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CNN Live Sunday

Lakers Try To Come Back From 2-1 Deficit Tonight; Colin Powell Looks Into 2003 Terrorist Assessment Miscalculations; Saturn Probe To Enter Orbit June 30

Aired June 13, 2004 - 16:00   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.


COLLINS SPENCER, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SUNDAY: An American is apparently kidnapped in Saudi Arabia. Now, Bush administration officials are working to defend a U.S. ally. And a son is left to wonder how it could have happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL JOHNSON III, SON OF KIDNAPPED AMERICAN: You know, this should not have happened. This could have been very preventable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER: And President Bush's foreign policy comes under fire from an unusual source -- former Republican appointees.

And under pressure in tornado alley. Nature's spectacular powers caught on tape.

Hello, and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Collins Spencer. All that and more after this check of the headlines.

Nine people linked to al Qaeda have been arrested in a raid in Pakistan. Authorities there accuse the nine of being involved in several deadly attacks in Karachi. Pakistan authorities also seized explosives and weapons in the raid.

A U.S. soldier was killed in an ambush north of Baghdad today. Two others were wounded in the attack. Their unit was on patrol in Tadji, when a car bomb exploded and insurgents opened fire. U.S. troops returned fire, killing one of the insurgents.

Back in this country, gas prices are making a dramatic turnaround. Over the last three weeks they dropped more than six cents. The average price of self-serve regular gas is now just over $2.00 a gallon. OPEC's recent decision to increase oil production next month is one factor being credited for the price drop.

Eighty years old and still spry enough to jump out of an airplane. That's former President George Bush celebrating his birthday with a couple of skydives today. The 41st president says he hopes his stunt sets an example for elderly Americans. Bush says he wants them to realize that at 80 they still got a life.

Well, a new warning for Americans in Saudi Arabia to lie low in the wake of escalating anti-Western violence over the weekend. One U.S. official says the kingdom can do more to fight terrorism.

CNN's Sean Callebs is live with more from Washington. Hi, Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON: Hi, Collins.

Indeed. Bush administration officials are calling the situation in Saudi Arabia a serious threat, and at the same time saying, they're very actively engaged, working with Saudi officials to confront this latest terrorist activity.

One American Saturday was shot and killed by suspected al Qaeda operatives, another apparently taken hostage -- 49-year-old Paul Johnson.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the Saudis are dealing with a dangerous situation. Powell says, by going after Americans, terrorists are trying to fuel instability in that country. And that is a threat to Saudi leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're very sad over the loss of American life, and we're worried about the individual who was kidnapped. And we are working with the Saudi officials to recover him safely.

And it's a troubling time in Saudi Arabia, and I know that the Saudis are doing everything they can to deal with this terrorist threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Powell says Saudi officials should build up their forces and step up efforts to exchange intelligence information.

Kansas Senator Pat Roberts, who also heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, says the Saudis haven't been doing all they can to fight terror in the kingdom. But he believes the recent spate of violent attacks are now prompting Saudi officials to move in that direction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. PAT ROBERTS, (R) KANSAS: But I think they have stepped up that fight. And they realize that they are a target, and they realize that they have to take the appropriate action. And they also realize they have to have reform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: The son of abducted -- apparent abducted -- U.S. citizen Paul Johnson, Jr., says his father didn't appear to be overly concerned with security in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PAUL JOHNSON III, SON OF KIDNAPPED AMERICAN: You know, I'm waiting on the State Department to give me an answer, his company. You know, this should not have happened. This could have been very preventable, you know, on Lockheed Martin's part.

And, I don't know. That's all I've got to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: The U.S. embassy just issued a new warning to its citizens in Saudi Arabia, saying the anti-Western attacks appear to be well planned, well choreographed. And it is urging U.S. citizens still in the kingdom to keep a low profile.

For weeks, President Bush's administration has warned Saudi Arabia is a dangerous place right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, WASHINGTON: Well, the United States has, in fact, warned American citizens about the dangers in Saudi Arabia. There have been several warnings. And there was the State Department warning.

It is, like many places in the world right now, a place in which terrorists are trying to make their mark.

We are doing everything that we can with the Saudis to try and protect those who are there. But it's obviously a dangerous place, and people have to draw their own conclusions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: The terrorists are vowing to continue their attacks, in their words, Collins, to support their brothers in Palestine, Iraq, Cuba and elsewhere.

SPENCER: All right. Thanks, Sean. Sean Callebs in Washington.

The Saudis are condemning the violence and say they will not allow the attacks to shake their will.

CNN's Caroline Faraj joins us on the telephone from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Hi, Caroline.

CAROLINE FARAJ, CNN CORRESPONDENT, DUBAI: Hi, Collins.

Well, as you just mentioned right now, the Saudis are trying their best and they are tightening the security and they are on high alert. And they are trying to have the security become visible so that they will at least, they will assure the foreigners, expatriates and especially the Westerners, that they are doing their best.

However, some of the Westerners that we've talked to in Saudi Arabia, they started to reconsider whether, you know, it's really worth it for them to stay in Saudi Arabia or it's better for them to leave.

Of course, some of them have already decided, and they've sent their families out of Saudi Arabia. Some of them, they came to the Emirates, and some of them, they went back home -- Collins.

SPENCER: Caroline, are the Saudis retracting their report about a body of a Westerner being found?

FARAJ: Yes, indeed, this is what happened. And we are still waiting for an explanation about the conflicting information.

First of all, we've heard from officials as well as diplomats -- Western diplomats in Riyadh -- confirming that they found a Western body in the eastern side of Riyadh. And they even identified the place by saying it's nearby the National Guard building.

And after that, we also talked to the U.S. embassy spokeswoman, and she confirmed that, yes, we are working on the assumption that he is not American, which means that there is a body, but he is not American.

And then after that -- just an hour after that, Collins -- we've got a statement issued on the state-owned newswires in Saudi Arabia saying -- quoting of the chief of police -- saying that there is -- it's not correct at all that there was a Western body found in any of the places in Riyadh.

However, it was not clear if the statement means a Western body was not found, or a body in general was not found. We're still waiting to hear from the Saudis an explanation about this conflicting information -- Collins.

SPENCER: All right. Thank you, Caroline. Caroline Faraj, reporting in Dubai.

And now to Iraq, where another senior government official has fallen victim to assassins' guns. It happened on a day when a dozen other Iraqis working with the U.S.-led coalition were killed in a separate attack.

CNN's Guy Raz reports.

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT, BAGHDAD: In what's shaping up to be a particularly violent day in the Iraqi capital, a suicide car bomb blast, just feet from a U.S. military installation.

At least 12 Iraqis were killed in that attack according to U.S. military sources. Four of those killed were Iraqi police officers, who apparently were trying to stop the suicide car bomber from reaching the U.S. military installation.

It's the third car bomb in Iraq in just over a week.

Now, that attack happened shortly after another senior high-level Iraqi government official was gunned down just outside his home. Kamal al-Jarah was killed as he was leaving for work. He was the cultural affairs officer at the Ministry of Education.

Now, Jarah was the second high-level Iraqi government official killed in as many days. Yesterday, Bassam Salih Kubba, Iraq's deputy foreign minister, gunned down as he made his way to work. He was the deputy foreign minister of Iraq, just back from New York for a visit to the United Nations.

Now, these attacks really underline the instability that characterizes the landscape here in the Iraqi capital and all over the country, just weeks before interim administrative authority is handed over to an Iraqi government.

Guy Raz, CNN, Baghdad.

SPENCER: Bush administration officials are warning there will likely be more violence in Iraq after the June 30 handover of sovereignty.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us with details. Hi, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON: Well, hello, Collins.

Of course, this is a critical time for the Bush administration. It is just a little over two weeks before the Iraqi sovereignty, the transfer of power occurs. And, of course, this all comes as we see the violence escalating in that area, as we've mentioned before.

It was just earlier today, a car bomb exploding outside of a U.S. installation, killing at least a dozen Iraqis and injuring many others. Also, gunmen assassinate yet another Iraqi government official.

Now, the new president of Iraq says that he believes U.S. troops will be necessary in the country anywhere from six months to about a year. The White House strategy now, of course, is to convince allies that the Iraqi people can handle the heat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICE: The real goal, the real focus, should be on training Iraqis to take care of their own security needs. And what we're going to be doing is urging our international partners to participate in those efforts to help the Iraqis become more capable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, Collins, of course, the U.S. administration won a U.N. Security Council resolution essentially endorsing Iraqi sovereignty, but did not get the commitment from other European allies for additional troops.

What President Bush is certainly hoping for is that NATO will help at least train some of these Iraqi police, these military forces. That is something that he is going to be taking with him when he meets with NATO leaders at the summit in Turkey in about a week -- Collins.

SPENCER: Suzanne, today we learned about a report that the President is getting a bit of criticism from people within his own party. Can you tell us about that?

MALVEAUX: Well, this is a report, essentially, the State Department had released, saying that last year's 2003 annual terrorist report that the terrorist attacks had actually declined, that it was one of the lowest rates that we had seen in some 20 plus years, it turns out that that report essentially was incorrect, that it was incomplete.

We heard from Secretary of State Colin Powell, who said that he was going to get to the bottom of this. He was going to be meeting with various representatives of federal agencies tomorrow, to figure out how this happened.

But he certainly dismissed the notion that this was some sort of political spin or manipulation to try to make it seem as if the U.S. was more successful in the war on terror.

But, of course, Collins, this couldn't happen at a worse time, when U.S. credibility is on the line.

SPENCER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) White House.

The Bush administration backtracks on a status report in the war on terror. We'll tell you what Colin Powell had to say about a document which overstated the nation's success rate.

Still to come, teaching teens about the Bible in their own language. Why some don't think it's a good idea.

Plus a multi-billion-dollar science project nears its ultimate goal. We'll tell you what's so special about Cassini's trip to Saturn.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SPENCER: Secretary of State Colin Powell says he's very embarrassed about a State Department report that incorrectly reported a drop in terrorism last year. But he calls it a numbers error, not an effort to "cook the books."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POWELL: If you read the narrative of the report, it makes it clear that the war on terror is a difficult one, and that we're pursuing it with all of the means at our disposal.

But something happened in the data collection, and we're getting to the bottom of it. Teams have been working for the last several days and all weekend long.

And I'll be having a meeting in the department tomorrow with CIA, other contributing agencies, the Terrorist Threat Information Center and my own staff, to find out how these numbers got into the report.

Some cutoff dates were shifted from the way it was done in the past. There's nothing political about it. It was the data collection and reporting error.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER: The ranking Democrat on the House Government and Reform Committee had challenged the report's findings. Congressman Henry Waxman sent a letter to Powell accusing the Bush administration of manipulating figures ahead of the elections.

After speaking with Powell, Waxman said he accepts his explanation that the mistakes were unintentional.

Last week in Idaho, a jury rejected the government's case against a Saudi student accused of aiding terrorists by running an Internet network.

The government calls it a setback in the war on terror. Critics call it a major victory for free speech.

CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON: The government says these videos showing Arab Mujahideen fighters in Chechnya and Bosnia are used to recruit terrorists, and that those who make them available on the Internet, like Sami Al-Hussayen, are guilty of providing material support to terrorist organizations.

Evan Kohlmann has been tracking such sites for years.

EVAN KOHLMANN, GLOBALTERRORALERT.COM: They're about al Qaeda fighters who were in Bosnia, who were fighting the Serbs, the Croats and the United Nations, at times.

And their grizzly deaths are glorified on here.

ARENA: But Al-Hussayen's defense argued successfully that he had little to do with creating the material which was posted on the Web site linked to the Islamic Assembly of North America. And the jury apparently agreed the material is protected by the First Amendment.

JOHN STEGER, JUROR, SAMI AL-HUSSAYEN TRIAL, IDAHO: We talked about the fact that we weren't going to step on anybody's rights to hold the opinion they have.

ARENA: The verdict renews the ongoing debate over whether the government is overreaching in its war on terror.

ANN BEESON, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: We hope that it sends a strong message to the government that it should be focusing on real threats, and not abusing its PATRIOT Act powers and wasting government resources to go after people who are merely talking on the Internet.

ARENA: But some experts suggest existing law has too many loopholes.

KOHLMANN: When you see a fatwa appear on a Web site four months before 9/11, saying that suicide crashing into an enemy target like an airplane would be an acceptable form of jihad, and this is published by Sami Omar Hussayen on one of the Web sites he's responsible for, and then four months later a group of 19 men do exactly this act, well, I mean, how much more of a direct connection can we get at?

ARENA: The debate is expected to intensify as the Internet becomes an increasingly important recruitment, funding and communications tool.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SPENCER: News around the world now.

An Islamic Web site says Algeria's strongest Islamic militant group has declared war on people in companies in that oil rich country. The group has ties to al Qaeda. It claims to have killed at least 12 soldiers.

Pakistani forces report killing more than 50 al Qaeda-linked militants in four days of battles near the border with Afghanistan. The military says it lost 17 troops and three civilians in the fighting in a remote tribal region.

Authorities in Afghanistan say they've arrested 10 people for the killing of Chinese workers in Kunduz. Gunmen slipped into a road crew camp Thursday and fired on tents where workers were sleeping. Eleven Chinese died and five were wounded.

It was the worst attack on non-Afghani civilians since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Afghan officials suspect a warlord wanted by the U.S. military ordered the strike.

The scientific search for cures for diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to Parkinson's is running into an ethical roadblock. After the break, the moral debate over embryonic stem cell research.

Plus on the lighter side of politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, NBC'S "THE TONIGHT SHOW": After remembering D- Day, or as it was known in his house, report card day, yes, that was all ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER: Flexing television's free speech funny bone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SPENCER: Ronald Reagan's death has renewed the debate over stem cell research. Many people see it as a key to finding cures or new treatments for Alzheimer's and other deadly diseases. Others say the research is immoral.

It's just one of several ethical debates in the news lately.

Joining us from New York is someone who can put them in perspective. Bruce Weinstein is a professional ethicist, also known as "the Ethics Guy." Hi, Bruce.

BRUCE WEINSTEIN, PROFESSIONAL ETHICIST: Hi, Collins. How are you?

SPENCER: Good, thanks.

Bruce, there has been a lot of debate lately about whether stem cell research is the right thing to do. Does it make ethical sense for someone who opposes abortion to then support stem cell research?

WEINSTEIN: Collins, it is possible to oppose abortion on moral grounds and support stem cell research on moral grounds, because some stem cells are not drawn from aborted fetuses. Some come as a result of in vitro fertilization. And it's possible in the future that some stem cells may, in fact, come from bone marrow.

But isn't it ironic, Collins, that many of the people who opposed stem cell research on moral grounds now support it, simply because a loved one of theirs is afflicted with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease?

The morality of this issue should not change as a result of one's personal involvement. And yet, when it hits close to home, suddenly we recognize, you know what? This is a very important issue to take seriously. And therefore, it ought to be allowed politically.

So, when you look at this issue, Collins, it ought not to be seen through a Democratic or Republican lens. It should not be seen as a liberal or conservative issue.

This transcends politics, because it is about the right of people to make decisions for themselves, and the right for people to become healthier.

SPENCER: Right. And you mentioned that -- talk a little bit more about stem cells. They don't all come from aborted fetuses. You want to go into that and the ethics behind that?

WEINSTEIN: Well, now, some people still oppose stem cell research on the grounds that it may involve killing an embryo. And for people who believe that life begins at conception, this is considered a moral wrong.

So the question really becomes, what's more important? Preserving the life of an embryo, or possibly helping the lives of future people stricken with illnesses like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, eradicate this illness or to become healthier through the illness?

So, it really becomes a question of what's more important? And those people who support stem cell research on moral grounds believe that ultimately the most important thing for us as a society to do is honor those of us who are living and future people who may be suffering from these diseases. That's why many people believe it is an ethical thing to do.

SPENCER: OK. A couple more issues to talk about. Let's talk about torture.

Ever since the incident at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, there's been talk about torture. Is there a moral issue there when dealing with torture?

WEINSTEIN: Torture is one of those few moral issues that is not ambiguous or gray at all. Torture is absolutely immoral, unethical at all times and in all cultures.

It is one of those things that is wrong, because it violates two important moral principles. The first principle that it violates is the principle of respecting other people. And the second moral principle that it violates is do no harm.

Now, it turns out that torture isn't even very good for obtaining information. So the grounds that people use to justify it are not very good grounds from a practical perspective.

But even if it were the case that we could get useful knowledge through torturing people, it would still be wrong, because it is a degrading and monstrous act that ought to be banned the world around.

And this is also another issue that is nonpartisan. It transcends politics, culture and religion. Torture is absolutely a moral evil.

SPENCER: OK. Quickly, Bruce, let's change the tables entirely here. Let's talk about Martha Stewart. Should she be retried?

WEINSTEIN: She should be retried, because the evidence that convicted her, in part, was tainted. We learned that a witness on the government's behalf lied during the trial, and therefore, the evidence that he submitted is not valid.

Now, it may very well turn out to be the case in a new trial that a new jury could convict Martha Stewart nevertheless.

But what's important to remember is, it's not just the outcome that we should be concerned about, but how we arrive at the outcome. And if the arrival, the process, the judicial process is tainted in some way -- as it has been -- Martha Stewart deserves to be retried.

SPENCER: OK. Well, I thank you for joining us, Bruce.

WEINSTEIN: Thank you, Collins.

SPENCER: Thanks. Bruce Weinstein, the ethics guy. Thank you again.

WEINSTEIN: Thank you.

SPENCER: Well, it's been a weekend of violent weather for a large portion of the country. Twisters hit from Iowa to Kentucky, and the worst may not be over yet. We'll have an update on the nation's weather forecast.

Plus, former President Bush reaches a birthday milestone. A live report on his highflying celebration is next.

And still to come, Shaq and his team of superstars face an uphill battle on the court. Can they come back against the underdog Detroit Pistons?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SPENCER: Here's a check of the latest developments at this hour. An Islamist militant group is claiming responsibility for a kidnapping American Paul Johnson. A picture of the Lockheed Martin employee was posted on an al Qaeda Web site. That follows yesterday's killing of an American who was hot outside his home in Riyadh.

The troubles in Saudi Arabia are prompting a policy change for British Airways, the airlines says it will no longer allow flight crews operating in Saudi Arabia to stay in that country overnight. A company spokesman says the decision was made because of security concerns

President Bush's foreign policy is in the cross hairs of criticism, and it's coming from an unexpected source. On Wednesday, a group of former high-level diplomatic and military officials is expected to issue a statement condemning the Bush administrations foreign policy. Many of the former officials were appointed by Republican administrations.

You're about to see what it actually looks like when a tornado hits a house. During a weekend of stormy weather in the heartland, a freelance photojournalist caught this twister as it zeroed in on a home near Mulvane, Kansas yesterday evening. Fortunately, nobody was home. The tornado was one of several reported in a state. There are no known injuries. There has been violent weather since Friday in Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Will the Midwest endure a third day of storm turbulence? Let's get an update from meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center. Hi Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, METEOROLIGIST: Hi Collins. Most of the action happening a little father to east of there for today. Most of the rotation expected today in the lower parts of Michigan, but we could see severe thunderstorms from the Great Lakes all the way down to the Gulf Coast.

We see a tornado watch in place right now across most of lower Michigan. And we have a couple of tornado warnings in effect for Charlevoix and also into Cheboygan counties for this thunderstorm right here, it's moving very rapidly up to the north and to the east, could produce a tornado at any time. This is a radar indicated tornado.

A little earlier, we had a report of a tornado in near Salzburg. Here is the cell itself moving up to the north and east right now. It is over Saginaw Bay and the warning for Bay County should have just expired. A little bit of damage, a tractor-trailer was blown over.

We also have a tornado to report, touched down earlier in Camden, but the tornado warning now into Humphries County into parts of Tennessee. That is pushing off to the east. There is a severe thunderstorm watch in effect there, it also includes Memphis up towards Nashville and just south of the Louisville area, but there has been a little rotation here, so keep in mind, maybe it is a severe thunderstorm watch, but we could see a little rotation here as well.

From severe weather to tropical weather. We have a disturbance in the Gulf Mexico it has been bringing some very heavy rain to the Yucatan Peninsula. Now we're seeing the cloud band here across lower parts of the Gulf Coast across Louisiana into Mississippi, also into Alabama and the panhandle of Florida.

Right now, this is just a disturbance, but the hurricane hunters are flying into the system right now to determine whether or not it could become a tropical depression. Either way, it is bringing in heavy rain into the lower states. Three to five inches would be possible here over the next two days.

Collins.

SPENCER: All right, all kinds of mixed weather going on across the country. Thanks Jacqui.

Well speaking of the weather, stiff winds over Texas force Former President George Bush to alter some of his birthday plans today. The 80-year-old didn't get to sky dive solo, but he still managed to grab a patch of blue. Our Ed Lavandera is in College Station, Texas with the details on the former president's day. And Ed, what a day it was, wasn't it?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. He might have had to do today's sky dive in tandem, but by the official score book, he is five for five, completing his fourth and fifth jump here today in College Station, celebrating his 80th birthday, with several thousand people here just on the ground near the George Bush Presidential Library at Texas A & M University about 1:00 Central Time, a little after 1:00 Central Time. George Bush jumping out of a plane at almost 13,000 feet with a couple of members of the Golden Knights Parachute Team from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

High winds kept him from doing it alone. Also, the thick cloud cover over the College Station area today, and that prevented him. There was some concern that if he got into the clouds, they would lose him. So that is why the former president, the former president, had to do today's jump in tandem. But despite all of that, President Bush says it was just -- the thrill was just same, and he would love to do it again. Although, apparently Barbara Bush isn't terribly excited about him doing another jump. But Mr. Bush says would like to do it again. And he says the message is very clear, a simple message as to why he does these jumps and he wants senior citizens to pay close attention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: Get out and do something. If you don't want to do a parachute jump, do something else. Don't sit around watching TV, talking to it. Get out there and realize that 80 years old, you still got a life.

And that's what this is about. It's about saying that, you know, for me, I like speed and I like the thrill of it. But the second part is, I think it sets an example for older people, here and abroad, you know, because you're 80 years old, that doesn't mean you're out of, it out of game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVENDERA: We asked him if he would try this again when he was 85. Mr. Bush saying that he just hopes to be here at 85. And he has other plans. He wants to see many more grandchildren, and that's what he'll look forward to in the years ahead.

Also Mikhail Gorbachev was here at landing site where Mr. Bush landed just a short while ago. He presented him with a bouquet of flowers and also a bottle of vodka for the former president, congratulating him on his fifth successful jump.

If you remember, Mr. Bush's first jump was during World War II as a navy fighter pilot. His plane was crashed into the Pacific Ocean. He had to bail and was successfully parachuted into the ocean. He was later rescued and he said ever since then, he's wanted to do this, and wanted to do it just for fun, and exactly the big smile on his face here today proved it, Mr. Bush is still having fun at 80 and still having fun skydiving.

Collins, back to you.

SPENCER: I don't know about you, Ed, but I'm motivated. Thanks Ed. Ed Lavandera in College Station, Texas.

Well, keeping a teenager's attention can be a challenge, that's the goal of new bibles, designed to introduce young people to listen to the message of God. But not everyone likes the idea. CNN's Alina Cho reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The quiz is called, what kind of friend are you? And these girls are playing it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some boys are teasing your friend, Beth, because she got a bad haircut, what you do say?

CHO: Sounds like something from a teen magazine, except it isn't. It's a bible, "Revolve: the complete New Testament."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was awesome.

CHO: In fact Felicia Hassan (ph) liked it so much, she gave it to her friends Nasema (ph) and Melissa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At first when I saw, I was thinking that, like, it wouldn't send a real message, like, and they were twisting up the bible. But I read a little bit of it and it is not doing that at all.

CHO: What it does is get teens to read the bible through clever marketing: catchy headlines, the popular Q&A's, lots of pictures, features, even beauty tips. Woven in, the New Testament in its entirety, beginning with the birth of Jesus and the book of Matthew, to the final judgment in "Revelations."

There's also a bible for boys called "Refuel." Two other teen bibles, "True Images" for girls and "Revolution" for boys, include both the New and Old Testaments.

(on camera): The idea was borne out of research by the publishers that found, while a majority of the teens go to church, most don't read the bible, because they find it too big and too intimidating. Critics say scripture is sacred and shouldn't be put in magazine form.

JEFF JOHNSON, GRACE CHURCH IN NEW YORK: This is the most important thing that we possibly do in our lives is having a relationship with God. And this sort of cheapens it and dumbs it down.

CHO: Jeff Johnson of Grace Church in New York says it's not enough to stay home and read, religion is also about going to church.

JOHNSON: It is about community, we have to interpret and understand scripture as a community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, why not? Because all they're doing is, like, putting into modern terms so that we can understand it.

CHO: Engaging teens about religion, bringing the message of God to a generation that otherwise might not care.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SPENCER: It has spent nearly seven years in space, and its mission is really just about to begin. After the break, Cassini's final destination and why it's so important to science.

Plus, a delivery from outer space has one New Zealand family in need of a good repairman. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SPENCER: The internationally built plutonium powered Cassini spacecraft is about to go where no man made craft has ever been, inside Saturn's orbit. It's already completed a fly-by of Saturn's dark moon of Phoebe, the $3.3 billion spacecraft's next key maneuver will be Wednesday, that is when Cassini begins putting itself in position to orbit Saturn on June 30. During Cassini's four-year mission, it will study Saturn, its rings and it's 31 known moons.

Well scientists with NASA and the European Space Agency are excited about exploring the Saturn. Dr. Bonnie Buratti with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in California is on the phone to tell us why Cassini's mission is so important. Doctor, want to thank you for joining us.

BONNIE BURATTI, NASA JET PROPULSION LAB: Thank you.

SPENCER: From a scientific perspective why, is the Cassini project so important?

BURATTI: Well Saturn is the planet that has everything, it really has great charisma. It's got, as you said, a whole family of moons, each a unique world, it has these incredibly beautiful rings. It has a magnetic field and Saturn itself, is big and looming.

SPENCER: Now these are beautiful pictures. How long will it take the Cassini to reach Saturn?

BURATTI: We're almost there, we're going into orbit around Saturn on June 30.

SPENCER: What -- will you describe the pictures here. In describing these pictures here, what will the Cassini be doing? And how much is involved in exploring?

BURATTI: OK. The fly-by of Phoebe is just the first of 52 fly- bys. A number of unusual moons. The most interesting one is Titan. This is a large moon with an atmosphere, and some scientists have called it an Earth in deep freeze. We believe that Titan might be similar to what the Earth was like four billion years ago, including having some molecules on it that might lead at some point to life arising.

SPENCER: Has the Cassini, so far revealed any surprises?

BURATTI: Yes, when we flew by Phoebe, we didn't expect it to be that battered. It's had a violent past.

SPENCER: What are we hoping to discover during this whole process?

BURATTI: Well, we want to try to understand the solar system in general. Saturn is kind of a mini solar system, so by looking at it and how it started out, and how it evolved, we're going to try to understand how the solar system itself evolved and how it arose. SPENCER: OK, so period of time we're talking about that's going to be involved here?

BURATTI: About four years. We're going to be in orbit at least four years, possibly longer.

SPENCER: What about the 31 moons that are surrounding Saturn, you want to talk about that?

BURATTI: Yes, there is a whole family of unusual objects. We already mentioned Titan, which looks like it might be similar to the Earth early in its history, but there's also this very odd moon, called Selenus (ph), which looks like it's covered in fresh snow. So it looks like there's active geology.

SPENCER: How big is Saturn? Can we give people an idea how big Saturn is?

BURATTI: Well I think the easiest thing; we just need to say that we could fit a few hundred Earths inside of it. It's got a radius of 40,000 miles or so, but we could fit hundreds of earths inside of it. It's the second biggest planet after Jupiter.

SPENCER: OK, great lovely pictures, and I appreciate you taking time out to talk with us. Dr. Bonnie Buratti, and I want to mention to you is a doctor of astronomy and space scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Thank you again.

BURATTI: Thank you so much.

SPENCER: Well part of the outer space hit a little to close to home for a New Zealand today, literally. A meteorite crashed through the roof of the Archers home in Auckland, New Zealand. The grapefruit size chunk of asteroid hit a couch, it bounced off the ceiling and came to a stop under the family's computer. The Archer's one-year-old grandson had been playing nearby just before the meteorite hit. Only nine meteorites have been found in New Zealand. This is the first one to hit a house.

The L.A. Lakers are stacked with superstars, so why are they having such a hard time against the Detroit Pistons? We'll have a preview of the game four in the NBA Championship next.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENO: And as you know CIA director George Tenet resigned last week. Here's the sad part, FBI just found out today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER: Highlights from the week in late night laughs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SPENCER: San Francisco's Barry Bonds is a home run closer to Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron in the chase for the all-time record. Bonds hit his 675th homer yesterday against Baltimore. Interestingly, the Orioles Raphael Palmeiro homered twice in the same game. This is only the third time in history that two players with more than 500 homers connected in the same game.

All right, it is time to talk basketball. Game four of the NBA finals is tonight in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Will the Pistons widen their lead, or after a humiliating loss Thursday, can Los Angeles pull off a desperately needed win. Larry Smith of CNN Sports joins us live with a preview. And Larry, can you answer all those questions for me?

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well you know what I can try to Collins, but certainly we will find the real answers until tonight, 9:00 Eastern when the game tips off. As you mentioned it is game four the NBA Finals, but still there's a sense of urgency for these Los Angeles Lakers. A team that was expected to power its way past Detroit, but is instead still looking for its first complete game effort.

Take away Kobe Bryant's late three pointer that sent game two into overtime and eventual Lakers' win and this would be a 3-0 Pistons series lead. Detroit is out shooting, out rebounding, out hustling the Lakers who are coming off at 68-point night on Thursday, the lowest scoring output in that franchise's playoff history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK FISHER, LAKERS POINT GAURD: I hope as a team we don't come out and feel like there are a sense of desperation or if, you know, you lose this game, then you go down, 3-1, I think when an opportunity like this presents itself, you think of, you know, you win this game and the series is tied at 2-2.

PHIL JACKSON, LAKERS LEAD COACH: I've told this team we have to go back with a victory from the three games here in Detroit. That's all we came back to do is go back with a victory and bring it back to L.A. And the game on Sunday is ultimately an important game to them, because then we can get two victories while we're here.

LARRY BROWN, PISTONS HEAD COACH: We got play each possession the right way, and not get caught up in the game or the importance of the game or what happened in the previous game. And I -- and I tried doing that throughout the playoffs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: There is no question that a 3-1 series deficit would seem devastating to the Lakers, because no team has ever rebounded from that in the NBA Finals.

Now, today's "Los Angeles Times" reports that Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Devean George, Rick Fox and Derek Fischer all met privately on Saturday with coach Phil Jackson, they say they want to start and play together and attempt jump start this Lakers' offense. Reportedly, Jackson is considering making such a switch, but Collins we wonder if even that quintet would be athletic enough to keep up with what is certainly a deep and talented Detroit team.

Lets go back to you.

SPENCER: That's a good question, Larry. Larry good to see you. Larry Smith in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

President Bush is clearing time in his busy schedule to take in a game of tee ball. Tee ball is a White House tradition started by the Bush family about three years ago. Young players gather on the south lawn for several games each season.

Well, the race for the White House can be merciless, but thanks to late night comedians, it also can be full of laughs. Here's a sample.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENO: ...in order to honor Former President Ronald Reagan, Sen. John Kerry has suspended his presidential campaign for five days. Very nice gesture. Ralph Nader also suspended his campaign, not because of Reagan, because he doesn't have supporters.

DAVID LETTERMAN, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN:" Any of you folks following the situation in Iraq? President Bush now, he plans to hand over the country to the new government on June 30. And if it works there, then in November he's going to do it here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MTV, we love you.

LENO: Let's try to imagine how the candidates of today would have dealt with the Berlin Wall. Like Ralph Nader, now he probably would have worried about the environmental impact of tearing down the wall. John Kerry would have just shortened the wall about halfway. President Bush would have said wall? What wall?

CONAN O'BRIEN, "LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN:" Out of respect to Ronald Reagan, John Kerry, did you know this? John Kerry suspended his presidential campaign for the week. It's true. Unfortunately for Kerry, no one could tell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER: Some good stuff. Here's Daniel Sieberg with a preview what's coming up on "NEXT@CNN."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN ANCHOR, NEXT @ CNN: Ahead on "NEXT@CNN," an underwater roundup. Scientist set out to capture a couple of invader fish in the Florida Keys, and we'll show you how it went.

Plus your CDs and DVDs may not be as permanent as you think, a look at problem of CD rot. Those stories and a lot more coming up after the break. Don't go away. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SPENCER: Then at 6:00 Eastern on "CNN Live Sunday" from beer to pasta to vitamins, traditional products are being revamped for low- carb diets. We'll find out if it's just another market gimmick, or if they can really help.

And stayed tuned for special people in the news at 7:00 Eastern, D-Day, a call to courage is one-hour look at the Normandy invasion told through the eyes of four U.S. veterans. Thanks for joining us. I'll be back with the headlines after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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


Aired June 13, 2004 - 16:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLINS SPENCER, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SUNDAY: An American is apparently kidnapped in Saudi Arabia. Now, Bush administration officials are working to defend a U.S. ally. And a son is left to wonder how it could have happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL JOHNSON III, SON OF KIDNAPPED AMERICAN: You know, this should not have happened. This could have been very preventable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER: And President Bush's foreign policy comes under fire from an unusual source -- former Republican appointees.

And under pressure in tornado alley. Nature's spectacular powers caught on tape.

Hello, and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Collins Spencer. All that and more after this check of the headlines.

Nine people linked to al Qaeda have been arrested in a raid in Pakistan. Authorities there accuse the nine of being involved in several deadly attacks in Karachi. Pakistan authorities also seized explosives and weapons in the raid.

A U.S. soldier was killed in an ambush north of Baghdad today. Two others were wounded in the attack. Their unit was on patrol in Tadji, when a car bomb exploded and insurgents opened fire. U.S. troops returned fire, killing one of the insurgents.

Back in this country, gas prices are making a dramatic turnaround. Over the last three weeks they dropped more than six cents. The average price of self-serve regular gas is now just over $2.00 a gallon. OPEC's recent decision to increase oil production next month is one factor being credited for the price drop.

Eighty years old and still spry enough to jump out of an airplane. That's former President George Bush celebrating his birthday with a couple of skydives today. The 41st president says he hopes his stunt sets an example for elderly Americans. Bush says he wants them to realize that at 80 they still got a life.

Well, a new warning for Americans in Saudi Arabia to lie low in the wake of escalating anti-Western violence over the weekend. One U.S. official says the kingdom can do more to fight terrorism.

CNN's Sean Callebs is live with more from Washington. Hi, Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON: Hi, Collins.

Indeed. Bush administration officials are calling the situation in Saudi Arabia a serious threat, and at the same time saying, they're very actively engaged, working with Saudi officials to confront this latest terrorist activity.

One American Saturday was shot and killed by suspected al Qaeda operatives, another apparently taken hostage -- 49-year-old Paul Johnson.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the Saudis are dealing with a dangerous situation. Powell says, by going after Americans, terrorists are trying to fuel instability in that country. And that is a threat to Saudi leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're very sad over the loss of American life, and we're worried about the individual who was kidnapped. And we are working with the Saudi officials to recover him safely.

And it's a troubling time in Saudi Arabia, and I know that the Saudis are doing everything they can to deal with this terrorist threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Powell says Saudi officials should build up their forces and step up efforts to exchange intelligence information.

Kansas Senator Pat Roberts, who also heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, says the Saudis haven't been doing all they can to fight terror in the kingdom. But he believes the recent spate of violent attacks are now prompting Saudi officials to move in that direction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. PAT ROBERTS, (R) KANSAS: But I think they have stepped up that fight. And they realize that they are a target, and they realize that they have to take the appropriate action. And they also realize they have to have reform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: The son of abducted -- apparent abducted -- U.S. citizen Paul Johnson, Jr., says his father didn't appear to be overly concerned with security in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PAUL JOHNSON III, SON OF KIDNAPPED AMERICAN: You know, I'm waiting on the State Department to give me an answer, his company. You know, this should not have happened. This could have been very preventable, you know, on Lockheed Martin's part.

And, I don't know. That's all I've got to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: The U.S. embassy just issued a new warning to its citizens in Saudi Arabia, saying the anti-Western attacks appear to be well planned, well choreographed. And it is urging U.S. citizens still in the kingdom to keep a low profile.

For weeks, President Bush's administration has warned Saudi Arabia is a dangerous place right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, WASHINGTON: Well, the United States has, in fact, warned American citizens about the dangers in Saudi Arabia. There have been several warnings. And there was the State Department warning.

It is, like many places in the world right now, a place in which terrorists are trying to make their mark.

We are doing everything that we can with the Saudis to try and protect those who are there. But it's obviously a dangerous place, and people have to draw their own conclusions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: The terrorists are vowing to continue their attacks, in their words, Collins, to support their brothers in Palestine, Iraq, Cuba and elsewhere.

SPENCER: All right. Thanks, Sean. Sean Callebs in Washington.

The Saudis are condemning the violence and say they will not allow the attacks to shake their will.

CNN's Caroline Faraj joins us on the telephone from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Hi, Caroline.

CAROLINE FARAJ, CNN CORRESPONDENT, DUBAI: Hi, Collins.

Well, as you just mentioned right now, the Saudis are trying their best and they are tightening the security and they are on high alert. And they are trying to have the security become visible so that they will at least, they will assure the foreigners, expatriates and especially the Westerners, that they are doing their best.

However, some of the Westerners that we've talked to in Saudi Arabia, they started to reconsider whether, you know, it's really worth it for them to stay in Saudi Arabia or it's better for them to leave.

Of course, some of them have already decided, and they've sent their families out of Saudi Arabia. Some of them, they came to the Emirates, and some of them, they went back home -- Collins.

SPENCER: Caroline, are the Saudis retracting their report about a body of a Westerner being found?

FARAJ: Yes, indeed, this is what happened. And we are still waiting for an explanation about the conflicting information.

First of all, we've heard from officials as well as diplomats -- Western diplomats in Riyadh -- confirming that they found a Western body in the eastern side of Riyadh. And they even identified the place by saying it's nearby the National Guard building.

And after that, we also talked to the U.S. embassy spokeswoman, and she confirmed that, yes, we are working on the assumption that he is not American, which means that there is a body, but he is not American.

And then after that -- just an hour after that, Collins -- we've got a statement issued on the state-owned newswires in Saudi Arabia saying -- quoting of the chief of police -- saying that there is -- it's not correct at all that there was a Western body found in any of the places in Riyadh.

However, it was not clear if the statement means a Western body was not found, or a body in general was not found. We're still waiting to hear from the Saudis an explanation about this conflicting information -- Collins.

SPENCER: All right. Thank you, Caroline. Caroline Faraj, reporting in Dubai.

And now to Iraq, where another senior government official has fallen victim to assassins' guns. It happened on a day when a dozen other Iraqis working with the U.S.-led coalition were killed in a separate attack.

CNN's Guy Raz reports.

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT, BAGHDAD: In what's shaping up to be a particularly violent day in the Iraqi capital, a suicide car bomb blast, just feet from a U.S. military installation.

At least 12 Iraqis were killed in that attack according to U.S. military sources. Four of those killed were Iraqi police officers, who apparently were trying to stop the suicide car bomber from reaching the U.S. military installation.

It's the third car bomb in Iraq in just over a week.

Now, that attack happened shortly after another senior high-level Iraqi government official was gunned down just outside his home. Kamal al-Jarah was killed as he was leaving for work. He was the cultural affairs officer at the Ministry of Education.

Now, Jarah was the second high-level Iraqi government official killed in as many days. Yesterday, Bassam Salih Kubba, Iraq's deputy foreign minister, gunned down as he made his way to work. He was the deputy foreign minister of Iraq, just back from New York for a visit to the United Nations.

Now, these attacks really underline the instability that characterizes the landscape here in the Iraqi capital and all over the country, just weeks before interim administrative authority is handed over to an Iraqi government.

Guy Raz, CNN, Baghdad.

SPENCER: Bush administration officials are warning there will likely be more violence in Iraq after the June 30 handover of sovereignty.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us with details. Hi, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON: Well, hello, Collins.

Of course, this is a critical time for the Bush administration. It is just a little over two weeks before the Iraqi sovereignty, the transfer of power occurs. And, of course, this all comes as we see the violence escalating in that area, as we've mentioned before.

It was just earlier today, a car bomb exploding outside of a U.S. installation, killing at least a dozen Iraqis and injuring many others. Also, gunmen assassinate yet another Iraqi government official.

Now, the new president of Iraq says that he believes U.S. troops will be necessary in the country anywhere from six months to about a year. The White House strategy now, of course, is to convince allies that the Iraqi people can handle the heat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICE: The real goal, the real focus, should be on training Iraqis to take care of their own security needs. And what we're going to be doing is urging our international partners to participate in those efforts to help the Iraqis become more capable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, Collins, of course, the U.S. administration won a U.N. Security Council resolution essentially endorsing Iraqi sovereignty, but did not get the commitment from other European allies for additional troops.

What President Bush is certainly hoping for is that NATO will help at least train some of these Iraqi police, these military forces. That is something that he is going to be taking with him when he meets with NATO leaders at the summit in Turkey in about a week -- Collins.

SPENCER: Suzanne, today we learned about a report that the President is getting a bit of criticism from people within his own party. Can you tell us about that?

MALVEAUX: Well, this is a report, essentially, the State Department had released, saying that last year's 2003 annual terrorist report that the terrorist attacks had actually declined, that it was one of the lowest rates that we had seen in some 20 plus years, it turns out that that report essentially was incorrect, that it was incomplete.

We heard from Secretary of State Colin Powell, who said that he was going to get to the bottom of this. He was going to be meeting with various representatives of federal agencies tomorrow, to figure out how this happened.

But he certainly dismissed the notion that this was some sort of political spin or manipulation to try to make it seem as if the U.S. was more successful in the war on terror.

But, of course, Collins, this couldn't happen at a worse time, when U.S. credibility is on the line.

SPENCER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) White House.

The Bush administration backtracks on a status report in the war on terror. We'll tell you what Colin Powell had to say about a document which overstated the nation's success rate.

Still to come, teaching teens about the Bible in their own language. Why some don't think it's a good idea.

Plus a multi-billion-dollar science project nears its ultimate goal. We'll tell you what's so special about Cassini's trip to Saturn.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SPENCER: Secretary of State Colin Powell says he's very embarrassed about a State Department report that incorrectly reported a drop in terrorism last year. But he calls it a numbers error, not an effort to "cook the books."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POWELL: If you read the narrative of the report, it makes it clear that the war on terror is a difficult one, and that we're pursuing it with all of the means at our disposal.

But something happened in the data collection, and we're getting to the bottom of it. Teams have been working for the last several days and all weekend long.

And I'll be having a meeting in the department tomorrow with CIA, other contributing agencies, the Terrorist Threat Information Center and my own staff, to find out how these numbers got into the report.

Some cutoff dates were shifted from the way it was done in the past. There's nothing political about it. It was the data collection and reporting error.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER: The ranking Democrat on the House Government and Reform Committee had challenged the report's findings. Congressman Henry Waxman sent a letter to Powell accusing the Bush administration of manipulating figures ahead of the elections.

After speaking with Powell, Waxman said he accepts his explanation that the mistakes were unintentional.

Last week in Idaho, a jury rejected the government's case against a Saudi student accused of aiding terrorists by running an Internet network.

The government calls it a setback in the war on terror. Critics call it a major victory for free speech.

CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON: The government says these videos showing Arab Mujahideen fighters in Chechnya and Bosnia are used to recruit terrorists, and that those who make them available on the Internet, like Sami Al-Hussayen, are guilty of providing material support to terrorist organizations.

Evan Kohlmann has been tracking such sites for years.

EVAN KOHLMANN, GLOBALTERRORALERT.COM: They're about al Qaeda fighters who were in Bosnia, who were fighting the Serbs, the Croats and the United Nations, at times.

And their grizzly deaths are glorified on here.

ARENA: But Al-Hussayen's defense argued successfully that he had little to do with creating the material which was posted on the Web site linked to the Islamic Assembly of North America. And the jury apparently agreed the material is protected by the First Amendment.

JOHN STEGER, JUROR, SAMI AL-HUSSAYEN TRIAL, IDAHO: We talked about the fact that we weren't going to step on anybody's rights to hold the opinion they have.

ARENA: The verdict renews the ongoing debate over whether the government is overreaching in its war on terror.

ANN BEESON, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: We hope that it sends a strong message to the government that it should be focusing on real threats, and not abusing its PATRIOT Act powers and wasting government resources to go after people who are merely talking on the Internet.

ARENA: But some experts suggest existing law has too many loopholes.

KOHLMANN: When you see a fatwa appear on a Web site four months before 9/11, saying that suicide crashing into an enemy target like an airplane would be an acceptable form of jihad, and this is published by Sami Omar Hussayen on one of the Web sites he's responsible for, and then four months later a group of 19 men do exactly this act, well, I mean, how much more of a direct connection can we get at?

ARENA: The debate is expected to intensify as the Internet becomes an increasingly important recruitment, funding and communications tool.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SPENCER: News around the world now.

An Islamic Web site says Algeria's strongest Islamic militant group has declared war on people in companies in that oil rich country. The group has ties to al Qaeda. It claims to have killed at least 12 soldiers.

Pakistani forces report killing more than 50 al Qaeda-linked militants in four days of battles near the border with Afghanistan. The military says it lost 17 troops and three civilians in the fighting in a remote tribal region.

Authorities in Afghanistan say they've arrested 10 people for the killing of Chinese workers in Kunduz. Gunmen slipped into a road crew camp Thursday and fired on tents where workers were sleeping. Eleven Chinese died and five were wounded.

It was the worst attack on non-Afghani civilians since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Afghan officials suspect a warlord wanted by the U.S. military ordered the strike.

The scientific search for cures for diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to Parkinson's is running into an ethical roadblock. After the break, the moral debate over embryonic stem cell research.

Plus on the lighter side of politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, NBC'S "THE TONIGHT SHOW": After remembering D- Day, or as it was known in his house, report card day, yes, that was all ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER: Flexing television's free speech funny bone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SPENCER: Ronald Reagan's death has renewed the debate over stem cell research. Many people see it as a key to finding cures or new treatments for Alzheimer's and other deadly diseases. Others say the research is immoral.

It's just one of several ethical debates in the news lately.

Joining us from New York is someone who can put them in perspective. Bruce Weinstein is a professional ethicist, also known as "the Ethics Guy." Hi, Bruce.

BRUCE WEINSTEIN, PROFESSIONAL ETHICIST: Hi, Collins. How are you?

SPENCER: Good, thanks.

Bruce, there has been a lot of debate lately about whether stem cell research is the right thing to do. Does it make ethical sense for someone who opposes abortion to then support stem cell research?

WEINSTEIN: Collins, it is possible to oppose abortion on moral grounds and support stem cell research on moral grounds, because some stem cells are not drawn from aborted fetuses. Some come as a result of in vitro fertilization. And it's possible in the future that some stem cells may, in fact, come from bone marrow.

But isn't it ironic, Collins, that many of the people who opposed stem cell research on moral grounds now support it, simply because a loved one of theirs is afflicted with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease?

The morality of this issue should not change as a result of one's personal involvement. And yet, when it hits close to home, suddenly we recognize, you know what? This is a very important issue to take seriously. And therefore, it ought to be allowed politically.

So, when you look at this issue, Collins, it ought not to be seen through a Democratic or Republican lens. It should not be seen as a liberal or conservative issue.

This transcends politics, because it is about the right of people to make decisions for themselves, and the right for people to become healthier.

SPENCER: Right. And you mentioned that -- talk a little bit more about stem cells. They don't all come from aborted fetuses. You want to go into that and the ethics behind that?

WEINSTEIN: Well, now, some people still oppose stem cell research on the grounds that it may involve killing an embryo. And for people who believe that life begins at conception, this is considered a moral wrong.

So the question really becomes, what's more important? Preserving the life of an embryo, or possibly helping the lives of future people stricken with illnesses like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, eradicate this illness or to become healthier through the illness?

So, it really becomes a question of what's more important? And those people who support stem cell research on moral grounds believe that ultimately the most important thing for us as a society to do is honor those of us who are living and future people who may be suffering from these diseases. That's why many people believe it is an ethical thing to do.

SPENCER: OK. A couple more issues to talk about. Let's talk about torture.

Ever since the incident at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, there's been talk about torture. Is there a moral issue there when dealing with torture?

WEINSTEIN: Torture is one of those few moral issues that is not ambiguous or gray at all. Torture is absolutely immoral, unethical at all times and in all cultures.

It is one of those things that is wrong, because it violates two important moral principles. The first principle that it violates is the principle of respecting other people. And the second moral principle that it violates is do no harm.

Now, it turns out that torture isn't even very good for obtaining information. So the grounds that people use to justify it are not very good grounds from a practical perspective.

But even if it were the case that we could get useful knowledge through torturing people, it would still be wrong, because it is a degrading and monstrous act that ought to be banned the world around.

And this is also another issue that is nonpartisan. It transcends politics, culture and religion. Torture is absolutely a moral evil.

SPENCER: OK. Quickly, Bruce, let's change the tables entirely here. Let's talk about Martha Stewart. Should she be retried?

WEINSTEIN: She should be retried, because the evidence that convicted her, in part, was tainted. We learned that a witness on the government's behalf lied during the trial, and therefore, the evidence that he submitted is not valid.

Now, it may very well turn out to be the case in a new trial that a new jury could convict Martha Stewart nevertheless.

But what's important to remember is, it's not just the outcome that we should be concerned about, but how we arrive at the outcome. And if the arrival, the process, the judicial process is tainted in some way -- as it has been -- Martha Stewart deserves to be retried.

SPENCER: OK. Well, I thank you for joining us, Bruce.

WEINSTEIN: Thank you, Collins.

SPENCER: Thanks. Bruce Weinstein, the ethics guy. Thank you again.

WEINSTEIN: Thank you.

SPENCER: Well, it's been a weekend of violent weather for a large portion of the country. Twisters hit from Iowa to Kentucky, and the worst may not be over yet. We'll have an update on the nation's weather forecast.

Plus, former President Bush reaches a birthday milestone. A live report on his highflying celebration is next.

And still to come, Shaq and his team of superstars face an uphill battle on the court. Can they come back against the underdog Detroit Pistons?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SPENCER: Here's a check of the latest developments at this hour. An Islamist militant group is claiming responsibility for a kidnapping American Paul Johnson. A picture of the Lockheed Martin employee was posted on an al Qaeda Web site. That follows yesterday's killing of an American who was hot outside his home in Riyadh.

The troubles in Saudi Arabia are prompting a policy change for British Airways, the airlines says it will no longer allow flight crews operating in Saudi Arabia to stay in that country overnight. A company spokesman says the decision was made because of security concerns

President Bush's foreign policy is in the cross hairs of criticism, and it's coming from an unexpected source. On Wednesday, a group of former high-level diplomatic and military officials is expected to issue a statement condemning the Bush administrations foreign policy. Many of the former officials were appointed by Republican administrations.

You're about to see what it actually looks like when a tornado hits a house. During a weekend of stormy weather in the heartland, a freelance photojournalist caught this twister as it zeroed in on a home near Mulvane, Kansas yesterday evening. Fortunately, nobody was home. The tornado was one of several reported in a state. There are no known injuries. There has been violent weather since Friday in Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, and Nebraska.

Will the Midwest endure a third day of storm turbulence? Let's get an update from meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center. Hi Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, METEOROLIGIST: Hi Collins. Most of the action happening a little father to east of there for today. Most of the rotation expected today in the lower parts of Michigan, but we could see severe thunderstorms from the Great Lakes all the way down to the Gulf Coast.

We see a tornado watch in place right now across most of lower Michigan. And we have a couple of tornado warnings in effect for Charlevoix and also into Cheboygan counties for this thunderstorm right here, it's moving very rapidly up to the north and to the east, could produce a tornado at any time. This is a radar indicated tornado.

A little earlier, we had a report of a tornado in near Salzburg. Here is the cell itself moving up to the north and east right now. It is over Saginaw Bay and the warning for Bay County should have just expired. A little bit of damage, a tractor-trailer was blown over.

We also have a tornado to report, touched down earlier in Camden, but the tornado warning now into Humphries County into parts of Tennessee. That is pushing off to the east. There is a severe thunderstorm watch in effect there, it also includes Memphis up towards Nashville and just south of the Louisville area, but there has been a little rotation here, so keep in mind, maybe it is a severe thunderstorm watch, but we could see a little rotation here as well.

From severe weather to tropical weather. We have a disturbance in the Gulf Mexico it has been bringing some very heavy rain to the Yucatan Peninsula. Now we're seeing the cloud band here across lower parts of the Gulf Coast across Louisiana into Mississippi, also into Alabama and the panhandle of Florida.

Right now, this is just a disturbance, but the hurricane hunters are flying into the system right now to determine whether or not it could become a tropical depression. Either way, it is bringing in heavy rain into the lower states. Three to five inches would be possible here over the next two days.

Collins.

SPENCER: All right, all kinds of mixed weather going on across the country. Thanks Jacqui.

Well speaking of the weather, stiff winds over Texas force Former President George Bush to alter some of his birthday plans today. The 80-year-old didn't get to sky dive solo, but he still managed to grab a patch of blue. Our Ed Lavandera is in College Station, Texas with the details on the former president's day. And Ed, what a day it was, wasn't it?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. He might have had to do today's sky dive in tandem, but by the official score book, he is five for five, completing his fourth and fifth jump here today in College Station, celebrating his 80th birthday, with several thousand people here just on the ground near the George Bush Presidential Library at Texas A & M University about 1:00 Central Time, a little after 1:00 Central Time. George Bush jumping out of a plane at almost 13,000 feet with a couple of members of the Golden Knights Parachute Team from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

High winds kept him from doing it alone. Also, the thick cloud cover over the College Station area today, and that prevented him. There was some concern that if he got into the clouds, they would lose him. So that is why the former president, the former president, had to do today's jump in tandem. But despite all of that, President Bush says it was just -- the thrill was just same, and he would love to do it again. Although, apparently Barbara Bush isn't terribly excited about him doing another jump. But Mr. Bush says would like to do it again. And he says the message is very clear, a simple message as to why he does these jumps and he wants senior citizens to pay close attention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: Get out and do something. If you don't want to do a parachute jump, do something else. Don't sit around watching TV, talking to it. Get out there and realize that 80 years old, you still got a life.

And that's what this is about. It's about saying that, you know, for me, I like speed and I like the thrill of it. But the second part is, I think it sets an example for older people, here and abroad, you know, because you're 80 years old, that doesn't mean you're out of, it out of game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVENDERA: We asked him if he would try this again when he was 85. Mr. Bush saying that he just hopes to be here at 85. And he has other plans. He wants to see many more grandchildren, and that's what he'll look forward to in the years ahead.

Also Mikhail Gorbachev was here at landing site where Mr. Bush landed just a short while ago. He presented him with a bouquet of flowers and also a bottle of vodka for the former president, congratulating him on his fifth successful jump.

If you remember, Mr. Bush's first jump was during World War II as a navy fighter pilot. His plane was crashed into the Pacific Ocean. He had to bail and was successfully parachuted into the ocean. He was later rescued and he said ever since then, he's wanted to do this, and wanted to do it just for fun, and exactly the big smile on his face here today proved it, Mr. Bush is still having fun at 80 and still having fun skydiving.

Collins, back to you.

SPENCER: I don't know about you, Ed, but I'm motivated. Thanks Ed. Ed Lavandera in College Station, Texas.

Well, keeping a teenager's attention can be a challenge, that's the goal of new bibles, designed to introduce young people to listen to the message of God. But not everyone likes the idea. CNN's Alina Cho reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The quiz is called, what kind of friend are you? And these girls are playing it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some boys are teasing your friend, Beth, because she got a bad haircut, what you do say?

CHO: Sounds like something from a teen magazine, except it isn't. It's a bible, "Revolve: the complete New Testament."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was awesome.

CHO: In fact Felicia Hassan (ph) liked it so much, she gave it to her friends Nasema (ph) and Melissa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At first when I saw, I was thinking that, like, it wouldn't send a real message, like, and they were twisting up the bible. But I read a little bit of it and it is not doing that at all.

CHO: What it does is get teens to read the bible through clever marketing: catchy headlines, the popular Q&A's, lots of pictures, features, even beauty tips. Woven in, the New Testament in its entirety, beginning with the birth of Jesus and the book of Matthew, to the final judgment in "Revelations."

There's also a bible for boys called "Refuel." Two other teen bibles, "True Images" for girls and "Revolution" for boys, include both the New and Old Testaments.

(on camera): The idea was borne out of research by the publishers that found, while a majority of the teens go to church, most don't read the bible, because they find it too big and too intimidating. Critics say scripture is sacred and shouldn't be put in magazine form.

JEFF JOHNSON, GRACE CHURCH IN NEW YORK: This is the most important thing that we possibly do in our lives is having a relationship with God. And this sort of cheapens it and dumbs it down.

CHO: Jeff Johnson of Grace Church in New York says it's not enough to stay home and read, religion is also about going to church.

JOHNSON: It is about community, we have to interpret and understand scripture as a community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, why not? Because all they're doing is, like, putting into modern terms so that we can understand it.

CHO: Engaging teens about religion, bringing the message of God to a generation that otherwise might not care.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SPENCER: It has spent nearly seven years in space, and its mission is really just about to begin. After the break, Cassini's final destination and why it's so important to science.

Plus, a delivery from outer space has one New Zealand family in need of a good repairman. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SPENCER: The internationally built plutonium powered Cassini spacecraft is about to go where no man made craft has ever been, inside Saturn's orbit. It's already completed a fly-by of Saturn's dark moon of Phoebe, the $3.3 billion spacecraft's next key maneuver will be Wednesday, that is when Cassini begins putting itself in position to orbit Saturn on June 30. During Cassini's four-year mission, it will study Saturn, its rings and it's 31 known moons.

Well scientists with NASA and the European Space Agency are excited about exploring the Saturn. Dr. Bonnie Buratti with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in California is on the phone to tell us why Cassini's mission is so important. Doctor, want to thank you for joining us.

BONNIE BURATTI, NASA JET PROPULSION LAB: Thank you.

SPENCER: From a scientific perspective why, is the Cassini project so important?

BURATTI: Well Saturn is the planet that has everything, it really has great charisma. It's got, as you said, a whole family of moons, each a unique world, it has these incredibly beautiful rings. It has a magnetic field and Saturn itself, is big and looming.

SPENCER: Now these are beautiful pictures. How long will it take the Cassini to reach Saturn?

BURATTI: We're almost there, we're going into orbit around Saturn on June 30.

SPENCER: What -- will you describe the pictures here. In describing these pictures here, what will the Cassini be doing? And how much is involved in exploring?

BURATTI: OK. The fly-by of Phoebe is just the first of 52 fly- bys. A number of unusual moons. The most interesting one is Titan. This is a large moon with an atmosphere, and some scientists have called it an Earth in deep freeze. We believe that Titan might be similar to what the Earth was like four billion years ago, including having some molecules on it that might lead at some point to life arising.

SPENCER: Has the Cassini, so far revealed any surprises?

BURATTI: Yes, when we flew by Phoebe, we didn't expect it to be that battered. It's had a violent past.

SPENCER: What are we hoping to discover during this whole process?

BURATTI: Well, we want to try to understand the solar system in general. Saturn is kind of a mini solar system, so by looking at it and how it started out, and how it evolved, we're going to try to understand how the solar system itself evolved and how it arose. SPENCER: OK, so period of time we're talking about that's going to be involved here?

BURATTI: About four years. We're going to be in orbit at least four years, possibly longer.

SPENCER: What about the 31 moons that are surrounding Saturn, you want to talk about that?

BURATTI: Yes, there is a whole family of unusual objects. We already mentioned Titan, which looks like it might be similar to the Earth early in its history, but there's also this very odd moon, called Selenus (ph), which looks like it's covered in fresh snow. So it looks like there's active geology.

SPENCER: How big is Saturn? Can we give people an idea how big Saturn is?

BURATTI: Well I think the easiest thing; we just need to say that we could fit a few hundred Earths inside of it. It's got a radius of 40,000 miles or so, but we could fit hundreds of earths inside of it. It's the second biggest planet after Jupiter.

SPENCER: OK, great lovely pictures, and I appreciate you taking time out to talk with us. Dr. Bonnie Buratti, and I want to mention to you is a doctor of astronomy and space scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Thank you again.

BURATTI: Thank you so much.

SPENCER: Well part of the outer space hit a little to close to home for a New Zealand today, literally. A meteorite crashed through the roof of the Archers home in Auckland, New Zealand. The grapefruit size chunk of asteroid hit a couch, it bounced off the ceiling and came to a stop under the family's computer. The Archer's one-year-old grandson had been playing nearby just before the meteorite hit. Only nine meteorites have been found in New Zealand. This is the first one to hit a house.

The L.A. Lakers are stacked with superstars, so why are they having such a hard time against the Detroit Pistons? We'll have a preview of the game four in the NBA Championship next.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENO: And as you know CIA director George Tenet resigned last week. Here's the sad part, FBI just found out today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER: Highlights from the week in late night laughs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SPENCER: San Francisco's Barry Bonds is a home run closer to Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron in the chase for the all-time record. Bonds hit his 675th homer yesterday against Baltimore. Interestingly, the Orioles Raphael Palmeiro homered twice in the same game. This is only the third time in history that two players with more than 500 homers connected in the same game.

All right, it is time to talk basketball. Game four of the NBA finals is tonight in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Will the Pistons widen their lead, or after a humiliating loss Thursday, can Los Angeles pull off a desperately needed win. Larry Smith of CNN Sports joins us live with a preview. And Larry, can you answer all those questions for me?

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well you know what I can try to Collins, but certainly we will find the real answers until tonight, 9:00 Eastern when the game tips off. As you mentioned it is game four the NBA Finals, but still there's a sense of urgency for these Los Angeles Lakers. A team that was expected to power its way past Detroit, but is instead still looking for its first complete game effort.

Take away Kobe Bryant's late three pointer that sent game two into overtime and eventual Lakers' win and this would be a 3-0 Pistons series lead. Detroit is out shooting, out rebounding, out hustling the Lakers who are coming off at 68-point night on Thursday, the lowest scoring output in that franchise's playoff history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK FISHER, LAKERS POINT GAURD: I hope as a team we don't come out and feel like there are a sense of desperation or if, you know, you lose this game, then you go down, 3-1, I think when an opportunity like this presents itself, you think of, you know, you win this game and the series is tied at 2-2.

PHIL JACKSON, LAKERS LEAD COACH: I've told this team we have to go back with a victory from the three games here in Detroit. That's all we came back to do is go back with a victory and bring it back to L.A. And the game on Sunday is ultimately an important game to them, because then we can get two victories while we're here.

LARRY BROWN, PISTONS HEAD COACH: We got play each possession the right way, and not get caught up in the game or the importance of the game or what happened in the previous game. And I -- and I tried doing that throughout the playoffs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: There is no question that a 3-1 series deficit would seem devastating to the Lakers, because no team has ever rebounded from that in the NBA Finals.

Now, today's "Los Angeles Times" reports that Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Devean George, Rick Fox and Derek Fischer all met privately on Saturday with coach Phil Jackson, they say they want to start and play together and attempt jump start this Lakers' offense. Reportedly, Jackson is considering making such a switch, but Collins we wonder if even that quintet would be athletic enough to keep up with what is certainly a deep and talented Detroit team.

Lets go back to you.

SPENCER: That's a good question, Larry. Larry good to see you. Larry Smith in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

President Bush is clearing time in his busy schedule to take in a game of tee ball. Tee ball is a White House tradition started by the Bush family about three years ago. Young players gather on the south lawn for several games each season.

Well, the race for the White House can be merciless, but thanks to late night comedians, it also can be full of laughs. Here's a sample.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENO: ...in order to honor Former President Ronald Reagan, Sen. John Kerry has suspended his presidential campaign for five days. Very nice gesture. Ralph Nader also suspended his campaign, not because of Reagan, because he doesn't have supporters.

DAVID LETTERMAN, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN:" Any of you folks following the situation in Iraq? President Bush now, he plans to hand over the country to the new government on June 30. And if it works there, then in November he's going to do it here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MTV, we love you.

LENO: Let's try to imagine how the candidates of today would have dealt with the Berlin Wall. Like Ralph Nader, now he probably would have worried about the environmental impact of tearing down the wall. John Kerry would have just shortened the wall about halfway. President Bush would have said wall? What wall?

CONAN O'BRIEN, "LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN:" Out of respect to Ronald Reagan, John Kerry, did you know this? John Kerry suspended his presidential campaign for the week. It's true. Unfortunately for Kerry, no one could tell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPENCER: Some good stuff. Here's Daniel Sieberg with a preview what's coming up on "NEXT@CNN."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN ANCHOR, NEXT @ CNN: Ahead on "NEXT@CNN," an underwater roundup. Scientist set out to capture a couple of invader fish in the Florida Keys, and we'll show you how it went.

Plus your CDs and DVDs may not be as permanent as you think, a look at problem of CD rot. Those stories and a lot more coming up after the break. Don't go away. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SPENCER: Then at 6:00 Eastern on "CNN Live Sunday" from beer to pasta to vitamins, traditional products are being revamped for low- carb diets. We'll find out if it's just another market gimmick, or if they can really help.

And stayed tuned for special people in the news at 7:00 Eastern, D-Day, a call to courage is one-hour look at the Normandy invasion told through the eyes of four U.S. veterans. Thanks for joining us. I'll be back with the headlines after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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