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Explosions in Iraq; Big Day for Democrats; Infant Thought Dead Found Alive

Aired March 02, 2004 - 06:30   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.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Lots of questions about what happened today and why. We are going to get an expert opinion.
Joining us from Washington is Michael Hudson. He is a professor at Georgetown University and an expert in Arab studies.

Good morning, Professor.

PROF. MICHAEL HUDSON, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Carol.

LIN: And obviously a very violent one in Iraq this morning.

I'm going to draw from what our veteran correspondents on the ground have told us. Jane Arraf in Baghdad said that many of the Shiites at the bomb location were blaming either U.S. forces for inciting these attacks or outsiders; that they said that no Muslim, no Iraqi, would have instigated these kinds of attacks. Would you agree with that? Who do you think is responsible?

HUDSON: Well, unfortunately, I think that is a very likely kind of response from many ordinary Iraqis, who will indeed feel that attacking in such a violent way, such a holy place, the most important day of the year for Shia, the commemoration of the assassination of Imam Hussein in the year 680, no Muslim could possibly do this.

But that's, from our perspective, it looks totally crazy. Why would the Americans want to do such a thing? But I think many Iraqis will feel that -- who are perhaps prone to conspiracy theories -- they will feel that this is really part of a war of non-Muslims against Muslims. And that there is an attempt being undertaken here by the West to perhaps create a civil war in Iraq, divide Iraq, for the purposes of Western imperialism.

LIN: You know, when I asked that question, Professor, for me personally, it wasn't actually to say that U.S. troops would plant mortar bombs. But what you're touching on is something very interesting about the -- about what Iraqis actually allow themselves to believe. I mean, they actually allow themselves, some of them on the ground actually allow themselves to believe that U.S. troops, U.S. forces, would actually plant explosives, and that the intent would be to incite a civil war?

HUDSON: I think there are people here that are ready to believe such a thing, unfortunately. I think you have to remember that what most Iraqis see is that their country has now occupied by a non-Muslim Western power. And even though the United States, we would think, has good intentions in trying to rebuild the Iraqi state and create something better than the regime of Saddam Hussein, many people will look at this sort of in the context of the sort of historic struggle to get rid of foreign domination.

LIN: All right. So, who would benefit from a civil war? And how likely would this attack be in inciting a civil war between the Shiites and the Sunnis there?

HUDSON: Well, apart from the theory that you just mentioned, which holds that the Americans and certainly our allies, the Israelis, would benefit from chaos in Iraq and a weakening of Iraq, there are other people who would say maybe Iran has a hand in this. Maybe Iran, particularly now that the hard-liners have secured their position in Iran are now messing around in the Shiite parts of Iraq, thinking that they can establish domination or maybe even lead to the creation of a separate Shiite state there that they could manipulate.

LIN: All right. Professor Michael Hudson, thank you very much. Always good to draw on your experience. Of course, we don't know exactly what happened yet, but hopefully an investigation is under way on the ground. Thank you.

In the meantime, here in the United States, it is a big day in campaign 2004. More than 1,000 delegates are at stake for the Democrats today in the 10 Super Tuesday states.

We want to get a preview, so we're going to turn to our national correspondent, Bob Franken. He's on the telephone from a polling station in Annapolis, Maryland.

Bob -- give us a sense of how much is at stake here today.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're talking about 1,151 delegates, Carol. That is 53 percent of all of the delegates in one day that one of the Democrats would need to win. John Kerry already has a sizeable lead in the delegates.

But the question is today for most of us, whether he's going to be able to, in effect, crush John Edwards. With wins just about everywhere (AUDIO GAP) going to have one of his comebacks and win enough states or do well enough in states that he can continue a credible campaign.

So, the stakes are high. Edwards says he's going on no matter what. But obviously, if he gets just totally blown away here, there's going to be quite a bit of pressure on him to pull out.

LIN: Yes. Bob, anybody showing up yet at the polls?

FRANKEN: No.

LIN: It's still pretty early.

FRANKEN: It's very early in the morning. In fact, about the only response we've got are a couple of people staring at us, wondering what we're doing here.

LIN: All right. Well, thank you very much, Bob Franken. Obviously, you'll be reporting throughout the day and the night.

In the meantime, the U.S. Senate is focusing on gun control today. A bill to actually shield gun makers from liability lawsuits may be amended to cover gun show sales as well. How do Americans view the gun control debate today? It is one of the questions Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport asked Americans in the latest poll.

Frank, it's got to be a hot-button issue, because obviously Columbine, we all remember Columbine back in 1999, and those kids were able to get some of the guns at a gun show. Should gun shows and manufacturers be held liable in crimes like that? That's a question on Capitol Hill.

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Well, indeed. And it's complicated, because they are kind of combining a variety of things -- bans on assault weapons, the gun show controls, and also the bill which would allow gun manufacturers not to be as liable when their guns are used for crimes. So, it's kind of a complex situation.

It is important, from reports that I've read this morning, that Edwards and Kerry may actually come in off the campaign trail to vote, because it may be that close in the Senate, and that would be unusual in a campaign year.

Here is the bottom line: Should gun laws be made stricter? This is the basic question we've been asking for a number of years. And notice what happened here, Carol. It was 70 percent yes back in the '90s. After 2001, 9/11/2001, notice it fell all the way down to 51 percent. Americans wanted to be able to have more guns, it looks like.

But now, it's been creeping back up, and you've got 60 percent said in our last poll this year of Americans saying yes, in general, gun laws should be stricter. So, if a Democratic candidate votes for stricter laws, they're in accordance with at least a majority of Americans.

However, Republicans, so you read, may be wanting to use this as an issue. Some people think Gore was hurt by his perception that he was anti-gun in the 2000 race. Kerry and Edwards are sensitive to that issue.

But look at low it is in priorities in election voting this year. You see the big issues at the top, Carol -- no surprise: education, economy, Iraq. Gun policy is down there, 53 percent, a little higher than same-sex marriage.

So, it's not a hugely important issue to a lot of people, but it may be important enough, say in the South, that the Democratic candidates have to be very sensitive on how they vote on it -- Carol.

LIN: Another issue that's going to come up in the general election, I'm sure, is going to be immigration. And did you hear Mexican President Vicente Fox is actually meeting with President Bush at Bush's ranch this weekend? And so far, President Fox is saying he wants the United States to make the borders -- make it available, so that Mexican citizens can cross into the United States more easily.

How does the American public view U.S.-Mexican relations right now?

NEWPORT: Another complicated issue. As you mentioned, there is immigration. There is also NAFTA. Remember, Senator Edwards has really been bringing NAFTA up on the campaign trail. He views it as a negative, of course, for Americans. And a lot of that has to do with Mexico.

A very complex attitude. Look how much our favorable opinions of Mexico -- that is, the U.S. citizens' opinions dropped about the time of NAFTA in 1993. See that big drop down in the percent favorable? It's climbed back up now, and our latest reading we just finished shows that 68 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Mexico.

So, that's back up in majority territory, Carol, but not nearly as high, for example...

LIN: All right...

NEWPORT: ... as Americans' opinions of Canada.

LIN: All right, sounds good. Thank very much, Frank. You've always got the scoop.

In the meantime, we want to show you some pictures of Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich live there in Cleveland, Ohio, voting. Where is the man? I see the poll workers. There he is. There's his back. Casting his vote, you can imagine for himself here on Super Tuesday, where more than 1,100 delegates are up for grabs.

CNN is your election headquarters for Super Tuesday coverage. Wolf Blitzer kicks off our primetime coverage this evening at 7:00 Eastern. Larry King picks up the ball at 9:00 with live updates from the campaign trail. At 10:00, Wolf returns for another two hours with new results and reaction from California.

Then a special edition of "LARRY KING" begins at midnight; 1:00 a.m. tune in for all the perspective on a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT."

Democratic front-runner John Kerry will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING." That's going to come your way about a half-hour, 7:00 a.m. Eastern. And Vice President Dick Cheney joins Wolf Blitzer today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Stay with us all day for special coverage.

A mother finds the daughter she thought she'd lost forever. A family's mysterious separation and reunion coming up.

And Toulkin's (ph) "Lord of the Rings" became such a successful film -- series of films, which classic could be next for the silver screen? And find out what some moviegoers discovered on their tickets when they went to see "The Passion of the Christ."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: An almost unbelievable story out of Philadelphia this morning. Police are searching for a woman they believe set a house fire six years ago, kidnapped a baby girl to cover her tracks, and then raised the child as her own.

Well, the search was triggered after the birth mother stumbled upon the surprise of her life.

CNN's Anderson Cooper has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It was a heartbreaking story. Delimar Vera, just 10 days old, killed when her family's home went up in flames. No body was ever found. Police believed little Delimar was consumed by the intense heat of the fire.

That was back in 1997. But this January, the little girl's grieving mother, Luz Cuevas, saw something amazing -- a girl she believed was her own dead daughter, now 6 years old at a birthday party.

ANGEL CRUZ, PA. STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Motherly instinct. Motherly instinct without getting DNA, nothing. She sees the child and says, "This is my child."

COOPER: She managed to get a few strands of the little girl's hair and convinced police to reopen the case. When the DNA tests came back, they proved this 6-year-old girl was Delimar Vera.

Now, the search is on for Carolyn Correa, the woman who allegedly passed the baby off as her own and is believed to have set the 1997 fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An arrest warrant has been issued for the following person: a Carolyn Correa. She's a 41-year-old Hispanic female. She's described as 5'2" tall, about 130 pounds, medium complexion, last seen operating a 2003 Chevrolet Impala.

COOPER: They say Correa was seen at the home twice on the day the fire was set, and she was there with little Delimar at the birthday party.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Later this morning, the girl's mother will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING," beginning at 7:00 Eastern.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is now a quarter to 7:00 here on the East Coast and here are the headlines. The Iraqi cities of Karbala and Baghdad are reeling from several deadly explosions this morning. Scores of people are dead. The blast targeted Shia pilgrims celebrating their holiest day.

Has NASA's rover found water on Mars? The space agency says it will announce significant findings today, discovered by its Opportunity rover.

Pilot error apparently is not the problem it used to be. According to a new "USA Today" study, airplane crashes caused by pilot error are down dramatically this decade. But the study says maintenance is still a growing problem.

And your money. Florida citrus growers are launching a new $6 million campaign to get you to buy orange juice. They're trying to recover from low-carb trends that put the squeeze on the citrus business.

In sports, Oklahoma State downed Texas in a battle of top-10 teams. The 76-67 victory also gives the Cowboys their first big 12 title in more than a decade.

Now, to culture. After watching the smashing success of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Disney has inked a deal to bring the "Narnia" series of books, written by C.S. Lewis, to the big screen. It also -- it starts with "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe."

And in weather, it looks like a rainy day ahead for primary voters in the Northeast. And for those of you there not voting, it's still going to be wet.

Those are the headlines. Your next update is on "AMERICAN MORNING" at the top of the hour.

Coming up: Why would the woman at the center of "Roe v. Wade" want the case back in court after all these years?

And Dick Clark accused of discrimination against a senior citizen? That story ahead in the "Lightning Round."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The lawyer for Martha Stewart's broker will resume his closing arguments this morning, with Stewart's attorney to present his later in the day.

Let's bring in our legal analyst, Kendall Coffey, from Miami with his take on the conclusion of this high-profile stock trial.

Good morning -- Kendall.

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.

LIN: So, listen, is there anything left to this case?

COFFEY: Well... LIN: I mean, basically what are they trying to consider? Whether she lied or not...

COFFEY: That's what...

LIN: ... about her stock trade?

COFFEY: Yes, that's what it comes down to. Did she or didn't she lie? And the government obviously has put a whole lot on Douglas Faneuil. In fact, the prosecutor said yesterday if you believe Faneuil, the case is over. Told the jury they could tune out for the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, it's going to be interesting to see what Martha Stewart's lawyer does in his closing, Carol. Is he going to continue to basically say the government is lying? Or is he going to try to separate from Bacanovic? Because remember, the evidence in large part was more damaging for Bacanovic than Martha Stewart. We might see these defendants go their separate ways as it gets to the bottom line.

LIN: Does the bottom line get back to Peter Bacanovic's assistant, Douglas Faneuil? And whether he -- not lied -- but whether he just simply got his story wrong about the information that he got from his boss and whether to pass it on to Martha Stewart?

COFFEY: Well, the government is saying he's the one person that's standing between the defendants and any hope of acquittal.

And since they've really challenged the defendants in a very unusual way, what I think Martha Stewart's lawyer is going to try to do is not so much say that this witness, who apparently the jury liked, was just out and out lying, but say that there were gaps, there were shortfalls, and try as much as he can to reduce the impact of Faneuil's testimony without trying to absolutely discredit and impeach somebody that the jury may well be liking.

LIN: Gotcha. All right, let's move on to what's happening in New Orleans today. "Roe v. Wade," a woman's right to have an abortion is still up in the air. Why is this being heard again?

COFFEY: Well, what's so extraordinary, Carol, is that this is a case where the original plaintiff in that historic case, the very person who is, in fact, Jane Roe, is coming back herself saying times have changed, evidence has changed, I've changed, and the decision that I supported -- that historic very, very controversial decision -- I now say is wrong. So, she's actually...

LIN: Really?

COFFEY: Yes, she's going back in her own case and asking in that original case the court to accept her statements, accept extensive evidence, and reverse the original "Roe v. Wade."

As we know, there have been a lot of court challenges since "Roe v. Wade." The Supreme Court heard another case as recently as 2000. Still, at least five votes in support of "Roe v. Wade." What's unusual here is in the same case, the original plaintiff is trying to change her mind, and trying to get the court to change its mind as well.

LIN: So, legally, how much weight does it have if the U.S. Fifth District that's hearing it -- so much how much weight does her word have? And as the court considers this, what would be the likely path for reconsideration of "Roe v. Wade?"

COFFEY: Well, I think a big obstacle to overcome here is how can any litigant come in after so many years and ask a court to basically undo a decision that is so longstanding? It's almost unheard of and very, very rare for anybody to go back in a case and have it basically set aside after so many years.

That's different from the very real question of what's happening with some of the other challenges that are working their way through the court system, because everyone is closely counting the number of votes on the U.S. Supreme Court. And as other statutes and other cases and other litigants come before the court, they're at least five votes now for "Roe v. Wade," but that could change. And that decision whether or not to appoint a new justice if there is a vacancy could be important in the presidential election that's coming up.

LIN: You bet. You bet. A lot at stake here. Thanks very much, Kendall.

COFFEY: Thanks, Carol.

LIN: Time for a little business buzz now. Filing your taxes online this year? If so, you're not alone.

Carrie Lee reports from the Nasdaq Marketsite in Times Square.

Good morning -- Carrie.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Good morning to you, Carol.

The IRS reporting that electronic tax filing has shown a sharp increase for this year's early tax filers. Through February 20, the overall e-filing levels reached 29 million returns for 2003. This is an increase of over two million returns, or an 8 percent hike for the same time last year.

Early statistics show people are getting more money back as well. The average refund is up $97 to $2,292. That's a 4.5 percent hike. The refunds total $72.8 billion so far, up from $66.9 billion a year ago.

A big reason for that hike is that the tax cuts that went into effect last May are actually retroactive to the beginning of 2003. So, people essentially overpaid for the first five months of last year.

Carol -- back to you.

LIN: All right, thanks, Carrie.

Chad is going to join me for "Lightning Round" coming up, but first, the headlines here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All right, it's that time. The "Lightning Round," Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Let's go.

LIN: All right. Just when we're starting to think it's spring, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This is cold. This is in Finland. Three hundred people braved this frozen lake. It's an annual ice pool swimming championship. Jump on in, Chad.

MYERS: No, thanks.

LIN: There you go.

MYERS: Done it.

LIN: But you know what? We're all getting older. Dick Clark, accused of age discrimination. This 76-year-old game show producer is actually suing him. Dick Clark, who is 74 years old, because the suit alleges that Dick Clark called this man a dinosaur and wouldn't hire him because of his age. Oh, god!

And voters in Killington, Vermont, Chad, they want to leave Vermont. They actually...

MYERS: They do.

LIN: This is on the ballot out there. They're going to the polls today to vote on a measure to whether Killington should get out of Vermont and move to New Hampshire.

MYERS: Kind of like the Florida Keys when they seceded back in 1982.

LIN: Yes, there you go, except there is 20 miles of land in between, though.

MYERS: Yes.

LIN: I think there is some tax revenue at stake anyway.

MYERS: Yes.

LIN: This is so bizarre. Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ," these people in Rome, Georgia, go to the theater, they get their movie ticket, they look down and they gasp, because the numbers "666" are actually printed out on the tickets there. Some of them were so upset they wanted to get different passes, so they could get into the theater, because, you know, 666 is supposed to be the mark of the beast.

MYERS: Right.

LIN: The sign of the anti-Christ.

MYERS: We have the ticket on our Web site if you want to go to CNN.com and take a look at it.

LIN: I've got to check that out.

MYERS: Yes.

LIN: It was just a computer-generated, you know, thing. It was just a coincidence.

Anyway, cool Chad, "Lightning Round."

MYERS: See you tomorrow.

LIN: See you tomorrow.

From the CNN global headquarters, I'm Carol Lin. "AMERICAN MORNING."

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





Dead Found Alive>


Aired March 2, 2004 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Lots of questions about what happened today and why. We are going to get an expert opinion.
Joining us from Washington is Michael Hudson. He is a professor at Georgetown University and an expert in Arab studies.

Good morning, Professor.

PROF. MICHAEL HUDSON, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Carol.

LIN: And obviously a very violent one in Iraq this morning.

I'm going to draw from what our veteran correspondents on the ground have told us. Jane Arraf in Baghdad said that many of the Shiites at the bomb location were blaming either U.S. forces for inciting these attacks or outsiders; that they said that no Muslim, no Iraqi, would have instigated these kinds of attacks. Would you agree with that? Who do you think is responsible?

HUDSON: Well, unfortunately, I think that is a very likely kind of response from many ordinary Iraqis, who will indeed feel that attacking in such a violent way, such a holy place, the most important day of the year for Shia, the commemoration of the assassination of Imam Hussein in the year 680, no Muslim could possibly do this.

But that's, from our perspective, it looks totally crazy. Why would the Americans want to do such a thing? But I think many Iraqis will feel that -- who are perhaps prone to conspiracy theories -- they will feel that this is really part of a war of non-Muslims against Muslims. And that there is an attempt being undertaken here by the West to perhaps create a civil war in Iraq, divide Iraq, for the purposes of Western imperialism.

LIN: You know, when I asked that question, Professor, for me personally, it wasn't actually to say that U.S. troops would plant mortar bombs. But what you're touching on is something very interesting about the -- about what Iraqis actually allow themselves to believe. I mean, they actually allow themselves, some of them on the ground actually allow themselves to believe that U.S. troops, U.S. forces, would actually plant explosives, and that the intent would be to incite a civil war?

HUDSON: I think there are people here that are ready to believe such a thing, unfortunately. I think you have to remember that what most Iraqis see is that their country has now occupied by a non-Muslim Western power. And even though the United States, we would think, has good intentions in trying to rebuild the Iraqi state and create something better than the regime of Saddam Hussein, many people will look at this sort of in the context of the sort of historic struggle to get rid of foreign domination.

LIN: All right. So, who would benefit from a civil war? And how likely would this attack be in inciting a civil war between the Shiites and the Sunnis there?

HUDSON: Well, apart from the theory that you just mentioned, which holds that the Americans and certainly our allies, the Israelis, would benefit from chaos in Iraq and a weakening of Iraq, there are other people who would say maybe Iran has a hand in this. Maybe Iran, particularly now that the hard-liners have secured their position in Iran are now messing around in the Shiite parts of Iraq, thinking that they can establish domination or maybe even lead to the creation of a separate Shiite state there that they could manipulate.

LIN: All right. Professor Michael Hudson, thank you very much. Always good to draw on your experience. Of course, we don't know exactly what happened yet, but hopefully an investigation is under way on the ground. Thank you.

In the meantime, here in the United States, it is a big day in campaign 2004. More than 1,000 delegates are at stake for the Democrats today in the 10 Super Tuesday states.

We want to get a preview, so we're going to turn to our national correspondent, Bob Franken. He's on the telephone from a polling station in Annapolis, Maryland.

Bob -- give us a sense of how much is at stake here today.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're talking about 1,151 delegates, Carol. That is 53 percent of all of the delegates in one day that one of the Democrats would need to win. John Kerry already has a sizeable lead in the delegates.

But the question is today for most of us, whether he's going to be able to, in effect, crush John Edwards. With wins just about everywhere (AUDIO GAP) going to have one of his comebacks and win enough states or do well enough in states that he can continue a credible campaign.

So, the stakes are high. Edwards says he's going on no matter what. But obviously, if he gets just totally blown away here, there's going to be quite a bit of pressure on him to pull out.

LIN: Yes. Bob, anybody showing up yet at the polls?

FRANKEN: No.

LIN: It's still pretty early.

FRANKEN: It's very early in the morning. In fact, about the only response we've got are a couple of people staring at us, wondering what we're doing here.

LIN: All right. Well, thank you very much, Bob Franken. Obviously, you'll be reporting throughout the day and the night.

In the meantime, the U.S. Senate is focusing on gun control today. A bill to actually shield gun makers from liability lawsuits may be amended to cover gun show sales as well. How do Americans view the gun control debate today? It is one of the questions Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport asked Americans in the latest poll.

Frank, it's got to be a hot-button issue, because obviously Columbine, we all remember Columbine back in 1999, and those kids were able to get some of the guns at a gun show. Should gun shows and manufacturers be held liable in crimes like that? That's a question on Capitol Hill.

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Well, indeed. And it's complicated, because they are kind of combining a variety of things -- bans on assault weapons, the gun show controls, and also the bill which would allow gun manufacturers not to be as liable when their guns are used for crimes. So, it's kind of a complex situation.

It is important, from reports that I've read this morning, that Edwards and Kerry may actually come in off the campaign trail to vote, because it may be that close in the Senate, and that would be unusual in a campaign year.

Here is the bottom line: Should gun laws be made stricter? This is the basic question we've been asking for a number of years. And notice what happened here, Carol. It was 70 percent yes back in the '90s. After 2001, 9/11/2001, notice it fell all the way down to 51 percent. Americans wanted to be able to have more guns, it looks like.

But now, it's been creeping back up, and you've got 60 percent said in our last poll this year of Americans saying yes, in general, gun laws should be stricter. So, if a Democratic candidate votes for stricter laws, they're in accordance with at least a majority of Americans.

However, Republicans, so you read, may be wanting to use this as an issue. Some people think Gore was hurt by his perception that he was anti-gun in the 2000 race. Kerry and Edwards are sensitive to that issue.

But look at low it is in priorities in election voting this year. You see the big issues at the top, Carol -- no surprise: education, economy, Iraq. Gun policy is down there, 53 percent, a little higher than same-sex marriage.

So, it's not a hugely important issue to a lot of people, but it may be important enough, say in the South, that the Democratic candidates have to be very sensitive on how they vote on it -- Carol.

LIN: Another issue that's going to come up in the general election, I'm sure, is going to be immigration. And did you hear Mexican President Vicente Fox is actually meeting with President Bush at Bush's ranch this weekend? And so far, President Fox is saying he wants the United States to make the borders -- make it available, so that Mexican citizens can cross into the United States more easily.

How does the American public view U.S.-Mexican relations right now?

NEWPORT: Another complicated issue. As you mentioned, there is immigration. There is also NAFTA. Remember, Senator Edwards has really been bringing NAFTA up on the campaign trail. He views it as a negative, of course, for Americans. And a lot of that has to do with Mexico.

A very complex attitude. Look how much our favorable opinions of Mexico -- that is, the U.S. citizens' opinions dropped about the time of NAFTA in 1993. See that big drop down in the percent favorable? It's climbed back up now, and our latest reading we just finished shows that 68 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Mexico.

So, that's back up in majority territory, Carol, but not nearly as high, for example...

LIN: All right...

NEWPORT: ... as Americans' opinions of Canada.

LIN: All right, sounds good. Thank very much, Frank. You've always got the scoop.

In the meantime, we want to show you some pictures of Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich live there in Cleveland, Ohio, voting. Where is the man? I see the poll workers. There he is. There's his back. Casting his vote, you can imagine for himself here on Super Tuesday, where more than 1,100 delegates are up for grabs.

CNN is your election headquarters for Super Tuesday coverage. Wolf Blitzer kicks off our primetime coverage this evening at 7:00 Eastern. Larry King picks up the ball at 9:00 with live updates from the campaign trail. At 10:00, Wolf returns for another two hours with new results and reaction from California.

Then a special edition of "LARRY KING" begins at midnight; 1:00 a.m. tune in for all the perspective on a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT."

Democratic front-runner John Kerry will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING." That's going to come your way about a half-hour, 7:00 a.m. Eastern. And Vice President Dick Cheney joins Wolf Blitzer today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Stay with us all day for special coverage.

A mother finds the daughter she thought she'd lost forever. A family's mysterious separation and reunion coming up.

And Toulkin's (ph) "Lord of the Rings" became such a successful film -- series of films, which classic could be next for the silver screen? And find out what some moviegoers discovered on their tickets when they went to see "The Passion of the Christ."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: An almost unbelievable story out of Philadelphia this morning. Police are searching for a woman they believe set a house fire six years ago, kidnapped a baby girl to cover her tracks, and then raised the child as her own.

Well, the search was triggered after the birth mother stumbled upon the surprise of her life.

CNN's Anderson Cooper has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It was a heartbreaking story. Delimar Vera, just 10 days old, killed when her family's home went up in flames. No body was ever found. Police believed little Delimar was consumed by the intense heat of the fire.

That was back in 1997. But this January, the little girl's grieving mother, Luz Cuevas, saw something amazing -- a girl she believed was her own dead daughter, now 6 years old at a birthday party.

ANGEL CRUZ, PA. STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Motherly instinct. Motherly instinct without getting DNA, nothing. She sees the child and says, "This is my child."

COOPER: She managed to get a few strands of the little girl's hair and convinced police to reopen the case. When the DNA tests came back, they proved this 6-year-old girl was Delimar Vera.

Now, the search is on for Carolyn Correa, the woman who allegedly passed the baby off as her own and is believed to have set the 1997 fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An arrest warrant has been issued for the following person: a Carolyn Correa. She's a 41-year-old Hispanic female. She's described as 5'2" tall, about 130 pounds, medium complexion, last seen operating a 2003 Chevrolet Impala.

COOPER: They say Correa was seen at the home twice on the day the fire was set, and she was there with little Delimar at the birthday party.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Later this morning, the girl's mother will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING," beginning at 7:00 Eastern.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is now a quarter to 7:00 here on the East Coast and here are the headlines. The Iraqi cities of Karbala and Baghdad are reeling from several deadly explosions this morning. Scores of people are dead. The blast targeted Shia pilgrims celebrating their holiest day.

Has NASA's rover found water on Mars? The space agency says it will announce significant findings today, discovered by its Opportunity rover.

Pilot error apparently is not the problem it used to be. According to a new "USA Today" study, airplane crashes caused by pilot error are down dramatically this decade. But the study says maintenance is still a growing problem.

And your money. Florida citrus growers are launching a new $6 million campaign to get you to buy orange juice. They're trying to recover from low-carb trends that put the squeeze on the citrus business.

In sports, Oklahoma State downed Texas in a battle of top-10 teams. The 76-67 victory also gives the Cowboys their first big 12 title in more than a decade.

Now, to culture. After watching the smashing success of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Disney has inked a deal to bring the "Narnia" series of books, written by C.S. Lewis, to the big screen. It also -- it starts with "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe."

And in weather, it looks like a rainy day ahead for primary voters in the Northeast. And for those of you there not voting, it's still going to be wet.

Those are the headlines. Your next update is on "AMERICAN MORNING" at the top of the hour.

Coming up: Why would the woman at the center of "Roe v. Wade" want the case back in court after all these years?

And Dick Clark accused of discrimination against a senior citizen? That story ahead in the "Lightning Round."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The lawyer for Martha Stewart's broker will resume his closing arguments this morning, with Stewart's attorney to present his later in the day.

Let's bring in our legal analyst, Kendall Coffey, from Miami with his take on the conclusion of this high-profile stock trial.

Good morning -- Kendall.

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.

LIN: So, listen, is there anything left to this case?

COFFEY: Well... LIN: I mean, basically what are they trying to consider? Whether she lied or not...

COFFEY: That's what...

LIN: ... about her stock trade?

COFFEY: Yes, that's what it comes down to. Did she or didn't she lie? And the government obviously has put a whole lot on Douglas Faneuil. In fact, the prosecutor said yesterday if you believe Faneuil, the case is over. Told the jury they could tune out for the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, it's going to be interesting to see what Martha Stewart's lawyer does in his closing, Carol. Is he going to continue to basically say the government is lying? Or is he going to try to separate from Bacanovic? Because remember, the evidence in large part was more damaging for Bacanovic than Martha Stewart. We might see these defendants go their separate ways as it gets to the bottom line.

LIN: Does the bottom line get back to Peter Bacanovic's assistant, Douglas Faneuil? And whether he -- not lied -- but whether he just simply got his story wrong about the information that he got from his boss and whether to pass it on to Martha Stewart?

COFFEY: Well, the government is saying he's the one person that's standing between the defendants and any hope of acquittal.

And since they've really challenged the defendants in a very unusual way, what I think Martha Stewart's lawyer is going to try to do is not so much say that this witness, who apparently the jury liked, was just out and out lying, but say that there were gaps, there were shortfalls, and try as much as he can to reduce the impact of Faneuil's testimony without trying to absolutely discredit and impeach somebody that the jury may well be liking.

LIN: Gotcha. All right, let's move on to what's happening in New Orleans today. "Roe v. Wade," a woman's right to have an abortion is still up in the air. Why is this being heard again?

COFFEY: Well, what's so extraordinary, Carol, is that this is a case where the original plaintiff in that historic case, the very person who is, in fact, Jane Roe, is coming back herself saying times have changed, evidence has changed, I've changed, and the decision that I supported -- that historic very, very controversial decision -- I now say is wrong. So, she's actually...

LIN: Really?

COFFEY: Yes, she's going back in her own case and asking in that original case the court to accept her statements, accept extensive evidence, and reverse the original "Roe v. Wade."

As we know, there have been a lot of court challenges since "Roe v. Wade." The Supreme Court heard another case as recently as 2000. Still, at least five votes in support of "Roe v. Wade." What's unusual here is in the same case, the original plaintiff is trying to change her mind, and trying to get the court to change its mind as well.

LIN: So, legally, how much weight does it have if the U.S. Fifth District that's hearing it -- so much how much weight does her word have? And as the court considers this, what would be the likely path for reconsideration of "Roe v. Wade?"

COFFEY: Well, I think a big obstacle to overcome here is how can any litigant come in after so many years and ask a court to basically undo a decision that is so longstanding? It's almost unheard of and very, very rare for anybody to go back in a case and have it basically set aside after so many years.

That's different from the very real question of what's happening with some of the other challenges that are working their way through the court system, because everyone is closely counting the number of votes on the U.S. Supreme Court. And as other statutes and other cases and other litigants come before the court, they're at least five votes now for "Roe v. Wade," but that could change. And that decision whether or not to appoint a new justice if there is a vacancy could be important in the presidential election that's coming up.

LIN: You bet. You bet. A lot at stake here. Thanks very much, Kendall.

COFFEY: Thanks, Carol.

LIN: Time for a little business buzz now. Filing your taxes online this year? If so, you're not alone.

Carrie Lee reports from the Nasdaq Marketsite in Times Square.

Good morning -- Carrie.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Good morning to you, Carol.

The IRS reporting that electronic tax filing has shown a sharp increase for this year's early tax filers. Through February 20, the overall e-filing levels reached 29 million returns for 2003. This is an increase of over two million returns, or an 8 percent hike for the same time last year.

Early statistics show people are getting more money back as well. The average refund is up $97 to $2,292. That's a 4.5 percent hike. The refunds total $72.8 billion so far, up from $66.9 billion a year ago.

A big reason for that hike is that the tax cuts that went into effect last May are actually retroactive to the beginning of 2003. So, people essentially overpaid for the first five months of last year.

Carol -- back to you.

LIN: All right, thanks, Carrie.

Chad is going to join me for "Lightning Round" coming up, but first, the headlines here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All right, it's that time. The "Lightning Round," Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Let's go.

LIN: All right. Just when we're starting to think it's spring, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This is cold. This is in Finland. Three hundred people braved this frozen lake. It's an annual ice pool swimming championship. Jump on in, Chad.

MYERS: No, thanks.

LIN: There you go.

MYERS: Done it.

LIN: But you know what? We're all getting older. Dick Clark, accused of age discrimination. This 76-year-old game show producer is actually suing him. Dick Clark, who is 74 years old, because the suit alleges that Dick Clark called this man a dinosaur and wouldn't hire him because of his age. Oh, god!

And voters in Killington, Vermont, Chad, they want to leave Vermont. They actually...

MYERS: They do.

LIN: This is on the ballot out there. They're going to the polls today to vote on a measure to whether Killington should get out of Vermont and move to New Hampshire.

MYERS: Kind of like the Florida Keys when they seceded back in 1982.

LIN: Yes, there you go, except there is 20 miles of land in between, though.

MYERS: Yes.

LIN: I think there is some tax revenue at stake anyway.

MYERS: Yes.

LIN: This is so bizarre. Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ," these people in Rome, Georgia, go to the theater, they get their movie ticket, they look down and they gasp, because the numbers "666" are actually printed out on the tickets there. Some of them were so upset they wanted to get different passes, so they could get into the theater, because, you know, 666 is supposed to be the mark of the beast.

MYERS: Right.

LIN: The sign of the anti-Christ.

MYERS: We have the ticket on our Web site if you want to go to CNN.com and take a look at it.

LIN: I've got to check that out.

MYERS: Yes.

LIN: It was just a computer-generated, you know, thing. It was just a coincidence.

Anyway, cool Chad, "Lightning Round."

MYERS: See you tomorrow.

LIN: See you tomorrow.

From the CNN global headquarters, I'm Carol Lin. "AMERICAN MORNING."

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