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CNN Sunday Morning

Iraqi Elections Set for January 30th; APEC Summit Comes to a Close

Aired November 21, 2004 - 07:00 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.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, and good morning from the CNN Center in Atlanta. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is October [sic] 21st, 7:00 a.m. right here in the East and 5:00 a.m. in Denver.
RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, early there. Hello.

HARRIS: Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

BAKHTIAR: And I'm Rudi Bakhtiar. Thanks for joining us this morning.

Word in from Iraq. Iraqi officials have announced that elections will take place on January 30th. The voters will choose a national assembly and regional officials. Post-war Iraq had called for elections to happen on or before January 30th.

Deadly violence in Gaza this morning. An Israeli army spokesman says soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian gunmen and another armed Palestinian approached a road near some Jewish settlements. The second gunman fled.

And wrapping up President Bush and other leaders bring the annual Asia Pacific Summit to a close in Chile today. The president is meeting with Mexico's President Vicente Fox. He's also been urging other nations to help ease nuclear tensions with North Korea and Iran. The summit issues a final declaration later today. Details in a live report from Santiago straight ahead.

And an Air France flight from Paris to Washington finally makes it to its destination after a security scare. The plane was diverted to Bangore, Maine last night, that after officials discovered one of the passengers was on the U.S. government's no fly list. No word on who the passenger is.

HARRIS: Also ahead this hour, the Bush White House suddenly finds itself at odds with conservative Republicans over a vital piece of legislation. In just a moment, a report on why the so-called 9/11 reform bill has skidded to a halt on Capitol Hill. Also coming up, the impact of athlete violence on the business of sports. CNN analyst Rick Horrow takes a closer look in "beyond the game."

And later, would you like to live a lot longer than eat a lot less? We'll explain how subtracting calories might add years to your life. BAKHTIAR: Our top story this hour is the APEC Summit in Santiago, Chile. In just a few hours, President Bush and other world leaders will conclude the two day meeting on Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. This hour, they're scheduled to pose for the traditional class photo.

President Bush has already had a busy morning. CNN's Lucia Newman joining us from Santiago with the latest.

Hello, Lucia.

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rudy. Indeed, this is the second and final day of this APEC Summit, where the 21 Asian Pacific leaders are meeting. Of course, trade but also security and a nuclear free North Korean peninsula are expected to continue to top the agenda.

Now President George Bush arrived a short while ago at Chile's monera (ph) presidential palace, where he was greeted by Chile's leader Ricardo Largos. But before leaving, he did meet privately with Mexican President Vicente Fox, where the main topic was, as you could probably expect, immigration.

President Bush says that he assured President Fox that the United States wants Mexicans to be treated with respect and dignity in the United States. Those were his words.

Now of course, the subject here, there are a whole wide range of subjects, rather. One of them being, of course, North Korea and concern over its nuclear weapons program. President Bush has been very upbeat. He says he's been -- that he has been receiving assurances from other Asian leaders, especially China and Japan, as well as South Korea, that these countries will speak with a calm in voice to try and pressure North Korea to get back to the negotiating table.

The Asians, meanwhile, want to get some kind of commitment, stronger, firmer commitment from the United States before this summit is out that President Bush will meet his commitment to strengthen the U.S. dollar, as well as lower the U.S. deficit, Rudi.

BAKHTIAR: Lucia, the president also met with Putin yesterday, discussing the issue of the Kremlin and its control over Russia. What happened with those talks? Nobody's been talking about that.

NEWMAN: Well, you're right. It's a very sticky issue. The United States is trying to be very diplomatic about it, but President Bush made it very clear to President Putin that there is concern in the United States that Russia is not going or not taking Democratic road that it would hope that it would take, but they are at least -- both countries rather -- concerned about terrorism. That's something that does keep them together. They agree also about what -- the need to have a nuclear free North Korea.

So they're trying to emphasize that points that bring them together, and not what separate them right now, Rudi. At least publicly.

BAKHTIAR: All right, our Lucia Newman reporting from Santiago. Thank you, Lucia.

HARRIS: A regional jet belonging to China Eastern Airlines crashes into a frozen lake just moments after take-off. The CRJ-200, similar to this one, is a twin engine, 50 passenger jet made by Canada's Bombardier Aircraft Company.

CNN's Tara Duffy in Beijing has the latest on the recovery operation following today's deadly crash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TARA DUFFY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rescue workers searching for bodies and clues for what caused this commuter plane to crash less than a minute after take-off from Baoto Airport in inner Mongolia.

Witnesses told China's state-run media they saw the plane vacillating. Others then saw it break into flaming fragments and fall into this frozen lake in a park two kilometers from the airport.

The blaze set a nearby house and boats on the lake on fire. It quickly became clear there were no survivors from this China Eastern Airlines flight.

And then the confirmation that two people on the ground had also died. 47 passengers, one from Indonesia, the rest Chinese nationals, and six crew members were aboard the Bombardier CRJ-200 bound for Shanghai.

China Eastern has grounded all Bombardier planes as the investigation continues. The last major airplane crash in China was more than two years ago, when a China Northern flight crashed into the ocean after the pilot reported a fire in the cabin. 112 people died then.

In Baoto, firefighters and divers had recovered all 53 bodies by mid afternoon Sunday, but the cause of the crash was still unknown.

Tara Duffy, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BAKHTIAR: Back here in the United States, efforts to reform the nation's intelligence community are on hold, at least for now. This after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a bill that would make sweeping changes recommended by the 9/11 Commission.

CNN's congressional correspondent Joe Johns has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The rare Saturday session of Congress started with hope for the long stalled intelligence reform legislation, but fell short at the end. A tentative agreement on the bill fiercely promoted by President Bush himself and House Speaker Dennis Hastert collapsed in a rebellion by conservative House Republicans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just doesn't do the job. It is far short of what needs to be done. It's shallow in terms of the depth of change necessary to deal with the threats of terrorists and those individuals who would harm our society.

JOHNS: House Arms Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter led the objections, arguing that on the ground intelligence should be under the control of the Pentagon and not a new director of national intelligence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doctor was concerned that the proposed reform could endanger our troops in the field who use real-time intelligence to fight the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

JOHNS: But the bipartisan group that negotiated the bill suggested Hunter is simply trying to protect his committee and the Pentagon's turf.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think what you're seeing here is the forces in favor of the status quo protecting their turf, whether it's in Congress or in the bureaucracy.

JOHNS: The second killer objection came from House Judiciary Committee Chair James Sensenbrenner, who insisted that the bill bar illegal immigrants from holding drivers licenses. The bill's supporters said it goes a long way to strengthening border security and that the drivers license issue should be taken up separately.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is really a tragedy today that a small group in the Republican caucus of the House have prevented the American people from a reform that they sorely need now that we are higher risk.

JOHNS: Backers of the bill called on Speaker Hastert and the president to redouble their efforts to persuade Sensenbrenner and Hunter and House conservatives to back down, or if needed, simply override them.

(on camera): Saturday was to have been the last day of the 108th Congress, but because of the stunning break down on the intelligence bill, the Speaker of the House has said he will not adjourn in hopes of reaching agreement during the month of December. Both sides say, however, the outlook for passage is not good this year.

Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: From political hard ball to foul play on the basketball court, suspensions may only be the beginning for round house round ball, I guess that's what we're calling it. Detroit police are still investigating the brawl at the Pistons Pacers game Friday night for possible criminal charges. The NBA has suspended the Pacers Ron Artest, Steven Jackson, and Jermaine O'Neal and the Pistons Ben Wallace indefinitely. The length of their suspensions may be announced today.

This statement from Indiana Pacers president Donnie Walsh. "The league is reviewing the entire incident, and we recognize that responsibility for Friday night's actions can be shared by many. It is up to all of us to make sure that a situation such as this doesn't happen again."

And that brings us to our e-mail question this morning. Should criminal charges be filed against the players and fans involved in Friday's Pistons Pacers brawl? Our address is wam@cnn.com. We'll be reading your replies throughout the program.

BAKHTIAR: And we just can't stop talking about this brawl.

HARRIS: No, we can't. We're showing the pictures.

BAKHTIAR: How much is it going to cost the NBA? That's a big question. We're going to get some perspective from our sports analyst Rick Horrow when we go beyond the game later this hour.

HARRIS: A harsh reality for company towns in America, as the new economy takes away the old way of life. We'll show you what it's like.

BAKHTIAR: And are you conscious about your calories? Find out if the calorie restriction diet is right for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For every 100 people that are able to lose some weight, 95 or 98 of them just gain the weight back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAKHTIAR: Traditional ways that some are saying don't keep up with the times. Coming up in the next hour, a look at progressive Muslims who want change now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAKHTIAR: Welcome back, everyone. They used to be boom towns. Now they're going bust. The company towns that once thrived across the Midwest are facing a pretty bleak future. CNN PRESENTS travels to the Canton, Ohio area, where unemployed steelworker Jeff Ring tells us his story in his own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF RING, RESIDENT: My name's Jeff Ring. I'm going to try and win some money tonight in this little jackpot tournament. About to go gamble. I don't have a job. I'm a displaced steelworker.

Steel foundry I thought offered me some place where I could work for 30 years, retire as a young man. I would've been what, 49. So I thought that was a pretty good deal.

We're two fish behind already. We were just going to work the whole time and then we'd be done, full pension. One fish behind. And they really did close. And I have no job and no skills, really. I mean, I broke steel with a sledgehammer. So what am I going to be, a lumberjack?

BANNER: Last spring, the steel foundry where Jeff worked reopened under a new name. His old job was available, but for less pay because of new overtime limits.

RING: That's it. That's the place. I walked in there about 300 times a year for 24 years. Smells like money.

Really wasn't a whole lot of motivation to go back to the foundry. There would be absolutely no job security. A lot of the guys that said they'd never walk in there again went back in there and got jobs except for me.

And that was another big choice for me. It was whether to just go back, get the steady paycheck again, or better myself with a real skill. I mean, the skill where I could go any place in the United States or anywhere really and get a job.

That's my old sledgehammer. See, nobody even fixed it. It's got a broken handle on it.

It was very gratifying to be good at something and be known to be good at something, but I wouldn't go back there for anything.

You guys lost me. Hey, I don't want to give you any sour grapes.

BANNER After 24 years at the foundry, Jeff decided to return to school to learn a new skill.

RING: My best revenge is success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: And we'll have more personal stories for you tonight from the nation's heartland. An all new CNN PRESENTS, "Company Town" premieres at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

HARRIS: We begin our news across America with a political pop quiz. Who will be the next governor of Washington state? You couldn't cheat if you wanted to, because no one knows. The state is recounting the almost three million votes cast after Republican Dino Rossi beat Democrat Christine Gregoire by just under 300 votes. State law requires a machine recount when the margin is less than 2,000 votes. The recount should be complete by Wednesday.

An emotional ride in California yesterday, as hundreds of bikers hit the street to pay tribute to Laci Peterson and her unborn son. Celebrities and others rode into Escalon, Laci's small hometown, to dedicate a park bench to the mother and child. Organizers say it was a way to remember Laci as a person, and not just as a murder victim.

And to grocery shoppers in San Francisco, do you want paper or plastic? Well, both could soon cost you. City officials are considering charging 17 cents a piece for both bags, blaming plastic for things like clogging recycling machines and killing marine life, and saying paper bags cause waste that cost San Francisco over $8 million to clean up. The city will consider the bagging few on Tuesday.

It is a holiday treat you won't want to miss next Sunday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was really our teachers who encouraged us to learn beyond what we heard on the radio. You know, for us, if we could play a Kool and the Gang song or play like Macy, that was our dimension. That was our whole world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: Playing jazz, saxophonist Najee joining us live to help bring in the holiday season. That's a live performance by Najee right here at the CNN Center next Sunday morning. That's awesome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is unique about me and what I do in drag racing, I have no sight at all. I am totally blind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: You heard that right. This owner of the drag race car is totally blind. But it's his attitude that lets him follow his dream. His story next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK, we've got a raging debate going on about the song, but before we get there, good morning, Miami. NASCAR fans will be flocking to the Miami Speedway today for the annual Winston Cup Series race in Holmstead. And the final race in the Nextel Cup Series of races. We're going to try on a Nextel Cup champion today. Rob Marciano will have your forecast in just a couple minutes.

BAKHTIAR: Can't wait for that. And speaking of speed, visit a straight track on any given weekend, and you might find Jay Blake's dragster burning rubber down the quarter mile.

Jay, though, won't be at the wheel even though he owns the car. He's going to tell us why in his own words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAY BLAKE, FUNNY CAR OWNER: The first time to see a drag race is mind blowing. It's ear piercing. The ground literally shakes. It just hits you and you feel it.

The car I run is called an alcohol funny car. I am the owner and crew chief of the race team. What is unique about me and what I do in drag racing I have no sight at all. I am totally blind.

I move around the engine around my tools all by feel.

I guess I'm not driving today, huh?

I truly love getting my hands dirty. Putting the tools in my hand and working on the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you get a guy that deals with an what he deals with every day...

BLAKE: Fired up, ready to go?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...makes it tough for us to start whining about things, you know?

BLAKE: I've been a fan of drag racing for most of my life. And after my accident, I decided that I was going to follow my dream and start my own race.

With the right attitude, you can do anything.

ANNOUNCER: We have a new driver from Jim and Jay Blake. Jay, the car owner, lost his sight in an industrial accident.

BLAKE: This program is about helping people.

ANNOUNCER: Following dream concept pretty much means exactly like it says in the race car.

BLAKE: I go out and I will do presentations and talk about things will happen in life, but it's how we choose to handle them and what we do with that that makes up the difference.

I was sighted for 31 years. And I didn't think I could do half the things I'm doing. I am one of the luckiest guys in the world.

ANNOUNCER: To Jay Blake, a marvelous run.

BLAKE: Just doing what I'm doing is awesome. I love it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: How's he able to -- what an amazing story, huh?

BAKHTIAR: How is that for some real perspective on life?

HARRIS: You know your attitude, so important. You can do anything. I was about to get on the soap box. BAKHTIAR: Very interesting.

HARRIS: I was about to go there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: We'll continue to rev it up with NASCAR when our sports guru Rick Horrow takes us beyond the game. That's in the next half hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

BAKHTIAR: And Los Angeles mayor is calling for a probe of police at Los Angeles International Airport. Find out why when we come back.

HARRIS: First, take a look at this picture. Four-year old Conner Page is clowning around with his dad, who is a member of the Ohio National Guard. They had their send off ceremony yesterday. The unit departs for Iraq just after Thanksgiving.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAKHTIAR: Are police officers at LAX ignoring their duty? It's a story being told with pictures. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rudi Bakhtiar in today for Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. That story in a minute. First, headlines at this hour.

Congress has approved a mammoth $388 billion spending bill that curbs domestic programs. There's a provision tucked away in the bill, allowing certain members of Congress to look at the tax return of any American. Republican Senate leaders call it a mistake. They agreed not to send the legislation to the president for his signature until the clause is repealed.

A China Eastern Airlines plane crashes in a frozen lake in northern China, killing all 53 people aboard and two people on the ground. The plane went down seconds after take-off today. Witnesses say it exploded into flaming fragments, igniting a house and several yachts.

Secretary of State Colin Powell travels to the Mideast today. Powell hopes to revive the peace process in the wake of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death. Powell plans to talk with Palestinian and Israeli officials beginning tomorrow.

BAKHTIAR: Military operations across Iraq are taking many forms, but they all have the same goal, neutralizing the insurgency so that national elections can take place in January.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad with an update.

Hello, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Rudy. Well, in fact today, the independent electoral commission did meet. And it's fixed January the 30th as the date for those elections. This will of course be a landmark on the road for the coalition stated aims of handing back democracy to Iraq. And if they do go ahead as planned, then of course, these will be the first free elections in more than 50 years.

The elections will in fact be for national assembly. Their job will be to choose a new government, but also to draw up a new constitution. Part of elections also will be for a regional council in the northern Kurdish areas. And also in the 18 provinces of Iraq, there will be individual elections there also for provincial councils.

But of course, the big question mark is how the violence of late has affected the time table for this. And because of the announcement today, it seems to be an expression of confidence, at least, by the electoral commission that they're still on track for the vote to go ahead.

That said, we have heard in Baghdad, at least, that there are a number of difficulties, particularly in the voter registration process. And a lot of the voter cards, as they're being handed out for the potential voters to fill them in with the correct information, insurgents in some areas of Baghdad and also in other areas of the country have been forcing voters either not to fill them in or stopping the electoral officials from handing out those cards in the first place.

So it does seem there's still a number of obstacles ahead, Rudi.

BAKHTIAR: CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad. Thank you, Karl.

HARRIS: Back in this country, concerns today over whether Los Angeles police are doing a shabby job at L.A. International, the world's fifth busiest airport. A local TV station's hidden cameras reveal several officers taking long breaks, ignoring emergency radio calls and even abandoning their posts. The mayor's calling for an investigation, saying the security of millions of travelers is at risk.

And an Air France flight from Paris to Washington gets sidetracked after a security scare. Somehow one of the passengers on the U.S. government's no fly list was allowed to board the plane in Paris. Once the mistake was discovered last night, the plane was diverted from Bangor, Maine. Customs officials obtained the passenger and his traveling companion. The flight then proceeded to Washington.

BAKHTIAR: Everyone's talking about it, the basketball brawl.

HARRIS: Can't stop talking about it.

BAKHTIAR: That's right. They can't stop talking about it, in fact. So should there be more security at sporting events? And will the fight end up costing the NBA a fortune?

HARRIS: Our sports guru Rick Horrow weighs in. Hey, Rick, next, on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: The 36th race NASCAR season roars to a dramatic and historic end this afternoon. Five drivers in a single race shootout to crown the Nextel Cup Champion. Only 82 points separate the first and fifth place drivers. It's the inaugural year of a new playoff system designed to keep fans hooked on the sport all the way until the end of the season. It's a plan that is apparently working. And it all takes place at high noon. The Holmstead, Miami Speedway might as well be the OK Corral. A shootout giving NASCAR's five top drivers a chance to win it all back.

With us today to drive home the NASCAR story is the author of "Win the Game" is on the line and CNN Sports analyst, our own Wyatt Earp, Rick Horrow. Good morning, Rick.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Who wrote that for you? OK Corral, you've got to be kidding.

HARRIS: Having a little fun with it this morning. I got to tell you, this whole Nextel Cup series has really changed things. Walk us and talk us through how this has changed from last year.

HORROW: Well, the big walk and talk was when the green flag dropped in Daytona this year. It signaled a new era for NASCAR, the largest sports sponsorship deal in history, a $1 million, 10 year deal for Nextel. And also, television ratings have sustained an increased $2.8 billion TV deal with NBC, Turner, and others, Fox.

But the bottom line is 75 million avid NASCAR fans, by the way...

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: ...expanding the envelope to 70 or 80 million more. And the most important thing is this chase for the cup has opened the sport up just like a normal playoff series.

As you said, five people, five drivers, five teams have a chance to win today. That's what it's all about.

From a numbers perspective, ad rates for these races are up 20 percent. Makes the networks happy. And you know it makes NASCAR happy. Start your engines indeed.

HARRIS: Yes, so it's really paying off in a big way for the networks. How about Nextel? Are they benefiting as well?

HORROW: Hey, a billion reasons why they're benefiting. The surveys are saying, by the way, that the NASCAR fans are five times more likely to buy Nextel stuff than the non-NASCAR fans. That's a big deal.

But it's also those sponsors who are involved in those 10 drivers that are in the finals. Who's who in corporate America? For example, Alltel, Bud, Home Depot, Lowes, those kind of companies. And of course, those corporate staples of Sharpie and Viagra. And they're even pushing the envelope next year for liquor sales. You've got Diago, the real (UNINTELLIGIBLE) ice spending their money sponsoring. And oh by the way, a new deal signed for next year, the official tomato, potato...

HARRIS: Come on.

HORROW: ...lemons, limes, onions for NASCAR with an option for next year, apples, mushroom and salad.

Hey, I don't know about you, man, but I can't wait to get my hands on a juicy NASCAR apple.

HARRIS: All right, let's turn our attention to pictures that I know you've seen.

HORROW: Yes.

HARRIS: And the discussion that I know that you've taken part in on the whole basketball brawl between the Pistons and the Pacers on Friday night. What's your take on it? And how can we keep something like this from happening again? Any solutions?

HORROW: Well, the take from a kind of global perspective is this has been going on since the beginning of time. And when the Acropolis and the Parthenon were built, they were worried about security issues and facilities as well.

So it's a bigger issue. But it involves a lot of things. It involves arena security. It involves design. You know, when Division I soccer stadiums in Europe now...

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: ...that they're building? They have moats separating the players from the fans in the stands from the players. And that is just a normal part of design. You've got cutting off the beer sales. You've also got cultural issues. And you have an ability now to control behavior.

So maybe this is a wake-up call for all sports, which is very important.

HARRIS: How about the impact of a fracas like this on the game itself?

HORROW: Well, the game itself, everybody's talking about it. You know, South Carolina and Clemson had a big right on the field...

HARRIS: That's right.

HORROW: ...football wise yesterday. And Coach Tommy Bowd (ph) at Clemson was partially blaming the NBA brawl the night before because he said all his kids are watching. Maybe ridiculous, but the NBA is all about image. When David Stern took the league over 20 years ago, they had $118 million bucks in revenues. Last year, over $3 billion. Those are reasons why perception is really important. The NBA had to take quick, decisive, comprehensive action to solve the problem.

They suspended four players indefinitely, starting an investigation. That's the kind of response the NBA needs to protect their assets. They've got franchises going for $300 million now.

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: So it's very, very serious.

HARRIS: OK, bring your checkbook this week. We've got our own little Turkey Bowl going on on the golf course this week.

HORROW: Amen. Just -- you're not getting off that easy. Just one quick thing.

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: Should we mention on the air that you and I are playing on Tuesday and I'm going to kick your butt. Or can I say that to you?

HARRIS: Yes, it's out there. It's out there.

HORROW: It's way out there.

HARRIS: Video.

HORROW: We'll talk about it next week.

HARRIS: We'll talk about it next week. Yes, Rick. Take care of yourself.

HORROW: Good-bye.

HARRIS: Good-bye. Rudi?

BAKHTIAR: Thank you, gentlemen. You're looking at live pictures from Santiago, Chile where APEC leaders are getting ready to take the traditional photo there, wearing the traditional Chilean commandos. Takes up to four months to make those.

This is quite a meeting there taking place between members of APEC. Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is there. China's President Hu Jintao is there. We are seeing many of the leaders. I believe they have already taken the photo or they are lining up to take the photo.

Russian President -- they have already taken the photo. OK, they have taken the class photo there. Russian President Vladimir Putin is there. Chile's President Ricardo Lagos is there. Mexican President Vicente Fox is also there. President Bush and other leaders bringing the annual Asia Pacific Summit to a close in Chile today.

Later though, the president will be meeting with Mexican President Vicente Fox. Yesterday, he met with Putin. Bilateral talks with other leaders as well. He's also been urging nations, member of the six party talk, members of the six party talks to help ease nuclear tensions with North Korea and Iran. So again, we were looking at live pictures there from Santiago, Chile.

Well, coming up here, will weight loss be one of your resolutions next year?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a very deliberate decision that I made to begin calorie restriction. It's backed by very reputable, extensive research.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: Some believe it's all about counting calories. Find out if that's the right diet for you, next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

But first, this snapshot from Hawaii, where South America's got its first surfing title yesterday. Here's the newly crowned world professional surfing champ from Peru, Sofia Hulanovich (ph).

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: See, what did we pull up here? That is the White House. I thought we might see the Lincoln Memorial. Do we have a shot of that? All right, we'll stay with the White House.

Now President Bush is in Santiago, Chile. And he's got other stops in South America before heading to Crawford, Texas for about a week or so of vacation.

And there it is in the fog there.

BAKHTIAR: Wow.

HARRIS: Can you see it there off to the right of your screen there?

BAKHTIAR: Yes, barely.

HARRIS: On the Potomac River.

BAKHTIAR: Looks a lot foggier there than it was at the White House.

HARRIS: Yes. Good morning, Washington, D.C. There is a big craft show there at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C. It is billed as the biggest in the world. And Rob Marciano will see -- we'll check in with Rob and see if we can clear up that forecast a little bit later in this half hour.

And time now to hit the fast forward button and take a quick look at some of the stories making news this week. Scott Peterson's attorneys hope a different jury and a different county will help his client avoid the death penalty. Monday, the judge in the case will review a request to have a new jury hear evidence in the penalty phase of Peterson's trial. Just over a week ago, you'll remember, Peterson was found guilty of killing his wife and unborn son. Also Monday, in Sharm-el Sheik, Egypt, a conference on the future of Iraq. Regional and international government representatives are slated to attend, including Secretary of State Colin Powell. How big is the nuclear threat from Iran? That's the question before the International Atomic Energy Agency. At a meeting on Thursday, board members will look at a report detailing Iran's pledge to suspend its uranium enrichment operations.

BAKHTIAR: Want to know the secret to a longer life? Then keep your mouth shut. Really.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains how less calories could mean more years for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENTON MULLEN, CALORIE RESTRICTION SOCIETY: I'd like a papaya salad.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kenton Mullens is 5'8, but weighs only 120 pounds.

MULLEN: Yes, that sounds good.

COHEN: That's because he eats only 1800 calories a day.

MULLEN: Oh, it looks great.

COHEN: Down from 4,000 a day a few years ago. He's hoping it'll help him live to 90, 100, or even longer.

MULLEN: It was a very deliberate decision that I made to begin calorie restriction. It's backed by a very reputable, extensive research.

COHEN: Like the research with these monkeys. Skinny monkeys, like the one on the right, live longer, healthier lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've actually aged biologically slower. Their hair's gone gray less quickly.

COHEN: Skinny mice live longer, too. On regular diets, mice in one study lived 36 months. When they ate 25 percent fewer calories, they lived 42 months. On 55 percent fewer calories, they lived 55 months.

One theory why is that on fewer calories, cells throughout the body appear to die more slowly and repair themselves more easily.

MULLEN: This whole piece of lettuce may have like four or five calories.

COHEN: Mullens counts his calories religiously. For dinner this night, he had his papaya salad, steamed vegetables. And he ate only about a third of his fish. Low in calories, but high in nutrients.

MULLEN: It's not like I'm living a life of torture.

COHEN: But how many people could have that kind of willpower, could lose and keep off 45 pounds like Mullens did?

RICHARD MILLER, AMERICAN FED. FOR AGING RESEARCH: For every 100 people that are able to lose some weight, 95 or 98 of them just gain the weight back.

COHEN: That's why some researchers, like Richard Miller, want to come up with a pill that tricks your body into thinking it's on a very low calorie diet, even when it's not, giving all of the benefits without any of the sacrifice.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, you may have seen the infamous Pacers Pistons brawl scene by now. Do you think criminal charges should be filed against the players and fans who threw the punches? That's our e-mail question this morning. We'll read some of your replies when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAKHTIAR: Greatest hits are dominating the top five slots on the Billboard charts this week. Shania Twain and Toby Keith scoring big at number two and three, after the Country Music Awards. Britney Spears debuts her collection of greatest hits at number four. But the top slot belongs to Eminem, whose album "Encore" came out last Friday. Finally at number five, last week's winner, the 17th installment of now that's what I call music.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: We want to get to some of your e-mail responses. And the question is right there on the screen there. Should criminal charges be filed against the players and the fans involved in Friday's Pistons Pacers brawl? And Rudi, we started getting response to this before...

BAKHTIAR: We sure did. Yes, people are fired about this. This guy's got an interesting idea. "Maybe they should put these uncivilized basketball clowns in a military uniform and send them to Iraq since they like to fight."

HARRIS: Yes, and this is from R.D. "If you can't walk away from someone throwing a drink on you, you're a danger to society and you should be arrested, jailed, and fined. The person throwing the drink should also be arrested, jailed, and fined." So we will encourage you to continue to send those e-mails to us. The address is wam@cnn.com. We will continue to read those responses throughout the program.

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 November 21, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, and good morning from the CNN Center in Atlanta. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is October [sic] 21st, 7:00 a.m. right here in the East and 5:00 a.m. in Denver.
RUDI BAKHTIAR, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, early there. Hello.

HARRIS: Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

BAKHTIAR: And I'm Rudi Bakhtiar. Thanks for joining us this morning.

Word in from Iraq. Iraqi officials have announced that elections will take place on January 30th. The voters will choose a national assembly and regional officials. Post-war Iraq had called for elections to happen on or before January 30th.

Deadly violence in Gaza this morning. An Israeli army spokesman says soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian gunmen and another armed Palestinian approached a road near some Jewish settlements. The second gunman fled.

And wrapping up President Bush and other leaders bring the annual Asia Pacific Summit to a close in Chile today. The president is meeting with Mexico's President Vicente Fox. He's also been urging other nations to help ease nuclear tensions with North Korea and Iran. The summit issues a final declaration later today. Details in a live report from Santiago straight ahead.

And an Air France flight from Paris to Washington finally makes it to its destination after a security scare. The plane was diverted to Bangore, Maine last night, that after officials discovered one of the passengers was on the U.S. government's no fly list. No word on who the passenger is.

HARRIS: Also ahead this hour, the Bush White House suddenly finds itself at odds with conservative Republicans over a vital piece of legislation. In just a moment, a report on why the so-called 9/11 reform bill has skidded to a halt on Capitol Hill. Also coming up, the impact of athlete violence on the business of sports. CNN analyst Rick Horrow takes a closer look in "beyond the game."

And later, would you like to live a lot longer than eat a lot less? We'll explain how subtracting calories might add years to your life. BAKHTIAR: Our top story this hour is the APEC Summit in Santiago, Chile. In just a few hours, President Bush and other world leaders will conclude the two day meeting on Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. This hour, they're scheduled to pose for the traditional class photo.

President Bush has already had a busy morning. CNN's Lucia Newman joining us from Santiago with the latest.

Hello, Lucia.

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rudy. Indeed, this is the second and final day of this APEC Summit, where the 21 Asian Pacific leaders are meeting. Of course, trade but also security and a nuclear free North Korean peninsula are expected to continue to top the agenda.

Now President George Bush arrived a short while ago at Chile's monera (ph) presidential palace, where he was greeted by Chile's leader Ricardo Largos. But before leaving, he did meet privately with Mexican President Vicente Fox, where the main topic was, as you could probably expect, immigration.

President Bush says that he assured President Fox that the United States wants Mexicans to be treated with respect and dignity in the United States. Those were his words.

Now of course, the subject here, there are a whole wide range of subjects, rather. One of them being, of course, North Korea and concern over its nuclear weapons program. President Bush has been very upbeat. He says he's been -- that he has been receiving assurances from other Asian leaders, especially China and Japan, as well as South Korea, that these countries will speak with a calm in voice to try and pressure North Korea to get back to the negotiating table.

The Asians, meanwhile, want to get some kind of commitment, stronger, firmer commitment from the United States before this summit is out that President Bush will meet his commitment to strengthen the U.S. dollar, as well as lower the U.S. deficit, Rudi.

BAKHTIAR: Lucia, the president also met with Putin yesterday, discussing the issue of the Kremlin and its control over Russia. What happened with those talks? Nobody's been talking about that.

NEWMAN: Well, you're right. It's a very sticky issue. The United States is trying to be very diplomatic about it, but President Bush made it very clear to President Putin that there is concern in the United States that Russia is not going or not taking Democratic road that it would hope that it would take, but they are at least -- both countries rather -- concerned about terrorism. That's something that does keep them together. They agree also about what -- the need to have a nuclear free North Korea.

So they're trying to emphasize that points that bring them together, and not what separate them right now, Rudi. At least publicly.

BAKHTIAR: All right, our Lucia Newman reporting from Santiago. Thank you, Lucia.

HARRIS: A regional jet belonging to China Eastern Airlines crashes into a frozen lake just moments after take-off. The CRJ-200, similar to this one, is a twin engine, 50 passenger jet made by Canada's Bombardier Aircraft Company.

CNN's Tara Duffy in Beijing has the latest on the recovery operation following today's deadly crash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TARA DUFFY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rescue workers searching for bodies and clues for what caused this commuter plane to crash less than a minute after take-off from Baoto Airport in inner Mongolia.

Witnesses told China's state-run media they saw the plane vacillating. Others then saw it break into flaming fragments and fall into this frozen lake in a park two kilometers from the airport.

The blaze set a nearby house and boats on the lake on fire. It quickly became clear there were no survivors from this China Eastern Airlines flight.

And then the confirmation that two people on the ground had also died. 47 passengers, one from Indonesia, the rest Chinese nationals, and six crew members were aboard the Bombardier CRJ-200 bound for Shanghai.

China Eastern has grounded all Bombardier planes as the investigation continues. The last major airplane crash in China was more than two years ago, when a China Northern flight crashed into the ocean after the pilot reported a fire in the cabin. 112 people died then.

In Baoto, firefighters and divers had recovered all 53 bodies by mid afternoon Sunday, but the cause of the crash was still unknown.

Tara Duffy, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BAKHTIAR: Back here in the United States, efforts to reform the nation's intelligence community are on hold, at least for now. This after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a bill that would make sweeping changes recommended by the 9/11 Commission.

CNN's congressional correspondent Joe Johns has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The rare Saturday session of Congress started with hope for the long stalled intelligence reform legislation, but fell short at the end. A tentative agreement on the bill fiercely promoted by President Bush himself and House Speaker Dennis Hastert collapsed in a rebellion by conservative House Republicans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just doesn't do the job. It is far short of what needs to be done. It's shallow in terms of the depth of change necessary to deal with the threats of terrorists and those individuals who would harm our society.

JOHNS: House Arms Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter led the objections, arguing that on the ground intelligence should be under the control of the Pentagon and not a new director of national intelligence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doctor was concerned that the proposed reform could endanger our troops in the field who use real-time intelligence to fight the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

JOHNS: But the bipartisan group that negotiated the bill suggested Hunter is simply trying to protect his committee and the Pentagon's turf.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think what you're seeing here is the forces in favor of the status quo protecting their turf, whether it's in Congress or in the bureaucracy.

JOHNS: The second killer objection came from House Judiciary Committee Chair James Sensenbrenner, who insisted that the bill bar illegal immigrants from holding drivers licenses. The bill's supporters said it goes a long way to strengthening border security and that the drivers license issue should be taken up separately.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is really a tragedy today that a small group in the Republican caucus of the House have prevented the American people from a reform that they sorely need now that we are higher risk.

JOHNS: Backers of the bill called on Speaker Hastert and the president to redouble their efforts to persuade Sensenbrenner and Hunter and House conservatives to back down, or if needed, simply override them.

(on camera): Saturday was to have been the last day of the 108th Congress, but because of the stunning break down on the intelligence bill, the Speaker of the House has said he will not adjourn in hopes of reaching agreement during the month of December. Both sides say, however, the outlook for passage is not good this year.

Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: From political hard ball to foul play on the basketball court, suspensions may only be the beginning for round house round ball, I guess that's what we're calling it. Detroit police are still investigating the brawl at the Pistons Pacers game Friday night for possible criminal charges. The NBA has suspended the Pacers Ron Artest, Steven Jackson, and Jermaine O'Neal and the Pistons Ben Wallace indefinitely. The length of their suspensions may be announced today.

This statement from Indiana Pacers president Donnie Walsh. "The league is reviewing the entire incident, and we recognize that responsibility for Friday night's actions can be shared by many. It is up to all of us to make sure that a situation such as this doesn't happen again."

And that brings us to our e-mail question this morning. Should criminal charges be filed against the players and fans involved in Friday's Pistons Pacers brawl? Our address is wam@cnn.com. We'll be reading your replies throughout the program.

BAKHTIAR: And we just can't stop talking about this brawl.

HARRIS: No, we can't. We're showing the pictures.

BAKHTIAR: How much is it going to cost the NBA? That's a big question. We're going to get some perspective from our sports analyst Rick Horrow when we go beyond the game later this hour.

HARRIS: A harsh reality for company towns in America, as the new economy takes away the old way of life. We'll show you what it's like.

BAKHTIAR: And are you conscious about your calories? Find out if the calorie restriction diet is right for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For every 100 people that are able to lose some weight, 95 or 98 of them just gain the weight back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAKHTIAR: Traditional ways that some are saying don't keep up with the times. Coming up in the next hour, a look at progressive Muslims who want change now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAKHTIAR: Welcome back, everyone. They used to be boom towns. Now they're going bust. The company towns that once thrived across the Midwest are facing a pretty bleak future. CNN PRESENTS travels to the Canton, Ohio area, where unemployed steelworker Jeff Ring tells us his story in his own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF RING, RESIDENT: My name's Jeff Ring. I'm going to try and win some money tonight in this little jackpot tournament. About to go gamble. I don't have a job. I'm a displaced steelworker.

Steel foundry I thought offered me some place where I could work for 30 years, retire as a young man. I would've been what, 49. So I thought that was a pretty good deal.

We're two fish behind already. We were just going to work the whole time and then we'd be done, full pension. One fish behind. And they really did close. And I have no job and no skills, really. I mean, I broke steel with a sledgehammer. So what am I going to be, a lumberjack?

BANNER: Last spring, the steel foundry where Jeff worked reopened under a new name. His old job was available, but for less pay because of new overtime limits.

RING: That's it. That's the place. I walked in there about 300 times a year for 24 years. Smells like money.

Really wasn't a whole lot of motivation to go back to the foundry. There would be absolutely no job security. A lot of the guys that said they'd never walk in there again went back in there and got jobs except for me.

And that was another big choice for me. It was whether to just go back, get the steady paycheck again, or better myself with a real skill. I mean, the skill where I could go any place in the United States or anywhere really and get a job.

That's my old sledgehammer. See, nobody even fixed it. It's got a broken handle on it.

It was very gratifying to be good at something and be known to be good at something, but I wouldn't go back there for anything.

You guys lost me. Hey, I don't want to give you any sour grapes.

BANNER After 24 years at the foundry, Jeff decided to return to school to learn a new skill.

RING: My best revenge is success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: And we'll have more personal stories for you tonight from the nation's heartland. An all new CNN PRESENTS, "Company Town" premieres at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

HARRIS: We begin our news across America with a political pop quiz. Who will be the next governor of Washington state? You couldn't cheat if you wanted to, because no one knows. The state is recounting the almost three million votes cast after Republican Dino Rossi beat Democrat Christine Gregoire by just under 300 votes. State law requires a machine recount when the margin is less than 2,000 votes. The recount should be complete by Wednesday.

An emotional ride in California yesterday, as hundreds of bikers hit the street to pay tribute to Laci Peterson and her unborn son. Celebrities and others rode into Escalon, Laci's small hometown, to dedicate a park bench to the mother and child. Organizers say it was a way to remember Laci as a person, and not just as a murder victim.

And to grocery shoppers in San Francisco, do you want paper or plastic? Well, both could soon cost you. City officials are considering charging 17 cents a piece for both bags, blaming plastic for things like clogging recycling machines and killing marine life, and saying paper bags cause waste that cost San Francisco over $8 million to clean up. The city will consider the bagging few on Tuesday.

It is a holiday treat you won't want to miss next Sunday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was really our teachers who encouraged us to learn beyond what we heard on the radio. You know, for us, if we could play a Kool and the Gang song or play like Macy, that was our dimension. That was our whole world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: Playing jazz, saxophonist Najee joining us live to help bring in the holiday season. That's a live performance by Najee right here at the CNN Center next Sunday morning. That's awesome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is unique about me and what I do in drag racing, I have no sight at all. I am totally blind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: You heard that right. This owner of the drag race car is totally blind. But it's his attitude that lets him follow his dream. His story next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK, we've got a raging debate going on about the song, but before we get there, good morning, Miami. NASCAR fans will be flocking to the Miami Speedway today for the annual Winston Cup Series race in Holmstead. And the final race in the Nextel Cup Series of races. We're going to try on a Nextel Cup champion today. Rob Marciano will have your forecast in just a couple minutes.

BAKHTIAR: Can't wait for that. And speaking of speed, visit a straight track on any given weekend, and you might find Jay Blake's dragster burning rubber down the quarter mile.

Jay, though, won't be at the wheel even though he owns the car. He's going to tell us why in his own words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAY BLAKE, FUNNY CAR OWNER: The first time to see a drag race is mind blowing. It's ear piercing. The ground literally shakes. It just hits you and you feel it.

The car I run is called an alcohol funny car. I am the owner and crew chief of the race team. What is unique about me and what I do in drag racing I have no sight at all. I am totally blind.

I move around the engine around my tools all by feel.

I guess I'm not driving today, huh?

I truly love getting my hands dirty. Putting the tools in my hand and working on the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you get a guy that deals with an what he deals with every day...

BLAKE: Fired up, ready to go?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...makes it tough for us to start whining about things, you know?

BLAKE: I've been a fan of drag racing for most of my life. And after my accident, I decided that I was going to follow my dream and start my own race.

With the right attitude, you can do anything.

ANNOUNCER: We have a new driver from Jim and Jay Blake. Jay, the car owner, lost his sight in an industrial accident.

BLAKE: This program is about helping people.

ANNOUNCER: Following dream concept pretty much means exactly like it says in the race car.

BLAKE: I go out and I will do presentations and talk about things will happen in life, but it's how we choose to handle them and what we do with that that makes up the difference.

I was sighted for 31 years. And I didn't think I could do half the things I'm doing. I am one of the luckiest guys in the world.

ANNOUNCER: To Jay Blake, a marvelous run.

BLAKE: Just doing what I'm doing is awesome. I love it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: How's he able to -- what an amazing story, huh?

BAKHTIAR: How is that for some real perspective on life?

HARRIS: You know your attitude, so important. You can do anything. I was about to get on the soap box. BAKHTIAR: Very interesting.

HARRIS: I was about to go there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: We'll continue to rev it up with NASCAR when our sports guru Rick Horrow takes us beyond the game. That's in the next half hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

BAKHTIAR: And Los Angeles mayor is calling for a probe of police at Los Angeles International Airport. Find out why when we come back.

HARRIS: First, take a look at this picture. Four-year old Conner Page is clowning around with his dad, who is a member of the Ohio National Guard. They had their send off ceremony yesterday. The unit departs for Iraq just after Thanksgiving.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAKHTIAR: Are police officers at LAX ignoring their duty? It's a story being told with pictures. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rudi Bakhtiar in today for Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. That story in a minute. First, headlines at this hour.

Congress has approved a mammoth $388 billion spending bill that curbs domestic programs. There's a provision tucked away in the bill, allowing certain members of Congress to look at the tax return of any American. Republican Senate leaders call it a mistake. They agreed not to send the legislation to the president for his signature until the clause is repealed.

A China Eastern Airlines plane crashes in a frozen lake in northern China, killing all 53 people aboard and two people on the ground. The plane went down seconds after take-off today. Witnesses say it exploded into flaming fragments, igniting a house and several yachts.

Secretary of State Colin Powell travels to the Mideast today. Powell hopes to revive the peace process in the wake of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death. Powell plans to talk with Palestinian and Israeli officials beginning tomorrow.

BAKHTIAR: Military operations across Iraq are taking many forms, but they all have the same goal, neutralizing the insurgency so that national elections can take place in January.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad with an update.

Hello, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Rudy. Well, in fact today, the independent electoral commission did meet. And it's fixed January the 30th as the date for those elections. This will of course be a landmark on the road for the coalition stated aims of handing back democracy to Iraq. And if they do go ahead as planned, then of course, these will be the first free elections in more than 50 years.

The elections will in fact be for national assembly. Their job will be to choose a new government, but also to draw up a new constitution. Part of elections also will be for a regional council in the northern Kurdish areas. And also in the 18 provinces of Iraq, there will be individual elections there also for provincial councils.

But of course, the big question mark is how the violence of late has affected the time table for this. And because of the announcement today, it seems to be an expression of confidence, at least, by the electoral commission that they're still on track for the vote to go ahead.

That said, we have heard in Baghdad, at least, that there are a number of difficulties, particularly in the voter registration process. And a lot of the voter cards, as they're being handed out for the potential voters to fill them in with the correct information, insurgents in some areas of Baghdad and also in other areas of the country have been forcing voters either not to fill them in or stopping the electoral officials from handing out those cards in the first place.

So it does seem there's still a number of obstacles ahead, Rudi.

BAKHTIAR: CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad. Thank you, Karl.

HARRIS: Back in this country, concerns today over whether Los Angeles police are doing a shabby job at L.A. International, the world's fifth busiest airport. A local TV station's hidden cameras reveal several officers taking long breaks, ignoring emergency radio calls and even abandoning their posts. The mayor's calling for an investigation, saying the security of millions of travelers is at risk.

And an Air France flight from Paris to Washington gets sidetracked after a security scare. Somehow one of the passengers on the U.S. government's no fly list was allowed to board the plane in Paris. Once the mistake was discovered last night, the plane was diverted from Bangor, Maine. Customs officials obtained the passenger and his traveling companion. The flight then proceeded to Washington.

BAKHTIAR: Everyone's talking about it, the basketball brawl.

HARRIS: Can't stop talking about it.

BAKHTIAR: That's right. They can't stop talking about it, in fact. So should there be more security at sporting events? And will the fight end up costing the NBA a fortune?

HARRIS: Our sports guru Rick Horrow weighs in. Hey, Rick, next, on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: The 36th race NASCAR season roars to a dramatic and historic end this afternoon. Five drivers in a single race shootout to crown the Nextel Cup Champion. Only 82 points separate the first and fifth place drivers. It's the inaugural year of a new playoff system designed to keep fans hooked on the sport all the way until the end of the season. It's a plan that is apparently working. And it all takes place at high noon. The Holmstead, Miami Speedway might as well be the OK Corral. A shootout giving NASCAR's five top drivers a chance to win it all back.

With us today to drive home the NASCAR story is the author of "Win the Game" is on the line and CNN Sports analyst, our own Wyatt Earp, Rick Horrow. Good morning, Rick.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Who wrote that for you? OK Corral, you've got to be kidding.

HARRIS: Having a little fun with it this morning. I got to tell you, this whole Nextel Cup series has really changed things. Walk us and talk us through how this has changed from last year.

HORROW: Well, the big walk and talk was when the green flag dropped in Daytona this year. It signaled a new era for NASCAR, the largest sports sponsorship deal in history, a $1 million, 10 year deal for Nextel. And also, television ratings have sustained an increased $2.8 billion TV deal with NBC, Turner, and others, Fox.

But the bottom line is 75 million avid NASCAR fans, by the way...

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: ...expanding the envelope to 70 or 80 million more. And the most important thing is this chase for the cup has opened the sport up just like a normal playoff series.

As you said, five people, five drivers, five teams have a chance to win today. That's what it's all about.

From a numbers perspective, ad rates for these races are up 20 percent. Makes the networks happy. And you know it makes NASCAR happy. Start your engines indeed.

HARRIS: Yes, so it's really paying off in a big way for the networks. How about Nextel? Are they benefiting as well?

HORROW: Hey, a billion reasons why they're benefiting. The surveys are saying, by the way, that the NASCAR fans are five times more likely to buy Nextel stuff than the non-NASCAR fans. That's a big deal.

But it's also those sponsors who are involved in those 10 drivers that are in the finals. Who's who in corporate America? For example, Alltel, Bud, Home Depot, Lowes, those kind of companies. And of course, those corporate staples of Sharpie and Viagra. And they're even pushing the envelope next year for liquor sales. You've got Diago, the real (UNINTELLIGIBLE) ice spending their money sponsoring. And oh by the way, a new deal signed for next year, the official tomato, potato...

HARRIS: Come on.

HORROW: ...lemons, limes, onions for NASCAR with an option for next year, apples, mushroom and salad.

Hey, I don't know about you, man, but I can't wait to get my hands on a juicy NASCAR apple.

HARRIS: All right, let's turn our attention to pictures that I know you've seen.

HORROW: Yes.

HARRIS: And the discussion that I know that you've taken part in on the whole basketball brawl between the Pistons and the Pacers on Friday night. What's your take on it? And how can we keep something like this from happening again? Any solutions?

HORROW: Well, the take from a kind of global perspective is this has been going on since the beginning of time. And when the Acropolis and the Parthenon were built, they were worried about security issues and facilities as well.

So it's a bigger issue. But it involves a lot of things. It involves arena security. It involves design. You know, when Division I soccer stadiums in Europe now...

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: ...that they're building? They have moats separating the players from the fans in the stands from the players. And that is just a normal part of design. You've got cutting off the beer sales. You've also got cultural issues. And you have an ability now to control behavior.

So maybe this is a wake-up call for all sports, which is very important.

HARRIS: How about the impact of a fracas like this on the game itself?

HORROW: Well, the game itself, everybody's talking about it. You know, South Carolina and Clemson had a big right on the field...

HARRIS: That's right.

HORROW: ...football wise yesterday. And Coach Tommy Bowd (ph) at Clemson was partially blaming the NBA brawl the night before because he said all his kids are watching. Maybe ridiculous, but the NBA is all about image. When David Stern took the league over 20 years ago, they had $118 million bucks in revenues. Last year, over $3 billion. Those are reasons why perception is really important. The NBA had to take quick, decisive, comprehensive action to solve the problem.

They suspended four players indefinitely, starting an investigation. That's the kind of response the NBA needs to protect their assets. They've got franchises going for $300 million now.

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: So it's very, very serious.

HARRIS: OK, bring your checkbook this week. We've got our own little Turkey Bowl going on on the golf course this week.

HORROW: Amen. Just -- you're not getting off that easy. Just one quick thing.

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: Should we mention on the air that you and I are playing on Tuesday and I'm going to kick your butt. Or can I say that to you?

HARRIS: Yes, it's out there. It's out there.

HORROW: It's way out there.

HARRIS: Video.

HORROW: We'll talk about it next week.

HARRIS: We'll talk about it next week. Yes, Rick. Take care of yourself.

HORROW: Good-bye.

HARRIS: Good-bye. Rudi?

BAKHTIAR: Thank you, gentlemen. You're looking at live pictures from Santiago, Chile where APEC leaders are getting ready to take the traditional photo there, wearing the traditional Chilean commandos. Takes up to four months to make those.

This is quite a meeting there taking place between members of APEC. Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is there. China's President Hu Jintao is there. We are seeing many of the leaders. I believe they have already taken the photo or they are lining up to take the photo.

Russian President -- they have already taken the photo. OK, they have taken the class photo there. Russian President Vladimir Putin is there. Chile's President Ricardo Lagos is there. Mexican President Vicente Fox is also there. President Bush and other leaders bringing the annual Asia Pacific Summit to a close in Chile today.

Later though, the president will be meeting with Mexican President Vicente Fox. Yesterday, he met with Putin. Bilateral talks with other leaders as well. He's also been urging nations, member of the six party talk, members of the six party talks to help ease nuclear tensions with North Korea and Iran. So again, we were looking at live pictures there from Santiago, Chile.

Well, coming up here, will weight loss be one of your resolutions next year?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a very deliberate decision that I made to begin calorie restriction. It's backed by very reputable, extensive research.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAR: Some believe it's all about counting calories. Find out if that's the right diet for you, next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

But first, this snapshot from Hawaii, where South America's got its first surfing title yesterday. Here's the newly crowned world professional surfing champ from Peru, Sofia Hulanovich (ph).

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: See, what did we pull up here? That is the White House. I thought we might see the Lincoln Memorial. Do we have a shot of that? All right, we'll stay with the White House.

Now President Bush is in Santiago, Chile. And he's got other stops in South America before heading to Crawford, Texas for about a week or so of vacation.

And there it is in the fog there.

BAKHTIAR: Wow.

HARRIS: Can you see it there off to the right of your screen there?

BAKHTIAR: Yes, barely.

HARRIS: On the Potomac River.

BAKHTIAR: Looks a lot foggier there than it was at the White House.

HARRIS: Yes. Good morning, Washington, D.C. There is a big craft show there at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C. It is billed as the biggest in the world. And Rob Marciano will see -- we'll check in with Rob and see if we can clear up that forecast a little bit later in this half hour.

And time now to hit the fast forward button and take a quick look at some of the stories making news this week. Scott Peterson's attorneys hope a different jury and a different county will help his client avoid the death penalty. Monday, the judge in the case will review a request to have a new jury hear evidence in the penalty phase of Peterson's trial. Just over a week ago, you'll remember, Peterson was found guilty of killing his wife and unborn son. Also Monday, in Sharm-el Sheik, Egypt, a conference on the future of Iraq. Regional and international government representatives are slated to attend, including Secretary of State Colin Powell. How big is the nuclear threat from Iran? That's the question before the International Atomic Energy Agency. At a meeting on Thursday, board members will look at a report detailing Iran's pledge to suspend its uranium enrichment operations.

BAKHTIAR: Want to know the secret to a longer life? Then keep your mouth shut. Really.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains how less calories could mean more years for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KENTON MULLEN, CALORIE RESTRICTION SOCIETY: I'd like a papaya salad.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kenton Mullens is 5'8, but weighs only 120 pounds.

MULLEN: Yes, that sounds good.

COHEN: That's because he eats only 1800 calories a day.

MULLEN: Oh, it looks great.

COHEN: Down from 4,000 a day a few years ago. He's hoping it'll help him live to 90, 100, or even longer.

MULLEN: It was a very deliberate decision that I made to begin calorie restriction. It's backed by a very reputable, extensive research.

COHEN: Like the research with these monkeys. Skinny monkeys, like the one on the right, live longer, healthier lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've actually aged biologically slower. Their hair's gone gray less quickly.

COHEN: Skinny mice live longer, too. On regular diets, mice in one study lived 36 months. When they ate 25 percent fewer calories, they lived 42 months. On 55 percent fewer calories, they lived 55 months.

One theory why is that on fewer calories, cells throughout the body appear to die more slowly and repair themselves more easily.

MULLEN: This whole piece of lettuce may have like four or five calories.

COHEN: Mullens counts his calories religiously. For dinner this night, he had his papaya salad, steamed vegetables. And he ate only about a third of his fish. Low in calories, but high in nutrients.

MULLEN: It's not like I'm living a life of torture.

COHEN: But how many people could have that kind of willpower, could lose and keep off 45 pounds like Mullens did?

RICHARD MILLER, AMERICAN FED. FOR AGING RESEARCH: For every 100 people that are able to lose some weight, 95 or 98 of them just gain the weight back.

COHEN: That's why some researchers, like Richard Miller, want to come up with a pill that tricks your body into thinking it's on a very low calorie diet, even when it's not, giving all of the benefits without any of the sacrifice.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, you may have seen the infamous Pacers Pistons brawl scene by now. Do you think criminal charges should be filed against the players and fans who threw the punches? That's our e-mail question this morning. We'll read some of your replies when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BAKHTIAR: Greatest hits are dominating the top five slots on the Billboard charts this week. Shania Twain and Toby Keith scoring big at number two and three, after the Country Music Awards. Britney Spears debuts her collection of greatest hits at number four. But the top slot belongs to Eminem, whose album "Encore" came out last Friday. Finally at number five, last week's winner, the 17th installment of now that's what I call music.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: We want to get to some of your e-mail responses. And the question is right there on the screen there. Should criminal charges be filed against the players and the fans involved in Friday's Pistons Pacers brawl? And Rudi, we started getting response to this before...

BAKHTIAR: We sure did. Yes, people are fired about this. This guy's got an interesting idea. "Maybe they should put these uncivilized basketball clowns in a military uniform and send them to Iraq since they like to fight."

HARRIS: Yes, and this is from R.D. "If you can't walk away from someone throwing a drink on you, you're a danger to society and you should be arrested, jailed, and fined. The person throwing the drink should also be arrested, jailed, and fined." So we will encourage you to continue to send those e-mails to us. The address is wam@cnn.com. We will continue to read those responses throughout the program.

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