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CNN Live Sunday

Woodruff and Vogt in Stable Condition; Fallout Over Hamas Victory; Violence Escalates in Iraq; Rescue Mission Ends in Poland; Enron Trial Begins Monday; Controversy over Television Series

Aired January 29, 2006 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's been another violent day in Iraq, with attacks throughout the country. In one of them, an "ABC News" anchor and his photographer are too close to the action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SADDAM HUSSEIN, DEFENDANT (through translator): Do not me, do not force me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm not forcing you to do anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

And former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein makes waves at his trial again, calling his new lawyers evil, and leaving the courtroom. What's next in this colorful trial?

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Suzanne Malveaux in for Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after this check of the headlines.

More fallout over Hamas' victory in last week's Palestinian elections. Israel warns of unprecedented attacks if the militant group resumes violence against Israelis. And Israel's acting prime minister is refusing to meet with new Palestinian officials until Hamas renounces violence.

Poland is in mourning today. At least 66 people were killed when a snow-covered roof of an exhibition center collapsed Saturday. More than 160 others were injured. The victims were at a pigeon-racing exhibition.

Tomorrow is the deadline for hurricane evacuees to request an extension to stay in hotel rooms paid for by FEMA. Evacuees have to get an authorization code to keep their rooms. The hot line number for victims to call to request an extension is 1-800-621-FEMA.

First, to a number of developments in Iraq. The Saddam Hussein trial resumed today amid a series of vicious attacks across the country. One involving a familiar face. "ABC News" anchor Bob Woodruff and his cameraman were seriously wounded in a roadside bombing near Taji, north of Baghdad. "ABC News" says Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt suffered head injuries. Both are now out of surgery. Our Gary Nurenberg joins us from Washington with the very latest on their conditions and how it all happened. Gary?

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good afternoon, Suzanne. ABC reports that Woodruff and Vogt were treated in Baghdad and then at an American military hospital, where they were taken by helicopter earlier today.

ABC reports the men were traveling with an Iraqi army unit in Taji, near Baghdad, when the mechanized Iraqi vehicle in which they were riding was struck by an improvised explosive device, an IED.

"ABC News" reports that they had been in a better-armored American humvee with the fourth infantry division, but moved to the Iraqi vehicle apparently to better report their story. ABC says both men were wearing body armor and helmets. Woodruff was recently named one of the anchors to replace Peter Jennings, who had an influence on the younger journalists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB WOODRUFF, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: Something Peter said to me many times over the years is, be careful about wanting to go into a position like this of anchoring, because it's going to take away from what is really the greatest things you do, which is reporting out in the field. And it was his favorite thing to do. And I think it was always a regret that he was not able to get out more, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NURENBERG: That is a trap that Woodruff tries to avoid. He is aware of the danger but knows that reporting from the relative safety of Baghdad's protected Green Zone won't get him the stories that he wants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARENCE PAGE, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: If you don't get outside the Green Zone, you're missing over 99 percent of that country. And how can we as journalists honestly say we're covering the war, covering what's happening in Iraq, if we don't get out and see Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NURENBERG: ABC says the two men will soon be transferred to a military hospital in Germany, a sign that if nothing else, they are deemed well enough to make that journey. Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: You know, Gary, we hear stories about this today as well as with the Jill Carroll kidnapping. Just how dangerous is it for journalists to cover Iraq, based on who you've been talking to today?

NURENBERG: Well, Clarence Page from the Committee to Protect Journalist told us that Iraq, is in his words, the most dangerous place on the planet. His committee has documented more than 60 deaths of journalists since the hostilities broke out in 2003. In his words, quote, "a very dangerous place."

MALVEAUX: Well, we wish Bob and Doug the very best in their recovery. Thank you very much, Gary. We now turn to CNN's senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay specializes in head injuries and he has operated in Iraq. Sanjay joins me on the phone. Sanjay, tell us, what do you know about this military hospital in Balad, where Bob Woodruff and Doug Vogt are now being treated?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Yes, it's a pretty remarkable place, actually. It's hard to believe sometimes when you look at these military hospitals that are sort of set up with the intention of being able to take care of injuries very close to the action.

That's the sort of design of these hospitals. They can perform operations in there. As you mentioned, Suzanne, I myself had performed operations in a hospital in Iraq a couple years ago, so that certainly can be done.

The types of injuries that we're talking about here are a little bit harder to predict, certainly when there's an explosion close to anybody, you think about sort of three waves of injury. The first wave is certainly from shrapnel or anything -- some sort of close to the explosive device itself.

The second wave is actually the brain sort of moving within the skull, and that can cause bleeding sometimes. And the third wave is certainly just bodies and other things sort of moving around. In this case inside the vehicle, it's hard to know exactly what happened here.

The operation itself may have been to remove some bleeding that occurred in or on top of the brain. That's probably the most likely thing, or it could have been shrapnel wounds from that first wave of explosions, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Sanjay, tell us how important is the timing, treating a patient as soon as possible. What kind of window are we talking about between life and death?

GUPTA: That's a great question. And one of the reasons these hospitals are set up so close to the action is because some valuable lessons were actually learned in the Gulf War in '91, where you had these military hospitals that were sort of set up behind, sort of in the back, in the rear they called it.

And it just took too long for the injured to get to those hospitals. So really the time frame that you're talking about, any surgeon would say, you know, certainly the sooner the better when you're talking about trauma. But when you're starting to talk about more than an hour or a couple of hours, sometimes that's just too long with some of these injuries, which is why it's great to have a military hospital of this capability so close to where Bob and Doug were.

Now it doesn't surprise me at all that they're being transferred to a probably bigger hospital in Landstuhl, a hospital that has intensive cherry unit (ph) capabilities, and all that sort of thing. Sort of for the longer term, they're certainly going to need that, but these hospitals can do these sorts of operations very quickly.

MALVEAUX: And Sanjay, what kind of injuries are most common? What kinds of challenges are surgeons faced with, dealing with the injuries from these kind of improvised explosive devices.

GUPTA: You know, it's so remarkable, because I think we certainly learn everything, every time there is a conflict before the types of munitions and the types of explosive devices are just so much more powerful than they were, you know, even 10, 15 years ago.

So it's sort of a little bit of a works in progress, but the sorts of injuries, you know, from the explosive device -- you can get the shrapnel itself from the explosion, so I heard you just say, I think, Suzanne, that he was wearing a helmet. That is probably your best protection against the shrapnel.

The second wave is a little bit harder to predict. It's sort of a concessive sort of injury, Suzanne. It's when, you know, you just get this sort of very rapidly moving air all around you and it can cause a concessive sort of injury to the brain.

Sometimes that can also lead to bleeding, as well either in or on the brain. And those are the biggest challenges. You've got to get a CAT scan, very quickly determine if in fact there's been bleeding and determine whether or not an operation is the right thing to do, and you've got to do that pretty quickly.

MALVEAUX: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much, for your insights. Of course, stay tuned with CNN for the very latest on the conditions of Bob Woodruff and Doug Vogt. We will keep you up to date throughout the day. Again, at this hour, they are both listed in stable condition after being seriously wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq today.

CNN correspondent Alex Quaid has been to the state of the art hospital where Woodruff and Vogt are being treated. And we will give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the facility later this hour.

And a quick program change to tell you about. Because of today's news events in Iraq, "CNN PRESENTS" is changing its focus tonight to Iraq. The scheduled program Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars will not be seen.

Instead, "CNN PRESENTS" will focus on the memorable stories that have happened in Iraq, as told by CNN correspondents who witnessed them firsthand. We will take you to the frontlines through the eyes of soldiers and journalists to the overflowing hospitals to the chaotic trial of Saddam Hussein. "CNN PRESENTS: Under fire, stories from the new Iraq" starts tonight at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific right here on CNN.

Now the attack that injured Woodruff and Vogt was just one of several today. Five bombs blew up outside churches in Baghdad, each about 30 minutes apart from another. Six people were wounded. Two more bombs exploded at churches in Kirkuk. Seven people were injured in the first attack, 10 minutes later the second bomb blew up at another church. Three people were killed in that explosion, four others were wounded.

And now to Saddam Hussein's war crimes trial in Iraq. It resumed today after a month-long break, and the fireworks started immediately. Reporting from Baghdad, here's CNN's Aneesh Raman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: It took less than an hour for the trial of Saddam Hussein to once again descend into chaos. Sparked this time by a new chief judge with a new set of rules, intent on ending the now-familiar diatribes of the defendant.

RAOUF ABDEL-RAHMAN, CHIEF JUDGE (through translator): We are not interested in political speeches. This courthouse is not for political speeches. We would like everyone to stick to the rules. As for the accused, any accused who oversteps the line will be thrown out of this court and will be tried in absentia.

RAMAN: In a matter of minutes, that exact scenario played out. First from the dock to speak, Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti, Saddam Hussein's half-brother, explaining he had cancer and has not received adequate medical attention.

But when the judge tried to cut him off, Barzan called the court, quote, "the daughter of a whore." The judge then had Barzan forcibly removed from the court room. That, not shown on the video feed to hide the identity of the guards.

Up on their feet, the defense lawyers screamed in protest. One was ejected, and then the rest of them walked out, with the chief judge warning that none would be allowed back. In minutes, new court- appointed defense lawyers were brought in. Saddam Hussein then took center stage, rejecting the lawyers, calling them evil and berating the judge.

HUSSEIN (through translator): I led you for 35 years. How can you tell them to get me out? Shame on you.

ABDEL-RAHMAN: I am the judge and you are the defendant and you are disrespecting the rules of the court.

HUSSEIN: Shame on you, do not say get him out. I asked to leave.

RAMAN: Saddam then decided he would leave the court. The chief judge said he was removing him anyway. Also leaving, the former Iraqi vice president and the country's former chief judge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not going to appeal the court. He has to apologize to the lawyer, has to apologize to everyone. If he wants to conduct it, he has to conduct from the proper procedures. He's not impartial, he's not independent, and this procedure is absolutely wrong.

RAMAN: The previous chief judge stepped down after being criticized for not keeping better order in the court. But this new judge clearly intent on establishing his authority, has provoked yet another crisis in this long-running trial. Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: The horrifying roof collapse in Poland, already so many dead and injured. Will the figures rise? We'll go live to Poland for a report from the site.

Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King Jr., and the popular cartoon "The Boondocks." What do they all have in common? Controversy. We'll speak with civil rights activist Al Sharpton about what's going on.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with a look at your cold and flu report for Sunday. As we take a look at the map, we can show you states reporting outbreaks of the flu so far this season. Local activity for the northern tier of the country, but also to the south in Florida and in Oklahoma. Sporadic outbreaks throughout much of the Midwest, no activity reported in South Carolina, but widespread cases of the flu reported across much of the Southwest, including Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. That's a look at your cold and flu report for Sunday. Have a great day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Let's go live now to southern Poland, where rescuers have given up hope of finding any more survivors under the collapsed roof of an exhibition hall. CNN's Paula Newton is there.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, what we know right now is that they will not even begin to dismantle the structure, probably for another day or so. They've had investigators comb it. We don't believe that there's anyone remaining inside. It seems that the death toll will rest at about 66 right now. And about 90 or 95 people remain or so in hospital.

Poland right now is in a state of mourning. Many people are asking questions, how could this have happened? Some people have been blaming the fact that there was excess amount of snow on the roof tops. In fact, right now, Poland's taking a good look at a lot of its large buildings, and asking could this happen again?

They've started an investigation, but right now, their attention is really turning to a lot of the families who still haven't been able to identify their loved ones, and a lot of those family members really have gone through a big ordeal themselves, because they were trapped in this building, had to wait two or three hours to come out. It's really a traumatic time around here. Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: A very sad story indeed. Thank you very much, Paula Newton. In the Middle East, a stalemate between Israel and Hamas. Today Israeli Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert insisted Israel will have no contacts with the militant Palestinian group unless it renounces terror and recognizes Israel's right to exist. Olmert urged other countries to do the same. Hamas defeated the ruling Fatah party in Palestinian parliamentary elections last week. And now as the majority party, Hamas is in charge of forming a government.

With that in mind, will Hamas soften its stance towards Israel, a country that it still refuses to recognize? A top Hamas official in Gaza appeared today on CNN's "LATE EDITION" and said a long-term truce with Israel is possible, but Mahmoud al-Zahar says the Jewish state must first retreat to it's pre-1967 borders and release Palestinian prisoners.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAHMOUD AL-ZAHAR, HAMAS LEADER: Ask the Israelis to stop their killing, to stop their detention, to allow the Palestinian people who are living in refugee camps to come back, to live there in their homelands, the lands of their father and grandfather who are living here since many thousand years. Unless that happens, I think no of the Palestinian people will accept the argument of Israel.

When the American attacking the Arabic and Islamic world, whether in Afghanistan, in Iraq and they are playing a dirty game in Lebanon, this is a terrorism.

So, we are in need, first, to differentiate between liberating movements looking to live as human beings, at least by voting of the majority of the Palestinian people and terrorism organization, which cannot be applied on Hamas, in particular.

We are not a supreme power. We are a simple people who are living in these occupied territories. Why is our enemy having an atomic bomb? Who is going to destroy the other? Hamas is going to destroy atomic state, or the atomic state is threatening the international security, especially Middle East security?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Al-Zahar also said Hamas would not support a secular government because it breeds homosexuality, corruption and AIDS.

One of this country's biggest corporate corruption trials is about to start. How will Enron's former CEO's fare? We'll have a preview and I'll talk with a former Enron employee on what life is like for him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: For many former Enron employees, it has been a long wait. Jury selection in the trial of founder Ken Lay and former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling begins tomorrow. Both men are charged with fraud and conspiracy for allegedly painting a rosy picture of the company's wobbly financial footing. Skilling also faces charges of insider trading and lying to auditors. The trial is expected to take several months. More than four years ago, the Enron scandal cost thousands their jobs and many their life savings.

David Tonsall plans to be outside the courthouse in Houston tomorrow. He is a former Enron employee who says he lost about $200,000 when the company collapsed and he has voiced his frustrations in a rap song. And he plans to hand out C.D.'s outside of the courthouse. We'll get to the rap song and the C.D.'s later, but first tell me just a little bit about your history with the company. How long did you work there? What did you do?

DAVID TONSALL, FORMER ENRON EMPLOYEE: I was at Enron just about five years. I worked in the gas pipeline department, Enron Gas Pipeline Group, and I was in codes and compliance. I also worked in Enron Energy Services, which was the reason I tried to get into the company.

MALVEAUX: And David, tell me how much money did you lose when the company went bankrupt? What was your life like? How did it change?

TONSALL: Well, first of all, my wife and I worked at Enron, and it was tough after we, you know, after the walkout. As a matter of fact, I lost about $200,000, and you get that gut-wrenching feeling in your stomach trying to figure out what you're going to do next.

MALVEAUX: That must have been so hard for your family. Did you have any idea that something like that was coming?

TONSALL: No, I didn't. I did not know the bottom was going to drop out like it did.

MALVEAUX: And how did you adjust? How did you and your wife adjust?

TONSALL: Well, I mean, what are you going to do? You can't stop, you've got to go forward. And I started working for another company, started my own company, and also did the C.D. "Corporate America."

MALVEAUX: And tell me a little bit about this class-action lawsuit. I understand that you are trying to recover some of the lost money. Do you have any idea when that day in court will be and what are you actually charging?

TONSALL: Well, actually I'm on a long list with a bunch of people that's trying to recoup some of their savings. I mean, it's just that simple. You like to get some of your life savings back. When that day will come, I really don't know.

MALVEAUX: And this trial, of course, is starting tomorrow. Obviously you're going to be paying very close attention to it. Do you think that this is going to be fair? Do you think that Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling will be found guilty? Or do you think this is perhaps just an exercise?

TONSALL: Well, I hope that they're found guilty. I honestly do. We'll let the system, you know, following its particular path. It's been four years because, I imagine, it was a pretty convoluted process going through all the records at Enron.

But I believe that Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, just like when I run my household, I'm the man of my household, so they should know what's going on in their household, so they should be found guilty.

MALVEAUX: Finally, of course, David, if you would, tell us a little bit about this project that you've been working on. You're going to be giving away from some free C.D.'s outside the courthouse. You've been working on some raps. Tell us a little bit about that and what are these songs about?

TONSALL: Well, "Corporate America" is basically a song explaining, it's time to undress corporate America. You know, you're affecting our country in a negative manner, because we as citizens, I mean, we helped build these companies. And at the end of the day to walk away with nothing is horrible, it's a horrible feeling. "Drop the S off Skilling," it actually takes you through the bankruptcy policy in the United States, and it's kind of a pun at Jeff Skilling.

MALVEAUX: Well David, we wish you the very best and hopefully recovering at least some of the income that you and your wife lost from the collapse of Enron. We certainly wish you a good future. Thanks again, David.

TONSALL: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Now, have you heard of "The Boondocks?" It's one of the T.V.'s most popular cartoons, so why does it have Al Sharpton fuming? And after the break, we'll update you on the conditions of "ABC News" anchor Bob Woodruff and his photographer. And we'll take a closer look at the military hospital in Iraq where they're recovering. What's it like to be injured and treated in one of those facilities.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Checking stories "Now in the News." Officials say at least 66 people are now known dead in the collapse of a roof of an exhibition center in southern Poland. That number is expected to rise. About 500 people were inside the center yesterday when the roof gave in.

It has been an especially violent day in Iraq. Five bombs struck near churches in Baghdad. Two more went off at churches in the northern city of Kirkuk. At least three people were killed in the attacks. Seventeen others were wounded in a separate incident; insurgents fired mortar rounds into central Baqubah.

"ABC News" anchorman Bob Woodruff and his cameraman are in serious condition at a military hospital in Iraq at this hour. Woodruff and Doug Vogt were wounded in an attack north of Baghdad today. They journalist were with U.S. and Iraq troops when an explosion rocked the Iraqi army vehicle they were traveling in.

Going to work any day in Iraq is dangerous at best. The insurgency is still very active. Some of those homemade bombs can turn up anywhere. No reporters venture out without a security team. Here is CNN's Michael Holmes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): It is a sad fact of war coverage that casualties become numbers, compounding the tragedy trivializing the individual, but that's what many victims here become, numbers. Forty-five killed in this bombing, 18 in that one. The maimed, their own lives shattered, even if not aimed at more numbers. With so many deaths, it's impossible to cover the individual stories, the lives of those who perished. Reporters at work, it's easy to become anesthetized (ph) there is an element of danger voo here sometimes, another day, another bomb, another attack, another death toll.

Many of us of course try to stay detached from the actually violence, you would go crazy if you got emotionally involved in every horror you see but there are times whether we in the media cannot bury it. Usually that's when the horror involves you or someone you know. Many in the media have lost friends and colleagues here. These are photos of just some of them. This week it is two years since we lost two of our own, translator Durai on the left, and one of our drivers Yasakative (ph). Two vibrant young men whose lives were cut short by insurgent bullets.

We've been returning from filming a story south of Baghdad when our two cars were attacked by two cars. None of us there will forget the image of gunmen standing through the sunroofs, firing AK47's wanting to kill not someone who had become a number, but us. Cameraman Scott McWinnie was sitting next to me. He was shot in the head, but survived. Yasser and Durai didn't make it. It changed me, it changed all of us in the cars that day, of course, and many people who were not, these were people we worked with, lived with, and joked around with.

Yasser, young, idealistic came to work for CNN despite his family's constant warnings of the dangers. We used to bashfully teach us Arabic swear words on the way to stories. Durai, fun, funny, devoted father of two children the same ages as my own. We proudly compare photographs and laugh at their latest antics. It's changed, too, how those of us who carry on work in Iraq. Those of us in the early days would take precautions, but think little about walking the streets in Baghdad and elsewhere, speaking with locals, getting a firsthand look at the story we're covering in this case sitting on Saddam's famous statue before it was removed.

This is where we do our live shots every day, reporting to you, however, most days, this is as close as we can get to those in the city behind me. It is difficult to get out and about. We do, but it is always with great caution. The kidnapping of journalist Jill Carroll is another reminder of the risks involved. Like most of us, she is here because it is a story that needs telling, despite the risks. Just a few photos of those who have died here. It helps now and then to remind ourselves and those who watch our work that those casualty lists contain more than numbers. Iraqis or coalition forces, they're people.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Again, ABC news anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt are both in stable condition after suffering injuries from a roadside bombing today in Iraq. After the attack the two were rushed to state of the art U.S. military hospital in Balad for treatment. CNN's Alex Quaid obtained unprecedented access to that facility months ago and brings us this exclusive look inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX QUAID, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At the Air Force Theater Hospital, Balad Airbase, marine corporal Chris Fezmire is taken off the medivac. A mine took both his legs. He's rushed into ER. He's conscious. This will be his second operation since wounded just five hours ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Believe it or not, he's quite fortunate to be here with us.

QUAID: In the OR, alarm red, incoming, we're under attack by mortars or rockets, and this is the most frequently attacked base in Iraq. Despite that, surgeons continue working on Chris.

LT. DON JENKINS, U.S. AIR FORCE: We've build up as best we can around those operating theaters with big concrete barriers, sandbags, that sort of thing, so still alarm red. Most folks that aren't scrubbed in, in sterile gear, do have the opportunity if they can get to their gear safely, to put on their helmet and vests. We don't stop what we're doing because the attack is going on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chris, you're doing great buddy.

QUAID: Chris has been taken to ICU where we meet Lt. Cor. Tim Maxwell who took scrapple to his head from a mortar attack. He's in critical condition, in and out of consciousness. Alarm red again. Maxwell's nurse stays by his side.

CAPT. DEBRA NICHOLS, U.S. AIR FORCE: You can't leave them, because they're critical patients, so you have to stay at the bedside and go ahead and perform your duties just like if you were not in a code red. Yeah, this is heavy and it's hot and I can't wait to get out of it because it hurts my back.

QUAID: Alarm red finally over, but their work here today has just begun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baghdad is bringing two helicopters full.

QUAID: Full of casualties from two bombs exploding in Baghdad's green zone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just take a deep breath, do what you got to do, manpower, roll them into the E.R. as we deem it, critical or not critical, and then we'll go from there. Everybody ready?

QUAID: The medivacs arrive. Patient after patient, this is what's called a mass casualty. The medivacs bring more. And more, and they race to the E.R. Air force medic Sgt. Jacqueline Horton tries to ease them.

SGT. JACQUELINE HORTON: When they come in off the chopper especially, they're disoriented. You tell them over and over again we're going to stay with you, you're not alone, remind them we're with them, ask if they need something for pain, tell them what we're doing to them so there's no surprises because of magnitude of the fear the unknown they're experiencing. That's the only comforting thing that those parents back home have, is to know that somebody is over here talking to them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: That was Alex Quaid reporting.

In a quick program change to tell you about, because of today's news events in Iraq, "CNN Presents" is changing its focus tonight to Iraq. The scheduled program "Christa McAuliffe, Reach for the Stars" will not be seen. Instead "CNN Presents" will focus on the memorable stories that happened in Iraq, as told by CNN correspondents who witnessed them first hand. We'll take you to the front lines through the eyes of soldiers and journalists to the overflowing hospitals to the chaotic trial of Saddam. "CNN Presents, Under Fire: Stories from the New Iraq" starts tonight at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific right here on CNN.

Outspoken civil rights activist Al Sharpton is mad. What's got him so upset? A cartoon? After the break, we'll talk to the Reverend Al Sharpton about why he wants an apology over the popular "Boondocks" cartoon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: An animated television series known for being controversial is at it again. The "Boondocks" on the cartoon network is drawing fire from critics who consider its language too harsh and some of its subject taboo. CNN's Sibila Vargas has the story from Hollywood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me, everyone; I have a brief announcement to make. Jesus was black, Ronald Reagan was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11. Thank you for your time, and good night.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Welcome to "The Boondocks" a place where political correctness is dead, sexual talk is frank, and some people use the "n" word.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't use the "N" in this house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Granddad, you said the word 46 times yesterday, I counted it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, hush.

VARGAS: In fact the "n" word is used quite liberally, and that has some people in the African American community up in arms. So what's wrong with "The Boondocks?"

EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON, POLITICAL ANALYST: The cartoon series it self would be fine except for the use of the "n" word. That's a vial, vicious, lethal offensive word and that is the kind of word we don't want to see.

VARGAS: Author and political analyst Earl Ofarri-Hutchinson wants to eradicate the racial lepathid on the series, so he's challenging "Boondocks" creator Aaron McGruder.

HUTCHINSON: We want to try to get across to him, look you have a wide audience people are watching you literally watching you, people hang on every one of your cartoon words, character words, so come on, be more responsible in what you do.

VARGAS: McGruder is no stranger to controversy. His award- winning comic strip is published in about 350 newspapers daily, and just recently a few temporarily pulled the strip for its use of the "n" word.

AARON MCGRUDER, CREATOR, "THE BOONDOCKS:" The show is about telling jokes and my point on humor and aspects of life. And we do some politics, do tell those jokes. I'm not ashamed of my agenda; I'm not out to change the world with the show or any form of entertainment. People have to change the world.

VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, the latest controversy sparked by the "Boondocks" centers on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Critics say in one episode that aired just before the King holiday, the cartoon desecrated the late civil rights leaders. One of those critics the Rev. Al Sharpton joins us now live from New York. Thank you very much for being with us, Reverend Sharpton.

REVEREND AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: What was it about that episode regarding the late Rev. Martin Luther King that offended you?

SHARPTON: Well, he had Dr. King coming to life, saying Dr. King in fact was not dead, he was in a coma, and this is what he came back and said after 30 years, and then he had King cursing out blacks, using the "n" word, uses profanity himself. It's one debate Suzanne about the "n" word I may personally agree with those critics of that, but it's quite another now to not use the "n" word yourself, but you're going to put it in the mouth of Martin Luther King, to have young people and others that may not be as familiar with his work as they should be, but act as though Dr. King would have behaved this way.

And then for a cartoon network to defend him, saying he was showing Dr. King's bravery, Dr. King's bravery of what? Are they saying it would have been brave of Dr. King to come back and curse blacks out as "ns" and all kinds of other negative things he said? I thought that was way over the line for cartoon network, and they not only should apologize for it, if they don't, we ought to let them understand we're not going to have our iconic figures desecrated like that.

MALVEAUX: Well Rev. Sharpton you mentioned the statement that the cartoon network did release and they said that, "This episode in no way was meant to offend or desecrate the name of Dr. King. We think Aaron McGruder came up with a though provoking way of not only showing Dr. King's bravery but also of reminding us of what he stood and fought for, and while even today it is important for all of us to remember that and to continue to take action."

Do you feel like this was an unacceptable or was this not an apology or recognition that there was certainly no intent to desecrate his memory.

SHARPTON: No, as you read the rest of the statement, Suzanne, I challenged them to show me anywhere in Dr. King's life and there were blacks, there were certainly socially irresponsible while he was alive there were some that are wrong, show me anywhere in his life where Martin Luther King got up and publicly used the "n" word, desecrated blacks as lazy, shiftless ends. That is what they said. So for them to say to show us how Dr. King would have continued was worst than what McGruder said in the first place. Continue what? There's no record of Dr. King doing that. I think if Dr. King was back, he would be doing what he did then, and there is no record of ever doing that, and I'm offended that a white corporate world would try to act as though that's what Dr. King was about.

MALVEAUX: What about the cartoon's creator Aaron McGruder, do you believe that he bears any responsibility? Should he be making a public statement of some sort?

SHARPTON: Absolutely. We've said they both should apologize. Again, I may disagree with McGruder's use of the "n" word, but he has the creative light to do that, but he does not have the right to put that in the mouth of Martin Luther King and tell us we don't have the freedom of speech to respond. McGruder has the right to say what he wants, but guess what? So do we. And what he said is a desecration of our community of the only African American with a national holiday. It is the high tech way on Uncle Tommy.

MALVEAUX: Well Rev. Sharpton let me ask you this though because there are some of course who see McGruder's work as smart satire. Even the NAACP has nominated for an image award for outstanding comedy series. Do you think you're out of step at the mainstream here?

SHARPTON: I've not heard one black organization, one group that defended this particular portrayal. We are talking about my concern with the portrayal of Martin Luther King. He was nominated by the NAACP two or three years ago. I have not talked to anyone; in fact many young people have called in and said you're absolutely right. It's one thing to have satire; it's another to put it in the words of Martin Luther King. Even when you played the little script about saying Ronald Reagan or something else, he did not put that in the mouth of an American historic figure like King.

Can you imagine if he said, this is what Anne Frank said about Jewish people and used a racial term there? Cartoon network would not have run that. They made Michael Jackson and Sony Records take something offensive out towards another community or the Irish or the Italian. Why would they think we should be any less than respectful to ourselves?

MALVEAUX: Now Rev. Sharpton it was less than 72 hours after you threatened to boycott the "Boondock" series that the cartoon channel renewed the series for a whole full second season. Do you have another strategy that you feel might be more effective here?

SHARPTON: You have better information. I never threatened to boycott, what I said is they should apologize or we would have to go total next step. We have not said what the next step is. If the next step is a boycott, it will certainly help hurt them. I would ask every advertiser, I would ask every advertiser on cartoon network to do they support the use of Martin Luther King's image to call the "n" word to blacks? I would challenge those advertiser to say that on the record. I certainly won't be fighting this in a ring they decide. We know how to fight these battles. I would hope that's not necessary. I hope they would have the integrity to respect the memory of Martin Luther King.

MALVEAUX: Reverend Sharpton can you tell us what your next move might be?

SHARPTON: My next move would be clearly to go after the advertisers, if the position of the cartoon network is this is a brave statement to put the "n" word in the mouth of Martin Luther King, I want to know if the people that pay for them to remain on the air believe that. And they can sell out products while they desecrate our heroes.

MALVEAUX: Reverend Al Sharpton, thank you very much for your views. We want to also point out that the cartoon network is owned by CNN's parent company Time Warner.

Well looking for a new movie? We'll recap some of the festival favorites from Sundance and we will show you what stopped traffic in the Las Vegas strip this morning.

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MALVEAUX: Films that focus on immigrant life in America took top honors at the Sundance Film Festival. One film about a Hispanic teen and another about Sudanese boys adjusting to life in the U.S. won prizes. CNN's Brooke Anderson is covering the festival in Park City, Utah and she joins us live.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there Suzanne. I'm here as the 11-day Sundance Film Festival is coming to a close. It's been a wonderful week and a half. It's pretty quiet here on Main Street in parts of the Utah right now as people are heading out of town. Yes, as you said, two films feature immigrant life in America have dominated here, dominated the award ceremony, the first is "God Grew Tired Of Us" the story of lost boys of Sudanese it is a documentary executive produced by Brad Pitt. It's about Sudanese refuges adjusting to life in America and adjusting to western customs. It actually won both the audience award and a grand jury prize for documentary.

Now over to the featured film category, the big winner there was "Quinciera" this is about a Latino girl who is ostracized by her family after becoming pregnant shortly before her 15th birthday.

OK. Another film gaining big recognition here is the timely documentary "Iraq in Fragments" this was honored with the directing, cinematography and editing awards. This film features the stories of ordinary citizens living in the middle of a conflict in Iraq, including an 11-year-old boy who was a mechanic, so a different perspective on Iraq with this film.

Robert Downey Jr. is also back with another film at Sundance, "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" hailed by the "New York Times" was honored with ensemble acting and directing awards. Suzanne, 120 films were screened here at the Sundance Film Festival, many were in competition so it's quite an honor to receive this recognition.

MALVEAUX: It sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks again, Brooke Anderson.

And we'll be right back at the top of the hour with more CNN LIVE SUNDAY. We'll have the latest on today's violence in Iraq, as well as the update on conditions of ABC anchor Bob Woodruff and his photographer Doug Vogt, that is coming up right after the break. Stay with CNN.

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MALVEAUX: An ABC news anchor and his photographer get caught in the middle when a convoy comes under attack in Iraq. They're in stable condition right now. We'll have a live report.

And Poland mourns the victims of the country's worst disaster in almost two decades.

And on a much lighter note, film and music and New Harmony at the Sundance Film Festival. We will have a live report from Park City, Utah.

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