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Saddam Executed

Aired December 30, 2006 - 09:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: The death of a dictator. This is CNN's breaking news coverage. The execution of Saddam Hussein, a hangman's noose ends the life of a once brutal ruler. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm T.J. Holmes and this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, I'm Melissa Long in today for Betty, thanks for starting your Saturday with us.

HOLMES: It has been an extraordinary day in Iraqi history. Here are the events leading up to the execution of Saddam Hussein. At some point Friday afternoon the former dictator was transferred from U.S. custody in the fort identified green zone to the custody of the Iraqi government.

An attorney for Hussein filed a last-minute plea in a U.S. court for a stay of execution. That petition was denied. The ruling said since Hussein was no longer in U.S. custody the court had no jurisdiction.

Not long after that a red card is issued by the Iraqi justice minister, it is the same type of card he handed out during Saddam's regime to let people know their death sentence was official and ready to be carried out.

A witness to the execution says Hussein carried a copy of the Quran to the gallows with him; he refused a hood saying, "I don't need that, one final act of defiance. Then just before sunrise in Baghdad that is 10:00 p.m. on the East coast of the United States a Neuse was slipped around his neck and moments later Saddam Hussein was dead.

LONG: You are now update on date on the time line. Now let's share some new video into us this morning at CNN. Following the execution, we do want to warn you as well the grainy black and white video you are about to see may be graphic to you.

You will see the body of Saddam Hussein in a moment wrapped in white, his head clearly cocked to one side. Again this is Hussein's body wrapped after the execution, after he was put to the gallows's just before sunrise Baghdad time.

Let's check in now with CNN's Ryan Chilcote who is live for us in Baghdad with more on the reaction in the streets of Baghdad -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Melissa Saddam Hussein is dead that is the news that Iraqi's woke to this morning. It is all over the Iraqi media, accompanied by pictures of his execution. The lead up to his execution. The Iraqi television stations here showing images of Saddam Hussein's body, extraordinary news for Iraqis, remember Saddam Hussein the former dictator ruled Iraq for more than two decades. A mixed but somewhat subdued reaction to the news of Saddam's execution on the streets.

In predominantly Shiite areas scenes of jubilation. We are seeing those here in the Iraqi capital in the predominately Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City. In the city of Najaf and in the predominantly Shiite city of Karbala. In Saddam's home town of Tikrit some Sunni's taking to the streets there expressing their anger. Again a mixed reaction.

And Melissa finally the violence is never far away in Iraq. Two car bombing to talk about. Both of them targeting Shiite neighborhoods, both of them targeting marketplaces, one of them in southern Iraq in the city of Kufa.

Earlier this morning a massive explosion killing at least 30 Iraqis. That's what we are hearing from the Iraqi police, sending 45 more to the hospital and then just within the last hour and a half, here another bombing in the Iraqi capital killing at least 15 Iraqi's, wounding 25 more -- Melissa.

LONG: Ryan Chilcote with the latest reaction to the execution and again additional violence, thank you.

HOLMES: We now want to turn back to our Bonnie Schneider who is keeping an eye on some severe weather happening. What do you have for us now Bonnie?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well we have a tornado warning in effect for two parish's in Louisiana, and these are for Iberia and St. Martin Parish, you can see them here right in the center of Louisiana near the Lafayette area.

Taking a look at the bigger picture this is just south of the Baton Rouge region, we are getting reports of damaging winds of 60 miles per hour. There's a larger watch box and that includes a good portion of Louisiana this goes until noon today because the weather has been so threatening.

We have seen very strong thunderstorms roll through the area, even reports from the National Weather Service in Akadia Parish of tornado damage to a home in the Church Point area. So now we are watching this line of thunderstorms work its way from west to east, right along I-10, there is Laughette and there is New Iberia and that is where the tornado warning is in effect.

Now with this system we don't have a tornado sited according to the National Weather Service but we do have strong thunderstorms indicating rotation on Doppler radar and that's why the tornado warning has been issued. That is for New Iberia, St. Martin Parishes, straight to 8:30 in the morning Central Time. You can see the storm is working their way across much of the region.

Back to you.

HOLMES: All right. Bonnie, thank you so much for keeping an eye on it for us.

Meanwhile President Bush is commenting on the Hussein execution, he says it won't end the violence but it does mark the end of a difficult year. The president issued a statement from his Texas ranch and CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now from Crawford. Good morning to you Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you T.J. That is right the president's reaction came in the form of a written statement released some 90 minutes after the execution of Saddam Hussein and in it the president said that Saddam Hussein received a fair trial, the kind of justice the president said that Saddam Hussein denied his victims in that statement.

The president went on to state, "Saddam Hussein's execution comes at the end of a difficult year for the Iraqi people and for our troops, bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq but it is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain and defend itself and be an ally in the war on terror."

So President Bush there acknowledging that the violence and the situation on the ground in Iraq, certainly very difficult. Now as for how the president learned of this, we are told by a White House spokesman that it was around 7:15 Eastern Time that President Bush was briefed by phone by his national security adviser, Steven Hadley.

At that time, Steven Hadley informed the president that Dalaco (ph) a U.S. Ambassador to Iraq has been told by Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki that the time of Saddam Hussein's execution was, in fact, drawing near.

The president, we understand then went to bed and was not disturbed at the time of the execution, but, again, the White House releasing the statement by the president about 90 minutes after the execution took place.

We should tell you, as well, a White House spokesman is saying that we should not expect to see the president today in any kind of public event there are no plans for him to come out in public to talk about Saddam Hussein's execution today. -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Our Elaine Quijano for us from Crawford, Texas thank you so much Elaine.

LONG: The Saddam Hussein execution has been watched closely in Jordan not only by Saddam's attorneys there but also his two daughters loyal to the very end. CNN's Matthew Chance now joins us live from Amman Jordan with more. Good morning Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you as well Melissa. That's right. There are hundreds of thousands of Iraqi x patriots living here in the neighboring country of Jordan in the capital of Amman, escaping Iraqi over the past several years and the appalling security situation there.

There are lots of different kinds of Iraqis from different backgrounds, there are Shiites, there are Sunnis, and there are Kurds, opponents to Saddam Hussein, some of his supporters as well. What we haven't seen, though, here Melissa, over the course of the past several hours since Saddam Hussein was executed is any of those public shows of celebrations that we have been witnessing elsewhere in the world and in Iraq itself.

Nor have we seen outward displays of sadness either, it seems that the ex-patriot community of Iraq is here have much taken his execution in their strides.

But as you say two prominent Iraqi's have also made Jordan their homes, surviving members of Saddam Hussein's own family, two of his daughters, they are living in Amman, too and for them the focus at this time has very much shifted towards trying to establish the funeral arrangements for their executed father.

We have recently spoken with the lawyers working for the family. They say there's still a great deal of uncertainty about when or where that burial would take place. You remember all this happening at a time when at least for these individuals, members of Saddam's family, they are going through a very rough personal tragedy -- Melissa.

LONG: We have heard from Libya's leadership saying they will call for three days of mourning. What are we hearing there?

CHANCE: Well, the Libyan leadership is, in fact, one of the few Arab governments in the region that have issued any kind of statement at all about this, certainly we haven't heard anything from the Jordanian authorities.

But suffice to say they have been long-standing supporters, they say, of the Iraqi people and at times they have certainly given asylum to various figures from various regimes in Iraq. The current one and the former one of Saddam Hussein.

As I say, they have made hundreds of thousands of Iraqi x patriots welcome here over the past several years since the security situation deteriorated in Iraq. But in terms of actual comments on the execution of Saddam Hussein where there is very much a love-hate relationship with, the authorities have been pretty much silent -- Melissa.

LONG: Matthew Chance with reaction from Jordan, thank you.

HOLMES: And it's, what, the New Year's weekend, a lot of folks taking the time to get out today. You missed a major happening, an historic moment for Iraq last night.

It happened just before sunrise in Baghdad. It happened, it was around 10:00 last night on the east coast. You are looking at videos. Saddam Hussein taken to the gallows, the former dictator is dead. This morning we have in depth coverage and analysis and new details as they come in here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Some other news we are following this morning, a somber milestone for American troops in Iraq, the military says 108 U.S. service members have been killed in Iraq this month and that makes December the deadliest month of the year for Americans, 2,997 U.S. service members have been killed since the war began.

The nation's capital will honor the late President Gerald Ford today. Ford's body is being flown from California to Washington where it will lie in state at the Capital. Yesterday mourners paid their respects at a church in Palm Desert, California where Ford worshipped after leaving office. Ford's funeral is Tuesday in Washington.

Family and friends of the godfather of soul remember him at a private service in his hometown of Augusta, Georgia. A public funeral for James Brown is scheduled there for later this afternoon. The music icon died of heart failure Christmas morning at the age of 73.

Denver dodges a second crippling winter storm. The city did get about eight inches of fresh snow but it was not enough to shut down the cities airport. The storm is now moving east across the Great Plains.

Take a look at that. The weather system picked up tornadoes in Texas. Storm chasers near Waco captured this twister on video. They ended up getting a bit to close as the tornado passed just yards in front of their vehicle. The line of tornados caused heavy damage and one person was killed. Also our Bonnie Schneider is keeping an eye on weather for us and keeping an eye on tornado watches and all kinds of stuff going on for us today.

SCHNEIDER: That's right T.J. Yesterday it was Texas, today it is Louisiana we have tornado warning in effect for two parishes in Louisiana, Iberia and St. Martin Parish right in the center of the state to the south. There's also a tornado watch and that is in effect until 12:00 noon today.

Looking at the big picture now you can see we have severe thunder storms up and down here through central Louisiana, we also have reports of tornado damage according to the National Weather Service, a sheriff's department spokesperson reported that there was tornado damage to a home in the Church Point area.

We can show you some radar pictures now, this is real time radar of Baton Rouge, here is I-10 in Lafayette strong storms all the way to the south and to the north as well, this line is moving at about 35 miles per hour to the north so we will be watching it very closely throughout the day. Once again the tornado warning is in effect for Iberia Parish and St Martin Parish. That goes for about another 15 minutes.

HOLMES: Bonnie thank you so much. We know you will keep an eye on it for us. Thank you.

LONG: No stay of execution for Saddam Hussein. Guilty in the 1982 massacre in Dujail. Death by hanging was the sentence and it was carried out at dawn in Baghdad. Joining me now from Chicago, CNN legal analyst, David Scheffer and a professor as well at Northwestern University and an expert on international criminal law and human rights. Good morning professor, thanks for joining us this morning, we appreciate it.

DAVID SCHEFFER, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: Good morning Melissa.

LONG: Let's first talk about the verdict and the execution itself, do you agree with it?

SCHEFFER: With the verdict or the execution?

LONG: With both.

SCHEFFER: Yes, I think the verdict in the Saddam Hussein case is actually somewhat of a tribute to the new Iraqi judiciary. I think it sets a new standard, a very high bar for the Iraqi courts. It is a very thorough, very lengthy and very somewhat complex opinion that clearly shows the kind of preparation and thinking that you want judges to go through before they arrive at such a judgment.

The evidence was quite compelling. There was, however somewhat of a rush towards execution. I think that's going to somewhat mar the verdict in the long run. The court was not requiring this execution to take place as quickly as it did. It's within 30 days.

So a political decision was made to actually rush this execution before the holiday that commenced this morning. It would, I think, been a somewhat more reasonable pace to have permitted perhaps even Saddam Hussein to sit through one more trial, the genocide trial which reconvenes on January 8th, just to put him in that posture of addressing a much, much larger crime, genocide before he's executed.

From an international law perspective it's extremely regrettable that he has been executed because there are major trials with hundreds of thousands of victims that will now be deprived of the major defendant.

And while this may satisfy some in Iraq that he's been executed so quickly, I think there will be many others who are dissatisfied and certainly for the historical and judicial record we now have a huge gap looming before us in the future regarding the accountability of Saddam Hussein.

Let me just say this, during the Dujail trial he actually said many things about the incidents in Dujail that were extremely revealing about his own guilt for those crimes. We're now deprived of similar types of statements for the Anfal massacres of the late 1980s, and perhaps the southern marshes crimes against the Shias in the 90s.

LONG: You touched on some very important points; we don't have a lot of time. I want to try and cover more territory here, Mark Ellis of the International Bar Association appeared on our program a little earlier this morning and he said in fact that the genocide trial will be more important than the Dujail trial, so how do you proceed now? SCHEFFER: There are other defendants, including the notorious chemical Ali who will stand trial. So there will be a record established for the Anfal trial. Remember, there's a lot of investigation that has gone into the Anfal trial.

We want to make sure that that evidence comes out in the courtroom and is established in the record. But by depriving the Anfal trial of its primary defendant, you are going to, I think, see a situation that will unfold very differently from what would have been the case if he had been in the dock and able to intervene, make some statements, and deal with defense witnesses that he would have called to the stand.

So that, I think that's a major setback. But hopefully the Anfal trial will proceed. One major problem is how this whole court set up for this purpose will be financed over the next several years. It's a U.S. financed court without Saddam Hussein there. One wonders how willing the U.S. government will be to continue to substantially finance almost the totality of the cost of this court.

LONG: Professor Scheffer of Northwester University you raised some important points this morning. Thanks for your time this Saturday. We appreciate it.

SCHEFFER: Thank you Melissa.

LONG: And we will of course continue to follow the execution of Saddam Hussein. He was put to the gallows's this morning just before sunrise Baghdad time just before 6:00 a.m. The story we are following in great detail today on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: This morning we remember the late President Ford. The body of the former president will leave California today. It will be flown to Andrews Air Force Base just outside of Washington arriving late in the afternoon; a motorcade carrying the casket will make a brief stop at the World War II memorial then proceed to the capitol. Several streets around the capital are already closed down.

People are urged to use public transportation, including the subway, public viewing will begin tonight around Monday 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The line will form at the National Mall at Third Street between Pennsylvania and Independence Avenues.

Do keep in mind if you plan to be in Washington mourners won't be allowed to bring large bags, recording devices, guns, knives any other weapons, mace, pepper spray, any aerosol cans prohibited as well, cans in general, bottles, food, nor drinks, not permitted.

The funeral will take place Tuesday at the National Cathedral in Washington. After that the former president's body will be flown to Michigan for another service and burial at the presidential library in Grand Rapids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: James Brown just wasn't number one; he changed the beat of music all over the world.

HOLMES: Final farewell tour for music legend James Brown. Last night family and friends gathered for a private memorial in Augusta, Georgia and later today a public service at the arena bearing his name. CNN's Catherine Calloway is in Augusta. Good morning to you Catherine.

CATHERINE CALLOWAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J. I can't hear you but I do want to show you what's taking place here in Augusta. Friends and family have gathered for the second public viewing of James Brown here at the James Brown Arena. The first one was held earlier this week at the Apollo Theatre in New York.

But James Brown is back home now and his fans have come here to see him. I want to show you the crowd that began gathering early this morning. This line goes all the way down Southern Street, wraps completely around the block, goes all the way down Ninth Street and from what we are hearing, and the line is continuing to grow. They are all hoping to get inside this arena to say good-bye to their hometown hero.

They allowed them in about 8:00 this morning and James Brown is in his gold coffin with the white velvet lining, he is dressed in blue sequin suit, silver shoes, and white gloves. Some fans will file past the coffin and others hope to be part of the 8,100 people that will be allowed to stay inside the arena for a celebration of James Brown, that is going to be held at 1:00, it will be lead by the Reverend Al Sharpton. We have heard Sharpton say this morning is for the fans and this afternoon will be also for his celebrity fans.

We have seen Don King, Dick Gregory, M.C. Hammer, a number on have people who were tremendous fans and influenced heavily by James Brown. We also know musicians will be here. We don't know whether or not they will be performing. But this morning is for the fans and they have arrived in thousands.

HOLMES: Catherine Calloway keeping an eye on things in Augusta. Thank you so much Catherine.

LONG: In addition to remembering James Brown, of course also remembering the late President Ford this morning. And following the developments out of Baghdad, the execution of Saddam Hussein. It may be news to you this morning if you are just waking up. It's a story we are following in great detail this morning on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We're going to get more on the life of Saddam Hussein from CNN's Jonathan Mann now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Saddam" means literally one who confronts. And he lived up to the name.

Saddam Hussein fought his way from peasant to president and ultimately prisoner. He fought three failed wars in Iran and Kuwait and on his own soil, wars that took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. And he was defiant until the end.

SADDAM HUSSEIN, FMR. IRAQI DICTATOR (through translator): I am president of Iraq by the will of Iraqis, and remain until this moment, carrying the banner of the Iraqis and their role to defend it.

MANN: His methods were stark and brutal.

In 1979, he convened the leadership of the Baath Party, and with cameras rolling announced he uncovered a conspiracy. He read out the names of 68 members he accused of disloyalty, and one by one they were taken away. All were subsequently tried in summary fashion, and more than 20 believed to have been executed for treason.

Saddam also turned against Iraq's regional rival. In 1980, he launched a surprise attack on Iran. It was the start of a grinding eight-year conflict that took hundreds of thousands of lives. Perhaps even a million.

Within two years, Saddam would lead his country into war again with the invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990.

GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait.

I've got to go. I have to go to work. I've got to go to work.

MANN: By early 1991, U.S. President George Bush assembled an international coalition and more than 500,000 troops for Operation Desert Storm. The ground war lasted just three days.

Iraq retreated, and half a million of its men were taken prisoner. When Iraq surrendered, it agreed to cooperate with the elimination of its weapons of mass destruction, but Iraq never came clean.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.

MANN: In March of 2003, the U.S. led its coalition of the willing in a war to find the WMD and topple Saddam. Baghdad fell within weeks.

G. W. BUSH: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.

MANN: No weapons of mass destruction were ever found, but Saddam was, hiding in a narrow hole in the ground in Tikrit in December of 2003.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got him.

(APPLAUSE) MANN: The capture was both an achievement and a challenge. With Iraq in chaos and its judicial system discredited, how to conduct a trial to international standards? Saddam refused to cooperate from the very start.

In the end, Saddam's will never seemed broken. The man who fought his whole life died still fighting.

Jonathan Mann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: Let's take a moment now to get more reaction from the Middle East about the execution of Saddam Hussein.

CNN's Anthony Mills joins us now live from Beirut, Lebanon.

Good morning, Anthony.

ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Melissa.

Well, the execution of Saddam Hussein has created a ripple here in Lebanon as well. He was a notorious figure. To many Lebanese he had both enemies and friends alike here in this country.

Some saw him as a hero standing up to, in their view, Israeli and American oppression in the Middle East. Others saw him as a cold- blooded murderer.

But Lebanon is also pre occupied with its own political crisis. In fact, you may be able to hear behind me the music of protesters who have been camped out here in the heart of Beirut for weeks now demanding that the government resign. So really a lot of preoccupation with their our own internal affairs here in Lebanon.

As far as the region as a whole in concerned, we've seen differing reactions to the death of Saddam Hussein. In Iran, for example, which fought an eight-year bloody civil war with Iraq from 1980 to 1988, it was a sense of satisfaction, a sense that a murderer, if you will, has received his due. But then in Libya, three days of mourning have been declared, and there the view is that Saddam Hussein didn't receive a fair trial, that this was unfair and indeed illegal.

In Kuwait, though, celebration as well. Of course, Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, and their people are happy as well as seeing, as they see it, justice served -- Melissa.

LONG: You've had a chance to talk to people on the streets of Beirut. And it's important to point out today is Eid, a holy day. What are their thoughts of the execution falling on that very holy day?

MILLS: That's right, Melissa. We were out in the streets talking to Lebanese here, and a lot of them said that this was a man who got what he deserved, but many of them also said that they were also angered by the fact that this execution was carried out on a very holy day for Muslims, this holy religious day.

And they said that the timing was wrong, in their words, wrong. This should not have happened today. And they also pointed to a view that they held, they believe, that the United States was in some way behind all of this, engineering it from behind the scenes, even though it was an Iraqi court and an Iraqi decision to execute Saddam Hussein.

There is a view on the streets here in Lebanon that behind the scenes this was something that was engineered by the United States as part of a long-standing campaign in Iraq -- Melissa.

LONG: Thank you so much.

Anthony Mills from Beirut.

HOLMES: Well, we are seeing reaction from different places about the execution of Saddam Hussein. We're certainly seeing reaction there in Iraq. But now we'll get some reaction from Iraqis living right here in the U.S.

CNN's Allan Chernoff is in Dearborn, Michigan, which has a large Iraqi population.

Good morning to you, Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.

In fact, the largest concentration of Iraqi-Americans in the country. And the celebration was intense last night, even before the actual announcement of the execution.

I'm standing in a parking lot that was packed with people last night. And you see the remnants. Actually, a lot of candy wrappers still here on the sidewalk, in the parking lot.

The celebration, of course, people throwing candy all over the place, dancing, singing, clapping, lots of drums playing. Iraqi flags back and forth, people waving those flags. A huge celebration.

Several people telling me that this was a dream come true. And when the actual execution was announced, the gas station behind me just turned into a massive parking lot filled with cars.

Nobody was moving at all. The horns were honking. It was just a huge celebration, especially so because so many of these people told us that they had been personally affected by Saddam.

They said that relatives had been killed. Some had been tortured, others imprisoned. In fact, one person with whom we spoke said he had been in jail for seven years in Iraq and then finally was able to get out and come here to the United States. There was also a predominant belief that the execution of Saddam will lead to more peace, a more peaceful environment in Iraq, in spite of the fact, of course, that Saddam had been in prison for more than three years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been sharing the happiness and the celebration because tonight is a night of happiness, a night of justice, a night of relief, a night of revenge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight, millions of Iraqis feel relieved because they have been waiting for a night like tonight. Because as long as Saddam is alive, there is no hope for Iraq, there is no hope for the future of Iraq. Now Saddam is dead, there is a brighter future and there is a hope, and there is a good tomorrow. So I hope the whole world will help us to build a new Iraq, because Iraq without Saddam is much safer than Iraq with Saddam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: Absolutely everyone with whom we spoke last night said the execution of Saddam Hussein made the war all worthwhile -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, Allan. We just heard in that sound bite there, he used two words we want to talk about here for a second. He did use the word "justice," but he also used the word "revenge."

Which one was a more of a prevailing feeling and thought last night? Were more people talking about, hey, justice was served or, hey, I got revenge?

CHERNOFF: Well, they certainly felt both ways, but everyone, it seemed -- I spoke with more than two dozen people. It seemed they all felt a personal sense of revenge, a personal sense of vindication because, really, these were people who absolutely despised Saddam Hussein, a tyrant who really did have a reign of terror in Iraq that affected just so, so many people.

HOLMES: All right. Our Allan Chernoff for us in Dearborn, Michigan, which has a large Iraqi population there.

Thank you so much this morning, Allan.

LONG: Throughout the morning here on CNN SATURDAY we will continue to follow the developments following the execution of Saddam Hussein. And don't forget, when you're not near your television, go online to CNN.com to follow the death of a dictator. You can also e- mail us your thoughts, tell us what you think Iraq will be like following the execution.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We want to share with you now video we are just getting into here in CNN of a triple car bombing in a neighborhood called Hurriya. This is in Baghdad.

This is a triple car bombing. Word is now that at least 25 people have been killed here, another 65 wounded when these three car bombs went off almost simultaneously, at least coordinated in this area. This is the second major incident we have seen at least today of this -- of this bombing -- of a bombing. We saw another one in Kufa, another neighborhood -- or another neighborhood in southern Iraq where at least 30 people were killed in that bombing at a market. But this is some of the latest video we are getting in.

Again, talk, word there was a threat or a danger -- or a concern, at least, I should say, that there might have been an uptick in violence after the execution of Saddam Hussein. However, no way to tell if any of this relates at all to the execution of Saddam Hussein since so many of these car bombing are common occurrences in Iraq. But this some of the latest video.

We're keeping an eye on it. At least 25 dead from a triple car bombing in a neighborhood in Baghdad, a predominantly Shiite neighborhood. We'll keep an eye on it.

LONG: T.J., some of the other stories we've been following this morning.

A somber milestone. The military says 108 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq this month. That makes December the deadliest month of the year for Americans.

Two thousand, nine hundred and ninety-seven U.S. troops have been killed since the war began.

The body of the late president Gerald Ford is being flown from California to Washington, D.C., where it will lie in state at the Capitol. Yesterday, mourners paid their respects at a church in Palm Desert, California, where Ford worshipped after leaving office. Ford's funeral is Tuesday in Washington.

Fans are saying farewell to music legend James Brown. Right now the singer's hometown of Augusta, Georgia, is the site of a public viewing. In a couple of hours, the public funeral begins. The private ceremony for family and friends was held on Friday. Brown, as you know, died of heart failure on Christmas morning at the age of 73.

HOLMES: A second winter storm rolling east across the Great Plains. Denver escaped the worst of it with about eight inches of fresh snow. It's been more manageable than the blizzard that paralyzed the city last week. The Denver airport remains open despite some canceled flights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wedge tornado wrapped in rain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: A strong winter storm kicked up tornadoes across central Texas as well. This twister was captured on video by storm chasers near Waco. One person was killed in Limestone County when a tornado hit an assisted living facility.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LONG: And, of course, while we follow the weather forecast not only in Denver, but in New Orleans and Louisiana, with problems of tornadoes, we are also following the aftermath of the execution of Saddam Hussein. Perhaps you are just learning that he was executed perhaps while you were sleeping, 10:00 p.m. Eastern time, just before 6:00 a.m. Baghdad time, before the first light.

It's a story we are following in great detail today on CNN SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: This morning the big story, the death of Saddam Hussein.

Now, Iran and the U.S. rarely agree. The U.S. and Afghanistan rarely disagree. But the execution of Saddam Hussein is an exception.

In both cases, Iran praised the hanging as a fitting punishment for a tyrant. Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai was critical of the timing because it comes at the start of the Muslim festival of Eid.

HOLMES: Here now, the official White House statement issued just after Saddam Hussein's execution. This is from President Bush.

In the statement, it reads, "It is a testament to the Iraqi people's resolve to move forward after decades of oppression that, despite his terrible crimes against his own people, Saddam Hussein received a fair trial. This would not have been possible without the Iraqi people's determination to create a society governed by the rule of law."

It goes on, "Saddam Hussein's execution comes at the end of a difficult year for the Iraqi people and for our troops. Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself, and be an ally on the war on terror."

LONG: His brutal regime killed countless Iraqis, and now Hussein has been tried, convicted and executed. But will he be even more dangerous in death?

CNN's Brian Todd takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even in custody, no one cut a more menacing figure. Like this time in power, Saddam Hussein's M.O. at trial was intimidation. A psychology that runs deep through his country's emotional veins, and why some experts believe Iraqi authorities wanted to execute him quickly.

The troublesome irony now, they say, is that Saddam, in death, may be more dangerous than he was alive.

HISHAM MELHEM, AL-ARABIYA: For certain, there will be a spike in the level of violence. This violence could be (INAUDIBLE) violence.

TODD: Sunnis will almost certainly attack Shias, experts say. Especially if the Shia population engages in widespread rejoicing at the death of their long-time torturer. But regardless of the Shia reaction, observers say, minority Sunnis who enjoyed privilege and power under Saddam will be pushed further into a corner.

MELHEM: This is going to be seen by the Sunnis as another insult, as another qualitative leap in the attempts of the Shia of Iraq to have a monopoly on government in Iraq at their expense.

TODD: But Shias aren't the only ones in danger. The Baath Party which Saddam led has issued a statement that his execution will lead it to "... retaliate in all ways and all places that hurt America." And this comes as President Bush is about to announce a change in U.S. strategy in Iraq and a possible influx of American troops. The face of the enemy of Sunni insurgents, some allied with al Qaeda.

KEN ROBINSON, MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: The information operations objective of the insurgency is to make it felt at home in the United States. And to do that, you need to send soldiers home in body bags. And that's pretty much what they're going to do.

TODD: Other experts point out much of the insurgency has never relied on Saddam for direction or inspiration, but this could fit their pattern of looking for any excuse to attack fellow Iraqis or Americans.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: We've been focusing on the severe weather out in Denver. Now let's focus on the New Orleans area.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: And please stay with us, because we will reset things for you at the top of the hour.

The big story today, Saddam Hussein is dead, executed overnight here in the U.S., right before sunrise in Baghdad. That's the video out of Baghdad. Saddam Hussein, former dictator, being taken to the gallows.

Stay here. We will update you on all the happening from last night and this morning and throughout the day in Iraq, around the region.

Stay with CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: This is what happened while you were sleeping. Breaking news of Saddam Hussein's execution. He was hanged for crimes against humanity before sunrise today in Baghdad. In some Shiite areas we have seen people dancing in the streets firing their guns in the air to celebrate the former dictator's death.

Mean while in a statement President Bush says bringing Saddam Hussein to justice marks an important milestone. An Iraq's course to democracy.

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