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CNN Live Sunday
Pope Hosts Youth Day in Cologne
Aired August 21, 2005 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: More than one million people welcome Pope Benedict XVI for the concluding mass of his first papal trip. This hour, we'll look at how he's being received.
And a lot of questions this morning about why a young, professional football player collapsed and died after a pre-season game.
And it's day two of the mechanic strike at Northwest Airlines. Is the strike having an effect on the airline's performance?
Welcome to CNN SUNDAY. I'm Suzanne Malveaux, those stories ahead. But, first, a look at what's happening now in the news.
After a cross country trip, the space shuttle Discovery is back home in Florida. It landed at Kennedy Space Center about an hour ago. Discovery rode piggybacked atop a Boeing jumbo jet on its trip from California to Florida, with stops along the way for refueling.
Israel's pullback from Gaza continues with Israeli troops focusing on three Jewish settlements. Earlier today, troops broke through a barricade to enter one of those settlements. Then they started demolishing homes. Also today the Israeli cabinet approved evacuations in the remaining seven of 25 settlements that are being evacuated.
President Bush is getting ready to leave his Texas ranch for a couple of road trips. And while he's away, he'll focus on the war on terror and the situation in Iraq. Tomorrow, Mr. Bush will speak at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Salt Lake City. Wednesday he meets with military families in Idaho.
Pope Benedict XVI heads back to Rome today after saying good-bye to his German homeland. Many say his four-day visit to the country marked his triumphant return. CNN's Alessio Vinci reports from Cologne, Germany.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pope Benedict mentioned John Paul II in just about every speech during his four-day trip to Cologne. The Vatican in fact dubbed this world youth day gathering of two popes. The magic of John Paul was that by his sheer presence, even without speaking, he could command the attention of all those attending world youth day. Pope Benedict is clearly no clone of his predecessor, nor does he want to be and many in the crowd appeared to appreciate that. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just two different people. That's just how it is. I mean not all people can be the like and we don't want everybody to be like John Paul because that would make John Paul not as special as he was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I loved the charismatic side of the church, but at the same time, I'd like there to be the orthodox side, as well, where it's a little bit quieter and more subdued. For me, that can be more enticing towards prayer.
VINCI: The sheer number of pilgrims in Cologne suggested the new pope didn't have a problem with assembling the flock, but did he find the right words to connect with them?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He seems like a really neat guy. He seems like he can kind of start to interact with people. If he does, I mean, start to interact with people a little better it will be easier. But, I mean, it will definitely be great. He's a great guy.
VINCI: Are you disappointed that John Paul is not here? After all, you prepared your trip thinking that he was going to be celebrating this vigil tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, like we're all saddened by it. There's just that initial we kind of wanted John Paul to be there because he is the one who kind of pumped us all up for it and got the youth really involved in religious affairs, but I think it's just fabulous that we got to experience this with the new pope.
VINCI: Young kids here clearly didn't come to engage in doctrinal debate. Some may have just come for the fun of it. But, for most, it was a way to confirm their faith and, by most accounts, Benedict did just that.
(on-camera): The new pope didn't even try to be like John Paul II. It was clear from the very beginning when he didn't kiss the ground like his predecessor used to do upon arriving so theatrically. Vatican officials say this pontificate will be one of concepts and words and so those expecting dramatic gestures may be disappointed. Few of those attending here, however, felt that way. Alessio Vinci, CNN, with the pope in Cologne.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: In southern Afghanistan, a bomb blast kills four American soldiers and wounds three others. Their unit was taking part in a mission to find and defeat suspected insurgents ahead of the country's upcoming elections. So far this month, 11 American soldiers have been killed in hostile action in Afghanistan.
And just outside Kabul, two American officials were wounded by a roadside bomb. The bomb exploded near a convoy of U.S. embassy officials.
And now to Iraq where the U.S. Army is looking ahead to its future role. There's now talk of a worse case in terms of troop levels. The Army's top general says military planners are considering the possibility of keeping the current number of troops in Iraq for four more years. Right now about 130,000 U.S. troops, including 25,000 Marines are serving in Iraq. General Peter Schoomaker says if called for, the numbers could be reduced by slowing forced rotations or shortening tours of duty.
In Baghdad today, there's word that negotiators trying to draft a new constitution have reached agreement on a major sticking point, the role of Islam in the new government. And an agreement on the issue of Federalism could be reached later today. Tomorrow is the new deadline for negotiations to approve the document.
CNN's Aneesh Raman joins us live from Baghdad with an exclusive interview with one of the key Iraqi players. Aneesh, thanks. Welcome.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, good morning. With hours to go, it still though remains unclear whether a draft constitution will emerge tomorrow. Earlier I spoke with the president of Iraq's national assembly, Hachim al-Hasani. He said that a deal could come as early as tonight, but also suggested that they could extend this process yet again. Now, those two issues you referenced, in terms of the role of religion, we do understand an agreement has emerged where Islam would be quote, a main source of legislation. This is a concession to the conservative minds. The U.S. had been pushing for Islam to simply be a source to protect women's rights as well as the principles of democracy. They have softened that stance with the hope of compromise. They are still pushing for the principles of democracy to be, though it does raise serious questions Suzanne, about what role Islamic clerics will play under this new terminology.
Now, on the other issue, that of federalism, that is what could emerge as an impasse. The Kurds have autonomy in the north. They want that kept in the new Iraq. Some Shia, as well as the Sunnis want the Federalist argument either sidelined until a new government comes into power or calling for a unified Iraq. So that is what we're waiting to see, whether a deal can be reached tonight on that point. Above it all is the main issue. Can this draft, if it is put forth tomorrow, pass muster with the Iraqi people in a referendum by mid-October. I asked the president of the national assembly if he's worried that a rushed draft could do just the opposite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HACHIM AL-HASANI, IRAQI NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER: The worry is there, definitely. Because if, for example, the Sunni Arab come against this constitution because of the Federalism issue and you add other voices to it from the Shia camp and then the chance becomes much higher that people, they will have, you know, the ability to defeat this constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMAN: And that is the incredibly difficult situation confronting the Iraqi government. If they do not have true compromise on a draft constitution under intense time pressure, either a rushed draft could be voted down or they could extend again or, Suzanne, this government itself could be dissolved, a new national assembly could come into power and this entire process would start all over again. Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Thanks Aneesh. We'll all be watching for that deadline of course, Thanks again, Aneesh Raman.
Many people want to know today what caused the unexpected death of Thomas Herrion. The offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers collapsed after a game last night and died. He was only 23. Let's get the latest from Will Selva of CNN sports. Will, of course, our condolences to the family and the players. What do we understand happened?
WILL SELVA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now Suzanne, the cause of Thomas Herrion's death is still unknown. San Francisco 49er players were in the midst of a post-game prayer following a 26-21 loss to Denver holding hands when Herrion toppled over. Medics administered CPR. They rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. The 6'3'', 310 pound offensive lineman, number 72 in this video, walked off the field, there were no visible signs that anything was wrong. Herrion was on the field for San Francisco's final 14th play, 91 yard touchdown drive with two seconds left in the game. He played on both the Cowboys and 49ers practice squad last season and starred at the University of Utah. The death comes a little more than four years after offensive lineman Corey Stringer died of heat stroke during training camp practice.
MALVEAUX: And what has the NFL done to prevent something like that from happening?
SELVA: Actually, they have done quite a bit. Eleven teams added more night sessions to their schedule in an attempt to limit injuries and keep players cool for the long season. The NFL is also educating players about hydration and how to manage heat. A number of teams, including the 49ers have moved their training camp sites closer to home, enabling them to get access to better training and medical facilities, which is really key when you talk about training camp and sweltering 100 degree heat here. These players need to know how to keep themselves hydrated and they've also been educated on how to keep their body temperature, at least their core body temperature very low.
MALVEAUX: Thanks again Will and again, our condolences to the family and the players.
And on to another subject, Israeli troops are back in Gaza and facing some diehard settlers who aren't going quietly. A report from the region ahead.
Also in our look at the headlines across America, we'll tell you why hundreds of people took to the streets in protest. And next.
J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Day two for the mechanic strike at Northwest Airlines. I'll have more on that for you when CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: It's day two of a union mechanic strike at Northwest Airlines. The financially strapped airline says despite this and a few glitches, its flight schedule is running smoothly. CNN's J.J. Ramberg joins us now with the latest. What does it look like, J.J.?
RAMBERG: Hi, Suzanne. I just spoke to someone from Northwest and they say they do not have any planned negotiations scheduled right now, but they do say that these striking workers don't seem to have any effect so far on any of the passengers. They say they're not reporting very many disruptions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREN LUCAS, NWA PASSENGER: I feel sorry for the mechanics. I understand what they're trying to accomplish. Unfortunately, at the same time, I've had my tickets for quite a while. So changing right now really wasn't an option for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMBERG: That was one of the passengers from Northwest from yesterday. Now, the airline did experience two disruptions yesterday. One plane was landing in Detroit and had four of the tires blow out. Another plane was en route to Pittsburgh had smoke in the cabin and had to turn around and go back to Detroit. It turns out that smoke seems to be from the air conditioning unit. Northwest has said that neither of these complications had anything to do with the strike.
Now, mechanics walked off on Friday, but Northwest had been planning for this, so, they have brought on both replacement workers and management who are helping with the mechanics and that's why they haven't seen very many disruptions. Right now, this is the first significant strike not only for Northwest, but also for the whole airline industry since 1998. And then, and when that happened, pilots shut down the airline for about 20 days. In this particular strike, the mechanics are striking, but the flight attendants and the pilot's union both decided not to strike with the airline, which reduces the disruption to Northwest. Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: OK, J.J., thanks again for the update.
Now let's check out other stories making news across America today. Singer Joan Baez is expected in Crawford, Texas later this afternoon. She will join war protesters camped outside the president's ranch and is also expected to sing a few tunes. Baez is well known for her protest against the draft and the Vietnam war in the '60s and '70s.
Hundreds of people rallied in San Francisco to support Hawaiian schools accused of discrimination. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Kapamaha (ph) schools admissions preference for native Hawaiians. The schools have until Tuesday to request a rehearing.
Fireworks were part of an unusual farewell to the late writer, Hunter S. Thompson. His ashes were also blasted in the sky. Several celebrities, families and close friends attended the event.
Weather conditions were perfect to fly kites at the Washington state international kite festival. The event has been held in Long Beach, Washington, for more than two decades.
And, of course, Jacqui Jeras beautiful weather, obviously, for the kites. What does it look like across the country?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, Suzanne a lot of the west seeing some nice weather today and the upper Midwest looking at nice conditions, as well.
Not so nice across the southeast. The heat, the big story again today. Here we are just after the 11:00 hour Eastern time and the heat index, the temperature your body feels from the heat and the humidity together already 100 degrees in Shreveport, also in Memphis. Feels like 106 in Wilmington and 104 in Miami with feels like conditions like that. That means it's going to be dangerous this afternoon. Heat advisories have been issued from Dallas over to Shreveport extending into Atlanta, all the way up to Raleigh and into Norfolk.
High temperatures today well into the 90s here. We will see some 90s into the northeast. Cold front is going to be sweeping through here and bringing some heat relief, though it's going to take a couple of days for you to get the coolest of air. Gorgeous conditions in Minneapolis with 73, very nice in Washington again today, Seattle, 75. The heat is starting to build a little bit here too across parts of the west and into the great basin, 88 in Salt Lake City and 108 in Phoenix.
Showers and thunderstorms expected along and ahead of this front to the southeast, also into parts of the southern plains and the northeast just a little bit of wet weather. Showers and thunderstorms possible to fire up, once again, late this afternoon and this evening.
Taking a quick check on the tropics, three areas of disturbed weather. There is a little bit of potential with all three of these for some tropical development over the next couple of days. But it's likely to be slow to happen. One little area of disturbed weather here into the northwest Caribbean. What you see right here over Hispaniola. That's the remnants of tropical depression number 10. This is going to be bringing in some heavy rain here for today and could turn into something over the next couple of days. Though what my biggest concern is, right over here coming in off the African coast, you can barely see it, it's just coming over into our screen here. This is a nice big tropical wave. It could become tropical storm Jose over the next several days. So we'll keep a real close eye on that one for you. It's been pretty quiet in the tropics over the last couple of weeks. We'll knock on wood as we say that.
MALVEAUX: We hope it stays that way. OK, thanks very much, appreciate it.
As Israel moves to remove the remaining Gaza settlers, troops run into resistance. Is this a country at war with itself? A report from Gaza, next.
And later, intelligence meltdown? Did the United States go to war with false intelligence? Our senior Pentagon correspondent investigates.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Welcome back to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Israeli evacuations are in Gaza under way again today. This time the focus is on three settlements. At an entrance to Katif, Israeli troops used a front end loader to break through a flaming barricade. Officials estimate as many as 900 settlers are still there. CNN's John Vause has the latest from Katif.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three more evacuations under way today in Gaza. Here in Katif, when Israeli police and soldiers arrived, they were greeted with a locked gate and a flaming barricade. The fire department was called in to put that fire out and then a heavy earth-moving front end loader smashed through those gates clearing away that barricade. Two more flaming barricades were set up on the main road into the Katif settlement. They, too, were easily cleared. Once inside, Israeli police went door to door, speaking with the residents, telling them that it now time to leave.
In some instances, the army moved in to help people pack and then the residents here asked for time to go to the synagogue to pray one last time. Part of the deal is that if they went to the synagogue, were allowed to pray, that they would all leave peacefully. They would all get on buses and then head back to Israel. Tomorrow the last settlement in Gaza will be evacuated and then the Israeli police and soldiers will head to the west bank to evacuate four settlements in the northern part of the west bank. John Vause, CNN, Katif settlement, Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And coming up at the bottom of the hour, CNN's "Reliable Sources." Here's host Howard Kurtz in Washington with a preview.
HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Coming up, the battle over Cindy Sheehan. Have journalists created the controversy over the grieving mother and her vigil outside the president's ranch? Why have the media turned her into an international symbol and does it signal a shift in the coverage of the anti-war movement?
Plus, we'll ask Arianna Huffington why she keeps attacking jailed "New York Times" reporter Judith Miller.
And the strange tale of the British news broadcaster, a man, who says women are dominating the airwaves and the world and he thinks that's bloody awful. All that and more ahead on "Reliable Sources." MALVEAUX: Did U.S. troops search for weapons of mass destruction that never existed? Why U.S. intelligence officials were just dead wrong when it came to Iraq. We'll investigate, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Before the war in Iraq, many thought Saddam Hussein had stockpiled weapons of mass destruction. But months of searching turned up nothing. As national security correspondent David Ensor reports only on CNN, that's just one of the mistakes in what some are calling a U.S. intelligence meltdown.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): May 1st, 2003. The president declares that major combat in Iraq is over. But Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, the primary reason for going to war, have not yet been found. George Tenet asks David Kay, who'd been the chief U.N. nuclear inspector after the Gulf war, to take charge of the search.
DAVID KAY, FMR. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: When I took on this job, I had a set of conditions to do it. Because I was essentially taking on the moral hazard, as I referred to it for the CIA, that is, it was a CIA conclusion that there were weapons.
ENSOR: Once Kay is in Iraq, it's almost immediately clear to him that the WMD stockpiles he and his thousand-strong team are searching for, are not there. The aluminum tubes are an early signal.
KAY: When we got in we found they really were part of a rocket program.
ENSOR: The bio-weapons labs described by Curveball don't exit. In private e-mails, Kay begins to warn Tenet that the evidence is falling apart.
COL. LARRY WILKERSON, FMR. STAFFER FOR SEC. OF STATE: George actually did call the secretary and said, I'm really sorry to have to tell you. We don't believe there were any mobile labs for making biological weapons. This was third or fourth telephone call. I think it's fair to say the secretary and Mr. Tenet, at that point, ceased being close. I mean, you can be sincere and you can be honest and you can believe what you're telling the secretary, but three or four times on substantive issues like that, it's difficult to maintain any warm feelings.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: You can watch the CNN presents documentary "Dead Wrong" inside an intelligence meltdown tonight at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.
Stay tuned to CNN, up next, "Reliable Sources," the battle over anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan. Then at noon on "Late Edition," Wolf Blitzer talks with Senator Carl Levin and Congressman Duncan Hunter about the war in Iraq and when they expect U.S. troops will head home.
At 2:00 Eastern, tune in to "People in the News" for an in-depth look at the life and spiritual journey of Pope Benedict XVI.
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