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CNN Live Sunday

Bush State Visit to Chilean President Faces Security Concerns; Date Set for Iraq Elections; Arguments Delay Passage of Intelligence Reform Bill

Aired November 21, 2004 - 11:00   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: it's 11 a.m. in Washington, 1 p.m. in Santiago, Chile. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
Ahead this hour: They'll likely be the hottest gift this holiday season, but if you're buying gift cards for friends and family, there are a few things you should know.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beautiful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Familiar sounds on football fields across America this time of year, but the coaches blowing those whistles aren't the usual suspects. Why women are toting clipboards and pacing the sidelines.

And a scuffle in Santiago. President Bush has to rescue a Secret Service agent. More on that in a moment, but, first, the top stories.

President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iraq at the APEC summit in Santiago, Chile. We'll have a live report coming up in about 30 seconds.

Congress fails to pass the Intelligence Reform Bill, the one spawned by recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, but it apparently failed over military chain of command issues. We'll have a full report coming up this hour.

And in China, a passenger plane crashed after takeoff from an airfield in Inner Mongolia. Fifty-five people died after the plane plunged into an icy lake. The plane was headed to Shanghai.

President Bush and the leaders of 20 other countries on the Pacific Rim continued talks in Chile today. The international economy is expected to get attention today. The first day of the meetings focused on Mr. Bush's call for a firm stand on the nuclear ambitions of North Korea.

Lucia Newman has been following the summit in Santiago and joins us with this live update.

Hi, Lucia. LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Well, at this hour the 21 APEC leaders are at their closing lunch, their final meeting before the announcements are read out later this afternoon by the host, President Ricardo Lagos of Chile, announcements which are expected to be about ways to bolster trade and also international security, Fredricka.

Now, before a meeting with the rest of the APEC leaders, President George Bush met with his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox, to talk about a very different issue, immigration. It's been a very thorny one between both countries, the Mexican president impatient for the United States to enact legislation which would allow illegal Mexican workers in the United States to come out of the woodwork and become legal guest workers.

The -- President Bush said that he was committed to passing this legislation now in his second term, but that might bring him on a collision course with some conservatives in Congress.

Now, afterwards both presidents joined the other APEC members for what is known as the class photo, the group photo at Chile's presidential palace, wearing typical Chilean ponchos, called chamantos.

Although there were a lot of smiles at the photo-op, not everything has been smooth sailing, Fredricka.

The meeting, or rather the visit by President Bush here was supposed to turn into a state visit with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos later on this evening. It was -- the highlight of this was supposed to be a major gala dinner at the palace.

It's now been downsized to a small dinner at the -- President Lagos' private dining room for only 20 people, the main issue being the fact that the U.S. Secret Service was insisting on putting up a metal detector that the guests, over 230 of them, had to pass through.

Chile's president, we are told by a top level Chilean foreign ministry official, did not accept this. He said that that was humiliating for his guests, so the dinner was called off.

The U.S. is downplaying the incident, calling it an unfortunate misunderstanding, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. And security, obviously, very paramount. But I guess part of the problem or the criticism is that not everybody was in sync or on the same page communicating these security issues.

NEWMAN: Absolutely. But, you know, there is a feeling here in Chile, and we're hearing it all over, and it's certainly been in the press, that the United States goes overboard sometimes with security.

Obviously, the U.S. Secret Service would not agree, saying that after 9/11, extraordinary measures have to be taken to protect President Bush and other leaders, as well -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: Lucia Newman, thanks for that report from Santiago.

It has been a violent weekend in Iraq, from multiple attacks in Baghdad to the executions of Iraqi soldiers in Mosul, all this as Iraq's election commission tries it press ahead, setting the date for national voting.

Karl Penhaul is standing by in Baghdad with more on this complex fight for Iraq -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Well, the Iraqi electoral commission -- that's a commission that's independent of the Iraqi government -- met today, and they've announced that elections will be held on January the 30th.

It was, of course, widely expected these elections would be held in January, and really today seems to be an expression of confidence that the time tables and all the procedures needed to be fulfilled are, in fact, on track.

Now, the elections will, of course, be for the national assembly. That will choose a new government, as well as sorting out a new constitution. It will also be for a regional parliament for the northern Kurdish region and also choose 18 provincial counsels for the 18 provinces of Iraq.

Now, obviously, the big question mark here, a question raised by the Iraqi general public, as well as internationally, was how would the timetable be affected by this bout of violence we've seen in Baghdad and the rest of Iraq and also the violence sparked by the offensive on Falluja?

But obviously, with the electoral council making this announcement today, it does seem that they are still confident that things can go ahead on time.

And we are told that as far as the registration of political parties, that's going very well. In excess of 120 political parties have registered to take part in the vote.

What seems to be going less well is updating the voter register. And talking to people on the ground here in some of the neighborhoods in Baghdad, we understand that a number of the electoral officials who have been helping with the updating of the electoral register have been threatened, and in certain areas that electoral register hasn't been able to be updated.

So what we have to see in the coming days is how that could impact on the overall numbers of people who could be available to vote on January 30 -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Karl, as you mention, if many election officials are likely to be targets of the insurgency, is the interim government in any way promising some kind of added protection for them so that they might be able to fulfill this January 30 election date? PENHAUL: Well, certainly security will be uppermost in the Iraqi government's mind and also, in fact, in the mind of those U.N. officials who are also shadowing this and giving technical assistance to it.

Because, as you say, yes, the insurgent groups here in Iraq have very much threatened this vote. They've put out warnings on web sites, as well as verbal warnings in the neighborhoods to voters and also to officials to stay away from these elections.

They think this is just another way of prolonging the coalition, in their words, occupation of Iraq, because they see these as just elections organized, eventually, by the United States and by its coalition partners -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Karl Penhaul, thanks so much, Karl, for that report from Baghdad.

Well, after some hesitation, Russia has joined an effort with other nations to forgive up to 80 percent of Iraq's foreign debt. Russia had held out of the deal being brokered at a meeting in Berlin.

Germany and the U.S. were encouraging rich nations to help Iraq's recovery by forgiving up to 80 percent of Iraq's $120 billion debt over several years.

Members of Congress expected to finish their work for the year yesterday until some Republican leaders raised concerns about the U.S. intelligence bill.

Lawmakers delayed a vote on the matter even after a call from President Bush, who was attending the APEC summit in Chile.

Joe Johns explained what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The rare Saturday session of Congress start would hope for the long-stalled legislation but fell short at the end.

Fiercely promoted by President Bush himself and House Speaker Dennis Hastert collapsed in a rebellion by conservative House Republicans.

REP. CURT WELDON (R), PENNSYLVANIA: This doesn't do the job. It's far short of what needs to be done. It's -- it's shallow in terms of the depth of change necessary to deal with the threats of terrorists and those individuals that would harm our society.

JOHNS: House Armed 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.

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER: Duncan 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.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: 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 driver's licenses.

The bill supporters said it goes a long way to strengthening border security and that the driver's license issue should be taken up separately.

REP. JANE HARMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: 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: This 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 be the last day of the 108th Congress, but because of the stunning breakdown on the intelligence bill, the speaker of the House has said he will not adjourn in hopes of reaching an 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)

WHITFIELD: Well, despite that setback, Congress did pass a spending bill this weekend.

Buried in the fine print a provision that would let certain members of Congress bypass privacy protections to look at anyone's income tax returns. Congressional aides say Oklahoma Republican Ernest Istook added the provision. Istook is chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee.

GOP leaders say the peek-a-boo provision shouldn't be in the bill and will be removed before the bill is signed by the president.

Well, it was a rare moment of role reversal. President Bush becomes the protector for one of his Secret Service agents. What led to this scuffle at the summit in Santiago? Straight ahead on CNN SUNDAY.

Also, gift cards are quickly becoming the present of choice, but not all are the same. Some come with a catch or two.

Plus, this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN AARON, 18 YEARS OLD: When you first told us that we were going to have women coaching us, we were -- I was thinking women coaching football?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It may be out of the ordinary, but this experiment by the NFL is proving to be a winner in more ways than one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Now some stories making news across America.

The mayor of Los Angeles is calling for an investigation about security at the city's international airport. A local TV station's hidden cameras revealed several police officers taking long breaks, ignoring radio calls and even abandoning their posts altogether. Millions of passengers use the terminals at LAX every year.

In an unrelated matter, an Air France jet was diverted to Bangor, Maine, during a flight from Paris to Washington. Officials detained a person on the U.S. no-fly list. He boarded the flight with a companion who was also held. The plane arrived safely in Washington about two hours late.

In the NBA, four players are indefinitely suspended after Friday's night brawl in Detroit at the Pacers-Pistons game. The four are caught on tape throwing punches at fans. Possible criminal charges may be imposed against some of the players and the fans.

More than ever, people are turning to gift cards as a way to let loved ones get whatever they want. It may sound good, but as Valerie Morris of CNN Financial News explains, there might also be a catch or two.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIE MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The hottest holiday gift this year is that easy to buy, get it yourself present, the gift card.

Consumers will spend more than $40 billion on these modern day gift certificates in 2004 alone. But be careful, there might just be a Grinch attached.

For the first time since their inception, gift cards will replace apparel as the gift of choice this year among American consumers, according to a new Deloitte and Touche survey.

ED MERZWINSKI, U.S. PIRG: Gift cards are popular because you don't have to buy a gift. You don't have to decide what someone wants. You just have to know where they like to shop. It's a -- it's a win for the businesses, and it's a win for the gift receiver.

MORRIS: But buried in the fine print could be penalties, hidden fees and expiration dates. So, here are some things to keep in mind when you're shopping for gift cards.

Make sure to ask about expiration dates. Some gift cards are no longer valid after a certain period of time and won't be honored past a certain date.

Like a credit card, consumers can also be hit with start-up fees just for purchasing a gift card. Bank of America charges an issuance fee of $5.95 to $11.95 for its Visa gift card.

Be sure to watch out for hidden charges that include a monthly charge or a dormancy fee for not using the card. Toys 'R Us subtracts $2 per month from the value of your gift card after 24 months of inactivity.

MERZWINSKI: States and consumer advocates think that gift card fees such as deductions every month if you don't use the card are unfair to consumers. Many states led by California have enacted legislation severely limiting or even banning most fees.

MORRIS: Some companies that don't charge fees include Banana Republic, J. Crew, Borders, The Gap, Barnes & Noble and Starbucks. Starbucks used to charge a monthly service fee after a year of inactivity, but dropped that policy last year.

(on camera) Always keep your receipts when buying items using your cards. One big problem with gift cards is if they're lost or stolen, they are really gone. Retailers, including Macy's and Bloomingdale's will issue you a new card, if you can provide proof of a recent purchase.

Valley Morris, CNN Financial News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And speaking of gifts, what are some of the best choices this holiday season?

Also ahead, in a place where men have dominated, women are now taking charge. The NFL's plan to find new coaching talent on and off the field.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The start of a big holiday travel week. Let's check in with the weather picture out there. Rob Marciano is in the weather center.

Hello to you, Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot, Rob. All right. Let's check in now with Howard Kurtz in Washington. "RELIABLE SOURCES" coming up in a few minutes.

Hi, Howie.

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Hi, Fredricka.

Yes, coming up, covering Iraq: we'll talk to two correspondents about the dangers of reporting from a war zone. Can reporters under fire be fair?

Colin Powell's exit and Condi Rice's new job: did reporters fall in love with the outgoing secretary of state, and do they have it in for the new one?

Bill Clinton's extraordinary eruption with Peter Jennings, and the naked news, complete with pictures, all ahead on "RELIABLE SOURCES."

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Howard.

KURTZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, there's an effort to combine the kind of parenting only a mother can give with the life lessons of football.

The National Football League pilot program may have added the benefit of getting more women interested in what's happening on the field. Larry Smith shows us how.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Enunciation Playground in New Orleans, the scene is familiar during football season: arrive, suit up, hit the field. Except...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beautiful.

AARON: When you first told us that we were going to have women coaching us, we were -- I was thinking, women, coaching football?

SMITH: The idea didn't seem as odd to the NFL and the New Orleans Saints, who are piloting the Moms Coach Football program. Placing women in roles traditionally dominated by men will tap a new source for volunteer coaches and encourage more females to appreciate the sport.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, son (ph), your hands are wrong.

CEDRIC JONES, NFL SENIOR DIRECTOR, YOUTH FOOTBALL: A lot of households are headed by moms, and we want them to be part of the process from picking out equipment to understanding the plays and understanding the game and hopefully they become fans of our games.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Too high. You need to come down. Look. I want you like this. CAPT. BERNARDINE W. KELLY, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Mothers are so used to giving orders and controlling things, so it was just quite a natural transition.

SMITH: The coaches are supplied with teaching materials about football, and the players are quickly learning that tackle football may blend well with a woman's touch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many of you had lunch today? Raise your hands.

CLAUDIA PICOUST, SCHOOL DISTRICT CAFETERIA WORKER: We are mommas to the kids. We are -- if they make a mistake, we're not too willing to holler at them. We -- we kind of nurture.

KRISTY BARROWS, TULANE LAW STUDENT: I guess I just try to get on the first floor with my kids: "How was your day at school" and that kind of thing. We teach them about setting goals and values, you know, life lessons and things like that.

QUENTIN BISHOP, 17 YEARS OLD: Some people on my team they'd be, like, they don't want lady coaches because they're talking about they don't think they know what they're doing. I think they know what they're doing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a wonderful opportunity, not just for me, but all of us out here. Because, you know, we could be on the streets playing around or something. We're doing something better with our time.

SMITH: Just like mom would want.

Larry Smith, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, guess what? They were assigned to protect him, so why did President Bush have to rescue one of his Secret Service agents? That story in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Finally, it never hurts to throw your weight around when you are the president of the United States.

Last night at the APEC summit in Chile, President Bush's lead Secret Service agent had trouble getting past Chilean security officials. What's wrong with this picture?

Mr. Bush had to walk over and pull the agent through the crowd. Take a look.

All right, so we don't have the picture, but believe me when I describe the situation there. Well, apparently the White House says it was an unfortunate misunderstanding with Chilean security services.

Well, still much more ahead. In a few moments, at the bottom of the hour, "RELIABLE SOURCES." Today the danger for reporters in Iraq.

At noon, it's "LATE EDITION" with Wolf Blitzer. Among Wolf's guests are Mexican President Vicente Fox and comedian Al Franken.

At 2 p.m. Eastern, it's "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS," today profiling Condoleezza Rice.

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 - 11:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: it's 11 a.m. in Washington, 1 p.m. in Santiago, Chile. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
Ahead this hour: They'll likely be the hottest gift this holiday season, but if you're buying gift cards for friends and family, there are a few things you should know.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beautiful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Familiar sounds on football fields across America this time of year, but the coaches blowing those whistles aren't the usual suspects. Why women are toting clipboards and pacing the sidelines.

And a scuffle in Santiago. President Bush has to rescue a Secret Service agent. More on that in a moment, but, first, the top stories.

President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iraq at the APEC summit in Santiago, Chile. We'll have a live report coming up in about 30 seconds.

Congress fails to pass the Intelligence Reform Bill, the one spawned by recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, but it apparently failed over military chain of command issues. We'll have a full report coming up this hour.

And in China, a passenger plane crashed after takeoff from an airfield in Inner Mongolia. Fifty-five people died after the plane plunged into an icy lake. The plane was headed to Shanghai.

President Bush and the leaders of 20 other countries on the Pacific Rim continued talks in Chile today. The international economy is expected to get attention today. The first day of the meetings focused on Mr. Bush's call for a firm stand on the nuclear ambitions of North Korea.

Lucia Newman has been following the summit in Santiago and joins us with this live update.

Hi, Lucia. LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Well, at this hour the 21 APEC leaders are at their closing lunch, their final meeting before the announcements are read out later this afternoon by the host, President Ricardo Lagos of Chile, announcements which are expected to be about ways to bolster trade and also international security, Fredricka.

Now, before a meeting with the rest of the APEC leaders, President George Bush met with his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox, to talk about a very different issue, immigration. It's been a very thorny one between both countries, the Mexican president impatient for the United States to enact legislation which would allow illegal Mexican workers in the United States to come out of the woodwork and become legal guest workers.

The -- President Bush said that he was committed to passing this legislation now in his second term, but that might bring him on a collision course with some conservatives in Congress.

Now, afterwards both presidents joined the other APEC members for what is known as the class photo, the group photo at Chile's presidential palace, wearing typical Chilean ponchos, called chamantos.

Although there were a lot of smiles at the photo-op, not everything has been smooth sailing, Fredricka.

The meeting, or rather the visit by President Bush here was supposed to turn into a state visit with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos later on this evening. It was -- the highlight of this was supposed to be a major gala dinner at the palace.

It's now been downsized to a small dinner at the -- President Lagos' private dining room for only 20 people, the main issue being the fact that the U.S. Secret Service was insisting on putting up a metal detector that the guests, over 230 of them, had to pass through.

Chile's president, we are told by a top level Chilean foreign ministry official, did not accept this. He said that that was humiliating for his guests, so the dinner was called off.

The U.S. is downplaying the incident, calling it an unfortunate misunderstanding, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. And security, obviously, very paramount. But I guess part of the problem or the criticism is that not everybody was in sync or on the same page communicating these security issues.

NEWMAN: Absolutely. But, you know, there is a feeling here in Chile, and we're hearing it all over, and it's certainly been in the press, that the United States goes overboard sometimes with security.

Obviously, the U.S. Secret Service would not agree, saying that after 9/11, extraordinary measures have to be taken to protect President Bush and other leaders, as well -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: Lucia Newman, thanks for that report from Santiago.

It has been a violent weekend in Iraq, from multiple attacks in Baghdad to the executions of Iraqi soldiers in Mosul, all this as Iraq's election commission tries it press ahead, setting the date for national voting.

Karl Penhaul is standing by in Baghdad with more on this complex fight for Iraq -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Well, the Iraqi electoral commission -- that's a commission that's independent of the Iraqi government -- met today, and they've announced that elections will be held on January the 30th.

It was, of course, widely expected these elections would be held in January, and really today seems to be an expression of confidence that the time tables and all the procedures needed to be fulfilled are, in fact, on track.

Now, the elections will, of course, be for the national assembly. That will choose a new government, as well as sorting out a new constitution. It will also be for a regional parliament for the northern Kurdish region and also choose 18 provincial counsels for the 18 provinces of Iraq.

Now, obviously, the big question mark here, a question raised by the Iraqi general public, as well as internationally, was how would the timetable be affected by this bout of violence we've seen in Baghdad and the rest of Iraq and also the violence sparked by the offensive on Falluja?

But obviously, with the electoral council making this announcement today, it does seem that they are still confident that things can go ahead on time.

And we are told that as far as the registration of political parties, that's going very well. In excess of 120 political parties have registered to take part in the vote.

What seems to be going less well is updating the voter register. And talking to people on the ground here in some of the neighborhoods in Baghdad, we understand that a number of the electoral officials who have been helping with the updating of the electoral register have been threatened, and in certain areas that electoral register hasn't been able to be updated.

So what we have to see in the coming days is how that could impact on the overall numbers of people who could be available to vote on January 30 -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Karl, as you mention, if many election officials are likely to be targets of the insurgency, is the interim government in any way promising some kind of added protection for them so that they might be able to fulfill this January 30 election date? PENHAUL: Well, certainly security will be uppermost in the Iraqi government's mind and also, in fact, in the mind of those U.N. officials who are also shadowing this and giving technical assistance to it.

Because, as you say, yes, the insurgent groups here in Iraq have very much threatened this vote. They've put out warnings on web sites, as well as verbal warnings in the neighborhoods to voters and also to officials to stay away from these elections.

They think this is just another way of prolonging the coalition, in their words, occupation of Iraq, because they see these as just elections organized, eventually, by the United States and by its coalition partners -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Karl Penhaul, thanks so much, Karl, for that report from Baghdad.

Well, after some hesitation, Russia has joined an effort with other nations to forgive up to 80 percent of Iraq's foreign debt. Russia had held out of the deal being brokered at a meeting in Berlin.

Germany and the U.S. were encouraging rich nations to help Iraq's recovery by forgiving up to 80 percent of Iraq's $120 billion debt over several years.

Members of Congress expected to finish their work for the year yesterday until some Republican leaders raised concerns about the U.S. intelligence bill.

Lawmakers delayed a vote on the matter even after a call from President Bush, who was attending the APEC summit in Chile.

Joe Johns explained what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The rare Saturday session of Congress start would hope for the long-stalled legislation but fell short at the end.

Fiercely promoted by President Bush himself and House Speaker Dennis Hastert collapsed in a rebellion by conservative House Republicans.

REP. CURT WELDON (R), PENNSYLVANIA: This doesn't do the job. It's far short of what needs to be done. It's -- it's shallow in terms of the depth of change necessary to deal with the threats of terrorists and those individuals that would harm our society.

JOHNS: House Armed 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.

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER: Duncan 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.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: 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 driver's licenses.

The bill supporters said it goes a long way to strengthening border security and that the driver's license issue should be taken up separately.

REP. JANE HARMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: 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: This 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 be the last day of the 108th Congress, but because of the stunning breakdown on the intelligence bill, the speaker of the House has said he will not adjourn in hopes of reaching an 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)

WHITFIELD: Well, despite that setback, Congress did pass a spending bill this weekend.

Buried in the fine print a provision that would let certain members of Congress bypass privacy protections to look at anyone's income tax returns. Congressional aides say Oklahoma Republican Ernest Istook added the provision. Istook is chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee.

GOP leaders say the peek-a-boo provision shouldn't be in the bill and will be removed before the bill is signed by the president.

Well, it was a rare moment of role reversal. President Bush becomes the protector for one of his Secret Service agents. What led to this scuffle at the summit in Santiago? Straight ahead on CNN SUNDAY.

Also, gift cards are quickly becoming the present of choice, but not all are the same. Some come with a catch or two.

Plus, this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN AARON, 18 YEARS OLD: When you first told us that we were going to have women coaching us, we were -- I was thinking women coaching football?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It may be out of the ordinary, but this experiment by the NFL is proving to be a winner in more ways than one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Now some stories making news across America.

The mayor of Los Angeles is calling for an investigation about security at the city's international airport. A local TV station's hidden cameras revealed several police officers taking long breaks, ignoring radio calls and even abandoning their posts altogether. Millions of passengers use the terminals at LAX every year.

In an unrelated matter, an Air France jet was diverted to Bangor, Maine, during a flight from Paris to Washington. Officials detained a person on the U.S. no-fly list. He boarded the flight with a companion who was also held. The plane arrived safely in Washington about two hours late.

In the NBA, four players are indefinitely suspended after Friday's night brawl in Detroit at the Pacers-Pistons game. The four are caught on tape throwing punches at fans. Possible criminal charges may be imposed against some of the players and the fans.

More than ever, people are turning to gift cards as a way to let loved ones get whatever they want. It may sound good, but as Valerie Morris of CNN Financial News explains, there might also be a catch or two.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIE MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The hottest holiday gift this year is that easy to buy, get it yourself present, the gift card.

Consumers will spend more than $40 billion on these modern day gift certificates in 2004 alone. But be careful, there might just be a Grinch attached.

For the first time since their inception, gift cards will replace apparel as the gift of choice this year among American consumers, according to a new Deloitte and Touche survey.

ED MERZWINSKI, U.S. PIRG: Gift cards are popular because you don't have to buy a gift. You don't have to decide what someone wants. You just have to know where they like to shop. It's a -- it's a win for the businesses, and it's a win for the gift receiver.

MORRIS: But buried in the fine print could be penalties, hidden fees and expiration dates. So, here are some things to keep in mind when you're shopping for gift cards.

Make sure to ask about expiration dates. Some gift cards are no longer valid after a certain period of time and won't be honored past a certain date.

Like a credit card, consumers can also be hit with start-up fees just for purchasing a gift card. Bank of America charges an issuance fee of $5.95 to $11.95 for its Visa gift card.

Be sure to watch out for hidden charges that include a monthly charge or a dormancy fee for not using the card. Toys 'R Us subtracts $2 per month from the value of your gift card after 24 months of inactivity.

MERZWINSKI: States and consumer advocates think that gift card fees such as deductions every month if you don't use the card are unfair to consumers. Many states led by California have enacted legislation severely limiting or even banning most fees.

MORRIS: Some companies that don't charge fees include Banana Republic, J. Crew, Borders, The Gap, Barnes & Noble and Starbucks. Starbucks used to charge a monthly service fee after a year of inactivity, but dropped that policy last year.

(on camera) Always keep your receipts when buying items using your cards. One big problem with gift cards is if they're lost or stolen, they are really gone. Retailers, including Macy's and Bloomingdale's will issue you a new card, if you can provide proof of a recent purchase.

Valley Morris, CNN Financial News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And speaking of gifts, what are some of the best choices this holiday season?

Also ahead, in a place where men have dominated, women are now taking charge. The NFL's plan to find new coaching talent on and off the field.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The start of a big holiday travel week. Let's check in with the weather picture out there. Rob Marciano is in the weather center.

Hello to you, Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot, Rob. All right. Let's check in now with Howard Kurtz in Washington. "RELIABLE SOURCES" coming up in a few minutes.

Hi, Howie.

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Hi, Fredricka.

Yes, coming up, covering Iraq: we'll talk to two correspondents about the dangers of reporting from a war zone. Can reporters under fire be fair?

Colin Powell's exit and Condi Rice's new job: did reporters fall in love with the outgoing secretary of state, and do they have it in for the new one?

Bill Clinton's extraordinary eruption with Peter Jennings, and the naked news, complete with pictures, all ahead on "RELIABLE SOURCES."

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Howard.

KURTZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, there's an effort to combine the kind of parenting only a mother can give with the life lessons of football.

The National Football League pilot program may have added the benefit of getting more women interested in what's happening on the field. Larry Smith shows us how.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Enunciation Playground in New Orleans, the scene is familiar during football season: arrive, suit up, hit the field. Except...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beautiful.

AARON: When you first told us that we were going to have women coaching us, we were -- I was thinking, women, coaching football?

SMITH: The idea didn't seem as odd to the NFL and the New Orleans Saints, who are piloting the Moms Coach Football program. Placing women in roles traditionally dominated by men will tap a new source for volunteer coaches and encourage more females to appreciate the sport.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, son (ph), your hands are wrong.

CEDRIC JONES, NFL SENIOR DIRECTOR, YOUTH FOOTBALL: A lot of households are headed by moms, and we want them to be part of the process from picking out equipment to understanding the plays and understanding the game and hopefully they become fans of our games.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Too high. You need to come down. Look. I want you like this. CAPT. BERNARDINE W. KELLY, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Mothers are so used to giving orders and controlling things, so it was just quite a natural transition.

SMITH: The coaches are supplied with teaching materials about football, and the players are quickly learning that tackle football may blend well with a woman's touch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many of you had lunch today? Raise your hands.

CLAUDIA PICOUST, SCHOOL DISTRICT CAFETERIA WORKER: We are mommas to the kids. We are -- if they make a mistake, we're not too willing to holler at them. We -- we kind of nurture.

KRISTY BARROWS, TULANE LAW STUDENT: I guess I just try to get on the first floor with my kids: "How was your day at school" and that kind of thing. We teach them about setting goals and values, you know, life lessons and things like that.

QUENTIN BISHOP, 17 YEARS OLD: Some people on my team they'd be, like, they don't want lady coaches because they're talking about they don't think they know what they're doing. I think they know what they're doing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a wonderful opportunity, not just for me, but all of us out here. Because, you know, we could be on the streets playing around or something. We're doing something better with our time.

SMITH: Just like mom would want.

Larry Smith, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, guess what? They were assigned to protect him, so why did President Bush have to rescue one of his Secret Service agents? That story in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Finally, it never hurts to throw your weight around when you are the president of the United States.

Last night at the APEC summit in Chile, President Bush's lead Secret Service agent had trouble getting past Chilean security officials. What's wrong with this picture?

Mr. Bush had to walk over and pull the agent through the crowd. Take a look.

All right, so we don't have the picture, but believe me when I describe the situation there. Well, apparently the White House says it was an unfortunate misunderstanding with Chilean security services.

Well, still much more ahead. In a few moments, at the bottom of the hour, "RELIABLE SOURCES." Today the danger for reporters in Iraq.

At noon, it's "LATE EDITION" with Wolf Blitzer. Among Wolf's guests are Mexican President Vicente Fox and comedian Al Franken.

At 2 p.m. Eastern, it's "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS," today profiling Condoleezza Rice.

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