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CNN Saturday Morning News
Iraqi Election Will Determine Whether Constitution Is Approved; Satellite Images Of Hurricane And Earthquake Regions Available To Public; Constitution Approval May Affect U.S. Troops
Aired October 15, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Take a look at this. We're going to show you some video that we got a little bit earlier this morning from Iraq, as voters go to the polls in a critical election.
This nationwide vote on a draft constitution is the first time Iraqis have been able to say yes or no on what kind of government that they should have.
The death toll from last weekend's Asian earthquake has hit 38,000 in Pakistan. Pakistan's military says 62,000 people were injured. And as winter weather descends, an estimated two million people are homeless. Rescue teams have halted the official search for survivors, but individual efforts do continue.
The waterlogged Northeast could get another two to three inches of rain today. But the worst is just about over. Forecasters say cooler and drier weather is soon to come. Some areas have had more than a foot of rain since it began over a week ago. Of course, the wet weather is blamed for at least 10 deaths so far.
Well, good morning, everybody.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, October 15th. Can you believe it, half way through the month already?
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. A big date.
NGUYEN: I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.
7:00 a.m. here on the East Coast, 2:00 p.m. in Iraq, where the polls will be closing in another three hours.
Thank you for being with us.
Today's voting in Iraq is fairly straightforward. The referendum simply asks for a yes or a no vote on this question -- do you approve the draft constitution of Iraq?
The ballots are printed in both Arabic and Kurdish. Across Iraq, there are 6,200 polling places to accommodate more than 15 million eligible voters. Unlike January's election, this time there is no overseas balloting for expatriates. Some 500 international observers are in Iraq to monitor the vote, with the results expected in five days.
If the referendum passes, the constitution is then ratified and the country moves on to the next phase, which is the December 15th election of a new permanent government. That government will be sworn in on December 31st. But if the constitution does not pass, the entire process starts over again. Parliament is dissolved and a new interim body will be elected December 15th. That interim parliament will have to draft a new constitution one year from now.
We are taking you now to the streets of Iraq, where millions of people are voting. The polls will be open for about another three hours. The outcome could determine how Iraqis live their day to day lives.
Let's go live now to CNN's Aneesh Raman in Baghdad.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, good morning.
We're at one of 6,000 polling places that are set up throughout Iraq. This one in central Baghdad. It's been relatively quiet today in terms of attacks. Two polling stations have seen mortar attacks, as well as sniper fire.
Just to give us a sense of the security, you'll see the blast wall next to me. Iraqis who are coming to vote pass through there. They are searched, body searched, to make sure they're not carrying any weapons or that they're not carrying an explosives vest. And they come in through here.
This is usually a school. Today set up as one of the places that Iraqis will, as you mentioned, decide whether or not to accept or reject this constitution. When they come in, again, they show I.D. here to make sure that they are viable, that they have registered at this polling station.
And we're going to walk through and show you exactly how they go about voting. Right here is another security set up that's usually set for them to once again check, make sure that no one is carrying anything in them. In this primary school, you've got a left and a right, polling station one, polling station two. We're going to go over to the right.
You'll see these posters. They've been up all throughout the city, leading up to this vote As you mentioned, the vote is on the constitution. It's also on the political process. If the constitution fails, it starts again. If it's ratified, we go toward a permanent government.
And these political steps, like the vote back in January, are seen, Tony, as essential to trying to curb the violence. That is always the hope on days like this as Iraqis enter into rooms like these. This is where the voting is actually taking place, in a room like this, at schools, at buildings throughout the country.
The ballot, as simple as it could get, a yes or a no vote It's written in Arabic. They just check which one they want. Both on terms of the constitution, also in terms of the political process. They check their name here. Some 15 1/2 million Iraqis have registered to vote. A good number compared to January, a rise, really, because the Sunnis have started to enter the political process.
These cardboard boxes are where they actually cast their ballot. They drop it into the box here. And, of course, as everyone will remember from January, they dip their fingers in this ink. Those ink stained fingers really came to symbolize a defiant culture in a political sense, coming against the insurgency that is continual here in Iraq.
And once again today, Iraqis are going out to show that defiance, hoping that stability can come to this country -- Tony.
HARRIS: So, Aneesh, just after, what, 2:00 in the afternoon there in Baghdad, where are the people? Have you been busy there?
RAMAN: Yes. We've seen a steady flow of people come into this specific polling station. It's just ending lunch time now, so the polling numbers have gone down. We're expecting it to pick back up. Just three hours remain until the polls officially close and those are the two key numbers we're waiting for. First and foremost is turnout -- how many Iraqis of that 15 1/2 million who registered actually come to polling places like this. That will give us a sense of how many are still invested in this political process.
But also in those Sunni areas, in the Sunni provinces, how many of them come out to vote, getting them to start entering into this political process is key -- is seen as key to curbing the insurgency, to curbing the violence here.
We're expecting some three to five days, Tony, before we know any official results, 10 days before they're certified. But initial suggestions, at least, exit polls, might come as early as today -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, Aneesh, I know it's tricky to pull off that walk and talk, but that was a great look.
Thank you for that look.
Aneesh Raman in Baghdad for us.
RAMAN: Thanks.
HARRIS: Aneesh, thank you.
NGUYEN: And our military analyst, Major General Don Shepperd, just returned from Iraq earlier this week.
He talked with the military and Iraqi officials about today's vote and the spike in insurgent attacks.
He joins us now with some insight.
So let's talk about that spike in insurgent attacks.
Of course, we saw last night that insurgents knocked out a power tower.
Surprised by that? Especially since key infrastructure areas should be heavily guarded.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, not surprised at all. They are going to pull off -- the insurgents are going to pull off attacks now. They're going to pull them off if this constitution passes right up to and through the election process. You're going to see these spikes in violence.
One the other hand, the key -- another key thing to watch is these are not attacks by large numbers of forces, which we were seeing before, fairly large numbers of insurgents. They're IEDs, bombs, improvised explosive devices, car bombs, suicide bombs, that type of thing, so.
NGUYEN: Well, now, I asked you if you were surprised because I spoke with you earlier this weekend and you talked to me about the progress that the Iraqi security forces are making.
SHEPPERD: Right.
NGUYEN: But everyone knows that this is a key election and that security is going to be tight.
SHEPPERD: Right.
NGUYEN: For insurgents to get to an area like that and knock out power to 70 percent of Baghdad is pretty serious.
SHEPPERD: Yes, probably so. But, on the other hand, be careful assuming that it's an insurgent attack that does that. This is a Potemkin Village over there in Iraq. The infrastructure is unbelievably fragile over there. And we hear about these power outages and everything and then you'll look around and you'll see that Baghdad lights are still on. So you say power outage? How is this?
Everybody's got generators. They have work-arounds. It's amazing.
So you're going to have continual problems. The Iraqi security forces are coming up to speed and they are the key to stability and safety around that country, not us -- Betty.
NGUYEN: So what are they doing today? We just saw a polling site. Of course, it wasn't too busy because it's around lunch time. But how are they protecting these polling sites so that people, like in the last vote, feel comfortable and secure in coming out and placing their vote?
SHEPPERD: I think four or five important things.
First of all, the borders are closed. Secondly, no vehicle traffic anywhere in the country. So no vehicles moving. If you see a moving vehicle, it's a sign of danger. The other thing is the Iraqi police themselves patrol the polling place. Outside that in an outer ring is the Iraqi military, where they're available. And then the U.S. military on call further out. So you have essentially three rings of protection around every polling place. And you're still going to have some violence and some things get through across the country.
NGUYEN: I want to ask you just personally, because you were there on the ground not too long ago, did you see a lot of education when it comes to this constitutional referendum? Do Iraqis really know what they're voting for?
SHEPPERD: We were told about how this is done. Basically, there's a lot of talk. The constitution has been printed and distributed for at least a week across the country. On the other hand, a lot of the Iraqis do bloc voting. They will wait to be told by their political party, by their sheik, by their tribal sheik, by their imam at the mosque how to vote. And they will vote in that particular way.
There is a jungle telegraph. There's television. There's radio throughout that country now. So there's a lot of election fervor and these people are pretty smart about what they're voting for. But the essence is yes, constitution; no, constitution. And so we're going to proceed to the December vote, yes or no, or we're going to start all over.
NGUYEN: As simple as that.
SHEPPERD: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: Major General Don Shepperd, thank you so much for your time.
SHEPPERD: A pleasure.
NGUYEN: We'll be speaking with you throughout the day.
And that brings us to our e-mail question this morning -- do you think democracy will work in Iraq? Send us your thoughts at weekends@cnn.com. We'll be reading those replies throughout the morning.
HARRIS: And, other "Stories Across America" this morning, curfew in the French Quarter has been extended to 2:00 a.m. instead of midnight to accommodate the growing night life. The rest of New Orleans still has an 8:00 p.m. curfew.
And temporary repairs are expected to begin this weekend on the Superdome's storm damaged roof despite earlier talk about demolishing the arena, the emerging consensus now is that it can be saved.
Can the State of Missouri assist a female inmate in having an abortion? The U.S. Supreme Court has gotten involved in that issue. Prison officials are balking at a federal judge's order to transport the woman to a facility to have the procedure. Judge Clarence Thomas has temporarily blocked that order while the legal issues are reviewed.
And do you feel lucky? An 83-year-old man in Blackstone, Massachusetts sure does. He found a $1 million lottery ticket in the trash at a convenience store. I would be feeling really lucky tonight. A Power Ball jackpot is, as the kids say, bananas.
NGUYEN: Bananas, huh?
HARRIS: Bananas. The winning ticket today could be worth at least -- is that number correct there?
NGUYEN: I think it's correct.
HARRIS: $300 million in tonight's drawing.
NGUYEN: How nice would that be?
HARRIS: Good luck. Great.
NGUYEN: Would you buy me something if you won that?
HARRIS: Sure. Sure. You're -- if this world were mine, OK? Your wish is my command.
NGUYEN: Yes, I'm sure I'll be high on that list.
HARRIS: Your wish is my -- uncross those fingers.
NGUYEN: All right, we want to get a live look now at the damage in New Orleans without leaving your home. This is how you can do it. Or would you just like to drop in at any address around the world? It doesn't have to be New Orleans. A spy agency can take you there, and we'll tell you how.
HARRIS: Also, shelters opening, states of emergency declared, but we're not talking about Southern states. We'll bring you the latest on the waterlogged Northeast straight ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
Good morning, Brad.
BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And good morning.
The good news is the heaviest rain is now pushing east. But that does not abate the flooding threat. In fact, good morning, Providence. The rain showers are just about to end there. But you have another few hours of this gray wet stuff.
Coming up next, we'll talk about the weather forecast and what you need to remember when you're traveling across flooded areas.
That's up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: She lived and worked in Iraq for the past eight years. You know that face right here from CNN. So what does she make of today's voting? Former CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf joins us in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING with her perspective on the Iraqi referendum. That's all new in our 8:00 a.m. Eastern hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NINA ZAGAT: According to the 2005 Zagat Survey Movie Guide, the top three chick flicks are "Sense and Sensibility," "Now Voyager" and "When Harry Met Sally."
The movie that comes out as the top chick flick is "Sense and Sensibility," based on the great Jane Austen novel. It has an Oscar winning cast, led by Emma Thompson.
The second in the chick flicks is "Now Voyager." It's a mature love story with a fabulous Bette Davis performance.
"When Harry Met Sally" is another one of the top chick flicks and in that film they investigate the question of whether a man and a woman can just be friends.
What these movies have in common are romantic story lines, very hopeful endings and they make women feel really good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Here are our top stories today.
Iraqi voters are deciding yes or no on their next government. Iraq's Sunni Arab minority, which ruled under Saddam Hussein, is sharply divided over the country's draft constitution. Meanwhile, Shiite leaders have mobilized their followers for a massive show of support for the charter.
In other news, the death toll from last weekend's South Asia earthquake has hit 38,000 in Pakistan, with tens of thousands more injured. And as winter weather descends, an estimated two million people are homeless.
Lab tests in Britain have confirmed that deadly flu has reached Europe. Tests on ducks in Romania determined that they died of a strain of avian flu. Now, the same strain of bird flu killed 60 people in Asia.
And less than three hours to go before the polls close in Iraq. So how is Arab media covering the referendum? Our senior international editor, Octavia Nasr, is monitoring the coverage overseas and she will join us in 15 minutes -- Tony.
HARRIS: Hurricane shelters along the Gulf Coast won't be cleared out by today, as the federal government hoped. Two hundred seventy thousand people were displaced by hurricane Katrina. Fewer than 10 percent of them are still in temporary shelters and thousands more are being put up in hotel rooms at taxpayer expense.
Technology has played a remarkable role in telling the story of hurricane Katrina, especially the incredible satellite imagery of the damage in New Orleans.
CNN national security correspondent David Ensor zooms in for a closer look at this now open secret.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Go to www.hurricaneimagery.org and you can check on the damage to any structure in the vast area hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, courtesy of a normally secretive spy agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
Todd Ham set up the Web site.
TODD HAM, NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: We can type in any address within the affected area.
ENSOR: Pick a search engine then type in a location, the New Orleans Superdome, for example.
(on camera): So there's the Superdome before the hurricane and you can use the tool to slide to see after the hurricane?
HAM: That is correct.
ENSOR: Quite a dramatic change.
HAM: Yes. Substantial flooding. Tremendous damage to the roof structure for this particular building.
ENSOR: Right.
(voice-over): Then, for those with a really good computer, there is a special NGA search tool, looking here at Biloxi, Mississippi.
HAM: In addition, this interface provides the higher end bandwidths with access to lensing capability built by Idelix Corporation, Idelix software. And this lensing provides magnification on particular areas of interest while maintaining the context of the background image.
LYNN PUETZ, NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: But it certainly was a huge success. It helped a lot of people that normally couldn't have found information this quickly.
ENSOR: The NGA has turned its satellite cameras in recent days to the earthquake damage in Pakistan to help officials there assess where help should go first.
PUETZ: The imagery is telling me that whole towns and cities have disappeared from the face of the Earth. ENSOR: Outside NGA headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, we are shown one of their mobile, integrated geospatial intelligence systems, MIGs.
CARRY LOWE, NGA CONTRACTOR: The MIGs itself is a two Humvee, two trailer configuration that allows us, then, to take along with us a full 24-hour, seven day a week support capability.
ENSOR: There is a classified MIGs helping troops in Iraq with imagery and maps and an unclassified one in New Orleans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're doing a lot of imagery based maps that are just detecting post-Rita and post-Katrina flooding.
ENSOR: All part of a usually secret agency's not so secret effort to help.
David Ensor, CNN, Bethesda, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Well, many images from hurricane ravaged parts of the Gulf Coast will stay with us for a very long time. This weekend, we put some of the pictures in context, like this shot inside one of the oldest barber shops in New Orleans' Seventh Ward.
Now, take a look at this picture. This is what the place looks like today, after floodwaters, well, just ravaged the city.
Be sure and join us tomorrow when noted New Orleans photographer Harold Baquet shows us the before and after of his beloved city. That's tomorrow on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING," 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
NGUYEN: Wow! Those pictures are so telling.
And look at these pictures. The worst could be over for the Northeast, but where hundreds of people were forced to leave their homes behind, devastating floods are still putting their lives in danger.
We have that story next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
And here's a live look at Providence, Rhode Island this morning, where it looks like it's another wet one out there. You see the streets all wet, and even the camera is getting doused with rain. We'll have a live report coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Look at this. Flooding follows a week of heavy rain across the Northeast. Long Island, New York already has its wettest October on record. That is on record, folks. And we're only halfway through the month. An inch of rain an hour fell along the South Shore. High water forced limited service on the Long Island Railroad. Lots of problems there. HARRIS: And widespread flooding prompts a state of emergency declaration across New Jersey. Eight straight days of rain across the Northeast trapped motorists and delayed flights. Evacuations were ordered after rivers and streams surged over their banks.
Carla Roth (ph) of CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey has this update.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARLA ROTH, NEWS 12 NEW JERSEY (voice-over): Stacey Grievas (ph) thankful for her rescue. Emergency workers say getting to dry ground on her own in Spring Lake Heights would have been dangerous. If the Old Mill Dam were to break, she could be trapped inside her home. As it is, the sewer is backing up into the floodwaters on her street. Floodwaters that took over her family's home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's horrible. The whole entire house is filled with water up to here, like -- so it's pretty horrible.
ROTH: The National Guard is doing its part to help local emergency workers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take your dogs, take some clothes and get out of the house.
ROTH: While some evacuated without hesitation, others had to be prodded to leave their homes.
CHIEF MARK STEETS, SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS POLICE: You kind of hope that they've listened to you and come out while we have the boat there, because if they call later, we're going to be assisting somebody else, so it's going to be a little difficult and time consuming for us to get back to them to get them out safely.
ROTH: Rescue workers say they went to Hallah Biskowski's (ph) home a few times before she agreed to leave by rowboat. Her house is one of many along Wreck Pond to be evacuated.
GARY LIPTAK, SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS RESIDENT: I've lived here for about eight years and I've never seen it like this before. People -- my neighbors have lived here for 30 years and they've never seen it like this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: No one's seen it quite like that.
Carla Roth of News 12 New Jersey.
NGUYEN: And, you know, here's the problem, Tony. Not only are they dealing with the flooding. Brad Huffines is here. He says there's a new threat out there, like they want to hear even more bad news.
HARRIS: Yes. HUFFINES: I know. The new threat is the fact that the water has been sitting in the ground so long, the ground is now saturated. That means that the tree root systems are now getting saturated.
NGUYEN: Goodness.
HUFFINES: So what happens when the trees' roots get flooded and saturated and the wind blows?
HARRIS: Bye-bye.
NGUYEN: Right.
HUFFINES: You start seeing trees fall.
HARRIS: Bye-bye.
HUFFINES: That means power outages today, and that's possible.
But let me also remind you of a couple of other things. Of course, the heaviest rain is pushing east today. And as the rain continues to push east across much of the Northeast, we're going to be seeing the very heavy rains now. In fact, still raining. We showed you Providence earlier. There's the back edge of the rain showers there. And that's moving offshore, with the heaviest rains now still moving east and stretching from Newport up through Boston.
The rain threat today, at least the totals for today, are going to be from Portland to Bar Harbor, Maine. That's where the heaviest rains are going to end up today.
But the new story, though, is not only the rivers that are flooding. In fact, I was checking the weather services from this part of the country and so far we have at least 11 rivers in flood stage and flood warnings for at least 11 rivers. I'm talking about New Haven. You're talking about Middleton. You're talking about Hartford, up toward Springfield. I'm telling you, some very heavy rains continue to cause flooding problems, even though the rains have ended. Now we have the runoff problems.
Then down to the southwest in New Jersey, that's the next problem because of the fact that the gusty winds are going to continue to wrap up. The storm is going to intensify. It's not going to cause more rain, where we've seen the heaviest rains. But it is going to cause wind difficulties and wind damage in parts of New Jersey.
I'm working on that story.
I'll talk about that more coming up later this hour.
HARRIS: Brad, thank you.
Millions of Iraqis are expected to cast their vote for the future of democracy in their country today. It's the lead story in the U.S. this morning.
NGUYEN: So how is the Arab media covering the referendum?
Our Octavia Nasr has a preview -- good morning, Octavia.
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you guys.
Well, you've heard the name al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and all the other names so many times. But today there is a new star that we're going to be talking about. It's a local station. Iraqis are certainly taking matters into their own hands.
Stay with us.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: You're looking at live pictures now from Iraqi polling stations, where voters are deciding the fate of a proposed constitution.
We want to welcome you back this morning.
Not a lot of people there just yet, because it's around lunch time.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: So, they're grabbing a bit to eat. At least that's what Aneesh Raman said. We'll check in and see.
HARRIS: Good morning, everyone.
Betty Nguyen here.
Tony Harris here.
Polls in Iraq will be closing in two-and-a-half hours. Much more on that critical vote in just a minute.
First, the other morning headlines.
The deadly bird flu strain that's causing a lot of worry in Asia has now spread to Europe. This morning, Romanian officials confirmed that ducks found dead in the Danube Delta had the strain known as H5N1. Health officials fear the strain could mutate into a virus that could be passed easily to people.
In Pakistan, the death toll rises. Officials now say 38,000 people were killed by last weekend's devastating earthquake. Another 62,000 were injured. Meanwhile, international relief efforts have been slowed by rain and snow. Rescue workers have ended the official search for survivors.
The Millions More Movement is drawing crowds of people to the National Mall in Washington. The movement marks the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March. Organizers say the event is aimed at empowering minorities and also highlighting the racial and economic divides brought to the surface after hurricane Katrina.
The Arab world is closely watching the referendum. Its outcome either way will certainly have a great impact on most Middle Eastern countries.
Let's get more on that now from Octavia Nasr, our senior editor for Arab affairs -- Octavia, good morning.
NASR: Good morning to you, Tony.
HARRIS: Well, I have to ask you, you were talking about Al Arabiya, al Jazeera. First of all, is al Jazeera still banned in Iraq?
NASR: Well, al Jazeera is still banned from reporting from Iraq. That means they cannot have a reporter on the street or any polling station and reporting about what's going on. They are allowed to have uplinks, which means that they are having guests from some places.
So al Jazeera, which usually leads the pack in those kind of coverages is out of the game at this point.
HARRIS: Right. Well, what does it say about the desire for freedom of the press as we vote on this new -- Iraqis vote on this new constitution?
NASR: Well, you know, the Iraqi government has a case against al Jazeera. They claim that al Jazeera propagates the message of the insurgency, that they air videos and statements that threaten the security of that country. So this is an issue between the Iraqi government and al Jazeera.
This doesn't apply to other networks. Other Arab networks are there. We are there, of course. And the coverage continues.
But this is an issue that's certainly between the two, the Iraqi government and al Jazeera.
HARRIS: I'll tell you what, tell us about this one network that you were drawing our focus of attention to this morning, as being, I guess, one of the smaller stations competing with the big boys right now.
NASR: Really, it is their story. It is the Iraqi TV's story. And, you know, anyone who remembers Iraqi TV from the days of Saddam Hussein, it was a propaganda machine. It aired only videos of the president, of Saddam Hussein and his entourage, him dancing, him in meetings.
HARRIS: That's right.
NASR: Even the video clips were all patriotic, nationalistic songs with him all over the place. So it's very interesting to see how Iraqi TV has changed.
First of all, the new name is Al-Iraqiya, which means the Iraqis. So it really taps on the nationalistic feeling of people there.
Of course, Iraq is a very dangerous place at this point. This referendum is taking place in the backdrop of violence and hardship for all Iraqis. And you have to see the other networks' coverage.
HARRIS: Yes.
NASR: You know, Al Arabiya, for example, is staying away from dangerous zones. They have only a few polling stations that they're covering. They don't have their star reporters on the street. A fear of them being kidnapped, taken hostage or killed, or attacked in any way, or harassed.
So Al-Iraqiya has sent out their reporters everywhere. They are literally everywhere.
HARRIS: Wow!
NASR: And they are covering the story in a very interesting way. They're going live. Right now, for example, they're carrying this press conference live. Earlier, they were having a talk show and basically discussing all the issues. They have Sunnis on. They have Shia on. They have Kurds on. They're discussing the issues. It's very, very interesting to see.
For someone like me, who has watched Iraqi TV in the old days, watching it now is extremely refreshing.
HARRIS: OK, when we visit with you a little later this morning, let's get into the nuts and bolts. Let's talk about how this story is being covered by the Iraqi media.
Can we do that?
NASR: Absolutely.
You bet.
HARRIS: OK, Octavia, good to see you.
NASR: Same here.
HARRIS: And thank you.
NGUYEN: But right now, Iraqis are heading to the polls today in an effort to determine their new government. They're asked only to vote yes or no on a draft constitution.
Now, the Sunni Arab minority, which ruled under Saddam Hussein, is split on this new charter.
CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live via video phone from Baqubah, a heart of the Sunni Triangle -- Nic, I have to ask you, last time Iraqis went to the polls, Sunnis really didn't turn out in full force.
Have they learned lessons from that? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They certainly appear to in this area. This province has about 900,000 registered voters. In the parliamentary elections back in January, only one third of those voters turned out throughout the whole voting day to vote. Already, after just four hours of voting today, that number has been exceeded. Some 240,000 people had already turned out by 11:00 in the morning, after just four hours of voting.
So before even halfway through the day of voting, more people had already turned out. And it certainly does seem that the Sunni community have been high among the list of people that are coming out that didn't vote last time.
What we are hearing from people when they go into the polls here, quite mixed decisions on whether or not they're going to vote for or against the constitution. One Sunni man said to us that no, he was going to vote against it, that he decided to do that because he thought if he voted for the constitution, it would tend to divide and separate the country.
We talked to a lady who we saw coming in with her children. She had her young children with her as she came into the polling station. We asked her, after she had voted, which way did you vote? She told us that she had voted for the constitution and she said the reason she had done that was because she was hoping for peace and security and stability and a good future for her children, and that's why she was voting.
So we're seeing the Sunni community, not all, but many, seeming to vote against the constitution. Many people, others voting for it, because they hope it will bring them some security.
And we're in a voting room now. This gentleman is just about to register. There are some 2,800 registered voters in this polling station and already half of those have voted.
So the turnout much higher than those January elections -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And I understand roads have been blocked from any automobile traffic. So people are still finding ways to get to the polls.
Is there any concern that there are those that are just too far out to make it in time?
ROBERTSON: Not really. It seems that the polling stations, there were 268 different polling stations in this province for those 900,000 people. And they're placed in communities. This is a girls school. Normally it's serving just the neighborhood around here. People are walking here.
There were attacks on polling stations last night, quite a number. That doesn't seem to be putting people off. Indeed, in the last couple of hours, a roadside bomb went off about two miles from here. It was a roadside bomb detonated as Iraqi policemen went by. No one was injured. But even that, that sort of low level background violence that people here are almost used to in their daily life, that, indeed, is not putting them off.
But we talked to officials here and they told us they thought that the turnout would be high because security was better. The Iraqi police, the Iraqi Army all better prepared to provide security.
What we're seeing today just seemed to endorse that. The situation in this province, at least people here perceive it as being better -- a relative term, of course -- better and safer than back in January -- Betty.
NGUYEN: So once again Iraqis are heading to the polls amid all the fear that's out there. They appear not to be scared of it, and including Sunnis this time, who are turning out to vote
We appreciate that, Nic Robertson, in Baqubah.
So, what are your thoughts about today's referendum in Iraq? Do you think democracy will work there? E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com. We're reading your replies throughout the morning.
HARRIS: And Karl Rove makes his final appearance before the grand jury. What's the outcome? Find out next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A federal grand jury in Washington wants to know who leaked the name of a CIA operative to the press. Senior presidential adviser Karl Rove has spent quite a bit of time before that grand jury, presumably telling them what he knows about it. Yesterday's appearance ate up about four hours of Rove's day.
CNN Justice Department correspondent Kelli Arena has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Karl Rove left the courthouse without comment.
QUESTION: What do you think?
ARENA: He had spent more than four hours inside, making his fourth and apparently final appearance before the grand jury. In a statement, his lawyer, Robert Luskin, says Rove has not been advised he is a target of the investigation and that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald affirmed he had made no decision about bringing any charges.
Luskin would not discuss what Rove told the grand jury.
After the testimony, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan was asked whether Rove still has the president's confidence.
Here's his very careful answer.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: Karl continues to do his duties as deputy chief of staff and senior adviser to the president.
ARENA: McClellan also dismissed worries the investigation is distracting the White House.
MCCLELLAN: While there are other things going on, the White House doesn't have time to let those things distract from the important work at hand.
ARENA: Reporters say both Rove and Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the vice president's chief of staff, spoke to them about Valerie Plame, the CIA operative, in right now to her husband, Bush administration critic Joe Wilson. But both have said they never mentioned Plame's name.
It's up to Fitzgerald to decide if they or anyone else broke a 1982 law designed to protect the identity of CIA employees.
Legal experts say Fitzgerald could also be looking into bringing other charges, such as making false statements, obstruction of justice or the mishandling of classified information.
RANDALL ALIASON, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: From everything I know about Mr. Fitzgerald, he'll come away with criminal charges if charges are appropriate. He's not going to pressured either way.
ARENA (on camera): Sources close to the investigation believe Fitzgerald is wrapping things up. But he's playing it very close to the vest, leaving all of Washington guessing and some squirming.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: After decades of living under a dictatorship, Iraqis are at the polls voting on a draft constitution that would set up the framework for a democratic nation. Live pictures now of Baqubah. I guess we call it Baqubah. Baqubah, in the Diyala Province. Voting going on right now. Polls across Iraq opened, oh, about seven hours ago, amid extremely tight security.
The death toll from last weekend's South Asia earthquake has hit 38,000 in Pakistan. Officials say 62,000 people were injured. And an estimated two-and-a-half million people are believed to be homeless.
Forecasters say the Northeast could get another two to three inches of rain today, but the worst is just about over, as cooler and drier weather is on the way. Some areas have had more than a foot of rain since it began over a week ago.
And don't forget our e-mail question this morning -- do you think democracy will work in Iraq? E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com. We are reading your replies next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Big General Don Shepperd is back with us.
And General, I have to ask you, you know, we're all concerned about this time line. Let's see if we can bring this home -- this whole constitutional vote that's going on right now in Iraq. Let's see if we can bring it home and have it make sense for the folks watching us right now.
Here's the thing. A lot of folks look at this time line. The elections in January. January gets us to May and the bodies come together, the parties come together to vote on to start to craft a constitution. Now we're at October and the vote The vote then takes us to the next step in this time line, which is the December vote for the permanent parliament, assembly.
Does that get us to the light at the end of the tunnel where we can begin to see a finish line and some of these troops get to come home and stay home?
SHEPPERD: Yes and no.
First of all, getting to the 15 December vote, which seats the first government, if, indeed, that takes place...
HARRIS: Yes.
SHEPPERD: ... if the constitution is voted up, that's what takes place.
HARRIS: But all likelihood is that it will be likely be voted yes. That's what most of the analysts and...
SHEPPERD: That's the prediction. That's the prediction.
HARRIS: Yes. OK.
SHEPPERD: I'm cautiously optimistic that that's the case.
OK, so the new government is seated.
Here's the toughest, the toughest sling of the whole business.
HARRIS: OK.
SHEPPERD: Is electing a competent government that can gain the confidence of the people and run the country without corruption. That's very difficult.
HARRIS: Well, the people are going to be voting on that. It's (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
SHEPPERD: I understand that.
HARRIS: OK.
SHEPPERD: I understand that. It doesn't mean, though, that their government will be competent when it's elected.
HARRIS: Got you. Got you.
SHEPPERD: It's just like our government, all over the place.
HARRIS: OK.
SHEPPERD: Now, I predict that our troops will start coming home in some small numbers the first quarter of the year. It is a message basically that the Iraqis are capable enough of doing it. And then you will see an accelerating process over the next two to three years.
If we do this right...
HARRIS: Really?
SHEPPERD: If we do this right, we are probably going to be needed, according to the Iraqi security forces, for three to five years to get them up to speed, to back them up, to get them ready.
So I think you could see all of our troops out in three to five years, starting the first quarter of the year.
NGUYEN: Now, is that if this constitution is passed?
SHEPPERD: Irregardless of whether the constitution is passed. The key is the Iraqi security forces. When they come up to speed, whether it's to elect -- to start over and elect the new transitional assembly or proceed with a government, we should be able to start coming home as they come up to speed.
HARRIS: Well, why do we believe -- why do you believe that we can start to see some of these troops begin kind of a phased withdrawal because, let's look at the situation here. January to October we still had violence.
SHEPPERD: Right.
HARRIS: The insurgency, some say, increased, grew. Others say it kind of stayed the same or maybe decreased.
NGUYEN: They had blackouts yesterday.
HARRIS: Yes.
SHEPPERD: Yes.
HARRIS: Yes. So what makes you think that even after this next step in the process that the security situation will improve significantly enough on the ground that it will allow some of these troops to come back home?
SHEPPERD: There will be a certain level of violence even after we leave, no question about that. But the key to security around Iraq is the Iraqi security forces. To win, we must leave. We must make them capable. We must turn over certain sections of the country and the cities to them when they are ready to do it. That's the key to success. That's the measure of success is us getting out, which is kind of hard to understand.
HARRIS: Right.
SHEPPERD: And they are coming up to speed. We visited with them on our visit there. They're coming up to speed rapidly, some good, some bad, some making rapid progress than others. But I am very encouraged by what I saw. These guys are good, they're tough and they want to be there. And they are mad that they are being killed and they are being attacked.
HARRIS: Ooh.
NGUYEN: But are there enough of them to secure this country?
SHEPPERD: Not yet. Not yet. Not yet.
NGUYEN: Give us an idea of how many there are and how many there needs to be.
SHEPPERD: OK, a lot of confusion on these numbers.
NGUYEN: Right.
SHEPPERD: And it's hard to follow. Two hundred thousand made up of police and the military. About 90,000 of them military, OK? And we've got these Stockholm Battalions. There's about 117 battalions. OK, a battalion is about 500 to 700 people. About half of them are already in the fight. Measured by U.S. readiness standards, they are not going to measure up. They're not as good as U.S. forces.
By the way, most military forces in the world are not.
NGUYEN: Sure.
SHEPPERD: They probably never will be.
But all they have to do is be better than the bad guys. And they're coming up to speed rapidly to do that. Plus, the bad guys have a losing strategy, which is they are killing innocent Iraqi civilians. That is not a way, in an insurgency, to win the insurgency.
NGUYEN: Which is maybe why we saw blackouts last night instead of a suicide bomb attack, correct?
SHEPPERD: Yes. I'm accepting the fact that this was an insurgent attack. I'm not sure.
HARRIS: Right.
SHEPPERD: That infrastructure is so fragile, one little attack here can cause something somewhere else. It's, as I say, it's a Potemkin Village up there. We don't know what caused it.
But you'll see attacks like this going on much after we leave and that's Iraq. That's the Mideast. It's a tough place.
HARRIS: That's good stuff.
NGUYEN: General Don Shepperd, thank you so much.
SHEPPERD: You bet.
A pleasure.
NGUYEN: Well, the State of New Jersey is under a state of emergency this morning after eight straight days of rain. In the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING, when will the Garden State say good-bye to this most unwelcome visitor? Well, we will take you live to Spring Lake, where hundreds of people have had to evacuate their homes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shopping for a house online? Here's what you need to know before you begin.
First, determine your price range and get all financial documents ready and organized.
Next, create a reasonable wish list by figuring out what amenities your new home must have and which you'd like to have.
Never buy a house you've seen online without seeing it in person and be sure to check out both local and national realty Web sites.
I'm Gerri Willis and that's your Tip of the Day.
For more, watch "OPEN HOUSE," Saturday mornings, 9:30 Eastern on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: It has been a week since a devastating earthquake shook South Asia, wiping out entire villages in Pakistan, India and the disputed region of Kashmir.
Veronica De La Cruz joins us now with a report from the CNN Dot- Com Desk -- good to see you, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's nice to see you, too.
You know, Tony, cnn.com has created a forum for those who have witnessed or were affected by this tragedy. We've received e-mails from people all over the world. Some have been from people looking for loved ones and some have been firsthand accounts.
Here are a few of those responses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DE LA CRUZ (voice-over): Amahullah Rabbani from Lahore, Pakistan writes: "My whole house jolted with the quake. That sound, that jerk, I will never forget it."
Naz Kazmi of Oslo grew up in Muzaffarabad and says: "It's very hard to see the schools and streets where I lived for 22 years totally demolished. With every phone call I hear the terrible death news of my neighbors, class fellows and teachers."
And this e-mail from Nusrat Hussain in the United Kingdom: "My husband has family in Balakot. Up to 10 family members have been found dead. All we can do is pray for everyone."
To view images of the destruction from the quake's epicenter, thumb through pictures in this online gallery. Get the scope of the devastation with this interactive map and view a list of international aid organizations accepting donations to help the victims.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: And, again, if you would like to find out how you can help, you can log onto cnn.com/quake.
And, Tony, it's so difficult really to get your arms around the scope of this tragedy.
HARRIS: Yow!
DE LA CRUZ: And cnn.com, once you start reading those e-mails, I'm telling you...
HARRIS: Yes, villages wiped out.
NGUYEN: The numbers.
HARRIS: You're right.
DE LA CRUZ: Thirty-eight thousand people.
NGUYEN: The numbers, 38,000.
HARRIS: Veronica, thank you.
DE LA CRUZ: Of course.
NGUYEN: The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
October 15th is the day.
We want to say good morning, everybody.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: Referendum day in Iraq. NGUYEN: A big day.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: A big vote
HARRIS: I'm Tony Harris.
8:00 a.m. here on the East Coast. 3:00 p.m. in Iraq, where the polls have been opened for the past eight hours.
Thank you for being with us.
Now in the news, Iraqis are voting to accept or reject a draft constitution today. Insurgents, who have vowed to sabotage the vote, blew up the main power lines leading into Baghdad overnight. Most of Baghdad and two other cities were plunged into darkness. But the blackout is not expected to affect the vote, since polls are open during daylight hours. A live report is just ahead.
The 10th anniversary of the Million Man March is being commemorated in Washington today with another march. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has organized the Millions More Movement. The controversial minister wants to use the occasion to focus on racial and economic disparities highlighted by hurricane Katrina.
The death toll from the South Asian earthquake has reached at least 38,000 in Pakistan alone. Pakistan's interior minister says the number is expected rise. Another 1,300 deaths have been reported in India. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says nearly 2.5 million people are homeless as a result of the earthquake.
NGUYEN: It is C-day in Iraq, C for constitution. A sharply divided nation goes to the ballot box today to decide yes or no on the draft constitution. It's a document that some say will define democracy in the country.
The vote is taking place in the tight security. An overnight curfew has been enforced. International borders are closed, and more than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers and police have been deployed.
Now, if Iraqis approve the draft constitution, elections for a new parliament must be held by December 15, and a new government sworn in by December 31. If Iraqis say no to the constitution, parliament will be dissolved, and elections for a new interim parliament must be held by December 15. That means the process will start all over again.
HARRIS: Well, as we've been reporting, intense security is in place for the referendum. That includes an overnight curfew, a ban on all traffic, and the massive presence of Iraq and foreign troops.
CNN's Aneesh Raman is in the Iraqi capital and joins us now with the latest on how the vote has been progressing. Aneesh, good morning.
RAMAN: Tony, good morning to you.
It's been relatively quiet. We've seen a few isolated incidents in terms of attacks at polling stations here in central Baghdad. We're at one. It's a school. Today, it's a place that Iraqis are going to cast their ballot on the referendum. Enormous security. They pass through two initial checkpoints before they enter.
We've said all along, the borders have closed, cars are being kept off the streets. The biggest threat, they say, are suicide bombers. So as Iraqis enter, they pass through, right behind me, the first of three body checks. Their IDs are checked here by Iraqi police.
These are the men and women who, really, every day, are out there on the front line trying to make sure that this country can reach some semblance of stability, fighting against the insurgency. They are the ones that are targeted on a near-daily basis by the insurgents.
The Iraqi voters will come in here. Again, I said, this is one of some 6,000 polling center that are set up throughout the country. Fifteen and a half million Iraqis have registered to vote this time around. That's up since January, largely because we've seen the Sunnis, a critical component to stability, start to come into the political process.
Two polling stations set up here, one to the left, one to the right. Each one has two booths where people can vote. You see those posters. Those have been up for quite some time throughout the Iraqi capital urging Iraqis to go to the polls, saying it is their democratic duty. And Iraqis really do feel that, that the vote that they are casting today, it is about the constitution, but it's also about this political process. If the constitution is rejected, it all starts again. If it passes, a new government can come in, a permanent government.
And that is something that Iraqis really want. They need a government that can help with the basic services of this country, the water, the electricity, and, of course, the security.
This is the room within which Iraqis are voting, rooms like this set up throughout the country. In this area, the voting was -- was really a height -- the height of it was this morning. It's an enclosed neighborhood. A lot of them came out in the morning. Now we're seeing the numbers dwindle with just two hours to go.
This is the registrar. This is the names of the Iraqis who, at this specific polling place, can vote. These are the election workers. Many of them, Tony, have been targeted in the January elections, also this time around, for their participation in this process. So they are also really risking their lives.
We're seeing some voters come in now. He's handing, you'll see there, his ID card. Well, two more just passing through. Their names are being verified. They will then be handed a ballot. And if my cameraman can just come around, we'll take a look at the ballot as it gets handed out. A simple vote today, just yes or no. You'll see two boxes there. It's in Arabic. I'm just going to hold it up very briefly. That's all that they're voting, yes or no, both on the country's constitution, but really, as I said, on the political process on this government and on the notion of stability.
They take the ballots behind these two cardboard boxes. They might begin that as I finish talking. And then, of course, to verify that they voted, they dip their fingers in this ink. And that came to symbolize political defiance by Iraqis last January as they went out to vote in millions, really, to try and bring stability in those general elections.
They are doing that again today. The ballot will then be placed into one of these sort of Tupperware boxes. All of them, throughout Iraq, will begin to be counted today. There will be election observers, international observers, also observers from all the political parties.
You're seeing this man right now go behind that box to vote and cast his ballot. That is, in and of itself, a moment of defiance against the insurgency, against the violence, and the need for some sort of political stability to take hold so the country can move forward, Tony.
HARRIS: Aneesh, that is quite a moment. I don't, I don't, regardless of what you think about the process to get to this point, to see that man voting, that is quite a moment there.
And I have to ask you, I know you're not doing any sort of official exit polling, but do you have a sense in the capital now, Baghdad, of the country, as to how the vote in that city is going, yea or nay, up or down?
RAMAN: Well, perhaps most importantly, I can tell you it's going fairly quietly. As I mentioned at the top, we haven't seen any huge, large-scale attacks. We've seen some isolated incidents. You saw that man, again, like you were saying, cast his ballot, dip his finger in the ink. These are the key moments for Iraqis as they move forward.
In terms of turnout, we're told that it is -- it was expected to be quite high. It's reaching those levels. No official number has been put out yet by the election commission. We'll wait to hear that in the hours to come from the commission in terms of the numbers.
But again, and we're just going let you see as this woman, again, dips her finger in the ink. That is a huge moment.
HARRIS: That really is. Aneesh Raman for us...
RAMAN: That is political defiance right there.
HARRIS: Yes, that, that is a, that is a wonderful moment. Maybe let's just sort of stay with that picture for just a moment, Aneesh. That's it. That's the process right there of Iraqis voting there in the capital city of Baghdad. Aneesh Raman for us. Aneesh, thank you.
NGUYEN: Well, one person who has been closely watching the situation in Iraq this morning is CNN's former Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf. She reported from the front lines of the Iraqi war, as well as at the poling lines at the country's first democratic elections last spring. She is now a Edward R. Morrow press fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, and she joins us from New York to talk about what is happening, this historic day in Iraq.
Jane, I have to ask you, first of all, we watched as people came to vote. They had the ink on their finger, which signifies not only their defiance, but their belief in a system, whether they voted for it or against it. Do people really understand in Iraq the importance of this vote?
JANE ARRAF, FORMER CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: I'm not sure that they do, Betty. You know, a lot of people will understand the importance of actually going out to vote as a process, the -- a sign that, yes, they do have control of their destiny to some extent. But these were not the scenes of euphoria that we saw in January, with entire families coming out to vote. A little telling, I think, that that polling booth was so empty, even in the middle of the day.
Essentially, at the end of day, what it is, is a milestone on this political process, but it's not something that most Iraqis fully understand.
NGUYEN: The ballot itself, it's just a simple yes or no. Do Iraqis who are going to place either that yes or no know exactly what it means, what this constitution signifies, and what are the issues within it?
ARRAF: Democracy is such a big word, and it's not a concept there as we know it, exactly. Essentially, a lot of people will follow their leaders. A lot of Shi'as will go out to vote because the Shia religious leaders will tell them to. A lot of Kurds will go out to vote, because they've had a lot of experience with this, and their leaders will tell them to. A lot of Sunnis will not go out to vote because they're very fragmented.
So, no, a lot of people will not know exactly what the implications are. Most people will not have read the constitution. And the tough questions are left for a government coming in.
So essentially, the importance of this is that they are able to pull off elections. There haven't been a lot of attacks so far, with only a couple of hours left before the polls close. And essentially, it is going along.
But the political implications probably are a little overblown.
NGUYEN: Jane, right now, we're looking at live pictures of a polling place in Iraq, where you can see there are several people there stepping up to place their ballot and their vote.
And you mentioned something that I want to go back to. The Sunnis, you said that they may not come out to vote. In the last one, they did not come out in full force. But is it possible that, because of that, the Sunnis could come out in full force, saying no, in order to get this process started all over again? And they're in it from the beginning, if that happens.
ARRAF: I don't think that there is enough -- I think there's too much apathy among Sunni voters. I think they will register their discontent by not going out to vote at all, rather than going out to vote against it.
Again, this is a fairly high-level political concept that politicians are obsessed with, but for Iraqis, when you think of what a constitution is, it's essentially, what do Iraqis want their country to be? And that is not something that this particular document defines, because they've left so many questions unanswered, because they haven't really explained it to people.
It's quite likely that this will pass. It's likely that more Sunnis will vote than we saw voting in January. But there likely will not be a huge turnout.
NGUYEN: All right. You're saying it's likely that it will pass. So on the flip side, what would it take to turn down this referendum? Give us the numbers.
ARRAF: Well, the -- it -- the rules essentially are that two- thirds of the voters in three provinces, two-thirds of the voters who come out to vote have to reject it. And when you think of what that means in places like Anbar Province, in places where there are Sunni majorities, where the Sunnis are more likely to come out and vote no, those numbers, and the turnout we're seeing so far today, doesn't seem to be there.
Now, in places in Sunni majority provinces, as we saw in January, there were very few people coming out to vote. But that really wasn't so much intimidation as apathy and disorganization. We are seeing scenes in places where we were covering the voting where people didn't know where to go out to vote. They didn't know how the process worked. There was no transportation.
So it's unlikely that people will be mobilized enough to go out there and care enough to go out and vote no.
NGUYEN: CNN -- well, I wanted to say CNN's Jane Arraf, but right now you're a fellow. We appreciate your time here.
ARRAF: Still in my heart.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. Jane, thank you so much for your insight.
ARRAF: Thanks, Betty.
NGUYEN: Tony? HARRIS: And we want to know what you think this morning about the elections in Iraq. Do you think democracy will take hold over there? E-mail us your thoughts. Our address, CNN, weekends@cnn.com.
We'll be right back.
NGUYEN: And for the Northeastern states, the good news is that days and days of heavy rain begin tapering off today. The bad news is that there is runoff, where all that rain is going. Well, that's the big question. It's safe to say that it won't run off all that fast, and one of the hardest-hit areas is Spring Lake, New Jersey, where flooding forced many residents out of their homes.
And Jennifer Westhoven is on the scene for us, live from Spring Lake, joins us with the latest on what she's seeing this morning. Good morning to you.
JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.
I'm standing in Spring Lake, New Jersey. And I'm actually, even though I'm standing in all this water, this is actually normally a road. You can see the car that's submerged behind me. This is actually called Lake Como. It's kind of a joke, it's more of a duck pond. This is really small lake. Well, it was, until today. Things have really flooded out here.
We've actually been seeing a lot of ducks this morning that are swimming along in the streets. That's kind of a cute sight, but it's not so cute when you're a worried resident.
Talked to one of the neighbors this morning, says actually that things have come down by about two feet. But they're still worried, they're worried about their sump pumps still working.
This is one of only, this is one of two spots in Spring Lake that are really seeing some major flooding, and this is just one of the towns that's strung all along the Atlantic Ocean here in Monmouth County here in New Jersey where they're seeing a lot of problems, Belmar, Neptune, Bradley Beach. In some places, what you're seeing is sewers that are overrunning. So that's a problem. And Loch Arbor, they're having a lot of problems there as well, in just terms of the amount of water, and how the towns can handle that.
Now, of course, this is something that's happening to the entire Northeast here. We've seen problems in northern New Jersey, in Connecticut, they have some power outages as well. Some of the worst flooding, of course, has been in New Hampshire.
In fact, in the floods that we've had in the past few days, about 10 people have been dead. Does look like the water might be going down.
Back to you.
NGUYEN: That is definitely good news, but it should have come earlier. I think a lot of people are saying that this morning, especially since they've had to evacuate their homes. Jennifer, thank you so much for that.
Tony?
HARRIS: Brad Huffines in the CNN Weather Center, give us some good news that folks along the Northeast Corridor there, maybe some good news to move ahead this weekend with.
BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There is some good news.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
HUFFINES: Tony, watching the Northeast very carefully, another update coming up next hour.
HARRIS: OK, Brad, appreciate it. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Still ahead this morning, Iraqi women and the vote. We will take a closer look at what today's referendum could mean for them.
HARRIS: Also, how is the Arab media covering the election? Our Octavia Nasar has been monitoring their coverage and joins us next hour.
But first, a crowd is expected this morning on the National Mall in Washington. Our Kathleen Koch, as you see, is there.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and thousands are already beginning to gather here on the mall. If my cameraman, Jeremy, can pan off, you can see that it is not just men this year on the anniversary of the Million Man March, but it is women and children as well.
And we'll be back in just a minute with more on the movement and its message.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Iraqis have under two hours left to cast their ballots in an historic vote. There's been some violence, but it's relatively mild. Iraqis are voting yes or no on a new constitution. It will ultimately define what democracy will be in a country once run by Saddam Hussein.
Federal officials wanted to clear out all shelters for Hurricane Katrina evacuees by today, but FEMA admits the deadline won't be met. FEMA says of last night, there were still about 16,000 people in those shelters.
In the baseball playoffs, the Chicago White Sox take a two-games- to-one lead in the American League championship series. They beat Los Angeles last night five to two. Game four is tonight.
NGUYEN: Tony, it has been 10 years since Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan called for a million black men to change their communities, starting with a rally in Washington. That was then called the Million Man March.
Decade later, Farrakhan again calls for a strong show of unity. And we are live from the National Mall and what's called the Millions More March. We'll tell you about that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Take a look at this. This is a live look in Baghdad right now at a polling site, as the country is voting on its new constitution. Now, there are around 15.5 million Iraqis who are registered to vote in a population of 24 million. This is one of 6,000 polling sites throughout Baghdad.
It's been a stream, a steady stream, although there have been lulls throughout the day, and this is apparently one. But we have showed you throughout the show that people are coming out to place their ballots and get that ink stain on their fingers showing their support, or the fact that they don't support this new constitution.
But the point here is that they are coming out to vote, and it's an important vote on the new constitution for Iraq. We'll be dipping in throughout the morning - Tony.
HARRIS: Well, this morning, early crowds are gathering on the National Mall in Washington. Right now, you're looking at live pictures from the site of today's Millions More March. It's intended to jumpstart a long-term movement to empower minorities 10 years after the Million Man March.
CNN's Kathleen Koch joins us now from the nation's capital. Kathleen, good morning.
KOCH: Good morning.
Well, you can see, the weather here is beautiful. There's very laid-back and relaxed atmosphere, though events began quite early here. I'll let my cameraman, Jeremy, pan off, and you can see the crowds, some of them who arrived as early as 5:30 this morning for the first speakers, the music that began quite early on.
And as you mentioned, Tony, the goal really here is to reinvigorate action, anger against some of these problems that were raised 10 years ago at the Million Man March that they believe persist today, problems like racism, high unemployment, crime, and poverty in the African-American community. And the goal this time, says organizer Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan, is to really mobilize for the long term.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN, NATION OF ISLAM: We have gathered scholars in religion, in education, in health, in politics, in economics, in culture, and in social development, so that our scholars can plan a programmatic thrust, because the learned of our people have not been directly linked to the problems of the masses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: There was no official count on just how many attended the Million Man March 10 years ago, though, though there was widespread agreement that it was one of the largest events ever on here on the National Mall. Now, there's no real prediction on how many they're expecting today, though organizers say there are some 3,000 buses and then tens of thousands of cars that will be converging on Washington, D.C.
But they say that the goal this time, really, again, this march including not just men but women and children, the goal isn't so much numbers, but again, it's really motivation to change for the better in the long term, Tony.
HARRIS: Kathleen Koch in Washington for us. Kathleen, thank you.
NGUYEN: Well, as Iraqis go to the polls this morning, we want to know if you think democracy will take hold there. Up next, we'll read some of your e-mails, so keep them coming as we take another live look at a polling site in Baghdad. The address is weekends@cnn.com.
Also, how could the Iraqi election affect U.S. politics? Our Bill Schneider will be along later this morning to take a closer look at that issue.
CNN SATURDAY MORNING will be right back.
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HARRIS: Iraqis are at the polls this morning, voting on their draft constitution. We have been asking you if you think democracy will take hold over there. This is what you have to say.
Let's see, Betty -- shall I start with Winston?
NGUYEN: Winston's up.
HARRIS: Winston's up. OK, here go. "I honestly think that democracy will not work in Iraq. The people are used to a certain lifestyle, and they grew up this way. I would love to see the country of Iraq become a democratic community, but I do not think it will happen. It is time for the U.S. to leave that country and worry about what is happening in their own back yard."
Thank you, Winston.
NGUYEN: Robert from the U.S. Virgin Islands says, "A democracy cannot exist unless there is a distinct separation of religion and state. One of the definitions of democracy, according to the dictionary, is the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges. Now, with one religion an integral part of government, the absence of class distinction and privileges is not possible."
HARRIS: OK, all right. And this from Charles from New York City, who writes, "I believe that democracy is possible in Iraq, though it will probably not mirror our American democracy. Just like our Constitution is based on the fundamental morals and beliefs of Western culture, the new Iraq democracy will reflect their own unique Middle Eastern culture today."
All right. For e-mails, for the opinions, thank you for yours. Send them along. Here's the question. Do you think democracy will work in Iraq? Weekends@CNN.com.
We have much more on the Iraqi vote at the top of the hour. Our Nic Robertson is live in Baquba in the heart of the Sunni triangle. We'll also get the Arab world's take on today's election as well.
NGUYEN: And straight ahead on "HOUSE CALL," Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at how our bodies work, and sometimes don't work. Medical mysteries and marvels, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Polls in Iraq are set to close in about 90 minutes. At stake is a draft constitution for the world's youngest democracy. There has been some reported violence, including a sniper attack that killed one...
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