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Luciano Pavarotti's Funeral; Oprah Winfrey Campaigns For Barack Obama; Al Qaeda Releases New Bin Laden Video; First Lady To Have Neck Surgery

Aired September 08, 2007 - 10:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN center in Atlanta, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. It is Saturday, September 8th.
Good morning everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And, I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you so much for starting your day right here with us.

Well, the world is pausing today to say, "Arrivederci Pavarotti."

NGUYEN: You are looking at live pictures from Modena of the funeral service that is happening right now. We are going to have a live report. That is straight ahead. Stay tuned.

HOLMES: Also, Oprah Winfrey as a "Political Powerhouse"? What will support from the talk show host mean for Democratic presidential hopeful, Barack Obama?

NGUYEN: And, too hot to fly? Could that be so? Well, we asked and, boy, have you been answering. Veronica De La Cruz will be along to read some of your e-mails, so keep them coming. The address is weekend@CNN.com.

HOLMES: We do want to start with what's happening right now, paying tribute to a true master, thousands gathering in Modena, Italy, this morning for the funeral of Luciano Pavarotti.

CNN's Jennifer Eccleston is there, she joins us now by phone. Please tell us what's happening now?

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're about halfway through the mass funeral for Luciano Pavarotti, and as you mentioned, I'm standing outside of the cathedral where there are thousands of people absolutely gripped to a large screen television which is broadcasting the proceedings that are going on inside.

We saw some very moving operatic tributes to the "Great Tenor" and we're expecting, in just a couple of minutes, the Tenor, Andrea Bocelli, who was a disciple of Pavarotti's, to sing during Holy Communion. It is remarkable about the crowd right now is the number of young faces and it really is a testament to the impact that he had to young people around the world, T.J.

HOLMES : And, Jennifer, what do we expect, I guess, a celebration of his life, I guess we can see as well, but I guess throughout the day, and really throughout that town, throughout the country, what else can we expect to see surrounding these funeral services?

ECCLESTON: Well, at the end of the funeral, we're going to have a message from the Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi, and when the funeral commences his casket will be taken out of the Cathedral by 14 pallbearers, it will be put into a hearse.

At that stage, there will be a flyover by three jets from the Italian air force and they will produce the (INAUDIBLE), as it's called here -- the three colors of the Italian flag. As they do so, these large speakers around me will play his famous (INAUDIBLE), which has become the song for the Italian air force.

After that, the hearse will drive slowly through the center of Modena so the people here can have one last chance to say farewell to their homegrown hero before he is actually buried in a nearby cemetery -- T.J.?

HOLMES: All right, Jennifer Eccleston for us in Modena, Italy. Jennifer, thank you so much.

NGUYEN: There's a new tape with a familiar message, Osama Bin Laden seen on video for the first time in three years, railing against President Bush and the war in Iraq.

CNN's Kelli Arena takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "I'm alive and I'm well." That's the main message of a new videotape from Osama Bin Laden, the first in nearly three years. His message to the American people contains no specific threat, but is heavy on symbolism.

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The subject of the mojahadines(ph) has become an inseparable part of the speech of your leader. And the effects and signs of that are not hidden.

ARENA: Experts say it's an effort to re-establish his relevance, Bin Laden remains a unifying figure for the many terror groups that have drawn inspiration, if not actual support, from Al Qaeda.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: He gets to reach out to followers who, according to Jihadist Web sites, have been wondering where is the leader? And he always gets to rail about the Iraq war, which is his strongest propaganda point.

ARENA: An obvious "news-junkie" with a lot of time on his hands, he makes several references to current affairs, proof that the videotape is a new one. He refers to a news report from Iraq that aired in July, the 62nd anniversary of Nagasaki and Hiroshima this past August. He names the new French President who was elected in May and the U.S. mortgage crisis. But Bin Laden's commentary is not prompting a change in security. FRANCES TOWNSEND, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: We don't have any specific or credible information indicating an imminent attack so I would not anticipate any change in the threat level, certainly not because of the tape.

ARENA: At times he comes off like an angry blogger, chastising Americans for electing President Bush twice, and the democrats for not doing more to stop the Iraq war.

(on camera): But Bin Laden's need to stay in the spotlight may also put him at risk. U.S. Intelligence is combing this tape, examining his appearance, looking for video clues, even background noises; anything that could reveal where he is.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And, we are going to have much more on this latest Bin Laden tape a little bit later this hour when Senior International Correspondent, Nic Robertson, joins us live from Galabad, Afghanistan.

HOLMES: Global warming among the hot topics at the Asia-Pacific Summit in Australia. President Bush left Sydney just over an hour ago, headed back to the U.S. The president is returning to Washington to prepare for a crucial report on Iraq. Meanwhile, during the summit he pressed Pacific Rim leaders to revive global trade talks and cooperate on climate change. He also commented on the latest tape from Osama Bin Laden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The tape is a reminder about the dangerous world in which we live. And it is a reminder that we must work together to protect our people. Against these extremists who murder the innocent in order to achieve their political objectives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Against a backdrop of fireworks, summit leaders adopted a declaration that includes modest goals to curb global warming but some experts and activists say it is not enough.

HOLMES: Protestors raising their voices on the sidelines of the summit. Police say most of the 3,000 demonstrators were cooperative but they say 17 people were arrested and two police officers were injured.

NGUYEN: There's minor surgery today for the First Lady, the White House says she will undergo a procedure to relieve pressure on pinched nerves in her neck.

Now earlier, we talked to CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, about possible risks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Her biggest risk from this operation for her is probably the risk of general anesthesia more than anything else. She -- I interviewed her not that long ago and talked to her about her health. She seems like she's pretty healthy and she should tolerate general anesthesia, I think, just fine. You're also operating on -- very near the spinal cord so there's always a risk of actually damaging the spinal cord or damaging the very nerve root that's providing that sensation in her arm that's bothering her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The neck pain kept the First Lady from joining President Bush at the APEC summit this week.

HOLMES: Remnants of Hurricane Henriette are bringing flash- flooding to parts of Oklahoma this morning; in Tulsa, some neighborhood streets temporarily rivers. The national weather service has issued flash flood watches for about 30 Oklahoma counties. Thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected across the state until tomorrow.

NGUYEN: Well, weather-watchers also keeping an eye on a subtropical storm off the east coast and Meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf, joins us now with the latest on that. He's also going to explain the difference, Reynolds; I know you have been dreading it.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Putting it on me. When you have an extra-tropical storm, this is a storm that forms right along the frontal boundary; when you have a tropical storm that is something that forms over warm, open water. When you have a subtropical storm or, as they sometimes refer to it as a "hybrid storm." It's a combination of both of those.

And that's what we are dealing with right now. It doesn't look all that impressive at this point, it doesn't have the classic shape we have seen with other big storms, namely -- well, Felix in the Caribbean which we had earlier, but still the storm is packing a punch. Its winds just take a look at them, have been up to around 60 miles per hour, this storm is expected to move its way to the west/northwest.

And, we're going to depart a little bit and show you what a lot of forecasters really gander, what they look at when they are trying to judge these storms. They look at computer models and these are spaghetti maps, you can see as we zoom in, a combination of all these computer models and most of them are in agreement that these storms -- this storm is going to make its way along the outer banks bringing with it, of course, heavy surf, anywhere from three to even six inches of rainfall. And, it is something we are going to watch very carefully.

Now, because these models are all in agreement, the forecast we have from the National Hurricane Center pretty much mirrors that same position, making its way as we get to 2:00 a.m. Sunday, winds of 60 miles an hour, veering through the Outer Banks. By the time we get to 2:00 p.m. Sunday, with winds of 65 miles an hour, still a tropical storm, not a hurricane. It will pull its way along the coast and deeper into the Atlantic as we get into Monday.

Certainly something we are going to have to watch carefully. We are certainly going to have some crews; I believe Rob Marciano is going to be headed towards the Outer Banks bringing us the very latest as we round out the weekend and move into early next week, but still there's a lot that can change between now and Sunday. This storm may, indeed, strengthen to a category 1 hurricane, but for the time being, looking at winds below that category.

Let's send it back to you.

NGUYEN: Yeah, we will be watching very closely.

WOLF: That's what we do here.

HOLMES: All right, appreciate the explanation. Thanks, Reynolds.

NGUYEN: OK, so we have "O" and "O" teaming up for the 2008 campaign, and straight ahead, we have look at how much Oprah's political endorsement can do for Democratic presidential-hopeful, Barack Obama. And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Two days later, eradication under way, there's trouble. Gunfire breaks out. The force is under attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Fighting "The Poppy Jihad" in Afghanistan. CNN's Anderson Cooper takes us behind the battle lines.

NGUYEN: And later, behind the scenes look at my trip to Sierra Leone, it is a story you will find only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We do have breaking news, in the search for little Maddie McCann, the girl who went missing in Portugal several months ago. Well, now her mother and father are said to be suspects in this case, there's a picture of Madeleine McCann.

We have a friend of Kate McCann, Maddie's mother who spoke with the media just a little while ago. Let's take a listen to what she has to say about the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICKY GILL, MCCANN FAMILY FRIEND: ... hearing these reports. That something could have happened to her. (INAUDIBLE), for me, we'll keep going. You know, (INAUDIBLE) will do anything we can to keep looking, (INAUDIBLE), and keep the campaign going until she comes home.

QUESTION: In your mind, there's no question that they did anything?

GILL: Absolutely none whatsoever. It's ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And again, the search does go on for 3-year-old Madeleine McCann who went missing on May 3rd in Portugal. Again, we learned as of this morning that both the father and the mother are now suspects in that case and we'll continue to follow it very closely.

HOLMES: All right, now we turn to some politics, kind of, sort of. We know Oprah Winfrey can sell books, you get your book on her book club and it's going to be a best-seller. But can she also sell a candidate for president? Well, we might get some insight into that a little later today when Winfrey throws an A-List fundraiser for Barack Obama.

Our Senior Political Analyst, Bill Schneider, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: This year, Oprah Winfrey is doing something she has never done before.

LARRY KING, "LARRY KING LIVE" HOST: Have you endorsed a candidate before?

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Never.

SCHNEIDER: She's endorsing Barack Obama for president. She's hosting a fund-raiser for Obama in California this weekend but she doesn't just bring in money.

WINFREY: I think that my value to him, my support of him is, is probably worth more than any check that I could write, yeah.

SCHNEIDER: Oprah Winfrey has more than an audience. She has a following.

MARTY KAPLAN, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CALIFORNIA: I think what Oprah can do is potentially bring out the congregants in the "Church of Oprah." She is a charismatic leader of a 'lay' congregation.

SCHNEIDER: Oprah's core audience is women. Her endorsement could help Obama compete with Hillary Clinton for women's votes.

KAPLAN: One of his campaign officials in California told me, "Oprah is everything." So, they have high hopes for the endorsement.

SCHNEIDER: Oprah's relationship with her audience is personal. So is her relationship with Obama. DAVID MENDELL: They met way back here in Chicago in the -- sort of the African-American social circuit here in Chicago back in, I believe, either the late 1990s or around 200 when he was running for congress.

SCHNEIDER: Obama's campaign message is not ideological. It's personal.

MENDELL: I think what he is trying to sell is a hope and optimism and a message that, you know, a new day can come, that we can change things for the better.

SCHNEIDER: when Oprah Winfrey tells her audience that she likes Obama and she trusts him, she's helping him sell his political message.

KAPLAN: She can make the case, as Obama makes, that it's not about experience -- it's about judgment.

SCHNEIDER: A source close to the Obama campaign tells CNN that there's a chance Oprah might play a more visible role in the campaign. Although there are no definite plans at this point, might we be seeing Oprah Winfrey at Obama campaign rallies or in TV ads? She is, after all, the second most admired woman in America, according to a December Gallop poll. Who's the first? Hillary Clinton.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And, please don't forget CNN.com is also your election headquarters, we're following candidates on the trail and, of course, we've got the very latest from the very best political team on television.

NGUYEN: All right, parents, are you listening? You want to check your toys, yet again.

HOLMES: Yeah, this week we learned of another toy recall. Later we will tell you what to be on the lookout for. Stay tuned for that.

Also stay tuned for this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN RAPP, PROSECUTOR, U.N. WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL: If you go out and talk to people about what happened in this country, the wounds and the injury is still there.

NGUYEN: Back from the brink of disaster, we're talking about Sierra Leone this morning. I've just returned from the African nation and, a little bit later this hour, we will show you what's happening now in the country's search for peace and hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: We spent days capturing their stories, working out of vehicles, recording my scripts over the sink and editing wherever we could. From live reports just as the storms rolled in, to Election Day coverage that drew crowds of people, and even livestock.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: I've just returned from an assignment in Africa where I spent a week in Sierra Leone, the world's second poorest country, covering its historic presidential elections. Now you have to keep in mind, Sierra Leone is still recovering from one of the most brutal civil wars in recent history. Thousands had their limbs hacked off by rebels but that didn't stop them from casting ballots, and today they'll have to do it all over again in the country's first democratic runoff election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: The votes have already been counted once. During the election in August, thousands stood in long lines, many in the rain, just to make their mark on this new era of democracy. Among the first in line were amputees, like this man who lost a limb during the bloody civil war. But first, there must be a runoff election to see who will lead this small West African nation, which suffered for so long.

Between 1991 and 2002, Sierra Leone was in one of the most brutal civil wars in recent history. Rebels stormed this village and hacked off both this man's arms. He wants to see justice served, and Stephen Rapp is in charge of making that happen. He's the prosecutor for the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal. It's his job to go after those who bear the greatest responsibility for the war.

RAPP: It's of enormous significance. If you go out and talk to people about what happened in this country, the wounds and the injury is still there.

NGUYEN: Several militia leaders have already been convicted, but many blame former Liberian President, Charles Taylor, for most of the war's atrocities. He's on trial at The Hague in the Netherlands, accused of using Sierra Leone's vast diamond wealth to fuel the war and line his pockets. Convicting Charles Taylor of war crimes won't make up for the hundreds of thousands who were murdered, maimed, or raped in Sierra Leone but it will send a message to the rest of the world. And that's why Rapp has turned the Taylor case into something very personal.

RAPP: Holding someone like this responsible is certainly a great mission of my life, and I think it's an important part of what's happened to the justice system in the world in the last few years, that leaders in the past would escape justice, would have been allowed to stay in exile. That's no longer possible. And it's because of what's being done in the Charles Taylor case that I think people will have a better chance in the world, in the future, to live in peace. NGUYEN: But here in Sierra Leone, that peace often depends on this country's politics. The test now is to see if this fledging democracy can elect a new president who's equipped to mend this war torn nation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And, that runoff election is taking place right now in Sierra Leone. Now when the first election took place, there was a 75% voter turnout. Now if there's a runoff, there's a question as to how many will actually go to the polls.

HOLMES: And some of them might not because they don't know they're supposed to. There's a little confusion about this.

NGUYEN: There's a lot of confusion, this is a fledgling democracy, they haven't been through it that many times, and in the first election in 2002 there was an all-out winner, he had the majority of the vote. But this time around, the opposition candidate has about 40% of the vote. So, because no one garnered that 55% need to win, there is a runoff election, and a lot of people are thinking, well, I've already done this once. Why do I have to do it again?

So, they're learning the process and, hopefully, they will be at the polls today, but I will tell you, T.J., because there is that confusion, and this election has been drawn out for quite some time now, there's frustration and there's fear that violence may take place today during this runoff election so we will be watching it very closely.

HOLMES: Now those folks who supported the one who got the majority of the vote this time, even though he didn't get the required amount, are they worried that some of his supporters might be upset, saying wait a minute, they are trying the steal the election because people don't understand.

NGUYEN: They don't understand it, like I said, they said, I already voted once, he already got the majority of the vote, even though it was just 40 percent, the other guy got around 30 percent but they said my guy won, so why do we have to do it again. There's an educational process that's going on, as well, so we will see how it turns out.

HOLMES: Democracy takes time sometimes. They'll get it down, hopefully.

Let's take a look at this, folks. If you admit, some might, some might not but some might think she's hot, you know. Might. I mean, we didn't take a poll around the NEWSROOM just yet but some might think she's hot. If you think she's hot then you should flaunt it, some would say.

NGUYEN: You think? Well, that can get you into hot water if you try to fly.

HOLMES: But was it a little too much? Was the outfit too risque? Southwest airlines says yes, we want to know what you think. Keep those e-mails coming and please keep them clean because we would like to share them on the air. That's at weekend@CNN.com. We are going to be talking about this some more, but first, this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, now an intriguing and possibly disturbing turn in a mystery that has made headlines around the world. The parents of missing 4-year-old Madeleine McCann now officially considered suspects. Their daughter disappeared back in May from a resort town in Portugal. Gerry and Kate McCann questioned by Portuguese police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Any doubts in your mind after hearing these reports that something could have happened to her?

NICKY GILL, FRIEND OF KATE MCCANN: None whatsoever. And they will keep going. You know, (INAUDIBLE) will do anything we can to keep looking, to keep (INAUDIBLE) and just to keep this campaign going so that she comes home.

QUESTION: In your mind, there's no question that they did anything?

MCCANN: Absolutely none whatsoever. It's unthinkable. It did not -- it never even crossed my mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: A friend there, Nicky Gill, also says she hasn't spoken to the family in the past few days. The McCanns have not been charged with a crime.

NGUYEN: Well, there is a new message from Osama bin Laden. The Al Qaeda leader seen speaking for the first time in three years. But the new tape doesn't include a warning -- just more of anger aimed at the United States and the military's involvement in Iraq.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

OSAMA BIN LADEN, (through translator): The subject of the Mujahedeen has become an inseparable part of the speech of your leader and the effects and signs of that are not hitting.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

NGUYEN: More analysis is being done on this new tape and some video experts say it is definitely bin Laden. But look at the difference in his appearance between 2004 and now, this latest appearance.

He looks much younger, doesn't he?

Well, we're going to look more into this tape.

And for more on that, we turn to CNN senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson.

He is joining us live now from Jalalabad, Afghanistan -- and, Nic, I notice you've had a chance to mull over this tape, as well. And it seems like the message is a lot broader this time around. He's tackling this from a different way and trying to get the message out.

NIC ROBERTSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, in the past, bin Laden's messages have been very strident. They've been sort of in a language that people in the West won't typically understand.

But let's face it, he's had a lot of time to sit around, a lot of time to hear what Western leaders, Western populations are saying. And he seems to pick up on some of that discontent to try and appeal to a wider audience. He talks about the tax burden. He talks about how much people have to pay for their mortgages. He talks about poverty in Africa. He talks about global warming. All issues that, perhaps, can find greater and broader appeal than the sort of normal hard core Islamists that would ever listen to what Osama bin Laden says.

Of course, all of this message is designed to focus people's opinions against President Bush and against what the United States is trying to achieve in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And he says very clearly that if you listen to what I'm saying -- and essentially he implies that if you like what I'm saying -- then the way to get around this for you is to convert to Islam. And if you convert to Islam then you can head off defeat in Iraq and defeat in Afghanistan because your leaders are lying to you about those places.

Now, his message differs from those in the past because he's now -- because he's broadening it out and trying to give it that wider appeal -- an appeal to, perhaps, people who wouldn't listen to him. Because I think most people certainly realize what's happening in Iraq, realize what's happening in Afghanistan and know what Osama bin Laden is saying is not the facts as he presents them -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Nic, you know, when a lot of people look at these tapes as they come out periodically from bin Laden, the big question is how is it that a man who has been in hiding for so long can get these tapes out to the media, yet we can't find where bin Laden is?

So I want to know from you -- you're there on the ground in Afghanistan -- how is that search going?

ROBERTSON: Well, the search is still going on. And the search isn't just confined to hunting down and searching for Osama bin Laden. It's hunting down and searching for Al Qaeda, for other leaders in Al Qaeda, for Taliban and for other supporters of Al Qaeda. Certainly, finding bin Laden is made much harder by the fact that he doesn't have -- or he restricts very, very, very much how he communicates with the outside world.

This videotape, for example, is really the first in three years. And that's really a clue to just how closely he guards his whereabouts. He's believed not to use radio communications, satellite, phone communications, cellular telephone communications, only to communicate through a few very trusted people.

Of course, the details about how he does communicate with the rest of the world, we just don't know. All we know is that occasionally these tapes surface. But he's been very, very quiet this year. Even his new audio messages -- really, his only new audio messages were last year.

So the hunt is certainly done at a human intelligence level here on the ground, any information that can be gleaned from the population here. And the way that that is achieved is by trying to develop and pursue and show that there's progress here for the Afghan people or anyone who might be -- who might come in contact with him, so that they will see that there's an alternative view to the view that Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda put forward.

That's what happens on the ground. There's certainly electronic eavesdropping from -- from aircraft with cameras, from aircraft that can listen to electronic messages that are passed, perhaps, between bin Laden and his followers. So they search for him that way.

But the overwhelming message of the search here, it isn't going to be achieved through -- through military efforts forced, if you will, on the ground. It's going to be achieved by showing the population that there is another and better way forward for Afghanistan and the border area with Pakistan -- Betty.

NGUYEN: CNN senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, joining us live from Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Thanks for that, Nic. We appreciate it.

Well, for the government of Afghanistan and its U.S. supporters, fighting the Taliban means fighting the poppy trade. CNN's "SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT" takes a closer look at the dangerous operation in "Narco State: The Poppy Jihad."

CNN's Anderson Cooper has a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Doug Wankel is in charge of the U.S.' fight against drugs in Afghanistan. He's America's man on the ground. Wankel travels the country with his Afghan counterpart, Lieutenant General Mohammed Daoud-Daoud (ph). Wankel and Daoud bring a message from the United States and from President Hamid Karzai -- stop growing poppies.

DOUG WANKEL, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL, U.S. EMBASSY: There was very little eradication last year.

COOPER: It's an unusually frank discussion.

WANKEL: Some people would question who do you eradicate. Nonetheless ...

COOPER: Deciding whose fields to eradicate is always controversial. Local officials try to influence the decision-making based on loyalties to them and sometimes bribes. Wankel is having none of it.

WANKEL: Because I don't trust the people here, anyway. I mean, obviously, they haven't done anything anyway, OK, so ...

COOPER: He shuts down the debate. WANKEL: If you guys want to argue later, we can argue. But that's not now. The eradication will start, usually around, let's say 8:30, 9:00, and it will be finished by 2:00 or 3:00.

COOPER: Two days later, with eradication underway, there is trouble. Gunfire breaks out. The force is under attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need a direct hit. We are taking fire! We are taking fire! Out, copy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Taliban?

COOPER: The gun battle rages for four hours and leaves four Afghan policemen wounded. Eradication efforts here are called off for the season. The farmers, the Taliban and the drug dealers win this round.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And CNN's "SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT" presents "Narco State: The Poppy Jihad." It premiers tonight at 8:00 Eastern right here only on CNN.

NGUYEN: All right, parents, we're still trying to make sense of this latest toy recall for you.

HOLMES: Yes. In just a few minutes, we're going to be talking to an expert about what's going on with toys and how it may impact the upcoming holiday season.

NGUYEN: And this outfit -- take a look right there. Too hot to fly? Well, we want to know what you think. Keep those e-mails coming at weekends@CNN.com.

HOLMES: And once, twice, not three times a lady. We're not doing Lionel Richie this morning.

Three times a winner, that guy.

NGUYEN: Wow!

HOLMES: You probably recognize him. The millionaire in Congress who knows how to pick the winning numbers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS MCGINNIS, EXPEDIA.COM: This summer, we're seeing record hotel rates. Airline fares have gone up a little bit. So people -- in order to escape the crowds and the high prices -- are kind of, you know, taking the road less traveled and trying to find deals away from the largest destinations.

Las Vegas is perennially the most popular destination for Expedia travelers. If you're looking for an alternative to that, you may just want to head up north the road a piece to Reno. Lots of gambling and casinos, if that's what you want to do. But what's really good about Reno is that Lake Tahoe is only an hour or two west.

Well, if you want to escape the heat of Central Florida and maybe Disney World in Orlando isn't a great idea, consider a place like the Wisconsin Dells. It has the highest concentration of water parks in the world.

Summer is peak season in Hawaii and it can get very expensive. But what you may want to consider, on the other side of the U.S., is the Dominican Republic. You've got the same beautiful tropical beaches and costs are about half as what you would pay in Hawaii.

Cancun is the fifth most popular destination, so if you want to avoid the crowd, head south about an hour or two, to an area called Tulum, where you'll find beautiful seaside Mayan ruins. A very interesting and off the beaten path place to go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: In one day, out the next -- the short jail sentence for the Duke lacrosse prosecutor.

And making sense of all these toy recalls -- we're going to talk with an expert this Saturday morning, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: New this morning, Mike Nifong just released from a North Carolina jail. Nifong is, of course, the former D.A. Who falsely accused three Duke lacrosse players of rape. He reported to jail yesterday. He spent 24 hours behind bars for a contempt conviction. Last week, a judge ruled Nifong lied about the evidence he gave to the players' defense. As you remember, as well, Nifong resigned and was disbarred earlier this year. Charges against the Duke lacrosse players were dropped and the players were declared innocent.

NGUYEN: A convicted sex offender is the newest addition to the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" fugitives list. Thirty-five-year-old John Savarino Schillaci is wanted for allegedly assaulting a 5-year-old New Hampshire boy. This coming soon after the man's release from a Texas prison in 1999.

The FBI says Schillaci is 5'11" and weighs about 180 pounds. Schillaci's known aliases include John Willis, Christopher Keegan and Cody Keegan.

HOLMES: Well, it seems like just about every couple of days, there's another toy recall. More and more Chinese made products pulled off the shelves.

What does it all mean? "USA Today" product safety reporter Jane O'Donnell is here to help us through this.

Good to see you, ma'am. Thank you for being here.

We're not too far from the holiday season. Parents are going to be out there shopping, looking for these toys. Is it possible to fill up the Christmas tree -- under there -- with all those gifts, and not have toys made in China? Can you even do it if you tried?

JAYNE O'DONNELL, PRODUCT SAFETY REPORTER, "USA TODAY": Oh, I suppose you could. I suppose you could. It would be difficult.

I'm not sure that it's necessary to go that far. There are other steps you can take. If we had talked about this three months ago, I might have said you should stick to the brand names like the Mattels and the Fisher Prices. But with recalls with companies including Mattel and Fisher Price, that isn't necessarily the only answer. But there's lots of steps you can take.

HOLMES: Yes, please tell us, what's a parent to do now, because parents are -- a lot of them out there are just scared of anything that says, "Made in China," including the big names now -- the big iconic names, Mattel. They even have to worry about that one.

O'DONNELL: Right. And, of course, keep in mind now, the Mattels of the world are going to be -- are being more careful than ever. Mattel's CEO told me last week that he's -- they've now tested everything that they have made in Asia. So, I mean you're going to get -- there's a lot more testing going on right now.

But what parents really need to do is be particularly vigilant when they're shopping. You do want to stick to stores that are more reputable. You don't want to buy secondhand. But you also want to be sure to pay attention to what the age requirements -- age limits are for the toys, because those are there for a reason. Just because you have a particularly brainy 3- or 4-year-old doesn't mean you should buy them a toy that's designed for a 6-year-old.

HOLMES: So they still might be putting stuff in their mouths and whatnot.

O'DONNELL: Exactly.

HOLMES: But even if they have the higher -- if there's more testing by the companies, by Mattel, is that going to lead to higher prices for the consumers?

O'DONNELL: It certainly may. For example, the Fashion Jewelry Association -- I wrote about lead in children's jewelry recently. They say if they take lead out of children's jewelry altogether that it could, say, raise the price of a $5 kid's necklace to $7.

Is that really such a big deal? Most of the experts I talk to and most parents say no. So, certainly, there may be a slight increase in -- in prices because the manufacturing costs and the testing costs may go up a little bit. But it's certainly not going to be -- it's not going to mean there aren't going to be enough toy choices out there. And safety is, of course, more important.

HOLMES: All right. Safety is most important. Parents have got this on their brains. They now have to deal with this. But you're saying they've got options, they've got choices.

Jane O'Donnell has been writing about this, the "USA Today" product safety reporter.

Ma'am, thank you so much for your time. We'll continue to look for those reports from you and continue to read about those. Good information in there for parents. Thank you so much.

O'DONNELL: Thanks. My pleasure.

NGUYEN: Well, coming up, we are reading some of your e-mails this morning.

HOLMES: Yes. Veronica de la Cruz at the Dot-Com Desk has some interesting ones.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

HOLMES: And some of them we can't necessarily share on the air.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. That's true. You know, we can't share some of them, you're right.

And we have been asking you this question -- was this outfit -- take a look -- was it simply too hot to fly? A student who is also a Hooters waitress gets kicked off a plane. Was this outfit too risque?

Send us your thoughts. Send us an e-mail to weekends@CNN.com. And I'm going to be reading some of those in the NEWSROOM. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DE LA CRUZ: All right, so the gang is all here...

NGUYEN: Yes.

HOLMES: Yes.

DE LA CRUZ: ...because we are going to be weighing in on this next story.

A 23-year-old college student kicked off a plane because of her outfit.

HOLMES: And this is strange to me, because we've all -- we travel with Betty and we see what sometimes she's allowed to wear.

(CROSSTALK) DE LA CRUZ: Well, look what she's wearing now, I mean...

HOLMES: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: You're the one who comes in in tube tops and the short skirts...

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: Do we have to go to the tube top (INAUDIBLE)...

DE LA CRUZ: All right, guys.

HOLMES: OK.

DE LA CRUZ: (INAUDIBLE).

NGUYEN: Get to the picture.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes.

A lot of people, obviously, feel very strongly about this story. And we wanted to share some of your e-mails.

This first one from Precious Nielsen, who says: "This woman was dressed for a pickup in a bar, not flying in a plane."

NGUYEN: Whoa.

DE LA CRUZ: "She had a great body, but it doesn't mean that I want to see it."

This next e-mail from Joy Paquin, who says: "Airlines have no business enforcing a dress code, especially with the horrible service they provide these days. This gal is young, beautiful, with a great figure and probably would have taken the fear out of flying for a lot of passengers. Boy, I hope she sues and makes a fortune."

Ann, who is a 10-year veteran of the airline industry, writes: "What next? A passenger uniform? The airline had no right to do that to her. I would sue the pants off them."

HOLMES: Yes.

DE LA CRUZ: Pun intended.

HOLMES: Yes.

DE LA CRUZ: This one from Amber, who says: "Southwest is ridiculous. I work at a valet service near the airport and I see some skimpy outfits, sometimes bathing suits. I don't see what's wrong with flying in that attire. Was she distracting the pilot, maybe?"

HOLMES: Bathing suits? DE LA CRUZ: Dan in Chandler, Arizona says: "Of course she should be able to fly dressed that way. She was. In fact, I think her exact outfit should be the dress code when she's flying. She's welcome to sit next to me on the plane anytime."

NGUYEN: I'm sure she is.

DE LA CRUZ: Thank you, Dan.

HOLMES: Dan.

DE LA CRUZ: And then finally, this one from Dewey Crosby...

HOLMES: A voice of reason.

(LAUGHTER)

DE LA CRUZ: ...who says -- a big shout out to Dewey. He says: "I saw the interview yesterday and she had the outfit on. And as she sat down, her panties were showing very clearly. I believe that's how she was sitting on the plane, so people walking up the aisle could see -- could see it all."

And I think, really, that is what the issue has been here, is that she -- she appeared on television and she sat down in the same outfit. And the skirt was a little high...

NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE).

DE LA CRUZ: ...and they had to pixelate the image.

And I also wanted to say that they asked her to step off the plane and she pulled her shirt down...

NGUYEN: And her skirt.

DE LA CRUZ: ...and her skirt. And she was able to fly. But the issue also is that she had to cover herself with a blanket and she was embarrassed that she was approached by a male flight attendant. It was not a female flight attendant.

NGUYEN: Oh, really?

DE LA CRUZ: Um-hmm.

HOLMES: Reynolds, are you OK?

(CROSSTALK)

DE LA CRUZ: All this information is shocking to him.

WOLF: Have you ever thought that maybe, maybe the power was out at her house that morning and she couldn't see what she was wearing?

DE LA CRUZ: No.

NGUYEN: Get out of here.

WOLF: Or maybe...

(CROSSTALK)

WOLF: Maybe...

NGUYEN: What...

(CROSSTALK)

DE LA CRUZ: No.

WOLF: No, seriously.

(CROSSTALK)

WOLF: Maybe those are the only clean clothes...

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: Oh, so her clothes were shrunk in the dryer.

WOLF: It happened to me in college, yes. It could definitely happen.

(CROSSTALK)

DE LA CRUZ: Reynolds, it happens to you every day.

WOLF: I mean it wasn't like she was wearing a sombrero and, you know -- or a pith helmet and, you know, chaps.

(LAUGHTER)

WOLF: I mean she looks OK. She looked fine.

NGUYEN: And chaps?

WOLF: Yes, I mean you know...

DE LA CRUZ: Anyway, you know, the story is still out there. We want to keep hearing what you have to say, weekends@CNN.com. Keep sending us your thoughts -- was the outfit too revealing?

HOLMES: Just what we need, Reynolds up on the set...

(CROSSTALK)

WOLF: The power was out...

(CROSSTALK)

WOLF: The power was out at her house, she couldn't see what she was wearing. She just went to the airport and just...

(CROSSTALK)

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. That's probably what happened. You're right.

WOLF: Exactly.

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: Oh, yes. Thank you.

NGUYEN: We want to hear from you. So let's get your thoughts. They may be in agreement with Reynolds, who knows?

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: But send them our way.

In the meantime, who, we are going to talk about a lucky streak for a Congressman. And that streak keeps going and going, as he wins the lottery not for the first or the second, but for the third time.

HOLMES: Yes, Representative Jim Sensenbrenner, already a millionaire. But now he's -- you know, he's an heir to the Kleenex Tissue and the Scott Paper Towel fortune. And in '97, Sensenbrenner won $250,000 in a jackpot in D.C. (ph).

NGUYEN: Wow!

HOLMES: And last spring, he won $1,000 in the Wisconsin lottery. But he wasn't done.

NGUYEN: Well, OK, yes.

Last week, he won another $1,000 in that same lottery. Sensenbrenner recently reported a net worth of more than $11 million, yet he still plays the Lotto.

HOLMES: You know I'm upset, right?

NGUYEN: We're all upset.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: She grew up poor in the cotton fields of Mississippi. But almost 20 years ago, she adopted a class of first graders in Oakland, California and committed to paying to send them to college if they stayed in school.

And this morning, businesswoman and philanthropist Oral Lee Brown is our CNN Hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ORAL LEE BROWN: These are our kids. We should at least take them to a position in their life that they can lead their way. And they can't do it without an education. An education can get you everything you want. You can go wherever you want to go. It's the way out of the ghetto, bottom line.

YOLANDA PEEK, FORMER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: She said give me your first graders who are really struggling and who are most needy. I want to adopt the class, and I want to follow the class until they graduate from high school. And she said that she was going to pay their college tuition.

BROWN: How many of you are going on to college? And at the time, I was making, I think, $45,000, $46,000 a year. So I committed $10,000 to the kids.

I grew up in Mississippi. I lived off $2 a day. That's what we got, $2 a day for picking cotton. And so I really feel that I was blessed from God. And so I cannot pay him back, but these kids are his kids. These kids -- some of them are poor like I was.

LAQUITA WHITE, FORMER STUDENT: When you have that mentor like Miss Brown, a very strong person, you can't go wrong, because she's on you constantly every day -- what are you doing, how are you doing?

BROWN: The world doubted us. I was told that, lady, you cannot do it. And I would say, you know what? These kids are just like any other kids. The only thing that they don't have the love and the support.

You're looking at doctors and lawyers and one president of the United States. When you give a kid an education and they get it up here, nobody or nothing can take it away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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