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Wildfires Rage in Ventura County, California; Augusto Pinochet's Background; Will President Bush Take Rumsfeld's Advice?

Aired December 03, 2006 - 16:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Job one for me is keep bad people out of the United States.

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And in order to do that, the government is now ranking anyone who travels across U.S. borders. The final score points to whether you might be a terrorist. There is a catch -- you will never see the score.

Also head in the NEWSROOM, rival drug cartels wage a dangerous war on a border town in Texas. The latest victims speak out.

And a war of a very different kind in California. On one side the IRS, the other a church determined to deliver a message.

Hello and welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after this check of the headlines.

Right now fires are burning across California's Ventura County. The biggest of three fires began early this morning and has already covered 2,000 acres. Officials are calling for mandatory evacuations. More on the fires in a moment.

Former Chilean Dictator Augusto Pinochet is clinging to life after a heart attack and emergency angioplasty. The 91-year-old's condition was serious enough for a priest to administer last rite. Doctors reportedly plan to perform another surgery sometime today.

Drugmaker Pfizer yanks a cholesterol drug out of clinical trials. An unexpected number of people taking it died or suffered cardiovascular problems. The company had invested almost $1 billion in what it hoped would be its star product.

Florida police are still looking for a newborn kidnapped at knife point. The FBI's also helping in the search for this 1-month-old, Bryan Dos Santos Gomes. The suspect is a woman driving a dark two- door SUV with peeling tinted windows.

More now on those wildfires in Ventura County, California, where crews are trying to get the upper hand on three blazes in the Moorpark area. Some 2,000 acres had already burned. Hundreds of firefighters are on the scene. Let's get the latest now from Ventura County and let's check in with Greg Kanes (ph) -- oh, sorry about that. We are now going to check in with the fire department captain, Barry Parker out of Ventura County.

So you have got it contained -- is that still the case?

BARRY PARKER, CAPTAIN, VENTURA COUNTY FIRE DEPT (on phone): No, this fire is far from contained. You know, it kicked off last night at about 2:30 in the morning and the winds have just really been -- just crazy for lack of a better word. Just burning very erratically.

We are looking at about 70-mile-an-hour winds that have been fanning these flames, pushing them into homes. Firefighters have been working throughout the night, now long into the afternoon here in California. As we have had the fires push in and around all the structures as well.

WHITFIELD: Tell me what some of the obstacles are in trying to battle this blaze? You are still dealing with Santa Ana winds -- always a big problem.

PARKER: Exactly. One of the things with the Santa Ana is they've been blowing for the last four days out here. And that means that the vegetation in the areas is very dry, very susceptible to burn. So that's exactly what happened.

Once we had the ignition source, these fires just took off and ran. So we have got fire engines strategically located throughout these neighborhoods, doing structure protection. We're doing all that we can. But you know, this is Mother Nature that we're dealing with and we're at the mercy of the wind right now.

WHITFIELD: Barry Parker of the Ventura County Fire Department, thanks so much and good luck to you guys as you try to battle this blaze.

Dorann LePerch is a homeowner in the Ventura County area. Dorann, give me an idea of just where your house is located in the vicinity of the fires?

PARKER: I am clear unless you guys need something.

WHITFIELD: All right Mr. Parker, all right. I think we are just trying to switch over on the phones here. Thanks so much to you.

If Dorann LePerch is still with us, a homeowner there in the Ventura County area. All right, we'll try to re-establish our connection with Dorann LePerch.

A major adjustment for Iraq. That's what Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called for in a memo sent to the White House just before his resignation was announced. Word from inside the Bush administration is that the president agrees with some of the memo's points. Kathleen Koch has more from the White House -- Kathleen?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This memo, Fredricka, from the defense secretary, was a stunning revelation in particular because he had been insisting in public at least that the U.S. was making good progress in Iraq. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We'll remain...

KOCH (voice over): The memo sent by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to the White House two days before he resigned calls for a major course correction in Iraq. Among the many options, modest withdrawals of U.S. forces, redeploy troops from vulnerable positions in cities like Baghdad to safer areas, send more U.S. forces to seal the Iranian and Syrian borders.

National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley says President Bush is considering Rumsfeld's laundry list of ideas.

STEPHEN HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It was a useful memo. And we used it in that way to trigger discussions. But this was not a game plan.

KOCH: But some lawmakers were stunned at Rumsfeld's about-face.

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: I think it's a little late for the secretary of defense to be sending a memo after almost four years to finally acknowledge that maybe we should change strategies, change policy, and acknowledge, for the first time I am aware of, that our policy in Iraq is not working.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Well, many of us have been offering alternatives for a way to be successful, and the administration has consistently shut that down. Now we see they're embracing the very things that we talked about.

KOCH: The Rumsfeld memo and a leaked memo from Hadley criticizing the Iraqi prime minister have raised questions about whether President Bush is leveling with the American public on Iraq.

Hadley says yes.

HADLEY: He has said publicly what Secretary Rumsfeld said, that some things are not proceeding well enough or fast enough in Iraq.

KOCH: In crafting a new strategy, Hadley says the president will consider the memo, the Iraqi Study Group report, an internal government review, as well as ideas from U.S. lawmakers and Iraqi leaders. President Bush meets with one top Shiite leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, Monday afternoon.

Officials say the new Iraq plan will be complete in the next few weeks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: But the leak to Rumsfeld and Hadley memos have many wondering whether or not President Bush is ready to listen to suggestions for change in particular because the president himself insisted just days ago the U.S. forces would stay in Iraq until the job is done -- Fredricka? WHITFIELD: All right, Kathleen Koch in Washington, thanks so much.

Well meanwhile in Iraq today, new efforts by American and Iraqi forces to contain the violence plaguing the country. Troops targeted insurgents with air strikes and ground raids. Several insurgents were killed. But so were three Iraqi civilians in an air strike on a safe house. The U.S. military also reports two soldiers were killed this weekend in a roadside bombing in Anbar Province.

Now back to those three wildfires burning in Ventura County. While fire officials say that it -- they believe that the fire is contained to 2,000 acres, they are still carrying out mandatory evacuations. On the phone with us is a homeowner, Dorann LePerch. Also, a horse owner. So what are you going to do about evacuating your property along with your animals?

DORANN LEPERCH, LOST HOME IN FIRE (on phone): Well, Fredricka, the fire has already come through my property. We have lost both my mother's house and my house. The horses are fine. And we evacuated out of our homes our personal pets, which were our dogs, our cats and our parrots.

WHITFIELD: So you lost your home. Your mother has lost her home. Tell me about how quickly this fire swept through the area that you were able to lose your structural properties, but thankfully you do have your lives along with your pets' lives?

LEPERCH: Well, Fredricka, I saw the smoke coming this morning at about 6:30. And although it seemed far away, we were through a fire in 2003 that came through our property.

So I thought it was prudent to go ahead and get mom, and her cats and other animals out of her house and got her down here by the horse arena. At that point then, I started to go to my house and gather up my birds which, take a certain amount of time to get.

By the time I was getting ready to get the dogs, the fire was coming. We had no fire units here. I called the fire department and told them the fire was coming. And the structure next to my house started to burn before the fire department ever got here. And I was able to just get the last of my dogs out. I was not able to get a pet pigeon I had in the house out of the house.

WHITFIELD: Well Dorann LePerch, we are so sorry for the losses that you have encountered as a result of this fire -- 2,000 acres including many properties like yours and your mother's being damaged and completely because of the raging fire.

Thanks so much and good luck to you and your family.

I want to show you some of the pictures that have been coming in from photographers in the area of this fire that was burning last night and well into today. Let's listen in.

Again you are looking at video just coming into us out of Ventura County, California, just outside of Los Angeles. Wildfires the big problem out there, 2,000 acres burning. Firefighters say that it is contained. Still many properties like the ones that Ms. LePerch just described to us moments ago have been damaged or destroyed. Mandatory evacuations are underway.

On now to some international news. A brutal former dictator hangs on to life after receiving last rites. Chile's Augusto Pinochet is in critical condition after a heart attack earlier this morning. He was quickly rolled into an operating room at the Santiago Military Hospital. The 91-year-old underwent an emergency angioplasty. And doctors are reportedly performing another procedure possibly this afternoon. A hospital spokesperson says Pinochet is in extremely grave condition.

For more on who Augusto Pinochet is and how he has impacted that country and many others, Joshua Levs, good to see you.

JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, good to see you too. Yes you know, from the time he took over Chile in the early 1970s, Augusto Pinochet became one of the most powerful people in the entire continent. But decades later, he was under house arrest, he was facing indictments and ultimately he was powerless.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS (voice-over): Pinochet was commander of Chile's army when he led a bloody coup in 1973, overthrowing elected president Salvador Allende, a Marxist.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): He is the one who saved Chile from Communism. Without him, we would be another Cuba.

LEVS: Pinochet said he did what was needed.

GEN. AUGUSTO PINOCHET, FORMER CHILEAN DICTATOR (through translator): Chile was on the way to self-destruction. Chile's armed forces were obliged to put their patriotism before any other consideration.

LEVS: But many say one consideration that was sacrificed was human rights.

PAMELA CONSTABLE, WASHINGTON POST: He was responsible for terrible torture and abuses and what came to be called disappearances of people in Chile. Thousands and thousands of people were very badly abused and killed.

LEVS: Pinochet once said to CNN, human rights that's an invention of the Marxists. In 1986, he survived an assassination attempt. In 1998, the Chilean people reject his bid for a term as president. Ten years later he resigned as head of the armed forces.

Then courts came after him. A Spanish judge wanted to try Pinochet for the deaths of Spanish citizens in Chile. That never happened. After being arrested during a visit to London at the Spanish judge's request, Pinochet was released returned home, greeted by supporters.

Then Chile's courts indicted him for human rights violations and tax fraud involving tens of millions of dollars. The man who had taken over the country ultimately living under house arrest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS: So he never has faced charges for any of the things that he's been indicted on. And at times courts have found him medically unfit. And Fredricka, now given what is going on with his health, it looks unlikely that he ever will face actual trial on these.

WHITFIELD: Now let's talk about the relationship that perhaps he has with the current president of Chile.

LEVS: Yes, this is fascinating because some people say it brings Pinochet's story full circle. The current president, Michelle Bachelet, her father was one of his political opponents and died while in prison. And she and her mother were once held prisoner and tortured. Now she is the one in charge of the country and he is the one under house arrest.

WHITFIELD: Wow, that is remarkable. All right, well we'll all be watching to see just how he is able to succumb this medical challenge. All right, thanks a lot.

LEVS: Thanks a lot.

WHITFIELD: Well wintry weather is still impacting a lot of people today. So will this week's forecast leave you cold as well? A look straight ahead after the break.

And later, kidnapping danger zones along the Texas-Mexico border. I will speak with a man pleading for the lives of two of his family members. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Two days after the Midwest snowstorm, downed trees and utility poles, thousands of power customers are still in the dark. It may be five days before electricity is restored to some parts of St. Louis. National Guard troops went door to door checking on people living there. The storm was blamed for countless traffic accidents across the region and at least 15 deaths. Airline flights and Amtrak trains were also disrupted.

To see what kind of weather is ahead for the Midwest and the rest of the country, let's check in with meteorologist Jacqui Jeras -- Jacqui?

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well record voter turnout is expected today in Venezuela where leftist President Hugo Chavez is seeking another six- year term. Mr. Chavez is a fierce critic and no favorite of the Bush administration. CNN's Karl Penhaul is live in Caracas with the latest -- Karl?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the polling stations have now closed. They closed a little over an hour ago now. What electoral law here however says is though that anybody still left in line waiting to vote will be allowed to vote. So what effectively that means is that it could be well into the evening, mid-evening, let's say until we get the first hint of who is ahead in this race.

Now, the -- most of the election process here is fully automated. And so by the close of the evening tonight, the election authorities expect to have 80 percent of the vote counted and then that final 20 percent some time during the course of the day.

But basically by tonight, we could have some idea of who has won. Obviously going into this election, Hugo Chavez was the front runner although opinion pollsters say that the main opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales was making a late surge. He certainly hopes that he is going to give Hugo Chavez a run for his money, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so Karl, does that seem realistic, that he really is giving him a run for his money or is Mr. Chavez that much more popular in that country?

PENHAUL: Well the problem here in Venezuela in fact since Hugo Chavez took office back in 1999 is that Venezuela's politics have become deeply polarized because of Hugo Chavez's style. And that is very much true during this election campaign as well.

In fact, voters here say very much this isn't a vote between two candidates, it's a vote between two systems and two visions. Hugo Chavez says that his vision is one of transforming Venezuela into a socialist state against very much the capitalist, pro-U.S. model that the opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales is proposing.

And what opposition supporters say is that Chavez's model is a pro-Cuban, Castro-style, communist system that could take Venezuela down the road to dictatorship and well away from Venezuela's Democratic roots, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Karl Penhaul, thanks so much from Caracas.

A traffic stop turns to tragedy on a Virginia bridge. Details straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. And what is your travel security score? Ever heard of that? Find out what it is and why you may not want to know.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For some patients varicose veins are a cosmetic problem. But for others like Laurie Hocks (ph), they hurt. Varicose veins are created when blood to the heart flows backwards, pooling in the leg veins.

Health experts say there is often no danger if they go untreated, but if they're swollen or tender, you should talk to a doctor. Laurie (ph) opted for a noninvasive procedure involving lasers and ultrasound. It can take a couple weeks for improvement. And sometimes more than one treatment is needed. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN.

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WHITFIELD: Reporting for duty. The crew of the shuttle Discovery arrived at the Kennedy Space Center within the hour. During their 12-day mission, the seven astronauts will rewire the lab on the International Space Station. Discovery is scheduled to lift off on Thursday. And it should be quite a sight. The shuttle will launch at night, something we haven't seen in about four years.

Other headlines making news across American, a teen drowned in Virginia after escaping from police and jumping off an overpass into the river. The 16-year-old had been pulled over for suspected drunk driving and was handcuffed in a police cruiser. It is unclear how he got out of the car and why he jumped off the bridge.

Ohio police are looking for the person who shot a 14-year-old boy. He and two other teens were throwing eggs at cars and apparently hitting an SUV. Police say the driver chased the teens and then opened fire.

Tragedy at a holiday parade in New Hampshire. A 9-year-old boy died last night after being hit by a float. A witness told police the boy fell off the float when it went over a bump and landed in the path of the float's wheels.

Well he is the president's choice to replace Donald Rumsfeld. But Robert Gates still has an important hurdle to clear before he officially gets the job.

And I'll speak to a man whose brother and nephew have been kidnapped along the Mexico border. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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WHITFIELD: And two days before his resignation, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called for change in strategy for the Iraq war. In a classified memo, Rumsfeld broached the idea of troop reductions and even partitioning the country.

Pfizer Pharmaceutical scraps development for the cholesterol drug, Torcetrapib. The company made the decision after an unexpected number of deaths and cardio vascular problems reported by patients who had used the drug in clinical trials.

Judgment day nearing for Robert Gates. President Bush's nomination to be the next defense secretary faces Senate confirmation hearings on Tuesday. It's not a new experience for him. He has been drilled before on controversies rocking the White House. Those same questions may come up again. CNNs Gary Nurenberg reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Ronald Reagan wanted to elevate then deputy CIA director Robert Gates to replace William Casey as CIA director in 1987 Gates was accused of having slanted intelligence to reflect administration preconceptions.

MELVIN GOODMAN, FORMER CIA ANALYST: Under Bob Gates, and Bill Casey, the CIA became a corrupt organization.

NURENBERG: Some 1987 Senators were skeptical Gates had told the truth about his knowledge of arms deals that were the basis of the infamous Iran-contra scandal.

ROBERT GATES, CIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR: We had a very intensive series of questions over a long period of hours.

NURENBERG: The criticism became so intense, Reagan withdrew the nomination, Gates went to work at the White House under first President Bush and national security advisor Brent Scowcroft who sings his praises.

BRENT SCOWCROFT, FMR. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: He is a dedicated patriot. He has served this country for decades.

NURENBERG: President Bush nominated Gates for CIA chief again in 1991. That time he was confirmed and served as CIA director until 1983. Urging employees to refrain from slanting intelligence.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, FMR. CIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR: He was deeply affected by the perception that he had slanted intelligence and that he then as director lived the credo of speaking truth to power.

NURENBERG: But long time congressional critics are skeptical.

SEN. CARL LEVIN, (D) ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Is he willing to speak truth to power, he is willing to tell the president what the president might not want to hear?

NURENBERG: His supporters say yes.

SCOWCROFT: Not only a good thing to do but what happens if you do it, if you try it and it doesn't work then where are you?

NURENBERG: Gates has recently served as president of Texas A & M University.

PROF. DOUG SLACK, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY: One of the hallmarks of his presidency he expects alternative views before he makes decision.

NURENBERG: But a former colleague who has clashed with Gates says.

MELVIN GOODMAN, FMR. CIA ANALYST: He is a political windsock, he serves his master. No one serves a master better than Bob Gates.

NURENBERG: Senate critics of administration Iraq policy may not exactly like Bob Gates as secretary of defense. But he may well get their support this week because they don't dislike him as much as they dislike the current occupant of the office.

Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well the Democratic guessing game on who will and who won't run for the White House in 2008 is heating up. Much of the focus is on Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. Top advisor tells CNN that Clinton is seeking advice from fellow New York Democrats on whether to run.

Meantime, Senator Evan Buy of Indiana is going a step further. He is setting up an exploratory committee to raise money and help figure out if he should take a shot at it. He plans to make a decision over the holidays.

One man not running, Former Senator Tom Daschle. Daschle's political advisor says after thinking about it for several months, Daschle has decided against throwing his hat into the ring.

Kidnappings has gotten so bad along the U.S.-Mexico border that both governments have set up a bi-national kidnapping task force. Right now, the group is trying to locate two Laredo, Texas businessmen snatched last week by a gang of armed men. The FBI says 60 U.S. citizens have been abducted since 2004. The suspects, warring drug cartels. CNN's Ed Lavandera shows us how dangerous life has become for those living on the border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When it bleeds and often does, newspaper headlines tell the gory details. For several years, rival drug cartels have waged a deadly war to control this border town. Violence has brought tourism to a stand still.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have never seen any of that. I thought it was only in the movies.

LAVANDERA: Last year the murder rate almost tripled in Nuevo Laredo and there have already been some 60 murders this year. This man was appointed chief of police last year. Eight hours later, he was dead. In February, drug cartel members launched grenades and gunfire into the offices of La Mana Newspaper. Ramondo Rubbles (ph) has spent the last five years, covering (INAUDIBLE) for the paper. That is what reporters here call the bloody crime beat.

It looks like this is a city out of control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Translator): He says we're living like prisoners in our own city because not even the police can make us feel secure. Everyone here is living with -- insecurity about what could happen.

LAVANDERA: After the attack, Ramos left the paper. Now he is working with a human rights group and selling Tequilla gift packages on the side to make ends meet. There have been isolated incidents of drug cartel violence spilling into Laredo. There have been several dozen kidnappings of American citizens but something else worries the mayor of Laredo.

MAYOR BETTY FLORES, LAREDO, TEXAS: A lot of the people that are involved in the business if you will already live here and perhaps have lived here and in other parts of the country for many years. Why? Because they feel safer. So in that respect, I think we have had some spillover.

LAVANDERA: Getting the violence under control here is the top mission. More than 10,000 trucks cross the border every day. This is one of the most crucial commercial entry points into the U.S. The fear is that drug violence will slow the trucks down.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Laredo, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: More now on the most recent abductions along the border. Eddie Pina is the nephew and brother of the two men who were kidnapped last weekend. He joins us live from San Antonio, Texas this afternoon. Good to see you, Eddie. Your brother. Labrado Pina and his 25-year-old son Labrado were among those kidnapped. Our hearts go out to you and your family, because this must be a very difficult time. How are you all of you holding up?

EDDIE PINA, RELATIVE OF KIDNAP VICTIMS: All of us are doing really as expected. We have the faith in god first of all and we have the faith in the governmental authorities that they're doing the best they can.

WHITFIELD: What is your understanding as to what happened. How this kidnapping took place?

PINA: On November 26th, a Sunday evening, my brother and his son Labrado III, and an employee Marcus were kidnapped from my brother's ranch house. There were two additional men that have been since found and were so thankful to the kidnappers for returning them. However, my family and I want to talk to the persons responsible for kidnapping my brother, nephew and Mr. Marcos, we that realize they're also responsible for keeping the three of them safe and alive.

Whatever the issues between -- you and -- and my family, obviously need to be discussed. I'm imploring, certain that the problem causing this objection can be resolved. But they first must contact me for any negotiations to begin. You know my brother and his son will provide the abductors with my telephone number. So they can call me. This is strictly between the family and you the abductor. And not the government or the authorities. So you and I are the ones to peacefully resolve this issue. And we await your phone call.

WHITFIELD: And this is your way of conveying to the kidnappers of your brother and your nephew and their friend to try to reach out at least give you an idea of how they're doing. Did your brother --

PINA: Yes. WHITFIELD: Did your brother or nephew ever give you any indication that they feared for their lives that they felt like they might be targets there?

PINA: Never. My family has owned this property for a little less than ten years. And the reason we would take a family members and hunters from the United States to hunt on this large property.

WHITFIELD: So this was a deer-hunting ranch?

PINA: Yes this deer hunting ranch, game is hunted. We still hunts. And never had there been an issue crossing. I'm 47 years and my brother is 49 years old. All our lives our family would take us into Mexico never fearing anything of this sort.

WHITFIELD: And because your brother was considered to be a fairly prominent businessperson there in the area, is it your feeling that there might be ransom involved here? That the reason why he may have been kidnapped would be for reasons other than for money?

PINA: No. Yes my family is very blessed. And they -- the only -- we have no idea whatsoever. We have been wracking our brains trying to figure out why this is all happened. But if it is money that is involved in a ransom that is needed to settle these negotiations we are urgently asking them to call us.

WHITFIELD: Well, Eddie Pina out of San Antonio we wish you and your family the best as you await word for the safe return of your brother and nephew. Both named Librado Pina and their friend Marcos Canto.

PINA: If you would allow me just to say this statement in Spanish, for those in Mexico where they are held abducted.

[Speaking Spanish]

WHITFIELD: Eddie Pina. Thank you so much. Hopefully those hearing your appeal both in English and Spanish will be able to bring you some good news.

PINA: Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: Best of luck.

PINA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Straight-ahead IN THE NEWSROOM when you fly the government is watching. And guess what? They're keeping score. What's that all about? Straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: In our CNN "Security Watch" today, the Saudis foil a terror plot. Saudi security officials say they have arrested 139 Islamic militants in last three months all were suspected of ties to al Qaeda. The suspects were allegedly part of a sleeper cell from several Arab countries they were reportedly planning everything from bank robberies to kidnappings and bombings.

Now a secret program designed to thwart terrorism in this country it allows the government to rank air travelers terrorist potential. What is it saying about you? Our Kelli Arena reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Whenever you leave or enter the United States by air, land or sea, you are being rated by the government. To see how likely it is that you're a terrorist or a criminal. Computers are assessing everything from how you paid for your tickets to what type of meal you ordered.

CLARK KENT ERVIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: If somebody for example is sitting in the window seat it is less likely that person intends to hijack a plane because it's harder for that person to get out to do so.

ARENA: DHS says the program is critical for national security.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Job one for me is keep bad people out of the United States. That is what the people of this country expect.

ARENA: But privacy advocates are absolutely incensed, angry because you are not even allowed to see your own rating.

MARC ROTENBERG, ELECTRONIC PRIVACY INFORMATION CTR: People should have the right to find out how it is being used and if they aren't given those rights then I think this program needs to be shut down.

ARENA: What's more your rating can be kept for up to 40 years and shared with state and local governments if you apply for a job for example or need a security clearance.

ROTENBERG: It shouldn't be use ford job clearance, it shouldn't be used for employment decisions, it shouldn't be used for any other decision that the federal government might make other than whether a person can enter the United States.

ARENA: If there has been a mistake made, good luck in trying to correct it.

ERVIN: Even if some one somehow found out he or she was on this list there is no means of getting off the list.

ARENA: DHS says there is a way to correct data in its systems but you would have to file a Freedom of Information Act request even then you wouldn't get all the information the government has on you because officials say they don't want to tip off terrorists to what they're looking for.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: And CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest security information day and night.

Time now to go global with headlines around the world. In Baghdad, Saddam Hussein's lawyers have formally appealed his death sentence in the trial. If the Appellate Court upholds the verdict sentencing carried out within 30 days.

Soccer fans in France held a silent march protesting the shooting death of one of their own. He was killed by a police officer ten days ago. Police say the officer fired in self-defense as hard-core fans taunted and chased a Jewish fan. The local team had just lost its match to a team from Tel Aviv.

A wave of unrest in Bangladesh. Political activists demanding electoral reform clashed with police across the country today. One person was killed. Dozens more injured. A government delegation did meet with rival political leaders to try to end the stalemate threatening to disrupt January elections.

A priest is accused of preaching politics and now the IRS is involved. We'll explain straight ahead IN THE NEWSROOM.

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WHITFIELD: Big doings tonight at Washington's Kennedy Center. Five living legends will receive lifetime achievement awards for their contributions to the performing arts. They're film director Steven Spielberg, country singer Dolly Parton, Mowtown performer Smoky Robinson, and Broadway composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber and orchestra conductor Zuben Meta. Tonight's ceremony is being taped for an upcoming broadcast you will see on CBS.

Candidates are gearing up for the 2008 presidential election but a church and state controversy left over from the 2004 presidential election is still going strong. CNN's Kareen Wynter brings us up to date.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Did this priest use a pulpit as a political platform before the 2004 election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is to be trusted as the world's chief peacemaker?

WYNTER: That's a question at the heart of an IRS investigation involving a southern California church. Listen to a portion of Reverend George Regas' controversial sermon from two years ago about the U.S. war in Iraq. The speech framed as a debate between President Bush then Democratic challenger John Kerry and Jesus.

REVEREND GEORGE REGAS: And Jesus continues, Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster. WYNTER: Within the last two years, All Saints Episcopal Church and federal agency have been embroiled in a legal battle over whether Regas's speech violates federal laws. Nonprofit organizations are prohibited from endorsing candidates during an election. The latest court challenge involves a government subpoena of church documents including texts of past sermons. The church again refusing to cooperate on the grounds of free speech.

REGAS: You are engaging issues and that's what the fight is over. That -- that the freedom of the pulpit, not the diminished that we need to be free to be critics of the state.

WYNTER: Regas still feels he used his words carefully when addressing the congregation that day.

REGAS: I did not want to tell people how to vote. But I challenged them to go into that voting booth on Tuesday, taking with them all they knew about Jesus the peacemaker.

WYNTER: The church also ignored a court summons ordering the currant rector to testify before the IRS. Church officials claim this investigation has no legal merit.

EDWARD MCCAFFERY, DEAN USC LAW SCHOOL: In practice, churches are not allowed to participate in or intervene in elections on behalf of particular candidate. Exactly when a church has done that, or has not, is a very difficult practical question. The IRS tends to interpret the statute as banning candidate specific endorsements.

WYNTER: The IRS wouldn't comment on this case. But said during the 2004 campaign they investigated 110 churches and charities for political activity. If the church is found guilty of crossing the line it could lose its tax-exempt status. In a recent conference, All Saints was supported by religious leaders from the region.

RABBI STEVEN JACOBS, TEMPLE KOL TIKVAH: I'm afraid the IRS by its intimidation of this church has already had its effect and I know that for a fact upon people who are afraid to speak out.

WYNTER: Many parishioners urged the church to remain defiant in the name of faith and the constitutional doctrine.

Kareen Wynter, CNN, Pasadena, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still much more ahead IN THE NEWSROOM including one New York woman who has spent more than 30 hours on a cold rooftop. Why? She says she is on a mission. She is not coming down until she reaches her goal. I'll talk to her in the next hour of the CNN newsroom.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Jacqui Jeras with today's cold and flu report. It has been pretty quiet across much of the west and the nation's midsection. But we are starting to get reports of the flu now pushing into the northeastern part of the United States. Local activity in the state of Massachusetts. With more widespread reports here into the south east, through the Carolinas, through the lower Mississippi River Valley including the state of Florida. My cold and flu tip for you today. When you sneeze don't use your hand. Because you are going to touch something else. Use your elbow. Try to stay healthy.

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