venezuela, because the hurricanes don't hit there, although they kind of did this year.

COSTELLO: Wow!

Hey, I do have an update on Steve Fossett.

MYERS: Yes. Yes, he's...

COSTELLO: I know exactly where he is.

MYERS: He's past Hawaii. He's almost to Baja, California now.

COSTELLO: I know. He's expected to be back in Salinas, Kansas by lunchtime. So, specifically, he's 1,000 nautical miles west of Catalina Island and he hopes to reach Kansas by lunchtime. And hopefully his fuel will last.

MYERS: Yes. That is an old picture where we're showing that red dot now. That's like, that's like Japan. He's way across the equator -- or way across the Pacific now. Carol, he picked up a 130 knot tailwind over the Pacific in the jet stream. He almost could shut off the engines. So he saved a lot of fuel by getting blown by that big jet stream.

COSTELLO: Excellent.

Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

Major moves toward change in Lebanon. President Bush calling for Syrian troops to get out. And Lebanese opposition law makers repeat that demand. We'll look at the region in transition, coming up.

Plus, he's out of the courtroom after reaching an agreement on a civil case. The Kobe Bryant settlement, just ahead on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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