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CNN Live Sunday

Ariel Sharon Suffered Mild Stroke; President Bush to Address Nation; Drop in Donations for Some Local Charities; More Peaceful Protests in Hong Kong

Aired December 18, 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: Late-breaking news from Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is rushed to a hospital after suffering what doctors are calling a mild stroke.
And in just a matter of hours, President Bush will address the nation from the Oval Office of the White House. On the agenda, the U.S. strategy in Iraq and the challenges ahead.

This is CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Gerri Willis. Thanks for joining us.

We begin with the health of one of the most prominent figures in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had suffered a minor stroke. CNN's Wolf Blitzer has been following this breaking story all afternoon. He picks up our coverage from Washington. Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Gerri. It was about three hours or so ago when the Israeli prime minister was rushed to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. Clearly not feeling well, though conscious, we're told by hospital doctors, at the time of his arrival.

We just got a statement in from the White House. A spokesman for the president saying, "We are aware of the reports, and wish him a full and speedy recovery." The White House wishing the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, 77-years-old -- almost 78 -- a speedy recovery, having suffered what doctors say was a mild stroke. Let's bring in our Jerusalem correspondent Guy Raz, he's at the Hadassah Hospital right now. He has the very latest. Guy?

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're watching Professor Boleck Goldman (ph), he is the personal physician of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. And he's been updating us on the condition of the prime minister. He's telling us the prime minister has been given anti-coagulation medicine, a blood thinner, and he says he in stable condition.

Let's listen in and see if they'll give us any more details. Well, Wolf, it appears that the doctor is leaving at the moment, but what we understand from Professor Goldman, the personal physician of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is that the prime minister is now in stable condition.

He did indeed suffer a mild stroke, but the doctor is saying that the indication, the fact that he himself is leaving, is an indication that Ariel Sharon is in stable condition and he is going to be in good health, and could be released as early as tomorrow.

Now, we understand he's been given anti-coagulation medicine, essentially blood thinning medicine, that's a normal procedure, we understand, after a patient suffers a stroke. In the case of Ariel Sharon, a minor stroke. He will remain here at least through the night. He'll undergo a few more neurological tests, perhaps an MRI. But doctors do say, as I say, he is in stable condition and indeed, he will be released perhaps as early as tomorrow, Wolf?

BLITZER: And Guy, we heard from Dr. Yuval Weiss of the Hadassah Hospital earlier that this mild stroke, or as he called it a CVA, a cerebral vascular accident, is being treated but there was no need for what the doctor called, any invasive procedure.

He was going to remain hospitalized for a short time. No word yet on when he will be allowed to go back home. He is fully conscious right now. Both of his sons, Guy, I take it are there, as are some of his other top aides?

RAZ: Yes they are, Wolf. Both Gilad and Omri, his two sons, are here in the hospital. We've seen Ranan Hiseen (ph), a prominent member of Mr. Sharon's inner circle. Dov Weisglass, his personal attorney, a man who is one of Ariel Sharon's leading senior advisers, also here at the hospital this evening. Of course, many of his advisers, we're concerned, were shocked to hear that Ariel Sharon had suffered from kind of minor stroke. Many of them rushing to the hospital, almost immediately after they heard the news.

He's been here now about three hours, but we do understand that the initial concerns, the initial fears of doctors, have been allayed and that the prime minister at the moment is in stable condition. He is conscious. He is focused. We also understand that at no time was he unconscious.

Now, there were early reports that he had fallen out of consciousness at some point, but doctors at the hospital, both his personal physician and other neurologists at the hospital, including medical spokespersons here at the hospital, are saying at no time was he under -- did he fall out of consciousness. Wolf?

BLITZER: Guy Raz, thanks very much. Guy Raz is at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. Martin Indyk is a former United States ambassador to Israel, also a former assistant secretary of state for near-Eastern affairs. He's now with the Saban Center at Brookings Institution. At Brookings Institution in Washington. We're going to go to Martin Indyk shortly.

Gill Hoffman is joining us now, though, from Jerusalem. He is the political editor of "The Jerusalem Post." Gill, thanks very much for joining us.

Give us a little political perspective on what this means, the fact that Ariel Sharon has now had a mild stroke?

GILL HOFFMAN, JERUSALEM POST: Well, Wolf, this is going to change Israeli politics dramatically. Even if Sharon is just fine and walks out of the hospital tomorrow feeling like a 20-year-old, the damage has been done, and this March 28th election has suddenly just gotten a lot more exciting.

BLITZER: In the sense that people are going to question whether or not he's up to the job, whether he should be reelected?

HOFFMAN: Absolutely. Age was never an issue in this campaign. It was always something really swept under the rug, amid more pressing concerns about Israel's security and economy ahead of the election. But now, Sharon can't ignore that issue anymore, and it's bound to be the issue of the campaign for the next few months.

BLITZER: So who are the other leading candidates? I assume Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister, wants to be the leader of the Likud. I assume Ehud Olmert, the vice prime minister, who's a close ally of Ariel Sharon, he would like to be prime minister. And there are Labor Party candidates as well.

HOFFMAN: Well, there's an election tomorrow inside the Likud, Wolf, for the leader of the Likud Party, between Netanyahu, as you said, and Sylvan Shalom, our foreign minister. And that race, that was expected to be really irrelevant, a race for the leader of the third largest party in Israel, has now become much more important.

Now, whoever wins that race will be seen as a candidate for prime minister, who stands a chance of getting elected. Sharon's new party, the Kadima Party, is expected to fall in the polls, because this is a party built on the image of Ariel Sharon, and if Ariel Sharon won't be around forever, then that changes everything.

BLITZER: Political fallout from this development. Gill Hoffman of "The Jerusalem Post." Gill, thank you very much.

We now establish contact with Martin Indyk, the former United States ambassador to Israel. It was very interesting, Martin, to see the initial Palestinian reaction. Reaction from the Palestinian authority, the prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas -- the president, excuse me -- Mahmoud Abbas.

And the spokesman, representative Saeb Erekat, making a phone call to the prime minister's office wishing a speedy recovery. But over in Gaza -- and these are pictures you see -- a lot of smiles from some Palestinians. Celebratory gunfire, handing out of candy as they got word that Sharon has been rushed to a hospital. What do you make of this?

MARTIN INDYK, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL (on phone): Well, I think it really reflects the two differing attitudes in the Palestinian camp. On the one hand, there's always those who seem to see things as a zero-sum game, and anything that's bad for Israel is seen as good for the Palestinians.

On the other hand, the Palestinian leadership, I think, already facing a fairly chaotic situation in Gaza and in the West Bank, do not want to see further instability. And as dependent on their relationship with Sharon as a way to kind of stabilize their own situation.

So I think that what you see is the contrast between what's happening on the ground and what's happening in political circles on the Palestinian side.

BLITZER: How important is Ariel Sharon personally to the continuation of this Israeli/Palestinian peace process and the aftermath of the Gaza withdrawal and now Israeli elections scheduled for the end of March? The expectation, the hope, certainly among U.S. officials, that another round of negotiations will lead to a further Israeli withdrawal from parts of the West Bank?

INDYK: Well, look. The critical point here is that Sharon left the Likud Party, because of the Likud opposition to further withdrawals from Palestinian territory.

So the signal that he sent when he broke with his own party to set up this new party is that he intends to take a step forward in relationships with the Palestinians in the West Bank, either through negotiations or through another unilateral step, just as he did in Gaza. So I think both in Washington and on the Palestinian side, there was an expectation that with Sharon in the lead, there would be new and fairly major developments in the relationship between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

BLITZER: Martin Indyk is with the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution here in Washington, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. Martin, thank you very much for joining us. And that's it, Ariel Sharon still in the hospital. He's recuperating, still undergoing tests, he's conscious, he's described as being in stable condition after suffering a mild stroke.

We'll continue to watch this story for our viewers. In the meantime, back to Gerri Willis at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Gerri?

WILLIS: Thank you, Wolf.

Back in this country, President Bush is getting ready to address the nation for the second time in two days. The focus of his prime- time speech tonight -- Iraq. CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the White House with details. Kathleen?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Gerri, this is an important speech for President Bush, who continues to struggle with low approval ratings for his handling of the war in Iraq. He's been seeing a slight uptick in those number, though, after four speeches he's made in recent weeks, detailing his strategy in Iraq, and the hope is that tonight's address, with a prime-time audience, will have a similar affect.

We're told that President Bush practiced this speech several times here at the White House yesterday. Spokesman Scott McClellan saying it will last around 15 or 16 minutes. He says the president will discuss the importance of the mission in Iraq, as well as will give Americans sense of the way forward in 2006. Mr. Bush is also expected to, as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did today, tout last week's successful elections in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a remarkable couple of days for the Iraqi people. They went out and they voted in huge numbers. There were pictures of little children dipping their fingers in ink and blind people going to vote. They understood what the vote meant. The vote meant a Democratic future, and a chance to control their lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: This is the first time that President Bush has addressed this subject from the Oval Office, since March 2003 when he used that same venue to announce the start of the war in Iraq. A senior administration official tells CNN that there was a, quote, "symmetry to that, that that was a key moment and now three elections later, we're at another key moment." Gerri?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Kathleen Koch, thank you for that report.

CNN will bring you complete coverage of President Bush's address to the nation. Our special lineup starts at 8:00 Eastern. Join Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" for a preview of the president's speech. At 9:00 Eastern, watch the presidential address in a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." And Wolf Blitzer returns to "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 10:00 Eastern.

Looking good, that's how Vice President Dick Cheney described Iraq as he paid a surprise visit to Baghdad today. The stop was so secret, even Iraq's president and prime minister didn't know he was coming. Cheney said Iraqis would eventually look back at 2005 as a watershed year. In the meantime, he added that the security situation there remain a big concern for the Bush administration. Looking ahead, Cheney says, the future of the country is in the hands of its people.

The vice president's visit to Baghdad comes on a day of violence in the city. Roadside bombs killed three people in two separate incidents. Two police officers died when a bomb hit their patrol, and a woman was killed when a bomb exploded near a shrine. The attacks followed three days of relative calm after Iraq's parliamentry elections last week.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says U.S. troops will likely start pulling out of Iraq in 2006. But he predicts there will be a U.S. military presence in the country for years to come. And any full withdrawal will be very gradual. Powell made the comments in an interview with the BBC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATES: I think that a withdrawal is appropriate in due course. First of all, I don't think that the United States military at its current strength can sustain this level of deployment for an extended period of time.

So one way or the other, I think a drawdown will begin in 2006. But of course this is for the current generals serving to make a decision, not me. But essentially, just walk away, to say, "We're taking all of our troops out as fast as we can," would be a tragic mistake. It would be a disaster for us to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: What will President Bush try accomplish when he addresses the country from the Oval Office tonight? Next, we'll hear from political strategists about the ways the president can try to build support for his policies in Iraq.

And are the victims of Hurricane Katrina starting to feel the consequences of donor fatigue? You're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: President Bush is taking his ongoing battle to bolster support for the Iraq war to prime time. The president is giving his fifth recent speech on Iraq tonight. Mr. Bush will likely emphasize progress just days after Iraqis saw high turnout in parliamentary elections.

Another big focus could be the eventual pullout of U.S. troops. This will be President Bush's 20th prime-time address and his first speech from the Oval Office since he announced the war in Iraq in 2003.

So what must the president say tonight to win more support for Iraq? And will it be an even tougher fight now that he's acknowledged ordering spying within the U.S.? Joining me now from Washington, a Republican strategist Tara Setmayer and Julian Epstein, the Democratic strategist. Welcome to both of you.

JULIAN EPSTEIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thank you for having us.

TARA SETMAYER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Hi.

WILLIS: I want to start with a question for both of you about strategy, about what the president is likely to say tonight. We've heard several speeches, none of them in prime time, mostly in the morning. It's like he's been warming up for some time. What kind of ground is he likely to cover? And let's start first with Julian. Hello, Julian?

EPSTEIN: I beg your pardon. I'm having trouble with my mic. Well, I think what we expect him to say is that the situation in Iraq is going well and will get better and we see some -- we'll see some allusion to a timetable for the transition to the Iraqi civilians and military.

But I think he will also try to explain this latest in what is a series of real incidents when the administration is shooting itself in the foot. They'll try to explain this latest incident about spying, which I think will overshadow the president's speech and is just yet one more of a long list of things, whether it's failure to plan post- war Iraq, the Valerie Plame matter, the detention, detainee abuse, torture.

WILLIS: We've got a lot of ground to cover, that's for sure. Let's go to Tara for a second. Tara, what do you think the president must cover tonight? What is the ground that he's got to get across to the American people?

SETMAYER: Well, the president has been on the offensive for several weeks now, and the administration recognized that they needed to use a bully pulpit to get a definitive consistent message across to the American people about what's going on in Iraq. The successes that have been put forth, and the election on Thursday is a historic event.

And we need not to lose sight of that. Julian referred to the spy case that's emerging, and I really think that is shameful of "The New York Times" to put that on, to leak a story that they've been sitting on for over a year, and that was on the front page on Friday, as opposed to the historic election of democracy, the beginning of democracy in an unstable region in Iraq. That should have been on the front page on Friday.

EPSTEIN: Well, spying on Americans has something to do with democracy in this country.

SETMAYER: So what the president will do tonight, is he will have a clear, definitive message, consistent with what he's been talking about for the last few weeks. He's going to give us a generic timetable so that the American people understand that there are certain benchmarks that we need to cover. We are making progress. The truth will eventually come out.

EPSTEIN: Let me take issue with that, if I can.

WILLIS: Julian, yes, absolutely. But I do want you to also mention, just quickly, if you would, what you think the timetable should be that the president is discussing tonight?

EPSTEIN: Well, I think there should be a timetable, and I think the problem that the president has right now is that he has got to change public opinion on the war, when his own public approval numbers -- public opinion approval numbers -- are in the dumps.

Basically, the public does not believe in the honesty of this administration or in the confidence of this administration and that is born out time-after-time by the polls. And that's because of a series of mis-steps, as I say, the failure to plan post-war Iraq, the torture scandals, the detainee abuse scandals, the latest with scandals with Valerie Plame and the domestic spying. And where the administration has fallen short in addition to all of those self-inflicted wounds, it that its really failed to articulate what the agenda is in Iraq, what we expect to see and within what period of time.

What I think the public wants to believe here is that we can still see a net gain for the United States. We can still see a transition to a Democratic Iraq. But the president has never done anything more than really given us bumper stickers and platitudes, and what the public really wants and what I think even some Republicans in Congress really want, is for the president to say, "This is -- I think this is going to be successful. I think we can see a transition to the civilian and the military leaders in Iraq by the summer of 2006 or by something." But he hasn't done any of that, it's just been platitudes.

WILLIS: Let's let Tara get in here for just a second.

SETMAYER: Well actually, the president has done that. And again, again, when you have the drum beat of negative coverage by the media. The Media Research Center recently did a survey that showed out of 1,300 stories on the war on Iraq, only eight showed a positive image of the American military.

So again, like I said before, the president and the administration finally went on the offensive. They're using the bully pulpit to explain where the nexis is between national security for America and democracy in Iraq. And his poll numbers have increased, so the more he does that, the more that he explains to the American people what we're doing, then the American people will respond, and that's what he's going to do tonight.

EPSTEIN: With due respect, his numbers have increased a little bit. But the president's numbers are still in the dumps. And they're not in the dumps because of the critics. They're in the dumps because of self-inflicted wound after self-inflicted wound.

The administration was told repeatedly that they would be more troops in the post-invasion Iraq and they ignored all of those experts and they were proven wrong.

SETMAYER: We're in a war, Julian.

EPSTEIN: They've been proven wrong on the tortures, they've been proven wrong on the torture scandal when the Republicans, led by John McCain, rebelled against the administration and...

WILLIS: All right, OK, we've got to move on. And I've love to let you guys go on forever, but we really can't. We've got to move on.

I want to say thank you to both of our guests. I know they'll be watching this speech tonight just as closely as we will. Tara Setmayer, Julian Epstein, thank you so much for being with us today. We really appreciate it.

EPSTEIN: Thank you for having us.

SETMAYER: Merry Christmas.

EPSTEIN: Same to you.

WILLIS: Our special coverage of the president's speech begins tonight in "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 8:00 Eastern, followed by Larry King at 9:00. Wolf Blitzer will return after the president's address at 10:00.

Just ahead, find out who's being hurt as donations to charities start falling off in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: A familiar rumbling can be heard on the streets of New Orleans today. Several of the city's historic street cars are back in operation. They're running on the Mississippi Riverfront and Canal Street lines. Most of the city's newer red cars normally service those routes, but they were severely damaged by Katrina, so the older green cars are handling most of the work for now.

Many Americans gave generously to help the victims of Katrina and other natural disasters this year. In fact, charitable donations may break a U.S. record. But now some charities are feeling the pinch, as donor fatigue sets in. Our Gary Nurenberg has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fifty-nine?

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's nearly always a line at Washington, D.C.'s Bread for the City.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seventy-two, please.

NURENBERG: The charity provides food to about 5,000 families as often as once a month.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A very nutritious bag of groceries.

NURENBERG: Sylvia Williams (ph) has been helped by Bread for the City for 10 years, works two jobs to get by, lives in a basement apartment with no heat, but because there's no refrigerator either, the temperature helps the food in those bags fresh.

SYLVIA WILSON, HELPED BY CHARITY: You don't get one bag, or maybe two bags from the same place, the way you used to get -- you know, so there really has been a change since those storms.

NURENBERG: By those storms, Sylvia means the tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, all of which led to huge charitable contributions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seventy-nine, please. NURENBERG: But Bread for the City is seeing a drop in donations, of more than a quarter of a million dollars this year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I haven't heard people, donors specifically say to me, "I'm giving to Katrina," but we know that that's happening on a large scale.

NURENBERG (on camera): Bread for the City isn't alone. At a special holiday dinner Sunday, sponsored by another food charity, Martha's Table, organizers said the natural disasters have had a clear impact on corporate giving.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They would have given to Martha's Table, but at the same, their corporate budget had been redirected down to the South.

NURENBERG: The impact is spotty, the Salvation Army says nationwide kettle donations are up one percent. A survey of charities by the Association of Fund raising Professionals disclosed a drop in contributions in the weeks immediately after Katrina, but also shows an increase in recent weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are segments of our membership that are experiencing some donor fatigue, but by and large, it certainly has not hit the majority of our organizations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Miss Essie (ph), do you cook venison?

NURENBERG: Local charities recognized the need to help those in far away places, but worry about the impact close to home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God bless you both. Thank you, see you next month, bye-bye, you too.

NURENBERG: Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Ahead, we'll get a check of the weather forecast for holiday travelers. Also, what does former Secretary of State Colin Powell thinks about what's happening in Iraq? Find out what he had to say to the BBC. And, "Time" magazine has named its persons of the year. You'll hear their reactions to the honor, right here on CNN.

BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm meteorologist Brad Huffines with your cold and flu report around the country. As you start to see things becoming more widespread, you can expect to the see more sporadic and regional activity through the West. Notice the states in purple from Idaho, all the way down to Arizona and into New Mexico. That is some local activity.

Meanwhile, the states in green, sporadic activity in the South. No activity still reported, but you notice that it's becoming more and more widespread. Please be careful out there. Wash your hands and be healthy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Here's what's happening now in the news. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is recovering from a mild stroke. About after hour and a half ago a doctor at Jerusalem's main hospital announced the 77-year-old Israeli leader's condition is improving. We will have much more on his condition in just a moment.

President Bush will bring you his views on Iraq during his live speech tonight. It will be the president's first national address from the oval office since he announced the invasion in 2003. The address is scheduled for 9:00 Eastern.

A German woman held hostage in Iraq has been released. Germany foreign minister says Suzanne Olshuff she is free and safe in her country's embassy in Baghdad. But he's not saying what led to her release. Olshuff and her Iraqi drive we are kidnapped last month. He has not been freed.

Now back to our top story. The health of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. CNN's John Vause is in Jerusalem. John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right. Gerri. The latest word on Ariel Sharon comes from the prime minister's personal physician; he is at the Hadussah Hospital where Mr. Sharon is being treated. He answered a few questions a short time ago. He says that Mr. Sharon is speaking with family members that he is joking with doctors. They apologized to doctors for "making them work so hard and that he in good spirits" in fact in a good mood. Also that Mr. Sharon would like to leave the hospital as soon as possible, but it seems the Israeli prime minister will be kept in for 24, maybe 48 hour for observation.

The 77 year old prime minister is being treat for a minor stroke when he left his office here in Jerusalem early tonight on his way home, he was speaking on the cell phone with his son Omri when he felt unwell. The prime minister's motorcade then sped around and headed towards the hospital. Doctors there say the prime minister was conscious when he arrived and he is now being treated for that minor stroke.

In Gaza, meantime, Palestinians have been chanting death to Sharon, handing out twigs and firing gunshots in air to celebrate the news. However, the president of the Palestinian authority Mahmoud Abbas contacted the Israeli government expressed concern about the prime minister's health, and wished him well. The prime minister's personal doctor says he sees no reason why Mr. Sharon cannot return to his normal duties as prime minister. He does say, however, he will be advising that Mr. Sharon loses some weight.

Gerri.

WILLIS: John Vause thank you for that report. Lets take closer look at strokes, their causes and there affect on the human body. Joining me now is Mark Siegel from the New York University Medical School. Dr. Siegel welcome.

DR. MARK SIEGEL, NYU MEDICAL SCHOOL: Hello Gerri. How are you? WILLIS: I'm great. Let's focusing in on strokes. They were called this afternoon as cerebral vascular accident. That sounds like a very long description for something I think a lot of people have some familiarity with. What is the technical cause of a stroke?

SIEGEL: Well you what a stroke is not enough oxygen to part of the brain, so essentially it's the brain not getting enough blood flow and not getting enough oxygen. That can occur if the blood vessels leading to the brain are narrowed or if they get clocked or it also can accure if a blood clot goes from the heart up into the brain. Those are the most common causes of a stroke.

WILLIS: In the case of Ariel Sharon, his stroke was described as mild. What does that mean?

SIEGEL: You know, when you first have a stroke, that's the first thing you look at is, is how disabled the patient is initially. Because stroke is the number one cause of disability in the entire world, and it's the third leading causes of death. So the fact that he's recovered so quickly to where he's joking and he is awake and alert and moving his arms and legs. This is a very good prognostic sign, and it is consistent with a very small stroke.

WILLIS: So if he's had a mild stroke, and as you say, he had a quick recovery does that mean that he have no problem governing?

SIEGEL: Well they first have to determine with a series of tests exactly what happened here. Whether there's a blood clot from the heart. Whether this is a bleed. They described it as a decreased consciousness. If he wasn't alert or he blacked out, then we have to figure out whether he had a seizure or whether there was a bleed, or there's a blood clot. So the cause of the determine a lot. But he also will probably have to be put on some kind of medication to prevent a further stroke, like an aspirin, or a blood thinner. Those are going to be involved. But if he maintains this level of alertness and responsiveness and ability to function I think yes he will be able to govern.

WILLIS: What if the patient has one stroke, how likely is it that they'll have another one and possibly a more serious stroke?

SIEGEL: Well that's a great question, because a small stroke can easily be a warning sigh for further strokes. That's why the investigation has to be done and usually the medication you can us if you determine the cause can cut down markedly on another stroke. Now Mr. Sharon being so over weight that is certainly a risk. We need to know what his cholesterol is, smoking, these are risk factors. If he altered his lifestyle to the point where he's losing weight and is really following his doctors orders, I think his chances of having another stroke will be a lot less.

WILLIS: Well Dr. Siegel thank you so much for your time and illuminating this topic.

SIEGEL: My pleasure. WILLIS: World Trade Organization ministers reaching an interim deal to end farm subsidies, and open rich markets for poor nations. At the end of a stormy six days of talks in Hong Kong demonstrations outside the meeting turned particularly violent yesterday with riot police firing tear gas and water on protesters. Today's protest were much more peaceful. As we hear from CNN senior correspondent Mike Chinoy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE CHINOY, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Back on the street the day after the worst disorder to hit Hong Kong in decades. Several thousand anti globalization protesters marching through neighborhoods with shop shuttered and businesses closed under the watchful eye of police, heading to a designated demonstration point within sight of the Convention Center where the WTO meeting was in it's final hours. This time the gathers was peaceful. Although the crowd did voice support for the hundreds of South Korean farmers who led Saturday's assault on police barricades.

Many demonstrators as they see it, (IN AUDIBLE) Protest leaders suspended behavior but South Korean farmers, saying it was legitimate resistance against what they see as the institution (INAUDIBLE) The WTO they say is to blame for poverty especially for the farmer who can't compete with foreign imports and who like the South Koreans feel their survival is at risk.

Hi Chin (ph) comes from Malaisa.

HI CHIN (PH): (INAUDIBLE) Mainly how we eat in (ph). Indonesia, the family is very duffer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To me I mean, I think in some ways you can understand it is violence.

CHINOY: As darkness fell a small group of South Koreans blocked a road demanding that the authorities release the nearly 900 other South Koreans arrested during Saturday's disorders. But on this day, these demonstrators seem content to channel their anger to an act of ritualized violence. The destruction of an effigy symbolizing the United States and the WTO. A final gesture of defiance as the Summit drew to a close, and the protesters prepared to move their struggle against globalization on to other battlefields.

Mike Chinoy, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: How would you respond if a robber said, give me your money? We'll show you how one storeowner reacted, and it wasn't pretty for the robbery suspect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: And across the U.S. people are making travel plans for the holidays and the weather could have a very big impact. The first official first day of winter is Wednesday. Meteorologist Monica McNeal is looking at your national forecast. Monica.

MONICA MCNEAL, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right. I'll you what you talked about the official start of winter. That's exactly 1:35 on Wednesday and seems like we've already experienced winter, actually. All right. Taking a look at our 24-hour United States satellite to show you what's going on. Showers and thunderstorms are strong. An area of low pressure is slamming the coast of California right now bringing in strong showers and thunderstorms of rain for those folks.

Right about now San Francisco has already gotten 3 inches of rain since last night and winds are gusting up to about 53miles per hour. So we'll continue to monitor that activity. In the mean time the rain is so bad that the 2 1/2 hour delay for San Francisco International Airport. It you're sitting in the airport kind of wondering what it's going on, I'm sure you probably already kwon.

Taking a look at the big picture lots of folks hitting the road tomorrow traveling, the weather looks good in the middle of the country, we got a big ridge of high pressure, pulling down some cold air across the northeast, looks like some lake-effect snow across the snow belt, anywhere from two to four inches of snow out towards the west, looks like more rain for folks in Seattle and, of across northern California, and into the Salt Lake City area of the upper Plains of Utah looks like you could be dealing with snow in the forecast.

Hi temperatures tomorrow not all that impressive. Pretty chilly though, in Dallas a high of only 48, looks like 39 degrees in Washington D.C., and 36 degrees as the high temperature for you there in New York and San Francisco will see some rain with a high temperature of 63 degrees.

Gerri.

WILLIS: Monica, thank you for that.

It is a case of the hunter being captured by the game. A young man attempts to rob a California store but gets a painful and embarrassing surprise. Here is more from our affiliate KXTV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well 24-year-old Cory Allen Funk walked into this Modesto Quick Stop hoping to rob it, he never expected a manager like Edward Petrossi.

EDWARD PETROSSI, STORE MANAGER: I didn't want to hurt anybody but he made me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like the suspect waited for all the customers to leave then snuck up on Edward from behind.

PETROSSI: (INAUDIBLE) had to turn and say, what are you doing? Because the way he -- I saw the knife, ridged knife. Look like that. He said, open the drawer, give me your money. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But the suspect didn't know is that Edward has a black belt in six marshal arts. On surveillance video Edward goes into fighting stance ready for action.

PETROSSI: I said no this is (INAUDIBLE) I had to jump backwards, and stand to get ready position. Grab something, you want my money? OK. Right there. Come get it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The surprised suspect runs for the door but the manager is right behind, and with a few high kicks sent the robber tumbling right into the parking lot.

PETROSSI: that is the best place --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The young suspects almost losses his pants in the scuffle and flees to his car. But that is not the end of the story. At that moment Edward remembers his cell phone camera.

PETROSSI: I took my gun. Let me take a picture of this man. I took my cell phone, I zoomed in --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He sure did, a clear shot of the suspect's license plate number, which later led to his arrest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: Well that's amazing. Cory Allen Funk was arrested in Fresno for the attempted robbery and is being held on $250,000 bail.

The newest iPod is one of the most popular ways to watch video on the go and in this edition of "Techno File," CNN's Reniess Samigil talks with Cnet.com Brian Cooley about the ipod and some of its competition.

RENIESS SAMIGIL (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT: Portable video players are just now starting to get some attention, thanks largely in part to Apple's new video ipod. Joining us now to talk more about that and some of the other players in this market is Brian Cooley with CNN.

And lets start with the Apple video ipod. Is this worth all the hype?

BRIAN COOLEY, EDITOR, CNET.COM: It's still the one to beat. I mean look at the quality of the screen. It's really sharp, bright, great smooth video, played back. It's of course is primarily still a music player. A photo viewer and now it adds video. It is important to keep that in mind. Don't buy this just for video, this market is too early and to young, it ties into the itunes at the store where you can download and buy legal broadcast shows, so that's also a big leg up on that one.

SAMIGIL (ph): Key Operative word, legal.

Arco has been around, actually longer than Apple and is coming out with video players. COOLEY: This is the Arco Jimeny 402 it is actually a camcorder it has a modest quality camcorder lens on the back. And the screen to play it with here on the front, 20 gigabyte hard drive on this one, it doesn't have a line input jack. So you can't connect a cable to record video into it. Which can be handy in these early days when there is not a lot of content to play on these things. .

SAMIGIL (ph): You've got two products from the company called Callo (ph).

COOLEY: This is one a lot of folks never heard of. This is a little tiny one called the Callon U2 (ph).

SAMIGIL (ph): This is so small, what can you watch on this?

COOLEY: Not much, unless you have really good eyes. They basically taken an audio player and they grafted in video abilities. It is almost like because they can. For the youth market and for short music video clips this would be fine.

SAMIGIL (ph): But there is a bigger screen on another Callon (ph) product.

COOLEY: Now here's the kind of thing that would be more of an adult project. This a237 it has a built-in hard drive, so it holds a lot more. Great quality screen and of course again also an audio player and a picture viewer, you have some screen area to work with there.

SAMIGIL (ph): Now a name that I would go to if I was looking for a big screen TV for my den, or for a cell phone would Samsung, now they're getting into this market.

COOLEY: Their little player looks like a cell phone. It's not. But it is a digital audio player first and foremost but again, adding in the video is kind of a trend we are seeing on a lot of products here. So it has got a smallest screen, you won't get a lot video resolution out of that but it's not a bad product. Up to 2 gigabits of solid-state storage and again that is useful for smaller clips, not for a library of shows.

SAMIGIL(ph): We should point out, if you are thinking about why we would want to buy a video player. All of these also do play your mp3, your music files as well.

COOLEY: That is still the primary use, because there is not a lot of content to watch unless you create your own files and transfer them in. That will changer over time and more companies will do like Apple and offer legal content.

SAMIGIL (ph): All right. Shoppers should definitely keep that in mind. Brian Cooley with CNET portable video players. Thanks for joining us.

COOLEY: Thanks.

WILLIS: Just ahead, reaction from "Time" Magazine the Persons of the Year"

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: Big hearts and deep pockets are being honored by "Time" Magazine. The trio of famous faces graces the covers of its persons of the year issue. Each are being singled out for efforts to eradicate global poverty.

BONO: Experiencing unusual feelings called pre-humblers.

WILLIS: Bono may have made more headlines for his work on aid to Africa than for his music in the past few years and even in the face of personal recognition; the rock star is staying on message.

BONO: This can be a generation that can end extreme poverty, and by what I think -- daft poverty where 3,000 kids are dying everyday of a mosquito bite in Africa, malaria. We can fix stuff like that.

WILLIS: The Live AIDS concert organized by Bono and others this year went a long way towards that goal. Shortly after the concerts g8 leaders committed to double aid to poor countries by 2010 adding about $50 billion a year.

Also, honored by "Time," Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders of the world's wealthiest charitable foundation with a endowment of more than $28 billion. Much of the foundation's work is dedicated to funding vaccines for underprivileged children.

BILL GATES: It has been a great way for global health to get more visibility and I think it is part of a up swelling of interest and see more equity. The greatest inequity left. The more people know about us, the more they want to ask.

WILLIS: "Time" Magazine reports the Gates spent giving more money away faster than anyone else. Like Bono, the couple wants to keep the focus on the prize.

MELINDA GATES: I think the important thing is recognizing the issue of equity across the globe.

BONO: They were coming from different places, and we are in agreement that this can be a generation that can you know, eradicate extreme poverty. That's not, a kind of -- you know, sort the wishful thinking. The hard-headed business guy these are achievable goals and I'm a mouthpiece, I'm a rock star, I'm a very dirty looking man, but it's -- it's the tough stuff that will get this done.

WILLIS: CNN brings you an in-depth look at all of "Time's" PERSONS OF THE YEAR beginning at 7:00 Eastern. At 8:00, Wolf Blitzer anchors a special edition of the "Situation Room," previewing President's Bush speech and then at 9:00 join "Larry King" for live coverage of the Mr. Bush's address, that will be followed by a special edition of the "Situation Room" at 10:00 Eastern.

CNN LIVE SUNDAY rolls on. Next, find out about a syndrome where people just can't stop eating. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIS: We're keeping an eye on a developing story out of Jerusalem at this hour. Israeli's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is in the hospital after suffering a mild stroke. A live report with the latest on his condition is straight ahead. Right now, President Bush is preparing for his address to the nation, a look ahead at what to expect from the president speech.

Also, what's impossible only in Hollywood horror movies is now part of a real investigation in New York. Stealing and selling body parts for profit.

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