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CNN Live Sunday
Tips On How To Survive First Year In Restaurant Business; Teen Pregnancy Rates Down 34 Percent In Last 10 Years
Aired November 21, 2004 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Bush did a little hands on work in Chile today when his security force got separated from him. How unusual is this? We'll talk with a security analyst.
The birth rate for some young people hits a new low. We'll ask why.
And are gift cards the way to go this year? We have the pros and cons.
Have you always wanted to open your own restaurant? Some advice, if your answer is yes.
Hello and welcome to CNN SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a look at these headlines.
A poncho picture was one of the final activities at the APEC summit in Santiago, Chile. President Bush and other leaders donned the traditional Chilean garb for a group photo. The summit ended with a call for new steps to promote free trade and to fight terror. A live report from Chile coming up in a few minutes.
Chinese government officials have ordered all-out efforts to find the cause of a plane crash in Inner Mongolia today. A China Eastern Airlines commuter jet went down into a frozen lake just seconds after takeoff. All 53 people on board and two people on the ground were killed. We'll have a report from China in about 30 minutes.
The crash wasn't the only deadly incident in China this weekend. Rescuers are searching for dozens of miners trapped by a fire. Dozens already have been rescued, but several others were killed. China's news agency says an electric cable sparked the blaze.
And back in the U.S., gas prices are heading south. The average cost of a gallon of self-serve regular is $1.96. That's a nickel less than two weeks ago but 44 cents higher than this time last year.
We start with a wrinkle being worked out of that newly approved spending bill on Capitol Hill. The measure is on hold today because it gives lawmakers the power to look at your or anyone else's tax return. Kathleen Koch is in Washington and explains how this happened. Kathleen?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it's still unclear exactly how the provision got into Congress, this $388 billion spending bill to keep the government running. It basically gave two lawmakers, the heads of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees the right to look at any tax return, either individual or corporate or to designate anyone they selected to access those returns without penalty for misuse or disclosure. Now, the measure did pass the House, but an alert individual in the Senate spotted it and one of the two lawmakers given this very broad power denied responsibility for the measure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED STEVENS (R) ALASKA: It does not represent the policy of the appropriations committee. None of us have even ever discussed in a meeting either on this side or the House of Representatives access, any further access, to taxpayer information. It came strictly from a staff request, another staff. You're right. It's absolutely a mistake. I apologize to the Senate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Senators quickly voted to drop the controversial provision and they plan to delay sending the spending bill to the president until the House deletes that measure as well. But some Democrats doubt that this was all an accident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D) CALIFORNIA: This isn't a copy job. This is somebody's innovative thinking of how they could get their minions into taxes of individuals who might be political opponents or who might come up against them in some way or, for general resource information to use against an individual, against a company, against a member of the press at any given time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: So when the House returns to business on Wednesday, the plan is for this measure to be voted on and it is assumed that at that time, it will be killed, but again, the fact that it got into the bill in the first place is raising concerns that this coming session of Congress could be very divisive and very partisan. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Kathleen, you have to wonder now how aggressively will some of these critics like Boxer, that we just saw, be looking into who might be to blame for actually getting that provision in.
KOCH: They're calling for an investigation. You do, though, have to give Congress a little leeway here. It is true though that the members didn't have much time to go over the legislation. In the House, they had over 12 hours to go over 1,000-page bill, so not only the point would be looking into who put this in there, but are there any other surprises lurking within those pages?
WHITFIELD: All right. Kathleen Koch, thanks so much for that report from Washington.
President Bush just wrapped up an economic summit in Chile. Part of his focus today, the long porous border between the U.S. and Mexico. White House correspondent Dana Bash joins us from Santiago, Chile, with all the details of the president's day. Dana.
DANA BASH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the president chose the world's stage to say that he is going to commit to something that will test what he said he earned during the election, which is that, which is political capital. He said he earned political capital and he intends to spend it and that commitment he made today in Chile, was during a meeting with Mexican President Vicente Fox, somebody whom Mr. Bush is quite close with and that is to move forward with an immigration proposal he put forward nearly a year ago and that is to give temporary legal status to illegal immigrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I made it very clear my position that we need to make sure that where there's a willing worker and a willing employer, that that job ought to be filled legally, in cases where Americans will not fill that job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now that proposal has been a top priority for Mexico's president and it is something that Mr. Bush said he campaigned on, but didn't make very much of a priority over the last year, of course, a campaign year. Conservatives whom Mr. Bush very much needed to win re- election, most of them vehemently oppose this idea. They say that it's akin to amnesty and they certainly in the House of Representatives, many say that they have an even bigger majority now and some are saying they're going to do what it takes to block their own president's proposal.
REP. TOM TANCREDO (R) COLORADO: You know what this tells him? I'll tell what you this message is. You're all suckers. That's the message we send when we give people who have broken the law the same advantage as we give people who have done it the right way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Meanwhile, here in the Chilean capital, the summit, the official summit was wrapped up a short while ago. The 21 leaders had a final declaration where they pledged a new push to strengthen free trade and also to fight terrorism and we did, of course see the traditional colorful photos we see at these APEC summits, leaders wearing the traditional dress and garb of the country.
This year, they were Chilean ponchos, but there certainly have been some differences between President Bush and his host, President Ricardo Lagos on the issue of Mr. Bush's security, questions about whether or not he can have some of his Secret Service with him. That of course caused quite a hubbub last night where Mr. Bush himself had to go in and pull his own Secret Service agent into a dinner because Chilean security, they wouldn't let him in.
Tonight, what was planned to be a 250-person social gathering is now just about a 20-person private reception. That has been changed because the Secret Service were not allowed to put in metal detectors to screen guests. That is something that the U.S. said was absolutely necessary in order to have this kind of function, so it's changed because of the security differences. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right. Dana Bash in Santiago, thanks so much.
More now on that mix up at the dinner last night that Dana was alluding to. President Bush literally had a hand in resolving that security matter at the summit conference. When he arrived for last night's official dinner with the other world leaders, some Chilean security guards wouldn't admit a member of the president's Secret Service detail. He got held up at the doorway along with everyone else. There you see President Bush kind of notice something's going on, so he went back into the group. He extended his arm through the crowd and was able to reach in and get his man.
Well, now here's another perspective. This is what it looked like on the other side of the door, congestion of chaos. In the end, White House officials say it was just a misunderstanding and no real big deal.
Well, how unusual or disconcerting is something like this to happen? CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks has some experience in protecting presidential motorcades and has some thoughts on this and he joins us from Minneapolis. Good to see you Mike.
MIKE BROOKS, LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good to see you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: How big of a deal in this?
BROOKS: Well, in the long run, it might not be that big of deal but should not happen. You've got Secret Service advance agents there, along with White House staff and Secret Service protocol people that are there weeks in advance to make sure that something like this does not happen. Wherever the president goes, he has at least one of his security, his Secret Service staff with him. Sometimes it's even the detailed leader or the person who actually heads up the presidential protection detail and that person is with him all the time. Should something have happened inside of that dinner, there would be no one to tell him where to go. The president knows exactly what to do under different circumstances because he trains with the Secret Service. Without that Secret Service agent in there, something could happen, and then where's the president left then?
WHITFIELD: And I know you're stateside, but from your point of view, who is to blame here?
BROOKS: Well, I'm sure they're going to go back and they're going to say what happens, what can we make sure, what can we do to make sure that this doesn't happen again? You're going to have the United States Secret Service presidential protection division. You can have the White House staff. You're also going to have the State Department protocol office all get together and go, why did this happen? Make sure this does not happen again.
But who can say what really could have happened there? His person could have been cut off. It could have been something that they had planned, I mean that's going way, way, way, making the quantum jump, the quantum leap in talking about this, but you always have to plan when you're with the president what if, and this is one of those situations, what if this could have actually been something that had been planned? The president was there by himself without his Secret Service agent. That should not happen.
WHITFIELD: And this is one of those what if kind of scenarios that sometimes a security detail and the president all talk about or discuss somehow before even going to an event like this?
BROOKS: They do. They take a look at the threat in a particular country. When they went to Chile, they went down, did a threat assessment to decide if there was a threat and then they even practice assault on principle exercises. And this kind of thing, I'm sure they've discussed with the president and the president went back and got him, because the president knew that that person was supposed to be with him.
WHITFIELD: Do you see that as a gutsy move too on his part, the president's part?
BROOKS: Absolutely. I mean having worked with a number of different presidents over the years, there are some presidents that probably would have just gone on and let the protocol people and his staff iron it out and then caught up with him, but President Bush is the kind of guy that went back and says hey, I'm not going in there without my guy. He went back, snatched him out of the crowd and said, you're coming with me and he saw kind of a little him saying something under his breath, and then a little smile. So I think he thought he did the right thing, and the Secret Service agent should have been with him in the first place.
WHITFIELD: Wouldn't you think in a forum like this, a huge gathering of world leaders, something like this, this kind of misunderstanding really shouldn't or wouldn't happen, knowing that all of these world leaders would need at least one kind of security detail with them?
BROOKS: Absolutely. It should not happen, but even when we have had people, foreign dignitaries from other countries come here to the United States, whether it at the Blair House, the White House, or some other function, things like this do happen but they should not happen especially with the president of the United States and his Secret Service detail. You saw that the dinner of 250 people, as Dana Bash was just reporting, was scaled down to about 20 because the Secret Service didn't feel that it was possibly not safe enough without having uniformed division Secret Service set up their magnetometers, have everyone go through there and make sure there were no weapons, no explosives and wand everybody. That's just what is done here in the United States, whether it be at a Democratic, the Republican convention, at a major event. It's done with all the guests who attend but they felt that it needed to be done there. The Chileans apparently didn't like it, so they said fine, we're going to scale it down to 20.
WHITFIELD: All right. Security analyst Mike Brooks, thanks so much for joining us from Minneapolis.
BROOKS: Good to be with you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Now to Iraq. The violence continued today. In Baghdad, a car full of explosives ran into a U.S. military convoy. But elsewhere, Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi welcomed some news on two fronts today, starting with the setting of an important date. CNN's Karl Penhaul reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iraq's electoral commission met Sunday and has decided that January the 30th will be the date for nationwide elections. On that date, voters will be asked to choose a new national assembly. They will have a key role in forming the new government, as well as drawing up a new constitution. Voters will also be voting for a regional government in the northern Kurdish region, as well as 18 provincial councils across Iraq's 18 provinces.
The fact that this date has been fixed now seems to be an expression by election officials that everything is on track for the vote to go ahead as planned. Of late, over recent weeks, both Iraqi general public as well as international observers have voiced concern that the spike in insurgent violence may force a delay in those elections.
We do know, in terms of what needs to be done before those elections can take place, that the process for registering political parties seems to have gone well. We know that around 120 political parties have already registered to take part in the vote. What seems to have been encountered somewhat more difficulties, however, has been the process of voter registration.
We know in some areas of Baghdad, as well as the rest of the country, that insurgents have destroyed some of the voter registration papers. That will ultimately make it difficult to draw up a full and comprehensive voter list.
Elsewhere, in other news, insurgents have released the cousin of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, 72-year-old Ghazi Allawi was released Sunday evening. He had been kidnapped, along with his daughter-in-law on November the 9th. Insurgents threatened to behead him and the rest of his family if the assault on Falluja was not halted. There have been no details of what have led to the release and if any deal was reached. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Too often when we mention the casualties in Iraq, we speak in numbers and not names. But there is a face and a story for every man or woman killed. At a Long Island high school, they're remembered on a wall of heroes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS CHAMBERLIN, BRENTWOOD H.S. ENGLISH TEACHER: We've lost three students in the war, two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, one African-American, one Latino and one Caucasian. That's who they are. They are a slice of Brentwood.
BETTY BROWN-GREENE, BRENTWOOD H.S. DEAN: Very big loss, in Brentwood, we are a family, and when something happens, we come together as a community and you feel it. Whether it was Rahime Hyde (ph), Michael Esposito or Ramone Mateo it's like you're losing one of your children. So it's very painful. Rahime was ahead of his time. He was bright. He was intelligent. He was headstrong. Rahime was a go- getter.
SGT. ARTHUR BURGESS, BRENTWOOD H.S. ROTC: Michael was a, a 110- pound kid soaking wet. He was very close to me. Occasionally when I'd step out in the hall, I can still see a little, thin kid dressed in his camouflage, standing in the hallway saying "hey, Sarg." so he was one of the good ones.
LINDA PAPPERT, BRENTWOOD H.S. ASST PRINCIPAL: And Ramone was the kind that he had this energy. He had this wonderful charisma, but he needed to know how to focus it, and he knew he needed the military to kind of grab it together for him, and he went, and when he came back, he knew it. You could see, he was happy. He was just very proud of himself. And there he was in his uniform, looking handsome.
THOMAS O'BRIEN, BRENTWOOD H.S. PRINCIPAL: In each of the cases we had an evening event here at the high school and presented a memorial plaque on behalf of the Brentwood school district that's hung in our lobby. There are two there now. The parents of Ramone still have his. We give them to them for a couple of weeks and they bring them back and we mount them on the wall in our wall of honor outside.
It's a very working class community, where about 62 percent of our families live below the Federal poverty line. For either a two- year or a four-year college experience, many look to other avenues to finance that, one being veterans benefits.
CHAMBERLIN: Since I was in the Marine Corps for four years which helped me go to college, I'm one of the people they come to to discuss that as an avenue for their future. He's someone alive from Brentwood serving in this war. In a great irony, the publicity that all of this had received, I have even more students now that want to join.
ROBERT SMITH, BRENTWOOD H.S. JUNIOR: To see them just in their uniforms proud, it affects me. It gives me this feeling that they died doing something great for us.
RYAN RAMKISSOON, BRENTWOOD H.S. SENIOR: The military's always been a dream for me, just to defend my nation. If I die, well, I'll be remembered as a soldier, as a patriot.
CHAMBERLIN: All of these kids feel immortal. I think that's any kid in here, any teen. I'm an educator. Educate them as much as possible about the war, about politics, through literature. If anything was to happen to them, would it kill me? Absolutely, it's going to crush me. PAPPERT: What I thought coming out of that assembly the other night, thinking we're going to add another picture to that wall, and I was thinking, oh, God, I hope that never becomes full.
O'BRIEN: I feel very proud of the fact that they chose to put their lives at risk for what they believed was right and what they believed was good, and in fact, to put their lives on the line so that others didn't have to. I hope that their sacrifice reaches the goals for which it was intended.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Just when you thought the campaign clock had ended, another one has begun. There are 1,444 days until the 2008 presidential election and already speculation about who will be in the running. This past week, Senator John McCain of Arizona visited, of all places, New Hampshire, which holds the first presidential primary. He was asked about that today on NBC's "Meet the Press."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R) ARIZONA: I'm not running for president. I do not foreclose the option. The best thing I can do is help the president with his agenda. I don't think it's in any way appropriate for me to speculate on that at this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And whether potential candidates for the White House like it or not, we live in an era of perpetual speculation, which keeps people like our senior political analyst Bill Schneider in the business. Here's Bill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): In every presidential election for the past 50 years, either an incumbent president has been running for re-election, like George W. Bush this year or his father in 1992, or an incumbent vice president is running, like Al Gore in 2000 or George Bush in 1988 or Hubert Humphrey in 1968, or Richard Nixon in 1960. The last time we had an election without either an incumbent president or vice president on the ballot was in 1952, more than 50 years ago, which is why the 2008 election could be interesting. President Bush can't run again and Vice President Cheney is not expected to run. Says who? Says his wife.
LYNNE CHENEY: He said he would not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's not going to run?
CHENEY: That's right.
SCHNEIDER: 2008 could be the most wide open contest since 1952, or not. Vice President Cheney's health problems are well-known. CHENEY: Dick has lived with coronary artery disease for 25 years. He is very cautious, as well he should be.
SCHNEIDER: Cheney might choose or be persuaded to leave office before his term is up. Then what? Then under the 25th amendment to the constitution, President Bush would name a new vice president, subject to confirmation by a majority in both houses of Congress. Bush's new vice president would very likely be regarded as his designated successor and have a leg up for the Republican nomination in 2008. Who might Bush pick? John McCain and Rudy Guiliani campaigned loyally for President Bush this year.
RUDY GIULIANI (R) FMR. NEW YORK MAYOR: This is all done out of personal loyalty to a guy that I think is just one heck of a leader.
SCHNEIDER: New York Governor George Pataki kept his pledge.
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI, NEW YORK: I'll do everything I can to help this president.
SCHNEIDER: Tom Ridge served Bush loyally as secretary of homeland security. Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel has said, I will consider a race for the presidency. Other names get mentioned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Frist definitely wants to run.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) Romney, who's governor of Massachusetts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Sam Brownback (ph)
SCHNEIDER: They've all been loyal to President Bush and loyalty is the one job requirement for a vice president.
(on-camera): Some of those chosen might be opposed by social conservatives, because of their views on abortion and gay rights, but there is no better way to override those reservations than to be chosen personally by President Bush. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The birth rate among young girls is at its lowest point in years. Why? Is it guidance from parents, the church or is it birth control? We'll talk to the director of the campaign to prevent teen pregnancy in a moment.
And later --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO: I mean these people are leaving these cabinet positions in droves. You see how many left today? Show that footage from the White House. This is unbelievable. Look at it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Our Sunday show wouldn't be complete without a wrap of late night laughs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Encouraging news from the CDC about preventing teen pregnancy. Birth rates among adolescents ages 10 to 14 in the U.S. are at their lowest levels in nearly 60 years. In fact, they're half what they were in 1990. Why? Well, perhaps Sarah Brown, the director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in Washington knows and Sarah, this has been a goal of you all so what's being credited?
SARAH BROWN, CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY: Well, Fredricka, I think there are probably two reasons. The first is that there's been an increasing realization over the last 10 or 12 years that we just can't wait until our sons and daughters are in high school to talk about sex and love and values.
So there's been a much greater focus on the middle school years in communities, in faith settings, certainly in schools, and most importantly, I think in families and with parents and the second reason is that there's a lot of evidence that a very powerful idea is beginning to take hold in America. For teens of all ages, not just these youngest ones, that the teen years cannot be used for pregnancy and parenthood. Those years have to be for education and building skills, because we see now, lower teen pregnancy rates in all 50 states amongst older kids as well as most importantly these very young women that we're talking about just now.
WHITFIELD: So what do you do with this kind of information? Is this the kind of evidence that perhaps the CDC can help use to help garner more, perhaps funding, Federal funding or private funding for a lot of these programs if indeed awareness is at the root of helping to keep these numbers down?
BROWN: Well, there's no question that the good news should motivate us. It's very important when we've all worked so hard as people have coast to coast on this problem, to see that we're making a difference and at this rate that everybody thought would stay high or maybe even higher, is going down. And we now have a very, very good list of interventions and programs and messages that connect with young people. And I think we need to do more, because even with this progress, the U.S. still has the highest rates of teen pregnancy, birth and abortion in the entire industrialized world.
WHITFIELD: Here's a look at some of the more recent numbers that are very encouraging. Over a 12-year period since 1990 we're talking about 38 percent decline. It doesn't seem to be just good news for the teens and pre-teens but also for the babies born, correct, because we're talking about risks that involve both groups, both the young moms and the babies born.
BROWN: That's right. There are several reasons to worry about teen pregnancies. Certainly for the young woman, because she almost invariably has a tough time staying in school and the workforce. And we also know, and this report underscores, that the babies born to teen mothers have a very, very tough time, especially when the mothers are so young. They're often born very prematurely, often of low birth weight and their risk of death in the first weeks and months of life is also higher.
So when you prevent teen pregnancy, you not only help out young women, but you also help out future generations of children.
WHITFIELD: And it's pretty remarkable to see the statistics that your group and the CDC helps disseminate, which we're talking about these pre-term babies, they are at greater risk when dealing with the age group between 10 and 14-year-old moms compared to what has always been considered a high risk group, those moms over 45.
BROWN: That's right. It just turns out that I guess mother nature set aside a period of life when child bearing seemed to go better, at least biologically, and also in this culture now economically which is in the 20s and 30s. That tends to be when the risk is lowest.
I want to mention one other concern about these very young teens. As much as we celebrate the numbers that you've mentioned about the births going down, we still are seeing over 7,000 births to girls 14 and younger every year and actually close to 20,000 pregnancies. And the only correct number in my view for these very young girls is zero.
So we have a lot more work to do and I think it's a real wakeup call to adults. Again, we celebrate progress, but I've never met one adult in the U.S. that feels comfortable about a child 14 or younger having sex, let alone having a baby. And I think we also have to question who the partners of these girls are. Who are the boys and young men involved in these pregnancies as well.
WHITFIELD: Sarah Brown, director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, thanks so much for joining us today.
BROWN: Thank you very much. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well in New York, the museum of modern art is reopening after a two-year, $825 million renovation. The museum opened its doors to the public yesterday and already it's getting rave reviews. Here's CNN's Alina Cho.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the gardens, to the galleries, to the building itself, the newly constructed museum of modern art or MOMA, as it's called, is getting rave reviews.
Your first impression?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spectacular.
CHO: Visitors will appreciate the Warhols, Van Goghs and Picassos. Less noticeable, sublte architecture that doesn't compete with the art, oak floors that are easy on the feet, and floating walls that don't touch the floor or the ceiling, a trick that puts the focus on the paintings, masterpieces like this Monet mural.
(on camera): This is a showstopping piece and it should be showcased and it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it is so beautiful. It rarely is being shown laid out flat like this. And I thought, well, let's really see it.
CHO: Curator John Elderfield says the new MOMA is the new authority on contemporary art.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It actually has the same function with regard to modern art that the Louvre in Paris with regard to the art of the past. This is the place where people come to learn about this tradition.
CHO: The museum's director is Glenn Lowry.
GLENN LOWRY, MOMA DIRECTOR: After September 11, there was a real fear about whether or not we could complete the building. Because suddenly, it was a different climate. That the building was built as beautifully and well as it was, for us has been snog short of miraculous.
CHO: New York needs the new MOMA. City officials say post 9/11, international tourism is still down 20 percent.
CHRISTINE NICHOLAS, NYC AND COMPANY: What we're hoping from the new MOMA is that it will yield many more tourists, especially those from overseas.
CHO: Like these women were Venice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now it's incredible. It's so beautiful.
CHO: If the early reviews are any guide, the MOMA will be good for New York, good for tourism, even better for those who love art.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well the holiday season is right around the corner. Do you dread it, mostly because you're trying to figure out what to give? How about gift cards? Not so fast. You need to ask a few questions first.
And then, if you've ever dreamed of opening a restaurant, you should see our report before making your first move.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Investigators in China are searching for the fight data recorder of a commuter plane that crashed earlier today killing all people on board and two people on the ground. Witnesses say the plane broke apart shortly after takeoff and fell to the earth in flaming fragments. CNN's Tara Duffy has more.
(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 takeoff from Baotao 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 6 crew members were aboard the Bombardier CRJ200 bound for Shanghai. China Eastern has grounded all Bombarier planes as the investigation continues.
The last major airplane crash in China was more than two years ago when a China Northern aircraft plunged into the ocean after a fire in the cabin. 112 people died then. In Baotoa (ph), 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)
WHITFIELD: News around the world now, U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell has arrived in Israel for talks, he says, are aimed at reviving the Middle East peace process. Powell says he will meet with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to talk about Palestinian elections set for January 9 to choose a replacement for the late Yasser Arafat.
Undercover Israeli forces shot and killed 3 Palestinians in the West Bank city of Ramallah today. Palesinian sources say among the victims the local commander and 2 members of the Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade. Israeli soldiers say they fired in self-defense.
The polls have closed in Ukraine where a heavy turnout is being recorded in the presidential runoff election. Thousands of international observers are on hand to monitor the voting after a hard-fought campaign. One candidate is pro-Western, the other, backed by the Russian government.
Well perhaps you have no idea what to buy that certain someone for the holidays. Consider the hottest gift of the season, gift cards. You don't have to worry about the right size, brand or color, but there are some catches you need to consider. Here's Valerie Morris.
(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. Consumer also 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 MIERZWINSKI, U.S. PUB. INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP: Gift cards are popular because you don't have to buy a gift, you decide what someone wants, you just have to know where they like to shop. 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's some things to keep in mind when 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.
MIERZWINSKI: States and consumer advocate 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 Macies and Boomingdale's will issue you a new card if you can provide proof of a recent purchase. Valerie Morris, CNN Financial News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well opening your own restaurant? Many people try but it's loaded with pitfalls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having a restaurant is like having a party every night except for oh, by the way, you're supposed to make money.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD; Advice on ways to avoid the problems that force more than half of all restaurants to fail. The story before a break.
And a check of this week's cold and flu report, first.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN WEATHER CENTER: Hi. I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center. It's time for your cold and flu report for this Sunday. 32 states now reporting in some form or some sporadic activity. The green states highlighted reporting activity: Texas, California, Hawaii, Alaska, some of the upper midwest, some of the southeast, New York and parts of New England still reporting some cold and flu as well.
That's the latest from here. I hope you're feeling well. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's look ahead about an hour from now, maybe a little bit over an hour. Carol Lin with CNN SUNDAY.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We've got a special investigation that a local station did on LAX where their undercover video showed security guards, you know the front line on the war on terror, not answering emergency calls.
WHITFIELD: Not quite on the job.
LIN: For suspicious bags, that sort of thing. So, we're going to talk to the reporter about what exactly he found. And then at 10:00 tonight, we're going talk about the penalties in this basketbrawl in our hot topic. We're going to ask people whether the fans, who they blame, the fans or the players. ESPN did a poll and nearly half said the fans, which I was kind of surprised.
WHITFIELD: Yes. I am surprised to hear that and then you listen to other critics who are saying, you know what? If you're going to make that kind of money, talking about a lot of the athletes, you have to show some restraint, because there's always the risk of a lot of fans, fanatics, who are going to try and get people engaged and you don't fall for the bait.
LIN: Exactly, exactly. We'll also add...
WHITFIELD: Maybe I should be on that segment, too. I have some strong opinions.
LIN: We're going to do the dollar amount also on the penalties. So we'll add up how much it's going to literally cost each of the players.
WHITFIELD: Hard to find a hero in that mess. Everyone looked bad.
LIN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot, Carol.
LIN: Sure.
WHITFIELD: A new feature on CNN LIVE SUNDAY, "Velshi's Adventures." Our Ali Velshi is going to take you inside consumer and business stories in a whole new way. Have you ever wanted to go into business for yourself perhaps? Maybe even dreamed of opening your own restaurant? On the menu today, the business of food.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having a restaurant is like having a party every night except for oh, by the way, you're supposed to make money at the end of the night.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The good food, the constant energy, it's easy to succomb to the idea. Fortunately, most people come to their senses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe some little joint in the right location, you know, steam cheeseburger or chicken wing place. I've thought about it, but realistically, I don't think so.
VELSHI: Experts say more than half of all new restaurants fail, but a lot of them survive if they have the cash to make it.
RICHARD CORAINE, UNION SQUARE HOSPITALITY GROUP: I think many restaurants probably fail in the first year, because they're under capitalized. , I think that's a huge obstacle to overcome if you're going on it a shoestring and then open the door. So I would urge people to make sure they have enough working capitallor two or three months.
VELSHI: Most restaurant tours go to cooking school, not business school. He's one possible recipe for success, for $6,900, the French Culinary Institute in New York offers a restaurant management program.
DOROTHY CANN HAMILTON, FOUNDER, FRENCH CULINARY INST: This course offers you the most hands-on experience of running a restaurant.
VELSHI: The six-month course aims to teach cost control, marketing strategies and the legal aspects of owning a restaurant.
HAMILTON: This is a trained school course. This is, I really want to do it, here are the fund fund mentals.
VELSHI: One Key to success, sticking to a budget. Food and drink expenses should stay be 50 percent below total sales, keep wages to less than 30 percent and rent under 10 percent of revenue.
DAVID BARBER, CO-OWNER, BLUE HILL RESTAURANT: If you're going into a high rent area you want to be confident you're going to have the traffic.
VELSHI: Advertising and incidentals, call it another 5 percent of the pie. That leaves just 5 percent for you. And that's why so many restaurants are, well, just a flash in the pan. (on camera): Well it looks good. And it tastes -- mmm, fantastic. But the ability to turn out a great dish doesn't necessarily mean the ability to turn a profit.
(voice-over): The main ingredient for success? Passion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomato, ravioli and a soup.
BARBER: The curtain goes up at 5:00 every night and it's like a broadway show and in many ways it can only go wrong.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, news across America starts in Fort Benning, Georgia now. That's where activists and celebrities are carrying out the annual protests against the Military Training Center for Latin- American soldiers. Critics say, the schools graduates have been involved in human rights abuses. Defense officials deny the charges that protests are held each on the weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Now to California. Hundreds of motorbike riders filled the town of Escalon for a unique tribute to Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Connor. The memorial ride included the dedication of a park bench for both. Laci Peterson spent a portion of her child in Escalon. The sentencing of her husband Scott, convicted of the two murders, begins tomorrow.
And a man who caused an international flight to be diverted to Bangor, Maine flew back to Paris. He was flying to Air France to Washington yesterday when authorities discovered he was on the government's watch list. The man, a Moraccan, spent the night in jail. There was no word on why he was on the list in the first place.
Las Vegas taxi companies are in the process of installing video cameras to help protect drivers from criminals. The move follows last year's grisly murder of a cab driver during a robbery. Cab companies are currently testing several camera systems and are hoping to have them installed by the spring. Miguel Marquez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A cab ride in Vegas is like a trip to a foreign land, although fake wonders of the world are outside your door. But for cab drivers, there is one grim reality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been assaulted oh, a half dozen times.
MARQUEZ: In his 20 years as a Vegas cabbie, Craig Harris says he's been punched, slapped, robbed, stabbed, and had a gunpointed in his face twice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From about this far away, he cocked this gun. MARQUEZ: The Nevada Taxi Cab Authority said this year there have been 56 robberies and 64 separate assaults. In the last 30 years, 18 Vegas cabbies have been killed. The latest death was last August.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was robbed, and then she didn't let the guy take his money, so he was set on fire.
MARQUEZ: Paul Chitprasart, suffered third degree burns over 75 percent of his body.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just pray for him, that's all, but he didn't know anything.
MARQUEZ: Chitprasart, a Thai immigrant, lived in the U.S. for 20 years. He just bought a house in the Vegas suburbs and was set to marry his long time girlfriend. After years of hard work, it looked as if the payoff had finally arrived.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a horrible thing to happen to him.
MARQUEZ: Chitprasart's death was the trigger for something Vegas cabbies have long wanted.
CRAIG HARRIS, LAS VEGAS CABBIE: A digital or video recording device in the cab that will take pictures of all of the occupants of the cab when they enter, during the ride and toward the enter of the ride.
MARQUEZ: The crime deterrence program is being tested in a few cabs. But the hope is, when all of Vegas' approximately 2,600 cabs have cameras in them next April, cabbies can worry more about traffic on the strip than being assaulted or killed for a small payout. Miguel Marquez, CNN, Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, poking fun at former President Clinton as he unveils his presidential library.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A little rice, a bit of water, some sour grapes: a weird concoction for a late light stew, but for the last meisters of the air waves, it's apparently the recipe for success, or at least a few laughs. Here's a sample.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, THE DAILY SHOW: Rice's shift from security adviser to state means relinquishing what had been one of her most important functions, sitting behind the president, giving people the stink eye.
JAY LENO, TONIGHT SHOW: I mean these people are leaving these cabinet positions in droves. You see how many left today? Show that footage from the White House. Look at this. This is unbelievable.
STEWART: Are you looking at my president?
CONAN O'BRIEN, LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN: Bill Clinton's presidential library opened yesterday, and it cost $7 to get in. That's a fact, $7, yes. On the bright side, every night is ladies night.
LENO: It rained on Bill Clinton's parade yesterday, which is kind of a switch, usually Hillary does that.
DAVID LATTERMAN, LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: President Bush actually was very excited to be there, because he'd never been to a library before.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That's going to do it for us. NEXT@CNN is straight ahead. Here's Daniel Seiberg with a preview.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead on NEXT@CNN, a find in South Carolina that could change the history books. Concerns over exploding cell phones. And a safe way to catch the flu or hepatitis or even the black death.
WHITFIELD: Thanks for joining us. Back with some headlines right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 21, 2004 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Bush did a little hands on work in Chile today when his security force got separated from him. How unusual is this? We'll talk with a security analyst.
The birth rate for some young people hits a new low. We'll ask why.
And are gift cards the way to go this year? We have the pros and cons.
Have you always wanted to open your own restaurant? Some advice, if your answer is yes.
Hello and welcome to CNN SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a look at these headlines.
A poncho picture was one of the final activities at the APEC summit in Santiago, Chile. President Bush and other leaders donned the traditional Chilean garb for a group photo. The summit ended with a call for new steps to promote free trade and to fight terror. A live report from Chile coming up in a few minutes.
Chinese government officials have ordered all-out efforts to find the cause of a plane crash in Inner Mongolia today. A China Eastern Airlines commuter jet went down into a frozen lake just seconds after takeoff. All 53 people on board and two people on the ground were killed. We'll have a report from China in about 30 minutes.
The crash wasn't the only deadly incident in China this weekend. Rescuers are searching for dozens of miners trapped by a fire. Dozens already have been rescued, but several others were killed. China's news agency says an electric cable sparked the blaze.
And back in the U.S., gas prices are heading south. The average cost of a gallon of self-serve regular is $1.96. That's a nickel less than two weeks ago but 44 cents higher than this time last year.
We start with a wrinkle being worked out of that newly approved spending bill on Capitol Hill. The measure is on hold today because it gives lawmakers the power to look at your or anyone else's tax return. Kathleen Koch is in Washington and explains how this happened. Kathleen?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it's still unclear exactly how the provision got into Congress, this $388 billion spending bill to keep the government running. It basically gave two lawmakers, the heads of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees the right to look at any tax return, either individual or corporate or to designate anyone they selected to access those returns without penalty for misuse or disclosure. Now, the measure did pass the House, but an alert individual in the Senate spotted it and one of the two lawmakers given this very broad power denied responsibility for the measure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED STEVENS (R) ALASKA: It does not represent the policy of the appropriations committee. None of us have even ever discussed in a meeting either on this side or the House of Representatives access, any further access, to taxpayer information. It came strictly from a staff request, another staff. You're right. It's absolutely a mistake. I apologize to the Senate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Senators quickly voted to drop the controversial provision and they plan to delay sending the spending bill to the president until the House deletes that measure as well. But some Democrats doubt that this was all an accident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D) CALIFORNIA: This isn't a copy job. This is somebody's innovative thinking of how they could get their minions into taxes of individuals who might be political opponents or who might come up against them in some way or, for general resource information to use against an individual, against a company, against a member of the press at any given time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: So when the House returns to business on Wednesday, the plan is for this measure to be voted on and it is assumed that at that time, it will be killed, but again, the fact that it got into the bill in the first place is raising concerns that this coming session of Congress could be very divisive and very partisan. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Kathleen, you have to wonder now how aggressively will some of these critics like Boxer, that we just saw, be looking into who might be to blame for actually getting that provision in.
KOCH: They're calling for an investigation. You do, though, have to give Congress a little leeway here. It is true though that the members didn't have much time to go over the legislation. In the House, they had over 12 hours to go over 1,000-page bill, so not only the point would be looking into who put this in there, but are there any other surprises lurking within those pages?
WHITFIELD: All right. Kathleen Koch, thanks so much for that report from Washington.
President Bush just wrapped up an economic summit in Chile. Part of his focus today, the long porous border between the U.S. and Mexico. White House correspondent Dana Bash joins us from Santiago, Chile, with all the details of the president's day. Dana.
DANA BASH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the president chose the world's stage to say that he is going to commit to something that will test what he said he earned during the election, which is that, which is political capital. He said he earned political capital and he intends to spend it and that commitment he made today in Chile, was during a meeting with Mexican President Vicente Fox, somebody whom Mr. Bush is quite close with and that is to move forward with an immigration proposal he put forward nearly a year ago and that is to give temporary legal status to illegal immigrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I made it very clear my position that we need to make sure that where there's a willing worker and a willing employer, that that job ought to be filled legally, in cases where Americans will not fill that job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now that proposal has been a top priority for Mexico's president and it is something that Mr. Bush said he campaigned on, but didn't make very much of a priority over the last year, of course, a campaign year. Conservatives whom Mr. Bush very much needed to win re- election, most of them vehemently oppose this idea. They say that it's akin to amnesty and they certainly in the House of Representatives, many say that they have an even bigger majority now and some are saying they're going to do what it takes to block their own president's proposal.
REP. TOM TANCREDO (R) COLORADO: You know what this tells him? I'll tell what you this message is. You're all suckers. That's the message we send when we give people who have broken the law the same advantage as we give people who have done it the right way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Meanwhile, here in the Chilean capital, the summit, the official summit was wrapped up a short while ago. The 21 leaders had a final declaration where they pledged a new push to strengthen free trade and also to fight terrorism and we did, of course see the traditional colorful photos we see at these APEC summits, leaders wearing the traditional dress and garb of the country.
This year, they were Chilean ponchos, but there certainly have been some differences between President Bush and his host, President Ricardo Lagos on the issue of Mr. Bush's security, questions about whether or not he can have some of his Secret Service with him. That of course caused quite a hubbub last night where Mr. Bush himself had to go in and pull his own Secret Service agent into a dinner because Chilean security, they wouldn't let him in.
Tonight, what was planned to be a 250-person social gathering is now just about a 20-person private reception. That has been changed because the Secret Service were not allowed to put in metal detectors to screen guests. That is something that the U.S. said was absolutely necessary in order to have this kind of function, so it's changed because of the security differences. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right. Dana Bash in Santiago, thanks so much.
More now on that mix up at the dinner last night that Dana was alluding to. President Bush literally had a hand in resolving that security matter at the summit conference. When he arrived for last night's official dinner with the other world leaders, some Chilean security guards wouldn't admit a member of the president's Secret Service detail. He got held up at the doorway along with everyone else. There you see President Bush kind of notice something's going on, so he went back into the group. He extended his arm through the crowd and was able to reach in and get his man.
Well, now here's another perspective. This is what it looked like on the other side of the door, congestion of chaos. In the end, White House officials say it was just a misunderstanding and no real big deal.
Well, how unusual or disconcerting is something like this to happen? CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks has some experience in protecting presidential motorcades and has some thoughts on this and he joins us from Minneapolis. Good to see you Mike.
MIKE BROOKS, LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good to see you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: How big of a deal in this?
BROOKS: Well, in the long run, it might not be that big of deal but should not happen. You've got Secret Service advance agents there, along with White House staff and Secret Service protocol people that are there weeks in advance to make sure that something like this does not happen. Wherever the president goes, he has at least one of his security, his Secret Service staff with him. Sometimes it's even the detailed leader or the person who actually heads up the presidential protection detail and that person is with him all the time. Should something have happened inside of that dinner, there would be no one to tell him where to go. The president knows exactly what to do under different circumstances because he trains with the Secret Service. Without that Secret Service agent in there, something could happen, and then where's the president left then?
WHITFIELD: And I know you're stateside, but from your point of view, who is to blame here?
BROOKS: Well, I'm sure they're going to go back and they're going to say what happens, what can we make sure, what can we do to make sure that this doesn't happen again? You're going to have the United States Secret Service presidential protection division. You can have the White House staff. You're also going to have the State Department protocol office all get together and go, why did this happen? Make sure this does not happen again.
But who can say what really could have happened there? His person could have been cut off. It could have been something that they had planned, I mean that's going way, way, way, making the quantum jump, the quantum leap in talking about this, but you always have to plan when you're with the president what if, and this is one of those situations, what if this could have actually been something that had been planned? The president was there by himself without his Secret Service agent. That should not happen.
WHITFIELD: And this is one of those what if kind of scenarios that sometimes a security detail and the president all talk about or discuss somehow before even going to an event like this?
BROOKS: They do. They take a look at the threat in a particular country. When they went to Chile, they went down, did a threat assessment to decide if there was a threat and then they even practice assault on principle exercises. And this kind of thing, I'm sure they've discussed with the president and the president went back and got him, because the president knew that that person was supposed to be with him.
WHITFIELD: Do you see that as a gutsy move too on his part, the president's part?
BROOKS: Absolutely. I mean having worked with a number of different presidents over the years, there are some presidents that probably would have just gone on and let the protocol people and his staff iron it out and then caught up with him, but President Bush is the kind of guy that went back and says hey, I'm not going in there without my guy. He went back, snatched him out of the crowd and said, you're coming with me and he saw kind of a little him saying something under his breath, and then a little smile. So I think he thought he did the right thing, and the Secret Service agent should have been with him in the first place.
WHITFIELD: Wouldn't you think in a forum like this, a huge gathering of world leaders, something like this, this kind of misunderstanding really shouldn't or wouldn't happen, knowing that all of these world leaders would need at least one kind of security detail with them?
BROOKS: Absolutely. It should not happen, but even when we have had people, foreign dignitaries from other countries come here to the United States, whether it at the Blair House, the White House, or some other function, things like this do happen but they should not happen especially with the president of the United States and his Secret Service detail. You saw that the dinner of 250 people, as Dana Bash was just reporting, was scaled down to about 20 because the Secret Service didn't feel that it was possibly not safe enough without having uniformed division Secret Service set up their magnetometers, have everyone go through there and make sure there were no weapons, no explosives and wand everybody. That's just what is done here in the United States, whether it be at a Democratic, the Republican convention, at a major event. It's done with all the guests who attend but they felt that it needed to be done there. The Chileans apparently didn't like it, so they said fine, we're going to scale it down to 20.
WHITFIELD: All right. Security analyst Mike Brooks, thanks so much for joining us from Minneapolis.
BROOKS: Good to be with you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Now to Iraq. The violence continued today. In Baghdad, a car full of explosives ran into a U.S. military convoy. But elsewhere, Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi welcomed some news on two fronts today, starting with the setting of an important date. CNN's Karl Penhaul reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iraq's electoral commission met Sunday and has decided that January the 30th will be the date for nationwide elections. On that date, voters will be asked to choose a new national assembly. They will have a key role in forming the new government, as well as drawing up a new constitution. Voters will also be voting for a regional government in the northern Kurdish region, as well as 18 provincial councils across Iraq's 18 provinces.
The fact that this date has been fixed now seems to be an expression by election officials that everything is on track for the vote to go ahead as planned. Of late, over recent weeks, both Iraqi general public as well as international observers have voiced concern that the spike in insurgent violence may force a delay in those elections.
We do know, in terms of what needs to be done before those elections can take place, that the process for registering political parties seems to have gone well. We know that around 120 political parties have already registered to take part in the vote. What seems to have been encountered somewhat more difficulties, however, has been the process of voter registration.
We know in some areas of Baghdad, as well as the rest of the country, that insurgents have destroyed some of the voter registration papers. That will ultimately make it difficult to draw up a full and comprehensive voter list.
Elsewhere, in other news, insurgents have released the cousin of Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, 72-year-old Ghazi Allawi was released Sunday evening. He had been kidnapped, along with his daughter-in-law on November the 9th. Insurgents threatened to behead him and the rest of his family if the assault on Falluja was not halted. There have been no details of what have led to the release and if any deal was reached. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Too often when we mention the casualties in Iraq, we speak in numbers and not names. But there is a face and a story for every man or woman killed. At a Long Island high school, they're remembered on a wall of heroes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS CHAMBERLIN, BRENTWOOD H.S. ENGLISH TEACHER: We've lost three students in the war, two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, one African-American, one Latino and one Caucasian. That's who they are. They are a slice of Brentwood.
BETTY BROWN-GREENE, BRENTWOOD H.S. DEAN: Very big loss, in Brentwood, we are a family, and when something happens, we come together as a community and you feel it. Whether it was Rahime Hyde (ph), Michael Esposito or Ramone Mateo it's like you're losing one of your children. So it's very painful. Rahime was ahead of his time. He was bright. He was intelligent. He was headstrong. Rahime was a go- getter.
SGT. ARTHUR BURGESS, BRENTWOOD H.S. ROTC: Michael was a, a 110- pound kid soaking wet. He was very close to me. Occasionally when I'd step out in the hall, I can still see a little, thin kid dressed in his camouflage, standing in the hallway saying "hey, Sarg." so he was one of the good ones.
LINDA PAPPERT, BRENTWOOD H.S. ASST PRINCIPAL: And Ramone was the kind that he had this energy. He had this wonderful charisma, but he needed to know how to focus it, and he knew he needed the military to kind of grab it together for him, and he went, and when he came back, he knew it. You could see, he was happy. He was just very proud of himself. And there he was in his uniform, looking handsome.
THOMAS O'BRIEN, BRENTWOOD H.S. PRINCIPAL: In each of the cases we had an evening event here at the high school and presented a memorial plaque on behalf of the Brentwood school district that's hung in our lobby. There are two there now. The parents of Ramone still have his. We give them to them for a couple of weeks and they bring them back and we mount them on the wall in our wall of honor outside.
It's a very working class community, where about 62 percent of our families live below the Federal poverty line. For either a two- year or a four-year college experience, many look to other avenues to finance that, one being veterans benefits.
CHAMBERLIN: Since I was in the Marine Corps for four years which helped me go to college, I'm one of the people they come to to discuss that as an avenue for their future. He's someone alive from Brentwood serving in this war. In a great irony, the publicity that all of this had received, I have even more students now that want to join.
ROBERT SMITH, BRENTWOOD H.S. JUNIOR: To see them just in their uniforms proud, it affects me. It gives me this feeling that they died doing something great for us.
RYAN RAMKISSOON, BRENTWOOD H.S. SENIOR: The military's always been a dream for me, just to defend my nation. If I die, well, I'll be remembered as a soldier, as a patriot.
CHAMBERLIN: All of these kids feel immortal. I think that's any kid in here, any teen. I'm an educator. Educate them as much as possible about the war, about politics, through literature. If anything was to happen to them, would it kill me? Absolutely, it's going to crush me. PAPPERT: What I thought coming out of that assembly the other night, thinking we're going to add another picture to that wall, and I was thinking, oh, God, I hope that never becomes full.
O'BRIEN: I feel very proud of the fact that they chose to put their lives at risk for what they believed was right and what they believed was good, and in fact, to put their lives on the line so that others didn't have to. I hope that their sacrifice reaches the goals for which it was intended.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Just when you thought the campaign clock had ended, another one has begun. There are 1,444 days until the 2008 presidential election and already speculation about who will be in the running. This past week, Senator John McCain of Arizona visited, of all places, New Hampshire, which holds the first presidential primary. He was asked about that today on NBC's "Meet the Press."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R) ARIZONA: I'm not running for president. I do not foreclose the option. The best thing I can do is help the president with his agenda. I don't think it's in any way appropriate for me to speculate on that at this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And whether potential candidates for the White House like it or not, we live in an era of perpetual speculation, which keeps people like our senior political analyst Bill Schneider in the business. Here's Bill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): In every presidential election for the past 50 years, either an incumbent president has been running for re-election, like George W. Bush this year or his father in 1992, or an incumbent vice president is running, like Al Gore in 2000 or George Bush in 1988 or Hubert Humphrey in 1968, or Richard Nixon in 1960. The last time we had an election without either an incumbent president or vice president on the ballot was in 1952, more than 50 years ago, which is why the 2008 election could be interesting. President Bush can't run again and Vice President Cheney is not expected to run. Says who? Says his wife.
LYNNE CHENEY: He said he would not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's not going to run?
CHENEY: That's right.
SCHNEIDER: 2008 could be the most wide open contest since 1952, or not. Vice President Cheney's health problems are well-known. CHENEY: Dick has lived with coronary artery disease for 25 years. He is very cautious, as well he should be.
SCHNEIDER: Cheney might choose or be persuaded to leave office before his term is up. Then what? Then under the 25th amendment to the constitution, President Bush would name a new vice president, subject to confirmation by a majority in both houses of Congress. Bush's new vice president would very likely be regarded as his designated successor and have a leg up for the Republican nomination in 2008. Who might Bush pick? John McCain and Rudy Guiliani campaigned loyally for President Bush this year.
RUDY GIULIANI (R) FMR. NEW YORK MAYOR: This is all done out of personal loyalty to a guy that I think is just one heck of a leader.
SCHNEIDER: New York Governor George Pataki kept his pledge.
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI, NEW YORK: I'll do everything I can to help this president.
SCHNEIDER: Tom Ridge served Bush loyally as secretary of homeland security. Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel has said, I will consider a race for the presidency. Other names get mentioned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Frist definitely wants to run.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) Romney, who's governor of Massachusetts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Sam Brownback (ph)
SCHNEIDER: They've all been loyal to President Bush and loyalty is the one job requirement for a vice president.
(on-camera): Some of those chosen might be opposed by social conservatives, because of their views on abortion and gay rights, but there is no better way to override those reservations than to be chosen personally by President Bush. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The birth rate among young girls is at its lowest point in years. Why? Is it guidance from parents, the church or is it birth control? We'll talk to the director of the campaign to prevent teen pregnancy in a moment.
And later --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO: I mean these people are leaving these cabinet positions in droves. You see how many left today? Show that footage from the White House. This is unbelievable. Look at it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Our Sunday show wouldn't be complete without a wrap of late night laughs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Encouraging news from the CDC about preventing teen pregnancy. Birth rates among adolescents ages 10 to 14 in the U.S. are at their lowest levels in nearly 60 years. In fact, they're half what they were in 1990. Why? Well, perhaps Sarah Brown, the director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in Washington knows and Sarah, this has been a goal of you all so what's being credited?
SARAH BROWN, CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY: Well, Fredricka, I think there are probably two reasons. The first is that there's been an increasing realization over the last 10 or 12 years that we just can't wait until our sons and daughters are in high school to talk about sex and love and values.
So there's been a much greater focus on the middle school years in communities, in faith settings, certainly in schools, and most importantly, I think in families and with parents and the second reason is that there's a lot of evidence that a very powerful idea is beginning to take hold in America. For teens of all ages, not just these youngest ones, that the teen years cannot be used for pregnancy and parenthood. Those years have to be for education and building skills, because we see now, lower teen pregnancy rates in all 50 states amongst older kids as well as most importantly these very young women that we're talking about just now.
WHITFIELD: So what do you do with this kind of information? Is this the kind of evidence that perhaps the CDC can help use to help garner more, perhaps funding, Federal funding or private funding for a lot of these programs if indeed awareness is at the root of helping to keep these numbers down?
BROWN: Well, there's no question that the good news should motivate us. It's very important when we've all worked so hard as people have coast to coast on this problem, to see that we're making a difference and at this rate that everybody thought would stay high or maybe even higher, is going down. And we now have a very, very good list of interventions and programs and messages that connect with young people. And I think we need to do more, because even with this progress, the U.S. still has the highest rates of teen pregnancy, birth and abortion in the entire industrialized world.
WHITFIELD: Here's a look at some of the more recent numbers that are very encouraging. Over a 12-year period since 1990 we're talking about 38 percent decline. It doesn't seem to be just good news for the teens and pre-teens but also for the babies born, correct, because we're talking about risks that involve both groups, both the young moms and the babies born.
BROWN: That's right. There are several reasons to worry about teen pregnancies. Certainly for the young woman, because she almost invariably has a tough time staying in school and the workforce. And we also know, and this report underscores, that the babies born to teen mothers have a very, very tough time, especially when the mothers are so young. They're often born very prematurely, often of low birth weight and their risk of death in the first weeks and months of life is also higher.
So when you prevent teen pregnancy, you not only help out young women, but you also help out future generations of children.
WHITFIELD: And it's pretty remarkable to see the statistics that your group and the CDC helps disseminate, which we're talking about these pre-term babies, they are at greater risk when dealing with the age group between 10 and 14-year-old moms compared to what has always been considered a high risk group, those moms over 45.
BROWN: That's right. It just turns out that I guess mother nature set aside a period of life when child bearing seemed to go better, at least biologically, and also in this culture now economically which is in the 20s and 30s. That tends to be when the risk is lowest.
I want to mention one other concern about these very young teens. As much as we celebrate the numbers that you've mentioned about the births going down, we still are seeing over 7,000 births to girls 14 and younger every year and actually close to 20,000 pregnancies. And the only correct number in my view for these very young girls is zero.
So we have a lot more work to do and I think it's a real wakeup call to adults. Again, we celebrate progress, but I've never met one adult in the U.S. that feels comfortable about a child 14 or younger having sex, let alone having a baby. And I think we also have to question who the partners of these girls are. Who are the boys and young men involved in these pregnancies as well.
WHITFIELD: Sarah Brown, director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, thanks so much for joining us today.
BROWN: Thank you very much. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well in New York, the museum of modern art is reopening after a two-year, $825 million renovation. The museum opened its doors to the public yesterday and already it's getting rave reviews. Here's CNN's Alina Cho.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the gardens, to the galleries, to the building itself, the newly constructed museum of modern art or MOMA, as it's called, is getting rave reviews.
Your first impression?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spectacular.
CHO: Visitors will appreciate the Warhols, Van Goghs and Picassos. Less noticeable, sublte architecture that doesn't compete with the art, oak floors that are easy on the feet, and floating walls that don't touch the floor or the ceiling, a trick that puts the focus on the paintings, masterpieces like this Monet mural.
(on camera): This is a showstopping piece and it should be showcased and it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it is so beautiful. It rarely is being shown laid out flat like this. And I thought, well, let's really see it.
CHO: Curator John Elderfield says the new MOMA is the new authority on contemporary art.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It actually has the same function with regard to modern art that the Louvre in Paris with regard to the art of the past. This is the place where people come to learn about this tradition.
CHO: The museum's director is Glenn Lowry.
GLENN LOWRY, MOMA DIRECTOR: After September 11, there was a real fear about whether or not we could complete the building. Because suddenly, it was a different climate. That the building was built as beautifully and well as it was, for us has been snog short of miraculous.
CHO: New York needs the new MOMA. City officials say post 9/11, international tourism is still down 20 percent.
CHRISTINE NICHOLAS, NYC AND COMPANY: What we're hoping from the new MOMA is that it will yield many more tourists, especially those from overseas.
CHO: Like these women were Venice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now it's incredible. It's so beautiful.
CHO: If the early reviews are any guide, the MOMA will be good for New York, good for tourism, even better for those who love art.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well the holiday season is right around the corner. Do you dread it, mostly because you're trying to figure out what to give? How about gift cards? Not so fast. You need to ask a few questions first.
And then, if you've ever dreamed of opening a restaurant, you should see our report before making your first move.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Investigators in China are searching for the fight data recorder of a commuter plane that crashed earlier today killing all people on board and two people on the ground. Witnesses say the plane broke apart shortly after takeoff and fell to the earth in flaming fragments. CNN's Tara Duffy has more.
(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 takeoff from Baotao 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 6 crew members were aboard the Bombardier CRJ200 bound for Shanghai. China Eastern has grounded all Bombarier planes as the investigation continues.
The last major airplane crash in China was more than two years ago when a China Northern aircraft plunged into the ocean after a fire in the cabin. 112 people died then. In Baotoa (ph), 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)
WHITFIELD: News around the world now, U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell has arrived in Israel for talks, he says, are aimed at reviving the Middle East peace process. Powell says he will meet with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to talk about Palestinian elections set for January 9 to choose a replacement for the late Yasser Arafat.
Undercover Israeli forces shot and killed 3 Palestinians in the West Bank city of Ramallah today. Palesinian sources say among the victims the local commander and 2 members of the Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade. Israeli soldiers say they fired in self-defense.
The polls have closed in Ukraine where a heavy turnout is being recorded in the presidential runoff election. Thousands of international observers are on hand to monitor the voting after a hard-fought campaign. One candidate is pro-Western, the other, backed by the Russian government.
Well perhaps you have no idea what to buy that certain someone for the holidays. Consider the hottest gift of the season, gift cards. You don't have to worry about the right size, brand or color, but there are some catches you need to consider. Here's Valerie Morris.
(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. Consumer also 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 MIERZWINSKI, U.S. PUB. INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP: Gift cards are popular because you don't have to buy a gift, you decide what someone wants, you just have to know where they like to shop. 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's some things to keep in mind when 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.
MIERZWINSKI: States and consumer advocate 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 Macies and Boomingdale's will issue you a new card if you can provide proof of a recent purchase. Valerie Morris, CNN Financial News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well opening your own restaurant? Many people try but it's loaded with pitfalls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having a restaurant is like having a party every night except for oh, by the way, you're supposed to make money.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD; Advice on ways to avoid the problems that force more than half of all restaurants to fail. The story before a break.
And a check of this week's cold and flu report, first.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN WEATHER CENTER: Hi. I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center. It's time for your cold and flu report for this Sunday. 32 states now reporting in some form or some sporadic activity. The green states highlighted reporting activity: Texas, California, Hawaii, Alaska, some of the upper midwest, some of the southeast, New York and parts of New England still reporting some cold and flu as well.
That's the latest from here. I hope you're feeling well. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's look ahead about an hour from now, maybe a little bit over an hour. Carol Lin with CNN SUNDAY.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We've got a special investigation that a local station did on LAX where their undercover video showed security guards, you know the front line on the war on terror, not answering emergency calls.
WHITFIELD: Not quite on the job.
LIN: For suspicious bags, that sort of thing. So, we're going to talk to the reporter about what exactly he found. And then at 10:00 tonight, we're going talk about the penalties in this basketbrawl in our hot topic. We're going to ask people whether the fans, who they blame, the fans or the players. ESPN did a poll and nearly half said the fans, which I was kind of surprised.
WHITFIELD: Yes. I am surprised to hear that and then you listen to other critics who are saying, you know what? If you're going to make that kind of money, talking about a lot of the athletes, you have to show some restraint, because there's always the risk of a lot of fans, fanatics, who are going to try and get people engaged and you don't fall for the bait.
LIN: Exactly, exactly. We'll also add...
WHITFIELD: Maybe I should be on that segment, too. I have some strong opinions.
LIN: We're going to do the dollar amount also on the penalties. So we'll add up how much it's going to literally cost each of the players.
WHITFIELD: Hard to find a hero in that mess. Everyone looked bad.
LIN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot, Carol.
LIN: Sure.
WHITFIELD: A new feature on CNN LIVE SUNDAY, "Velshi's Adventures." Our Ali Velshi is going to take you inside consumer and business stories in a whole new way. Have you ever wanted to go into business for yourself perhaps? Maybe even dreamed of opening your own restaurant? On the menu today, the business of food.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having a restaurant is like having a party every night except for oh, by the way, you're supposed to make money at the end of the night.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The good food, the constant energy, it's easy to succomb to the idea. Fortunately, most people come to their senses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe some little joint in the right location, you know, steam cheeseburger or chicken wing place. I've thought about it, but realistically, I don't think so.
VELSHI: Experts say more than half of all new restaurants fail, but a lot of them survive if they have the cash to make it.
RICHARD CORAINE, UNION SQUARE HOSPITALITY GROUP: I think many restaurants probably fail in the first year, because they're under capitalized. , I think that's a huge obstacle to overcome if you're going on it a shoestring and then open the door. So I would urge people to make sure they have enough working capitallor two or three months.
VELSHI: Most restaurant tours go to cooking school, not business school. He's one possible recipe for success, for $6,900, the French Culinary Institute in New York offers a restaurant management program.
DOROTHY CANN HAMILTON, FOUNDER, FRENCH CULINARY INST: This course offers you the most hands-on experience of running a restaurant.
VELSHI: The six-month course aims to teach cost control, marketing strategies and the legal aspects of owning a restaurant.
HAMILTON: This is a trained school course. This is, I really want to do it, here are the fund fund mentals.
VELSHI: One Key to success, sticking to a budget. Food and drink expenses should stay be 50 percent below total sales, keep wages to less than 30 percent and rent under 10 percent of revenue.
DAVID BARBER, CO-OWNER, BLUE HILL RESTAURANT: If you're going into a high rent area you want to be confident you're going to have the traffic.
VELSHI: Advertising and incidentals, call it another 5 percent of the pie. That leaves just 5 percent for you. And that's why so many restaurants are, well, just a flash in the pan. (on camera): Well it looks good. And it tastes -- mmm, fantastic. But the ability to turn out a great dish doesn't necessarily mean the ability to turn a profit.
(voice-over): The main ingredient for success? Passion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tomato, ravioli and a soup.
BARBER: The curtain goes up at 5:00 every night and it's like a broadway show and in many ways it can only go wrong.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, news across America starts in Fort Benning, Georgia now. That's where activists and celebrities are carrying out the annual protests against the Military Training Center for Latin- American soldiers. Critics say, the schools graduates have been involved in human rights abuses. Defense officials deny the charges that protests are held each on the weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Now to California. Hundreds of motorbike riders filled the town of Escalon for a unique tribute to Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Connor. The memorial ride included the dedication of a park bench for both. Laci Peterson spent a portion of her child in Escalon. The sentencing of her husband Scott, convicted of the two murders, begins tomorrow.
And a man who caused an international flight to be diverted to Bangor, Maine flew back to Paris. He was flying to Air France to Washington yesterday when authorities discovered he was on the government's watch list. The man, a Moraccan, spent the night in jail. There was no word on why he was on the list in the first place.
Las Vegas taxi companies are in the process of installing video cameras to help protect drivers from criminals. The move follows last year's grisly murder of a cab driver during a robbery. Cab companies are currently testing several camera systems and are hoping to have them installed by the spring. Miguel Marquez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A cab ride in Vegas is like a trip to a foreign land, although fake wonders of the world are outside your door. But for cab drivers, there is one grim reality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been assaulted oh, a half dozen times.
MARQUEZ: In his 20 years as a Vegas cabbie, Craig Harris says he's been punched, slapped, robbed, stabbed, and had a gunpointed in his face twice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From about this far away, he cocked this gun. MARQUEZ: The Nevada Taxi Cab Authority said this year there have been 56 robberies and 64 separate assaults. In the last 30 years, 18 Vegas cabbies have been killed. The latest death was last August.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was robbed, and then she didn't let the guy take his money, so he was set on fire.
MARQUEZ: Paul Chitprasart, suffered third degree burns over 75 percent of his body.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just pray for him, that's all, but he didn't know anything.
MARQUEZ: Chitprasart, a Thai immigrant, lived in the U.S. for 20 years. He just bought a house in the Vegas suburbs and was set to marry his long time girlfriend. After years of hard work, it looked as if the payoff had finally arrived.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a horrible thing to happen to him.
MARQUEZ: Chitprasart's death was the trigger for something Vegas cabbies have long wanted.
CRAIG HARRIS, LAS VEGAS CABBIE: A digital or video recording device in the cab that will take pictures of all of the occupants of the cab when they enter, during the ride and toward the enter of the ride.
MARQUEZ: The crime deterrence program is being tested in a few cabs. But the hope is, when all of Vegas' approximately 2,600 cabs have cameras in them next April, cabbies can worry more about traffic on the strip than being assaulted or killed for a small payout. Miguel Marquez, CNN, Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Straight ahead, poking fun at former President Clinton as he unveils his presidential library.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A little rice, a bit of water, some sour grapes: a weird concoction for a late light stew, but for the last meisters of the air waves, it's apparently the recipe for success, or at least a few laughs. Here's a sample.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, THE DAILY SHOW: Rice's shift from security adviser to state means relinquishing what had been one of her most important functions, sitting behind the president, giving people the stink eye.
JAY LENO, TONIGHT SHOW: I mean these people are leaving these cabinet positions in droves. You see how many left today? Show that footage from the White House. Look at this. This is unbelievable.
STEWART: Are you looking at my president?
CONAN O'BRIEN, LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN: Bill Clinton's presidential library opened yesterday, and it cost $7 to get in. That's a fact, $7, yes. On the bright side, every night is ladies night.
LENO: It rained on Bill Clinton's parade yesterday, which is kind of a switch, usually Hillary does that.
DAVID LATTERMAN, LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: President Bush actually was very excited to be there, because he'd never been to a library before.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That's going to do it for us. NEXT@CNN is straight ahead. Here's Daniel Seiberg with a preview.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead on NEXT@CNN, a find in South Carolina that could change the history books. Concerns over exploding cell phones. And a safe way to catch the flu or hepatitis or even the black death.
WHITFIELD: Thanks for joining us. Back with some headlines right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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