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CNN Live Sunday

Holiday Travel Goes Smoothly Despite Weather Delays; Congress Looks to Bush to Break Intelligence Reform Impasse; Ukraine Protestors Rally for Opposition Leader; Crystal Meth Blamed for Increase in HIV/AIDS

Aired November 28, 2004 - 18:00 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.

CAROL LIN, I'm Carol Lin. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Here's what's happening right now in the news.
Congress appears no closer to passing an intelligence reorganization bill. Two key committee chairmen are still objecting to what the legislation does and does not do. We are going to have a live, in-depth report, straight ahead.

An attack by Taliban militants on an aid office in Afghanistan killed three security officers. Another is missing. All were security officers. A Taliban spokesman tells Reuters the intended target of the assault was a military post nearby.

And both rivals in Ukraine's presidential election are asking supporters to keep their protests peaceful. The country's supreme court put the election results on hold and meets tomorrow to examine complaints of voter fraud.

I'm Carol Lin, and welcome again to CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

It is home for the holidays as millions of U.S. or us, actually, jam airports and highways on this busiest of travel days. We are live from coast-to-coast to let you know, if you are traveling, loved ones will be home on time.

And the early numbers are in. Find out if the all-important holiday shopping season is off to a good start.

And get the warning you need before you buy one of the season's most popular gifts.

Right now we are going to begin with an annual tradition. The turkey has been eaten and the thanks have been said, and now it's time to head back home after the long holiday. Millions of Americans are and they are trying to slog through the weather, which is complicating things in a lot of different place.

We've got correspondents at some of the busiest airports, monitoring the situation for you. Alina Cho is at New York's La Guardia. Kimberly Osias is at Reagan National. Denise Belgrave is in Hartsfield Jackson in Atlanta, and Miguel Marquez is in Los Angeles.

But let's just start with you, Alina. How's it going out there? ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, I think the biggest surprise out of New York today at La Guardia is not the number of delays we've seen but how smoothly things have gone today.

Now, there are some signs that things are starting to change in just the past couple of minutes. We did find some passengers in a nearby terminal who reported waiting on line for 90 minutes, and that is just to check in.

Now, the airport, La Guardia, is reporting 90-minute delays for both arrivals and departures. We just got that information in.

Some good news: JFK and Newark are reporting no delays for now. And according to a Port Authority spokesman, quote, "If the weather lets up, the delays let up." And that makes a lot of sense.

Many people we spoke to here at La Guardia say holiday travel and airport delays go hand in hand. They're just glad it wasn't worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit later is no surprise. Any further delay, and I may say, "Take me back to Aunt Harriet's house. I'm staying." The hotel rate is good at my sister's house, and there's still left over turkey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: That was Marilyn Broadsman (ph). She was here in New York visiting her son. She is now heading back to Toronto, glad to go home but she had a good time here.

She is certainly not alone: 1.5 million people will pass through New York's three major airports through the holiday weekend. That started Wednesday and will end tomorrow.

Overall, travel is up three percent this year over last year, the highest number of travelers we have seen since September 11.

We're going to turn things over now to my colleague, Kimberly Osias, who is monitoring things over at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you, you know, this story is a bit reminiscent of Y2K. Everybody was sort of waiting on pins and needles for these throngs of people we heard about, 37 plus million taking to the skies and to the roads, and we are expecting massive, massive waits.

We simply haven't seen that here at Reagan National Airport, in part, I think, because people have really been heeding the advice of travel experts. A lot of people and passengers I've spoken with have allowed copious cushion time, probably about 2 1/2, three plus hours.

And just take a look at this picture. This is definitely not usually the case on the busiest travel day of the year. Look at this. Departures, you look from Kansas City, Missouri, Tennessee, all the way down to New Orleans. All this in the far right hand column, on time, straight down the line.

The biggest issue that passengers have had that I have talked to is not reuniting with their luggage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two of the bags that I was bringing with me have been lost. So, it's kind of frustrating. But what can you do, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: You know, talking about making sort of an event of things and really heeding the advice, joining me now are Michael and Marcella Simms.

You were visiting folks for the holiday and heading back to warmer climes, to Florida. You said it's really been smooth. What have you attributed that to?

MICHAEL SIMMS, TRAVELER: I believe travelers know to get here early, two hours early, to get your bags checked, get in. You can relax before the flight and beat the lines, which is what we have done.

OSIAS: Now I know TSA has certainly urged travelers not to pack heavy, not to pack those leftovers. I know you guys said you had a great, great dinner. But how has the packing been? I know you had a bit of a snafu there.

SIMMS: I came in three pounds overweight on one piece of luggage. So I paid a little bit of extra. They took it, marked it heavy and sent it on its way.

OSIAS: Well, listen, you all have a good dinner. I know this couple, they're planning to have dinner and make a whole event of things. But so far things to be -- are really running smoothly here.

Now we're going to go Atlanta Hartsfield Airport and to Denise Belgrave over there.

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here we are at Hartsfield Jackson airport. We just watched a beautiful sunset that capped off an absolutely perfect day for flying. The skies were clear, there was really not a lot of wind, and I think that helped keep things moving.

If you look over here at curbside, you can see that things are moving along very, very smoothly. That helped to put people in a good mood who are in the airport. Everyone we talked to had a wonderful vacation and seemed to be quite happy to be on their way home.

One of the things that we really were surprised about was that there was supposed to be 37 million people traveling over this holiday, and most people came out prepared to face big crowds. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I expected it to be a lot of traffic, a lot of traffic, a lot of hectic and everything. So I actually brought my mom to the airport like three hours early than she was supposed to be here, and she was, like, "Why are we here so early? It's no crowd, it's no nothing."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: One of the things we were really surprised about was we saw a lot of dogs traveling today: big dog, small dogs. I talked to one young lady who is traveling with a very special friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: Is it a boy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BELGRAVE: And he flies along?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twice a year.

BELGRAVE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because we take him here to visit my grandma and everything.

BELGRAVE: Yes? And is he a good flyer?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's a good flyer.

BELGRAVE: Does he get scared?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: TSA does require pets to be screened before they do get on the flight. Some animals you can walk through the metal detector, and others will be screened visually or physically by the inspectors. But no animals ever go through X-ray machines.

So now let's check in with my colleague, Miguel Marquez, over in L.A.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you there, Denise?

We're not seeing a lot of animals in Los Angeles today. Well, maybe the metaphorical sort of animals. But we are seeing a lot of passengers: 1.8 million passengers, LAX, things will come to this airport today, many of them traveling today.

I want to introduce somebody who's been walking the airport today looking at three different terminals. Jim Marsh with Travelocity.com, you're figuring out how the lines are doing at LAX. How are they doing?

JIM MARSH, TRAVELOCITY.COM: Actually, today the longest line I've seen has been about a 30-minute delay. But most of them are around five to 10 minutes for check-in and ticketing.

MARQUEZ: And Travelocity.com is -- is downloading this information to their web site almost on a real time basis, tracking 25 airports across the country. How are -- what are you seeing across the country?

WALSH: Well, across the country we've seen a few delays of up to an hour in the northeast and in the mountain west.

MARQUEZ: And how -- how do you guys -- how often do you update this information?

WALSH: This information is being updated hourly on our web site. It's a -- I'm sorry. It's -- it's also being -- it's transmitted out to our counterparts throughout the country.

MARQUEZ: All right. So I can tell you they've been walking these airports quite a bit today. One place that they are having trouble out west is in the Reno/Tahoe International Airport, where 69 flights were delayed or canceled yesterday because of some equipment malfunction on some landing equipment. But that airport is back up and running now.

Back to you, Carol Lin in Atlanta.

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Miguel and the entire team standing by out there at the nation's airports. Doesn't look like there were many problems to talk about.

But let's see how the weather is shaping up across the country. Meteorologist Orelon Sidney in on this weekend for a check of the weather.

Orelon, it looks pretty good out there so far. Any trouble spots you see?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Sounds good. Thanks very much, Orelon.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're welcome.

LIN: Lots of people traveling today, though. President Bush is one of the 37 million people returning after his long holiday weekend in Texas today.

One topic that is commanding his immediate attention is the push for intelligence reform. CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now from the White House with more details on this.

So what's going on with that bill, Elaine? It sounds like it's just dead stop stalled?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, and at this point, a lot of people trying to figure out what exactly the next move might be.

But a lot of folks here in Washington feel quite strongly about this bill, because as you know, this reform legislation encompasses some of the recommendations of the September 11 Commission. And now people are looking to President Bush to try to break the impasse before Congress comes back in December.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO (voice-over): Democrats and Republicans are sounding the same warning what could happen if Congress doesn't approve intelligence reform legislation soon.

THOMAS KEAN, CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: This bill will pass. The question is whether it will pass now or after a second attack.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I agree with the two chairman of the 9/11 Commission. If we don't do this now, we're going to really face the music.

QUIJANO: Even though there are enough votes in the House to pass the legislation now, Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert won't allow the bill to come to a vote because of some strong opposition within his own party.

Duncan Hunter, head of the Armed Service Committee, whose son served in Iraq, speaks for Republicans who say the bill doesn't preserve the chain of command needed to keep intelligence flowing quickly to front line troops.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), CALIFORNIA: When the Department of Defense has to have a satellite over Falluja, for example, because they've got people being shot at on the ground, they need to know where the enemy is, you have to be able to control that agency.

QUIJANO: Top military leaders agree, saying the Pentagon, not a new national intelligence director, should keep control of satellite and communications programs.

But other lawmakers say U.S. troops on the battlefield will get what they need.

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), KANSAS: Every bill that we have proposed preserves that tactical intelligence.

QUIJANO: Another leading holdout, Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner, wants to bar states from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), WISCONSIN: And until we are able to make sure that driver's licenses are given only to people who are lawfully present in the United States, America is still at greater risk.

QUIJANO: The risk is not passing reforms now, says the 9/11 Commission's vice chair.

LEE HAMILTON, VICE CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: I know the attention has been on the intelligence and the immigration provisions. They're important provisions, but there are scores, if not hundred of provisions here which strengthen the counter terrorism efforts of the United States.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO: Now Democrats complain that President Bush, who has said that he will sign this bill, is not putting enough pressure on those Republican holdouts.

And the White House, though, continues to say that the president has made it quite clear he wants to see this legislation passed as quickly as possible -- Carol.

LIN: So what's he going to do? What's the president planning on doing, Elaine?

QUIJANO: Well, that's the big question right now, Carol.

Officials are saying that he's going to continue working closely with Congress to make that happen, to try to get a bill for him to sign to his desk. They want to do this, obviously, because if January comes around and they don't have anything, it will likely be delayed for several more months, as you know.

They also are saying that senior administration officials are continuing to press Republican leadership, but so far, no specifics on whether or not the president himself plans to take any more action -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Elaine Quijano, live at the White House.

We've got some great news from the entertainment world now, happy news at that. Hollywood's pretty woman is now a mom. Actress Julia Roberts and her cameraman husband, Danny Moder, are the parents of twins. She gave birth early this morning about 3 a.m. She had a boy and a girl, and she's naming them Phinnaeus and Hazel.

Late last month, the 37-year-old Roberts was having early contractions, so doctors advised her to get plenty of bed rest until the twins were born. Came pretty close to the due date.

Anyway, we're going to take a quick break right now, but when we come back, the rocky road to democracy in Eastern Europe. Ukrainians disputing their election with new plans aimed at getting a revote. You're going to meet some of the people taking part in what they call an Orange Revolution.

Plus, out of ideas for a Christmas present? Why not give a gift card? Sort of like a gift certificate. But buyer beware, we're going to have information you need to know.

Also later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Something joyous has spread through a very sad story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Finding joy through jazz. After a tragedy, she opened her heart and her home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It looks like the political crisis is deepening in Ukraine.

Ukraine's pro-Russia eastern region has voted to hold a referendum on splitting from the western part of the country. While the referendum would not be legally binding, it shows how divided the country remains after last week's presidential election.

CNN's Jill Dougherty reports from Kiev.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're calling it the Orange Revolution, the opposition's symbolic color.

But on the streets of Kiev, it often feels like a party after a football game: hundreds of thousands of people cheering, chanting, rallying, marching, even drumming for the man they say should have won the presidency of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko.

The foot soldiers of this revolution, in many cases young people like university student Igor Yakovitz (ph), who came here from his hometown about four hours away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One key woman invited us to her place. There were about ten of us, like two girls and about eight boys. They're coming, new and old ones, and this night I'm going to go there to take shower and have good sleep.

DOUGHERTY: Why does he do it? Igor says he was a polling monitor in the election and saw many violations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why I decided that my, like, duty as a citizen of Ukraine is to support Viktor Yushchenko and all the people that are here.

DOUGHERTY: The Orange Revolution is a sophisticated media production. On the main stage at Independence Square, an endless stream of rousing speeches and music. On downtown street corners, TV screens are set up so demonstrators can follow events on the opposition television channel. Behind the scenes, an army of volunteers handing out everything from sandwiches to warm clothing. Demonstrators can take naps in the building not far from the main square.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This headquarters is around the clock with medical stations, information booths and help with finding housing, clothes and food.

DOUGHERTY: The Yushchenko campaign claims it's not funding all of this. The money is coming mainly from individuals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If people's patience is over, they go into the street. So what we try to do, we try just to help these people get organized.

DOUGHERTY (on camera): The opposition knows its strongest political weapon is keeping these demonstrators in the streets, but it also knows how crucial it is to keep things peaceful. If the Orange Revolution turns violent, it could sweep away any advantage the opposition has.

Jill Dougherty, CNN, Kiev, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And a positive sign for the Middle East peace process. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could soon be holding talks with the leading candidate to replace Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.

Sources close to the Israeli leader say he is willing to meet with Mahmoud Abbas after the January election. A Mideast expert tells our Ralitsa Vassileva what such a meeting could actually mean.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON DAVID MILLER, PRESIDENT, SEEDS OF PEACE: I think that's extremely important, because what's been missing from this process, clearly, over the last four years is any sense of partnership between Israelis and the Palestinians.

Certainly, a high-level meeting between an elected, and I think that's important, if that turns out to be the case, an elected Palestinian president and an Israeli prime minister would be extremely important.

But I think even more important at this stage, Ralitsa, is what -- is what the Israelis and Palestinians do, rather than what it is they say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: All right. And now the Associated Press reports NBC Sports says its president, Dick Ebersol did, in fact, survive the crash of a charter jet in Colorado today. At least two other people were killed in the crash. It happened in Montrose near the Telluride ski resort. An NBC statement says Ebersol's wife, actress Susan St. James, was not on the plane.

We are still working the story, but glad to finally be able to report that to you, that he survived that plane crash.

Other stories now around the world.

Possible progress today on the nuclear stalemate in Iran. Iranian media outlets say Tehran has reached a compromise with European negotiators. Under the deal, Iran would not be able to test centrifuges as part of a total suspension of nuclear enrichment activities, but Iran would have access to them.

Now the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to take up the resolution tomorrow.

Pope John Paul II offers prayers for Ukraine. The pope, a fellow Slav, prayed for peace in the divided country today. Ukrainians living in the pope's homeland of Poland have staged several rallies other the last week contested -- last week's contested presidential election.

Several injuries are being reported from a major earthquake in Japan. A 7.0 magnitude quake struck northern Japan earlier today. The quake triggered a small tsunami. So far there no reports of deaths or major damage.

And in Colombia, at least two people are missing after days of intense rains. Flooding, north of Bogota has triggered mudslides, leaving dozens of families homeless. Relief is not expected in that area for several days because of the weather.

Still to come tonight, battling an epidemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY FOSTER, ACTOR: Immediately it turns everything sexual, everything sexual.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at HIV in the gay community and the drug that is helping spread it.

And will Iraq be ready for the January election? The political battle is heating up, but as the deadline approaches, the violence only continues. A report from Baghdad straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Consider all the changes in sexual behavior in the last two decades, which has dramatically helped to educate people and cut down on the spread of HIV among gay men. But today a drug, a very dangerous one at that, crystal meth, may change all of that. It is lowering inhibitions, and it's getting people to think more about, well, taking a chance and having risky sex.

Our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay, looks at this new threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty-seven-year-old Tommy Foster is a struggling Broadway actor in New York City. The songs are Broadway tunes. The context, his life's story. The date, the one-year anniversary of the day he was diagnosed HIV positive.

FOSTER: I gave into a craving, a three-day marathon of unprotected crystallized sex that did leave me infected with HIV.

The purpose in me doing my show is to offer myself and what happened to me up as a specimen to be examined.

GUPTA: Crystal methamphetamine, also known as crystal, meth, crank, ice, or tina, is a cheap, highly potent stimulant that keeps you up for days, takes away all inhibitions and is as addictive, if not more, so than heroin.

FOSTER: Just -- just thinking about doing it causes my body to react as if I had just done it. And it's like all of a sudden your eyes focus in a way that you've never seen things before. And immediately it turns everything sexual, everything sexual.

DR. HOWARD GROSSMAN, HIV SPECIALIST: With the advent of drugs for erectile dysfunction, we're seeing the tie-in of -- of crystal and staying up all night and staying up for days in a row tied in with sex.

GUPTA: Which is why crystal is being blamed for contributing to the increase in HIV infections among gay men, which according to the latest CDC reports, is up 17 percent.

Perry Halkitis has been tracking crystal use in New York since 1998.

PERRY HALKITIS, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: What we know from our studies is that men who use methamphetamine tend to be hypersexual. They tend to have higher levels of anonymous partnerings, more partners, more men that they have sex with unsafely than men who do not use this drug.

GUPTA: There are currently massive campaigns on both coasts to draw attention to the problem and to educate people about the effects of this drug. Experts, activists and community leaders are convinced this problem is already spreading into other populations around the country.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: You can watch Sanjay's compelling and complete look at changing face of aids in his special "RU+ (Are You Positive?)" tonight. The must see prime-time special begins at 10 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN, followed by CNN SUNDAY NIGHT.

And right now, here's a quick look at what's happening right now in the news.

Two U.S. soldiers were wounded when a suicide attacker drove a car bomb into a convoy on the road to Baghdad's airport. We're going to have more on today's violence in Iraq in just a moment.

Rescue workers in China are searching for 166 miners trapped in a coal mine after a gas explosion. It's been 24 hours since the explosion occurred. Another 127 miners have been rescued.

And 9/11 commission chairman Tom Kean says President Bush should increase pressure on hold-out Republicans to pass an intelligence bill. Republican James Sensenbrenner wants the bill to bar states from issuing drivers lisenses to illegal immigrants. But other lawmakers say that issue should not hold up the entire bill.

To delay or not to delay: that is the question in Iraq. The country's interim government continues to insist the election will be held as planned on January 30. Prime minister Iyad Allawi is against postponing it by up to six months as suggested by some of Iraq's politicians. A former presidential candidate says the proposed delay is a must.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADNAN PACHACHI, FRM. IRAQI PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are really faced with a dilemma. We either have good, real elections of the government or we are going to have elections which are not complete, in which large segments of Iraq's population would be left out. And I think this would lead to even greater security in the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: He's talking about the insecurity in the country and blamming U.S. -- continued U.S. military action for that.

Now the continued calls for a delay come on a day of more violence in Iraq. CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL (on camera): Political debate here in Iraq over the last few days is centered on cause for postponement of the January 30 elections. A group of major political parties said that they didn't believe that the government could guarantee the safety of voters at the poll, because of the rising wave of insurgent violence. Underscoring that situation today in the city of Samarra, North of Baghdad, a roadside bomb killed at least 5 civilians. We're also told by U.S. military sources in the area that a sixth person believed to be the bomber died in that blast. The bomb exploded when two vehicles were passing by that spot.

In addition, in Baghdad this morning, a U.S. convoy came under attack as it made its way along the Baghdad Airport Road. A suicide bomber drove an SUV in between some military vehicles and detonated the explosives. We're told that two U.S. soldiers were wounded in that blast. It was the second attack on this road in as many days. And this road in the heart of Baghdad is now regarded as one of the most dangerous stretches of highway anywhere in Iraq.

In a third incidence in the city of Baqubah, just north of Baghdad, police station there came under mortar attack. We're told four mortar shells impacted on a police station. Three policemen were injured, but no deaths were reported. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Up next, a soldier who wants Americans to see a different side of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope that we have contributed to Iraq's future and that there can be a successful democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: A soldier's story of help and hope in war-torn Iraq.

Also, was there voter fraud in Ohio? Jesse Jackson is there today to find out.

And later, gift card gimmicks, don't become a victim this holiday season. What you need to know before you buy them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Images of violence and bloodshed: It's mostly what we see in Iraq. But now one soldier is hoping to give a much different view. He's just back from that country where he recorded some of what he saw in photos and on videotape. Leslie Griffith from CNN affiliate KTVU has his story in this edition "Of Our Life on the Front Lines."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So are you ready for this mission?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready to roll.

LESLIE GRIFFITH, KTVU CORRESPONDENT: The sights and sounds of war are familiar to us all by now, but war from a distance is nothing like the real thing. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That battle has been raging about what, half hour now? An hour?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably an hour. But don't worry mom, I'm eating well, well, not really.

GRIFFITH: While thousands of American soldiers are fighting insurgents day and night, many are also providing humanitarian aid. One of those soldiers is Staff Sergeant Chris Lavarro.

These are the images that Chris wants Americans to see. And these are the images that he pushes to the forefront whenever the horrors of war come to be overwhelming.

STAFF SGT. CHRIS LOVERRO, U.S. ARMY: Some of the most intelligent people I've ever encountered were in the military. We try not to focus on politics when we were over there. And we try and focus on doing our mission and getting each other back safely from the mission and just tying to do the right thing.

GRIFFITH: One of the many things they did was to build schools and housing for displaced Iraqis. They are Arabs whom Saddam Hussein moved into Kurdish territory in Northern Iraq. After the U.S. invasion, the Kurds reclaimed their land, and the Arabs ended up here in Mosul.

LOVERRO: They were living in bombedout buildings basically, with no electricity, no water. When we got there in the winter, we found the children walking around with no shoes on, the families didn't have enough blankets. We built approximately about 100+ housing units for families. We built an 18 classroom school. We helped renovate and supply a few dozen schools in the area.

GRIFFITH: All of the while, he and others in his striker team searched for insurgents by night. They slept when they could. And when Chris began writing letters to home about the need, boxes arrived. And can you tell what was in this delivery?

Loverro is a Berkeley Police Officer and will return to duty in a month after some R&R. But his heart is still with the children in Mosul. Here, the children hold posters thanking those who donated school supplies, blankets and clothing and the children held signs saying hello to Berkeley P.D.

Now when Chris thinks about war, it is not bombings which often happen within yards of him or the killing he witnessed. He tries to focus on the kids and his hope that the American presence will somehow enhance their future.

LOVERRO: The positive peace they say is something -- it's a situation where there's not the mere absence of violence. But there's the presence of social justice.

GRIFFITH: And his ultimate hope, the one thing this Cal graduate, who majored in conflict resolution wants to believe what he did meant something. LOVERRO: I hope we've contributed to Iraq's future and that there can be a successful democracy. It's something that I'll keep with me the rest of my life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Our thanks to Leslie Griffith from CNN affiliate KTVU for that report.

Well, turning to stories across America. Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols is on record admitting he helped Timothy McVeigh make the bomb that killed 168 people in 1995. The Oklahoma Newspaper says Nichols confessed to state prosecutors last year in a sworn statement. He was trying to avoid the death penalty. Nichols is serving a life term with no chance of parole.

And divers report finding a six-foot gash in a cargo tank on the vessel that spilled 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the Delaware River. The river's worst spill in nearly a decade has disrupted traffic in the busy port of Philadelphia and killed or injured hundreds of birds.

California's Sierra Nevada is under up to 18 inches of snow. The storm is part of a fast moving system pack high winds throughout the state.

Weather is Balmy, though, in Ft. Myers, Florida. Look that the sunshine. And students all the way from Toledo, Ohio, spending their Thanksgiving weekend there helping to rebuild homes hit by the recent rash of hurricanes. Habitat for Humanity sponsored the project. Short sleeves, sunshine, a lot of heart.

Well, the Reverend Jesse Jackson is calling on the Ohio Supreme Court to consider setting aside President Bush's win in that state. Unofficial results show the president defeating Democrat John kerry by 136,000 votes in Ohio, but critics are complaining of uncounted punch card votes, disqualified provisional ballots and votes wrongly tallied for Mr. Bush. Jackson says the vote should not stand without further examination. He wants Congress to investigate how Ohioans voted. We'll see where that goes.

A newspaper's review of ballots in three heavily Democratic North Florida countries debunks Internet fed rumors suggesting a conspiracy against Senator Kerry. The Miami Herald's examination shows more voters there really did mark their ballots for Bush than for Kerry. The newspaper found only minor differences with the official results in each county.

OK. So if you're not the creative type, gift cards are probably the gift of choice for the holidays. But which are the best to buy? They actually differ from one another. So find out straight ahead.

And later, mourning through music. A mother who lost her son turned to jazz, turning her living room into a veritable cabaret. Her story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Consumers handed retailers a blockbuster weekend during Black Friday sales. Now, Black Friday is traditionally the day retailers make a profit, hence going into the black. And this weekend, many did.

According to the National Retail Federation, a 133 million shoppers flooded stores after the Thanksgiving holiday. The average shopper spent a little more than $265 buying electronics, and clothing, and music. Now nationwide, they spent a grand total of $22.8 billion. Many retailers credit favorable weather and deep discounts for the robust figures.

Now many of those shoppers were picking up gift cards. But not all gift cards are created equal. Some are consumer friendly, others have fees or expiration dates. Lisa Freeman with Consumer Reports knows how to tell the good ones from the bad.

Lisa, good to have you, because I know a lot of people, especially senior citizens who don't -- can't just deal with the whole mall scene that like to get the gift cards because they think they give people more options. But really, in some ways, they might be more limiting.

I want to show people, first, a graphic that just shows how popular these gift cards are right now. Some, what, 64 percent of people surveyed by consumerreports.org say that they are going to be giving gift cards this year.

LISA FREEMAN, CONSUMER REPORTS: That's right. It's a huge amount people that are going to be buying gift card. In fact, I was in the supermarket and I saw they were selling gift cards for Home Depot and various other retailers right near the cash register. So it's a very easy gift to buy, very tempting.

LIN: My apologies to Deloitte & Touche which actually did the survey there on those numbers.

You have some really good tips, which you want to show people very quickly. And then, let's you and I go through these one and a time. But showing the folks out there you say "read the fine print on the cards." "Don't buy bank cards." "Keep receipts and write gift cards' id numbers on them, so you have a record of it." "And then use them immediately."

First, the fine print. It's literally on the card itself, and what should we be looking for?

FREEMAN: OK. Yes, when you look at the card on the store, when you're purchasing it, you will see on the back of the card the fees and if there are any expiration dates it will be listed on the card. Or it will be on the sleeve that contains the card.

Another place that you look is at the Web site of the retailer, that's another good place to look, before you go to the store.

LIN: Does it have to tell me if there are additional fees attached to the card or an expiration date?

FREEMAN: Yes, it will say that on the card or on the sleeve or on the Web site. And most of the retail cards we looked at were good at disclosing that information this year. Last year was another story. So they have improved.

LIN: Right. Like if you hung onto it until July and then suddenly decide to spend and all of sudden you realize it expired back in February. That would be bad news, indeed.

Also want to tell people to grab a pen, because we're going to be showing you throughout some of the best stores to buy gift cards from according to Consumer Reports.

But you also say don't buy bank cards. What's the difference between a bank card and gift card?

FREEMAN: OK. Well, the retail issued gift cards are actually much improved. They're pretty good actually. And we list a bunch -- we looked at a bunch of these different cards and found a lot have eliminated expiration dates and have reduced their fees. These are cards issued by the actual store that you go in.

The other type of card is the bank issued gift card which is issued by American Express, Visa, or Mastercard, and these are not good cards. Most people should not purchase them. You have to pay a fee just to purchase them, a processing fee. You'll also pay monthly maintenance fees after a certain period of time. And on top of that you may have to pay a fee for replacing a lost or stolen card. They're filled with fees, these cards, and we generally don't recommend them.

LIN: Wow. Good idea. Because I saw a commercial for one and it sounded so convenient, can you take an American Express gift card to any store.

FREEMAN: But they also all have expiration dates. That's the other big issue with bank cards.

LIN: Ah, OK. Very quickly. You say keep the receipt and write the gift card id number. What do you mean, after you use the gift card, keep the receipt for the item that you bought?

FREEMAN: No. If you are the gift giver and you give a gift card, keep the receipt, and also write down the id number on the card before you give it to the person you want to give it to. So that in case that person loses the card, you have a receipt so can you get it replaced.

LIN: Ok. And you say use it immediately, even if there isn't an expiration date on it, why?

FREEMAN: That's right. Because it could expire. And if you are a recipient, you should be looking at the fees. And if there are expiration dates be aware of it, because you don't want to end up with a rude surprise at the register when you redeem it and they tell you it's not worth what it says on the front, because of fees taken out of it, or because of an expiration date.

LIN: Gosh, it sounds like the Grinch came up with the idea, but it's a convenient and certainly popular one these days. Thanks very much Lisa Freeman. Have a great holiday.

FREEMAN: You, too.

LIN: Well, you will hear a joyful sound when CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues.

It is a joyful sound, but born from pain and sorrow. And it's the story of one incredibly remarkable woman. You're going to meet her when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: A New York woman is drawing crowds from all over the world into her Harlem apartment for a very unique musical experience. Jason Carroll takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stand outside this building in Harlem on any given Sunday and listen, you might hear the faint echoes of jazz. It's not the spirits of Duke Ellington or Count Bassie who lived here back in the day, it's the spirit of Marjorie Elliott in apartment 3-F at 555 Edgcomb Avenue that's making it all possible.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a kind of community of spirits from all kinds of places.

CARROLL: Every Sunday for the past ten years, Marjorie has hosted jazz concerts right in her living room free of charge in honor of her son Philip who died a little more than ten years ago.

MARJORIE ELIOT, JAZZ MUSICIAN: Passed on a Sunday, and he used to go crazy on sun days. I say that something joyous has spread through a very sad story.

CARROLL: Marjorie, a former actress and musician herself never had a problem finding other musicians, but in the beginning it was hard finding an audience.

ELIOT: I used to go to the laundry room, please come upstairs, you don't have to get dressed up. Silly.

CARROLL: Now thanks to word of mouth they come from all over the world, sitting in her living room, hallway, wherever.

ELIOT: They get a chance to hear people unplugged and they're right on top of that. They can experience them. They can talk to them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seems very cool. Can you tell something's going to happen here. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a nice experience, to go back and tell people in North Carolina what I went and did.

ELIOT: But it doesn't surprise me. It's thrilling, because they really embrace the notion of what I do. They just come with an outpouring of love and generosity and honesty.

CARROLL: Keep on jamming, Marjorie. The living room is larger than you could possibly imagine.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: That is a perfect note to end with. That's all the time we have for this hour.

Coming up next, Anderson Cooper caps the Atlantic hurricane season with a look back at storms of 2004.

At 8:00, CNN Present, Fat Chance: the Fat Epidemic in america.

At 9:00 eastern, LARRY KING WEEKEND. Larry's guest tonight, legendary newsman Dan Rather who just resigned this past week.

And I'll be back at 11:00 Eastern tonight, an hour later than normal, with the president's upcoming trip to Canada. We're going to look at the anti-American sentiment around the world. The hour's headlines when we come back and then Anderson Cooper.

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 28, 2004 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, I'm Carol Lin. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Here's what's happening right now in the news.
Congress appears no closer to passing an intelligence reorganization bill. Two key committee chairmen are still objecting to what the legislation does and does not do. We are going to have a live, in-depth report, straight ahead.

An attack by Taliban militants on an aid office in Afghanistan killed three security officers. Another is missing. All were security officers. A Taliban spokesman tells Reuters the intended target of the assault was a military post nearby.

And both rivals in Ukraine's presidential election are asking supporters to keep their protests peaceful. The country's supreme court put the election results on hold and meets tomorrow to examine complaints of voter fraud.

I'm Carol Lin, and welcome again to CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

It is home for the holidays as millions of U.S. or us, actually, jam airports and highways on this busiest of travel days. We are live from coast-to-coast to let you know, if you are traveling, loved ones will be home on time.

And the early numbers are in. Find out if the all-important holiday shopping season is off to a good start.

And get the warning you need before you buy one of the season's most popular gifts.

Right now we are going to begin with an annual tradition. The turkey has been eaten and the thanks have been said, and now it's time to head back home after the long holiday. Millions of Americans are and they are trying to slog through the weather, which is complicating things in a lot of different place.

We've got correspondents at some of the busiest airports, monitoring the situation for you. Alina Cho is at New York's La Guardia. Kimberly Osias is at Reagan National. Denise Belgrave is in Hartsfield Jackson in Atlanta, and Miguel Marquez is in Los Angeles.

But let's just start with you, Alina. How's it going out there? ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, I think the biggest surprise out of New York today at La Guardia is not the number of delays we've seen but how smoothly things have gone today.

Now, there are some signs that things are starting to change in just the past couple of minutes. We did find some passengers in a nearby terminal who reported waiting on line for 90 minutes, and that is just to check in.

Now, the airport, La Guardia, is reporting 90-minute delays for both arrivals and departures. We just got that information in.

Some good news: JFK and Newark are reporting no delays for now. And according to a Port Authority spokesman, quote, "If the weather lets up, the delays let up." And that makes a lot of sense.

Many people we spoke to here at La Guardia say holiday travel and airport delays go hand in hand. They're just glad it wasn't worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit later is no surprise. Any further delay, and I may say, "Take me back to Aunt Harriet's house. I'm staying." The hotel rate is good at my sister's house, and there's still left over turkey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: That was Marilyn Broadsman (ph). She was here in New York visiting her son. She is now heading back to Toronto, glad to go home but she had a good time here.

She is certainly not alone: 1.5 million people will pass through New York's three major airports through the holiday weekend. That started Wednesday and will end tomorrow.

Overall, travel is up three percent this year over last year, the highest number of travelers we have seen since September 11.

We're going to turn things over now to my colleague, Kimberly Osias, who is monitoring things over at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you, you know, this story is a bit reminiscent of Y2K. Everybody was sort of waiting on pins and needles for these throngs of people we heard about, 37 plus million taking to the skies and to the roads, and we are expecting massive, massive waits.

We simply haven't seen that here at Reagan National Airport, in part, I think, because people have really been heeding the advice of travel experts. A lot of people and passengers I've spoken with have allowed copious cushion time, probably about 2 1/2, three plus hours.

And just take a look at this picture. This is definitely not usually the case on the busiest travel day of the year. Look at this. Departures, you look from Kansas City, Missouri, Tennessee, all the way down to New Orleans. All this in the far right hand column, on time, straight down the line.

The biggest issue that passengers have had that I have talked to is not reuniting with their luggage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two of the bags that I was bringing with me have been lost. So, it's kind of frustrating. But what can you do, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: You know, talking about making sort of an event of things and really heeding the advice, joining me now are Michael and Marcella Simms.

You were visiting folks for the holiday and heading back to warmer climes, to Florida. You said it's really been smooth. What have you attributed that to?

MICHAEL SIMMS, TRAVELER: I believe travelers know to get here early, two hours early, to get your bags checked, get in. You can relax before the flight and beat the lines, which is what we have done.

OSIAS: Now I know TSA has certainly urged travelers not to pack heavy, not to pack those leftovers. I know you guys said you had a great, great dinner. But how has the packing been? I know you had a bit of a snafu there.

SIMMS: I came in three pounds overweight on one piece of luggage. So I paid a little bit of extra. They took it, marked it heavy and sent it on its way.

OSIAS: Well, listen, you all have a good dinner. I know this couple, they're planning to have dinner and make a whole event of things. But so far things to be -- are really running smoothly here.

Now we're going to go Atlanta Hartsfield Airport and to Denise Belgrave over there.

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here we are at Hartsfield Jackson airport. We just watched a beautiful sunset that capped off an absolutely perfect day for flying. The skies were clear, there was really not a lot of wind, and I think that helped keep things moving.

If you look over here at curbside, you can see that things are moving along very, very smoothly. That helped to put people in a good mood who are in the airport. Everyone we talked to had a wonderful vacation and seemed to be quite happy to be on their way home.

One of the things that we really were surprised about was that there was supposed to be 37 million people traveling over this holiday, and most people came out prepared to face big crowds. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I expected it to be a lot of traffic, a lot of traffic, a lot of hectic and everything. So I actually brought my mom to the airport like three hours early than she was supposed to be here, and she was, like, "Why are we here so early? It's no crowd, it's no nothing."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: One of the things we were really surprised about was we saw a lot of dogs traveling today: big dog, small dogs. I talked to one young lady who is traveling with a very special friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: Is it a boy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BELGRAVE: And he flies along?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twice a year.

BELGRAVE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because we take him here to visit my grandma and everything.

BELGRAVE: Yes? And is he a good flyer?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's a good flyer.

BELGRAVE: Does he get scared?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: TSA does require pets to be screened before they do get on the flight. Some animals you can walk through the metal detector, and others will be screened visually or physically by the inspectors. But no animals ever go through X-ray machines.

So now let's check in with my colleague, Miguel Marquez, over in L.A.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you there, Denise?

We're not seeing a lot of animals in Los Angeles today. Well, maybe the metaphorical sort of animals. But we are seeing a lot of passengers: 1.8 million passengers, LAX, things will come to this airport today, many of them traveling today.

I want to introduce somebody who's been walking the airport today looking at three different terminals. Jim Marsh with Travelocity.com, you're figuring out how the lines are doing at LAX. How are they doing?

JIM MARSH, TRAVELOCITY.COM: Actually, today the longest line I've seen has been about a 30-minute delay. But most of them are around five to 10 minutes for check-in and ticketing.

MARQUEZ: And Travelocity.com is -- is downloading this information to their web site almost on a real time basis, tracking 25 airports across the country. How are -- what are you seeing across the country?

WALSH: Well, across the country we've seen a few delays of up to an hour in the northeast and in the mountain west.

MARQUEZ: And how -- how do you guys -- how often do you update this information?

WALSH: This information is being updated hourly on our web site. It's a -- I'm sorry. It's -- it's also being -- it's transmitted out to our counterparts throughout the country.

MARQUEZ: All right. So I can tell you they've been walking these airports quite a bit today. One place that they are having trouble out west is in the Reno/Tahoe International Airport, where 69 flights were delayed or canceled yesterday because of some equipment malfunction on some landing equipment. But that airport is back up and running now.

Back to you, Carol Lin in Atlanta.

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Miguel and the entire team standing by out there at the nation's airports. Doesn't look like there were many problems to talk about.

But let's see how the weather is shaping up across the country. Meteorologist Orelon Sidney in on this weekend for a check of the weather.

Orelon, it looks pretty good out there so far. Any trouble spots you see?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Sounds good. Thanks very much, Orelon.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're welcome.

LIN: Lots of people traveling today, though. President Bush is one of the 37 million people returning after his long holiday weekend in Texas today.

One topic that is commanding his immediate attention is the push for intelligence reform. CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now from the White House with more details on this.

So what's going on with that bill, Elaine? It sounds like it's just dead stop stalled?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, and at this point, a lot of people trying to figure out what exactly the next move might be.

But a lot of folks here in Washington feel quite strongly about this bill, because as you know, this reform legislation encompasses some of the recommendations of the September 11 Commission. And now people are looking to President Bush to try to break the impasse before Congress comes back in December.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO (voice-over): Democrats and Republicans are sounding the same warning what could happen if Congress doesn't approve intelligence reform legislation soon.

THOMAS KEAN, CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: This bill will pass. The question is whether it will pass now or after a second attack.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I agree with the two chairman of the 9/11 Commission. If we don't do this now, we're going to really face the music.

QUIJANO: Even though there are enough votes in the House to pass the legislation now, Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert won't allow the bill to come to a vote because of some strong opposition within his own party.

Duncan Hunter, head of the Armed Service Committee, whose son served in Iraq, speaks for Republicans who say the bill doesn't preserve the chain of command needed to keep intelligence flowing quickly to front line troops.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), CALIFORNIA: When the Department of Defense has to have a satellite over Falluja, for example, because they've got people being shot at on the ground, they need to know where the enemy is, you have to be able to control that agency.

QUIJANO: Top military leaders agree, saying the Pentagon, not a new national intelligence director, should keep control of satellite and communications programs.

But other lawmakers say U.S. troops on the battlefield will get what they need.

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), KANSAS: Every bill that we have proposed preserves that tactical intelligence.

QUIJANO: Another leading holdout, Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner, wants to bar states from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), WISCONSIN: And until we are able to make sure that driver's licenses are given only to people who are lawfully present in the United States, America is still at greater risk.

QUIJANO: The risk is not passing reforms now, says the 9/11 Commission's vice chair.

LEE HAMILTON, VICE CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: I know the attention has been on the intelligence and the immigration provisions. They're important provisions, but there are scores, if not hundred of provisions here which strengthen the counter terrorism efforts of the United States.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO: Now Democrats complain that President Bush, who has said that he will sign this bill, is not putting enough pressure on those Republican holdouts.

And the White House, though, continues to say that the president has made it quite clear he wants to see this legislation passed as quickly as possible -- Carol.

LIN: So what's he going to do? What's the president planning on doing, Elaine?

QUIJANO: Well, that's the big question right now, Carol.

Officials are saying that he's going to continue working closely with Congress to make that happen, to try to get a bill for him to sign to his desk. They want to do this, obviously, because if January comes around and they don't have anything, it will likely be delayed for several more months, as you know.

They also are saying that senior administration officials are continuing to press Republican leadership, but so far, no specifics on whether or not the president himself plans to take any more action -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Elaine Quijano, live at the White House.

We've got some great news from the entertainment world now, happy news at that. Hollywood's pretty woman is now a mom. Actress Julia Roberts and her cameraman husband, Danny Moder, are the parents of twins. She gave birth early this morning about 3 a.m. She had a boy and a girl, and she's naming them Phinnaeus and Hazel.

Late last month, the 37-year-old Roberts was having early contractions, so doctors advised her to get plenty of bed rest until the twins were born. Came pretty close to the due date.

Anyway, we're going to take a quick break right now, but when we come back, the rocky road to democracy in Eastern Europe. Ukrainians disputing their election with new plans aimed at getting a revote. You're going to meet some of the people taking part in what they call an Orange Revolution.

Plus, out of ideas for a Christmas present? Why not give a gift card? Sort of like a gift certificate. But buyer beware, we're going to have information you need to know.

Also later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Something joyous has spread through a very sad story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Finding joy through jazz. After a tragedy, she opened her heart and her home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It looks like the political crisis is deepening in Ukraine.

Ukraine's pro-Russia eastern region has voted to hold a referendum on splitting from the western part of the country. While the referendum would not be legally binding, it shows how divided the country remains after last week's presidential election.

CNN's Jill Dougherty reports from Kiev.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're calling it the Orange Revolution, the opposition's symbolic color.

But on the streets of Kiev, it often feels like a party after a football game: hundreds of thousands of people cheering, chanting, rallying, marching, even drumming for the man they say should have won the presidency of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko.

The foot soldiers of this revolution, in many cases young people like university student Igor Yakovitz (ph), who came here from his hometown about four hours away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One key woman invited us to her place. There were about ten of us, like two girls and about eight boys. They're coming, new and old ones, and this night I'm going to go there to take shower and have good sleep.

DOUGHERTY: Why does he do it? Igor says he was a polling monitor in the election and saw many violations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why I decided that my, like, duty as a citizen of Ukraine is to support Viktor Yushchenko and all the people that are here.

DOUGHERTY: The Orange Revolution is a sophisticated media production. On the main stage at Independence Square, an endless stream of rousing speeches and music. On downtown street corners, TV screens are set up so demonstrators can follow events on the opposition television channel. Behind the scenes, an army of volunteers handing out everything from sandwiches to warm clothing. Demonstrators can take naps in the building not far from the main square.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This headquarters is around the clock with medical stations, information booths and help with finding housing, clothes and food.

DOUGHERTY: The Yushchenko campaign claims it's not funding all of this. The money is coming mainly from individuals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If people's patience is over, they go into the street. So what we try to do, we try just to help these people get organized.

DOUGHERTY (on camera): The opposition knows its strongest political weapon is keeping these demonstrators in the streets, but it also knows how crucial it is to keep things peaceful. If the Orange Revolution turns violent, it could sweep away any advantage the opposition has.

Jill Dougherty, CNN, Kiev, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And a positive sign for the Middle East peace process. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could soon be holding talks with the leading candidate to replace Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.

Sources close to the Israeli leader say he is willing to meet with Mahmoud Abbas after the January election. A Mideast expert tells our Ralitsa Vassileva what such a meeting could actually mean.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON DAVID MILLER, PRESIDENT, SEEDS OF PEACE: I think that's extremely important, because what's been missing from this process, clearly, over the last four years is any sense of partnership between Israelis and the Palestinians.

Certainly, a high-level meeting between an elected, and I think that's important, if that turns out to be the case, an elected Palestinian president and an Israeli prime minister would be extremely important.

But I think even more important at this stage, Ralitsa, is what -- is what the Israelis and Palestinians do, rather than what it is they say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: All right. And now the Associated Press reports NBC Sports says its president, Dick Ebersol did, in fact, survive the crash of a charter jet in Colorado today. At least two other people were killed in the crash. It happened in Montrose near the Telluride ski resort. An NBC statement says Ebersol's wife, actress Susan St. James, was not on the plane.

We are still working the story, but glad to finally be able to report that to you, that he survived that plane crash.

Other stories now around the world.

Possible progress today on the nuclear stalemate in Iran. Iranian media outlets say Tehran has reached a compromise with European negotiators. Under the deal, Iran would not be able to test centrifuges as part of a total suspension of nuclear enrichment activities, but Iran would have access to them.

Now the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to take up the resolution tomorrow.

Pope John Paul II offers prayers for Ukraine. The pope, a fellow Slav, prayed for peace in the divided country today. Ukrainians living in the pope's homeland of Poland have staged several rallies other the last week contested -- last week's contested presidential election.

Several injuries are being reported from a major earthquake in Japan. A 7.0 magnitude quake struck northern Japan earlier today. The quake triggered a small tsunami. So far there no reports of deaths or major damage.

And in Colombia, at least two people are missing after days of intense rains. Flooding, north of Bogota has triggered mudslides, leaving dozens of families homeless. Relief is not expected in that area for several days because of the weather.

Still to come tonight, battling an epidemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY FOSTER, ACTOR: Immediately it turns everything sexual, everything sexual.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at HIV in the gay community and the drug that is helping spread it.

And will Iraq be ready for the January election? The political battle is heating up, but as the deadline approaches, the violence only continues. A report from Baghdad straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Consider all the changes in sexual behavior in the last two decades, which has dramatically helped to educate people and cut down on the spread of HIV among gay men. But today a drug, a very dangerous one at that, crystal meth, may change all of that. It is lowering inhibitions, and it's getting people to think more about, well, taking a chance and having risky sex.

Our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay, looks at this new threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty-seven-year-old Tommy Foster is a struggling Broadway actor in New York City. The songs are Broadway tunes. The context, his life's story. The date, the one-year anniversary of the day he was diagnosed HIV positive.

FOSTER: I gave into a craving, a three-day marathon of unprotected crystallized sex that did leave me infected with HIV.

The purpose in me doing my show is to offer myself and what happened to me up as a specimen to be examined.

GUPTA: Crystal methamphetamine, also known as crystal, meth, crank, ice, or tina, is a cheap, highly potent stimulant that keeps you up for days, takes away all inhibitions and is as addictive, if not more, so than heroin.

FOSTER: Just -- just thinking about doing it causes my body to react as if I had just done it. And it's like all of a sudden your eyes focus in a way that you've never seen things before. And immediately it turns everything sexual, everything sexual.

DR. HOWARD GROSSMAN, HIV SPECIALIST: With the advent of drugs for erectile dysfunction, we're seeing the tie-in of -- of crystal and staying up all night and staying up for days in a row tied in with sex.

GUPTA: Which is why crystal is being blamed for contributing to the increase in HIV infections among gay men, which according to the latest CDC reports, is up 17 percent.

Perry Halkitis has been tracking crystal use in New York since 1998.

PERRY HALKITIS, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: What we know from our studies is that men who use methamphetamine tend to be hypersexual. They tend to have higher levels of anonymous partnerings, more partners, more men that they have sex with unsafely than men who do not use this drug.

GUPTA: There are currently massive campaigns on both coasts to draw attention to the problem and to educate people about the effects of this drug. Experts, activists and community leaders are convinced this problem is already spreading into other populations around the country.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: You can watch Sanjay's compelling and complete look at changing face of aids in his special "RU+ (Are You Positive?)" tonight. The must see prime-time special begins at 10 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN, followed by CNN SUNDAY NIGHT.

And right now, here's a quick look at what's happening right now in the news.

Two U.S. soldiers were wounded when a suicide attacker drove a car bomb into a convoy on the road to Baghdad's airport. We're going to have more on today's violence in Iraq in just a moment.

Rescue workers in China are searching for 166 miners trapped in a coal mine after a gas explosion. It's been 24 hours since the explosion occurred. Another 127 miners have been rescued.

And 9/11 commission chairman Tom Kean says President Bush should increase pressure on hold-out Republicans to pass an intelligence bill. Republican James Sensenbrenner wants the bill to bar states from issuing drivers lisenses to illegal immigrants. But other lawmakers say that issue should not hold up the entire bill.

To delay or not to delay: that is the question in Iraq. The country's interim government continues to insist the election will be held as planned on January 30. Prime minister Iyad Allawi is against postponing it by up to six months as suggested by some of Iraq's politicians. A former presidential candidate says the proposed delay is a must.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADNAN PACHACHI, FRM. IRAQI PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are really faced with a dilemma. We either have good, real elections of the government or we are going to have elections which are not complete, in which large segments of Iraq's population would be left out. And I think this would lead to even greater security in the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: He's talking about the insecurity in the country and blamming U.S. -- continued U.S. military action for that.

Now the continued calls for a delay come on a day of more violence in Iraq. CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL (on camera): Political debate here in Iraq over the last few days is centered on cause for postponement of the January 30 elections. A group of major political parties said that they didn't believe that the government could guarantee the safety of voters at the poll, because of the rising wave of insurgent violence. Underscoring that situation today in the city of Samarra, North of Baghdad, a roadside bomb killed at least 5 civilians. We're also told by U.S. military sources in the area that a sixth person believed to be the bomber died in that blast. The bomb exploded when two vehicles were passing by that spot.

In addition, in Baghdad this morning, a U.S. convoy came under attack as it made its way along the Baghdad Airport Road. A suicide bomber drove an SUV in between some military vehicles and detonated the explosives. We're told that two U.S. soldiers were wounded in that blast. It was the second attack on this road in as many days. And this road in the heart of Baghdad is now regarded as one of the most dangerous stretches of highway anywhere in Iraq.

In a third incidence in the city of Baqubah, just north of Baghdad, police station there came under mortar attack. We're told four mortar shells impacted on a police station. Three policemen were injured, but no deaths were reported. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Up next, a soldier who wants Americans to see a different side of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope that we have contributed to Iraq's future and that there can be a successful democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: A soldier's story of help and hope in war-torn Iraq.

Also, was there voter fraud in Ohio? Jesse Jackson is there today to find out.

And later, gift card gimmicks, don't become a victim this holiday season. What you need to know before you buy them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Images of violence and bloodshed: It's mostly what we see in Iraq. But now one soldier is hoping to give a much different view. He's just back from that country where he recorded some of what he saw in photos and on videotape. Leslie Griffith from CNN affiliate KTVU has his story in this edition "Of Our Life on the Front Lines."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So are you ready for this mission?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready to roll.

LESLIE GRIFFITH, KTVU CORRESPONDENT: The sights and sounds of war are familiar to us all by now, but war from a distance is nothing like the real thing. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That battle has been raging about what, half hour now? An hour?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably an hour. But don't worry mom, I'm eating well, well, not really.

GRIFFITH: While thousands of American soldiers are fighting insurgents day and night, many are also providing humanitarian aid. One of those soldiers is Staff Sergeant Chris Lavarro.

These are the images that Chris wants Americans to see. And these are the images that he pushes to the forefront whenever the horrors of war come to be overwhelming.

STAFF SGT. CHRIS LOVERRO, U.S. ARMY: Some of the most intelligent people I've ever encountered were in the military. We try not to focus on politics when we were over there. And we try and focus on doing our mission and getting each other back safely from the mission and just tying to do the right thing.

GRIFFITH: One of the many things they did was to build schools and housing for displaced Iraqis. They are Arabs whom Saddam Hussein moved into Kurdish territory in Northern Iraq. After the U.S. invasion, the Kurds reclaimed their land, and the Arabs ended up here in Mosul.

LOVERRO: They were living in bombedout buildings basically, with no electricity, no water. When we got there in the winter, we found the children walking around with no shoes on, the families didn't have enough blankets. We built approximately about 100+ housing units for families. We built an 18 classroom school. We helped renovate and supply a few dozen schools in the area.

GRIFFITH: All of the while, he and others in his striker team searched for insurgents by night. They slept when they could. And when Chris began writing letters to home about the need, boxes arrived. And can you tell what was in this delivery?

Loverro is a Berkeley Police Officer and will return to duty in a month after some R&R. But his heart is still with the children in Mosul. Here, the children hold posters thanking those who donated school supplies, blankets and clothing and the children held signs saying hello to Berkeley P.D.

Now when Chris thinks about war, it is not bombings which often happen within yards of him or the killing he witnessed. He tries to focus on the kids and his hope that the American presence will somehow enhance their future.

LOVERRO: The positive peace they say is something -- it's a situation where there's not the mere absence of violence. But there's the presence of social justice.

GRIFFITH: And his ultimate hope, the one thing this Cal graduate, who majored in conflict resolution wants to believe what he did meant something. LOVERRO: I hope we've contributed to Iraq's future and that there can be a successful democracy. It's something that I'll keep with me the rest of my life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Our thanks to Leslie Griffith from CNN affiliate KTVU for that report.

Well, turning to stories across America. Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols is on record admitting he helped Timothy McVeigh make the bomb that killed 168 people in 1995. The Oklahoma Newspaper says Nichols confessed to state prosecutors last year in a sworn statement. He was trying to avoid the death penalty. Nichols is serving a life term with no chance of parole.

And divers report finding a six-foot gash in a cargo tank on the vessel that spilled 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the Delaware River. The river's worst spill in nearly a decade has disrupted traffic in the busy port of Philadelphia and killed or injured hundreds of birds.

California's Sierra Nevada is under up to 18 inches of snow. The storm is part of a fast moving system pack high winds throughout the state.

Weather is Balmy, though, in Ft. Myers, Florida. Look that the sunshine. And students all the way from Toledo, Ohio, spending their Thanksgiving weekend there helping to rebuild homes hit by the recent rash of hurricanes. Habitat for Humanity sponsored the project. Short sleeves, sunshine, a lot of heart.

Well, the Reverend Jesse Jackson is calling on the Ohio Supreme Court to consider setting aside President Bush's win in that state. Unofficial results show the president defeating Democrat John kerry by 136,000 votes in Ohio, but critics are complaining of uncounted punch card votes, disqualified provisional ballots and votes wrongly tallied for Mr. Bush. Jackson says the vote should not stand without further examination. He wants Congress to investigate how Ohioans voted. We'll see where that goes.

A newspaper's review of ballots in three heavily Democratic North Florida countries debunks Internet fed rumors suggesting a conspiracy against Senator Kerry. The Miami Herald's examination shows more voters there really did mark their ballots for Bush than for Kerry. The newspaper found only minor differences with the official results in each county.

OK. So if you're not the creative type, gift cards are probably the gift of choice for the holidays. But which are the best to buy? They actually differ from one another. So find out straight ahead.

And later, mourning through music. A mother who lost her son turned to jazz, turning her living room into a veritable cabaret. Her story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Consumers handed retailers a blockbuster weekend during Black Friday sales. Now, Black Friday is traditionally the day retailers make a profit, hence going into the black. And this weekend, many did.

According to the National Retail Federation, a 133 million shoppers flooded stores after the Thanksgiving holiday. The average shopper spent a little more than $265 buying electronics, and clothing, and music. Now nationwide, they spent a grand total of $22.8 billion. Many retailers credit favorable weather and deep discounts for the robust figures.

Now many of those shoppers were picking up gift cards. But not all gift cards are created equal. Some are consumer friendly, others have fees or expiration dates. Lisa Freeman with Consumer Reports knows how to tell the good ones from the bad.

Lisa, good to have you, because I know a lot of people, especially senior citizens who don't -- can't just deal with the whole mall scene that like to get the gift cards because they think they give people more options. But really, in some ways, they might be more limiting.

I want to show people, first, a graphic that just shows how popular these gift cards are right now. Some, what, 64 percent of people surveyed by consumerreports.org say that they are going to be giving gift cards this year.

LISA FREEMAN, CONSUMER REPORTS: That's right. It's a huge amount people that are going to be buying gift card. In fact, I was in the supermarket and I saw they were selling gift cards for Home Depot and various other retailers right near the cash register. So it's a very easy gift to buy, very tempting.

LIN: My apologies to Deloitte & Touche which actually did the survey there on those numbers.

You have some really good tips, which you want to show people very quickly. And then, let's you and I go through these one and a time. But showing the folks out there you say "read the fine print on the cards." "Don't buy bank cards." "Keep receipts and write gift cards' id numbers on them, so you have a record of it." "And then use them immediately."

First, the fine print. It's literally on the card itself, and what should we be looking for?

FREEMAN: OK. Yes, when you look at the card on the store, when you're purchasing it, you will see on the back of the card the fees and if there are any expiration dates it will be listed on the card. Or it will be on the sleeve that contains the card.

Another place that you look is at the Web site of the retailer, that's another good place to look, before you go to the store.

LIN: Does it have to tell me if there are additional fees attached to the card or an expiration date?

FREEMAN: Yes, it will say that on the card or on the sleeve or on the Web site. And most of the retail cards we looked at were good at disclosing that information this year. Last year was another story. So they have improved.

LIN: Right. Like if you hung onto it until July and then suddenly decide to spend and all of sudden you realize it expired back in February. That would be bad news, indeed.

Also want to tell people to grab a pen, because we're going to be showing you throughout some of the best stores to buy gift cards from according to Consumer Reports.

But you also say don't buy bank cards. What's the difference between a bank card and gift card?

FREEMAN: OK. Well, the retail issued gift cards are actually much improved. They're pretty good actually. And we list a bunch -- we looked at a bunch of these different cards and found a lot have eliminated expiration dates and have reduced their fees. These are cards issued by the actual store that you go in.

The other type of card is the bank issued gift card which is issued by American Express, Visa, or Mastercard, and these are not good cards. Most people should not purchase them. You have to pay a fee just to purchase them, a processing fee. You'll also pay monthly maintenance fees after a certain period of time. And on top of that you may have to pay a fee for replacing a lost or stolen card. They're filled with fees, these cards, and we generally don't recommend them.

LIN: Wow. Good idea. Because I saw a commercial for one and it sounded so convenient, can you take an American Express gift card to any store.

FREEMAN: But they also all have expiration dates. That's the other big issue with bank cards.

LIN: Ah, OK. Very quickly. You say keep the receipt and write the gift card id number. What do you mean, after you use the gift card, keep the receipt for the item that you bought?

FREEMAN: No. If you are the gift giver and you give a gift card, keep the receipt, and also write down the id number on the card before you give it to the person you want to give it to. So that in case that person loses the card, you have a receipt so can you get it replaced.

LIN: Ok. And you say use it immediately, even if there isn't an expiration date on it, why?

FREEMAN: That's right. Because it could expire. And if you are a recipient, you should be looking at the fees. And if there are expiration dates be aware of it, because you don't want to end up with a rude surprise at the register when you redeem it and they tell you it's not worth what it says on the front, because of fees taken out of it, or because of an expiration date.

LIN: Gosh, it sounds like the Grinch came up with the idea, but it's a convenient and certainly popular one these days. Thanks very much Lisa Freeman. Have a great holiday.

FREEMAN: You, too.

LIN: Well, you will hear a joyful sound when CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues.

It is a joyful sound, but born from pain and sorrow. And it's the story of one incredibly remarkable woman. You're going to meet her when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: A New York woman is drawing crowds from all over the world into her Harlem apartment for a very unique musical experience. Jason Carroll takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stand outside this building in Harlem on any given Sunday and listen, you might hear the faint echoes of jazz. It's not the spirits of Duke Ellington or Count Bassie who lived here back in the day, it's the spirit of Marjorie Elliott in apartment 3-F at 555 Edgcomb Avenue that's making it all possible.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a kind of community of spirits from all kinds of places.

CARROLL: Every Sunday for the past ten years, Marjorie has hosted jazz concerts right in her living room free of charge in honor of her son Philip who died a little more than ten years ago.

MARJORIE ELIOT, JAZZ MUSICIAN: Passed on a Sunday, and he used to go crazy on sun days. I say that something joyous has spread through a very sad story.

CARROLL: Marjorie, a former actress and musician herself never had a problem finding other musicians, but in the beginning it was hard finding an audience.

ELIOT: I used to go to the laundry room, please come upstairs, you don't have to get dressed up. Silly.

CARROLL: Now thanks to word of mouth they come from all over the world, sitting in her living room, hallway, wherever.

ELIOT: They get a chance to hear people unplugged and they're right on top of that. They can experience them. They can talk to them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seems very cool. Can you tell something's going to happen here. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a nice experience, to go back and tell people in North Carolina what I went and did.

ELIOT: But it doesn't surprise me. It's thrilling, because they really embrace the notion of what I do. They just come with an outpouring of love and generosity and honesty.

CARROLL: Keep on jamming, Marjorie. The living room is larger than you could possibly imagine.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: That is a perfect note to end with. That's all the time we have for this hour.

Coming up next, Anderson Cooper caps the Atlantic hurricane season with a look back at storms of 2004.

At 8:00, CNN Present, Fat Chance: the Fat Epidemic in america.

At 9:00 eastern, LARRY KING WEEKEND. Larry's guest tonight, legendary newsman Dan Rather who just resigned this past week.

And I'll be back at 11:00 Eastern tonight, an hour later than normal, with the president's upcoming trip to Canada. We're going to look at the anti-American sentiment around the world. The hour's headlines when we come back and then Anderson Cooper.

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