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Iraqi Court Upholds Saddam Hussein's Death Sentence; Expansion of Criminal Database Raises Questions on Privacy; Spanish Doctor Says Castro Not As Sick As Many Believe; Iran Shows No Signs of Backing Down in Nuclear Standoff; Government Troops Battle Islamic Fighters in Somalia; Muslims Make The Hajj

Aired December 26, 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: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.

MALVEAUX: Happening now, it's 1:00 a.m. in Iraq where every passing minute brings Saddam Hussein closer to death. The former dictator has just days to live after a court gives the green light for his hanging.

HENRY: Diagnosis doubts. A surgeon from Spain assesses Fidel Castro's health, though it's unclear if he even examined the Cuban president. We'll tell you whether the doctor thinks Castro has cancer or not.

MALVEAUX: An eternal soul -- many are saying goodbye to the godfather of soul, James Brown. We'll speak with the Reverend Al Sharpton who says Brown wasn't just the godfather to him, but more like a real dad. Wolf Blitzer is off today. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

HENRY: And I'm Ed Henry. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

For crimes against humanity, Saddam Hussein will die by hanging. Today, a court ruled that must happen sometime within the next 30 days. But one judge suggests it could come any day now.

MALVEAUX: This final word in the case came as an Iraqi court upheld Hussein's death sentence.

CNN's Arwa Damon is in Baghdad -- Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ed, Suzanne, it was a highly anticipated decision and one that brought the judicial proceedings in Saddam Hussein's Dujail trial to a close.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (voice-over): Iraq's former dictator, whose very image was enough to instill fear, will now face a fate like many ordinary criminals in Iraq. The decision is final, the trial court's sentence upheld by the appellate chamber.

AREF SHAHEEN, HEAD OF THE IRAQI HIGH TRIBUNAL (through translator): The appeals court has decided to uphold the guilty verdict and sentence against the accused. Saddam Hussein, Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan, and Awad al-Bandar by hanging them to death for committing crimes against humanity.

DAMON: It was often a chaotic trial, regular outbursts from the defendants who even appeared in their pajamas, accusations of government interference. Human Rights Watch called the trial "fundamentally flawed." Predictably, Saddam's lawyer said upholding the sentence was a crazy ruling, but they were in a small minority.

(on camera): As the judge read out the final decision to execute Saddam Hussein, Iraq's former dictator, we saw members of the Iraqi media here giving each other the thumbs up and smiles on nearly everyone's faces including representatives of the Iraqi government and members of the Iraqi High Tribunal.

(voice-over): And as one government official put it, it's now game over for Saddam.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our Iraq today and we ask the government to close the file as soon as possible. We are not ready to but I think that he's saying to us he's still Saddam alive and he would come back. He will never come back.

DAMON: Soon this will be the fate of Saddam and two of his co- defendant, this video recorded and distributed by the Iraqi government, the final moments of 13 men convicted of murder and kidnapping and sentenced to death by hanging.

Since the Iraqi government reinstated the death penalty in August of 2004, dozens of Iraqi prisoners have been sentenced to death. According to Iraqi law, Saddam's execution will be witnessed by members of the Iraqi judicial system, members of the government, and medical experts.

BASSEM RIDHA, PRIME MINISTER'S ADVISER: Finally we're seeing an end to this and hopefully the executive branch of the government will take command and in charge of this and will deliver the execution verdict just like it's been certified by the appeal chamber.

DAMON: The Iraqi government is discussing the execution details, who will be invited to witness the execution, and whether it will be broadcast on television. The clock for Saddam and two of his co- defendants is ticking. The sentence must be carried out by January 27.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: The proceedings split an already divided country, and some here fear the executions of Iraq's former top leadership will only increase sectarian tensions -- Ed and Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Thank you very much, Arwa Damon. His fate certainly seems sealed but there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the actual execution of Saddam Hussein.

HENRY: CNN's Carol Costello joins us live from New York now with that party of the story.

Hello, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Ed.

You know, you heard Arwa Damon say Iraq has carried out executions before, but they do not compare to this. Putting Saddam Hussein to death -- well, consider this. Iraq has never publicly executed a former dictator in the middle of a war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): It will be a noose for Hussein. There will be no pardon from Iraq's president or prime minister. According to scholars, Iraqi law forbids any pardons. If guilty, Saddam Hussein must die.

SIMONE MONASEBIAN, FORMER WAR CRIMES PROSECUTOR: This statute was written with what you just said now, Saddam has to die and die quickly.

COSTELLO: But a quick execution means simple questions have very difficult answers. Questions like, where would the execution take place?

MONASEBIAN: Very good question. With all the security issues, one might not be able to tell us until after it occurred and that's troubling, isn't it?

COSTELLO: Problem because the Iraqi justice system made sure Hussein's trial was very public to demonstrate to the world it was very fair. To accomplish that, the trial was televised nationally. If Hussein's execution date is kept secret, that would seem to fly in the face of open justice unless there is an answer to this next simple question.

MONASEBIAN: Would they televise his execution? Some Iraqis will not believe he's dead until they see that he is photographed or videotaped dead.

COSTELLO: It is possible. Pictures of Hussein's dead sons were widely shown on television and on the Internet to prove they were dead. Uday and Qusay were buried in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, near where American troops pulled Saddam Hussein from his hiding place in 2003.

And that fact brings us to another question. Where would Iraqis bury Saddam? According to Iraqi law, a relative has the right to witness Hussein's hanging and claim his body. At last check, two of Hussein's daughters were in Jordan.

(on camera): Can you see one of his daughters coming in from Jordan to witness the execution?

MONASEBIAN: Certainly coming to Iraq for one of them without grant of immunity or even with a grant of immunity is a far flung idea.

COSTELLO (voice-over): So the Iraqi government will decide what to do with Hussein's body, bury him and risk a martyr's grave or something else. Again, questions that really aren't so simple.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And all of those questions must be answered within 30 days. That is the Iraqi law -- Ed, Suzanne.

HENRY: Thanks, Carol. Obviously we'll all be waiting very anxiously.

In our CNN "Security Watch," a relatively new and growing terror concern.

MALVEAUX: CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve joins us live with those details.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne and Ed, in the early '90s, there were less than 20 reports a year of illicit trafficking in nuclear and radiological materials. Now, there are more than 10 times that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice-over): A cache of enriched uranium seized from a smuggler in the Republic of Georgia. This incident in 2003, one of a growing number of reports involving the illegal diversion, purchase or storage of nuclear and radiological materials.

A Homeland Security official says there were 100 cases reported in the year 2000. In 2005, the number more than doubled to 215, and no decrease is expected this year.

The detonation of even a small nuclear weapon in an American city would be catastrophic, computer models show, with tens of thousands of people killed instantaneously. An explosion of a radiological dirty bomb would do serious economic and psychological damage.

Despite the rising number of reported incidents, U.S. officials say they have no indication that terrorists have succeeded in getting nuclear or radiological materials. They do know they have tried.

MATTHEW BUNN, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Al Qaeda has repeatedly attempted to purchase material for a nuclear bomb. They have attempted to recruit nuclear weapon scientists from Pakistan and elsewhere.

MESERVE: This demand has made nuclear and radiological materials valuable black market commodities, but some of the incidents reported may not represent a real threat. LINTON BROOKS, NATL. NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMIN.: Nuclear trafficking is an area replete with scams and so not all reports actually have anything to do with real material. I mean, there are people who run around selling containers with radioactive markings that just have junk in it.

MESERVE: Better detection and reporting are certainly a factor in the increased numbers.

VAN OLERICH, FED. OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS: We're getting much more organized around the world at tracking sources and developing radiation monitors and such at airports and harbors and the tunnels that go into major cities and keeping track of these things better.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Efforts to secure nuclear and radiological materials have increased in recent years but experts say even more has to be done and faster.

Ed, Suzanne, back to you.

MALVEAUX: Jeanne, thanks so much.

Law enforcement's ability to share information is critical to protecting America from another terrorist attack. That's what the Justice Department is saying today to justify expansion of a criminal database called One Justice.

HENRY: But does it pose new privacy concerns? Our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner has been taking a look at that and has details. Hello, Jacki.

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Hi, Ed. We just got our hands on a memo today, an internal memo sent by Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty. He sent it to five heads of the main law enforcement agencies in the Justice Department and that talks about taking millions of federal case records from the FBI, the DEA, the marshal service, the Bureau of Prisons, and the ATF and making them available to local and state enforcement in 15 metropolitan areas.

The program again called One Justice is successful in pilot programs, they say, in San Diego, California, and Jacksonville, Florida. Now this federal database, the Department of Justice tell us contains investigative reports and criminal history information. It does not include they say classified records or sensitive information. For example, they say no information on confidential informants.

Now this of course has civil liberties and privacy advocates like the ACLU and the electronic privacy information center concerned. Some of their concerns, they say these databases can contain inaccurate information or they could be sharing information that would misidentify innocent people.

The Department of Justice tells us the program One DOJ must comply with long-standing privacy laws and all it does is consolidate information that is already available to state and local law enforcement officials -- Suzanne?

HENRY: Thanks very much, Jacki. Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

MALVEAUX: Up ahead, new questions about the health of Cuba's Fidel Castro. One doctor now raising doubts about just how sick he really is.

HENRY: Also, the Reverend Al Sharpton, joining us live right here in the situation room to talk about his close friend and father figure the late James Brown.

MALVEAUX: Plus we'll show you one little known but major reason why Iran may be so defiant about its nuclear program. Stay with us, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Iran is showing no signs it intends to back down in its nuclear standoff with the west, even in the face of United Nations sanctions approved over the weekend.

HENRY: In fact, Iran may be ready to up the ante. CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Tehran with that part of the story. Hello, Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ed and Suzanne, in what would be a dramatic development to the Iranian nuclear standoff, Iran's parliament is set any day now to vote on a measure that would suspend Iran's participation with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

Now why is that such a big deal? Because if the measure is upheld, Iran could kick out IAEA inspectors that are here and pursue its nuclear program in secret. Iran has said all along it is pursuing peaceful civilian nuclear energy, but the U.S. and Israel among others have raised fears that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon.

Iran's foreign minister told parliament today that Iran is pushing ahead with the construction of some 3,000 centrifuges at the nuclear site in the city of Natanz. That's despite a U.N. resolution that sanctioned Iran over its continued nuclear defiance, sanctions that haven't seemed to work.

Next year really will prove make or break on the Iranian nuclear dispute. Either the world through the U.N. through sanctions or some other method will figure out a way to get Iran to suspend the nuclear program or the world may soon have to just be resigned to a nuclear Iran. Ed and Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Aneesh. Meanwhile there may be a good reason for Iran's nuclear defiance.

HENRY: Experts say there are signs the country's oil industry is in serious trouble. CNN's Brian Todd joins us now with that part of the story. Hello, Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello Ed, Suzanne. Analysts say this is a Soviet-style industry in all the negative ways. They say it's been run into the ground to such an extent it's made an ambitious, aggressive regime vulnerable.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): He said it repeatedly to justify his nuclear ambitions.

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT, IRAN (through translator): All our nuclear activities are transparent, peaceful.

TODD: And repeatedly western leaders say Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is bluffing, stalling for time for Iran to build a nuclear bomb. But one expert believes Ahmadinejad does need nuclear power for energy.

ROGER STERN, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: It looks from the way that the trends are running now that their oil exports could go to zero in 2015.

TODD: Zero revenue from oil exports for a country with the world's third oil reserves and second largest supply of natural gas? According to Roger Stern, an analyst from Johns Hopkins University who has just published a study for the National Academy of Sciences, Iran has so mismanaged its oil industry that it may not recover.

Stern and other analysts tell us the regime has led its engineering expertise slide to the point where they are unable to effectively get oil out of the ground or refine it. They say Iran has hurt itself by subsidizing gasoline, importing much of it from abroad then selling it to its increasingly car dependent public for about 30 cents a gallon.

And they say Ahmadinejad has scared away important foreign investors who have wanted to help Iran upgrade technology and buy its oil. What is Stern's advice to President Bush's national security team on the idea of confronting Iran?

STERN: We'd be much better off doing nothing than stirring the pot right now.

TODD: Others agree Iran's oil industry is in shambles, but think that might bring change.

KARIM SADJADPOUR, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: If it comes down to a question of maintaining the radical politics and going into bankruptcy or changing the policies and increasing foreign investment in order to strengthen what is very much a more abundant economy, I think they will definitely take the more pragmatic approach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Most analysts agree while Iran may be vulnerable on oil, it is not a paper tiger. The regime still may be pursuing a nuclear weapon. It has got a huge standing army and it's giving a lot of support of course to Shia militants in Iraq, Lebanon and throughout the Middle East. Ed, Suzanne? MALVEAUX: Thanks very much Brian, we'll keep out for your report. And of course he was the godfather of soul, but James Brown was also like a father to the Reverend Al Sharpton. He'll join us live with his memories of the troubled, but influential singer.

HENRY: Plus, could Fidel Castro recover enough to take back control of Cuba? Details of what one doctor is saying that's raising some new questions. Stay with us, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Carol Costello joins us now with a closer look at other stories making news -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Hi, Suzanne and Ed. Hello to all of you.

Crews are working feverishly to try to contain an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston, Texas. Twenty-one thousand gallons spewed into the Gulf from a medium crude pipeline owned by Plains All American Pipeline before the flow could be stopped. A Coast Guard spokesman says the Houston company detected a loss of pressure early Sunday and shut down the line. The cause of the rupture is still under investigation.

Talk about new developments. They are about to have a baby boom at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Officials at the base expect it to peak in June. That will be nine months after the 101st Airborne Division returned from its year-long deployment in Iraq. Right now, base doctors deliver roughly a dozen babies a day. That's expected to jump to -- get this -- 250 newborns a day. Wow. That is easily a new base record.

President Bush is on home turf. He and First Lady Laura Bush touched down in Waco, Texas earlier today. They will ring in the new year at their ranch in Crawford. Also on the president's agenda, evaluation of the next moves in Iraq. He will meet Thursday with Vice President Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Chief Robert Gates and other top advisers. That's a look at the headlines right now. Back to you.

HENRY: Thanks, Carol.

Coming up, doctor's diagnosis -- does Fidel Castro have cancer or not? One doctor is giving his medical opinion, even though it's not clear he's even examined the Cuban president.

MALVEAUX: And many called him the godfather, but one man says he actually was like a dad. Recalling James Brown's Christmas day death, we'll speak with the Reverend Al Sharpton about his very special bond with the singer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENRY: You're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. MALVEAUX: Happening now, Saddam Hussein's death sentence upheld by an Iraqi appeals court. That clears the way for a public execution, which Iraqi law says must take place within 30 days, but it's not clear when or where or even who will witness it.

Also, a Spanish doctor raising new questions about the condition of Fidel Castro. He says the Cuban leader is doing, quote, "fantastically well." That's quite the opposite of what many believe, including the U.S. government.

MALVEAUX: And his influence stretched far beyond music. The late James Brown touching many lives including that of the Reverend Al Sharpton. He's standing by to talk with us about the man he considered a father figure. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

HENRY: I'm Ed Henry. Wolf Blitzer is off today. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

MALVEAUX: There are new questions about the health of Fidel Castro this afternoon.

HENRY: A Spanish doctor who met him now says the Cuban president is not as sick as many people believe.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is live for us in Havana with some details.

Hello, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ed and Suzanne, the latest clues emerging today about the state of Fidel Castro's health. Now, although Spanish surgeon Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido didn't say what illness Castro had, he was explaining what he was not suffering from.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL (voice-over): Back from his house call in Havana, Spanish surgeon Jose Luis Garcias Sabrido gave his diagnosis on Fidel Castro's health.

DR. JOSE LUIS GARCIA SABRIDO (through translator): Within the limits of confidentiality, I can tell you that President Castro does not have any malignant illness. It's a benign process in which there have been some complications.

PENHAUL: The intestinal specialist traveled to Cuba last Thursday at the request of Cuban authorities. He says Castro's in good shape.

SABRIDO (through translator): The discussions with the medical team did not reveal a need for any surgical intervention because the condition of the president, I can assure you, is excellent. He has a great intellectual activity.

PENHAUL: That's not exactly the news U.S. intelligence chief John Negroponte expected. In an interview with the "Washington Post" earlier this month, he suggested the Cuban leader was at death's door. "Everything we see indicates it will not be much longer, months, not years," he said.

So far there's been no word from the Cuban government on the Spanish consultant's visit. The state of Castro's health is treated here as a state secret, though he was shown on Cuban state media in these videos in September and October.

The latest diagnosis matches what Castro ally Hugo Chavez said mid-month, and what Cuban officials told a visiting delegation of U.S. lawmakers.

REP. JANE HARMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: They deny that Fidel isn't coming back. They say he doesn't have cancer. He'll be back.

PENHAUL: And while Garcia Sabrido said Castro was recovering, he gave no details about what the Cuban president was suffering from.

When Castro went under the surgeon's knife in July, he temporarily ceded presidential powers to brother Raul. And when he failed to attend the December 2nd military parade, speculation was rife that his condition was worsening. But at his news conference in Madrid, Garcia Sabrido said Castro was eager to make his comeback.

SABRIDO (through translator): He wants to return to work every day, but doctors advise him to be cautious.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PENHAUL: But the doctor's diagnosis leaves some of the political questions unanswered about when Castro may make his political comeback and also what kind of day-to-day government role he may be fit enough to play.

Ed and Suzanne, back to you.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Karl.

A desperate fight is going on right now for the control of Somalia. Somalia's weak government is under attack by powerful Islamic rebels. Ethiopian forces are coming to the rescue of the Somali government, but it might be too little, too late.

Somalia's top envoy at the United Nations is urging the Security Council to declare an immediate cease-fire. The United Nations Security Council meeting in emergency session today to address the war in the Horn of Africa.

HENRY: As many as 1,000 people reported killed in Somalia, where government troops and soldiers from Ethiopia are battling Islamic fighters.

Our senior United Nations correspondent, Richard Roth, is standing by. He picks up the story there.

Hello, Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Ed. That's the U.N.'s top envoy for Somalia who is appealing for an end to the violence. The Somalia government would probably like to have Ethiopia make as much gains as possible against the Islamic Courts Union that it's been fighting a losing battle against.

The U.N. envoy briefed the Security Council behind -- in an open- session warning of a big catastrophe in the Horn of Africa should this spiral out of control. The U.S., though, kind of supporting Ethiopia's bid because it's threatened by what the U.S. and Ethiopia say is Islamic interests with links to al Qaeda in neighboring Somalia.

The Security Council may not adopt a statement tonight, though there is one that's possibly on the table asking for all foreign forces to get out of Somalia.

Back to you.

HENRY: Thanks very much, Richard.

Up ahead, he's known for his music and his politics, the "Godfather of Soul," James Brown. One day after his death we'll look at the political footwork of the man who performed for every U.S. president since Richard Nixon.

MALVEAUX: We'll also speak with one man who says James Brown was like a father. The Reverend Al Sharpton will join us to talk about Brown's life and work.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HENRY: And Carol Costello joins us now with a closer look at some other stories making news.

Hello, Carol.

COSTELLO: Hi, Ed.

More than 200 people dead, dozens more injured. And the toll is expected to rise from today's gas pipeline explosions in Lagos, Nigeria.

The blasts happened after thieves allegedly ruptured the line and scavengers began collecting the spewing fuel. The scene is described as horrendous, with bodies strewn everywhere. A similar oil disaster killed 150 people earlier this year.

Nigeria is Africa's largest petroleum producer.

Teams struggled to move piles of rubble that were once low-rise buildings after two powerful earthquakes hit off Taiwan. The first registered a magnitude 7.1; the second, eight minutes later, was a magnitude 7.

Tsunami warnings were issued for Taiwan and the Philippines, but no tsunami occurred. Those earthquake happened two years to the day that a tsunami did strike across South Asia. That event, triggered by a magnitude 9 earthquake, killed an estimated 230,000 people. Whole families were wiped out.

Memorials were held for victims across Asia today. Many victims were never found.

The U.S. military is considering opening its door wider to non- Americans. It's an effort to counter a struggle to meet recruitment goals.

Pentagon officials say ideas like overseas recruiting stations and faster tracks to citizenship are under consideration. The military now under pressure from the White House to find ways to bring in more manpower. Last week President Bush called for a plan for the first significant increases in overall ground forces since the Cold War.

A pair of civil rights suits have filed suit against a Dallas, Texas, suburb for a new law making it a crime to rent property to illegal immigrants. The ACLU and the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund said today the statute violates federal law and forces landlords to act as immigration officers. The measure was passed in November. It takes effect on January 12th.

That's a look at the headlines right now.

Back to you.

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Carol.

And coming up in our 7:00 Eastern hour, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recovering from surgery right now. We'll get the latest on his condition and his prognosis.

HENRY: Plus, just ahead, the Reverend Al Sharpton joins us live to pay tribute to his close friend the late "Godfather of Soul," James Brown.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

HENRY: ... and has more from Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Hello, Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Ed, there's a great sense of anticipation here in Mecca. People are emotional, they are excited to perform this set of rituals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE (voice-over): You can see it from high in the sky, a sacred symbol at the core of the Islamic world. Muslims making the Hajj, the ultimate physical and spiritual journey to Mecca to see Islam's holiest place up close.

All Muslims have to do the Hajj at least once in their lives if they are healthy enough and can afford it. Millions come to the old oasis town where the Prophet Mohammed was born and perform the same rituals he did 1,400 years ago. And all together from Iran to Indonesia, China to Chad.

SAMI ANGAWI, HAJJ EXPERT: Hajj is the representation of unity and diversity.

VERJEE (on camera): The pilgrims enter Mecca in a sacred state of purity. The men wear two pieces of unstitched cloth. The women dress simply and they cover their heads.

(voice-over): The rules are very strict: no violence, no sex, no swearing. The first ritual for pilgrims circle this black cube, the Kabah, seven times, to symbolize that god is at the center of the Muslims' world. Muslims pray in this direction five times each day.

ANGAWI: You don't look at individuals anymore. You are part of a moving world.

VERJEE: Then those here head out to the desert, to the Mina Valley, by car or by foot. They camp out and meditate. At sunrise they go to the Plain of Arafat until sunset. The pilgrims pray, asking for forgiveness.

ANGAWI: All equal, all the same, regardless of who they are, where are they coming from, what race, what language. And they are there calling the name of god.

VERJEE: Next, a dangerous moment in the Hajj, three days of stoning, a ritual symbolizing the rejection of the devil's temptation. It's here that often deadly stampedes happen.

Finally, back to Mecca and around the Kabah, and then a return to the pilgrim's regular life with a clean bill of spiritual health and to the feast called Eid, celebrated by all Muslims around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: The Hajj begins on Thursday. Pilgrims' safety and security is key. Officials have deployed about 50,000 security personnel -- Ed.

HENRY: Thanks, Zain. Fascinating story.

Up ahead, he's known for his music and his politics, the "Godfather of Soul," James brown. One day after his death, we'll look at the political footwork of the man who performed for every U.S. president since Richard Nixon.

MALVEAUX: We'll also speak with one man who says James Brown was like a father. The Reverend Al Sharpton will join us to talk about Brown's life and work.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Picking up the pieces after a terrifying Christmas Day. Tornadoes that hopscotched across Florida left hundreds homeless but counting their blessings.

CNN's national correspondent, Susan Candiotti, reports from the hard-hit town of San Antonio, near Tampa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A chorus of chainsaws, not what you expect to here Christmas morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wind picked up, and like everybody says, you know, you hear the train coming. And that's exactly what it was.

CANDIOTTI: Columbia County, west of Jacksonville, hit early. Authorities say a likely twister cut a seven-mile path of destruction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was terrible. My wife was looking out the window. All she could see was just white.

CANDIOTTI: Damage expected to run at least $3.5 million, yet no serious injuries. Incredibly for some, a holiday dinner served after all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bird is in the oven. Everything's OK. Everybody's OK. We're going to cook that bird and go in there and enjoy it and thank God we're still alive.

CANDIOTTI: A few hours later, another sever thunderstorm took aim north of Tampa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It hit so fast with power that it was only, I would say, 45 seconds, and it was gone.

CANDIOTTI: Gone, but not easily forgotten. Strong winds peeled off roofs and uprooted trees in Pasco County. Fortunately, police say, no one critically injured.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The roofs are gone from a lot of these houses and they're collapsed. There was cars still in the garage. It's devastating. Just devastating.

CANDIOTTI: In Volusia County, near Daytona Beach, about 50 planes crushed, crumbled, and piled on top of each other at internationally known flight school Embry-Riddle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just like a war zone. I mean Embry- Riddle took a beating. What happened here at the apartment complex and further on up. How we didn't lose any lives, God was smiling on up.

CANDIOTTI: Up to 200 mobile homes also damaged in the area, but no lives lost. BEN JOHNSON, VOLUSIA COUNTY SHERIFF: I'm amazed, absolutely amazed that we didn't because by all rights we should have a number of fatalities.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: Now to devastation regarding another natural disaster. Two years after a devastating tsunami, ceremonies today to mark that occasion. Hundreds of thousands killed, millions of aid dollars given, pledged and spent.

Where do things stand? CNN's Anjali Rao has a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANJALI RAO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First the sea receded and then came a wall of water nothing could withstand. It was one of the worst disasters in human history.

Off the West Coast of Indonesia, an earthquake measuring 9.15 on the Richter Scale displaced an ocean of water which swept everything in its path; 232,000 people were left dead or missing across a dozen countries. More than half died in Aceh alone. The civil war-torn province in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra was closest to the earthquake fault line. And it's here the wave hit first.

Two years on, and despite a huge global pouring of aid, thousands, like Etep (ph), remain without permanent housing. Her family home is now a temporary barracks. The local authorities tell her the land that's been allocated has yet to be freed for construction, so nothing has been built. Bureaucracy and the sheer scale of the task is hindering progress.

LAWRENCE GREENWOOD, ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK: This is actually not unusual. This is the usual kind of process and pattern for these kind of reconstruction works. Keep in mind, Kobe, even a rich country like Japan, took seven years to rebuild Kobe after the earthquake.

RAO: There's a similar story in Sri Lanka, where less than half the houses planned for the hard-hit East Coast have been built, even less in the northeast, where civil war has re-ignited. But amid memorials to the dead, new schools and houses are being built. The aid has given hope to many.

Gilley Mangallaga (ph) saved herself by running up a hill that morning.

"We lost everything in the tsunami," she says. We are not unhappy now. We got this house, and we try to be happy. There is some happiness in Thailand, too, as tourists are returning to the once hard hit island of Phuket.

Six-thousand people died in the beach resort of Khao Lak. But Peter Brennan has returned, despite a close call in 2004.

PETER BRENNAN, IRISH TOURIST: I could see big tsunami coming, and then I run. It put me over trees. Boom, up,, up,, in the air, you know?

RAO: But for every story of recovery and reconstruction, and despite the passing of time, for those, like Mananshe (ph), the memories of that day are still sharply in focus. Six-thousand lives were lost from her fishing village on India's southeast coast.

"The mere mention of the word tsunami scares me, she says. It sends a chill down my spine. The waves killed my four children. I can never forget."

Anjali Rao, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: We're picking up some information about U.S. troops heading to the Mideast. Let's go right to the Pentagon, where we find our correspondent, Barbara Starr.

Barbara, what are you picking up?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ed, there is growing indications that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is about to approve an order that will send about 3,500 troops of the 82nd Airborne Brigade from Fort Bragg over to Kuwait to be on standby to go to Iraq if needed.

But let's be very clear here. This is not the surge that we have heard so much about. These are troops to replace standby troops that already went into Iraq. So this is not the surge. But on this holiday week, discussions at the Pentagon about surging troops do remain ongoing.

Top generals here in the building today holding a closed-door meeting about all of that, trying to get ready for the meeting with the president in Crawford to present him with all the risks and benefits of each of the options that are under discussion. There is some discussion of a surge, but our sources are telling us it may not be necessarily in the 20,000, 30,000 range. It may be considerably smaller than that. There may be also economic assistance, as well as diplomatic and political initiatives.

One senior official today in the building summing it up. He said it's not about the number of troops we have, he said, but it's about the number of troops that are dying in Iraq.

December turning out to be an absolutely dreadful month. Already 88 casualties. That follows October, 106 casualties. Two of the deadliest months of the year, and with these casualty rates remaining so high, that is a major concern. Sending more troops might just present more targets to attack -- Ed.

HENRY: Now, Barbara, if there's a surge -- and obviously it's a big if, we don't know whether it's going to happen or not -- can you walk through a little bit how the U.S. would go about getting those troops? We know that in the long term President Bush has already declared he wants to increase the size of the military, but we know that there are not enough troops right now to be sent.

Would people there have to stick around?

STARR: Well, right, and that is -- that is one of the major topics of discussions behind the closed doors here in the Pentagon. Consider this, Ed. Right now, U.S. troops are at the beginning, essentially, of a rotation period in Iraq. So there aren't a lot of troops to leave in place that might have been coming home because they are already staying for that one-year tour of duty.

They can accelerate some troops that might be going later in the year but, again, there wasn't a scheduled rotation around this time frame. So everybody is pretty much in place where they were going to be.

So it is becoming a significant issue, how do you generate the forces that are trained and ready for the combat zone and get them over there? And while all this discussion is going on, what are the insurgents, what are the death squads doing in anticipation of any surge of U.S. military forces? Are they using this time simply to reposition themselves and rearm themselves?

All of this a considerable concern right now.

MALVEAUX: And Barbara, just to clarify this deployment, repositioning, at least, of U.S. troops, is that something that requires the president's signature or his approval? Or is this something the defense secretary essentially can do on his own?

STARR: Well, essentially, in a practical sense, the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs can do this on their own. I think it's only realistic to think at this point that Mr. Gates is certainly discussing this with the president, as are the generals.

This was part of what was on the table during those Baghdad meetings. There was also discussion that another aircraft carrier group which is already headed in January to the western Pacific might be diverted and go right on to the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean region, not only to send that signal to Iran that the U.S. is watching them, but to have additional air power in place for Iraq.

All of this still on the table. All still being discussed with President Bush.

MALVEAUX: Thanks so much.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for latest developments.

In other news, the hardest-working man in show business is now at rest. After James Brown's death on Christmas Day, many are remembering his incredible energy, unique outfits, and unforgettable dance steps.

HENRY: Not to mention his political footwork.

CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider picks up that part of the story -- Bill.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Ed, he made us all feel good, but there was more to James Brown than just music.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The "Godfather of Soul" had political soul, too. We all know James Brown's funky musical moves. How about his funky political moves? Like his 1972 White House meeting with President Richard Nixon?

Eat your heart out, Elvis. The meeting with Brown was preserved on the White House audiotapes. The president and the "Godfather of Soul" discussed the memorial to Martin Luther King Jr.

RICHARD NIXON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... a big project in Atlanta to make his birthplace a monument...

SCHNEIDER: James Brown was proud of his political connections.

FRANK COPSIDAS, JAMES BROWN'S AGENT: He performed for every president from Richard Nixon through our president today. And he was very proud of that, as well.

SCHNEIDER: Brown and Al Sharpton visited President Ronald Reagan in 1982. President Clinton identified with the rock star at this 1997 Congressional Black Caucus dinner.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am profoundly grateful to the Congressional Black Caucus for making a dream of a lifetime come true. I am the opening act for James Brown.

SCHNEIDER: He identified with Brown's politics, too.

CLINTON: One of James Brown's songs, he says, "I don't want nobody to give me nothing. Just open up the door. I'll get it myself."

SCHNEIDER: In the 1960s, James Brown had a powerful influence on black consciousness. He didn't act white. He was black and proud. In fact, he invented that phrase in his 1968 song, "Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud."

That year, Brown went to Vietnam to perform for the troops.

In 2003, when Colin Powell presented Brown with a Kennedy Center Honor, the secretary of state recalled Brown's soul music pouring out of army hooches in Vietnam.

In 1968, a "Look" magazine cover story asked, "Is this the most important black man in America?"

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: That was after the King assassination when Brown gave a concert in Boston and spoke out against rioting. He's credited with helping prevent violence that night.

Now at the Kennedy Center Honors three years ago, Brown offered this advice: "I have been all over town, there's one thing I found. If you want to get down, find James Brown."

Good advice for politicians, as well as music lovers.

You feel good, Ed?

HENRY: I do. We always feel good when you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, Bill.

MALVEAUX: And bill, you said you had some of those moves down back in the day.

SCHNEIDER: Well, if I -- give me a platform and I'll be happy to...

HENRY: Well, Bill, also, he performed for a lot of presidents, dating back to Richard Nixon. He was somebody who was part of the political culture.

SCHNEIDER: He was. And it's certainly the case that in the 60s, a very turbulent decade, he was a real voice for a lot of African- Americas in that era who were just coming to a consciousness of their political interests. And he helped stimulate it.

Remember, he's the one who originated the phrase in song, "Black and proud," and that was -- it helped transform racial consciousness in this country.

HENRY: Thanks very much, Bill Schneider, our senior political analyst.

Now, we were hoping to bring you an interview with the Reverend Al Sharpton about the life and times of his close friend and father figure, the R&B legend James Brown. He's running behind schedule.

But stay tuned for the 7:00 hour Eastern Time here. We're going to have Reverend Sharpton, another hour with Suzanne and I. We'll get to ask some questions of the Reverend Sharpton.

We're here every weekday afternoon from 4:00 to 6:00 Eastern. We're back on the air at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, just one hour from now.

Until then, I'm Ed Henry.

MALVEAUX: And I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now. Christine Romans is in for Lou.

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