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CNN Live Saturday

Ambush Near Taji, Iraq Leaves New Casualties; Showdown in Fallujah Could be Key to Easing or Raising Tensions in Iraq

Aired April 24, 2004 - 12:00   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.


KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: It is 12:00 noon in the nation's Capitol, 8:00 p.m. in Baghdad. I'm Kelli Arena in Washington. Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
Ahead this hour, deadly new attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. We're live with the latest target and U.S. response.

Also, fierce fighting in Fallujah, time for a truce is running out and what U.S. Marines plan to could next.

Later:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like somebody trying to smother you but there is no one there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: Fighting the serious problems with asthma. An in depth on the disease and why the number of people with asthma is rapidly rising.

But first, the headlines at this hour.

Red Cross and U.N. officials now at the site of that train explosion in North Korea are describing scenes of devastation. China's state-owned news agency reports 154 people died in the blast and the North Korean government is blaming it on carelessness.

Three Palestinians were killed today in a shootout with Israeli troops in Jenin, the West Bank. The Israelis say the three were wanted militants who were planning attacks. The Palestinians say two victims were members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and a third was a 15-year-old boy.

Security is tight at the Washington headquarters of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The groups are holding their spring meeting and protesters plan a march and rally this afternoon. They claim the financial institutions are not doing enough to help poor nations.

A bloody spasm of violence in Iraq killed, so far today, five American soldiers, 14 Iraqi civilians, five suspected insurgents and two police officers. Meanwhile, the U.S. civilian administrator in Ira, Paul Bremer, was visiting Fallujah trying to boost the truce talks there. To Baghdad live now, and our bureau chief Jane Arraf -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kelli, in the deadliest attack on U.S. soldiers, two rockets, just before dawn, hit a U.S. Army base, 1st Cavalry base, near Taji, that's about 12 miles north of Baghdad. Six soldiers -- sorry, five soldiers were killed in that, Six wounded, three of them critically. That is the worst rocket attack on U.S. targets in some month, but it wasn't the only attack. In a crowded marketplace in Baghdad, in the Shia neighborhood of Sadr City, mortars came raining down. At least six people were killed, the estimates range up to 12 from U.S. officials, and dozens more wounded. Among the dead were children in that busy market, today.

Another attack as well, this one in Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, and that was a homemade bomb that detonated just outside an Army base. Two Iraqi police killed two civilians killed, more than a dozen wounded, no U.S. casualties in that one.

And amid all that, the U.S. military spokesman General Mark Kimmitt says that attacks these days are ranging up to 42 a day. Now incredibly, that is still lower than it was a couple of weeks ago. He says it is too soon to tell whether that trend will continue -- Kelli.

ARENA: Jane, not much detail on Paul Bremer's visit to Fallujah. Have you been able to unearth anything?

ARRAF: Only that it is a sign, as the U.S. says, of its absolute resolve to take negotiations to -- as far as they can. But, they do keep wording, as you've seen, Kelli, that "as far as they" can may not extend much further in time during the daily ritual -- daily press conference today with, the military spokesman and the chief coalition spokesman, they actually held up a chart explaining how the insurgents were not living up to the cease-fire agreement. They are making clear that time is running out. As for those negotiations, the problem has always been who they're negotiating with and even if you send Paul Bremer down there in a sign of U.S. resolve, it's not at all clear that the people who agree to a cease-fire are able to implement it -- Kelli.

ARENA: Jane Arraf live from Baghdad, thank you and be careful.

Well, with rockets, bombs, and bullets taking lives elsewhere, the explosive city of Fallujah is relatively quiet, today. Period of calm follows blunt warnings that the U.S. is running out of patience with insurgents, there. CNN's Jamie McIntyre has a report from the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Pentagon sees the showdown in Fallujah as a potentially pivotal battle in the war against Iraqi insurgents. After enduring nearly two weeks of a one-sided cease-fire, and fruitless negotiations with town elders, the U.S. is signaling Marines will storm the city within days.

BRIG. GEN MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: These discussions must bear fruit. Our patience is not eternal.

MCINTYRE: But, 2,000 or so Marines surrounding Fallujah have come under regular fire from within the city. And U.S. Demands to surrender all heavy weapons have been met with a paltry assortment of military junk: Rusty guns and dud bombs.

KIMMITT: It would not appear that we should go on much longer with this fiction.

MCINTYRE: Fallujah is seen as different from the rest of Iraq and Pentagon officials predict it may be the last stand for remnants of the old regime.

PAUL BREMER, U.S. CIVIL ADMINISTRATOR: Some of these men belonged to the banished instruments of Saddam's repression, the former intelligence services and former republican guards.

MCINTYRE: Among the fighters in Fallujah are believed to be some of Saddam Hussein's most highly trained and effective troops, From the old M-14 anti-terrorism director.

PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: Anti-terrorism is a Orwellian phrase it, in fact, was a terrorist unit that specialized in hijackings, assassinations, and explosives.

MCINTYRE: In fact, according to a classified DIA given to Congress this week, much of the violence in Iraq, including deadly suicide attacks and sophisticated roadside bombs, were part of a prewar master plan devised by the Iraqi intelligence service. Despite the fact that heavy fighting and inevitable civilian causalities risks fueling anti-American sentiment, the U.S. believes that risk is worth taking.

(on camera): The Pentagon thinks many of the remaining diehards are trapped in Fallujah, and that wiping them out now offers best chance of breaking the back of the resistance that has been frustrating the U.S. efforts to bring peace and stability to Iraq.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: Now to the battlefields of Afghanistan. For the first time since the Vietnam war, an NFL player has lost his life in combat. Former Arizona Cardinal safety, Pat Tillman, was gunned down Thursday in an ambush in eastern Afghanistan. Today his home state is in mourning as it remembers the 27-year-old who traded in his jersey and shoulder pads for an Army uniform. This makeshift memorial was set up at Arizona State where Tillman played college football. His body is still in Afghanistan.

CNN's senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is with us from Kabul -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Kelli, Specialist Tillman is the first U.S. soldier to be killed in the border region during "Operation Mounting Storm," that's the increase in pace of activities trying to hunt down al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, close to the border with Pakistani. He has, through today, been remembered by many of the soldiers here as a hero who turned down the opportunity to earn a large amount of money in favor of joining the Army.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pat Tillman!

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Patrick Tillman, football star turned Army Ranger hero. Remembered at U.S. bases in the country where he was killed.

SPC. ROSALYN RIOS, COMMAND FORCES: It was just shocking because he is an American hero, as we all are because we all -- you know, are here.

ROBERTSON: His ranger unit, seen here during a recent mission, was according to the Army, on a joint Patrol with Afghan forces, close to the border with Pakistan when they were attacked just as the sun was setting.

LT. COL. MATTHEW REEVERS, COALITION SPOKESMAN: The enemy size, unknown at this time, still kind of working through some of the details on that. That said, again they were ambushed, they dismounted, They moved towards the ambush, the firefight ensued and that's when Specialist Tillman was killed.

ROBERTSON: Few other details of the incident released at a coalition briefing, except that Tillman's two injured colleagues, now reported stable. Along the border mountains, near the latest ambush, troops report attacks on the coalition and its Afghan allies have increased. Two weeks ago, parachute infantry troops were ambushed in the same area. The attackers, not for the first time, according to the troops, pulling back beyond the coalition reach to sanctuary inside Pakistan. Hope here, Tillman's killing not in vain.

CAPT. MICHAEL SCHWAMBERGER, U.S. ARMY: Of course, it brings light to -- you know, hopefully all Americans that see and hear about it that, yes, there are still people over here, there are still Americans and military and civilians, as well, that are here still fighting -- you know, for the cause.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: In death, Patrick Tillman reaffirms what he had achieved in life, a respect for his sense of duty, honor, and patriotism. But perhaps, more importantly for many of the troops here, for them it is it has shown a spotlight on what some of them consider really a forgotten corner of the war on terrorism -- Kelli.

ARENA: All right, thanks a lot, Nic. Nic Robertson, or senior international correspondent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I today the president the following: I told him in our first meeting, three years ago, I accepted his request not to harm Arafat physically. I told President Bush that I understand the problems, I understand the different situations, but I am now releasing myself from this responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: The White House is warning Israeli leaders it would be a big mistake to target Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. More on the story from White House correspondent Dana Bash -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Kelli, after hearing those public words from the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, the White House sent an urgent message to the Israelis and that was "a pledge is a pledge." That message, according to senior administration officials, came through a phone call from the president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to Ariel Sharon's chief of staff, Dove Weissglass. And administration officials do say that they confirm that when Ariel Sharon was in Washington, last week, he mentioned to President Bush he did not necessarily feel bound by his pledge not to go after Ariel Sharon -- Yasser Arafat, I should say, and target him in any way. But the president, we are told, told him that that is not a good idea.

The president himself, of course, has not been a fan of Yasser Arafat, has made that abundantly clear since he's been in office, he hasn't had him here at the White House and he waited to get engaged in the so-called road map for peace until he had an alternative to work with on the Palestinian side. However, the president and top aides have made it abundantly clear they think it would be detrimental to the already quite volatile situation on the ground and to the process -- the peace process, as a whole, if the Israelis went after and perhaps assassinated Yasser Arafat. So that is why they made their message back to the Israelis that they thought this was a terrible idea, very public -- Kelli.

ARENA: All right, Dana Bash, live from the White House lawn, thanks very much.

BASH: Thank you.

ARENA: Well, coming up, so much of what we hear about Iraq comes from politicians and the media. We'll have a different voice, a member of the National Guard back from fighting in the Sunni Triangle.

And later, a Vatican Cardinal weighs in on John Kerry's political stance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ARENA: The tour of duty in Iraq, it's been long and arduous, not only for troops, but for their families. Reservists are also making sacrifices. Currently National Guard and reserve units make up about 40 percent of forces, now in Iraq, and more could be deployed in the future. Specialist Jeremy Polston is in the Florida National Guard. Now, he was injured in his nearly year-long service in Iraq. He's now back with his family in Boynton Beach, Florida.

Thanks for joining us, and welcome back home.

SPEC. JEREMY POLSTON, FLORIDA NATIONAL GUARD: Thank you.

ARENA: When you signed up with the National Guard, did you have any expectations whatsoever you would go into combat?

POLSTON: None at all. Actually they said it was more than likely we would not be going over. They said if we were activated for active duty, then we would more than likely at a base here in the states taking the place of another active duty unit who was to be sent over.

ARENA: Jeremy, give us a sense of the morale, of the attitude of other National Guard members, reserve units that you came in contact with when you were over there.

POLSTON: They were all pretty shocked to be in country -- you know, for the extent that we were there. It just -- no one expected us for -- no one expected us to be there, you know, in the first place, especially for such a long period of time.

ARENA: How did your family get by when you were gone?

POLSTON: Well, by with the help of god, of course, and my wife's family. It was very tough for us emotionally, physically, financially. We had a lot of help from community support.

ARENA: Now, you hear a lot about problems with transitioning from a war zone, coming back home. What has it been like for you?

POLSTON: The transition, it's -- it's kind of hard to say, I mean, we had to re-adjust to one another -- you know, and my son was not even a month old when I left. I come back and he's...

ARENA: Very difficult, yeah.

POLSTON: Yeah, it was. And, he was almost walking. I think I was home a week and he started walking. And, you know, getting back into the family role -- you know, my place within the family and providing for my family and it's just -- it was a tough re-adjustment.

ARENA: What would you say has been the most -- the most difficult aspect of this whole journey for you?

POLSTON: Leaving my wife, my son and feeling a sense of duty for my country. You know, I've got just over ten years with the military, I spent four years active duty Marine Corps and then I got out of the Marine Corps, I missed the camaraderie and I joined the National Guard.

ARENA: All right, well Jeremy, we wish you luck and thank you for your service. You take care. POLSTON: Thank you so much. Thank you, you too. Bye-bye.

ARENA: Well, there is more information on the war in Iraq with the latest battle reports available 24/7 on the CNN Web site. Now, that web address is CNN.com.

American oil workers are killed in Nigeria. It happened in the Niger Delta region where two factions are at war. CNN's Jeff Koinange is covering the story from Lagos and he joins us with details -- Jeff.

(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there Kelli, and the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is calling this an ambush. Apparently, this is what we are hearing. Those Naval Patrol boats patrolling in the swampy area Niger Delta in southern Nigeria, and they were literally gunned down by what they call an unknown group. Five people dead so far, among them two Americans working for the U.S. oil giant, Chevron- Texaco, and we hear also, two Naval troopers and another Nigerian. We also understand they had another American was injured, but he was taken to a hospital, he's in stable condition.

But, apparently this is a very, very volatile area. And, what happened is, the entire area had been shut down because of ethnic violence in the last year or so, and the tension seemed to be fizzling out and the U.S. oil, multinational source said was a good time to go back and reopen the oil rigs out there. Obviously it turns out to be a bad mistake and here is another thing, Kelli, before doing battles like this, what happens the ethnic groups there would kidnap the ex- patriots, ask for ransom and then release them after a while. This time it's taken a turn for the worse and seems like it's getting ugly. The government has condemned the action of the action of the ethnic (UNINTELLIGIBLE) down there. Chevron-Texaco spokesman insists that security is their priority, but right now (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that nobody is going into that area because it is extremely dangerous now, Kelli.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

ARENA: All right, Jeff Kionange, thank you very much for that report.

Coming up at the same school that George Wallace once took a stand against desegregation; the university faculty makes a unique apology.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL TAGLIABUE, NFL COMMISSIONER: Pat Tillman personified the best values of America and of the National Football League. Like other men and women protecting our freedom around the globe, he made the ultimate sacrifice and gave his life for the service of his country. After talking to Pat's family, we will make certain that Pat's values and what he represents to America and to the National Football League continue to have a permanent place in the league. Please join me in a moment of silence, in memory of all those men and women, all those heroes, who have given their lives for all of us. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

CROWD: Usa! Usa! Usa!

ARENA: Tillman's brother Kevin was a baseball player with a Cleveland organization when he joined the Army Rangers. We'll be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ARENA: Checking the latest developments, at least five American soldiers are among more than two dozen people killed today in Baghdad and other parts of the country. The five Americans were killed in a rocket attack north of Baghdad.

Rescue workers in Indonesia are searching for seven people who are still missing from yesterday's landslide on the island of Sumatra. All seven were traveling on a bus engulfed by the landslide. The death toll from the slide is at least 37.

Near Springfield, Illinois, a search is under way for two missing workers at a chemical plant. At least two other workers were killed when an explosion and fire ripped through the plant last night; half a dozen others were injured. So far, no word on what caused that blast.

Some passionate protesters were taking to the streets of Washington this weekend. Anti-globalization activists are staging demonstrations so they coincide with the meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Demonstrators say the group's policies hurt impoverished nations. CNN's Sean Callebs is live from Washington with the latest -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, very quiet out here now. We know that there are some demonstrators, supposedly a few thousand that began gathering this morning, but the stage here at Pennsylvania Avenue, the police are hoping for the best but have prepared for the worst. There are police on virtually every corner, in and around the World Bank building and the IMF building, located over my right shoulder. We're told that there are several thousand protesters that have gathered not terribly far from here, at the Washington Monument, and they are making their way over.

Demonstrators -- where they can go, the access they're going to have is going to be tightly restricted by the authorities. They are going to be basically held in these various pens. There a handful of these set in up in and around this area that is where police are going keep them. D.C. police are well aware that protesters in the past have had a certain degree of success in trying to either disrupt or shut down World Bank or IMF meetings. The park police here say they're prepared for any kind of confrontation.

DWIGHT PETTIFORD, U.S. PARK POLICE: That is always a concern from the law enforcement community. But, we have trained -- we have trained and practiced for these type of events. So, we will allow them to do everything that the law allows them to do. So, we welcome this event today.

CALLEBS: It certainly is not the huge turn-out that authorities have seen in the past and in various cities, but they are very concerned.

Now, the demonstrators who are making their way here say they are upset with the World Bank and the IMF. They say policies of those organizations have settled developing nations with hideous debt and that the World Bank and its members are more concerned about short- term profit than sustainable environments or trying to do something to improve the quality of economic or social justice for the developing nations.

ARENA: Sean, I guess the anxiety level is even up a notch higher because the nation's capital remains one of the alleged hot terror targets. Are you sensing any anxiety among security there that they're dealing with sort of a double-edged sword?

CALLEBS: Not really. The people we have talked to, they are prepared. We have seen a number of officers checking out the various areas. They're looking at things that could be considered areas of concern, whether that be manhole covers, trash cans, things of that nature. But authorities -- it is not the massive buildup they've seen in other cities.

The D.C. police handled an event like this with the World Bank in the past and they are thoroughly prepared to let people express their right to free speech, but it stops there. They step over that line, then people will be arrested.

ARENA: All right, Sean Callebs, thank you very much.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is in the crosshairs of the Catholic Church debate. A Vatican cardinal is calling on priests to refuse communion to abortion supporters including Catholic politicians who take the stance.

Kerry is an abortion rights candidate and a Catholic. He received communion on Easter Sunday in Boston which did not sit well with some American Catholics. With more on this debate, where he joined by John Allen, CNN Vatican analyst. He's live from Rome.

Thank you for joining us.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Hi, Kelli.

ARENA: Do you think it is appropriate for John Kerry to receive communion?

ALLEN: Well, you know, I don't know -- it is not my role to decide whether it is appropriate. What I do know is that it is creating a very high-profile debate within the Catholic Church both in the United States and here than side of the ocean, in the Vatican.

Now, this comment you're referring to, by Cardinal Francis Arinzi, who is the Vatican's top official on the practice -- on the Liturgy, which means how Catholics celebrate their rituals, including the Catholic Mass, and therefore it comes under his authority; the question of who gets communion and who doesn't.

He actually came at this in two ways. Cardinal Arinzi was asked one question specifically about Senator Kerry. And he actually declined to weigh in on that saying it is for the U.S. bishops. Then he was asked a more general question about Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

And he said, unambiguously, that those politicians should not be receiving communion. They shouldn't come forward and if they do, they should be refused. So I think what we have here from the Vatican is the position that they want the U.S. bishops, specifically, to take a stand on Kerry.

But they're pretty clear about what that position ought to be. Now coincidentally this week Cardinal Ted McCarrick of Washington, who is taking lead for the bishops on this question is here in Rome for his every five-year visit to the Pope. You can bet your bottom dollar, Kelli, he'll be hearing about this issue as he moves through various Vatican offices.

ARENA: But, John, is it a two-tiered system here? Politicians have to be vocal about their stand on abortion. Most of the Catholic majority does not. So is this going to be instituted across the board? Are pastors and bishops supposed to start polling Catholics on where they stand to decide whether or not they can receive communion or not?

ALEN: Yeah, it is a tough question. The standard in Catholic thinking has usually been how public somebody's role in abortion is. That is, you know, priests obviously can't be expected to look into the soul of everyone communicant who comes up the line, and make determinations about where they stand on this issue.

On the other hand, if somebody has some kind of public responsibility, that is they're a politician or perhaps they're a doctor who is publicly known to be performing this service or if they are an advocate who has publicly identified positions on this question. Then you run into something that in Catholic thinking is called scandal. That is, it is not just the act in itself, it is also the fact you may be leading other people into occasions of sin.

And when that's the case, the Church has usually called upon its pastors to try to take some kind of stand. On the other hand, in the United States, there is this tradition of the separation of church and state. And I think Church leaders are aware that politicians have a broader responsibility than just being concerned about the moral teaching of the church.

That's why the U.S. bishops have created a commission that is studying this question. That is trying to come up with some kind of position. I think that you have now since the Vatican and the person of Cardinal Francis Arinzi, a Nigerian, as waded into this question in a public way. It will become much more difficult for the bishops to avoid taking a clear public stand. ARENA: So what is the likely scenario? John Kerry goes Church, goes up to receive communion, either he's denied or he gets it. If he gets it, is that priest formally reprimanded?

ALLEN: That's an excellent question. First of all, if I were a John Kerry's advance team, I would want to be very sure that I wasn't walking into a Catholic parish where I didn't have a pretty good sense of what that priest was likely to do.

Certainly there are a lot of pastors across the country that are very hesitant to turn the Eucharist into a political weapon. They don't want to use it as a punishment. And I think it is a very interesting question. As you say, Kerry at went to Mass on Easter Sunday, at the Paulist (ph) Center in Boston, the pastor there, a guy I know, made the decision to give him communion. I think others in his position might have done the same thing, simply because they don't want to make a partisan political stand at what should be the church's supreme moment of unity.

It is a very interesting question whether the bishops under perhaps under some kind of Vatican pressure are going to take some kind of disciplinary measures with these guys. I think it is potentially a mess but many American bishops would just as soon avoid if they can figure a way out of it. The problem is, is that it is hard to know what that way out might be.

ARENA: All right, John, we're out of time. Thank you for joining us. John Allen, CNN's Vatican analyst. Thanks a lot.

(PROMOTIONAL INFORMATION)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ARENA: More people are getting Lasik corrective eye surgery. A new research suggests you might want to check the weather first. It seems that heat and humidity conditions outside can affect how well the laser surgery works.

Researchers saw the most problems occurring in September. Extra humidity might change how much laser energy the eye absorbs.

There are a growing number of people suffering from asthma in this country. Nearly half of 20 million asthmatic are children. As Christie Feig (ph) explains, the illness is more than just losing your breath, it is dangerous and even deadly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIE FEIG (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Wendy Gregory was diagnosed with asthma at age 13. Because of it, each year of high school she missed about 60 days of school.

WENDY GREGORY, ASTHMA SUFFERER: It is like somebody trying to smother you but there is no one there. You can feel your lungs physically get tighter and smaller, and it is hard to both inhale and exhale. FEIG: Hers, like many patients, is often made worse by allergies.

DR. KATHLEEN SEERIN, ALLERGY & ASTHMA FND. OF AMERICA: It can be dogs, cats, dust mites. Of course, in the spring, pollen. We have seen a lot more people in the office now with the high pollen counts that are having asthma episodes.

FEIG: With asthma, treatment is imperative. But it can take time to tailor it for each patient.

SHEERIN: Well, 25 percent of people miss days of work; 40 percent of people are waking up at night and 50 percent of people who have asthma alter their activity level because of their asthma.

FEIG: And it can be even worse.

SHEERIN: We have millions of hospitalizations, emergency room visits each year. And unfortunately we have in this country almost 5,000 unnecessary deaths each year.

FEIG: In the last 20 years, new diagnoses have more than doubled. Doctors have several theories about why this is. But they aren't yet certain.

Christie Feig, CNN, Washington.

ARENA: Doctors are concerned about the increase in asthma cases. The Centers for Disease Control looked at the problem last week in a national conference. Doctor Dr Sheryl Lucas is here to talk about identifying and dealing with asthma. She's also on the advisory board of the Allergy & Asthma Foundation.

Thank you for joining us.

SHERYL LUCAS, KAISER PERMANENTE MID-ATLANTIC: You're welcome.

ARENA: Explain this, this increase that we are seeing. As Christie Feig (ph) reported, not a whole lot of definitive information on why, but those increases not just our imagination, very real.

LUCAS: Those are very real increases. In fact more than 20 million Americans suffer from asthma and about half of those are children. It can affect the lives of children tremendously. We don't know all of the factors, but we believe that indoor allergens such as dust mites, cockroach, mold spores, animal dander, are factors. And outdoor air pollution can contribute.

We also have a theory that the immune system is behaving differently because we use so many antibiotics.

ARENA: We keep hearing that. Antibiotics come up all the time. What signs for parents -- what signs should parent looks for? There are obviously lots of kids that have allergies. You wheeze and so on from allergic reactions. When do you draw the line? What are the signals that can help you draw the line and say this could be serious? LUCAS: Well, with allergic reactions we're usually talking about the upper airway, sneezing, itchy eyes and so forth. With asthma in children, though, parents should look for a change in the breathing pattern. Many times children will have a heaving of the chest or flaring of the nostrils as their asthma symptoms express.

And cough, especially at nighttime cough can be a problem. Now, of course, when the child progresses to wheezing, the whistling sounds that come from the chest, then that is pretty obvious and a parent knows to seek help. We're trying to inform parents so that they recognize symptoms earlier and can get into the doctor.

ARENA: And the medication now is a lot better than was when I was a kid.

LUCAS: Yes, yes. Years ago to be diagnosed with asthma was a jail sentence. Because children were told all the things that they could not do. Nowadays we do have many, many excellent medicines, very effective and safe. But still there are some lifestyle changes that will be recommended sometimes.

ARENA: Like what, for example?

LUCAS: For example, if we define that a child is allergic to a food, then we really want the parent to eliminate that food from the diet. Common foods that kids become allergic to are milk, eggs, wheat, fish, soy, peanuts.

If there is a pet in the environment to which the child is allergic, we're going recommend removal of that pet. That's tough because pets are part of our families. But we really, really urge that. If not removal from the home, at least from the bedroom.

ARENA: What about the treatment? Does it vary greatly from what an adult would do?

LUCAS: Well in some cases, yes, because the younger the child, the more limited we are in the options, but we still have very good options. Young children can't coordinate to use an inhaler very effectively. So sometimes we use oral medicines, or nebulizer-type medicines, where the air droplets will get into the lung and deliver the medication to the bronchial tubes where the problem is occurring.

ARENA: All right, well, where he out of time. I want to thank you, Dr. Sheryl Lucas.

LUCAS: You're welcome.

ARENA: Thank you for spending your Saturday morning with us.

LUCAS: You're very welcome.

(PROMOTIONAL INFORMATION)

ARENA: You can hop on a cable car and ride along the steep winding hills; or you can sit and gaze at the Golden Gate Bridge that overlooks the city. Of course, we're talking about San Francisco, California.

Our guest says it is the perfect place for a getaway. Richard Sterling wrote "The Lonely Planet San Francisco Guide." And he joins us from San Francisco.

Thank you for joining us.

RICHARD STERLING, AUTHOR, "THE LONELY PLANET": Hey, hello from the Left Coast, Kelli.

ARENA: I would like to be where you are. Tell me --

STERLING: Everybody wants to be where I am.

ARENA: It is true. Let's get right to the headline. What is the one thing that you absolutely must do when you get to San Francisco.

STERLING: Walk across the golden gate bridge. Most people don't know it, but there is a pedestrian lane on the east side of the bridge. And it is the very best way to appreciate that stunning massive art deco masterpiece.

ARENA: It is stunning. Isn't it?

STERLING: Yes, it is.

ARENA: Something that is always on my mind, probably a little too much is eating. Is there a certain dining quarter that San Francisco has that you can go to and -- or do you really have to maneuver your way through the city?

STERLING: Almost any place you go in the city is a good dining quarter. The city is composed of numerous neighborhoods and each neighborhood has its own characteristic restaurants. For example, what we call North Beach or Little Italy, you can guess what you get there. China Town, which sidles up against North Beach. When you cross Broadway you go immediately from Italy to China. It is an astounding change.

Every time you cross into another neighborhood, it is like going into another piece of a great jigsaw puzzle. All you have to do is walk the streets and follow your nose. Do come here with a big appetite and good walking shoes, because we call this the walking city. It is the best way --

ARENA: I was going ask you what about the famous cable cars? Is walking truly the best way to get around?

STERLING: Well, you got to take a ride on a cable car. It is the nation's only moveable historical monument. So, you know, there are certain things you got to do. Got to ride the cable car, but you also have to walk. The street level, on foot, is the best view that you will get of the City of Saint Francis.

ARENA: Now, is San Francisco close enough to wine country to make a day trip, or is that not advisable? STERLING: Yes, San Francisco, the wine country is the backyard. It is only an hour's drive. It is lovely day trip, particularly about this time of year. You can get up there, have lunch, taste some wine, and be back in San Francisco for an excellent dinner.

Remember, again, dinner, this is the birthplace of California cuisine and the American culinary revolution. This is the gastronomic capital of the West.

ARENA: Well, last, very quick question. Any other highlights you would like to outline for our viewers?

STERLING: Take a ride on a helicopter around the Bay. It is gorgeous.

ARENA: Well! There you go. All right, well, you know, you convinced me. I'm buying a ticket.

STERLING: Great. And pick up "The Lonely Planet Guidebook".

ARENA: Get that plug in. I will do that. Thank you so much for joining us. Have a good day.

STERLING: All right, thank you. Bye-bye.

ARENA: I bet you will.

(PROMOTIONAL INFORMATION)

((COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ARENA: A busy week in the news, as always. And many memorable images that you may have missed. Here is our weekly look at "The Week In Pictures".

Terrorists carry out new attacks in Iraq. A coordinated attack of car bombs killed dozens and injured about 200 people.

In Fallujah, a temporary truce is shattered as insurgents attack U.S. Marines and nearly two-hour firefight follows. Three Marines suffered minor wounds. >

An emotional homecoming at Fort Hood in Texas. The last group from the 4th Infantry Division came home to family and friends this group was in Iraq for more than a year.

One of Israel's most controversial criminals was released from prison. Protesters on both sides greeted Mordechai Venunu. He had served 18 years in prison for releasing details of Israel's nuclear weapons program. Venunu remains defiant saying he is proud of his actions to expose the nuclear program.

Violent springs storms spawned tornadoes across parts of the Midwest. Eight people were killed when one building collapsed after the storm. Dozens of homes were destroyed. In Hawaii, months of winter rains have left the island much greener than normal. This is providing a view of the island's rarely seen by visitors or year round residents.

A medical mistake in Australia; 18 months after abdominal surgery, a woman complained of near constant pain. The X-ray showed why. Surgical scissors left inside. As you might guess, a lawsuit is in the works.

This week an apology for a long ago wrong. The faculty senate at the University of Alabama took on the issue of slavery and its role in the process. Bruce Burkhardt has the reactions from campus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALFRED BROPHY, LAW PROFESSOR, U OF ALABAMA: This is the university cemetery where two slaves owned by the university were buried in the 1800s.

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Behind the biology building here, a cemetery home to the unmarked graves of two slaves, Jack and Boise, who died 160 years ago.

BROPHY: Students pass the cemetery every day and don't realize slaves were buried here. They pass the president's mansion every day and don't realize slaves worked there and lived there. They don't realize that slaves were beaten, some would say tortured here.

BURKHARDT: Law Professor Alfred Brophy researched the university's connections to slavery. It led to a historic resolution just passed overwhelmingly by the faculty senate, an apology.

BROPHY: The faculty needed to apologize because the faculty are the successors of the people who benefited from slavery, beat slaves, and taught proslavery doctrine. And I think it is important to demonstrate our disavowal of that past.

ROBERT TURNER, AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENT GROUP: When those slaves died, 161 years ago, they had no thought, no inclination that their death would be the catapult for change on the campus, on the very campus in which they worked for free.

BURKHARDT: A symbolic act, but on this campus, symbolic acts have a history of getting attention.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (HISTORIC VIDEO): I hereby denounce and forbid this illegal and unwarranted action by the central government.

BURKHARDT (on camera): It was on this spot that George Wallace made his flashy stand in front of Foster Auditorium. Soon, if the university has its way, a historical marker will stand here, too, joining this one already in place acknowledging the past.

(voice over): The apology is part of that, but other measures are being taken, too. An attempt to make the campus more diverse, more hospitable to minorities, a process that was sparked by the simple and symbolic act of an apology.

TURNER: Alabama and America was wrong at that point in time. And they ought to apologize for it. My mom always taught me when I did something wrong, to apologize for it. If I didn't, she beat me. Sometimes if I did, she still beat me.

BURKHARDT: But this concept of an apology doesn't sit well with everyone on campus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just think it is a little silly for a generation at university who had nothing to do with it to apologize for something it did not do.

BURKHARDT: And yet symbolic acts have power.

BROPHY: This has something to do with how we think about our own identity, how we think about ourselves, how we think about the past. And how we think about the past controls how we act in the present and in the future.

BURKHARDT: Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired April 24, 2004 - 12:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: It is 12:00 noon in the nation's Capitol, 8:00 p.m. in Baghdad. I'm Kelli Arena in Washington. Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
Ahead this hour, deadly new attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. We're live with the latest target and U.S. response.

Also, fierce fighting in Fallujah, time for a truce is running out and what U.S. Marines plan to could next.

Later:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like somebody trying to smother you but there is no one there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: Fighting the serious problems with asthma. An in depth on the disease and why the number of people with asthma is rapidly rising.

But first, the headlines at this hour.

Red Cross and U.N. officials now at the site of that train explosion in North Korea are describing scenes of devastation. China's state-owned news agency reports 154 people died in the blast and the North Korean government is blaming it on carelessness.

Three Palestinians were killed today in a shootout with Israeli troops in Jenin, the West Bank. The Israelis say the three were wanted militants who were planning attacks. The Palestinians say two victims were members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and a third was a 15-year-old boy.

Security is tight at the Washington headquarters of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The groups are holding their spring meeting and protesters plan a march and rally this afternoon. They claim the financial institutions are not doing enough to help poor nations.

A bloody spasm of violence in Iraq killed, so far today, five American soldiers, 14 Iraqi civilians, five suspected insurgents and two police officers. Meanwhile, the U.S. civilian administrator in Ira, Paul Bremer, was visiting Fallujah trying to boost the truce talks there. To Baghdad live now, and our bureau chief Jane Arraf -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kelli, in the deadliest attack on U.S. soldiers, two rockets, just before dawn, hit a U.S. Army base, 1st Cavalry base, near Taji, that's about 12 miles north of Baghdad. Six soldiers -- sorry, five soldiers were killed in that, Six wounded, three of them critically. That is the worst rocket attack on U.S. targets in some month, but it wasn't the only attack. In a crowded marketplace in Baghdad, in the Shia neighborhood of Sadr City, mortars came raining down. At least six people were killed, the estimates range up to 12 from U.S. officials, and dozens more wounded. Among the dead were children in that busy market, today.

Another attack as well, this one in Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, and that was a homemade bomb that detonated just outside an Army base. Two Iraqi police killed two civilians killed, more than a dozen wounded, no U.S. casualties in that one.

And amid all that, the U.S. military spokesman General Mark Kimmitt says that attacks these days are ranging up to 42 a day. Now incredibly, that is still lower than it was a couple of weeks ago. He says it is too soon to tell whether that trend will continue -- Kelli.

ARENA: Jane, not much detail on Paul Bremer's visit to Fallujah. Have you been able to unearth anything?

ARRAF: Only that it is a sign, as the U.S. says, of its absolute resolve to take negotiations to -- as far as they can. But, they do keep wording, as you've seen, Kelli, that "as far as they" can may not extend much further in time during the daily ritual -- daily press conference today with, the military spokesman and the chief coalition spokesman, they actually held up a chart explaining how the insurgents were not living up to the cease-fire agreement. They are making clear that time is running out. As for those negotiations, the problem has always been who they're negotiating with and even if you send Paul Bremer down there in a sign of U.S. resolve, it's not at all clear that the people who agree to a cease-fire are able to implement it -- Kelli.

ARENA: Jane Arraf live from Baghdad, thank you and be careful.

Well, with rockets, bombs, and bullets taking lives elsewhere, the explosive city of Fallujah is relatively quiet, today. Period of calm follows blunt warnings that the U.S. is running out of patience with insurgents, there. CNN's Jamie McIntyre has a report from the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Pentagon sees the showdown in Fallujah as a potentially pivotal battle in the war against Iraqi insurgents. After enduring nearly two weeks of a one-sided cease-fire, and fruitless negotiations with town elders, the U.S. is signaling Marines will storm the city within days.

BRIG. GEN MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: These discussions must bear fruit. Our patience is not eternal.

MCINTYRE: But, 2,000 or so Marines surrounding Fallujah have come under regular fire from within the city. And U.S. Demands to surrender all heavy weapons have been met with a paltry assortment of military junk: Rusty guns and dud bombs.

KIMMITT: It would not appear that we should go on much longer with this fiction.

MCINTYRE: Fallujah is seen as different from the rest of Iraq and Pentagon officials predict it may be the last stand for remnants of the old regime.

PAUL BREMER, U.S. CIVIL ADMINISTRATOR: Some of these men belonged to the banished instruments of Saddam's repression, the former intelligence services and former republican guards.

MCINTYRE: Among the fighters in Fallujah are believed to be some of Saddam Hussein's most highly trained and effective troops, From the old M-14 anti-terrorism director.

PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: Anti-terrorism is a Orwellian phrase it, in fact, was a terrorist unit that specialized in hijackings, assassinations, and explosives.

MCINTYRE: In fact, according to a classified DIA given to Congress this week, much of the violence in Iraq, including deadly suicide attacks and sophisticated roadside bombs, were part of a prewar master plan devised by the Iraqi intelligence service. Despite the fact that heavy fighting and inevitable civilian causalities risks fueling anti-American sentiment, the U.S. believes that risk is worth taking.

(on camera): The Pentagon thinks many of the remaining diehards are trapped in Fallujah, and that wiping them out now offers best chance of breaking the back of the resistance that has been frustrating the U.S. efforts to bring peace and stability to Iraq.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: Now to the battlefields of Afghanistan. For the first time since the Vietnam war, an NFL player has lost his life in combat. Former Arizona Cardinal safety, Pat Tillman, was gunned down Thursday in an ambush in eastern Afghanistan. Today his home state is in mourning as it remembers the 27-year-old who traded in his jersey and shoulder pads for an Army uniform. This makeshift memorial was set up at Arizona State where Tillman played college football. His body is still in Afghanistan.

CNN's senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is with us from Kabul -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Kelli, Specialist Tillman is the first U.S. soldier to be killed in the border region during "Operation Mounting Storm," that's the increase in pace of activities trying to hunt down al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, close to the border with Pakistani. He has, through today, been remembered by many of the soldiers here as a hero who turned down the opportunity to earn a large amount of money in favor of joining the Army.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pat Tillman!

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Patrick Tillman, football star turned Army Ranger hero. Remembered at U.S. bases in the country where he was killed.

SPC. ROSALYN RIOS, COMMAND FORCES: It was just shocking because he is an American hero, as we all are because we all -- you know, are here.

ROBERTSON: His ranger unit, seen here during a recent mission, was according to the Army, on a joint Patrol with Afghan forces, close to the border with Pakistan when they were attacked just as the sun was setting.

LT. COL. MATTHEW REEVERS, COALITION SPOKESMAN: The enemy size, unknown at this time, still kind of working through some of the details on that. That said, again they were ambushed, they dismounted, They moved towards the ambush, the firefight ensued and that's when Specialist Tillman was killed.

ROBERTSON: Few other details of the incident released at a coalition briefing, except that Tillman's two injured colleagues, now reported stable. Along the border mountains, near the latest ambush, troops report attacks on the coalition and its Afghan allies have increased. Two weeks ago, parachute infantry troops were ambushed in the same area. The attackers, not for the first time, according to the troops, pulling back beyond the coalition reach to sanctuary inside Pakistan. Hope here, Tillman's killing not in vain.

CAPT. MICHAEL SCHWAMBERGER, U.S. ARMY: Of course, it brings light to -- you know, hopefully all Americans that see and hear about it that, yes, there are still people over here, there are still Americans and military and civilians, as well, that are here still fighting -- you know, for the cause.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: In death, Patrick Tillman reaffirms what he had achieved in life, a respect for his sense of duty, honor, and patriotism. But perhaps, more importantly for many of the troops here, for them it is it has shown a spotlight on what some of them consider really a forgotten corner of the war on terrorism -- Kelli.

ARENA: All right, thanks a lot, Nic. Nic Robertson, or senior international correspondent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I today the president the following: I told him in our first meeting, three years ago, I accepted his request not to harm Arafat physically. I told President Bush that I understand the problems, I understand the different situations, but I am now releasing myself from this responsibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: The White House is warning Israeli leaders it would be a big mistake to target Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. More on the story from White House correspondent Dana Bash -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Kelli, after hearing those public words from the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, the White House sent an urgent message to the Israelis and that was "a pledge is a pledge." That message, according to senior administration officials, came through a phone call from the president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to Ariel Sharon's chief of staff, Dove Weissglass. And administration officials do say that they confirm that when Ariel Sharon was in Washington, last week, he mentioned to President Bush he did not necessarily feel bound by his pledge not to go after Ariel Sharon -- Yasser Arafat, I should say, and target him in any way. But the president, we are told, told him that that is not a good idea.

The president himself, of course, has not been a fan of Yasser Arafat, has made that abundantly clear since he's been in office, he hasn't had him here at the White House and he waited to get engaged in the so-called road map for peace until he had an alternative to work with on the Palestinian side. However, the president and top aides have made it abundantly clear they think it would be detrimental to the already quite volatile situation on the ground and to the process -- the peace process, as a whole, if the Israelis went after and perhaps assassinated Yasser Arafat. So that is why they made their message back to the Israelis that they thought this was a terrible idea, very public -- Kelli.

ARENA: All right, Dana Bash, live from the White House lawn, thanks very much.

BASH: Thank you.

ARENA: Well, coming up, so much of what we hear about Iraq comes from politicians and the media. We'll have a different voice, a member of the National Guard back from fighting in the Sunni Triangle.

And later, a Vatican Cardinal weighs in on John Kerry's political stance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ARENA: The tour of duty in Iraq, it's been long and arduous, not only for troops, but for their families. Reservists are also making sacrifices. Currently National Guard and reserve units make up about 40 percent of forces, now in Iraq, and more could be deployed in the future. Specialist Jeremy Polston is in the Florida National Guard. Now, he was injured in his nearly year-long service in Iraq. He's now back with his family in Boynton Beach, Florida.

Thanks for joining us, and welcome back home.

SPEC. JEREMY POLSTON, FLORIDA NATIONAL GUARD: Thank you.

ARENA: When you signed up with the National Guard, did you have any expectations whatsoever you would go into combat?

POLSTON: None at all. Actually they said it was more than likely we would not be going over. They said if we were activated for active duty, then we would more than likely at a base here in the states taking the place of another active duty unit who was to be sent over.

ARENA: Jeremy, give us a sense of the morale, of the attitude of other National Guard members, reserve units that you came in contact with when you were over there.

POLSTON: They were all pretty shocked to be in country -- you know, for the extent that we were there. It just -- no one expected us for -- no one expected us to be there, you know, in the first place, especially for such a long period of time.

ARENA: How did your family get by when you were gone?

POLSTON: Well, by with the help of god, of course, and my wife's family. It was very tough for us emotionally, physically, financially. We had a lot of help from community support.

ARENA: Now, you hear a lot about problems with transitioning from a war zone, coming back home. What has it been like for you?

POLSTON: The transition, it's -- it's kind of hard to say, I mean, we had to re-adjust to one another -- you know, and my son was not even a month old when I left. I come back and he's...

ARENA: Very difficult, yeah.

POLSTON: Yeah, it was. And, he was almost walking. I think I was home a week and he started walking. And, you know, getting back into the family role -- you know, my place within the family and providing for my family and it's just -- it was a tough re-adjustment.

ARENA: What would you say has been the most -- the most difficult aspect of this whole journey for you?

POLSTON: Leaving my wife, my son and feeling a sense of duty for my country. You know, I've got just over ten years with the military, I spent four years active duty Marine Corps and then I got out of the Marine Corps, I missed the camaraderie and I joined the National Guard.

ARENA: All right, well Jeremy, we wish you luck and thank you for your service. You take care. POLSTON: Thank you so much. Thank you, you too. Bye-bye.

ARENA: Well, there is more information on the war in Iraq with the latest battle reports available 24/7 on the CNN Web site. Now, that web address is CNN.com.

American oil workers are killed in Nigeria. It happened in the Niger Delta region where two factions are at war. CNN's Jeff Koinange is covering the story from Lagos and he joins us with details -- Jeff.

(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there Kelli, and the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is calling this an ambush. Apparently, this is what we are hearing. Those Naval Patrol boats patrolling in the swampy area Niger Delta in southern Nigeria, and they were literally gunned down by what they call an unknown group. Five people dead so far, among them two Americans working for the U.S. oil giant, Chevron- Texaco, and we hear also, two Naval troopers and another Nigerian. We also understand they had another American was injured, but he was taken to a hospital, he's in stable condition.

But, apparently this is a very, very volatile area. And, what happened is, the entire area had been shut down because of ethnic violence in the last year or so, and the tension seemed to be fizzling out and the U.S. oil, multinational source said was a good time to go back and reopen the oil rigs out there. Obviously it turns out to be a bad mistake and here is another thing, Kelli, before doing battles like this, what happens the ethnic groups there would kidnap the ex- patriots, ask for ransom and then release them after a while. This time it's taken a turn for the worse and seems like it's getting ugly. The government has condemned the action of the action of the ethnic (UNINTELLIGIBLE) down there. Chevron-Texaco spokesman insists that security is their priority, but right now (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that nobody is going into that area because it is extremely dangerous now, Kelli.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

ARENA: All right, Jeff Kionange, thank you very much for that report.

Coming up at the same school that George Wallace once took a stand against desegregation; the university faculty makes a unique apology.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL TAGLIABUE, NFL COMMISSIONER: Pat Tillman personified the best values of America and of the National Football League. Like other men and women protecting our freedom around the globe, he made the ultimate sacrifice and gave his life for the service of his country. After talking to Pat's family, we will make certain that Pat's values and what he represents to America and to the National Football League continue to have a permanent place in the league. Please join me in a moment of silence, in memory of all those men and women, all those heroes, who have given their lives for all of us. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

CROWD: Usa! Usa! Usa!

ARENA: Tillman's brother Kevin was a baseball player with a Cleveland organization when he joined the Army Rangers. We'll be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ARENA: Checking the latest developments, at least five American soldiers are among more than two dozen people killed today in Baghdad and other parts of the country. The five Americans were killed in a rocket attack north of Baghdad.

Rescue workers in Indonesia are searching for seven people who are still missing from yesterday's landslide on the island of Sumatra. All seven were traveling on a bus engulfed by the landslide. The death toll from the slide is at least 37.

Near Springfield, Illinois, a search is under way for two missing workers at a chemical plant. At least two other workers were killed when an explosion and fire ripped through the plant last night; half a dozen others were injured. So far, no word on what caused that blast.

Some passionate protesters were taking to the streets of Washington this weekend. Anti-globalization activists are staging demonstrations so they coincide with the meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Demonstrators say the group's policies hurt impoverished nations. CNN's Sean Callebs is live from Washington with the latest -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, very quiet out here now. We know that there are some demonstrators, supposedly a few thousand that began gathering this morning, but the stage here at Pennsylvania Avenue, the police are hoping for the best but have prepared for the worst. There are police on virtually every corner, in and around the World Bank building and the IMF building, located over my right shoulder. We're told that there are several thousand protesters that have gathered not terribly far from here, at the Washington Monument, and they are making their way over.

Demonstrators -- where they can go, the access they're going to have is going to be tightly restricted by the authorities. They are going to be basically held in these various pens. There a handful of these set in up in and around this area that is where police are going keep them. D.C. police are well aware that protesters in the past have had a certain degree of success in trying to either disrupt or shut down World Bank or IMF meetings. The park police here say they're prepared for any kind of confrontation.

DWIGHT PETTIFORD, U.S. PARK POLICE: That is always a concern from the law enforcement community. But, we have trained -- we have trained and practiced for these type of events. So, we will allow them to do everything that the law allows them to do. So, we welcome this event today.

CALLEBS: It certainly is not the huge turn-out that authorities have seen in the past and in various cities, but they are very concerned.

Now, the demonstrators who are making their way here say they are upset with the World Bank and the IMF. They say policies of those organizations have settled developing nations with hideous debt and that the World Bank and its members are more concerned about short- term profit than sustainable environments or trying to do something to improve the quality of economic or social justice for the developing nations.

ARENA: Sean, I guess the anxiety level is even up a notch higher because the nation's capital remains one of the alleged hot terror targets. Are you sensing any anxiety among security there that they're dealing with sort of a double-edged sword?

CALLEBS: Not really. The people we have talked to, they are prepared. We have seen a number of officers checking out the various areas. They're looking at things that could be considered areas of concern, whether that be manhole covers, trash cans, things of that nature. But authorities -- it is not the massive buildup they've seen in other cities.

The D.C. police handled an event like this with the World Bank in the past and they are thoroughly prepared to let people express their right to free speech, but it stops there. They step over that line, then people will be arrested.

ARENA: All right, Sean Callebs, thank you very much.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is in the crosshairs of the Catholic Church debate. A Vatican cardinal is calling on priests to refuse communion to abortion supporters including Catholic politicians who take the stance.

Kerry is an abortion rights candidate and a Catholic. He received communion on Easter Sunday in Boston which did not sit well with some American Catholics. With more on this debate, where he joined by John Allen, CNN Vatican analyst. He's live from Rome.

Thank you for joining us.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Hi, Kelli.

ARENA: Do you think it is appropriate for John Kerry to receive communion?

ALLEN: Well, you know, I don't know -- it is not my role to decide whether it is appropriate. What I do know is that it is creating a very high-profile debate within the Catholic Church both in the United States and here than side of the ocean, in the Vatican.

Now, this comment you're referring to, by Cardinal Francis Arinzi, who is the Vatican's top official on the practice -- on the Liturgy, which means how Catholics celebrate their rituals, including the Catholic Mass, and therefore it comes under his authority; the question of who gets communion and who doesn't.

He actually came at this in two ways. Cardinal Arinzi was asked one question specifically about Senator Kerry. And he actually declined to weigh in on that saying it is for the U.S. bishops. Then he was asked a more general question about Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

And he said, unambiguously, that those politicians should not be receiving communion. They shouldn't come forward and if they do, they should be refused. So I think what we have here from the Vatican is the position that they want the U.S. bishops, specifically, to take a stand on Kerry.

But they're pretty clear about what that position ought to be. Now coincidentally this week Cardinal Ted McCarrick of Washington, who is taking lead for the bishops on this question is here in Rome for his every five-year visit to the Pope. You can bet your bottom dollar, Kelli, he'll be hearing about this issue as he moves through various Vatican offices.

ARENA: But, John, is it a two-tiered system here? Politicians have to be vocal about their stand on abortion. Most of the Catholic majority does not. So is this going to be instituted across the board? Are pastors and bishops supposed to start polling Catholics on where they stand to decide whether or not they can receive communion or not?

ALEN: Yeah, it is a tough question. The standard in Catholic thinking has usually been how public somebody's role in abortion is. That is, you know, priests obviously can't be expected to look into the soul of everyone communicant who comes up the line, and make determinations about where they stand on this issue.

On the other hand, if somebody has some kind of public responsibility, that is they're a politician or perhaps they're a doctor who is publicly known to be performing this service or if they are an advocate who has publicly identified positions on this question. Then you run into something that in Catholic thinking is called scandal. That is, it is not just the act in itself, it is also the fact you may be leading other people into occasions of sin.

And when that's the case, the Church has usually called upon its pastors to try to take some kind of stand. On the other hand, in the United States, there is this tradition of the separation of church and state. And I think Church leaders are aware that politicians have a broader responsibility than just being concerned about the moral teaching of the church.

That's why the U.S. bishops have created a commission that is studying this question. That is trying to come up with some kind of position. I think that you have now since the Vatican and the person of Cardinal Francis Arinzi, a Nigerian, as waded into this question in a public way. It will become much more difficult for the bishops to avoid taking a clear public stand. ARENA: So what is the likely scenario? John Kerry goes Church, goes up to receive communion, either he's denied or he gets it. If he gets it, is that priest formally reprimanded?

ALLEN: That's an excellent question. First of all, if I were a John Kerry's advance team, I would want to be very sure that I wasn't walking into a Catholic parish where I didn't have a pretty good sense of what that priest was likely to do.

Certainly there are a lot of pastors across the country that are very hesitant to turn the Eucharist into a political weapon. They don't want to use it as a punishment. And I think it is a very interesting question. As you say, Kerry at went to Mass on Easter Sunday, at the Paulist (ph) Center in Boston, the pastor there, a guy I know, made the decision to give him communion. I think others in his position might have done the same thing, simply because they don't want to make a partisan political stand at what should be the church's supreme moment of unity.

It is a very interesting question whether the bishops under perhaps under some kind of Vatican pressure are going to take some kind of disciplinary measures with these guys. I think it is potentially a mess but many American bishops would just as soon avoid if they can figure a way out of it. The problem is, is that it is hard to know what that way out might be.

ARENA: All right, John, we're out of time. Thank you for joining us. John Allen, CNN's Vatican analyst. Thanks a lot.

(PROMOTIONAL INFORMATION)

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ARENA: More people are getting Lasik corrective eye surgery. A new research suggests you might want to check the weather first. It seems that heat and humidity conditions outside can affect how well the laser surgery works.

Researchers saw the most problems occurring in September. Extra humidity might change how much laser energy the eye absorbs.

There are a growing number of people suffering from asthma in this country. Nearly half of 20 million asthmatic are children. As Christie Feig (ph) explains, the illness is more than just losing your breath, it is dangerous and even deadly.

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CHRISTIE FEIG (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Wendy Gregory was diagnosed with asthma at age 13. Because of it, each year of high school she missed about 60 days of school.

WENDY GREGORY, ASTHMA SUFFERER: It is like somebody trying to smother you but there is no one there. You can feel your lungs physically get tighter and smaller, and it is hard to both inhale and exhale. FEIG: Hers, like many patients, is often made worse by allergies.

DR. KATHLEEN SEERIN, ALLERGY & ASTHMA FND. OF AMERICA: It can be dogs, cats, dust mites. Of course, in the spring, pollen. We have seen a lot more people in the office now with the high pollen counts that are having asthma episodes.

FEIG: With asthma, treatment is imperative. But it can take time to tailor it for each patient.

SHEERIN: Well, 25 percent of people miss days of work; 40 percent of people are waking up at night and 50 percent of people who have asthma alter their activity level because of their asthma.

FEIG: And it can be even worse.

SHEERIN: We have millions of hospitalizations, emergency room visits each year. And unfortunately we have in this country almost 5,000 unnecessary deaths each year.

FEIG: In the last 20 years, new diagnoses have more than doubled. Doctors have several theories about why this is. But they aren't yet certain.

Christie Feig, CNN, Washington.

ARENA: Doctors are concerned about the increase in asthma cases. The Centers for Disease Control looked at the problem last week in a national conference. Doctor Dr Sheryl Lucas is here to talk about identifying and dealing with asthma. She's also on the advisory board of the Allergy & Asthma Foundation.

Thank you for joining us.

SHERYL LUCAS, KAISER PERMANENTE MID-ATLANTIC: You're welcome.

ARENA: Explain this, this increase that we are seeing. As Christie Feig (ph) reported, not a whole lot of definitive information on why, but those increases not just our imagination, very real.

LUCAS: Those are very real increases. In fact more than 20 million Americans suffer from asthma and about half of those are children. It can affect the lives of children tremendously. We don't know all of the factors, but we believe that indoor allergens such as dust mites, cockroach, mold spores, animal dander, are factors. And outdoor air pollution can contribute.

We also have a theory that the immune system is behaving differently because we use so many antibiotics.

ARENA: We keep hearing that. Antibiotics come up all the time. What signs for parents -- what signs should parent looks for? There are obviously lots of kids that have allergies. You wheeze and so on from allergic reactions. When do you draw the line? What are the signals that can help you draw the line and say this could be serious? LUCAS: Well, with allergic reactions we're usually talking about the upper airway, sneezing, itchy eyes and so forth. With asthma in children, though, parents should look for a change in the breathing pattern. Many times children will have a heaving of the chest or flaring of the nostrils as their asthma symptoms express.

And cough, especially at nighttime cough can be a problem. Now, of course, when the child progresses to wheezing, the whistling sounds that come from the chest, then that is pretty obvious and a parent knows to seek help. We're trying to inform parents so that they recognize symptoms earlier and can get into the doctor.

ARENA: And the medication now is a lot better than was when I was a kid.

LUCAS: Yes, yes. Years ago to be diagnosed with asthma was a jail sentence. Because children were told all the things that they could not do. Nowadays we do have many, many excellent medicines, very effective and safe. But still there are some lifestyle changes that will be recommended sometimes.

ARENA: Like what, for example?

LUCAS: For example, if we define that a child is allergic to a food, then we really want the parent to eliminate that food from the diet. Common foods that kids become allergic to are milk, eggs, wheat, fish, soy, peanuts.

If there is a pet in the environment to which the child is allergic, we're going recommend removal of that pet. That's tough because pets are part of our families. But we really, really urge that. If not removal from the home, at least from the bedroom.

ARENA: What about the treatment? Does it vary greatly from what an adult would do?

LUCAS: Well in some cases, yes, because the younger the child, the more limited we are in the options, but we still have very good options. Young children can't coordinate to use an inhaler very effectively. So sometimes we use oral medicines, or nebulizer-type medicines, where the air droplets will get into the lung and deliver the medication to the bronchial tubes where the problem is occurring.

ARENA: All right, well, where he out of time. I want to thank you, Dr. Sheryl Lucas.

LUCAS: You're welcome.

ARENA: Thank you for spending your Saturday morning with us.

LUCAS: You're very welcome.

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ARENA: You can hop on a cable car and ride along the steep winding hills; or you can sit and gaze at the Golden Gate Bridge that overlooks the city. Of course, we're talking about San Francisco, California.

Our guest says it is the perfect place for a getaway. Richard Sterling wrote "The Lonely Planet San Francisco Guide." And he joins us from San Francisco.

Thank you for joining us.

RICHARD STERLING, AUTHOR, "THE LONELY PLANET": Hey, hello from the Left Coast, Kelli.

ARENA: I would like to be where you are. Tell me --

STERLING: Everybody wants to be where I am.

ARENA: It is true. Let's get right to the headline. What is the one thing that you absolutely must do when you get to San Francisco.

STERLING: Walk across the golden gate bridge. Most people don't know it, but there is a pedestrian lane on the east side of the bridge. And it is the very best way to appreciate that stunning massive art deco masterpiece.

ARENA: It is stunning. Isn't it?

STERLING: Yes, it is.

ARENA: Something that is always on my mind, probably a little too much is eating. Is there a certain dining quarter that San Francisco has that you can go to and -- or do you really have to maneuver your way through the city?

STERLING: Almost any place you go in the city is a good dining quarter. The city is composed of numerous neighborhoods and each neighborhood has its own characteristic restaurants. For example, what we call North Beach or Little Italy, you can guess what you get there. China Town, which sidles up against North Beach. When you cross Broadway you go immediately from Italy to China. It is an astounding change.

Every time you cross into another neighborhood, it is like going into another piece of a great jigsaw puzzle. All you have to do is walk the streets and follow your nose. Do come here with a big appetite and good walking shoes, because we call this the walking city. It is the best way --

ARENA: I was going ask you what about the famous cable cars? Is walking truly the best way to get around?

STERLING: Well, you got to take a ride on a cable car. It is the nation's only moveable historical monument. So, you know, there are certain things you got to do. Got to ride the cable car, but you also have to walk. The street level, on foot, is the best view that you will get of the City of Saint Francis.

ARENA: Now, is San Francisco close enough to wine country to make a day trip, or is that not advisable? STERLING: Yes, San Francisco, the wine country is the backyard. It is only an hour's drive. It is lovely day trip, particularly about this time of year. You can get up there, have lunch, taste some wine, and be back in San Francisco for an excellent dinner.

Remember, again, dinner, this is the birthplace of California cuisine and the American culinary revolution. This is the gastronomic capital of the West.

ARENA: Well, last, very quick question. Any other highlights you would like to outline for our viewers?

STERLING: Take a ride on a helicopter around the Bay. It is gorgeous.

ARENA: Well! There you go. All right, well, you know, you convinced me. I'm buying a ticket.

STERLING: Great. And pick up "The Lonely Planet Guidebook".

ARENA: Get that plug in. I will do that. Thank you so much for joining us. Have a good day.

STERLING: All right, thank you. Bye-bye.

ARENA: I bet you will.

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ARENA: A busy week in the news, as always. And many memorable images that you may have missed. Here is our weekly look at "The Week In Pictures".

Terrorists carry out new attacks in Iraq. A coordinated attack of car bombs killed dozens and injured about 200 people.

In Fallujah, a temporary truce is shattered as insurgents attack U.S. Marines and nearly two-hour firefight follows. Three Marines suffered minor wounds. >

An emotional homecoming at Fort Hood in Texas. The last group from the 4th Infantry Division came home to family and friends this group was in Iraq for more than a year.

One of Israel's most controversial criminals was released from prison. Protesters on both sides greeted Mordechai Venunu. He had served 18 years in prison for releasing details of Israel's nuclear weapons program. Venunu remains defiant saying he is proud of his actions to expose the nuclear program.

Violent springs storms spawned tornadoes across parts of the Midwest. Eight people were killed when one building collapsed after the storm. Dozens of homes were destroyed. In Hawaii, months of winter rains have left the island much greener than normal. This is providing a view of the island's rarely seen by visitors or year round residents.

A medical mistake in Australia; 18 months after abdominal surgery, a woman complained of near constant pain. The X-ray showed why. Surgical scissors left inside. As you might guess, a lawsuit is in the works.

This week an apology for a long ago wrong. The faculty senate at the University of Alabama took on the issue of slavery and its role in the process. Bruce Burkhardt has the reactions from campus.

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ALFRED BROPHY, LAW PROFESSOR, U OF ALABAMA: This is the university cemetery where two slaves owned by the university were buried in the 1800s.

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Behind the biology building here, a cemetery home to the unmarked graves of two slaves, Jack and Boise, who died 160 years ago.

BROPHY: Students pass the cemetery every day and don't realize slaves were buried here. They pass the president's mansion every day and don't realize slaves worked there and lived there. They don't realize that slaves were beaten, some would say tortured here.

BURKHARDT: Law Professor Alfred Brophy researched the university's connections to slavery. It led to a historic resolution just passed overwhelmingly by the faculty senate, an apology.

BROPHY: The faculty needed to apologize because the faculty are the successors of the people who benefited from slavery, beat slaves, and taught proslavery doctrine. And I think it is important to demonstrate our disavowal of that past.

ROBERT TURNER, AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENT GROUP: When those slaves died, 161 years ago, they had no thought, no inclination that their death would be the catapult for change on the campus, on the very campus in which they worked for free.

BURKHARDT: A symbolic act, but on this campus, symbolic acts have a history of getting attention.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (HISTORIC VIDEO): I hereby denounce and forbid this illegal and unwarranted action by the central government.

BURKHARDT (on camera): It was on this spot that George Wallace made his flashy stand in front of Foster Auditorium. Soon, if the university has its way, a historical marker will stand here, too, joining this one already in place acknowledging the past.

(voice over): The apology is part of that, but other measures are being taken, too. An attempt to make the campus more diverse, more hospitable to minorities, a process that was sparked by the simple and symbolic act of an apology.

TURNER: Alabama and America was wrong at that point in time. And they ought to apologize for it. My mom always taught me when I did something wrong, to apologize for it. If I didn't, she beat me. Sometimes if I did, she still beat me.

BURKHARDT: But this concept of an apology doesn't sit well with everyone on campus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just think it is a little silly for a generation at university who had nothing to do with it to apologize for something it did not do.

BURKHARDT: And yet symbolic acts have power.

BROPHY: This has something to do with how we think about our own identity, how we think about ourselves, how we think about the past. And how we think about the past controls how we act in the present and in the future.

BURKHARDT: Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

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