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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown

Democrats Say Bush's Economic Proposal Unfair; Saddam Hussein Accuses U.N. Weapons Inspectors of Spying

Aired January 06, 2003 - 19:00   ET

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

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


AARON BROWN, HOST: And good evening again. Again to most of you, that is. To some of you, good evening for the very first time. As Larry said, beginning tonight, this broadcast is being carried live on all of CNN's international networks to more countries than I could possibly list. We are -- and I know this is big -- the only global newscast that is seen live in the United States and around the world. And I know that's true because it came directly from the promotions department.
On the one hand, this makes no difference at all. We'll continue to do what we have done all along. We'll report the news, provide some perspective, air as many viewpoints as we can, and when we have the time and the inclination, indulge in an amusement or two. And we are inclined to do that fairly often.

Those of you who are accustomed to watching us won't be aware that people in Tokyo or Torin (ph) or Trinidad, for that matter, may also be watching us, though I'm considering once a month or so doing the broadcast in French once I learn French. It does seem fair to warn our new viewers about a couple of things. First, I'm not very smooth. I try to be I'm just not.

I've been known to smile funny. Some even go so far as to say it's a smirk. It's not.

Some stories you no doubt are just dying to see you will not see on NEWSNIGHT. We don't do the Thanksgiving turkey pardon story, and we don't do car chases, just to name two. If you have any idea who the actor Robert Blake is, and there's no reason you should, we had a bad experience with his arrest on murder charges once, and so don't expect us to spend a lot of time on that either or any other over-the- hill actor.

The trick for us is not to be an worldwide program broadcast from New York, but to be an American news program that is interesting to viewers everywhere. This may take us a bit of time and you may need a bit of patience. In the meantime, know that we are very excited at taking this first small step towards NEWSNIGHT's domination of the world, and we are pleased that you are getting up so very early -- or is it that you are staying up so very late? Or perhaps you're just sitting down for lunch to join us.

On we go. And we begin the same each night. Ninety seconds amusing from me, and then on to what we lovingly call "The Whip." And it's fitting that we'll hit some pretty far-flung datelines in "The Whip" tonight, beginning in D.C., where the White House will formally unveil its economic stimulus plan tomorrow. The president has some competition already.

John King is our senior White House correspondent. John, a headline, please.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, the president said the U.S. economy needs a $600 billion boost, mostly through new or accelerated tax cuts. Democrats say that's way too much. They want a much more modest stimulus plan. They say the president is trying to help the rich at the expense of the U.S. federal budget deficit. This is the debate, political and policy, that will dominate Washington in the early weeks of the new year -- Aaron.

BROWN: John, thank you. Good to see you.

Now to preparations for the possibility of a war with Iraq. Troops in spots across the United States are now leaving their families. Gary Tuchman has been tracking that for us tonight. Gary, a headline from you.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, some 600 soldiers who will be fighting if and when there's a ground war are leaving the state of Georgia tonight for the Persian Gulf. And they leave behind tearful spouses and bewildered children -- Aaron.

BROWN: Gary, thank you. On to Baghdad. Some tough words today from Saddam Hussein. Rym Brahimi is there. A headline from you, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the 82nd anniversary of the celebration of the armed forces, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein accused the U.N. weapons inspectors of spying and accused the United States of wanting to dominate not only Iraq, but the entire region.

BROWN: Rym, thank you. And the latest now on the situation in North Korea. Rebecca MacKinnon is covering that tonight from Seoul. Rebecca, a headline please.

REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF: Thanks, Aaron. Well, as diplomatic meetings get underway in Washington, South Korea is hoping to broker some kind of compromised solution to solve the North Korean nuclear crisis. But the problem is that it appears there are differences of viewpoint between Washington and Seoul. Back to you, Aaron.

BROWN: Rebecca, thank you. Back to you and the rest coming up shortly.

Also on the program tonight, we'll sort through the economics and the politics of the competing economic plans with one of the few people who can do both. James Glassman of the American Enterprise Institute joins us. Some perspective on Iraq and Saddam's accusations today. We'll be joined by former Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter.

There is a horrible story tonight out of New Jersey. Two brothers found starving; their other sibling found dead. The question of course is how could this happen and who is to blame?

And it is not all heavy stuff tonight. We'll meet a blues legend you've never heard of whose comeback is long overdue. The story of Howard Tate (ph). And NEWSNIGHT's own list of banned buzzwords for the new year. No Baghdaddies (ph) for us. That's "Segment 7" tonight.

All of that to come in the hour ahead. For those of you in North America and around the world, I just wanted to say that one more time. We begin with the president's prescription for the economy. A booster shot says the White House for a patient already on the mend. Bad medicine say Democrats, unfair and too expensive to boot. A little more than a placebo, say a number of highly respected economists, who point out that a $600 billion plan over 10 years may sound like a lot, but it's nothing in a $10 trillion a year economy.

But if any stimulus package, Republican or Democrat is debatable on its economic merits, there's little doubt that proposing one is very good political medicine. Good for the president, who remembers what happened to his father. Good for Democrats, who remember what they did to his father after he won the war and was seen losing the economy. We begin tonight with our Senior White House Correspondent, CNN's John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice-over): The first cabinet meeting of the new year and a preview of the president's proposal to give the economy a boost.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... a plan that is a very fair plan. It's a plan that recognizes when somebody has more of their own money, they're likely to spend it, which creates more jobs.

KING: The Bush plan would cost about $600 billion over 10 years. Half of that, roughly $300 billion, would go toward eliminating federal income taxes individuals pay on corporate dividends.

BUSH: It will encourage investment, and that's what we want. We want to encourage investment activity. Investment means jobs.

KING: Mr. Bush will also propose accelerating income tax cuts already passed by Congress, eliminating the tax code's so-called marriage penalty more quickly, a rebate for some childcare costs, and an extension of emergency unemployment benefits.

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Ninety-two million taxpayers will receive on average a tax cut of $1,083 in 2003. Forty- six million married couples would receive average tax cuts of $1,716.

KING: Democrats say their much more modest one-year stimulus plan would give the economy a more immediate boost. The Democrats would spend about $140 billion on a mix of tax rebates to low and middle-income Americans, expanded unemployment benefits, and direct aid to financially strapped state governments. Democrats complain the Bush approach favors more affluent taxpayers and will drive up the federal budget deficit.

ROBERT MENENDEZ (D), NEW JERSEY: The Democratic plan is significant, fast acting and is fiscally responsible. We stimulate the job market. The president's plan stimulates the stock market.

KING: Financial markets appeared to like the Bush plan. The Dow Jones industrial average gained more than 171 points, and the Nasdaq closed up as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: And one new detail released tonight, as the White House tries to rebut the Democratic criticism, the Bush plan includes a new innovation, creating accounts where unemployed Americans could get $3,000 from the government. They could use that for job training, for transportation, for childcare costs, all in an effort to get a new job. And if they find a new job within 13 weeks, they can keep whatever money is left over in that $3,000 account -- Aaron.

BROWN: John, what does the White House say about the deficit?

KING: The White House says that once you get a growing economy the deficit will go away. But the president also said today if Democrats are so concerned about the deficit, then they should restrain spending. We have a debate over the economy coming in the new Congress, but also a big debate over federal spending. The president wants most of the money to go to the homeland security here, the military overseas. The Democrats say what about healthcare, what about education?

The debate over the economy will also include spending. The Democrats looking to score points by reminding this president when he took office and Bill Clinton went out there was a surplus, now a growing federal budget deficit.

BROWN: John, thank you. Senior White House Correspondent John King at the White House tonight.

War is the great economic wildcard, of course. And the march to war appears to be stepping up. Today, more reservists got the call, more soldiers packed their duffle bags, more ships set sail, and of course there were more good-byes. In San Diego, a Marine-like (ph) carrier steamed out towards the Gulf with about 4,000 troops on board. Many already have seen action in Afghanistan. Most say they expect to see it again in Iraq.

It couldn't have made the good-byes any tougher, and the scene was repeated from the Coronado to central Georgia, where CNN's Gary Tuchman filed tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN (voice-over): They are in the infantry, on their way to the Persian Gulf. They don't know what's in store for them. They don't know when they'll be back home. SGT. CALVIN SHERMAN, FORT BENNING, GEORGIA: I'm kind of proud to go over and serve my country. At the same time, it's kind of -- I feel pretty heart broken about leaving my family.

TUCHMAN: Staff Sergeant Calvin Sherman's family was with him to say good-bye. His 10-year-old son, his nine-year-old daughter and his wife Christine (ph).

(on camera): What was the last thing you told him when he walked away?

CHRISTINE SHERMAN: I love him and take care.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): But moments before their loved ones left Fort Benning, Georgia were full of tenderness and tears. This little boy was told to give his father a hug and kiss good-bye. When the young son finished, he thought he'd better go back and do it a second time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you.

TUCHMAN: Children told their parents the things that soldiers want to keep fresh in their minds as long as they're away. Spouses shared moments as intimate as they could respectably do in public.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just frightened because so much is going on and I just want him to come home.

TUCHMAN: After roll call, these men who will be on the battlefield if and when there's a ground war were processed and then boarded buses for a trip to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Air Force Base for their flights to Kuwait.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really scared. I'm really scared. Just because I -- if something happens, I'd have to explain it to him and...

TUCHMAN (on camera): Your little boy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. And I just don't know if I can handle that emotionally.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Eight packed buses pulled out of the parking lot. By the time the week is over, some 3,500 Fort Benning soldiers will be in the Gulf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: As we speak, another 250 soldiers are just coming out of the recreation center here at Fort Benning. You can see them right behind me getting ready to board the bus. There are six buses here right now getting ready to go to the Air Force base. And this will be another contingent of soldiers here from Fort Benning going over to the Persian Gulf.

Many of these soldiers spent time in Kosovo last year, but that was a peacekeeping mission. There's a much different attitude and atmosphere here now in January 2003. Aaron, back to you.

BROWN: Gary, thank you. Gary Tuchman in Georgia tonight.

Saddam Hussein lashed out at the U.N. weapons inspectors today. He called them spies in a televised speech to his country. It came on a day for tough talk and a show of force. Again tonight, CNN's Rym Brahimi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRAHIMI (voice-over): The leadership's last line of defense. The Iraqi armed forces here at a wreath-laying ceremony led by President Saddam Hussein's top aide. The military marks its 82nd anniversary. The ceremony particularly significant this year in light of U.S. threats against Baghdad. Threats Saddam Hussein said in a televised speech are directed not only at Iraq.

SADDAM HUSSEIN, PRESIDENT OF IRAQ (through translator): (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the Arab Gulf area to a full, complete and physical occupation through which to achieve many goals.

BRAHIMI: Those goals, said Saddam Hussein, protecting U.S. interest and the security of Israel, but also diverting public opinion from what he said was the Bush administration's failures.

HUSSEIN (through translator): As exposed before the U.S. public opinion vis-a-vis the events of September 11, 2001 and the weakness of the United States economy.

BRAHIMI: Referring to the U.S. not by name but as "the enemy," the Iraqi president insisted any U.S. attack would not be legitimate. Under intense U.S. and international pressure, Iraq last year agreed to the return of U.N. inspectors to verify Baghdad's claim it has no weapons of mass destruction.

The U.N. experts are soon to report to the U.N. Security Council on the result of two months' activities. But in his speech, Saddam Hussein accused the inspectors of spying.

HUSSEIN (through translator): The inspection teams are interested in collecting names and making lists of Iraqi scientists, addressing employees with questions that carry hidden agendas, giving special attention to military camps, to unprescribed military production and to other matters, all most of which consist of purely intelligence work.

BRAHIMI: Accusations that haven't prevented Iraq from providing access to inspectors on the ground. The country's leadership is keen to deny the U.S. any pretext for an attack. But at the same time, readying its troops for the possibility of one. Special programs on Iraqi TV showed Iraqi soldiers in what it said were heroic scenes from past wars against Israel, against Iran and against U.S. forces in the 1991 Gulf War.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRAHIMI: Now the president was also clearly keen to rally as much public support from the Arab world, pointing out that the U.S. had, in his view, a very biased way of dealing with policy in the Middle East and telling -- saying that the U.S. was also supporting Israel to the detriment of the Palestinians definitely. Elements that strike a cord in the region.

But all through the day -- that was actually a day off, a national holiday here in Iraq -- we were also shown pictures of the president greeting the various commanders of his armed forces. A display, if you will, of allegiance. And then during the day, of course, the inspectors meanwhile seemed totally unaffected by what was being said about them. They went about their business as usual. But I can tell you one thing, Aaron, it seems if my information is correct, that in less than an hour they will be going out using those helicopters for the first time -- Aaron.

BROWN: It sounds like tomorrow's story, Rym. Thank you very much. We'll see what they find if anything. Rym Brahimi in Baghdad tonight.

On to North Korea next. Today, the UN's nuclear watchdog group gave North Korea one more chance to let inspectors back in or risk sanctions or even the possibility of international military action. If that was the stick, President Bush today provided the carrot. He says the United States has no intention of invading the north, and South Koreans kept the diplomatic wheels turning as well. In Seoul for us tonight, CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACKINNON (voice-over): South Korea's outgoing president, Kim Dae-jung, and incoming president elect, Roh Moo-hyun, are working this one together, hoping to broker a solution to head off a crisis.

LEE CHUN MIN, YONSET UNIVERISTY: Incoming president, Mr. Roh Moo-hyun, also does not want (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with a major crisis right between their eyes.

MACKINNON: South Korea's proposal asks for compromise on both sides.

LEE: He wants to tell George W. Bush meet us halfway.

MACKINNON: North Korea would agree to shelve its nuclear weapons program and let inspectors back in. In return, the U.S. would guarantee North Korea's right to exist and resume supplies of fuel oil, which the Bush administration suspended in November. On Monday, President Bush made his position clear.

BUSH: I went to Korea and clearly said that the United States has no intention of invading North Korea. Talking is one thing, but we expect people to honor obligations. And for Kim Jong Il to be a credible member of the world community, he's got to understand that he's got to do what he says he's going to do. MACKINNON: But a South Korean presidential envoy now on his way to Washington expressed Seoul's view that the Bush administration helped cause this crisis.

YIM SUNG-JOON, SOUTH KOREAN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER (through translator): The U.S. halted the oil shipments to North Korea, which reacted by lifting its freeze on its nuclear program. We expect that there will be clear exchange of the two country's positions on a resolution without further worsening the situation.

MACKINNON: The problem, say analysts here, is a disconnect between the two countries' final objectives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For South Korea, the key word, in terms of resolution, is, well, as long as North Korea comes back to the bargaining table, as long as she goes back to IAEA safeguards, this issue basically is resolved. Because, as long as we keep it on the negotiation track, everything is OK. For the Americans, it's basically a rollback and dismantlement and disarmament.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACKINNON: For South Korea's political leadership here, the objective is really all political. It's about proving to the South Korean public that this government can indeed influence Washington; that it has the clout to influence Washington and to broker a settlement. Whether Washington will go as far as Seoul feels it needs, remains to be seen. Back to you, Aaron.

BROWN: Well, it's a complicated political situation in South Korea because many in South Korea are as distrustful of the United States as they are the North Koreans.

MACKINNON: Yes, that is part of the problem here. There are a lot of people, including people in the policy making teams of both Kim Dae-jung, the outgoing president and Roh Moo-hyun, the incoming president, who feel that this crisis was in part Washington's making because the Bush administration went so long refusing to engage North Korea in any kind of dialogue. And then in the end, North Korea came out saying it had this nuclear weapons development program and then the situation escalated from there. So the South Koreans really do feel that Washington needs to get back to the table in order for this to be solved -- Aaron.

BROWN: Rebecca, thank you. Rebecca Mackinnon in Seoul tonight.

And ahead on NEWSNIGHT, the story of a soul music legend and his tortured soul. Up next: charges of spying by the weapons inspectors in Iraq. And we'll talk with former inspector Scott Ritter. This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: A quick update now on a story that caused quite a chill when it first broke. Five men who may have snuck into the country from Canada. Tonight, sources at the FBI are telling us that a number of officials at the bureau believe these pictures may have been part of some kind of fabrication. Though the pictures do remain on the FBI's Web site.

These officials are now asking if the informant who tipped them off was simply selling them a bill of goods. They do say he passed a polygraph test, but on further investigation, his story is not panning out.

You saw the emotional scenes a few minutes ago. U.S. forces saying good-bye for now to their families, heading for what may very well be a confrontation with Iraq. Maybe the most unsettling image of the day was that of the USS Comfort being deployed, the hospital ship that can treat up to 1,000 wounded -- 1,000. The harsh reminder exactly of the stakes involved.

So where do we stand right now? Today's talk from Saddam Hussein today was pretty belligerent. Especially the accusations that the inspectors are nothing more than spies for the United States. A lot to talk about with Former U.N. Weapons Inspectors Scott Ritter. Mr. Ritter, as many of you know, has been a sharp critic of the administration. He joins us tonight from Albany.

It's good to see you, sir. What do you make of the spying accusation, other than deja vu all over again?

SCOTT RITTER, FMR. U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Well, it's just that. I mean, unfortunately, the Iraqi charges -- and I don't know if think have any substance to them at this point in time. I doubt it. I believe Hans Blix and his team of inspectors are assiduously carrying out their mandate to disarm Iraq. But unfortunately, there is that history of UNSCOM, the organization that I work for, and the fact that the United States government used the weapons inspection teams to spy on Iraq to gather information not about Iraq's disarmament obligation, but about the security of Saddam Hussein and then use this information to target Saddam Hussein with a variety of, you know, coup efforts, assassination attempts, et cetera.

So, you know -- and we still have a situation where the Bush administration has a stated policy of regime removal in place. So it's hard to tell, you know, what exactly is going on right now.

BROWN: To what extent are the inspectors -- to speak from your own experience here; I know you can't speak for the ones currently there -- are the inspectors aware of the news background of the day, the things that are coming out of Washington, the things that are coming out of Baghdad? And to what extent does that affect how they do their job?

RITTER: Well, they're very aware of it. I mean, when I was an inspector, we received news briefings every morning. We got thick faxes of all the headlines and news clippings that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to keep abreast of what was happening out there in the world.

A, you feel sort of isolated in Iraq doing your job. And you'd like to know there's a reason for what you're doing, that the world is supporting you. Or sometimes unfortunately you found out the world wasn't supporting you. So the inspectors are very aware.

But we were very professional in our task. We went about our work in accordance with the mandate we were given, and we didn't let outside influences interfere with that mandate. We were told to do something by our officials and we did it.

BROWN: So far, at least, there seems to be no smoking gun. Are you particularly surprised at anything about the process so far?

RITTER: No, absolutely not. I don't believe that the inspectors are going to find anything. And this doesn't necessarily mean that the Iraqis are hiding any weaponry. Look, the Iraqis are given the weapons inspectors all the access they've demanded so far, and the inspectors are coming up empty. They're going to facilities that had been fingered by the Bush administration as being involved in weapons of mass destruction programs.

Think back to September and October, and the variety of briefings provided by Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and other defense officials, where they put up photographs of facilities in Iraq, saying we know these facilities are involved in prohibited activities. Well, inspectors have been there and they found out that nothing has transpired.

I think that's what the fact is. Now what we're going to come down to is, because there is no smoking gun, the inspectors are going to be looking for documents to shore up the gaps in the Iraqi declaration, and this is going to lead to a return to the kind of frustrating experience that I had for several years, where you go to facilities with no clear objective other than looking for documents which may or may not exist. I think that's what happened today when they cordoned off a large facility outside of Baghdad looking for documentation and it led to the kind of, you know, recrimination that you hear from Saddam Hussein. Where he says, hey, we think you guys are just going on a wild goose hunt here looking for information that has nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction.

I don't think that's the case. I think the inspectors are trying to do their job. But at some point the Security Council is going to have to make an decision that, if you have don't have a smoking gun, if you don't have hard evidence of Iraqi noncompliance, you're going to have to accept the fact that there are probably no weapons in Iraq.

BROWN: Scott, thank you. Scott Ritter, the former U.N. weapons inspector joining us tonight from Albany on his view of how the process is going.

Again in the Middle East, the scenes familiar today. Israelis burying their dead. Twenty-two died in a suicide bombing; the first in six weeks. The bombers say it was retaliation for attacks on them, and there's no question the Israeli army has attacked in the West Bank. Sometimes Palestinian militants died, sometimes innocent children do.

It sometimes seems each side is numb to the deaths on the other side, or perhaps after years of all of this, they just don't care anymore. Here's CNN's Walt Rodgers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Israel, prayers for the dead mingling with the cries of grief. These are the lingering echoes of Sunday's twin suicide bombings in a crowded Tel Aviv low-income neighborhood. Thirty hours later, they were still trying to identify some of the remaining dismembered bodies.

Sunday's suicide bombings were the first since November. Israeli security forces claim to have prevented at least 15 other suicide attacks in recent weeks. Officials also credited targeted killings of Palestinian militants with slowing the pace of bombings. So far, Israel's military response to Sunday's attacks has been measured and mute. With a possible war pending in Iraq, the United States does not want a massive Israeli military reaction now that might further inflame the Arab world.

Initially, only nine Israeli rockets were fired into Gaza, sparking some fear but more Palestinian defiance. And despite the fact the Israeli army now occupies every major Palestinian West Bank city, it has not stopped the suicide bombers. So now Israel is reportedly planning more pinpoint operations, targeted killings of Palestinian militants. Palestinian universities face closure, and there are new travel restrictions even on senior Palestinian officials, including a ban on a Palestinian delegation planning to attend a London conference hosted by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

NABIL ABU RUDEINEH, ARAFAT SPOKESMAN: This is going to reflect negatively on Israelis, and we urge the world (ph) and especially the United States to interfere immediately to stop the Israeli aggression.

RODGERS: Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, shown here visiting bombing victims, has limited maneuvering room. And he may have decided now that less is better. No incumbent politician wants dead soldiers with an election three weeks away, and Sharon knows the Americans want no surprises now.

CHEMI CHALEY, POLITICAL ANALYST: Most Israelis I think recognize the geopolitical realities of the region and of this time. And they understand that because of the impending American operation against Iraq, Sharon has constrined in his moves. And, therefore, I think they will show understanding if the government does not react in the way that they would want it to react.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS: Short term, the suicide bombings may actually help Ariel Sharon in his reelection bid. Traditionally, the Israeli public rallies around Sharon when terrorism tops the agenda here. Long term, however, Sunday's bombing again point out, bitterly, that Israel is a long way from putting those suicide bombers out of business -- Aaron.

BROWN: Just one little one. What is the point of the travel ban? What is that, in the Israeli view, designed to accomplish?

RODGERS: Well, it's a good question. And it's a difficult one to answer, because it really doesn't accomplish a lot.

It attacks -- or it's aimed at curtailing the travel of the senior Palestinian officials, but it really doesn't go to the heart of the terrorism issue. In this case, it does nothing to punish the members of Al-Aqsa Brigades, the terrorist organization which were responsible for these suicide bombings. So, in one sense, it punishes the wrong people -- Aaron.

BROWN: Well, thank you, Walt Rodgers in Jerusalem, for us this evening.

Coming up on NEWSNIGHT: Who was watching the children? The story of three Newark, New Jersey, brothers and the neglect that apparently cost one of them his life.

This is NEWSNIGHT from New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Think for a second what you were doing on New Year's Day. Maybe you were with family or friends. Maybe you were watching a ball game or just enjoying the day off.

It seems pretty safe to assume we know what two young brothers in Newark, New Jersey, were doing on New Year's Day. They were locked in a basement. They were hungry, thirsty. They were covered with burn marks. And they no doubt were wondering if they would survive. The boys were found on Saturday. And they will live. Their brother wasn't as lucky.

The search for answer to an outrage tonight from CNN's Jamie Colby.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight two brothers, aged 5 and 7, are being treated for burns and malnutrition in a New Jersey hospital, after police discovered them over the weekend in a locked basement of a relative's home. New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, who visited 5-year-old Tyrone and 7-year-old Raheem Williams tonight, expressed outrage over their treatment.

GOV. JAMES MCGREEVEY, NEW JERSEY: Obviously, regularly burned, scalded, malnourished, underdeveloped, as if you were visiting refugees from an impoverished nation.

COLBY: The boys were rescued on Saturday. One of the brothers asked about his twin brother, Faheem. Police say the 7-year-old's body was discovered in a bin in another room of the basement on Sunday.

Police are now searching for Sherry Murphy, a cousin of the boy's mother who was asked to care for the boys while their mother served a five-month jail sentence for assault. A warrant out for Murphy details child endangerment charges that police say may be upgraded to include a homicide charge.

The boy's mother, Melinda Williams, is in a New York City hospital. She claims she was on her way to see her boys when she was hit by a car on Saturday.

SHARPE JAMES, MAYOR OF NEWARK: She stated to us in the hospital she was unable to locate her cousin, she was unable to find her children, and she's been searching for them.

COLBY: While police search for Murphy, New Jersey's Division of Youth and Family Services is also receiving scrutiny, because it had been monitoring the boys, but had closed its file.

MCGREEVEY: This is reprehensible. That report today was disgusting. I mean, it read as if we're part of some Third World debacle.

COLBY (on camera): Sensing a political firestorm, Governor McGreevey is calling for a complete overhaul of New Jersey's child welfare system. At the same time, the Division of Youth and Family services, that may have let this case slip through the cracks, has announced it's taking custody of the boys.

Jamie Colby, CNN, Newark, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: A few quick other items from around the country tonight before we head to break, beginning with a deadly train accident in Southern California today.

A commuter train bound for downtown Los Angeles hit a truck during morning rush hour. The truck driver was killed; 32 others were hurt, two of them critically. Witnesses told the railroad that the crossing gates were lowered and signal lights were flashing before the truck went on to the track.

Also in Southern California today, Santa Ana winds helped fuel some fires that forced resident to flee about 30 homes. About 350 firefighters were called in. The fires covered about 15 acres, no buildings damaged. And we are pleased to report no one hurt.

Later on NEWSNIGHT: a musical legend and his recovery from personal hell.

Up next: the selling of the Bush economic plan. We'll talk with Jim Glassman.

This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: And next on NEWSNIGHT: Will the rich get richer with the latest Bush economic proposal? And what will they drive as well? We'll explain it all in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Given that this is our first international program, we wanted to give our viewers overseas something really American. And what could be more American than cars?

Now, we understand that many of you overseas do drive cars. Some of you even live in countries where cars are made. I even know people who drive some of those cars. But no one loves cars the way Americans love cars, cheap gas, bad trains and miles and miles of road, and not to mention Henry Ford guaranteed it.

And in the capital of cars, Detroit, they're showing off what's next. And what's next is more, more horsepower, more luxury, more money, less mileage, never mind a rough economy and rising fuel prices. We're pretty sure the guy who coined the phrase less is more was not American. He didn't drive a Mustang or a Maybach or a Maserati. And maybe, if the Dow were at, oh, let's say 36000 or so, we could all afford it.

Will the president's stimulus package get us there, or the Democrats'? How badly will the war hurt the recovery? Questions for author, political reporter, and the guy who once wrote a book with the very bullish title of "Dow 36000."

Jim Glassman is here with us tonight.

It's nice to see you.

JAMES GLASSMAN, FELLOW, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Thanks, Aaron.

BROWN: Explain to me, if you want to, actually, why this dividend cut is good for the economy.

GLASSMAN: Right.

You know, we financial and economic and policy nerds are very excited by this, because it is a tremendous distortion in the tax code that's been around for a long time. And I never thought that anybody would ever get around to fixing it. The way it works now is that, if a company pays $1 in its profits out to an investor as a dividend, it gets taxed twice. It gets taxed at the corporate level and then the investor has to pay taxes.

So, the investors only ends up with 36 cents our of the dollar. If the company goes into debt instead, it's much more beneficial. In effect, the tax is about half. So, this is fixing that little quirk in the tax code. But it does a couple of other things, too. It puts more money in the hands of investors. And don't forget that half of all American households now own stock.

It will almost certainly raise the value of the stock market. We already saw that happen today. And more money will be raised, more capital will be raised by individual companies. The Bush administration hopes they'll invest that capital and we'll have more jobs. That's the idea.

BROWN: OK. Is this economic policy or is this tax policy hiding as economic policy?

GLASSMAN: Well, I think it actually is economic policy, although it does fix something that's wrong in the tax code.

What's interesting about this is, we hear a lot of talk about stimulus package. This is not really stimulus. I think of stimulus as like a defibrillator, or whatever they call it. Somebody has had a heart attack. Bang. Wake them up.

BROWN: And I think of it as a highway bill.

GLASSMAN: Yes, the same kind of thing, in other words, sort of pork barrel, get things rolling again.

I don't think that the Bush administration feels that the economy is in such terrible shape that it needs that kind of a jolt. Instead, this is going to have a long-term effect, I think a beneficial effect. The Democrats, on the other hand, have come up with a tax plan that essentially says, hey, we're in really bad shape with the economy. We need to basically hand out checks to people and get them to spend it.

But it is economic policy, absolutely. And I think it's generally sound economic policy, and quite surprising, frankly.

BROWN: Why quite surprising?

GLASSMAN: Because this has been a problem for a long, long time. First of all, it's hard to explain. It's easy to explain tax cuts. And you get into the old battle.

BROWN: Why is it any better to eliminate completely the tax on dividends than, let's say, eliminate completely the tax -- the marriage penalty?

GLASSMAN: Well, we're kind of working on that as well.

But the tax on dividends will have a direct effect on getting more money to corporations, so that those corporations can expand and create new jobs, as well as putting money in the pockets of individual investors. The marriage penalty thing would do that, too, but there's actually not such a big problem with the marriage penalty.

BROWN: OK.

If most jobs are created -- we hear every campaign season -- by small businesses -- and small businesses are not, by and large, incorporated and paying dividends on anything -- tell me why this is such a great deal, then?

GLASSMAN: Well, it's true that a lot of small businesses are actually partnerships and they're taxed completely differently.

But most people, in fact -- or maybe not most people, but a huge number of Americans -- are in fact employed by the many thousands of publicly traded companies. And those companies almost certainly will see a lift in the value of their stock. Half of Americans own stock. It is going to be beneficial to the economy.

BROWN: This is unfair, 20 seconds.

Can the economy really recover in a climate of uncertainty and fear, which, it seems to me, both are in play?

GLASSMAN: I agree. I think that is a big problem. And I do believe -- I have got a piece coming out in "USA Today" tomorrow where I say there are a couple of other things that we need to work on. One is tort reform, which is a completely separate thing, these huge judgments.

And the other is making Americans feel safer. One of the reasons the stock market has gone down, one of the reasons that business is not as good is that people don't feel secure. The administration seems to be working on that one as well. But I think that this elimination of double taxation of dividends is very, very important.

BROWN: And it will get us to 36000?

GLASSMAN: Oh, yes, definitely, not tomorrow, but...

BROWN: Good to see you.

GLASSMAN: Good to see you.

BROWN: Come back and see us again.

GLASSMAN: Thank you.

BROWN: Ahead on NEWSNIGHT: a musical legend who vanished, but was discovered years later, his gift intact. We'll tell you the story of Howard Tate.

This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Next on NEWSNIGHT: a musical legend who vanished and the story of how he was found again.

This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: This story may sound like some cookie-cutter from the folks behind "Behind the Music," the dash to stardom with the money to match, the disillusionment with the business, and the scary descent into drugs, and then, of course, the comeback that took decades. But this story has something that most of the stuff on VH-1 does not. It truly does have soul, the soul of a guy named Howard Tate. He had three R&B hits in the late '60s. He toured with Aretha and B.B. King. And then he plunged into obscurity and poverty. And only now is he getting the credit he's long deserved.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL CASDEN, D.J., DVRBS: He's a soul legend. And he's right up there with the Otis Reddings. Howard does it like he used to do it 30 years ago.

JERRY RAGOVOY, PRODUCER/SONGWRITER: He opened his mouth, I almost fell off the chair. His voice has not changed from the late '60s, early '70s, until today.

HOWARD TATE, SINGER: I'm amazed at the fact that I can hit all the notes and the voice is still there.

CASDEN: He really got disgusted with the games in the music business. In the '70s, you had organized crime in the music business in a big way. He got a little bit scared after something happened in New York.

TATE: My manager got killed. I just said, well, to heck with it all. They can have the money. They can have it all. I don't want any parts of it anymore. And I walked away from it. When I left the music industry, nobody knew where I was at. And they were looking for me.

RAGOVOY: I called every number I ever had on Howard. I called people who knew him. Nobody could find Howard Tate.

TATE: I got very depressed and I turned to alcohol and marijuana. And that led to drugs. And drugs eventually took me downhill to a point where I became homeless for quite a few years and I thought I was going to die.

This here is where I used to buy my crack at, over there in the yard to my right. You can see the guy over there now. He's selling. And I used to come right across here and go right in this house right here and smoke it. I slept in abandoned cars here. I slept in abandoned houses. I'm just blessed to have come out of here alive.

I went out to get something at the supermarket. And somebody was hollering down the aisle: Howard, Howard, Howard Tate. And he said: This disc jockey that's on the radio, every 15 minutes, he's saying, if anybody knows where Howard Tate is, please call the station.

CASDEN: 1360 AM, WNJC. If anybody in the sound of my voice has seen Howard Tate lately, would you please give me a call?

TATE: Run a track. Let me sing it down with the track.

CASDEN: The man cut some of the greatest records ever made. And he disappeared like a ghost. He was pulled from the edge. He very easily could have gone over the edge. By the grace of God, he's still here with us. It's a happy ending in an industry where there are very few happy endings.

TATE: I'm thankful to God that I still got the voice. And if I'm able to kick out a few more LPs, albums, CDs we call them now, before I die, for the people in the world, boy, that's great. Yes, that's great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: The work of NEWSNIGHT producer -- no, CNN producer Vivian Foley.

We'll wrap it up with word games in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Finally from us tonight: words.

Now we know of the world of the year selected in Atlanta by the American Dialect Society a couple of days ago. It's actually a phrase this year: weapons of mass destruction. By a show of hands, WMD beat out AMBER Alert, regime change as the phrase that said the most in its own way about the mood in the country in 2002. The Dialect Society has been choosing a word of the year for a dozen years now. Y2K won in 1999. It was chad in the year 2000; 9/11, of course, in 2001.

Anyway, this has inspired us to think about some terms we hope do not gain currency in the year ahead. We don't know where the linguists and the academics of the American Dialect Society will be meeting at the end of 2003. But, wherever they are, we trust they will not, by raising their hands, support any of the following.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Begin with Baghdaddy. A Baghdaddy would be an American who has gone native in post-war Iraq. We hope we don't hear that one.

And we hope we don't hear desert chic. Desert chic would describe fashions inspired by military clothing warn in the Persian Gulf, not something we want to hear people say.

Equally, we are worried about the appearance of remilitarized zones, abbreviated RMZ. This is an area from which weapons were banished, but to which they have now returned. We can do without any RMZs, as also we can do without a variation on the winning phrase of 2002, namely, weapons of mass deception.

These are weapons a country claims to have just to get the attention of the United States. If, for instance, Tobago says it is working on a long-range nuclear-tipped missile, that would probably be a weapon of mass deception.

What about Iraqaboo? An Iraqaboo is a never-ending game of hide- and-seek. Or Korhea. This is a condition in which you develop a serious problem that's worse than the serious problem you're already dealing with. Korhea is related to Pyongyanxiety, Pyongyanxiety, which is the nagging fear that North Korea is going to do something you don't expect.

But, heck, while we're at it, here's a term we wouldn't mind hearing at all: Raelity. Raelity is reality with a twist, as when an untrue thing is universally accepted as true. If our good viewers wouldn't mind using that a couple, three times a day, we might be in the running for 2003's words of the year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: So, wherever you are around the world, help us.

And we'll see you tomorrow at 10:00 Eastern time. Good night.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Hussein Accuses U.N. Weapons Inspectors of Spying>


Aired January 6, 2003 - 19:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, HOST: And good evening again. Again to most of you, that is. To some of you, good evening for the very first time. As Larry said, beginning tonight, this broadcast is being carried live on all of CNN's international networks to more countries than I could possibly list. We are -- and I know this is big -- the only global newscast that is seen live in the United States and around the world. And I know that's true because it came directly from the promotions department.
On the one hand, this makes no difference at all. We'll continue to do what we have done all along. We'll report the news, provide some perspective, air as many viewpoints as we can, and when we have the time and the inclination, indulge in an amusement or two. And we are inclined to do that fairly often.

Those of you who are accustomed to watching us won't be aware that people in Tokyo or Torin (ph) or Trinidad, for that matter, may also be watching us, though I'm considering once a month or so doing the broadcast in French once I learn French. It does seem fair to warn our new viewers about a couple of things. First, I'm not very smooth. I try to be I'm just not.

I've been known to smile funny. Some even go so far as to say it's a smirk. It's not.

Some stories you no doubt are just dying to see you will not see on NEWSNIGHT. We don't do the Thanksgiving turkey pardon story, and we don't do car chases, just to name two. If you have any idea who the actor Robert Blake is, and there's no reason you should, we had a bad experience with his arrest on murder charges once, and so don't expect us to spend a lot of time on that either or any other over-the- hill actor.

The trick for us is not to be an worldwide program broadcast from New York, but to be an American news program that is interesting to viewers everywhere. This may take us a bit of time and you may need a bit of patience. In the meantime, know that we are very excited at taking this first small step towards NEWSNIGHT's domination of the world, and we are pleased that you are getting up so very early -- or is it that you are staying up so very late? Or perhaps you're just sitting down for lunch to join us.

On we go. And we begin the same each night. Ninety seconds amusing from me, and then on to what we lovingly call "The Whip." And it's fitting that we'll hit some pretty far-flung datelines in "The Whip" tonight, beginning in D.C., where the White House will formally unveil its economic stimulus plan tomorrow. The president has some competition already.

John King is our senior White House correspondent. John, a headline, please.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, the president said the U.S. economy needs a $600 billion boost, mostly through new or accelerated tax cuts. Democrats say that's way too much. They want a much more modest stimulus plan. They say the president is trying to help the rich at the expense of the U.S. federal budget deficit. This is the debate, political and policy, that will dominate Washington in the early weeks of the new year -- Aaron.

BROWN: John, thank you. Good to see you.

Now to preparations for the possibility of a war with Iraq. Troops in spots across the United States are now leaving their families. Gary Tuchman has been tracking that for us tonight. Gary, a headline from you.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, some 600 soldiers who will be fighting if and when there's a ground war are leaving the state of Georgia tonight for the Persian Gulf. And they leave behind tearful spouses and bewildered children -- Aaron.

BROWN: Gary, thank you. On to Baghdad. Some tough words today from Saddam Hussein. Rym Brahimi is there. A headline from you, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the 82nd anniversary of the celebration of the armed forces, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein accused the U.N. weapons inspectors of spying and accused the United States of wanting to dominate not only Iraq, but the entire region.

BROWN: Rym, thank you. And the latest now on the situation in North Korea. Rebecca MacKinnon is covering that tonight from Seoul. Rebecca, a headline please.

REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF: Thanks, Aaron. Well, as diplomatic meetings get underway in Washington, South Korea is hoping to broker some kind of compromised solution to solve the North Korean nuclear crisis. But the problem is that it appears there are differences of viewpoint between Washington and Seoul. Back to you, Aaron.

BROWN: Rebecca, thank you. Back to you and the rest coming up shortly.

Also on the program tonight, we'll sort through the economics and the politics of the competing economic plans with one of the few people who can do both. James Glassman of the American Enterprise Institute joins us. Some perspective on Iraq and Saddam's accusations today. We'll be joined by former Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter.

There is a horrible story tonight out of New Jersey. Two brothers found starving; their other sibling found dead. The question of course is how could this happen and who is to blame?

And it is not all heavy stuff tonight. We'll meet a blues legend you've never heard of whose comeback is long overdue. The story of Howard Tate (ph). And NEWSNIGHT's own list of banned buzzwords for the new year. No Baghdaddies (ph) for us. That's "Segment 7" tonight.

All of that to come in the hour ahead. For those of you in North America and around the world, I just wanted to say that one more time. We begin with the president's prescription for the economy. A booster shot says the White House for a patient already on the mend. Bad medicine say Democrats, unfair and too expensive to boot. A little more than a placebo, say a number of highly respected economists, who point out that a $600 billion plan over 10 years may sound like a lot, but it's nothing in a $10 trillion a year economy.

But if any stimulus package, Republican or Democrat is debatable on its economic merits, there's little doubt that proposing one is very good political medicine. Good for the president, who remembers what happened to his father. Good for Democrats, who remember what they did to his father after he won the war and was seen losing the economy. We begin tonight with our Senior White House Correspondent, CNN's John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice-over): The first cabinet meeting of the new year and a preview of the president's proposal to give the economy a boost.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... a plan that is a very fair plan. It's a plan that recognizes when somebody has more of their own money, they're likely to spend it, which creates more jobs.

KING: The Bush plan would cost about $600 billion over 10 years. Half of that, roughly $300 billion, would go toward eliminating federal income taxes individuals pay on corporate dividends.

BUSH: It will encourage investment, and that's what we want. We want to encourage investment activity. Investment means jobs.

KING: Mr. Bush will also propose accelerating income tax cuts already passed by Congress, eliminating the tax code's so-called marriage penalty more quickly, a rebate for some childcare costs, and an extension of emergency unemployment benefits.

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Ninety-two million taxpayers will receive on average a tax cut of $1,083 in 2003. Forty- six million married couples would receive average tax cuts of $1,716.

KING: Democrats say their much more modest one-year stimulus plan would give the economy a more immediate boost. The Democrats would spend about $140 billion on a mix of tax rebates to low and middle-income Americans, expanded unemployment benefits, and direct aid to financially strapped state governments. Democrats complain the Bush approach favors more affluent taxpayers and will drive up the federal budget deficit.

ROBERT MENENDEZ (D), NEW JERSEY: The Democratic plan is significant, fast acting and is fiscally responsible. We stimulate the job market. The president's plan stimulates the stock market.

KING: Financial markets appeared to like the Bush plan. The Dow Jones industrial average gained more than 171 points, and the Nasdaq closed up as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: And one new detail released tonight, as the White House tries to rebut the Democratic criticism, the Bush plan includes a new innovation, creating accounts where unemployed Americans could get $3,000 from the government. They could use that for job training, for transportation, for childcare costs, all in an effort to get a new job. And if they find a new job within 13 weeks, they can keep whatever money is left over in that $3,000 account -- Aaron.

BROWN: John, what does the White House say about the deficit?

KING: The White House says that once you get a growing economy the deficit will go away. But the president also said today if Democrats are so concerned about the deficit, then they should restrain spending. We have a debate over the economy coming in the new Congress, but also a big debate over federal spending. The president wants most of the money to go to the homeland security here, the military overseas. The Democrats say what about healthcare, what about education?

The debate over the economy will also include spending. The Democrats looking to score points by reminding this president when he took office and Bill Clinton went out there was a surplus, now a growing federal budget deficit.

BROWN: John, thank you. Senior White House Correspondent John King at the White House tonight.

War is the great economic wildcard, of course. And the march to war appears to be stepping up. Today, more reservists got the call, more soldiers packed their duffle bags, more ships set sail, and of course there were more good-byes. In San Diego, a Marine-like (ph) carrier steamed out towards the Gulf with about 4,000 troops on board. Many already have seen action in Afghanistan. Most say they expect to see it again in Iraq.

It couldn't have made the good-byes any tougher, and the scene was repeated from the Coronado to central Georgia, where CNN's Gary Tuchman filed tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN (voice-over): They are in the infantry, on their way to the Persian Gulf. They don't know what's in store for them. They don't know when they'll be back home. SGT. CALVIN SHERMAN, FORT BENNING, GEORGIA: I'm kind of proud to go over and serve my country. At the same time, it's kind of -- I feel pretty heart broken about leaving my family.

TUCHMAN: Staff Sergeant Calvin Sherman's family was with him to say good-bye. His 10-year-old son, his nine-year-old daughter and his wife Christine (ph).

(on camera): What was the last thing you told him when he walked away?

CHRISTINE SHERMAN: I love him and take care.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): But moments before their loved ones left Fort Benning, Georgia were full of tenderness and tears. This little boy was told to give his father a hug and kiss good-bye. When the young son finished, he thought he'd better go back and do it a second time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you.

TUCHMAN: Children told their parents the things that soldiers want to keep fresh in their minds as long as they're away. Spouses shared moments as intimate as they could respectably do in public.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just frightened because so much is going on and I just want him to come home.

TUCHMAN: After roll call, these men who will be on the battlefield if and when there's a ground war were processed and then boarded buses for a trip to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Air Force Base for their flights to Kuwait.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really scared. I'm really scared. Just because I -- if something happens, I'd have to explain it to him and...

TUCHMAN (on camera): Your little boy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. And I just don't know if I can handle that emotionally.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Eight packed buses pulled out of the parking lot. By the time the week is over, some 3,500 Fort Benning soldiers will be in the Gulf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: As we speak, another 250 soldiers are just coming out of the recreation center here at Fort Benning. You can see them right behind me getting ready to board the bus. There are six buses here right now getting ready to go to the Air Force base. And this will be another contingent of soldiers here from Fort Benning going over to the Persian Gulf.

Many of these soldiers spent time in Kosovo last year, but that was a peacekeeping mission. There's a much different attitude and atmosphere here now in January 2003. Aaron, back to you.

BROWN: Gary, thank you. Gary Tuchman in Georgia tonight.

Saddam Hussein lashed out at the U.N. weapons inspectors today. He called them spies in a televised speech to his country. It came on a day for tough talk and a show of force. Again tonight, CNN's Rym Brahimi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRAHIMI (voice-over): The leadership's last line of defense. The Iraqi armed forces here at a wreath-laying ceremony led by President Saddam Hussein's top aide. The military marks its 82nd anniversary. The ceremony particularly significant this year in light of U.S. threats against Baghdad. Threats Saddam Hussein said in a televised speech are directed not only at Iraq.

SADDAM HUSSEIN, PRESIDENT OF IRAQ (through translator): (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the Arab Gulf area to a full, complete and physical occupation through which to achieve many goals.

BRAHIMI: Those goals, said Saddam Hussein, protecting U.S. interest and the security of Israel, but also diverting public opinion from what he said was the Bush administration's failures.

HUSSEIN (through translator): As exposed before the U.S. public opinion vis-a-vis the events of September 11, 2001 and the weakness of the United States economy.

BRAHIMI: Referring to the U.S. not by name but as "the enemy," the Iraqi president insisted any U.S. attack would not be legitimate. Under intense U.S. and international pressure, Iraq last year agreed to the return of U.N. inspectors to verify Baghdad's claim it has no weapons of mass destruction.

The U.N. experts are soon to report to the U.N. Security Council on the result of two months' activities. But in his speech, Saddam Hussein accused the inspectors of spying.

HUSSEIN (through translator): The inspection teams are interested in collecting names and making lists of Iraqi scientists, addressing employees with questions that carry hidden agendas, giving special attention to military camps, to unprescribed military production and to other matters, all most of which consist of purely intelligence work.

BRAHIMI: Accusations that haven't prevented Iraq from providing access to inspectors on the ground. The country's leadership is keen to deny the U.S. any pretext for an attack. But at the same time, readying its troops for the possibility of one. Special programs on Iraqi TV showed Iraqi soldiers in what it said were heroic scenes from past wars against Israel, against Iran and against U.S. forces in the 1991 Gulf War.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BRAHIMI: Now the president was also clearly keen to rally as much public support from the Arab world, pointing out that the U.S. had, in his view, a very biased way of dealing with policy in the Middle East and telling -- saying that the U.S. was also supporting Israel to the detriment of the Palestinians definitely. Elements that strike a cord in the region.

But all through the day -- that was actually a day off, a national holiday here in Iraq -- we were also shown pictures of the president greeting the various commanders of his armed forces. A display, if you will, of allegiance. And then during the day, of course, the inspectors meanwhile seemed totally unaffected by what was being said about them. They went about their business as usual. But I can tell you one thing, Aaron, it seems if my information is correct, that in less than an hour they will be going out using those helicopters for the first time -- Aaron.

BROWN: It sounds like tomorrow's story, Rym. Thank you very much. We'll see what they find if anything. Rym Brahimi in Baghdad tonight.

On to North Korea next. Today, the UN's nuclear watchdog group gave North Korea one more chance to let inspectors back in or risk sanctions or even the possibility of international military action. If that was the stick, President Bush today provided the carrot. He says the United States has no intention of invading the north, and South Koreans kept the diplomatic wheels turning as well. In Seoul for us tonight, CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACKINNON (voice-over): South Korea's outgoing president, Kim Dae-jung, and incoming president elect, Roh Moo-hyun, are working this one together, hoping to broker a solution to head off a crisis.

LEE CHUN MIN, YONSET UNIVERISTY: Incoming president, Mr. Roh Moo-hyun, also does not want (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with a major crisis right between their eyes.

MACKINNON: South Korea's proposal asks for compromise on both sides.

LEE: He wants to tell George W. Bush meet us halfway.

MACKINNON: North Korea would agree to shelve its nuclear weapons program and let inspectors back in. In return, the U.S. would guarantee North Korea's right to exist and resume supplies of fuel oil, which the Bush administration suspended in November. On Monday, President Bush made his position clear.

BUSH: I went to Korea and clearly said that the United States has no intention of invading North Korea. Talking is one thing, but we expect people to honor obligations. And for Kim Jong Il to be a credible member of the world community, he's got to understand that he's got to do what he says he's going to do. MACKINNON: But a South Korean presidential envoy now on his way to Washington expressed Seoul's view that the Bush administration helped cause this crisis.

YIM SUNG-JOON, SOUTH KOREAN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER (through translator): The U.S. halted the oil shipments to North Korea, which reacted by lifting its freeze on its nuclear program. We expect that there will be clear exchange of the two country's positions on a resolution without further worsening the situation.

MACKINNON: The problem, say analysts here, is a disconnect between the two countries' final objectives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For South Korea, the key word, in terms of resolution, is, well, as long as North Korea comes back to the bargaining table, as long as she goes back to IAEA safeguards, this issue basically is resolved. Because, as long as we keep it on the negotiation track, everything is OK. For the Americans, it's basically a rollback and dismantlement and disarmament.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACKINNON: For South Korea's political leadership here, the objective is really all political. It's about proving to the South Korean public that this government can indeed influence Washington; that it has the clout to influence Washington and to broker a settlement. Whether Washington will go as far as Seoul feels it needs, remains to be seen. Back to you, Aaron.

BROWN: Well, it's a complicated political situation in South Korea because many in South Korea are as distrustful of the United States as they are the North Koreans.

MACKINNON: Yes, that is part of the problem here. There are a lot of people, including people in the policy making teams of both Kim Dae-jung, the outgoing president and Roh Moo-hyun, the incoming president, who feel that this crisis was in part Washington's making because the Bush administration went so long refusing to engage North Korea in any kind of dialogue. And then in the end, North Korea came out saying it had this nuclear weapons development program and then the situation escalated from there. So the South Koreans really do feel that Washington needs to get back to the table in order for this to be solved -- Aaron.

BROWN: Rebecca, thank you. Rebecca Mackinnon in Seoul tonight.

And ahead on NEWSNIGHT, the story of a soul music legend and his tortured soul. Up next: charges of spying by the weapons inspectors in Iraq. And we'll talk with former inspector Scott Ritter. This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: A quick update now on a story that caused quite a chill when it first broke. Five men who may have snuck into the country from Canada. Tonight, sources at the FBI are telling us that a number of officials at the bureau believe these pictures may have been part of some kind of fabrication. Though the pictures do remain on the FBI's Web site.

These officials are now asking if the informant who tipped them off was simply selling them a bill of goods. They do say he passed a polygraph test, but on further investigation, his story is not panning out.

You saw the emotional scenes a few minutes ago. U.S. forces saying good-bye for now to their families, heading for what may very well be a confrontation with Iraq. Maybe the most unsettling image of the day was that of the USS Comfort being deployed, the hospital ship that can treat up to 1,000 wounded -- 1,000. The harsh reminder exactly of the stakes involved.

So where do we stand right now? Today's talk from Saddam Hussein today was pretty belligerent. Especially the accusations that the inspectors are nothing more than spies for the United States. A lot to talk about with Former U.N. Weapons Inspectors Scott Ritter. Mr. Ritter, as many of you know, has been a sharp critic of the administration. He joins us tonight from Albany.

It's good to see you, sir. What do you make of the spying accusation, other than deja vu all over again?

SCOTT RITTER, FMR. U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Well, it's just that. I mean, unfortunately, the Iraqi charges -- and I don't know if think have any substance to them at this point in time. I doubt it. I believe Hans Blix and his team of inspectors are assiduously carrying out their mandate to disarm Iraq. But unfortunately, there is that history of UNSCOM, the organization that I work for, and the fact that the United States government used the weapons inspection teams to spy on Iraq to gather information not about Iraq's disarmament obligation, but about the security of Saddam Hussein and then use this information to target Saddam Hussein with a variety of, you know, coup efforts, assassination attempts, et cetera.

So, you know -- and we still have a situation where the Bush administration has a stated policy of regime removal in place. So it's hard to tell, you know, what exactly is going on right now.

BROWN: To what extent are the inspectors -- to speak from your own experience here; I know you can't speak for the ones currently there -- are the inspectors aware of the news background of the day, the things that are coming out of Washington, the things that are coming out of Baghdad? And to what extent does that affect how they do their job?

RITTER: Well, they're very aware of it. I mean, when I was an inspector, we received news briefings every morning. We got thick faxes of all the headlines and news clippings that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to keep abreast of what was happening out there in the world.

A, you feel sort of isolated in Iraq doing your job. And you'd like to know there's a reason for what you're doing, that the world is supporting you. Or sometimes unfortunately you found out the world wasn't supporting you. So the inspectors are very aware.

But we were very professional in our task. We went about our work in accordance with the mandate we were given, and we didn't let outside influences interfere with that mandate. We were told to do something by our officials and we did it.

BROWN: So far, at least, there seems to be no smoking gun. Are you particularly surprised at anything about the process so far?

RITTER: No, absolutely not. I don't believe that the inspectors are going to find anything. And this doesn't necessarily mean that the Iraqis are hiding any weaponry. Look, the Iraqis are given the weapons inspectors all the access they've demanded so far, and the inspectors are coming up empty. They're going to facilities that had been fingered by the Bush administration as being involved in weapons of mass destruction programs.

Think back to September and October, and the variety of briefings provided by Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and other defense officials, where they put up photographs of facilities in Iraq, saying we know these facilities are involved in prohibited activities. Well, inspectors have been there and they found out that nothing has transpired.

I think that's what the fact is. Now what we're going to come down to is, because there is no smoking gun, the inspectors are going to be looking for documents to shore up the gaps in the Iraqi declaration, and this is going to lead to a return to the kind of frustrating experience that I had for several years, where you go to facilities with no clear objective other than looking for documents which may or may not exist. I think that's what happened today when they cordoned off a large facility outside of Baghdad looking for documentation and it led to the kind of, you know, recrimination that you hear from Saddam Hussein. Where he says, hey, we think you guys are just going on a wild goose hunt here looking for information that has nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction.

I don't think that's the case. I think the inspectors are trying to do their job. But at some point the Security Council is going to have to make an decision that, if you have don't have a smoking gun, if you don't have hard evidence of Iraqi noncompliance, you're going to have to accept the fact that there are probably no weapons in Iraq.

BROWN: Scott, thank you. Scott Ritter, the former U.N. weapons inspector joining us tonight from Albany on his view of how the process is going.

Again in the Middle East, the scenes familiar today. Israelis burying their dead. Twenty-two died in a suicide bombing; the first in six weeks. The bombers say it was retaliation for attacks on them, and there's no question the Israeli army has attacked in the West Bank. Sometimes Palestinian militants died, sometimes innocent children do.

It sometimes seems each side is numb to the deaths on the other side, or perhaps after years of all of this, they just don't care anymore. Here's CNN's Walt Rodgers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Israel, prayers for the dead mingling with the cries of grief. These are the lingering echoes of Sunday's twin suicide bombings in a crowded Tel Aviv low-income neighborhood. Thirty hours later, they were still trying to identify some of the remaining dismembered bodies.

Sunday's suicide bombings were the first since November. Israeli security forces claim to have prevented at least 15 other suicide attacks in recent weeks. Officials also credited targeted killings of Palestinian militants with slowing the pace of bombings. So far, Israel's military response to Sunday's attacks has been measured and mute. With a possible war pending in Iraq, the United States does not want a massive Israeli military reaction now that might further inflame the Arab world.

Initially, only nine Israeli rockets were fired into Gaza, sparking some fear but more Palestinian defiance. And despite the fact the Israeli army now occupies every major Palestinian West Bank city, it has not stopped the suicide bombers. So now Israel is reportedly planning more pinpoint operations, targeted killings of Palestinian militants. Palestinian universities face closure, and there are new travel restrictions even on senior Palestinian officials, including a ban on a Palestinian delegation planning to attend a London conference hosted by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

NABIL ABU RUDEINEH, ARAFAT SPOKESMAN: This is going to reflect negatively on Israelis, and we urge the world (ph) and especially the United States to interfere immediately to stop the Israeli aggression.

RODGERS: Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, shown here visiting bombing victims, has limited maneuvering room. And he may have decided now that less is better. No incumbent politician wants dead soldiers with an election three weeks away, and Sharon knows the Americans want no surprises now.

CHEMI CHALEY, POLITICAL ANALYST: Most Israelis I think recognize the geopolitical realities of the region and of this time. And they understand that because of the impending American operation against Iraq, Sharon has constrined in his moves. And, therefore, I think they will show understanding if the government does not react in the way that they would want it to react.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS: Short term, the suicide bombings may actually help Ariel Sharon in his reelection bid. Traditionally, the Israeli public rallies around Sharon when terrorism tops the agenda here. Long term, however, Sunday's bombing again point out, bitterly, that Israel is a long way from putting those suicide bombers out of business -- Aaron.

BROWN: Just one little one. What is the point of the travel ban? What is that, in the Israeli view, designed to accomplish?

RODGERS: Well, it's a good question. And it's a difficult one to answer, because it really doesn't accomplish a lot.

It attacks -- or it's aimed at curtailing the travel of the senior Palestinian officials, but it really doesn't go to the heart of the terrorism issue. In this case, it does nothing to punish the members of Al-Aqsa Brigades, the terrorist organization which were responsible for these suicide bombings. So, in one sense, it punishes the wrong people -- Aaron.

BROWN: Well, thank you, Walt Rodgers in Jerusalem, for us this evening.

Coming up on NEWSNIGHT: Who was watching the children? The story of three Newark, New Jersey, brothers and the neglect that apparently cost one of them his life.

This is NEWSNIGHT from New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Think for a second what you were doing on New Year's Day. Maybe you were with family or friends. Maybe you were watching a ball game or just enjoying the day off.

It seems pretty safe to assume we know what two young brothers in Newark, New Jersey, were doing on New Year's Day. They were locked in a basement. They were hungry, thirsty. They were covered with burn marks. And they no doubt were wondering if they would survive. The boys were found on Saturday. And they will live. Their brother wasn't as lucky.

The search for answer to an outrage tonight from CNN's Jamie Colby.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight two brothers, aged 5 and 7, are being treated for burns and malnutrition in a New Jersey hospital, after police discovered them over the weekend in a locked basement of a relative's home. New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, who visited 5-year-old Tyrone and 7-year-old Raheem Williams tonight, expressed outrage over their treatment.

GOV. JAMES MCGREEVEY, NEW JERSEY: Obviously, regularly burned, scalded, malnourished, underdeveloped, as if you were visiting refugees from an impoverished nation.

COLBY: The boys were rescued on Saturday. One of the brothers asked about his twin brother, Faheem. Police say the 7-year-old's body was discovered in a bin in another room of the basement on Sunday.

Police are now searching for Sherry Murphy, a cousin of the boy's mother who was asked to care for the boys while their mother served a five-month jail sentence for assault. A warrant out for Murphy details child endangerment charges that police say may be upgraded to include a homicide charge.

The boy's mother, Melinda Williams, is in a New York City hospital. She claims she was on her way to see her boys when she was hit by a car on Saturday.

SHARPE JAMES, MAYOR OF NEWARK: She stated to us in the hospital she was unable to locate her cousin, she was unable to find her children, and she's been searching for them.

COLBY: While police search for Murphy, New Jersey's Division of Youth and Family Services is also receiving scrutiny, because it had been monitoring the boys, but had closed its file.

MCGREEVEY: This is reprehensible. That report today was disgusting. I mean, it read as if we're part of some Third World debacle.

COLBY (on camera): Sensing a political firestorm, Governor McGreevey is calling for a complete overhaul of New Jersey's child welfare system. At the same time, the Division of Youth and Family services, that may have let this case slip through the cracks, has announced it's taking custody of the boys.

Jamie Colby, CNN, Newark, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: A few quick other items from around the country tonight before we head to break, beginning with a deadly train accident in Southern California today.

A commuter train bound for downtown Los Angeles hit a truck during morning rush hour. The truck driver was killed; 32 others were hurt, two of them critically. Witnesses told the railroad that the crossing gates were lowered and signal lights were flashing before the truck went on to the track.

Also in Southern California today, Santa Ana winds helped fuel some fires that forced resident to flee about 30 homes. About 350 firefighters were called in. The fires covered about 15 acres, no buildings damaged. And we are pleased to report no one hurt.

Later on NEWSNIGHT: a musical legend and his recovery from personal hell.

Up next: the selling of the Bush economic plan. We'll talk with Jim Glassman.

This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: And next on NEWSNIGHT: Will the rich get richer with the latest Bush economic proposal? And what will they drive as well? We'll explain it all in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Given that this is our first international program, we wanted to give our viewers overseas something really American. And what could be more American than cars?

Now, we understand that many of you overseas do drive cars. Some of you even live in countries where cars are made. I even know people who drive some of those cars. But no one loves cars the way Americans love cars, cheap gas, bad trains and miles and miles of road, and not to mention Henry Ford guaranteed it.

And in the capital of cars, Detroit, they're showing off what's next. And what's next is more, more horsepower, more luxury, more money, less mileage, never mind a rough economy and rising fuel prices. We're pretty sure the guy who coined the phrase less is more was not American. He didn't drive a Mustang or a Maybach or a Maserati. And maybe, if the Dow were at, oh, let's say 36000 or so, we could all afford it.

Will the president's stimulus package get us there, or the Democrats'? How badly will the war hurt the recovery? Questions for author, political reporter, and the guy who once wrote a book with the very bullish title of "Dow 36000."

Jim Glassman is here with us tonight.

It's nice to see you.

JAMES GLASSMAN, FELLOW, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Thanks, Aaron.

BROWN: Explain to me, if you want to, actually, why this dividend cut is good for the economy.

GLASSMAN: Right.

You know, we financial and economic and policy nerds are very excited by this, because it is a tremendous distortion in the tax code that's been around for a long time. And I never thought that anybody would ever get around to fixing it. The way it works now is that, if a company pays $1 in its profits out to an investor as a dividend, it gets taxed twice. It gets taxed at the corporate level and then the investor has to pay taxes.

So, the investors only ends up with 36 cents our of the dollar. If the company goes into debt instead, it's much more beneficial. In effect, the tax is about half. So, this is fixing that little quirk in the tax code. But it does a couple of other things, too. It puts more money in the hands of investors. And don't forget that half of all American households now own stock.

It will almost certainly raise the value of the stock market. We already saw that happen today. And more money will be raised, more capital will be raised by individual companies. The Bush administration hopes they'll invest that capital and we'll have more jobs. That's the idea.

BROWN: OK. Is this economic policy or is this tax policy hiding as economic policy?

GLASSMAN: Well, I think it actually is economic policy, although it does fix something that's wrong in the tax code.

What's interesting about this is, we hear a lot of talk about stimulus package. This is not really stimulus. I think of stimulus as like a defibrillator, or whatever they call it. Somebody has had a heart attack. Bang. Wake them up.

BROWN: And I think of it as a highway bill.

GLASSMAN: Yes, the same kind of thing, in other words, sort of pork barrel, get things rolling again.

I don't think that the Bush administration feels that the economy is in such terrible shape that it needs that kind of a jolt. Instead, this is going to have a long-term effect, I think a beneficial effect. The Democrats, on the other hand, have come up with a tax plan that essentially says, hey, we're in really bad shape with the economy. We need to basically hand out checks to people and get them to spend it.

But it is economic policy, absolutely. And I think it's generally sound economic policy, and quite surprising, frankly.

BROWN: Why quite surprising?

GLASSMAN: Because this has been a problem for a long, long time. First of all, it's hard to explain. It's easy to explain tax cuts. And you get into the old battle.

BROWN: Why is it any better to eliminate completely the tax on dividends than, let's say, eliminate completely the tax -- the marriage penalty?

GLASSMAN: Well, we're kind of working on that as well.

But the tax on dividends will have a direct effect on getting more money to corporations, so that those corporations can expand and create new jobs, as well as putting money in the pockets of individual investors. The marriage penalty thing would do that, too, but there's actually not such a big problem with the marriage penalty.

BROWN: OK.

If most jobs are created -- we hear every campaign season -- by small businesses -- and small businesses are not, by and large, incorporated and paying dividends on anything -- tell me why this is such a great deal, then?

GLASSMAN: Well, it's true that a lot of small businesses are actually partnerships and they're taxed completely differently.

But most people, in fact -- or maybe not most people, but a huge number of Americans -- are in fact employed by the many thousands of publicly traded companies. And those companies almost certainly will see a lift in the value of their stock. Half of Americans own stock. It is going to be beneficial to the economy.

BROWN: This is unfair, 20 seconds.

Can the economy really recover in a climate of uncertainty and fear, which, it seems to me, both are in play?

GLASSMAN: I agree. I think that is a big problem. And I do believe -- I have got a piece coming out in "USA Today" tomorrow where I say there are a couple of other things that we need to work on. One is tort reform, which is a completely separate thing, these huge judgments.

And the other is making Americans feel safer. One of the reasons the stock market has gone down, one of the reasons that business is not as good is that people don't feel secure. The administration seems to be working on that one as well. But I think that this elimination of double taxation of dividends is very, very important.

BROWN: And it will get us to 36000?

GLASSMAN: Oh, yes, definitely, not tomorrow, but...

BROWN: Good to see you.

GLASSMAN: Good to see you.

BROWN: Come back and see us again.

GLASSMAN: Thank you.

BROWN: Ahead on NEWSNIGHT: a musical legend who vanished, but was discovered years later, his gift intact. We'll tell you the story of Howard Tate.

This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Next on NEWSNIGHT: a musical legend who vanished and the story of how he was found again.

This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: This story may sound like some cookie-cutter from the folks behind "Behind the Music," the dash to stardom with the money to match, the disillusionment with the business, and the scary descent into drugs, and then, of course, the comeback that took decades. But this story has something that most of the stuff on VH-1 does not. It truly does have soul, the soul of a guy named Howard Tate. He had three R&B hits in the late '60s. He toured with Aretha and B.B. King. And then he plunged into obscurity and poverty. And only now is he getting the credit he's long deserved.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL CASDEN, D.J., DVRBS: He's a soul legend. And he's right up there with the Otis Reddings. Howard does it like he used to do it 30 years ago.

JERRY RAGOVOY, PRODUCER/SONGWRITER: He opened his mouth, I almost fell off the chair. His voice has not changed from the late '60s, early '70s, until today.

HOWARD TATE, SINGER: I'm amazed at the fact that I can hit all the notes and the voice is still there.

CASDEN: He really got disgusted with the games in the music business. In the '70s, you had organized crime in the music business in a big way. He got a little bit scared after something happened in New York.

TATE: My manager got killed. I just said, well, to heck with it all. They can have the money. They can have it all. I don't want any parts of it anymore. And I walked away from it. When I left the music industry, nobody knew where I was at. And they were looking for me.

RAGOVOY: I called every number I ever had on Howard. I called people who knew him. Nobody could find Howard Tate.

TATE: I got very depressed and I turned to alcohol and marijuana. And that led to drugs. And drugs eventually took me downhill to a point where I became homeless for quite a few years and I thought I was going to die.

This here is where I used to buy my crack at, over there in the yard to my right. You can see the guy over there now. He's selling. And I used to come right across here and go right in this house right here and smoke it. I slept in abandoned cars here. I slept in abandoned houses. I'm just blessed to have come out of here alive.

I went out to get something at the supermarket. And somebody was hollering down the aisle: Howard, Howard, Howard Tate. And he said: This disc jockey that's on the radio, every 15 minutes, he's saying, if anybody knows where Howard Tate is, please call the station.

CASDEN: 1360 AM, WNJC. If anybody in the sound of my voice has seen Howard Tate lately, would you please give me a call?

TATE: Run a track. Let me sing it down with the track.

CASDEN: The man cut some of the greatest records ever made. And he disappeared like a ghost. He was pulled from the edge. He very easily could have gone over the edge. By the grace of God, he's still here with us. It's a happy ending in an industry where there are very few happy endings.

TATE: I'm thankful to God that I still got the voice. And if I'm able to kick out a few more LPs, albums, CDs we call them now, before I die, for the people in the world, boy, that's great. Yes, that's great.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: The work of NEWSNIGHT producer -- no, CNN producer Vivian Foley.

We'll wrap it up with word games in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Finally from us tonight: words.

Now we know of the world of the year selected in Atlanta by the American Dialect Society a couple of days ago. It's actually a phrase this year: weapons of mass destruction. By a show of hands, WMD beat out AMBER Alert, regime change as the phrase that said the most in its own way about the mood in the country in 2002. The Dialect Society has been choosing a word of the year for a dozen years now. Y2K won in 1999. It was chad in the year 2000; 9/11, of course, in 2001.

Anyway, this has inspired us to think about some terms we hope do not gain currency in the year ahead. We don't know where the linguists and the academics of the American Dialect Society will be meeting at the end of 2003. But, wherever they are, we trust they will not, by raising their hands, support any of the following.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Begin with Baghdaddy. A Baghdaddy would be an American who has gone native in post-war Iraq. We hope we don't hear that one.

And we hope we don't hear desert chic. Desert chic would describe fashions inspired by military clothing warn in the Persian Gulf, not something we want to hear people say.

Equally, we are worried about the appearance of remilitarized zones, abbreviated RMZ. This is an area from which weapons were banished, but to which they have now returned. We can do without any RMZs, as also we can do without a variation on the winning phrase of 2002, namely, weapons of mass deception.

These are weapons a country claims to have just to get the attention of the United States. If, for instance, Tobago says it is working on a long-range nuclear-tipped missile, that would probably be a weapon of mass deception.

What about Iraqaboo? An Iraqaboo is a never-ending game of hide- and-seek. Or Korhea. This is a condition in which you develop a serious problem that's worse than the serious problem you're already dealing with. Korhea is related to Pyongyanxiety, Pyongyanxiety, which is the nagging fear that North Korea is going to do something you don't expect.

But, heck, while we're at it, here's a term we wouldn't mind hearing at all: Raelity. Raelity is reality with a twist, as when an untrue thing is universally accepted as true. If our good viewers wouldn't mind using that a couple, three times a day, we might be in the running for 2003's words of the year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: So, wherever you are around the world, help us.

And we'll see you tomorrow at 10:00 Eastern time. Good night.

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Hussein Accuses U.N. Weapons Inspectors of Spying>