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CNN Live Sunday
Judge Tries to Impose Order in Hussein Trial; Upcoming State of the Union; Hunting for IEDs
Aired January 29, 2006 - 17:00 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: Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. All of that and more after this check of the headlines.
In Gaza, armed members of Fatah continue to defy Hamas, which rose to power last week in an election upset. Fatah's leaders vow not to work with Hamas. Israel's defense minister today warned of an unprecedented military response to any Hamas terrorist attacks.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist now says he would have ordered more U.S. troops to Iraq in March 2003, if the decision had been his to make. He told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he says that only with the benefit of hindsight.
And Pakistan's former prime minister complained today that her native country is trying to embarrass her while she visits Washington. A few days ago, Interpol issued a red notice that Pakistan's request for Benadir (ph) Bhutto and her husband. The couple who now live in exile are wanted in Pakistan on corruption charges. The notice is not an arrest warrant.
Our top story is the serious wounding today of ABC anchor Bob Woodruff and his cameraman Doug Vogt. They were on assignment in Iraq when they were hit by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad. Both men underwent emergency surgery at a U.S. military hospital and at last report both are in stable condition. Woodruff normally co-anchors "World News Tonight" with Elizabeth Vargas in New York. CNN Gary Nurenberg in Washington is monitoring (ph) Gary.
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good afternoon Suzanne. Woodruff and Vogt reportedly gave up the relative safety of an American 4th infantry Humvee for a less protected Iraqi mechanized army vehicle, apparently to better report their story. ABC reports they were traveling with an Iraqi army unit near Taji when that vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device, an IED. The men were reportedly wearing body armor and helmets, but ABC says they suffered serious injuries. An ABC colleague reports the men received initial treatment in Baghdad's green zone before being flown to an American military hospital for surgery. The attack follows the kidnapping earlier this month of American journalist Jill Carroll whose whereabouts remain unknown. Iraq has become a dangerous place for journalists, more than 60 of whom have died according to statistics kept by the committee to protect journalists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: Bob Woodruff is not a parachute journalist. After 9/11, he spent four months reporting from Pakistan. He's covered Iraq. He's covered other wars. He's covered Afghanistan. So it was a natural thing for him, even though he's now an ABC news anchor to want to go back to the story, back to the danger zone and not only to help his newscast. He didn't need to worry about his own reputation, but this is what he loves to do. He sees himself as a reporter first and anchor second.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NURENBERG: Woodruff talked about that recently with CNN Prime's "Showbiz Tonight".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB WOODRUFF: 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 is going take away from what is really the greatest thing, which is reporting out in the field. And he -- it was his favorite thing to do. I think it was always a regret that he was not able to get out more as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NURENBERG: Again, Woodruff and Vogt are reported to be in stable condition this evening after surgery. The American military says they'll be moved perhaps as soon as tonight to a military hospital in Germany for further treatment. Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: I wish them the very best in the recovery. Again, thanks, Gary.
Michael Ware is a journalist who knows firsthand of the dangers of covering Iraq. He's a Baghdad bureau chief for "Time" magazine. He is currently on leave in New York. Michael, you met with Bob Woodruff before he went over there. Did you give him any advice? What was your conversation like?
MICHAEL WARE, TIME MAGAZINE: Well, Bob's been to Iraq before and he has a keen interest in the story. So what he was after was the latest on the deteriorating situation there in Iraq. And he explained to me his knowledge of what is going on there on the ground and his pursuit of the truth there. So really that was his foremost concern, getting to the story.
MALVEAUX: Did he express any fear or any concern about his safety? Did he talk about concern for his family?
WARE: No. He didn't. I mean this is something that we all assume, the entire press corps that attends the story in Iraq. This is part and parcel of attempting to bring light to the war in Iraq to the people back home. We need to shoulder this and we have to live and breathe it every single day. An IED such as the one that's injured Bob and the cameraman are just one of the forms of threats against us. MALVEAUX: Can you tell us anything about the area where they were injured today?
WARE: Yeah, Taji is north of the capital Baghdad. It is an area of firm insurgent activity. It is one of their smallest strongholds that essentially rings the capital. It is also the site of one of the largest munitions plants under Saddam's regime. So there is an enormous amount of explosives that have leaked out from these poorly protected munitions factories and are now in the hands of the insurgents. An American unit I know quite well and spent time with lost five men, six men in one Bradley that was literally torn apart by an explosion, much the same as this, Bob's vehicle.
MALVEAUX: And Michael, I'm sure that you also covering that area have had some close calls personally while reporting there as well.
WARE: Look, I can't begin to tell you how many times I've come close to what I suspected serious injury or death. I've been in IEDs. I've been kidnapped and been ready to be executed by al Qaeda. I've had snipers shooting at me. I mean this is what it takes to bring the people back home the truth of what is happening on the ground. And Bob has assumed that risk.
MALVEAUX: Michael, thank you very much. And again, we thank our colleagues for trying to bring that story to us as well. We wish them the very best. We're keeping up with the latest details about the two wounded journalists and this reminder, CNN will keep you up to date on their condition throughout the day and evening.
And a quick program note change to tell you about. Because of today's 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 first hand. We will take you to the front lines through the eyes of soldiers and journalists, to the overflowing hospitals and the chaotic trial of Saddam Hussein. Again, "CNN Presents: Under Fire: Stories from the New Iraq" starts tonight at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific right here on CNN.
And Saddam Hussein has a rocky start today with the new chief judge at his trial. The judge seemed determined to instill a sense of order on the famously raucous courtroom, but Saddam, his lawyers and several co-defendants were having none of that. Saddam's half brother, once Iraq's chief of intelligence, hurled a vivid insult for which the judge kicked him out. Then a lawyer got the boot. Not to be outdone, Saddam got in on the act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRANSLATOR: I led you for 35 years. How can you tell them to get me out? Shame on you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The deposed Iraqi leader stormed out, but the trial continued without him. Protected by a curtain, three witnesses testified to a 1982 massacre allegedly ordered by Saddam after a failed assassination attempt. If convicted, the defendants face death by hanging.
Two days from now, President Bush will deliver his state of the union address to a joint session of Congress. It is the president's chance to outline his agenda for the New Year on everything from health care to the war on terror. Our White House correspondent Elaine Quijano joins me with the preview. Elaine, what do we expect?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Suzanne. President Bush is obviously going over his state of the union address this weekend. And aides say that he's going to try to strike an optimistic tone, focusing really on issues that the White House believes are important to Americans, issues like, of course, the economy, health care and retirement, energy and gas prices, but also the issue of Iraq.
Since the U.S. led invasion of Iraq began nearly two years ago, more than 2200 Americans have died. We saw last year waning public support for the president's Iraq strategy. So expect the president to again defend his Iraq policy as essential to fighting the war on terrorism.
Now also on this issue of terrorism, since this is an election year, of course, midterm elections coming up in November, the administration is really trying to draw some clear contrasts between Republicans and Democrats and the White House borrowing a page from the '04 presidential campaign, trying to portray both the president and Republicans as strong on national security and the war on terror. Now, that's an argument Mr. Bush is already using to defend his administration's controversial surveillance program as he did in an interview with CBS News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is important that this program go on. I understand the debate. And I understand the need to make sure people discuss and debate whether or not I've got the authority to do it. But as I told the American people, and I can't tell you how strongly I feel about this, if somebody is talking to al Qaeda inside the United States, we need to know why.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now as for the state of the union address, there may be some new proposals. Aides say don't expect any kind of ambitious unveiling of programs or ambitious goals like last year's push to overhaul Social Security. As you know, Suzanne that particular initiative failed to get any traction on Capitol Hill. Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And Elaine, I understand you some reaction from the White House on those journalists as well, the injured journalists in Iraq.
QUIJANO: That's right, from a spokesperson actually a few minutes ago. Quote, it is terrible news and we are praying for a full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them. The White House has offered to help in any way they can. Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Elaine, thank you very much. Appreciate that.
Rescue operations have been called off at the site of yesterday's deadly roof collapse in Poland. At least 66 people died when an exhibition hall collapsed; 160 others were injured. CNN's Paula Newton has more on that disaster.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is now a crumbled shell of a building. The utter destruction inside offers chilling clues as to what it must have been like when steel beams and sheets of roofing came tumbling down. For hours, literally, thousands of people showed up with equipment, search and rescue dogs and their bare hands, anything to get to those still trapped inside. But it was no use. Just hours after the collapse, it was clear no one else would make it out alive. Families huddled waiting to hear news, none of it good. Lists of the survivors, the injured and the dead were posted. But Magda Kania's husband was on none of them. After spending hours trapped under debris, she was rescued and had to break the news to her sons, she had no idea what happened to their father.
MAGDA KANIA, SURVIVOR: Imagine. I can't take it anymore. It is really horrible. I hope I will find my husband dead or alive. Probably dead somewhere in (INAUDIBLE) or nobody knows where.
NEWTON: Magda's father Jusef (ph) could take no more. Bruised and battered, he wants answers. Where is his son-in-law? How could this happen? They don't know anything, he says. There is no information. Nolmans Francis still can't believe he made it out. One of the exits he tried was locked. He says the roof caved in almost instantly.
NOLMANS FRANCIS, SURVIVOR: And then suddenly glass broke and from one point, it came up, you see the roof going like this, like a domino thing. And that's it. It took about 10 seconds, I think.
NEWTON: That's all it took to plunge Poland into a national state of mourning. As the country's president visited the injured, he assured them he was asking the same questions they were. Now we have to ask ourselves, he says, the question whether this type of roof should be built in Poland. Poles are relieved the death toll did not go higher. Still many are overwhelmed with grief at what seems like such an avoidable catastrophe. All this grief is matched in equal measure by anger, a growing anger that such a new center, supposedly built under strict new building codes, could have collapsed in on itself, triggering this country's worst human disaster in nearly two decades. Paula Newton, CNN, near Katowice, Poland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Taken hostage in Iraq, hear from a man who was kept in a hole in the ground for 10 months. He knows first hand what kidnapped journalist Jill Carroll and her family must be going through. His story ahead.
Plus, how aware are you of your surroundings and how aware should you be especially when you're traveling? We'll talk to an expert.
Also what U.S. soldiers do to get rid of a deadly curse in Iraq. The improvised explosive device or IED. That story ahead. Stay right here.
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MALVEAUX: Other stories today across America, take us to Dallas. This morning a ten -- this morning a 10-story mirror clad office tower came down in a giant heap of dust. It took less than 100 pounds of explosives to do the job. Affiliate WFAA covered the implosion live.
In Las Vegas, a street brawl on the strip led to the arrests of more than a dozen people last night. Police had to close down a section of the strip for about 20 minutes while they restored order. The fight broke out among people at a party at the Hawaiian marketplace.
And in Washington, even Senate Democrats who expect to vote against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito say a filibuster probably won't work. Senator Joe Biden of Delaware told CNN's Wolf Blitzer today that any attempt at a filibuster would simply be symbolic.
And every week in our best of segment, we share some highlights from our reporters work. Today we are talking about kidnapped journalist Jill Carroll. Few people can identify with what she is going through. But Roy Hallums knows first hand. Hallums was working as a contractor in Iraq when he was kidnapped in November of 2004. He was held for 10 months before being rescued by U.S. troops last September. Now he's telling his story. He spoke with CNN's Randi Kaye for a story that aired first on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360."
REPEAT PACKAGE
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MALVEAUX: A couple of trends emerged from this year's Sundance film festival. Before everyone went home today, two movies examining immigrant life in America took top honors. Something else also struck a chord, something we call the sounds of Sundance. CNN Brooke Anderson joins us live from Park City, Utah. So, Brooke, tell us what this means. You've been seeing lots of films. Now you're jamming. What is this?
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely Suzanne. I am here in Park City, Utah, on main street, on this the very last day of the Sundance film festival and you're right. This year a number of Sundance films have found rhythm with some popular artists including Metallica, the Beastie Boys and Neil Young. Why don't we take a look now at how these popular musicians are hoping to hit the right note with filmgoers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ANDERSON (voice-over): This is the sound of Sundance. As the sun goes down on Park City, some people are waiting in line for film screenings while others are hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the many musical performances taking place around town.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to say thanks to all of the Darwin Awards folks. It was a lot of fun.
ANDERSON: At an after party for the film "The Darwin Awards," Metallica, who appears in the comedy about urban legends played to a packed house in a rare club appearance.
It is an all together different kind of intimate performance that frames Neil Young's "Heart of Gold". But the rock legend is quick to point out this music documentary is much more than just another concert film.
NEIL YOUNG, SINGER/SONGWRITER: They're all the first time the songs were ever performed for people. It was up to me and the band to make sure that they got essence of every song, one by one, just like you would if you were making an album.
ANDERSON: Audiences get another perspective of both a band performing and also goofing off in "Everyone Stares, the Police inside-out. The documentary film was directed by drummer Stewart Copeland who shot all of the film's footage on a super 8 home movie camera during the band's rise to fame.
STEWART COPELAND: This film was shot by a 25-year-old rock star and it was edited by a 50 something-year-old guy. It really should have been a home movie. I made it (INAUDIBLE) -- a collection of shots, hey, guys, remember this?
ANDERSON: For the Beastie Boys Sundance debut, it is the audience that is in the director's chair, as fans of the B Boys get behind the camera to shoot a concert from their own unique perspective.
(INAUDIBLE)
ANDERSON: A thought-provoking independent documentary takes hip hop fans beyond beats and rhyme as film maker Byron Hurt explores the social impact of hip-hop on American culture.
BYRON HURT, DIRECTOR: How many emcees you see on TV talking something positive? How many? None.
What I really work hard to do in my film is to make connections to the larger culture by saying these problems don't just exist in hip-hop. Hypermasculinity, violence and sexism, misogyny and homophobia, these are things that are part of American culture. So hip-hop is Americana.
ANDERSON: As long as people continue to make music on film, Sundance will continue to be a stage and spotlight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON ( on camera): And the film featuring Metallica "The Darwin Awards", was picked up here at the festival by distributor Bower Martinez. So you can expect to see a lot of these Sundance movies very soon in theaters. Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: Brooke, you're having too much fun. We saw you bebopping during your piece there.
ANDERSON: Exactly.
MALVEAUX: Thanks again, Brooke.
ANDERSON: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: Moving on here, checking the stories making news now. ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and his cameraman Doug Vogt are out of surgery and in stable condition. The two were seriously wounded by a roadside bomb today in Iraq. The military plans to transfer them overnight to a hospital in Germany.
Churches in two Iraqi cities were rocked by bombs today in Kirkuk. Two churches were hit leaving three people dead and 11 wounded. At about the same time, a chain of bombings began near churches in Baghdad. In all, five bombs exploded and six civilians were wounded.
Crews in Poland have given up hope of finding more survivors at the site of a deadly building collapse. At least 66 people died yesterday at a racing pigeon event inside an exhibition hall. About 500 people were inside when the roof came crashing down.
So how do you prepare yourself for the unexpected while traveling? How to stay safe abroad and even at home. Straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
And see how U.S. troops in Iraq face the danger of getting hit by so-called IEDs.
Also with big plans for the future and even bigger challenges ahead, NASA is at the crossroads.
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MALVEAUX: Joining us now from Washington, security expert Jerry Hale. He has worked with the U.S. military and national security community.
Let's start off, Jerry, by talking about the attacks in Iraq today. Of course, the victims, ABC's Bob Woodruff and Doug Vogt. They were embedded with U.S. military. Can you give us a sense of just how risky it is to still cover that story, to be in that area?
JERRY HALE, ABRAXAS CORPORATION: Well, first of all, I would like to send out my heart feelings to both Bob and Doug and his family and to all of the other Americans that are in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is very difficult being in Iraq, especially with the IEDs because they can be disguised like most anything and they're indiscriminate. And they're very hard to defeat and they're very hard to avoid.
MALVEAUX: Is there anything that you can do? These two -- ABC says that they were wearing body armor and helmets and what can possibly be done? Are there additional protections that can work against an attack like this or even signs that you can look for?
HALE: Well, there are several procedures that you can follow and guidelines you can use. But to be 100 percent safe and sure, it is virtually impossible. Because they can be disguised as most anything.
MALVEAUX: Give us an example.
HALE: Dead animal, an abandoned car or even a vehicle with a driver in it that appears to be having car trouble or vehicle that is out of gas or fixing a flat tire.
MALVEAUX: Is there training? Is there a type of training that they go through, obviously with the military, to try to protect themselves?
HALE: Yes. To identify situations like that and not to approach them, but to stand off and to confirm whether they are safe or whether it is not safe.
MALVEAUX: Now, we actually saw -- if we can broaden this out to the United States, we saw this week there were a number of high profile stories of people abducted, abused and including the most vulnerable children. What is the biggest mistake that you believe people make in regard to their personal safety?
HALE: People underestimate the bad guys out there.
MALVEAUX: Can you expand on that a little bit. What do you mean? What kind of assumptions do people make?
HALE: It is not going happen to me. It is going to happen to someone else. And they become very complacent. They let their guard down. Situation happens and their guard goes up and they're aware for a few minutes or few hours or few days. But then they let their guard back down again.
MALVEAUX: And how do you keep that kind of mind set active, a personal safety, without actually becoming paranoid? A lot of people think - well, this hunch I suspect this person on the street is dangerous and then they feel somewhat embarrassed about that.
HALE: Well, one should try to get a personal security awareness course and learn to develop the habits and the mindset that you need to survive out there. So you can recognize a situation so the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up and tell you there is something wrong here and when you decide something is wrong, to move.
MALVEAUX: And you've been involved in that training for quite some bit. How do you spot an easy target? HALE: A person is complacent, person that is oblivious to what is going on around them. Someone that is distracted, listening to ear phones or a cell telephone or reading or just not being aware of what is going on around them.
MALVEAUX: Do you advise that people do background checks on people you might work with or around your home or do you think that references usually do the trick? If you suspect that perhaps somebody is not safe?
HALE: Well, I would recommend doing references and if possible background checks for anybody you have working around your home. Especially in the home. And I would ensure that they're escorted or a supervisor on stand by or on the premises when things are going on.
MALVEAUX: Jerry Hale, thank you very much. Sorry, we have run out of time. Thank you, once again, for those very useful tips.
HALE: Thank you.
MALVEAUX: Today's wounding of ABC journalist Bob Woodruff and Doug Vogt is a vivid reminder of the danger across Iraq. The insurgency's weapon of choice is the improvised explosive device or IED. CNN's Alex Quade had this very close call last March which we want to show you again because it speaks directly to what happened today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An abandoned car on the important main supply route from Fallujah to Baghdad instantly made the marines of Dragon Platoon suspicious. We were on patrol with this weapons company from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, when they secured the area. And eventually used an armored humvee to push the car off the side of the road, when it happened -
The marines call this a vehicle-borne IED, improvised explosive device. Translation, car bomb. The marines believe it was detonated remotely by an insurgent trigger man watching and waiting for the right moment to injure or kill as many U.S. troops as possible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep going!
QUADE: In this case, nobody was seriously hurt. The blast blew CNN cameraman David Albritton (ph) back four feet. I saw he was OK and picked up my mini cam to help record what was happening right in front of us. Marines climbing into the flaming humvee to get ammo out that could blow and cause other casualties.
You okay?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. It knocked me down. I just got hit by a little piece of shrapnel. Didn't break the skin.
QUADE: Reinforcement troops arrived. Apache helicopters provided close air support. And the marines of Dragon Platoon continued fighting flames to salvage anything from the humvee that might be of use to insurgents. Including the 50-caliber machine gun mounted in the turret.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not a scratch on him. Lucky son of a gun.
QUADE: That lucky marine, Lance Corporal Jason Hunt told me he thought he was going to die. Then he walked by me to immediately pull security while his fellow marines continue to deal with the smoking humvee. They will all be out on patrol, hunting for improvised explosive devices again tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was pretty close. I consider myself lucky.
QUADE: Alex Quade, CNN, near Abu Ghraib prison, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: A top Hamas leader says a long-term truce with Israel is possible. But he would not say if Hamas might recognize Israel's right to exist. Mahmoud al-Zahar is a co-founder of Hamas. The group won a majority of seats last week in Palestinian elections. He told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that it is Israel, not Hamas, that needs to change its policies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD AL-ZAHAR, HAMAS LEADER: Ask the Israelis to stop their killing, to stop their detention. To allow the Palestinian people 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 happen, I think no of the Palestinian people will accept the argument of Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Given the role of Hamas in numerous terrorist attacks against civilians, Mahmoud al-Zahar was asked if Hamas would renounce terrorism. But he argued that the usual definition of terrorism is unfair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL-ZAHAR: 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 terrorism. So we need first to differentiate between a liberating movement looking to live as human beings blessed by voting of the majority of the Palestinian people and terrorism organization which cannot be applied on Hamas in particular.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Zahar also said that until Israel declares what its final borders will be, Hamas will not say whether it will ever recognize Israel. Coming up on CNN LIVE SUNDAY, after many successes and some major failures in the past, what does the future hold for NASA? We have got that story straight ahead.
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MALVEAUX: Here are some of the stories making news around the world. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germany won't fund the Palestinian Authority unless Hamas changes its ways. On a visit to Jerusalem, she said continued German support will depend on whether Hamas renounces violence and accepts Israel's right to exist.
And avian bird flu has spread to the Mediterranean. The European Union confirms the spread of the virus took poultry in northern Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriot leadership says it has called all poultry within a mile and a half of the village where the virus was detected.
And of course Carol Lin is here with us for your show as well. I understand that you're going to be taking a close look at that hospital where the ABC team is being treated.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Such sad news that Bob Woodruff and his photographer injured so severely in a roadside bombing in Iraq. The hospital in Balad in Iraq, Alex Quade got extraordinary access to the hospital. She spent a month there following what happens right from the battlefield injury to how they get these people home.
And Bob Woodruff and his photographer are in the best place in Iraq for the kind of injuries that they sustained. Also then at 7:00 Eastern, exclusive coverage of a disturbing story out of Alabama. We are going to hear from the sex abuse subject, Jack Wiley. He is the man arrested earlier this week and charged with raping two children who lived with him. And you'll remember -- you may remember a Good Samaritan noticed something, wasn't quite right with a three-year-old girl who was with Wiley at a convenience store. She then convinced authorities to pursue the issue and they ultimately arrested Wiley. That exclusive coverage tonight at 7:00 Eastern. So the next couple of hours are going to be interesting.
MALVEAUX: Fascinating story coming up in 10 minutes or so. Thanks again, Carol.
And a man on the moon and a visit to Mars and safe shuttle trips straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY. What does NASA have to do to fulfill everybody's expectation for the present and the future? We'll explore.
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MALVEAUX: There are just certain moments etched in American history. One of them is the Challenger disaster. This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle explosion that claimed seven astronauts' lives. And as we look back, NASA continues to move forward. Only in what direction? CNN's space correspondent Miles O'Brien has the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one and liftoff of space shuttle Discovery.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The man who signs on the dotted line before astronauts rocket to space doesn't do feelings. Matter of fact, Mike Griffin is fond of comparing himself to Spock.
MICHAEL GRIFFIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: We're trying to phase in new equipment, phase out old equipment and bring in existing program to a stage of orderly completion. That's a juggling act. I'm the juggler, I guess.
O'BRIEN: He is an engineer with six advanced degrees on his fourth stint at NASA. He took the controls at a crucial crossroads. The 25-year-old space shuttle program on the ropes after the loss of Columbia, limping its way toward retirement in 2010.
(on camera): Is that set in stone?
GRIFFIN: Set in stone.
O'BRIEN: No wiggle room there?
GRIFFIN: None.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): President Bush set the deadline two years ago, the same time he announced some ambitious new goals for NASA.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today I announce a new plan to explore space and extend a human presence across our solar system.
O'BRIEN: But, on a shoestring. The White House promised small budget increases and insisted NASA finish its portion of the International Space Station while developing a new generation of vehicles to reach the moon and Mars. Expendable rockets, capsule command module and a separate lunar lander. Sound familiar. Griffin calls it Apollo on steroids.
GRIFFIN: Some have characterized the architecture as rather boring. I actually take that as a compliment that means it consists mostly of things we have seen before. Which reduces the cost.
O'BRIEN: Burt Rutan knows a little something about breakthroughs. In 2004, his Spaceship One became the first piloted civilian craft to cross the threshold of space. Briefly. He's now working on a larger craft that might one day carry tourists and he has even bigger plans to build an orbiter.
BURT RUTAN, X-PRIZE WINNER: NASA ought to be looking at breakthroughs rather than just using things that we know will work that are identical essentially to Apollo.
O'BRIEN: So even as NASA aims higher it must stay focused on flying the temperamental shuttle safely, perhaps 18 flights completing the space station, perhaps fixing the Hubbell Space Telescope and keeping the workforce intact.
(on camera): You may have too many balls in the air.
GRIFFIN: I think not. Those are the balls in the air that are required. We have to be able to do that. We have to learn how to fix the airplane in flight, if you will.
O'BRIEN: Miles O'Brien, CNN, Washington.
MALVEAUX: And there is still much more ahead on CNN. Carol Lin and more of CNN LIVE SUNDAY after this.
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