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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Iraq Violence; Squad Wiped Out; Drug Sting; Cool Nerds

Aired May 13, 2005 - 05:30   ET

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

(WEATHER REPORT)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: All right, amazing stuff. Still, snow in May. I always find that hard to believe.

OK, Rob, thanks so much.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: See you -- Kelly.

WALLACE: We'll talk to you in a few minutes.

MARCIANO: Bye.

WALLACE: Turning now to the situation in Iraq. The U.S. military is releasing more information on Operation Matador, its crackdown against insurgents in Iraq.

Live now to CNN's senior Baghdad correspondent Jane Arraf.

And, Jane, I know you've just returned from being embedded with the U.S. military as part of that operation. What did you see? What did you learn?

JANE ARRAF, CNN SENIOR BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Actually, Kelly, we haven't seen that operation directly. We have been in that area recently.

And what the Marines are telling us today is that they have been led by what they call a senior terrorist that they have arrested recently to what they describe as an insurgent and foreign fighters safe house. They say that's in the city, in the town, the small community of Karbala. That in the area about 200 miles west of Baghdad where this major operation has been taking place.

They say as Marines approached this safe house, they took fire from at least four gunmen. The Marines responded by calling in airstrikes from F-18s, which destroyed that house using rockets and bombs. They say there were no Marines killed. They also say they don't believe there were civilians killed.

But this is, Kelly, part of this operation that has been continuing in western Al Anbar Province where they believe there are insurgent strongholds. That operation appears to be winding down, as they say, they're meeting no organized resistance anymore as they roll through -- Kelly.

WALLACE: Give us a sense, Jane, of that operation. As you said, it began last weekend. I mean some serious fighting some U.S. military men saw there, didn't they?

ARRAF: They did. Now we have to remember that this is one of the least heavily populated areas and a perfect place for safe houses, a perfect place for foreign fighters to come through Syria. And when we have been in that area that's exactly what the Marines have been fighting. It's essentially a trail of safe havens along the Euphrates River, all the way up to the border, where insurgents and foreign fighters have been moving around.

Now there's no trace yet of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most wanted fugitive in Iraq. But the feeling is that as they continue to arrest suspects close to him that gap is narrowing in getting the man himself -- Kelly.

WALLACE: All right, Jane, we'll be checking in with you throughout the day.

Jane Arraf, senior Baghdad correspondent, reporting from Baghdad.

Reporters embedded with Marines in Operation Matador that Jane was just talking about say an entire squad has been wiped out. That's more than 20 Marines killed or wounded in the past four days, and they all belong to a reserve unit based in Ohio.

CNN's Brian Todd has details on the casualties.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this town of Qaim, masked gunmen shout "God is great" and vow to fight to the end.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Al Qaim will be impregnable for them to enter. And we will die and not let them enter the city, in spite of all their bombs.

TODD: Qaim, and other towns near the Syrian border, may not be impregnable. Pentagon officials tell CNN as many as 100 insurgents have been killed in those areas this week, and they've characterized the mission as a success. But according to reporters embedded with U.S. Marines, the insurgents have been going toe to toe with U.S. and Iraqi forces this week and inflicting casualties.

SOLOMON MOORE, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": The Marines are encountering a whole lot of strength these past couple of days. On Sunday, they did get into a big firefight with insurgents who were in the city of Ubete (ph).

TODD: Another embedded reporter says, in that engagement, insurgents waited for Marines to enter one house, and from a crawlspace underneath a floor, fired through concrete with armor- piercing rounds. The reporters from the "Washington Post" and "Los Angeles Times" say Marines killed in that exchange and on Wednesday, when an armored vehicle hit a land mine along the Euphrates River, are all from one platoon, part of the 25th Marine Regiment, a reserve unit based in Columbus Ohio.

C.W.O. ORRIN BOWMAN, U.S. MARINES CORPS.: I know it was a very dangerous situation. We did have Marines injured.

TODD: Neither this chief warrant officer, nor any other Marine officials, will confirm numbers, but the embedded reporters quote the platoon commander saying at least 60 percent of his Marines have been killed or wounded this week, casualties that could have decimated this unit.

CNN asked Joint Chiefs Chairman Richard Myers how this ranked among the worst percentages of loss for one unit.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: In terms of the Marine incident, I don't know if that's the worst. It was a terrible tragedy when they ran over a land mine.

TODD: From the top ranks to embedded reporters, information must be pieced together about this ongoing offensive called Operation Matador and what appears to be a devastating toll suffered by one Marine regiment.

BOWMAN: These are our Marines. This is our family. This is our town. Most of these Marines are local.

TODD: And their adversaries may have regrouped to fight another day. Some observers believe many of the insurgents have slipped back over the border into Syria.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And a spokesperson for the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, will join us live in the next hour of DAYBREAK. She is with the sister unit, the Lima Company.

Still to come on this Friday edition of DAYBREAK, a cocaine bust with an outrageous twist. You won't believe who the FBI caught moving the drugs. That story still ahead.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday, Friday the 13th.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back.

Tom DeLay, Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, has a message for Democrats, you have no ideas, no leadership, no agenda and no class. The congressman from Texas made those comments at a dinner thrown for him by a conservative activist. Democrats have called for an ethics probe of DeLay over his travel expenses.

Going "Beyond the Soundbite" now, here's more of what Tom DeLay said last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM DELAY (R), MAJORITY LEADER: America is safer, stronger, more prosperous and better prepared for the future than at any time since the end of the Cold War. And in response to this mountain of evidence, this colossal testament to the strength of our ideas, our opponents have offered nothing, nothing, no ideas, no leadership, no agenda, and in just the last week, we can now add to that list no class.

We have spent 10 years making history while Democrat leaders have spent 10 years making noise. And you know what, their rank and file members are starting to agree. Democrats around the country are growing more and more alienated every day because they see that the once great party of Roosevelt and Kennedy has become the party of Howard Dean. Think about it.

Whatever your opinion of modern political liberalism, there is no denying that for most of the 20th century the Democrats were a party of ideas and ideals, now they're just the party of no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Some tough words coming from Tom DeLay, House Majority Leader, again, last night, in our "Beyond the Soundbite" segment. And diners last night got steak and salmon for $250 a plate. Some 900 people attended. You do the math.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's about 42 minutes after the hour, and here is what is all new this morning.

For the first time in 45 years, there has been an execution in New England. Earlier today, Connecticut put to death serial killer Michael Ross for killing four women in the early 1980s.

The controversial nomination of John Bolton goes to the full Senate but with no recommendation from the Foreign Relations Committee. One Republican on the committee calls Bolton -- quote -- "a poster child of what a diplomat should not be."

In money, Ford Motor Company Chairman and CEO William Ford says he won't accept a paycheck until the company is making money again. Ford took over back in 2001 and hasn't had a regular paycheck since then, but has taken stocks and options. They were worth $22 million in 2004.

In culture, get ready gamers, Microsoft's Xbox 360 is getting closer. Details about the new video gaming system were unveiled on MTV in a flashy special. That new system will be in stores around Thanksgiving.

In sports, in Britain's Manchester, read the sign, no sale. Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has become the major shareholder of the Manchester United soccer team.

To the Forecast Center, Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers.

Rob, what's it going to look like for all of us today?

(WEATHER REPORT)

Kelly, back over to you.

WALLACE: All right. All in all, looking pretty good for most of the country.

Thanks, Rob, talk to you in a few minutes.

Now to a multimillion, excuse me, billion -- OK, start again. Now, to a multimillion dollar drug bust involving current and former soldiers and law enforcement agents. Authorities are calling the Arizona sting one of the worst of its kind.

We get details now from reporter Elizabeth Vall of CNN affiliate KVOA in Tucson, Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH VALL, KVOA-TV REPORTER (voice-over): U.S. Department of Justice Section Chief Noel Hillman said this is an extremely rare situation to have so many public officials implicated from so many different agencies.

JOHN RICHTER, ACTING ASSISTANT ATTY. GENERAL: It's the widest range of agencies involved in a single conspiracy that I've seen.

VALL: Sixteen current and former U.S. soldiers and law enforcement agents, along with five Davis-Monthan airmen, were busted in an undercover sting operation spanning three years. In all, the defendants transported a total of $8.5 million worth of cocaine in and out of Arizona. They also accepted more than $200,000 in bribes to assist drug traffickers and to recruit coworkers who may also be corrupt.

RICHTER: What the defendants did not know at the time was that the persons paying the bribes were actually special agents from the FBI.

VALL: The defendants wore their uniforms and drove official vehicles to transport cocaine through Arizona checkpoints. In one case using two military Humvees to pick up a shipment from a secret desert airstrip near Benson.

JANA MONROE, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: We cannot tolerate, nor can the American people afford, this type of corruption.

VALL: While this may be a big get, the FBI says expect even more charges to be pressed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: Incredible story there. That report from Elizabeth Vall of CNN affiliate KVOA in Tucson, Arizona. Authorities say all 16 suspects have agreed to plead guilty to being part of a bribery and extortion conspiracy.

Still to come on this Friday edition of DAYBREAK, a new American pastime, more and more college kids are learning card games instead of hitting the books. Parents might not be happy. That story up next. You won't want to miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Well this is something you might know, the poker game Texas Hold 'Em has taken the country by storm. Fueled by popular television shows, the phenomenon has created casual gamblers across all ages, including college and even high school kids.

"DOLANS UNSCRIPTED" co-host Daria Dolan takes a look at the cons and the pros of the game.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DARIA DOLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jon Zengota is a junior at a New Jersey state college and an avid gambler.

JON ZENGOTA, COLLEGE JUNIOR: Texas Hold 'Em, to college kids, it's like the new Holy Grail. I started playing with my friends. And then when my friends weren't around, then I wanted to play, because I just liked the game a lot. I would go online and play. And I found a few sites that were good. And found some sites that were easy to deposit money in, and it made it a lot easier to just get on there and start gambling online.

DOLAN: Zengota says he plays up to 50 hours a week, which cuts into his study time and sometimes his budget, and he's not alone. A combination of easy access to the game on the Web and poker shows like those on ESPN, Bravo and The Travel Channel, has made Texas Hold 'Em into an absolute phenomenon on college campuses.

But there are signs that the stakes may be getting too high. Dan Romer studies adolescent risk at the University of Pennsylvania.

DAN ROMER, ANNENBERG CENTER, UPENN: We try to track weekly playing, because that's what we regard as a more serious form of gambling. But when young people are starting to do it as a regular habit, at least once a week, that's when we regard it as a lot more serious problem. And we're seeing a leap about 1 in 10 college students, which is roughly comparable to what we're seeing among high school kids.

DOLAN: That's right, younger teens are getting in on the game, too. Alyse Holbrook is a high school senior in a Philadelphia suburb. She plays Texas Hold 'Em for 5 or 10 bucks a game.

ALYSE HOLBROOK, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: It's been popular for the last two years. It's been like -- and this year it's even gotten more popular. In our school, we play almost every weekend, sometimes weekdays. I mean it's just something fun to do because there's not a lot for us to do around here.

DOLAN: Some parents see poker as an innocent alternative to other dangers facing youngsters.

TIM HOLBROOK, ALYSE'S DAD: Some people might see young teenagers playing poker as signs of worry or to be overly concerned. And in terms of parents, I'm not typically in that crowd. I'd rather have them here, and most of their parents we know, so they know they're over at Alyse's house playing poker. So I think it's a very comforting thing for not only myself, but also for the other parents that are involved.

DOLAN: However, many experts insist the earlier you start gambling the greater your chances of having a problem later in life.

Daria Dolan, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And get this, Americans now spend more money on gambling than they spend on movies, music, sports and amusement parks combined. Incredible!

For more on why games of chance are becoming the new national pastime, you must tune in to "DOLANS UNSCRIPTED," live this Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

And here's what we're working on for you in our next hour of DAYBREAK.

Smokers in Georgia are going to pay a high price for their habit. We'll tally the cost of what could be a new trend just ahead.

Then we'll get the 411 on everything that's hot and happening right now from "Life" magazine.

This is DAYBREAK for a Friday. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Beautiful picture of New York City on this Friday morning.

So we're talking now about geeks and nerds. Usually they don't just fit in, right, especially in high schools. But times could be changing, all because of a movie about an oddball teenager that makes it sweet to be a geek.

CNN's Jason Carroll explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ridgeland High School, Jackson, Mississippi. Today's lesson, pop culture phenomena. Test questions -- why are popular girls wearing tees saying "I love nerds?" Why does wearing a "loser" pin make you a winner? And why are teenagers, like Ryan Bennett, into saying things like...

RYAN BENNETT, TEENAGER: Sweet. CARROLL: Or...

BENNETT: What an idiot. God.

CARROLL: The answer: "Napoleon Dynamite." "Napoleon Dynamite" is the name of a low-budget independent film and the nerdy fictional character it centers on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And cut. Let's go.

CARROLL: It's based on the filmmaker's experiences growing up in Idaho.

JARED HESS, DIRECTOR: Totally exceeded everybody's expectations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You ever take it off any sweet jumps?

CARROLL: Napoleon crashed into theaters last summer, ages ago in movie time, but it's still so popular...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whereas the state of Idaho recognizes...

CARROLL: ... Idaho lawmakers passed a mock resolution in support of it, and Napoleon's lines are standard high school vocabulary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you bring me my chapstick?

BENNETT: My lips hurt real bad.

CARROLL: Ryan is a junior, and, he'll admit, a bit of a nerd. But thanks to Napoleon, he embraces his nerdiness. Ryan even performed Napoleon's dance at his prom.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. But why "Napoleon Dynamite?" In the film, he gets his friend Pedro elected class president. He gets the girl, Deb, in the end. Otherwise, not much happens.

(on camera): Because the movie doesn't really have a plot. I'm looking for the plot. Right, it's not just me, right?

BENNETT: Right.

CARROLL: OK, good.

BENNETT: It has no plot.

CARROLL (voice-over): But Ryan says Napoleon taps into something teens relate to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to play me?

BENNETT: Everyone at one time or another has felt like a nerd or an outcast or something. And they see Napoleon, and they're like, hey, everyone ends up liking him. If I've ever felt like an outcast, if this guy can make it, then I can make it, no problem. CARROLL: Ryan says his peers don't agree.

BENNETT: I have a couple of friends who absolutely hate the movie, think it's a complete waste of film.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that it's the most pointless thing ever made.

BENNETT: I have other friends who would die to have been in that movie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I immediately saw Deb -- I know this might sound weird -- but I thought of myself, because...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is so true.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, she even thinks I'm like Deb.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vote for Pedro.

CARROLL: Trends are fickle. How much longer can Napoleon's popularity last?

GLEN KENNY, "PREMIER" MAGAZINE: I think it's too soon to tell whether "Napoleon Dynamite" is going to be for this generation of teenagers and post teenagers what "Animal House" was to boomer and post boomer generations.

CARROLL: It may be cool now to accept nerdiness by buying a keychain or wearing a "vote for Pedro" T-shirt, but Ryan does not see true acceptance coming anytime soon.

BENNETT: As much as I love to believe in people, chances of that happening are actually slim to none. I mean, I try to view the world realistically, and I'm sorry, it's going to take more than just a fad movie to change people's opinion and go around and say, well, you know, this nerd might be a really cool person on the inside.

CARROLL: No matter,...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey -- Ryan.

BENNETT: Howdy.

CARROLL: ... Ryan's enjoying popularity and having fun at Napoleon's expense.

Jason Carroll, CNN, Jackson, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: Well none of us in the studio here has seen it, but we're going to go out this weekend and check it out.

And you can check out more entertainment news every night on "ShowBiz Tonight." That's at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN's Headline News.

Time now, Rob, to read some e-mails. What have you got there?

MARCIANO: A hot button question is smoking surcharge: is that right or wrong? And some e-mails coming in are interesting.

First one, yes, I agree employers should be able to impose a surcharge on smoker's healthcare, if they have to pay premiums. After all, smokers do cost more, you know, in the long run, as far as the healthcare costs.

Here's another one from Helga (ph) in Colquitt, Georgia. She says that sure, put a surcharge on health insurance for smokers, but what about drinkers, what about overeaters, what about speeders, what about drug users? These people are a health risk, too.

And I resent that insult.

What do you have -- Kelly?

WALLACE: Yes, Rob, seeing both sides.

This is from Jim in Laurel, Maryland. He says sounds like a really good idea to me. I don't smoke. Why shouldn't people who will make themselves sick pay more, but then

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