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CNN Live Sunday

Spring Blizzard Shuts Down Eastern Colorado; Maryland Family Fights For State Funded Stem Cell Research

Aired April 10, 2005 - 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.


GERRI WILLIS, CNN ANCHOR: A day of mourning at the Vatican, but amid the sorrow and cold rain, a sign of hope that Pope John Paul II could be on the quick path to sainthood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hard for me to equate -- see the equation of a cell in a petri dish to my living, breathing, walking child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: The stem cell fight from the parent's point of view. Could the research help this mother's son?

And rappers, actors and presidents side by side. We'll break down "Time" magazine's 10 most influential people with the magazine's executive editor.

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

Gas prices in the U.S. are now averaging $2.29 a gallon. Yet another record if you don't adjust for inflation. The Lundberg Survey shows an increase of 19 cents over the past three weeks. Crude oil prices and seasonal factors are causing the surge.

And Indonesian authorities are urging people in coastal areas to go back home now that no tsunamis have followed today's earthquake. A magnitude 6.8 quake struck near the northern island of Sumatra. It caused panic, but there are no reports of deaths or injuries.

And Japan wants China to take stronger measures to protect Japanese citizens there. About 20,000 demonstrators in two cities today burned Japanese flags, shouted anti-Japanese slogans and called for a boycott of Japanese products. They have closed Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Prince Charles and his bride Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall are honeymooning at Balmoral estate in rural Scotland. The couple attended a small church service this morning with about 200 villages. They wed yesterday in a civil ceremony in Windsor.

Caution and mourning in Vatican City today. Pilgrims and clergy are packing churches remembering Pope John Paul II. The worldwide interest is growing about his possible successor, some believe there could be tight competition between reformers and conservatives in the church. But the cardinals aren't giving any hints.

Our Chris Burns now with day three of the Vatican's official mourning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In St. Peter's Square, melancholy notes in a fitting, cold rain. This Polish church band had been planning this trip for months to play for their countryman, Karol Wojtyla

MARIUS GRZONEK, MECHANICAL ENGINEER (through translator): We have the feeling that we need to be here and play in memory of a great man, he says.

BURNS: Above, the empty window from which Pope John Paul II gave his Sunday angeles (ph).

Gerard Watson of San Francisco says his Polish wife and mother- in-law were devastated by the pope's death.

GERARD WATSON, PILGRIM FROM U.S: We had planned for this trip for a year and they're very sad.

BURNS: But amid the sorrow, a spring of hope for those who want fast track canonization for the late pontiff.

(on camera): Newspapers are hawking a miracle, claimed for the pope, that could put him on the road to sainthood. His personal secretary, Bishop Stanislaw Dziwisz is quoted as saying a Jewish- American he won't name was cured of cancer when he met the pontiff in 1998.

(voice-over): The Vatican would have to first investigate, but for people like Gerry's wife, there's no need for proof.

ANNETTE MAJKOWSKA-WATSON, PILGRIM FROM U.S: Because he has helped to make the world a better place for everybody.

BURNS: Amidst speculation about a papal, experts were trying to read between the lines of Sunday's homily by Cardinal Carmello Ruini. The vicar of Rome is considered one of the king makers in the conclave that begins April 18.

In the text, the passage in bold print referred to the pontiff's funeral. "St. Peter's Square was able to become more than ever an eloquent symbol not of a class of civilizations, but on the contrary, of a great family of nations," he said.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: I don't think it rules out an Italian, at all. I do think it suggests that if there is an Italian pope, he will have to be a man who has had experience with other cultures.

BURNS: But for many, it is just too early to let go of the man they so long revered. Chris Burns, CNN, Vatican City. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Former archbishop of Boston Cardinal Bernard Law presided at mass in Rome St. Mary Major Basilica today. He's expected to say mass for the pope in St. Peter's Basilica tomorrow.

Now, many survivors of the sex abuse scandal in the American Catholic Church are angry over Law's participation. A group of them are flying to Rome today to protest the presence at the events.

Law resigned as archbishop of Boston after documents revealed he knowingly moved priests accused of sexually abusing children to other parishes.

Missing in Iraq. A Pakistani diplomat is feared kidnapped a day of failing to come home from evening prayers in Baghdad. Police say he was likely abducted. And a Pakistani official tells CNN a previously unknown group has claimed responsibility for kidnapping the man. CNN cannot confirm the claim.

The diplomat has lived in Iraq for six years, working at the Pakistani embassy.

Security was a big focus today for Iraq's lawmakers, they met for the first time since choosing a prime minister last week. Some called for easing security measures for parliament like blocked off streets and check points saying they hinder their work. But Iraq's minister of state for national security says the measures are necessary as long as the national assembly is a target for terrorists.

Iraq's newly elected president predicts U.S. troops leave within two years. Jalal Talabani says that should be enough time for Iraqi forces to rebuild and regain control of Iraq.

But in an earlier interview today on CNN's "LATE EDITION" Talabani said right now Iraq still needs help from the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JALAL TALABANI, PRESIDENT OF IRAQ: I think that we are in great need to have American and other allied forces in Iraq until we will able to rebuild our military forces, we rebuild our security forces and we -- until we'll be assured that there will be no danger from terrorism and from intervention in our internal affairs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: Talabani also says he'll be able to draft Iraq's new constitution by August as scheduled.

Now, to some tense moments in Jerusalem. Police arrested 31 protesters at a contested holy site. It happened during a rally by extremist Jews opposed to Israelis -- Israel, pardon me -- planned pull-out from Gaza in July.

March organizers said thousands would be turned out at the hilltop Jews call the Temple Mount, but only a few dozen came. Muslims call the site Noble Sanctuary.

Hundreds of Palestinians converged on the area ready to confront the Jewish demonstrators. Police in riot gear sealed off the site to prevent any unrest.

Israel's prime minister is set to meet with President Bush amid the rising tensions. Ariel Sharon is expected to get a pat on the back for the Gaza pull-out, but he may get an earful about Israel's plans for the West Bank. The meeting is set to take place at President Bush's Texas ranch.

CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now from Crawford. Elaine, good to see you.

ELAINE QUIJANO: Hello to you, Gerri, good to see you too.

Now, there is a lot at stake for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as he heads here to Texas. Ariel Sharon, of course, the person that put forth the plan for Israel to pull out of Gaza as well as parts of the West Bank.

In fact, this plan set to roll out about three months from now, a little over three months from now, Israel plans to remove its troops and thousands of Jewish settlers from parts of the largely Palestinian Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

But some Jewish settlers, incensed at the idea of leaving their homes, are vowing to push back hard come the July pullout. And Ariel Sharon is taking intense political heat for the plan, even receiving death threats. So the prime minister is coming here to Texas seeking some back up one more from President Bush.

Now, you will recall nearly a year ago that the two leaders stood together at the White House and President Bush made clear that he was firmly behind Sharon's plan, calling it a bold and courageous decision and saying it was an opportunity to move the peace process forward. So the prime minister will be looking for that same backing once more.

President Bush, for his part, will urge Mr. Sharon to work closely with the Palestinian leader, President Mahmoud Abbas. But that's against the backdrop of criticisms that Abbas has not been effective enough in disarming and dismantling terrorist groups.

Now, another delicate issue is Israel's plan to expand settlements which the U.S. says is quote, "at odds," end quote with American policy. And goes against the so-called Road Map for Peace. The president says he will take up the issue of Jewish settlements with Ariel Sharon.

But at the same time the U.S. has a delicate hand to play here. The president wants to make sure to give the prime minister enough latitude in the short term so that the prime minister will be able to carry out a successful and peaceful pullout from Gaza and parts of the West Bank -- Gerri.

WILLIS: Elaine Quijano, thank you for that report. Now to the controversy over stem cell research. Some states have decided to fund research themselves after President Bush limited federal funding. Other states have founded it a tough sell.

CNN's Kathleen Koch looks at Maryland's experience and one family's push for change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All that's left is blueberry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chris, let's go test you.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Insulin tests seven times a day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go, buddy.

KOCH: Painful routine for a 4-year-Old Christopher Wood, diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at 11 months. His mother Jan believes he has a chance for a normal life.

JAN WOOD, MOTHER: I have had researchers say to us that by the time Christopher goes to college, which at this point is, I guess about 14 years, they believe we will have a cure if they're allowed to do what they know how to do and that's stem cell research.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Research on embryonic stem cells raises profound ethical questions.

KOCH: But in 2001, President Bush strictly limited federal spending on stem cell research. Now, some states are acting on their own. In Maryland, lawmakers introducing a bill to spend $23 million a year on research using embryos left over at fertility clinics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are the ones that would be thrown in the trash.

KOCH: Since California last year voted to spend $3 billion on stem cell research, at least six other states have considered similar measures. Supporters contend not only does the research hold promise for curing numerous diseases, but not investing in the technology can result in a scientific brain drain.

DR. JOHN GEARHART, JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICAL SCHOOL: Biotech companies are moving. We hear, you know, going into the California arena where there's a lot more money. And, I know that there are colleagues of mine that are considering positions in California, for example, to continue their work.

KOCH: Opponents, though, insist it's tantamount to destroying a life for what is at best uncertain scientific gain.

DR. WILLIAM HULRBUT, PRESIDENT'S COUN. ON BIOETHICS: It's far from clear that this is going to lead us to cures. These are not easy cells to control and some people doubt that they will ever be useful for therapies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The evidence is going the other way. We don't need to be crossing this moral line in order to get treatments to help patients.

KOCH (on camera): Congress is considering a bill to loosen restrictions on federal funding of stem cell research.

(voice-over): In Maryland, lawmakers predict the stem cell bill will die when the legislature adjourns on Monday. It will not, though, kill the hopes of families like the Woods.

WOOD: This research has incredible impact for living, breathing human beings who are a very important part of our world.

KOCH: Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: So much for springtime. A frosty blast is hitting the west.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right, Gerri. You are not looking at file tape, this is spring in the Rocky Mountains. But it may look beautiful but it's causing a world of trouble out here, Gerri. We'll explain in a couple of minutes.

WILLIS: All right.

Also this hour, Social Security at the top of President Bush's agenda. How do the descendants of FDR, that's the program's creator, feel about possible changes? Well, they couldn't disagree more.

And the other side of gang life. One mother's story when CNN LIVE SUNDAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: It's spring, but you sure can't tell it in Colorado. A snowstorm is pounding the eastern part of the state, shutting down air travel, knocking out power in some areas and CNN's Sean Callebs is live from Denver with more.

Hey, Sean, how did you draw the short stick, here?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm sorry, what was that? How did it what?

WILLIS: How did you draw the short stick?

CALLEBS: How about that, huh? We actually talked about going skiing. It was 70 degrees on Friday and thought well, maybe if the weather is OK, we'll do something. But spring started to pop out earlier and just look what happened. These poor buds, I'm told it's a crab apple tree. Just probably not going to have the full bloom this spring. It's been very heavy snow, here in Denver area. They got about 8 to 10 inches. You can see how thick it is here. But up in the foothills of Rockies, they are measuring this in feet, not inches.

Right out there, the capital, you can see traffic isn't to bad here in the capital city. The roads pretty clear for the most part, but man, that is not the story out on the interstates.

Let's give you a break down as people here got up this morning, began shoveling, doing what they could to dig out of the mess. Interstate 70 is closed in the eastern part of the state, basically from just outside Denver all the way into Kansas.

I-25, too, also, closed. There's a 26-mile stretch near down near Colorado Springs that is shut down. And then from the town of Pueblo all the way to New Mexico, it is shut down there, as well.

Airlines, a huge problem down at Denver International Airport. United Airlines, which really has one of its main hubs here in Denver has canceled al flights today. Period. Nobody's getting out.

So a lot of people who took an extended Easter vacation, not enjoying it right now.

They're going to take a look at things later on in the day. Other airlines are trying to fire up sometime after 5:00 our time, 7:00 out on the East Coast.

People here knew it was coming. Weather forecasters said it, but still a lot of folks didn't believe it would be this bad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was kind of doubting it last night. I was like, yeah, we're getting a big blizzard today. So, I woke up and like, OK, we got it. They were right.

CALLEBS: What is it like out here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not bad. It's not freezing cold or anything, so it's bearable. It's nice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it was 70 degrees. We had on mini skirts, we had on tank tops, enjoying the weather. It was wonderful. And then, today, I'm driving home and there's cars that have done like 180s and rammed into the side of the highway. Like that's Colorado. That's how -- you know what I mean? It's insane.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: It is Colorado. That's the best way to sum it up.

People who have lived here for a long time are really taking it in stride, they know this is going to happen in the spring. Usually March is the time of the year when they get the heaviest snow fall. And anyone who has spent some time out here knows there's very little humidity.

But this snow that we're getting here today, this is the real, thick, good snowball type snow. This is really heavy, it's overburdening a lot of power lines. There's some 10,000 homes in the Denver area without electricity. I'm sure it's worse in other parts of the state. We're trying to run all that down.

And Gerri, we'll keep you updated as the day goes on and we try to stay warm.

WILLIS: Wow. It looks like it's something else there. We appreciate your report. Thank you, Sean Callebs.

So, will the week ahead bring more of the wild springtime weather? CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is live from the weather center with our forecast. Does everybody get this snow, Jacqui?

(WEATHER REPORT)

WILLIS: Jacqui, thank you for that report.

Well, after lousy weather on Thursday and Friday, the sun is shining bright as golf's best battle it out in Augusta, Georgia.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Patrick Snell at the 69th Masters. Yes, Tiger woods closing in on what would be the ninth major. But Chris DiMarco is trying to push him all the way. More -- back to Gerri.

WILLIS: Thanks Patrick.

Also, we'll tell you about a contestant still in the running to be Donald Trump's apprentice who spent some time in jail early this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Welcome back. It looks like Tiger Woods could be sewing up his fourth green jacket. Now, if he wins today, it would be the ninth major golf title. But the action on the links isn't over yet. Our Patrick Snell is keeping tabs on the golfers at Augusta National -- Patrick.

SNELL: Hi Gerri, thanks.

Welcome back to the 69th Masters. Yes, the world No. 2 looking to win the major in 11 attempts. And he was looking very good, indeed, particularly late Saturday and early Sunday. That's really when he did made the move.

He was two over par starting out Saturday morning and he very quickly went to nine under by the end of the day's play. That was 11 shot swing. He shot a 66 yesterday. Then went 1 better today for his third round with a 65, resuming with a flurry of birdies, seven straight in total over the two days during in the same round, of course. Of course, tying Steve Pait's (ph) record in '99 for the most consecutive birdies. It also ties the record for the most birdies in three straight rounds. No less than 19.

So Woods going to 11 under and at the time, three clear of the nearest challenger Chris DiMarco, who shot a disappointing 74.

Now he started round four with two birdies as well. That took him at one point to 13 under par. But after his third round, Woods spoke about his title search.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PGA: I'm pleased. There's no doubt about that.

I was down starting the morning and now I'm -- I got a lead which is nice. But we have a long way to go. This golf course isn't going to get easier. So, it's going to get a little more dry, a little more firm. And you have to make sure you put the ball in the right spots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Woods looking very good, indeed. The players currently on hole number 7 here on the outward nine. And it's still reasonably tight. Woods not out of the site yet. He's at 12 under par. DiMarco though remaining in hot pursuit at 9 under. So, still a three-shot difference, still a lot of golf left to be played here -- Gerri.

WILLIS: Well Patrick, you know, Tiger Woods seems to thrive under pressure other players don't. Tell us about that.

SNELL: Well, Tiger Woods is certainly been -- done that. And is looking to get another major in the bag. But yes, he does thrive on pressure. His will to win is second to none. He makes no bones about admitting that winning to me, pretty much at all costs really, if you read between the lines.

And I just think he's got the experience. He is, of course, a phenomenal player. And, whether he chooses to admit it or not, he does have a lot to prove. He's only, I say only, but he's got eight majors in the bag. He's been stuck on that, if you like, for the best part of three years. And he certainly doesn't like playing second fiddle to Vijay Singh, who is the current world No. 1.

Chris DiMarco, on the other hand, he's a fine player himself. Yes, maybe he's buckled a little bit under the pressure, but he still hanging on in there. He's only three shots back at the moment. And I have just got a sneaking suspicion this is going to be a very tight finish -- Gerri.

WILLIS: Patrick Snell, we'll be watching. Thanks so much.

The future of Social Security: It's an issue that's divided the country and the family of the former president who created it.

Also ahead on CNN LIVE Sunday, it's a neighborhood where your life is at risk no matter the time of day. The story of one family torn apart by gangs. And investors, rappers, political strategists, even terrorist leaders, we'll break down "TIME" magazine's list of the 100 most influence people. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Here's a look at what's happening now in the news. A strong earthquake hit the Indonesia Island of Sumatra. The magnitude 6.8 undersea quake was centered off Sumatra's western coast. Panicked residence fled for higher ground fearing another tsunami but no tsunami warnings were issued. There are no reports of casualties.

Thousands of people continue to pack churches around Rome in honor of Pope John Paul II. During a memorial mass of the Vatican today, cardinals praised the late pontiff for touching hearts around the world. Masses will be held every day in the Vaicial (ph) as part of the official nine-day mourning period following the Pope's burial.

Prince Charles and his new bride Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall took time out of their honeymoon to attend church today. They left their rural estate in Scotland and attended a service with about 200 villagers. The couple began their honeymoon yesterday after getting married during a civil ceremony in England.

President Bush goes back on the road this week to try to convince Americans Social Security would be better off with private investment accounts. Recent polls show support for the idea is waning with a White House insists the accounts would strengthen Social Security. CNN's Alina Cho talks to two men that have very different views but share a unique and personal connection to the issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Much like the country, these college students have vastly different views about Social Security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we are trying to do is bring the benefits of private ownership to a group that's currently having to rely on this system that is weak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are the people like hardly making it, like, month by month paying their own rent and you are asking for them to take control of their own money.

CHO: The silent listener is economic professor Frank Roosevelt, that's right Franklin D. Roosevelt the third, grandson of FDR. A walk through his Manhattan apartment is a history lesson.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT III, FDR'S GRANDSON: This is four generations, starting with the president's mother.

CHO: Roosevelt was on his grandfather's knee at the White House during the time FDR created Social Security. A Democrat, Roosevelt called President Bush's plan to allow Americans to invest some Social Security funds in personal accounts misguided. ROOSEVELT: They want to convert this sort of system of social responsibility into a private investment scheme. The real strength of it is is that it is a guaranteed source of support for your retirement or your disability or your death.

CHO: Roosevelt collects Social Security himself, about a thousand dollars a month. He says the system is not in crisis. That the number of retired Americans collecting benefits won't exceed those working and paying into the system for roughly 15 years. He believes the Social Security trust fund, the back up, will cover the difference for decades.

ROOSEVELT: Let's invest in stocks. But why do it on an individual basis? Why don't we say invest some of the trust fund? Keep this collective responsibility, this social contract between generations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Bush, I strongly support your Social Security initiatives.

CHOE: Frank's cousin Tony Roosevelt, a Republican, also collects Social Security. And sees things a bit differently. Tony, like the president, is a native Texan in the oil and gas business, he greeted his grandfather on presidential visits.

TONY ROOSEVELT: I think if FDR were here today, I think he would also say we need to address the problem. It's just fiscally responsible to recognize that we have a problem. We might as well begin to fix the problem and the sooner the better.

CHO: Tony Roosevelt says the accounts would be voluntarily and give Americans greater control of their financial destiny, he also believes the system is running out of money.

T. ROOSEVELT: You either have to get more revenues in the system or you have to reduce benefits or you have to delay the point in time at which benefits become -- begin to be paid out.

CHO: Both Tony and Frank Roosevelt have stayed out of politics but both believe their grandfather was a pragmatist who would support their point of view. The debate continues in the family, the classroom, and the country.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Checking news around the world, in Germany, remembering the victims of Buchenwald. Was 60 years ago U.S. troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp. But 56,000 people who died within its walls there were honored during a ceremony with a song written by two inmates. German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed shame for the entrosities (ph) in his country's name.

Last week's blast in Cairo, Egypt has claimed a fourth life, a French citizen wounded in the bombing Thursday died overnight. The group is calling itself the Islamic Brigades of Pride have claimed responsibility.

And, the political campaign is heating up again in Britain. It was stalled briefly by the death of Pope John Paul II and the royal wedding. The general election early next month could be one of the closest Britain has seen in years. And it is seen as a test for Prime Minister Tony Blair a staunch U.S. ally in the war in Iraq.

Are you a fan of "The Apprentice?" Remember Chris? Stay tuned for his latest chapter.

And then --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tragic stories of gang violence are common in this community. This is a Hollenbeck a police district just east of downtown Los Angeles.

WILLIS: Anderson Cooper on a mother's life after her son's death, coping with what some call domestic terrorism.

JACQUI JERAS, METEOROLOGIST: Hello everyone I'm Jacque Jeras in the CNN Weather Center with today's allergy report. Across the country, looking pretty good still across the northern tier but very high concentrations of pollens in the atmosphere across the lower Mississippi River Valley and parts of the deep south and panhandle of Florida. Also seeing some pretty high concentrations around Las Vegas extending down into the Tucson area, and throughout several of the mid Atlantic states. For today, your allergy facts, allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the United States and also, another little known fact that hay fever was first described in 1819 as a rare affliction of the privileged classes. That's a look at today's allergy report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Welcome back. Carol Lin is here with a preview of what's ahead. Carol what is on tap?

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fresh from my editorial meeting. Coming up at 6:00 Eastern, we are going to be talking about Matthew Maupin missing 20-year-old soldier, U.S. army soldier missing in Iraq, kidnapped a year ago. This is the anniversary. What is being done to find this young man?

Also at 10:00 tonight, we are going to be I don't know why the screen is blank there. I don't know what that is. That is a deal -- that's the wrong video. Anyway, at 10:00 tonight, we are talking to Emily Lion; she was a nurse who was wounded in the Birmingham bombing in 1998. Eric Robert Rudolph is making a plea deal this week. This is a woman who has endured 20 surgeries to this date, seven years of pain, she is very disappointed in the plea deal and she is going to be talking about how her life has changed and what it will mean to not see this man get the death penalty.

WILLIS: Sounds fascinating Carol. We look forward to seeing it.

LIN: All right. WILLIS: Let's now check news across America. What's worse than hearing you're fired? How about you're under arrest? Our affiliated Bay News 9 reports Chris Shelton of the NBC reality show "The Apprentice" is out on bail after his arrest for disorderly conduct in Tampa, Florida. Now, police say the 22-year-old real estate agent became belligerent after the hotel where he was staying charged him for something he thought was free.

Authorities say they can find no family members to claim the body of Bart Ross. He is the man whose suicide note confessed to a killing a Chicago federal judges husband and mother. Ross shot himself last month at a traffic stop in suburban Milwaukee.

And psychiatric records show the former pro-football player accused of shooting at Siegfried & Roy's Los Vegas compound thought the illusionist were a threat to the world. He says he wasn't trying to hurt anyone. No one was injured in September drive-by shooting.

Gang violence is spreading across America and gang-related homicide rates are climbing. Tonight on CNN presents Anderson Cooper goes inside 15 square miles of Los Angeles where gang bangers rule the street and death is a constant threat. This excerpt follows two brothers whose different paths in life ironically led to the same tragic fate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD BROCK (ph): Take care of my boys for me.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Soleidad Brock (ph) visits the cemetery, she grieves for two sons. In death, Angel and Ronnie are side by side. In life, they looked almost like twins but they followed different paths. Angel joined a gang. Ronnie joined the marines. In the end, it didn't matter.

BROCK (ph): I ask you, God, to give me the strength, the courage and the wisdom to keep on going.

COOPER: Tragic stories of gang violence are common in this community. This is Hollenbeck a police district just east of downtown Los Angeles. Nearly a third of the residents live in poverty, unemployment is twice the national rate. Police say Hollenbeck has the highest concentration of gangs in all of Los Angeles; they count 34 gangs here with some 6,800 members and associates. You go to any street; any corner in Hollenbeck and you will find it's claimed by a gang.

BROCK: I love you guys.

COOPER: Soliedad Brock (ph) did her best to keep her sons out of the gangs involved with sports. She was only partially successful. Angel joined State Street.

BROCK: You hear people getting shot and people getting killed and I didn't want that for my boys. COOPER: Angel also wanted something better for his younger brother. He urged Ronnie to join the marines. After September 11th, Ronnie wanted to help in the war on terror.

BROCK: I honestly didn't want him to go. I didn't want my son killed.

COOPER: Before being sent overseas, Ronnie came home for a visit. Late one night, he was approached on the sidewalk in front of his house. His mother heard the conversation through an open window.

BROCK: You could hear a lot of mumbling like, you know, when it's more than one person. And the only thing I heard is -- I heard somebody's voice saying, where are you from?

JAKE DUGGER, LAPD, HOLLENBECK: Where are you from? Meaning what gang are you from? What neighborhood are you from. And really, what he's wanting to know is, why are you here?

BROCK: They asked him and he told him, nowhere, fool. When he told them that my heart -- it was like, um, I thought they were going to beat him up.

COOPER: Instead there were gunshots.

BROCK: He was just all-full of blood from everywhere. He got shot twice in the head, four times in the back and they shot his hand off.

COOPER: Ronnie was 19 buried with military honors. Eight months later, his brother Angel was on the front porch and apparently surprised by rival gang members.

BROCK: Sounded like a wire going off for like 20 minutes.

COOPER: According to the autopsy report, more than 70 rounds were fired one of them to Angel's head.

BROCK: I didn't know what to do. I was just holding him and telling God, you know, there's -- I was telling him as a mother, I was telling God if he's hurting a lot, if he's, you know I don't want him to hurt and stuff. Then, I prayed to God to take him.

COOPER: Both sons lost to gangs. One who joined, one who tried to leave. It's part of life in Hollenbeck.

AARON SKIVER, LAPD, HOLLENBECK: They have a better chance of encountering an act of terrorism from street gang than they ever will from anything in the Middle East.

COOPER: Police in Hollenbeck can't solve many of the gang crimes because witnesses are often afraid to come forward. Pay back for talking to police can be a shot in the back of the head.

SKIVER: Gang is their family if you mess with one of their members; the whole family is going to come after you. COOPER: Last year, Los Angeles doubled the reward for information on gang murders, $25,000 wasn't worth the risk. Soledad (ph) Brock considered moving away from Hollenbeck, away to escape the horror of her son's deaths. In the end, she couldn't pick up and run.

BROCK: I feel like as a mother, you know, I always wait for them to come back. And I felt that at that time, if I moved, they weren't going to find me.

COOPER: So she stays in the house where her sons were born, grew up, and died. And remembers the hopes she had in Hollenbeck.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: CNN presents "Homicide in Hollenbeck" a disturbing look at gang violence in America. You can see the premiere of this gripping special tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

And up next, "Time" magazine most influential people. You can find it on the newsstands tomorrow but we have a preview coming up next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Welcome back. The movers, the shakers, the thinkers "Time" magazine is profiling the people who most influence our lives. The magazine is out with its annual "Time" 100 list. The issue is on newsstands this week and to talk more about who made the list and why. "Time" magazine's executive editor is with us Adi Ignatius. Adi welcome.

ADI IGNATIUS, "TIME" MAGAZINE EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Hi.

WILLIS: Good to see you. Lets start with how you even start finding the people for this, how do you put the list together?

IGNATIUS: Well first of all, it is a list of the most influential and it's a global list, so, you know, I put out a call to all our correspondents in the country and overseas to come up with nominations, also talked to a lot of experts in the various fields. You know, for example, who in the art world, who in the music world, who in the business world? We had hundreds of names. We met in New York many times and whittled it down till we finally got to 100.

WILLIS: Well, and now you have a great list. Let's start with you have broken it into several different categories with leaders and revolutionaries, and I haven't even heard this name till a couple of weeks ago Cardinal Joseph Ratsinger. Why is he on your list?

IGNATIUS: Well he is on the list because for years he's been the Vatican's theological enforcer. Now we are not saying he is the next Pope but we are saying that he is -- he'll be very influential in terms of determining the next Pope will be, he's a candidate for the job himself.

WILLIS: All right Ali Husaini Sistani, why is he on the list? IGNATIUS: Sistani seems to be the most powerful person in Iraq. He doesn't seem to want power overtly but behind the scenes clearly nothing happens including these last elections without his OK.

WILLIS: One name on this list I thought was fascinating, Hirsi Ali.

IGNATIUS: Yes, she is a fascinating woman born in Somalia. She is now a member of Parliament in the Netherlands. She has been very critical of Islam. She was born a Muslim and has been very critical and she now is basically living under a death threat as a result.

WILLIS: Very impressive woman. You know what's interesting about this group of people? It's really moral value leaders in some ways are that a theme that runs throughout the list this year?

IGNATIUS: Well I think there are ways to measure influence; there is sort of a raw power. I think there is fifteen heads of state on the list, but there are people as you say whose influence and power is more subtle. People ranging from Sistani in Iraq and Rick Warren, the author of "The Purpose Driven Life" series. So I think there's another theme, if you look in the business list, a lot of guys in technology. So we realize as we were putting the list together, if you were wondering whether technology is back, well this list suggests that yes indeed it is.

WILLIS: You also have a list of artists and entertainers. I know that Stan Brown is on the list. You know is he break through or is he simply just a very popular writer?

IGNATIUS: Yes, well at some point, we call this the novel that ate the world. At some point when you sell this many copies and the Bible is practically the only thing that has outsold Dan Brown, he has spone imitators, you know, traveled to all the places that he mentioned in the book. Has increased, I mean whether you like the book or not, you can't deny the influence.

WILLIS: Also on the entertainers list, Ann Coltor. Isn't her 60 seconds of fame over?

IGNATIUS: Well she still sells a lot of books. Ann Coulter, half the population will think that is a great choice half will hate it. Michael Moore is on the list. I have a feeling that half will reverse things also on that one.

WILLIS: All right. Well, lets talk about your builders and titans list. One of my favorites here, Martha Stewart makes the list. But you know this woman was in jail earlier this year. How is she influential?

IGNATIUS: Well put it another way. Who but Martha could be in jail for five months and come back and be more in demand than ever and she still sort of the definitive word on you know, on the home fetish.

WILLIS: You got Jay-Z on this list of builders and titans rather than entertainment list. Why? IGNATIUS: Well Jay-Z is not performing any longer for starters. His influence in hip hop has been enormous, obviously in music and more broadly in the culture and now as a businessman he keeps adding titles and the business is really all around his image and it has been very successful.

WILLIS: Now here's a name not everybody will know but people that do, they're addicted to this Website. Craig Newmark, Craig's list if you live particularly in San Francisco, it was like a religion there. Tell us a little bit about Craig.

IGNATIUS: Yes, well Craig had very small ambitions initially when he put up a classified list online. And it is hugely successful. I think it's in cities all over the world. Now. All over the U.S. and internationally. And, you know, I think a lot of newspapers are wondering if they have a future with classified ads now that Newmark is really figured out how to do it online.

WILLIS: You have a hero's list. Victor Yushchenko not surprising here but why did you pick him?

IGNATIUS: Well I think his ultimate victory in the Ukraine and the Orange Revolution was hugely inspiring and I think even directly so to people for example in Lebanon when they were protesting the Syrian's a lot of them really slighted Yuschenko and the Orange Revolution as a model for their own actions.

WILLIS: Well, you know, we can on and on with this list. You have Lebron James on the heroes list. Interesting people in the scientist and thinkers list. But that is really all the time we have Agi Ignatius thank you so much for being with us today.

IGNATIUS: Thank you.

WILLIS: That's the edition of the magazine will be on the newsstands tomorrow. If you want to catch the list in total. In the meantime that's it for us. "Next @ CNN" is straight ahead and here's Daniel Sieberg with a preview.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You probably noticed gas prices are at an all-time high. We'll find out what the experts predict will happen next.

And mercury poisoning in loons raising grave concerns about human health.

WILLIS: Thanks for joining us. I'll be back with headlines after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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


Aired April 10, 2005 - 16:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN ANCHOR: A day of mourning at the Vatican, but amid the sorrow and cold rain, a sign of hope that Pope John Paul II could be on the quick path to sainthood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hard for me to equate -- see the equation of a cell in a petri dish to my living, breathing, walking child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: The stem cell fight from the parent's point of view. Could the research help this mother's son?

And rappers, actors and presidents side by side. We'll break down "Time" magazine's 10 most influential people with the magazine's executive editor.

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

Gas prices in the U.S. are now averaging $2.29 a gallon. Yet another record if you don't adjust for inflation. The Lundberg Survey shows an increase of 19 cents over the past three weeks. Crude oil prices and seasonal factors are causing the surge.

And Indonesian authorities are urging people in coastal areas to go back home now that no tsunamis have followed today's earthquake. A magnitude 6.8 quake struck near the northern island of Sumatra. It caused panic, but there are no reports of deaths or injuries.

And Japan wants China to take stronger measures to protect Japanese citizens there. About 20,000 demonstrators in two cities today burned Japanese flags, shouted anti-Japanese slogans and called for a boycott of Japanese products. They have closed Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Prince Charles and his bride Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall are honeymooning at Balmoral estate in rural Scotland. The couple attended a small church service this morning with about 200 villages. They wed yesterday in a civil ceremony in Windsor.

Caution and mourning in Vatican City today. Pilgrims and clergy are packing churches remembering Pope John Paul II. The worldwide interest is growing about his possible successor, some believe there could be tight competition between reformers and conservatives in the church. But the cardinals aren't giving any hints.

Our Chris Burns now with day three of the Vatican's official mourning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In St. Peter's Square, melancholy notes in a fitting, cold rain. This Polish church band had been planning this trip for months to play for their countryman, Karol Wojtyla

MARIUS GRZONEK, MECHANICAL ENGINEER (through translator): We have the feeling that we need to be here and play in memory of a great man, he says.

BURNS: Above, the empty window from which Pope John Paul II gave his Sunday angeles (ph).

Gerard Watson of San Francisco says his Polish wife and mother- in-law were devastated by the pope's death.

GERARD WATSON, PILGRIM FROM U.S: We had planned for this trip for a year and they're very sad.

BURNS: But amid the sorrow, a spring of hope for those who want fast track canonization for the late pontiff.

(on camera): Newspapers are hawking a miracle, claimed for the pope, that could put him on the road to sainthood. His personal secretary, Bishop Stanislaw Dziwisz is quoted as saying a Jewish- American he won't name was cured of cancer when he met the pontiff in 1998.

(voice-over): The Vatican would have to first investigate, but for people like Gerry's wife, there's no need for proof.

ANNETTE MAJKOWSKA-WATSON, PILGRIM FROM U.S: Because he has helped to make the world a better place for everybody.

BURNS: Amidst speculation about a papal, experts were trying to read between the lines of Sunday's homily by Cardinal Carmello Ruini. The vicar of Rome is considered one of the king makers in the conclave that begins April 18.

In the text, the passage in bold print referred to the pontiff's funeral. "St. Peter's Square was able to become more than ever an eloquent symbol not of a class of civilizations, but on the contrary, of a great family of nations," he said.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: I don't think it rules out an Italian, at all. I do think it suggests that if there is an Italian pope, he will have to be a man who has had experience with other cultures.

BURNS: But for many, it is just too early to let go of the man they so long revered. Chris Burns, CNN, Vatican City. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Former archbishop of Boston Cardinal Bernard Law presided at mass in Rome St. Mary Major Basilica today. He's expected to say mass for the pope in St. Peter's Basilica tomorrow.

Now, many survivors of the sex abuse scandal in the American Catholic Church are angry over Law's participation. A group of them are flying to Rome today to protest the presence at the events.

Law resigned as archbishop of Boston after documents revealed he knowingly moved priests accused of sexually abusing children to other parishes.

Missing in Iraq. A Pakistani diplomat is feared kidnapped a day of failing to come home from evening prayers in Baghdad. Police say he was likely abducted. And a Pakistani official tells CNN a previously unknown group has claimed responsibility for kidnapping the man. CNN cannot confirm the claim.

The diplomat has lived in Iraq for six years, working at the Pakistani embassy.

Security was a big focus today for Iraq's lawmakers, they met for the first time since choosing a prime minister last week. Some called for easing security measures for parliament like blocked off streets and check points saying they hinder their work. But Iraq's minister of state for national security says the measures are necessary as long as the national assembly is a target for terrorists.

Iraq's newly elected president predicts U.S. troops leave within two years. Jalal Talabani says that should be enough time for Iraqi forces to rebuild and regain control of Iraq.

But in an earlier interview today on CNN's "LATE EDITION" Talabani said right now Iraq still needs help from the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JALAL TALABANI, PRESIDENT OF IRAQ: I think that we are in great need to have American and other allied forces in Iraq until we will able to rebuild our military forces, we rebuild our security forces and we -- until we'll be assured that there will be no danger from terrorism and from intervention in our internal affairs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: Talabani also says he'll be able to draft Iraq's new constitution by August as scheduled.

Now, to some tense moments in Jerusalem. Police arrested 31 protesters at a contested holy site. It happened during a rally by extremist Jews opposed to Israelis -- Israel, pardon me -- planned pull-out from Gaza in July.

March organizers said thousands would be turned out at the hilltop Jews call the Temple Mount, but only a few dozen came. Muslims call the site Noble Sanctuary.

Hundreds of Palestinians converged on the area ready to confront the Jewish demonstrators. Police in riot gear sealed off the site to prevent any unrest.

Israel's prime minister is set to meet with President Bush amid the rising tensions. Ariel Sharon is expected to get a pat on the back for the Gaza pull-out, but he may get an earful about Israel's plans for the West Bank. The meeting is set to take place at President Bush's Texas ranch.

CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now from Crawford. Elaine, good to see you.

ELAINE QUIJANO: Hello to you, Gerri, good to see you too.

Now, there is a lot at stake for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as he heads here to Texas. Ariel Sharon, of course, the person that put forth the plan for Israel to pull out of Gaza as well as parts of the West Bank.

In fact, this plan set to roll out about three months from now, a little over three months from now, Israel plans to remove its troops and thousands of Jewish settlers from parts of the largely Palestinian Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

But some Jewish settlers, incensed at the idea of leaving their homes, are vowing to push back hard come the July pullout. And Ariel Sharon is taking intense political heat for the plan, even receiving death threats. So the prime minister is coming here to Texas seeking some back up one more from President Bush.

Now, you will recall nearly a year ago that the two leaders stood together at the White House and President Bush made clear that he was firmly behind Sharon's plan, calling it a bold and courageous decision and saying it was an opportunity to move the peace process forward. So the prime minister will be looking for that same backing once more.

President Bush, for his part, will urge Mr. Sharon to work closely with the Palestinian leader, President Mahmoud Abbas. But that's against the backdrop of criticisms that Abbas has not been effective enough in disarming and dismantling terrorist groups.

Now, another delicate issue is Israel's plan to expand settlements which the U.S. says is quote, "at odds," end quote with American policy. And goes against the so-called Road Map for Peace. The president says he will take up the issue of Jewish settlements with Ariel Sharon.

But at the same time the U.S. has a delicate hand to play here. The president wants to make sure to give the prime minister enough latitude in the short term so that the prime minister will be able to carry out a successful and peaceful pullout from Gaza and parts of the West Bank -- Gerri.

WILLIS: Elaine Quijano, thank you for that report. Now to the controversy over stem cell research. Some states have decided to fund research themselves after President Bush limited federal funding. Other states have founded it a tough sell.

CNN's Kathleen Koch looks at Maryland's experience and one family's push for change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All that's left is blueberry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chris, let's go test you.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Insulin tests seven times a day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go, buddy.

KOCH: Painful routine for a 4-year-Old Christopher Wood, diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at 11 months. His mother Jan believes he has a chance for a normal life.

JAN WOOD, MOTHER: I have had researchers say to us that by the time Christopher goes to college, which at this point is, I guess about 14 years, they believe we will have a cure if they're allowed to do what they know how to do and that's stem cell research.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Research on embryonic stem cells raises profound ethical questions.

KOCH: But in 2001, President Bush strictly limited federal spending on stem cell research. Now, some states are acting on their own. In Maryland, lawmakers introducing a bill to spend $23 million a year on research using embryos left over at fertility clinics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are the ones that would be thrown in the trash.

KOCH: Since California last year voted to spend $3 billion on stem cell research, at least six other states have considered similar measures. Supporters contend not only does the research hold promise for curing numerous diseases, but not investing in the technology can result in a scientific brain drain.

DR. JOHN GEARHART, JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICAL SCHOOL: Biotech companies are moving. We hear, you know, going into the California arena where there's a lot more money. And, I know that there are colleagues of mine that are considering positions in California, for example, to continue their work.

KOCH: Opponents, though, insist it's tantamount to destroying a life for what is at best uncertain scientific gain.

DR. WILLIAM HULRBUT, PRESIDENT'S COUN. ON BIOETHICS: It's far from clear that this is going to lead us to cures. These are not easy cells to control and some people doubt that they will ever be useful for therapies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The evidence is going the other way. We don't need to be crossing this moral line in order to get treatments to help patients.

KOCH (on camera): Congress is considering a bill to loosen restrictions on federal funding of stem cell research.

(voice-over): In Maryland, lawmakers predict the stem cell bill will die when the legislature adjourns on Monday. It will not, though, kill the hopes of families like the Woods.

WOOD: This research has incredible impact for living, breathing human beings who are a very important part of our world.

KOCH: Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: So much for springtime. A frosty blast is hitting the west.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right, Gerri. You are not looking at file tape, this is spring in the Rocky Mountains. But it may look beautiful but it's causing a world of trouble out here, Gerri. We'll explain in a couple of minutes.

WILLIS: All right.

Also this hour, Social Security at the top of President Bush's agenda. How do the descendants of FDR, that's the program's creator, feel about possible changes? Well, they couldn't disagree more.

And the other side of gang life. One mother's story when CNN LIVE SUNDAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: It's spring, but you sure can't tell it in Colorado. A snowstorm is pounding the eastern part of the state, shutting down air travel, knocking out power in some areas and CNN's Sean Callebs is live from Denver with more.

Hey, Sean, how did you draw the short stick, here?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm sorry, what was that? How did it what?

WILLIS: How did you draw the short stick?

CALLEBS: How about that, huh? We actually talked about going skiing. It was 70 degrees on Friday and thought well, maybe if the weather is OK, we'll do something. But spring started to pop out earlier and just look what happened. These poor buds, I'm told it's a crab apple tree. Just probably not going to have the full bloom this spring. It's been very heavy snow, here in Denver area. They got about 8 to 10 inches. You can see how thick it is here. But up in the foothills of Rockies, they are measuring this in feet, not inches.

Right out there, the capital, you can see traffic isn't to bad here in the capital city. The roads pretty clear for the most part, but man, that is not the story out on the interstates.

Let's give you a break down as people here got up this morning, began shoveling, doing what they could to dig out of the mess. Interstate 70 is closed in the eastern part of the state, basically from just outside Denver all the way into Kansas.

I-25, too, also, closed. There's a 26-mile stretch near down near Colorado Springs that is shut down. And then from the town of Pueblo all the way to New Mexico, it is shut down there, as well.

Airlines, a huge problem down at Denver International Airport. United Airlines, which really has one of its main hubs here in Denver has canceled al flights today. Period. Nobody's getting out.

So a lot of people who took an extended Easter vacation, not enjoying it right now.

They're going to take a look at things later on in the day. Other airlines are trying to fire up sometime after 5:00 our time, 7:00 out on the East Coast.

People here knew it was coming. Weather forecasters said it, but still a lot of folks didn't believe it would be this bad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was kind of doubting it last night. I was like, yeah, we're getting a big blizzard today. So, I woke up and like, OK, we got it. They were right.

CALLEBS: What is it like out here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not bad. It's not freezing cold or anything, so it's bearable. It's nice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it was 70 degrees. We had on mini skirts, we had on tank tops, enjoying the weather. It was wonderful. And then, today, I'm driving home and there's cars that have done like 180s and rammed into the side of the highway. Like that's Colorado. That's how -- you know what I mean? It's insane.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: It is Colorado. That's the best way to sum it up.

People who have lived here for a long time are really taking it in stride, they know this is going to happen in the spring. Usually March is the time of the year when they get the heaviest snow fall. And anyone who has spent some time out here knows there's very little humidity.

But this snow that we're getting here today, this is the real, thick, good snowball type snow. This is really heavy, it's overburdening a lot of power lines. There's some 10,000 homes in the Denver area without electricity. I'm sure it's worse in other parts of the state. We're trying to run all that down.

And Gerri, we'll keep you updated as the day goes on and we try to stay warm.

WILLIS: Wow. It looks like it's something else there. We appreciate your report. Thank you, Sean Callebs.

So, will the week ahead bring more of the wild springtime weather? CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is live from the weather center with our forecast. Does everybody get this snow, Jacqui?

(WEATHER REPORT)

WILLIS: Jacqui, thank you for that report.

Well, after lousy weather on Thursday and Friday, the sun is shining bright as golf's best battle it out in Augusta, Georgia.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Patrick Snell at the 69th Masters. Yes, Tiger woods closing in on what would be the ninth major. But Chris DiMarco is trying to push him all the way. More -- back to Gerri.

WILLIS: Thanks Patrick.

Also, we'll tell you about a contestant still in the running to be Donald Trump's apprentice who spent some time in jail early this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Welcome back. It looks like Tiger Woods could be sewing up his fourth green jacket. Now, if he wins today, it would be the ninth major golf title. But the action on the links isn't over yet. Our Patrick Snell is keeping tabs on the golfers at Augusta National -- Patrick.

SNELL: Hi Gerri, thanks.

Welcome back to the 69th Masters. Yes, the world No. 2 looking to win the major in 11 attempts. And he was looking very good, indeed, particularly late Saturday and early Sunday. That's really when he did made the move.

He was two over par starting out Saturday morning and he very quickly went to nine under by the end of the day's play. That was 11 shot swing. He shot a 66 yesterday. Then went 1 better today for his third round with a 65, resuming with a flurry of birdies, seven straight in total over the two days during in the same round, of course. Of course, tying Steve Pait's (ph) record in '99 for the most consecutive birdies. It also ties the record for the most birdies in three straight rounds. No less than 19.

So Woods going to 11 under and at the time, three clear of the nearest challenger Chris DiMarco, who shot a disappointing 74.

Now he started round four with two birdies as well. That took him at one point to 13 under par. But after his third round, Woods spoke about his title search.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PGA: I'm pleased. There's no doubt about that.

I was down starting the morning and now I'm -- I got a lead which is nice. But we have a long way to go. This golf course isn't going to get easier. So, it's going to get a little more dry, a little more firm. And you have to make sure you put the ball in the right spots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Woods looking very good, indeed. The players currently on hole number 7 here on the outward nine. And it's still reasonably tight. Woods not out of the site yet. He's at 12 under par. DiMarco though remaining in hot pursuit at 9 under. So, still a three-shot difference, still a lot of golf left to be played here -- Gerri.

WILLIS: Well Patrick, you know, Tiger Woods seems to thrive under pressure other players don't. Tell us about that.

SNELL: Well, Tiger Woods is certainly been -- done that. And is looking to get another major in the bag. But yes, he does thrive on pressure. His will to win is second to none. He makes no bones about admitting that winning to me, pretty much at all costs really, if you read between the lines.

And I just think he's got the experience. He is, of course, a phenomenal player. And, whether he chooses to admit it or not, he does have a lot to prove. He's only, I say only, but he's got eight majors in the bag. He's been stuck on that, if you like, for the best part of three years. And he certainly doesn't like playing second fiddle to Vijay Singh, who is the current world No. 1.

Chris DiMarco, on the other hand, he's a fine player himself. Yes, maybe he's buckled a little bit under the pressure, but he still hanging on in there. He's only three shots back at the moment. And I have just got a sneaking suspicion this is going to be a very tight finish -- Gerri.

WILLIS: Patrick Snell, we'll be watching. Thanks so much.

The future of Social Security: It's an issue that's divided the country and the family of the former president who created it.

Also ahead on CNN LIVE Sunday, it's a neighborhood where your life is at risk no matter the time of day. The story of one family torn apart by gangs. And investors, rappers, political strategists, even terrorist leaders, we'll break down "TIME" magazine's list of the 100 most influence people. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Here's a look at what's happening now in the news. A strong earthquake hit the Indonesia Island of Sumatra. The magnitude 6.8 undersea quake was centered off Sumatra's western coast. Panicked residence fled for higher ground fearing another tsunami but no tsunami warnings were issued. There are no reports of casualties.

Thousands of people continue to pack churches around Rome in honor of Pope John Paul II. During a memorial mass of the Vatican today, cardinals praised the late pontiff for touching hearts around the world. Masses will be held every day in the Vaicial (ph) as part of the official nine-day mourning period following the Pope's burial.

Prince Charles and his new bride Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall took time out of their honeymoon to attend church today. They left their rural estate in Scotland and attended a service with about 200 villagers. The couple began their honeymoon yesterday after getting married during a civil ceremony in England.

President Bush goes back on the road this week to try to convince Americans Social Security would be better off with private investment accounts. Recent polls show support for the idea is waning with a White House insists the accounts would strengthen Social Security. CNN's Alina Cho talks to two men that have very different views but share a unique and personal connection to the issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Much like the country, these college students have vastly different views about Social Security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we are trying to do is bring the benefits of private ownership to a group that's currently having to rely on this system that is weak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are the people like hardly making it, like, month by month paying their own rent and you are asking for them to take control of their own money.

CHO: The silent listener is economic professor Frank Roosevelt, that's right Franklin D. Roosevelt the third, grandson of FDR. A walk through his Manhattan apartment is a history lesson.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT III, FDR'S GRANDSON: This is four generations, starting with the president's mother.

CHO: Roosevelt was on his grandfather's knee at the White House during the time FDR created Social Security. A Democrat, Roosevelt called President Bush's plan to allow Americans to invest some Social Security funds in personal accounts misguided. ROOSEVELT: They want to convert this sort of system of social responsibility into a private investment scheme. The real strength of it is is that it is a guaranteed source of support for your retirement or your disability or your death.

CHO: Roosevelt collects Social Security himself, about a thousand dollars a month. He says the system is not in crisis. That the number of retired Americans collecting benefits won't exceed those working and paying into the system for roughly 15 years. He believes the Social Security trust fund, the back up, will cover the difference for decades.

ROOSEVELT: Let's invest in stocks. But why do it on an individual basis? Why don't we say invest some of the trust fund? Keep this collective responsibility, this social contract between generations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Bush, I strongly support your Social Security initiatives.

CHOE: Frank's cousin Tony Roosevelt, a Republican, also collects Social Security. And sees things a bit differently. Tony, like the president, is a native Texan in the oil and gas business, he greeted his grandfather on presidential visits.

TONY ROOSEVELT: I think if FDR were here today, I think he would also say we need to address the problem. It's just fiscally responsible to recognize that we have a problem. We might as well begin to fix the problem and the sooner the better.

CHO: Tony Roosevelt says the accounts would be voluntarily and give Americans greater control of their financial destiny, he also believes the system is running out of money.

T. ROOSEVELT: You either have to get more revenues in the system or you have to reduce benefits or you have to delay the point in time at which benefits become -- begin to be paid out.

CHO: Both Tony and Frank Roosevelt have stayed out of politics but both believe their grandfather was a pragmatist who would support their point of view. The debate continues in the family, the classroom, and the country.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Checking news around the world, in Germany, remembering the victims of Buchenwald. Was 60 years ago U.S. troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp. But 56,000 people who died within its walls there were honored during a ceremony with a song written by two inmates. German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed shame for the entrosities (ph) in his country's name.

Last week's blast in Cairo, Egypt has claimed a fourth life, a French citizen wounded in the bombing Thursday died overnight. The group is calling itself the Islamic Brigades of Pride have claimed responsibility.

And, the political campaign is heating up again in Britain. It was stalled briefly by the death of Pope John Paul II and the royal wedding. The general election early next month could be one of the closest Britain has seen in years. And it is seen as a test for Prime Minister Tony Blair a staunch U.S. ally in the war in Iraq.

Are you a fan of "The Apprentice?" Remember Chris? Stay tuned for his latest chapter.

And then --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tragic stories of gang violence are common in this community. This is a Hollenbeck a police district just east of downtown Los Angeles.

WILLIS: Anderson Cooper on a mother's life after her son's death, coping with what some call domestic terrorism.

JACQUI JERAS, METEOROLOGIST: Hello everyone I'm Jacque Jeras in the CNN Weather Center with today's allergy report. Across the country, looking pretty good still across the northern tier but very high concentrations of pollens in the atmosphere across the lower Mississippi River Valley and parts of the deep south and panhandle of Florida. Also seeing some pretty high concentrations around Las Vegas extending down into the Tucson area, and throughout several of the mid Atlantic states. For today, your allergy facts, allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the United States and also, another little known fact that hay fever was first described in 1819 as a rare affliction of the privileged classes. That's a look at today's allergy report.

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WILLIS: Welcome back. Carol Lin is here with a preview of what's ahead. Carol what is on tap?

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fresh from my editorial meeting. Coming up at 6:00 Eastern, we are going to be talking about Matthew Maupin missing 20-year-old soldier, U.S. army soldier missing in Iraq, kidnapped a year ago. This is the anniversary. What is being done to find this young man?

Also at 10:00 tonight, we are going to be I don't know why the screen is blank there. I don't know what that is. That is a deal -- that's the wrong video. Anyway, at 10:00 tonight, we are talking to Emily Lion; she was a nurse who was wounded in the Birmingham bombing in 1998. Eric Robert Rudolph is making a plea deal this week. This is a woman who has endured 20 surgeries to this date, seven years of pain, she is very disappointed in the plea deal and she is going to be talking about how her life has changed and what it will mean to not see this man get the death penalty.

WILLIS: Sounds fascinating Carol. We look forward to seeing it.

LIN: All right. WILLIS: Let's now check news across America. What's worse than hearing you're fired? How about you're under arrest? Our affiliated Bay News 9 reports Chris Shelton of the NBC reality show "The Apprentice" is out on bail after his arrest for disorderly conduct in Tampa, Florida. Now, police say the 22-year-old real estate agent became belligerent after the hotel where he was staying charged him for something he thought was free.

Authorities say they can find no family members to claim the body of Bart Ross. He is the man whose suicide note confessed to a killing a Chicago federal judges husband and mother. Ross shot himself last month at a traffic stop in suburban Milwaukee.

And psychiatric records show the former pro-football player accused of shooting at Siegfried & Roy's Los Vegas compound thought the illusionist were a threat to the world. He says he wasn't trying to hurt anyone. No one was injured in September drive-by shooting.

Gang violence is spreading across America and gang-related homicide rates are climbing. Tonight on CNN presents Anderson Cooper goes inside 15 square miles of Los Angeles where gang bangers rule the street and death is a constant threat. This excerpt follows two brothers whose different paths in life ironically led to the same tragic fate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD BROCK (ph): Take care of my boys for me.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Soleidad Brock (ph) visits the cemetery, she grieves for two sons. In death, Angel and Ronnie are side by side. In life, they looked almost like twins but they followed different paths. Angel joined a gang. Ronnie joined the marines. In the end, it didn't matter.

BROCK (ph): I ask you, God, to give me the strength, the courage and the wisdom to keep on going.

COOPER: Tragic stories of gang violence are common in this community. This is Hollenbeck a police district just east of downtown Los Angeles. Nearly a third of the residents live in poverty, unemployment is twice the national rate. Police say Hollenbeck has the highest concentration of gangs in all of Los Angeles; they count 34 gangs here with some 6,800 members and associates. You go to any street; any corner in Hollenbeck and you will find it's claimed by a gang.

BROCK: I love you guys.

COOPER: Soliedad Brock (ph) did her best to keep her sons out of the gangs involved with sports. She was only partially successful. Angel joined State Street.

BROCK: You hear people getting shot and people getting killed and I didn't want that for my boys. COOPER: Angel also wanted something better for his younger brother. He urged Ronnie to join the marines. After September 11th, Ronnie wanted to help in the war on terror.

BROCK: I honestly didn't want him to go. I didn't want my son killed.

COOPER: Before being sent overseas, Ronnie came home for a visit. Late one night, he was approached on the sidewalk in front of his house. His mother heard the conversation through an open window.

BROCK: You could hear a lot of mumbling like, you know, when it's more than one person. And the only thing I heard is -- I heard somebody's voice saying, where are you from?

JAKE DUGGER, LAPD, HOLLENBECK: Where are you from? Meaning what gang are you from? What neighborhood are you from. And really, what he's wanting to know is, why are you here?

BROCK: They asked him and he told him, nowhere, fool. When he told them that my heart -- it was like, um, I thought they were going to beat him up.

COOPER: Instead there were gunshots.

BROCK: He was just all-full of blood from everywhere. He got shot twice in the head, four times in the back and they shot his hand off.

COOPER: Ronnie was 19 buried with military honors. Eight months later, his brother Angel was on the front porch and apparently surprised by rival gang members.

BROCK: Sounded like a wire going off for like 20 minutes.

COOPER: According to the autopsy report, more than 70 rounds were fired one of them to Angel's head.

BROCK: I didn't know what to do. I was just holding him and telling God, you know, there's -- I was telling him as a mother, I was telling God if he's hurting a lot, if he's, you know I don't want him to hurt and stuff. Then, I prayed to God to take him.

COOPER: Both sons lost to gangs. One who joined, one who tried to leave. It's part of life in Hollenbeck.

AARON SKIVER, LAPD, HOLLENBECK: They have a better chance of encountering an act of terrorism from street gang than they ever will from anything in the Middle East.

COOPER: Police in Hollenbeck can't solve many of the gang crimes because witnesses are often afraid to come forward. Pay back for talking to police can be a shot in the back of the head.

SKIVER: Gang is their family if you mess with one of their members; the whole family is going to come after you. COOPER: Last year, Los Angeles doubled the reward for information on gang murders, $25,000 wasn't worth the risk. Soledad (ph) Brock considered moving away from Hollenbeck, away to escape the horror of her son's deaths. In the end, she couldn't pick up and run.

BROCK: I feel like as a mother, you know, I always wait for them to come back. And I felt that at that time, if I moved, they weren't going to find me.

COOPER: So she stays in the house where her sons were born, grew up, and died. And remembers the hopes she had in Hollenbeck.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: CNN presents "Homicide in Hollenbeck" a disturbing look at gang violence in America. You can see the premiere of this gripping special tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

And up next, "Time" magazine most influential people. You can find it on the newsstands tomorrow but we have a preview coming up next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Welcome back. The movers, the shakers, the thinkers "Time" magazine is profiling the people who most influence our lives. The magazine is out with its annual "Time" 100 list. The issue is on newsstands this week and to talk more about who made the list and why. "Time" magazine's executive editor is with us Adi Ignatius. Adi welcome.

ADI IGNATIUS, "TIME" MAGAZINE EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Hi.

WILLIS: Good to see you. Lets start with how you even start finding the people for this, how do you put the list together?

IGNATIUS: Well first of all, it is a list of the most influential and it's a global list, so, you know, I put out a call to all our correspondents in the country and overseas to come up with nominations, also talked to a lot of experts in the various fields. You know, for example, who in the art world, who in the music world, who in the business world? We had hundreds of names. We met in New York many times and whittled it down till we finally got to 100.

WILLIS: Well, and now you have a great list. Let's start with you have broken it into several different categories with leaders and revolutionaries, and I haven't even heard this name till a couple of weeks ago Cardinal Joseph Ratsinger. Why is he on your list?

IGNATIUS: Well he is on the list because for years he's been the Vatican's theological enforcer. Now we are not saying he is the next Pope but we are saying that he is -- he'll be very influential in terms of determining the next Pope will be, he's a candidate for the job himself.

WILLIS: All right Ali Husaini Sistani, why is he on the list? IGNATIUS: Sistani seems to be the most powerful person in Iraq. He doesn't seem to want power overtly but behind the scenes clearly nothing happens including these last elections without his OK.

WILLIS: One name on this list I thought was fascinating, Hirsi Ali.

IGNATIUS: Yes, she is a fascinating woman born in Somalia. She is now a member of Parliament in the Netherlands. She has been very critical of Islam. She was born a Muslim and has been very critical and she now is basically living under a death threat as a result.

WILLIS: Very impressive woman. You know what's interesting about this group of people? It's really moral value leaders in some ways are that a theme that runs throughout the list this year?

IGNATIUS: Well I think there are ways to measure influence; there is sort of a raw power. I think there is fifteen heads of state on the list, but there are people as you say whose influence and power is more subtle. People ranging from Sistani in Iraq and Rick Warren, the author of "The Purpose Driven Life" series. So I think there's another theme, if you look in the business list, a lot of guys in technology. So we realize as we were putting the list together, if you were wondering whether technology is back, well this list suggests that yes indeed it is.

WILLIS: You also have a list of artists and entertainers. I know that Stan Brown is on the list. You know is he break through or is he simply just a very popular writer?

IGNATIUS: Yes, well at some point, we call this the novel that ate the world. At some point when you sell this many copies and the Bible is practically the only thing that has outsold Dan Brown, he has spone imitators, you know, traveled to all the places that he mentioned in the book. Has increased, I mean whether you like the book or not, you can't deny the influence.

WILLIS: Also on the entertainers list, Ann Coltor. Isn't her 60 seconds of fame over?

IGNATIUS: Well she still sells a lot of books. Ann Coulter, half the population will think that is a great choice half will hate it. Michael Moore is on the list. I have a feeling that half will reverse things also on that one.

WILLIS: All right. Well, lets talk about your builders and titans list. One of my favorites here, Martha Stewart makes the list. But you know this woman was in jail earlier this year. How is she influential?

IGNATIUS: Well put it another way. Who but Martha could be in jail for five months and come back and be more in demand than ever and she still sort of the definitive word on you know, on the home fetish.

WILLIS: You got Jay-Z on this list of builders and titans rather than entertainment list. Why? IGNATIUS: Well Jay-Z is not performing any longer for starters. His influence in hip hop has been enormous, obviously in music and more broadly in the culture and now as a businessman he keeps adding titles and the business is really all around his image and it has been very successful.

WILLIS: Now here's a name not everybody will know but people that do, they're addicted to this Website. Craig Newmark, Craig's list if you live particularly in San Francisco, it was like a religion there. Tell us a little bit about Craig.

IGNATIUS: Yes, well Craig had very small ambitions initially when he put up a classified list online. And it is hugely successful. I think it's in cities all over the world. Now. All over the U.S. and internationally. And, you know, I think a lot of newspapers are wondering if they have a future with classified ads now that Newmark is really figured out how to do it online.

WILLIS: You have a hero's list. Victor Yushchenko not surprising here but why did you pick him?

IGNATIUS: Well I think his ultimate victory in the Ukraine and the Orange Revolution was hugely inspiring and I think even directly so to people for example in Lebanon when they were protesting the Syrian's a lot of them really slighted Yuschenko and the Orange Revolution as a model for their own actions.

WILLIS: Well, you know, we can on and on with this list. You have Lebron James on the heroes list. Interesting people in the scientist and thinkers list. But that is really all the time we have Agi Ignatius thank you so much for being with us today.

IGNATIUS: Thank you.

WILLIS: That's the edition of the magazine will be on the newsstands tomorrow. If you want to catch the list in total. In the meantime that's it for us. "Next @ CNN" is straight ahead and here's Daniel Sieberg with a preview.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You probably noticed gas prices are at an all-time high. We'll find out what the experts predict will happen next.

And mercury poisoning in loons raising grave concerns about human health.

WILLIS: Thanks for joining us. I'll be back with headlines after a quick break.

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