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CNN Live Saturday
Filipino Hostage Released Today; U.S. Military Debriefs Hassoun In Germany; Runners Suspected Of Doping Will Still Compete At Olympic Trials
Aired July 10, 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 12:00 p.m. in the East coast, 9:00 p.m. in the West. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta.
Ahead this hour, piecing together part of a puzzling mystery: Military officials debrief Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun today in Germany. We'll have a live report.
Gay marriage in America: It's a hot topic on the campaign trail as it gets the presidential treatment.
Nature and nurture combined for luxury at eco spa resorts. We'll take you to some of them.
And a big, beautiful ballet company in Cuba: We'll introduce you to this special dance group.
But first, a look at the top stories now in the news.
A Philippine official says a Filipino hostage in Iraq apparently is being freed and is now safe. The hostage had been threatened by his captors with death unless Philippine groups withdrew from Iraq. Coming up, CNN will have a live report from Manila.
U.S. military debriefers in Germany are talking with Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun, trying to untangle a mystery. The Marines want to know why he went missing in Iraq then turned up three weeks later in Lebanon. CNN's Chris Burns will have more in a moment from Germany.
The nation's top nuclear weapons lab is trying to find missing classified material. The head of the Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico says he's ready to fire anyone found responsible. Four years ago, two computer hard drives disappeared from this same lab.
Columbian officials are trying to extradite the head of a Columbian drug cartel who was captured in Cuba. He allegedly smuggled billions of dollars in cocaine into the United States.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
There are signs of a possible release of a Filipino hostage in Iraq who had been threatened with death unless his country's troops withdrew. More from from CNN's Maria Ressa, live from Manila -- Maria. MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we're just two hours before that deadline set by the kidnappers of Angelo de la Cruz. A short while ago, the Philippine spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, told CNN that, quote, "we're very optimistic that something positive will happen soon." That came shortly after the Labor Secretary Patricia Santo Tomas said on nationwide television that President Arroyo had called the wife of Angelo de la Cruz and told her that he is now on his way to a Baghdad hotel.
Apparently, it seems, that through mediators, Philippine government is working with mediators, he's now in the custody of these mediators and is about to be turned over to the Philippine government. We're waiting for the President Arroyo now to make a statement.
WHITFIELD: However, Maria, in terms of a deal or any of those hostage takers getting what they had requested, the Philippines says it will withdraw, but at an expected time they set for August?
RESSA: What's interesting about this is in many ways the Philippine government seems to have balanced all the different conflicting interests. It has said that it will pull out the troops by August 20, which is the deadline that had been set a year ago and, yet, that same time, the demand of the kidnappers was that the Philippine government pull out its troops.
At this point what they tried to do, the Philippine government tried to balance what it can do to save the life of Angelo de la Cruz, along with its policies, including not negotiating with kidnappers and its international commitments, which are to stay in Iraq until August 20.
What's interesting here is that the last time its troop commitments had expired, the Philippine government actually renewed it for another six months -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Maria, what about reaction from Filipinos, there? What are they saying about this hostage possible being -- hostage release, possibly?
RESSA: Well, there's already been jubilation in the hometown of Angelo de La Cruz, it's in Mexico, Pampanga, the home province of President Arroyo. His family has been notified by President Arroyo, they have been shown on national television rejoicing over the news, again, it's slightly premature since he is not yet in government hands, but at this point, there is a sigh of relief and just a wait -- a hopeful waiting attitude for the final news from President Arroyo -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Maria Ressa in Manila. Thanks very much.
Well, in California, family members of the Filipino hostage have been pleading for his release.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We ask him already to go home, go home. That's already dangerous, but he said, "No, god is going to help me over here." He's not an enemy; he's just working over there. He's not an enemy, just working to support his family, so I just want them to release him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The hostage, Angelo de la Cruz, is a truck driver based in Saudi Arabia.
Bulgaria is trying to free two truck drivers being held against their will in Iraq. Suspected insurgents are threatening to behead the Bulgarians if the U.S. doesn't release all prisoners in Iraq.
Earlier today, three stores in Baqubah were bombed. A taxi driver passing by one of the stores was killed in the blast. Police say a religious fundamentalist group targeted stores where liquor is sold.
Also today, an attack on a natural gas pipeline in northern Iraq. The deputy mayor of Kirkuk tells CNN that saboteurs planted a bomb along the pipeline cutting the gas flow and setting off a fire. After the gas flow was cut off, the blaze died out.
British leaders are bracing for their own report on the intelligence used to make a case for war in Iraq. The British report is due out Wednesday and is expected to be critical of the quality of information leaders used. British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, admitted this week that weapons of mass destruction may never be found in Iraq.
The BBC has reported that Blair, whose popularity had waned, seriously considered resigning last month, but reportedly three cabinet colleagues talked him out of it.
President Bush continued to defend the decision to go to war in Iraq even after a Senate report found serious flaws in the work done by the U.S. intelligence community. National security correspondent, David Ensor, reviews the main findings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NAVEL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Senate panel's 511-page report is blunt. It says the justification for the war in Iraq, that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, was just plain wrong and that the U.S. intelligence community was to blame for the mistake.
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), CHAIR. INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: Today we know these assessments were wrong. And as our inquiry will show, they were also unreasonable and largely unsupported by the available -- the available intelligence.
ENSOR: The report complains of "group think" in U.S. intelligence leading the community to interpret ambiguous evidence as conclusively indicative of a WMD program. SEN. JOHN ROCKEFELLER (D), INTELLIGENCE CMTE. VICE CHAIR: We in congress would not have authorized that war. We would not have authorized that war with 75 votes, if we knew what we know now.
ENSOR: At the CIA, the deputy director took the unusual step of holding a news conference to respond, saying steps have already been taken to make sure such mistakes are never made again.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CIA: So, my first message to you is a very simple one. We get it.
ROBERTS: Most, if not all of these problems, stem from a broken corporate culture and poor management.
MCLAUGHLIN: No, I don't think we have a broken corporate culture at all.
ENSOR: The report says before the Iraq war the CIA did not have a single officer in that country working on finding weapons of mass destruction. Committee staffers called the agency "risk averse."
MCLAUGHLIN: I mean, if it's intended to convey a timidity on the part of our officers, in terms of working in dangerous environments, I would just reject that totally out of hand, I mean we put stars on the wall out here this year -- we put stars on the wall out here this year.
ENSOR: The stars in the CIA's front hall represent officers killed in the line of duty.
(on camera): With the 9/11 Commission report yet to come, the U.S. intelligence community is in for a summer of criticism and debate, possibly followed in 2005 by some real changes in the way it's organized and led.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The Senate report also found no evidence of a collaborative relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda terrorists. Former President Bill Clinton tells CNN's Christianne Amanpour that there's nothing to a report that the U.S. could have had al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, in custody before 9/11.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The idea that the Sudanese offered to hand him over to us is just absurd. The idea that they told us he was leaving and he was landing in the gulf and we could get him at another airport, is absurd. And the idea that you know that they tried to give him to us instead of giving him to Afghanistan is just not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: More of Christianne Amanpour's discussion with former President Bill Clinton at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
Heightened security at America's airport has led to long lines frayed tempers for a lot of travelers. A new program allows some to bypass beefed up security in exchange for some personal information. Sean Callebs is here with a look inside the program -- Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed Fredricka, big brother is squeezing a little more personal information out of thousands of frequent fliers, but in return, these passengers are signing up for a program that could significantly curtail the amount of time they wait in screening lines. It is called the Registered Traveler Program.
The test program kicked off in Minneapolis, Minnesota this week. Frequent fliers actually waited in line to sign up for the program, a couple weeks ago. They must submit thorough background checks including digital fingerprint scans and digital iris checks.
Now, if approved, these frequent fliers would be able to go through a special express security line. They will still have to go through metal detectors and all the other security checks, but they won't wait in line with the more novice traveler, the one who forgets to takes the change out of his pockets, the keys out of his pockets, or forgets to remove the laptop computer from his briefcase.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK HATFIELD, TSA SPOKESMAN: One will do a background check to looks wants or wants or warrants, outstanding criminal wants or warrants. And the other piece we will vet them against our lists -- our databases of terrorists and known threat to civil aviation.
So, it's a pretty good package right now, but we'll evolve that, we may change that as we learn more from the pilot program and as we look at other features that we can employ with regards to the background check.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: The program under way in Minneapolis will be phased in over the next few weeks and Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Houston. The test program will cost about $4 million. Right now, passengers signing up and signing on for free, but that could change as more travelers are brought into the fold.
The Transportation Security Administration is also focusing on shop and restaurant workers at airports. Until this week, they didn't have to go through security screenings. The TSA changed that this week. Some lawmakers in European nations are also concerned that many workers on the tarmac, with easy access to aircraft, don't go through security checks at all. The TSA say there are spot checks -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Sean Callebs, in Washington, thanks very much.
He disappeared in Iraq two weeks ago, but now a Marine's safe return to U.S. custody might raise more concerns than answers. Straight ahead, a live report on Wassef Ali Hassoun's status.
The battle over a gay marriage is about to heat up again. Find out what conservative groups are planning for the nation's airwaves.
And still to come:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERALDINE "GERRY" WILLIAMS, MAGA MILLIONS WINNER: I just said "oh God, oh God, let it be, let it be."
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The $294 million answer to a Massachusetts woman's prayers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Marine Corporal Ali Wassef Hassoun is at a U.S. military base in Germany being debriefed. Officials want to know exactly where he's been since the middle of June when he disappeared from his camp in Iraq. Chris Burns joins us live from Landstuhl, Germany with the details -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, Landstuhl Military Hospital is the U.S. hospital that received former hostages -- former captives and Corporal Hassoun is being cared for by teams, there. The doctors say just after a few hours of examination last night they say he's OK medically, he's fine there. They're checking him mentally.
The counseling has begun today. He did have an appetite today, he had rice and beans. He managed to call his family, they say, and he's in good spirits.
So now, it's the psychological counseling that will be combined with intelligence counseling, as well, Intel debrief to find out what he knows about his captors, to find out a little bit more about what happened because there are a lot of questions as to whether he actually was kidnapped and actually whether the kidnappers actually did threaten to kill him.
You know, why is that video, if you call, a saber being held over his head and then a Web site, an Islamic Web site that said he was beheaded and later that was denied. Obviously, he came through to his native Lebanon. They want to find out how he got there.
So, a lot of questions here. He will answer those under a immunity, officials say, here. This is not part of the investigation by criminal investigators. That will go on when he goes back to the states; he's expected to go to his camp (UNINTELLIGIBLE) North Carolina some time next week -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Chris Burns, in Landstuhl, Germany, thanks very much. And we apologize for our few audio hits there, it's not your television set.
Wassef Ali Hassoun's military status has gone from "captured" to "returned to military control." What might be the military's next step in this mystery? We're joined by retired Air Force major general and now CNN military analyst, Don Shepperd.
Good to see you, General.
GEN. DON SHEPPERD, AIR FORCE (RET.): Hi, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, the military is now classifying the process that's taking place as Hassoun being repatriated, he's being debriefed. Describe for us what this really entails.
SHEPPERD: Yeah, exactly. This is a medical and psychological evaluation taken to make sure that the person is OK and his needs are attended to, it's done with everyone that ends up as a POW or any type of traumatic situation. Take care of them first. None of this can be used, and also by the way, the military intelligence will ask him questions about what he encountered for obvious reasons. None of this can be used in criminal proceedings or investigative proceedings. And next thing that happens is an investigation takes place and out of that investigation comes a recommendation as to whether or not to proceed on to a court-martial.
WHITFIELD: So, how many days or even weeks are we talking about?
SHEPPERD: Probably several weeks, as a matter of fact. The -- they will have to get the information, they'll have to diagnose it, they'll have to look down, then they'll have to recommend to the chain of command whether or not to start of military inquiry -- title 32 inquiry.
Those are where the rules of evidence apply, you're gathering evidence later on for a trial if a court-martial is recommended. And all of this could take several weeks. It's not likely we're see any real quick movement on this.
WHITFIELD: All right, and let's talk about some of the events leading up to this repatriation/debriefing, now, process. Apparently his personal space had been cleared out, according to some military officials, in Iraq. Monies have been withdrawn, reportedly, from his military account and these are things that apparently raise some suspicion within the military about his whereabouts. What raise suspicion in your view from the start?
SHEPPERD: Well, the first thing I saw was him on television. The thing that occurred to me when he had this sword over his head was, he looked pretty good, he wasn't beat up like former hostages that we've seen in other hostage situations. He had clean bandages across his eye, it looked like a bandage as opposed to a blindfold. His mustache was neatly trimmed, his hair was trimmed, his uniform was neat. It just didn't add up, the appearance that you saw on TV.
Of course, that didn't tell us anything. Then all sorts of rumors came out that he had an Iraqi girlfriend. But the key in this whole thing will be, now, tell us again, tell us one more time how you got from your unit in Fallujah across western Iraq, dangerous territory, through Syria, back to your home in Lebanon with your relatives. There's going to be a lot of missing pieces that are going to have to be filled in here, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: He'll be asked and reasked a lot of these questions just to see if there is real consistency. Now, would interviewing his family members be any part of this military debriefing process?
SHEPPERD: It won't be part of the debriefing process; it will be part of an investigation. Very likely you will ask: Did he call you? Where did he call you from? What type of information was exchanged? What did he say? All of that just like a civilian investigation that goes on for a grand jury before a trial.
All of that information will be gathered. And it will be very important to talk to his family. But again, there's just a lot of missing and mysterious pieces here that don't fit together from a hostage situation.
WHITFIELD: You mention there'll be some mental evaluation during this process that he's in at Landstuhl, right now. But, prior to that, say while the Marine is in combat, is there some sort of counseling that's offered for a Marine or other military personnel when they're feeling conflicted, when they're feeling mentally disturbed, when they're feeling confused?
SHEPPERD: Well, those are really good questions, and this happens all of the time. First thing is, you can't just walk off the job in the military. And so, when you become stressed and you become not able to do your job, you go first to your chain of command and they will refer you to the medics normally. And those medics will determine whether or not you can continue.
If you can't continue, if you can't cope with combat, basically, your going to have to be removed, because you're a danger to yourself and a danger to your comrades out there. There are procedures to stay within the system and do these things.
I've seen it happen in combat. Not everybody can take it and there are ways to go about being officially relieved of duty without stepping off the job.
WHITFIELD: Major General Don Shepperd, thanks very much, always a pleasure talking to you.
SHEPPERD: Pleasure.
WHITFIELD: Coming up, Courtney love lands in the hospital after missing a court date.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: And he's just about homeward bound, now. Glen Campbell hits the stage to perform before a real captive audience.
And the luck of the draw made her an instant millionaire. Find out how a Massachusetts cleaning woman plans to spend her Mega Millions jackpot.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here's a look now at stories we're following across America. Rocker Courtney Love missed a court date Friday in California. The judge declared her a fugitive and entered a bench warrant, hours later she was admitted to a New York hospital with a undisclosed medical condition. Her lawyer in California told the judge she missed the hearing because she was, quote, "confused."
In Santa Maria, California, it's the district attorney in the Michael Jackson case that is having to answer some questions. Jackson's defense lawyers have accused Tom Sneddon of, quote, "outrageous conduct." The defense team alleges that sheriff's deputies seized information from a private investigator working for Jackson's defense team. Information they say is protected from attorney-client privilege of confidentiality.
In New York, it appears that Martha Stewart will not be going to jail without a fight. Stewart's lawyers have asked a judge to sentence her to probation instead of jail time. The judge in the case has twice thrown out their motions for a new trial. Federal sentencing guidelines suggest Stewart will get between 10 and 16 months in prison. She is expected to be sentenced next Friday.
And in Phoenix, Arizona, Glen Campbell finished out his ten-day sentence for extreme drunk driving by giving a concert to his fellow inmates at the local jail. He performed eight songs including a song along with the approximately 1,000 inmates to his hit song "Rhinestone Cowboy."
Well, imagine sitting in front of your television after a long week of work and watching your lottery numbers get called one right after the other. What would you do with $117 million, more or less? That's the take home pay after taxes for 67-year-old Geraldine Williams of Lowell, Massachusetts. Alina Cho has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Lowell, Massachusetts, the local papers are calling Geraldine Williams the "maid of honor." The 67-year-old grandmother is exactly that. She's a retired janitor. She worked as a cleaning lady in retirement to make some additional money. She certainly won't have to do that any more.
On Friday, Williams picked up a ceremonial Mega Millions check worth $294 million, that's the second largest lottery jackpot ever won by a single individual. Williams chose the lump sum, which works out to about $118 million after taxes. She said when she saw the winning numbers on television she looked at her ticket, looked at her boyfriend and then said, "oh, god, oh, god, oh, god" she then called her three children and said she was 98 percent sure she won the lottery. Certainly it is hard to believe, but it did indeed happen. Neighbors call her a hard worker sincere and say, it couldn't have happened to a nicer person.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think it will change her. Materialistically it will, of course -- you know, but inside of her, I don't think it will change her at all. She's a great person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody you know, I mean, 5,000 people go to a store and buy tickets and, bang, some old lady's got a ticket worth enough money to buy half the town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She told me, she said, "I wish I could win $1 million so I can go traveling."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, now she has more than that...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now she's got more...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than $1 million, she has $117 million to enjoy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's wonderful.
CHO: In with the money Williams has said she will travel a bit, help her family, of course, and maybe even take a couple golf lessons. She has not come home to this neighborhood since the news broke that she was the big lottery jackpot winner, and who can blame her. She is not a woman who craves the limelight and she certainly can afford to stay away.
Alina Cho, CNN, Lowell, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, Geraldine Williams no longer has to worry about her credit card score, but for the rest of us non lottery winners, it's still a concern. Coming up on "Dollar Signs" today we'll tell you how you can find out more about your score and how you can improve it. We'll take your calls at -- beginning at 4:30 Eastern time today and get answers to your e-mails, as well. Dollarsigns@CNN.com or call us, only at 4:30 and afterward, at 1-800-807-2620, and that's at 4:30 Eastern time when we begin that segment.
A fight to change the Constitution is under way on Capitol Hill and supporters of the new marriage amendment have the White House in their corner. We'll tell you what the president did today to advance his cause.
Plus, California's education secretary feels the heat for an impulsive joke that some say, crossed the line. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here are some of the news stories happening right now.
Word coming less than an hour ago that a Filipino truck driver, held hostage in Iraq, is being freed and is now safe. Philippines officials say President Gloria Arroyo told the hostage's wife that he's on his way to a hotel in Baghdad. We'll update this story as details become available.
An airlift is under way in Bahrain where terrorists threats have forced the evacuation of U.S. military families. The first group is heading to the Naval station in Norfolk, Virginia.
And same-sex couples have been gathering all morning in cities around New Jersey. To register under the states new domestic partnership law. The law grants some of the same legal rights to registered same-sex partners as married couples. It also covers unmarried heterosexuals couples age 62 and older.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
On the campaign trail this week, President Bush made his 30th trip to Pennsylvania, a state he lost in 2000. In Kutztown, yesterday, Bush defended the war in Iraq telling crowds while weapons of mass destruction have not been found, the U.S. knew Saddam had the capability of making them.
The new Kerry/Edwards team is all hugs, squeezes and grins, in the Democratic bid for the White House, making stops in West Virginia and New Mexico yesterday. Behind the scenes the party's platform committee hopes to finish its statement of election principles today in Hollywood, Florida. It is expected to have tough language on terrorism and the war in Iraq.
The New Jersey law that we mentioned a moment ago does not legalize gay marriages. Just one day after Congress began debating the proposed marriage amendment, President Bush told his radio audience changing the definition of traditional marriage will undermine families. CNN Elaine Quijano has more and joins us live.
Hi, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.
Well, during his radio address President Bush outlined why he thinks this issue of defining marriage should be included as an amendment to the Constitution. He pointed to what he sees as a vulnerability of the 1996 Defense Of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Clinton.
The measure defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, but the president points to the ability of state courts, some of whom he calls activist courts to strike down the law. The issue of gay marriage is one President Bush is taking with him on the campaign trail. Making mention of it yesterday during a bus tour through some small towns in Pennsylvania. And at a time when he and his Democratic rival, John Kerry, are trying to campaign on the notion of values, the president wants to drive home his view that the traditional model of a marriage between a man and a woman is one that strengthens families and, therefore, strengthens society.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If courts create their own arbitrary definition of marriage as a mere legal contract and cut marriage off from its cultural, religious and natural roots, then the meaning of marriage is lost. And the institution is weakened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, John Kerry, who opposes the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage says the question of how to define the institution should be left up to the states and not the federal government. Other opponents argue that gays and lesbians should be entitled to define their relationships in the same terms as heterosexual couples, who are married.
Now, with just four months until the presidential election and both sides trying to actively reach out to middle America, this issue will likely be one that we'll be continuing to hear about in the weeks ahead -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano, thanks very much.
Let's get more on the perspective of the Bush-Cheney campaign, the Kerry/Edwards campaign; also in Washington, CNN Political Analyst Ron Brownstein.
Let's talk first about this gay marriage issue, Ron.
First of all, hello.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Why is the Bush/Cheney campaign seizing on the opportunity to revisit this issue?
BROWNSTEIN: I think, increasingly, our politics are defined by cultural rather than economic divisions. If you look at what holds together these two coalitions we saw in 2000, are roughly equal in size. It primarily, not entirely, but primarily is views on cultural issues.
President Bush won in 2000 by consolidating all of the culturally conservative segments of society. People that go to church regularly, married couples, people who live in rural areas. And this is an important issue for him to reestablish some of those connections with that base. What makes these cultural issues so fascinating, though, is there something of a gain for both sides because even though gay marriage is unpopular, the idea of amending the Constitution is much more of a 50/50 proposition. And the risk to President Bush by stressing this is that each vote he gets, say in small town Ohio or Pennsylvania he loses in the suburbs of the same state. It's a tight line for both candidates.
WHITFIELD: Is this fight kind of underscoring the real fight over values, I mean something we're hearing. The Kerry/Edwards campaign fighting over as well as the Bush-Cheney campaign.
BROWNSTEIN: Absolutely. Look, as I said in 2000 Al Gore ran a campaign of the people versus the powerful, trying to run an economic populism. George Bush talked mostly about economic issues, his tax cut, and yet, when the electorate divided income wasn't a big predictor of how people voted. It was how often they went to church, whether they were married or single, whether they were suburban or rural.
Both sides want to define their values because they realize it's on these assessments of values and where they place themselves that the electorate divides. Each side has very different definitions of values.
John Kerry talks about things like hard work and rewarding work and responsibility. President Bush has a definition mostly around traditional social values, but I think they understand that it's not only interests that lean people to one side or the other. It is their values.
WHITFIELD: Let me ask you about the intelligence report, out now, and Congress saying, if we knew then what we know now, then we would not have given the green light for war. Will this create a major credibility problem for the White House even though that kind of placing blame will not come until after election day?
BROWNSTEIN: I think it will take a while to sort this out because this report moves in two different directions. On the one hand, on some of the particulars, as you say, it doesn't address the issue of whether the White House used the intelligence, it does say -- at least the majority report -- says the White House did not pressure the CIA to reach conclusions.
It also says that the CIA did not warn off the White House about those disputed 16 words about African uranium purchases in the State of the Union. On the other hand, the macro message of this report is that there was simply no evidence for the central claims on which the president took the country to war about weapons of mass destruction.
And it also reinforces the conclusion of the September 11 independent commission that there was not an operative collaborative relationship in terms of operations between Al Qaeda and Iraq. So, in that sense, it's hard to see how it doesn't create problems in the long term for the president. WHITFIELD: Quickly, is a strange message being sent that the latest Bush ads that we're seeing, they're really showcasing John McCain, he's not on the ticket and they're also saying that Kerry wanted him as a first choice and they resorted to the second choice of John Edwards. Is this, in anyway, undermining Cheney's role?
BROWNSTEIN: John McCain is a very popular brand in American politics. I remember writing a column a few years ago, thinking John McCain, rather than New Hampshire, was the first stop in the Democratic primary because so many Democrats running for president wanted to co-sponsor bills with him.
He is someone who stands for something. He is someone who stands for something to American voters, a kind of independence and willingness to look beyond partisan at a time when there is very little of that in Washington.
So, it is perfectly understandable why President Bush would want to highlight John McCain and they are going to do so again at the convention.
Dick Cheney has become a very polarizing figure, in some ways in 2000 he was supposed to be a little bit of what John McCain was, sort of an elder statesman who represents the ability to make things work. He has become something very different. He has become a hero to conservatives and a lightning rod to many other voters and he has become, as a result, a much more of a mixed asset for President Bush.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ron Brownstein, thanks very much. Always good it see you.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, what is in a name? A firestorm for one California politician and a quandary for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger now. The governor has to decide whether the state's education secretary should be taught a lesson about political correctness after he teased a little girl about her name. CNN National Correspondent Frank Buckley explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): California's Education Secretary Richard Riordan, was at the Santa Barbara Library to encourage kids to read when a six-year-old girl in the audience named Isis, asked a question.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Did you know that my name actually means an Egyptian goddess?
RICHARD RIORDAN, CA. EDUCATION SECRETARY: It means stupid, dirty girl?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.
RIORDAN: What does it mean? UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Egyptian goddess.
RIORDAN: Is that what that means? That's nifty.
BUCKLEY: "Nifty" not the reaction of the governor who appointed Riordan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who issued a statement saying the comment was unacceptable in any context. Some are going further.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALEL: We would like to see the governor take responsibility and ask Mr. Riordan to leave.
BUCKLEY: From the "Sacramento Bee," "California shouldn't have an education secretary who makes offensive, damaging remarks to young children for no apparent reason." But columnist Dan Walters believes Riordan meant no harm.
DAN WALTERS, COLUMNIST: Dick Riordan, I don't think, he has a mean bone in his body. He was making a joke he thought she would get. That's my interpretation of it. It was a terrible joke and she didn't get it. And it sounded awful.
BUCKLEY: Riordan's response "I teased a little girl about her name," he said in a statement, "I immediately apologized to her and I want to do so again for the misunderstanding."
Riordan is a wealthy former mayor of Los Angeles who has donated millions to education and years to helping children.
(on camera): But his reputation for sometimes politically incorrect humor has long-caused political advisors to wince. And this time no one is laughing about the joke of the name of a six-year-old girl.
Frank Buckley, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Fighting for a spot on the U.S. Olympic track team: Why this year's competition is being overshadowed by a scandal that shows no signs on letting .
And still to come, redefining the public image of a professional dancer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: An Italian won the seventh stage of the Tour de France today. Lance Armstrong finished back in the pack today and remains in sixth place overall. Riders pedaled 127 miles toward northern France, contending with several crashes and rain during the run -- or ride, we should say.
Crashes were a problem during Friday's stage. Armstrong was bruised after going down early and slowed down when dozens of riders went down in front of him later on in the day. America's best track and field athletes are in Sacramento trying for spots on the U.S. Olympic team. Some of those athletes compete with a weight around them: questions of suspected use of performance enhancing drugs. CNN Sports Correspondent Josie Burke is watching the trials.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSIE BURKE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Defending Olympic 100 meter gold medallist Maurice Green has one wish at the track and field Olympic trials to see the drug scandal go away.
MAURICE GREEN, OLYMPIC CONTENDER: I just wish it would get over with as soon as possible so our sport can move on.
BURKE: Five athletes fighting doping bans from the United States Anti-Doping Agency are competing for spots in Athens. None of the cases appear close to settlement. The uncertainty has cast a shadow over the entire sport. At the one time every four years when track and field is supposed to enjoy being the focus of the sports world.
GREEN: They're talking about this athlete is under suspicion, this athlete has said that, this athlete has done that and everything else. So, I mean, it's very hurtful.
CHRISTIAN CANTWELL, OLYMPIC CONTENDER: The length that they're going to get these people out, the people who were cheating us out of our spotlight, great, get them out. Hang them all.
BURKE: The athlete who maybe under the most scrutiny at the trials in Sacramento is the sports most recognizable figure Marion Jones. There have been a flurry of rumors, but no charges against Jones. But having her name in any way linked to the scandal has all athletes feeling the sting of suspicion.
JOHN CAMPEL, SPINTER: Right now any time somebody runs a very, very fast time, they'll say, what? Is he on performance enhancing drugs?
BURKE: The United States Olympic Committee is hoping the U.S. team comes away with 100 medals in Athens. If the athletes being pursued by doping authorities can't participate, track and field may still make a significant contribution toward that goal.
The U.S. captured 20 medals on the track in Sydney. This year the team is so deep, it could match that. The biggest loss would come if Jones doesn't take part in the long jump where she is the only American woman ranked in the top 20 worldwide.
CRAIG MARBACK, CEO, U.S. TRACK & FIELD: I assure you, among those other 1,000 athletes we have the elements of a great Olympic team. Including in the events in which those six athletes compete.
GREEN: No matter what happens with the people who are in trouble, it will still be the United States. We're still the best track and field team in the world. BURKE (on camera): What happens if any of the athletes under suspicion make the team? Even though the United States must submit its final roster by July 21st, the International Olympic Committee will allow substitutions under exceptional circumstances before the games begin.
Of course, there is no guarantee that all the cases will be decided by then.
Josie Burke, CNN, Sacramento.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, thinking about planning a vacation that eases your mind and helps the environment, perhaps? After the break, how to find travel destinations that are truly eco friendly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Time for our CNN "Weekend Getaway": Today we're looking at eco resorts, just the place for earth-friendly tourists. Pauline Frommer, executive editor of "Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Online" joins us from New York; and Tom Worrel, owner of the El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Rejuvenation Center. Ah, I'm feeling relaxed already, joins us from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Good it see both of you.
PAULINE FROMMER, EXEC. EDITOR, "ARTHUR FROMER'S BUDGET TRAVEL ONLINE": Good it see you.
TOM WORREL, CEO, EL MONTE SAGRADO LIVING RESORT: Hi.
All right, Pauline, let's begin with you. Why don't you define for us, what are eco spas?
FROMMER: Well, it's hard to define, actually, because there's no one organization that says this is an eco resort. A lot of resorts are saying they're eco friendly simply because they use recycled stationary.
But an eco friendly resort would be one that is one that is concerned with sustainability. By that I mean sustainability in the natural sphere and in the human sphere. You want to have a place that conserves water, that disposes of its trash responsibly, and that deals with the local community in a responsible, culturally aware way.
WHITFIELD: It doesn't necessarily mean you're in the tropics or in the jungle either, though?
FROMMER: No, not at all. There are eco resorts all over the world now.
WHITFIELD: Tom, let's begin with you. What is most appealing about your resort? What do you offer there? WORREL: We offer what was just described, our resort. We recycle all of our water. Within five years we should be all green power. We use geothermal heating and cooling and many other things we do on the premises, but you are allowed to live in luxury while enhancing the environment.
WHITFIELD: Who does your resort appeal to? Describe what your typical clientele is like.
WORREL: They're not typical. They're very eclectic group from celebrities to people that are simply interested in the way we do things. Our holistic approach to building and living. So it is all across the board.
WHITFIELD: So, Pauline, how do you go about finding them? I think most people when they think eco tourism, they think Central America, South America, how do you find some of these places?
FROMMER: Well, they'll be advertised. It's a very big trend and it is very popular. By calling yourself eco tourists you'll get often a lot of tourists to yourself. But the tourist needs to ask some questions.
WHITFIELD: Like what?
FROMMER: First of all, has the local environmental community been involved in the planning of the resort? By that, I mean, has an environmentalist been on staff in helping the resort to plan ways to deal with things more efficiently.
I'd say, also, ask questions on how they conserve water, what they do with their waste, and how they interact with the local community. You may not understand the answers, but the tip off will be that they have answers. If they don't have answers, it's pretty clear that they're calling themselves eco friendly, but they're not.
WHITFIELD: And Tom, I understand there's a place called the International Eco Tourism Society. Is that something that you are registered with? Do you know much about that group?
WORREL: No, I don't know much about that group. We're focused on what we do and it's been a labor of love for the past four years building the place. It's like have a 900-pound elephant, obviously.
WHITFIELD: Tom, does it seem that most eco friendly environments or resorts are usually near water or usually have some sort of water site as part of the relaxation kind of setting the scene there?
WORREL: Well, yeah, water is the source of all life. It's extremely important to everyone. And it's pleasing to us. We have water everywhere at our resort.
We also, our core business is Dharma (ph) Living Systems, which is in the business of recycling water and what some people call waste. The earth has no concept of waste and we try to copy the earth and how it does things.
WHITFIELD: Pauline, what is your recommendation? Is this for the couple, the individual traveler, or is this something that an entire family would be able to enjoy and appreciate?
FROMMER: I think it's a wonderful idea for an entire families, for couples, for singles. I mean, this is an important movement within the tourism industry because, in the past, we've seen cruise ships going out into sea and dumping tons of waste there. We've seen resorts tearing down forests to build golf courses and that's destroying the environment. This is an important movement that everyone should support, if they can.
WHITFIELD: All right, Pauline Frommer of "Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Online", and Tom Worrel of El Monte Sagrado Living Resort. Thanks very much to both of you for joining us.
FROMMER: Thank you.
WORREL: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Apparently, you don't have to be a size 2 to take to the stage and dance any more. After the break, a dance troop that celebrates those who live in a plus size world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Artistry and acceptance are the twin themes of a Cuban dance company with a difference. CNN"s Lucia Newman shows us from Havana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It sound like "Swan Lake", but it's definitely different. In a world that associates dancers with trim and slim bodies Cuba's Voluminous Dance Company is striving to expand the universe of dance, not just by breaking away from taboos and stereotypes.
JUAN MIGUEL MAS, VOLUMINOUS DANCE COMPANY (through translator): The beauty of this is that we move differently. Moving our weight more quickly or more slowly, but not the conventional way.
NEWMAN: Juan Miguel Mas founded the Voluminous Dance Company eight years ago.
A dream for those who wanted to fulfill their ambition of dancing professionally. A chance to show the esthetic value of a wider softer body in dance, the same way Botticelli (ph), Rubens, Botterro (ph) have done with their paintings.
Maylin Dasa plays the lead role in the company's newest production called "A Sweet Death", which features dancers from Cuba's Contemporary Dance company. It's based on the novel by the same name about a young woman rejected by her mother and pressured to lose weight to the point of considering suicide. In real life, she feels different.
MAYLIN DASA, DANCER (through translator): I have found a way of showing that I don't have any complexes. That I can express myself with my body however I please. That I can move gracefully.
BARBARA (ph) VALDEZ, DANCER (through translator): For me it's a realization of a dream I never thought possible, something transcendental.
NEWMAN: Over the years Voluminous Dance has gained the respect of peers and the public.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think what they say about volume and space really works. I think it's very interesting.
NEWMAN: In "A Sweet Death" the main protagonist discovers that others see love and beauty in her.
Voluminous Dance's message, it seems, to everyone.
Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Still much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. In a few moments, "In The Money." at 2:00 Eastern, CNN Live Saturday presents Christiane Amanpour's in-depth interview with former President Bill Clinton. At 3:00 it is "Next@CNN." Daniel Sieberg introduces us to video games that make you break a sweat. But first, Jack Cafferty with a preview of "In The Money."
JACK CAFFERTY, ANCHOR, IN THE MONEY: Thank you. Coming up today, sidekicks with punch. We'll look at vice presidents that wouldn't settle for second fiddle.
Plus, Uncle Sam has your number, find out why a former Defense Department official says it's time to bring back the draft.
We're all in this together. See why cell phone users treat the people around them like they don't exist. All that and more right after this quick check of the headlines.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 10, 2004 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 12:00 p.m. in the East coast, 9:00 p.m. in the West. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta.
Ahead this hour, piecing together part of a puzzling mystery: Military officials debrief Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun today in Germany. We'll have a live report.
Gay marriage in America: It's a hot topic on the campaign trail as it gets the presidential treatment.
Nature and nurture combined for luxury at eco spa resorts. We'll take you to some of them.
And a big, beautiful ballet company in Cuba: We'll introduce you to this special dance group.
But first, a look at the top stories now in the news.
A Philippine official says a Filipino hostage in Iraq apparently is being freed and is now safe. The hostage had been threatened by his captors with death unless Philippine groups withdrew from Iraq. Coming up, CNN will have a live report from Manila.
U.S. military debriefers in Germany are talking with Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun, trying to untangle a mystery. The Marines want to know why he went missing in Iraq then turned up three weeks later in Lebanon. CNN's Chris Burns will have more in a moment from Germany.
The nation's top nuclear weapons lab is trying to find missing classified material. The head of the Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico says he's ready to fire anyone found responsible. Four years ago, two computer hard drives disappeared from this same lab.
Columbian officials are trying to extradite the head of a Columbian drug cartel who was captured in Cuba. He allegedly smuggled billions of dollars in cocaine into the United States.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
There are signs of a possible release of a Filipino hostage in Iraq who had been threatened with death unless his country's troops withdrew. More from from CNN's Maria Ressa, live from Manila -- Maria. MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we're just two hours before that deadline set by the kidnappers of Angelo de la Cruz. A short while ago, the Philippine spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, told CNN that, quote, "we're very optimistic that something positive will happen soon." That came shortly after the Labor Secretary Patricia Santo Tomas said on nationwide television that President Arroyo had called the wife of Angelo de la Cruz and told her that he is now on his way to a Baghdad hotel.
Apparently, it seems, that through mediators, Philippine government is working with mediators, he's now in the custody of these mediators and is about to be turned over to the Philippine government. We're waiting for the President Arroyo now to make a statement.
WHITFIELD: However, Maria, in terms of a deal or any of those hostage takers getting what they had requested, the Philippines says it will withdraw, but at an expected time they set for August?
RESSA: What's interesting about this is in many ways the Philippine government seems to have balanced all the different conflicting interests. It has said that it will pull out the troops by August 20, which is the deadline that had been set a year ago and, yet, that same time, the demand of the kidnappers was that the Philippine government pull out its troops.
At this point what they tried to do, the Philippine government tried to balance what it can do to save the life of Angelo de la Cruz, along with its policies, including not negotiating with kidnappers and its international commitments, which are to stay in Iraq until August 20.
What's interesting here is that the last time its troop commitments had expired, the Philippine government actually renewed it for another six months -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Maria, what about reaction from Filipinos, there? What are they saying about this hostage possible being -- hostage release, possibly?
RESSA: Well, there's already been jubilation in the hometown of Angelo de La Cruz, it's in Mexico, Pampanga, the home province of President Arroyo. His family has been notified by President Arroyo, they have been shown on national television rejoicing over the news, again, it's slightly premature since he is not yet in government hands, but at this point, there is a sigh of relief and just a wait -- a hopeful waiting attitude for the final news from President Arroyo -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Maria Ressa in Manila. Thanks very much.
Well, in California, family members of the Filipino hostage have been pleading for his release.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We ask him already to go home, go home. That's already dangerous, but he said, "No, god is going to help me over here." He's not an enemy; he's just working over there. He's not an enemy, just working to support his family, so I just want them to release him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The hostage, Angelo de la Cruz, is a truck driver based in Saudi Arabia.
Bulgaria is trying to free two truck drivers being held against their will in Iraq. Suspected insurgents are threatening to behead the Bulgarians if the U.S. doesn't release all prisoners in Iraq.
Earlier today, three stores in Baqubah were bombed. A taxi driver passing by one of the stores was killed in the blast. Police say a religious fundamentalist group targeted stores where liquor is sold.
Also today, an attack on a natural gas pipeline in northern Iraq. The deputy mayor of Kirkuk tells CNN that saboteurs planted a bomb along the pipeline cutting the gas flow and setting off a fire. After the gas flow was cut off, the blaze died out.
British leaders are bracing for their own report on the intelligence used to make a case for war in Iraq. The British report is due out Wednesday and is expected to be critical of the quality of information leaders used. British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, admitted this week that weapons of mass destruction may never be found in Iraq.
The BBC has reported that Blair, whose popularity had waned, seriously considered resigning last month, but reportedly three cabinet colleagues talked him out of it.
President Bush continued to defend the decision to go to war in Iraq even after a Senate report found serious flaws in the work done by the U.S. intelligence community. National security correspondent, David Ensor, reviews the main findings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NAVEL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Senate panel's 511-page report is blunt. It says the justification for the war in Iraq, that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, was just plain wrong and that the U.S. intelligence community was to blame for the mistake.
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), CHAIR. INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: Today we know these assessments were wrong. And as our inquiry will show, they were also unreasonable and largely unsupported by the available -- the available intelligence.
ENSOR: The report complains of "group think" in U.S. intelligence leading the community to interpret ambiguous evidence as conclusively indicative of a WMD program. SEN. JOHN ROCKEFELLER (D), INTELLIGENCE CMTE. VICE CHAIR: We in congress would not have authorized that war. We would not have authorized that war with 75 votes, if we knew what we know now.
ENSOR: At the CIA, the deputy director took the unusual step of holding a news conference to respond, saying steps have already been taken to make sure such mistakes are never made again.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CIA: So, my first message to you is a very simple one. We get it.
ROBERTS: Most, if not all of these problems, stem from a broken corporate culture and poor management.
MCLAUGHLIN: No, I don't think we have a broken corporate culture at all.
ENSOR: The report says before the Iraq war the CIA did not have a single officer in that country working on finding weapons of mass destruction. Committee staffers called the agency "risk averse."
MCLAUGHLIN: I mean, if it's intended to convey a timidity on the part of our officers, in terms of working in dangerous environments, I would just reject that totally out of hand, I mean we put stars on the wall out here this year -- we put stars on the wall out here this year.
ENSOR: The stars in the CIA's front hall represent officers killed in the line of duty.
(on camera): With the 9/11 Commission report yet to come, the U.S. intelligence community is in for a summer of criticism and debate, possibly followed in 2005 by some real changes in the way it's organized and led.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The Senate report also found no evidence of a collaborative relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda terrorists. Former President Bill Clinton tells CNN's Christianne Amanpour that there's nothing to a report that the U.S. could have had al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, in custody before 9/11.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The idea that the Sudanese offered to hand him over to us is just absurd. The idea that they told us he was leaving and he was landing in the gulf and we could get him at another airport, is absurd. And the idea that you know that they tried to give him to us instead of giving him to Afghanistan is just not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: More of Christianne Amanpour's discussion with former President Bill Clinton at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
Heightened security at America's airport has led to long lines frayed tempers for a lot of travelers. A new program allows some to bypass beefed up security in exchange for some personal information. Sean Callebs is here with a look inside the program -- Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed Fredricka, big brother is squeezing a little more personal information out of thousands of frequent fliers, but in return, these passengers are signing up for a program that could significantly curtail the amount of time they wait in screening lines. It is called the Registered Traveler Program.
The test program kicked off in Minneapolis, Minnesota this week. Frequent fliers actually waited in line to sign up for the program, a couple weeks ago. They must submit thorough background checks including digital fingerprint scans and digital iris checks.
Now, if approved, these frequent fliers would be able to go through a special express security line. They will still have to go through metal detectors and all the other security checks, but they won't wait in line with the more novice traveler, the one who forgets to takes the change out of his pockets, the keys out of his pockets, or forgets to remove the laptop computer from his briefcase.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK HATFIELD, TSA SPOKESMAN: One will do a background check to looks wants or wants or warrants, outstanding criminal wants or warrants. And the other piece we will vet them against our lists -- our databases of terrorists and known threat to civil aviation.
So, it's a pretty good package right now, but we'll evolve that, we may change that as we learn more from the pilot program and as we look at other features that we can employ with regards to the background check.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: The program under way in Minneapolis will be phased in over the next few weeks and Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Houston. The test program will cost about $4 million. Right now, passengers signing up and signing on for free, but that could change as more travelers are brought into the fold.
The Transportation Security Administration is also focusing on shop and restaurant workers at airports. Until this week, they didn't have to go through security screenings. The TSA changed that this week. Some lawmakers in European nations are also concerned that many workers on the tarmac, with easy access to aircraft, don't go through security checks at all. The TSA say there are spot checks -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Sean Callebs, in Washington, thanks very much.
He disappeared in Iraq two weeks ago, but now a Marine's safe return to U.S. custody might raise more concerns than answers. Straight ahead, a live report on Wassef Ali Hassoun's status.
The battle over a gay marriage is about to heat up again. Find out what conservative groups are planning for the nation's airwaves.
And still to come:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERALDINE "GERRY" WILLIAMS, MAGA MILLIONS WINNER: I just said "oh God, oh God, let it be, let it be."
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The $294 million answer to a Massachusetts woman's prayers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Marine Corporal Ali Wassef Hassoun is at a U.S. military base in Germany being debriefed. Officials want to know exactly where he's been since the middle of June when he disappeared from his camp in Iraq. Chris Burns joins us live from Landstuhl, Germany with the details -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, Landstuhl Military Hospital is the U.S. hospital that received former hostages -- former captives and Corporal Hassoun is being cared for by teams, there. The doctors say just after a few hours of examination last night they say he's OK medically, he's fine there. They're checking him mentally.
The counseling has begun today. He did have an appetite today, he had rice and beans. He managed to call his family, they say, and he's in good spirits.
So now, it's the psychological counseling that will be combined with intelligence counseling, as well, Intel debrief to find out what he knows about his captors, to find out a little bit more about what happened because there are a lot of questions as to whether he actually was kidnapped and actually whether the kidnappers actually did threaten to kill him.
You know, why is that video, if you call, a saber being held over his head and then a Web site, an Islamic Web site that said he was beheaded and later that was denied. Obviously, he came through to his native Lebanon. They want to find out how he got there.
So, a lot of questions here. He will answer those under a immunity, officials say, here. This is not part of the investigation by criminal investigators. That will go on when he goes back to the states; he's expected to go to his camp (UNINTELLIGIBLE) North Carolina some time next week -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Chris Burns, in Landstuhl, Germany, thanks very much. And we apologize for our few audio hits there, it's not your television set.
Wassef Ali Hassoun's military status has gone from "captured" to "returned to military control." What might be the military's next step in this mystery? We're joined by retired Air Force major general and now CNN military analyst, Don Shepperd.
Good to see you, General.
GEN. DON SHEPPERD, AIR FORCE (RET.): Hi, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, the military is now classifying the process that's taking place as Hassoun being repatriated, he's being debriefed. Describe for us what this really entails.
SHEPPERD: Yeah, exactly. This is a medical and psychological evaluation taken to make sure that the person is OK and his needs are attended to, it's done with everyone that ends up as a POW or any type of traumatic situation. Take care of them first. None of this can be used, and also by the way, the military intelligence will ask him questions about what he encountered for obvious reasons. None of this can be used in criminal proceedings or investigative proceedings. And next thing that happens is an investigation takes place and out of that investigation comes a recommendation as to whether or not to proceed on to a court-martial.
WHITFIELD: So, how many days or even weeks are we talking about?
SHEPPERD: Probably several weeks, as a matter of fact. The -- they will have to get the information, they'll have to diagnose it, they'll have to look down, then they'll have to recommend to the chain of command whether or not to start of military inquiry -- title 32 inquiry.
Those are where the rules of evidence apply, you're gathering evidence later on for a trial if a court-martial is recommended. And all of this could take several weeks. It's not likely we're see any real quick movement on this.
WHITFIELD: All right, and let's talk about some of the events leading up to this repatriation/debriefing, now, process. Apparently his personal space had been cleared out, according to some military officials, in Iraq. Monies have been withdrawn, reportedly, from his military account and these are things that apparently raise some suspicion within the military about his whereabouts. What raise suspicion in your view from the start?
SHEPPERD: Well, the first thing I saw was him on television. The thing that occurred to me when he had this sword over his head was, he looked pretty good, he wasn't beat up like former hostages that we've seen in other hostage situations. He had clean bandages across his eye, it looked like a bandage as opposed to a blindfold. His mustache was neatly trimmed, his hair was trimmed, his uniform was neat. It just didn't add up, the appearance that you saw on TV.
Of course, that didn't tell us anything. Then all sorts of rumors came out that he had an Iraqi girlfriend. But the key in this whole thing will be, now, tell us again, tell us one more time how you got from your unit in Fallujah across western Iraq, dangerous territory, through Syria, back to your home in Lebanon with your relatives. There's going to be a lot of missing pieces that are going to have to be filled in here, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: He'll be asked and reasked a lot of these questions just to see if there is real consistency. Now, would interviewing his family members be any part of this military debriefing process?
SHEPPERD: It won't be part of the debriefing process; it will be part of an investigation. Very likely you will ask: Did he call you? Where did he call you from? What type of information was exchanged? What did he say? All of that just like a civilian investigation that goes on for a grand jury before a trial.
All of that information will be gathered. And it will be very important to talk to his family. But again, there's just a lot of missing and mysterious pieces here that don't fit together from a hostage situation.
WHITFIELD: You mention there'll be some mental evaluation during this process that he's in at Landstuhl, right now. But, prior to that, say while the Marine is in combat, is there some sort of counseling that's offered for a Marine or other military personnel when they're feeling conflicted, when they're feeling mentally disturbed, when they're feeling confused?
SHEPPERD: Well, those are really good questions, and this happens all of the time. First thing is, you can't just walk off the job in the military. And so, when you become stressed and you become not able to do your job, you go first to your chain of command and they will refer you to the medics normally. And those medics will determine whether or not you can continue.
If you can't continue, if you can't cope with combat, basically, your going to have to be removed, because you're a danger to yourself and a danger to your comrades out there. There are procedures to stay within the system and do these things.
I've seen it happen in combat. Not everybody can take it and there are ways to go about being officially relieved of duty without stepping off the job.
WHITFIELD: Major General Don Shepperd, thanks very much, always a pleasure talking to you.
SHEPPERD: Pleasure.
WHITFIELD: Coming up, Courtney love lands in the hospital after missing a court date.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: And he's just about homeward bound, now. Glen Campbell hits the stage to perform before a real captive audience.
And the luck of the draw made her an instant millionaire. Find out how a Massachusetts cleaning woman plans to spend her Mega Millions jackpot.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here's a look now at stories we're following across America. Rocker Courtney Love missed a court date Friday in California. The judge declared her a fugitive and entered a bench warrant, hours later she was admitted to a New York hospital with a undisclosed medical condition. Her lawyer in California told the judge she missed the hearing because she was, quote, "confused."
In Santa Maria, California, it's the district attorney in the Michael Jackson case that is having to answer some questions. Jackson's defense lawyers have accused Tom Sneddon of, quote, "outrageous conduct." The defense team alleges that sheriff's deputies seized information from a private investigator working for Jackson's defense team. Information they say is protected from attorney-client privilege of confidentiality.
In New York, it appears that Martha Stewart will not be going to jail without a fight. Stewart's lawyers have asked a judge to sentence her to probation instead of jail time. The judge in the case has twice thrown out their motions for a new trial. Federal sentencing guidelines suggest Stewart will get between 10 and 16 months in prison. She is expected to be sentenced next Friday.
And in Phoenix, Arizona, Glen Campbell finished out his ten-day sentence for extreme drunk driving by giving a concert to his fellow inmates at the local jail. He performed eight songs including a song along with the approximately 1,000 inmates to his hit song "Rhinestone Cowboy."
Well, imagine sitting in front of your television after a long week of work and watching your lottery numbers get called one right after the other. What would you do with $117 million, more or less? That's the take home pay after taxes for 67-year-old Geraldine Williams of Lowell, Massachusetts. Alina Cho has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Lowell, Massachusetts, the local papers are calling Geraldine Williams the "maid of honor." The 67-year-old grandmother is exactly that. She's a retired janitor. She worked as a cleaning lady in retirement to make some additional money. She certainly won't have to do that any more.
On Friday, Williams picked up a ceremonial Mega Millions check worth $294 million, that's the second largest lottery jackpot ever won by a single individual. Williams chose the lump sum, which works out to about $118 million after taxes. She said when she saw the winning numbers on television she looked at her ticket, looked at her boyfriend and then said, "oh, god, oh, god, oh, god" she then called her three children and said she was 98 percent sure she won the lottery. Certainly it is hard to believe, but it did indeed happen. Neighbors call her a hard worker sincere and say, it couldn't have happened to a nicer person.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think it will change her. Materialistically it will, of course -- you know, but inside of her, I don't think it will change her at all. She's a great person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody you know, I mean, 5,000 people go to a store and buy tickets and, bang, some old lady's got a ticket worth enough money to buy half the town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She told me, she said, "I wish I could win $1 million so I can go traveling."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, now she has more than that...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now she's got more...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than $1 million, she has $117 million to enjoy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's wonderful.
CHO: In with the money Williams has said she will travel a bit, help her family, of course, and maybe even take a couple golf lessons. She has not come home to this neighborhood since the news broke that she was the big lottery jackpot winner, and who can blame her. She is not a woman who craves the limelight and she certainly can afford to stay away.
Alina Cho, CNN, Lowell, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, Geraldine Williams no longer has to worry about her credit card score, but for the rest of us non lottery winners, it's still a concern. Coming up on "Dollar Signs" today we'll tell you how you can find out more about your score and how you can improve it. We'll take your calls at -- beginning at 4:30 Eastern time today and get answers to your e-mails, as well. Dollarsigns@CNN.com or call us, only at 4:30 and afterward, at 1-800-807-2620, and that's at 4:30 Eastern time when we begin that segment.
A fight to change the Constitution is under way on Capitol Hill and supporters of the new marriage amendment have the White House in their corner. We'll tell you what the president did today to advance his cause.
Plus, California's education secretary feels the heat for an impulsive joke that some say, crossed the line. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here are some of the news stories happening right now.
Word coming less than an hour ago that a Filipino truck driver, held hostage in Iraq, is being freed and is now safe. Philippines officials say President Gloria Arroyo told the hostage's wife that he's on his way to a hotel in Baghdad. We'll update this story as details become available.
An airlift is under way in Bahrain where terrorists threats have forced the evacuation of U.S. military families. The first group is heading to the Naval station in Norfolk, Virginia.
And same-sex couples have been gathering all morning in cities around New Jersey. To register under the states new domestic partnership law. The law grants some of the same legal rights to registered same-sex partners as married couples. It also covers unmarried heterosexuals couples age 62 and older.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
On the campaign trail this week, President Bush made his 30th trip to Pennsylvania, a state he lost in 2000. In Kutztown, yesterday, Bush defended the war in Iraq telling crowds while weapons of mass destruction have not been found, the U.S. knew Saddam had the capability of making them.
The new Kerry/Edwards team is all hugs, squeezes and grins, in the Democratic bid for the White House, making stops in West Virginia and New Mexico yesterday. Behind the scenes the party's platform committee hopes to finish its statement of election principles today in Hollywood, Florida. It is expected to have tough language on terrorism and the war in Iraq.
The New Jersey law that we mentioned a moment ago does not legalize gay marriages. Just one day after Congress began debating the proposed marriage amendment, President Bush told his radio audience changing the definition of traditional marriage will undermine families. CNN Elaine Quijano has more and joins us live.
Hi, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.
Well, during his radio address President Bush outlined why he thinks this issue of defining marriage should be included as an amendment to the Constitution. He pointed to what he sees as a vulnerability of the 1996 Defense Of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Clinton.
The measure defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, but the president points to the ability of state courts, some of whom he calls activist courts to strike down the law. The issue of gay marriage is one President Bush is taking with him on the campaign trail. Making mention of it yesterday during a bus tour through some small towns in Pennsylvania. And at a time when he and his Democratic rival, John Kerry, are trying to campaign on the notion of values, the president wants to drive home his view that the traditional model of a marriage between a man and a woman is one that strengthens families and, therefore, strengthens society.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If courts create their own arbitrary definition of marriage as a mere legal contract and cut marriage off from its cultural, religious and natural roots, then the meaning of marriage is lost. And the institution is weakened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, John Kerry, who opposes the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage says the question of how to define the institution should be left up to the states and not the federal government. Other opponents argue that gays and lesbians should be entitled to define their relationships in the same terms as heterosexual couples, who are married.
Now, with just four months until the presidential election and both sides trying to actively reach out to middle America, this issue will likely be one that we'll be continuing to hear about in the weeks ahead -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano, thanks very much.
Let's get more on the perspective of the Bush-Cheney campaign, the Kerry/Edwards campaign; also in Washington, CNN Political Analyst Ron Brownstein.
Let's talk first about this gay marriage issue, Ron.
First of all, hello.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Why is the Bush/Cheney campaign seizing on the opportunity to revisit this issue?
BROWNSTEIN: I think, increasingly, our politics are defined by cultural rather than economic divisions. If you look at what holds together these two coalitions we saw in 2000, are roughly equal in size. It primarily, not entirely, but primarily is views on cultural issues.
President Bush won in 2000 by consolidating all of the culturally conservative segments of society. People that go to church regularly, married couples, people who live in rural areas. And this is an important issue for him to reestablish some of those connections with that base. What makes these cultural issues so fascinating, though, is there something of a gain for both sides because even though gay marriage is unpopular, the idea of amending the Constitution is much more of a 50/50 proposition. And the risk to President Bush by stressing this is that each vote he gets, say in small town Ohio or Pennsylvania he loses in the suburbs of the same state. It's a tight line for both candidates.
WHITFIELD: Is this fight kind of underscoring the real fight over values, I mean something we're hearing. The Kerry/Edwards campaign fighting over as well as the Bush-Cheney campaign.
BROWNSTEIN: Absolutely. Look, as I said in 2000 Al Gore ran a campaign of the people versus the powerful, trying to run an economic populism. George Bush talked mostly about economic issues, his tax cut, and yet, when the electorate divided income wasn't a big predictor of how people voted. It was how often they went to church, whether they were married or single, whether they were suburban or rural.
Both sides want to define their values because they realize it's on these assessments of values and where they place themselves that the electorate divides. Each side has very different definitions of values.
John Kerry talks about things like hard work and rewarding work and responsibility. President Bush has a definition mostly around traditional social values, but I think they understand that it's not only interests that lean people to one side or the other. It is their values.
WHITFIELD: Let me ask you about the intelligence report, out now, and Congress saying, if we knew then what we know now, then we would not have given the green light for war. Will this create a major credibility problem for the White House even though that kind of placing blame will not come until after election day?
BROWNSTEIN: I think it will take a while to sort this out because this report moves in two different directions. On the one hand, on some of the particulars, as you say, it doesn't address the issue of whether the White House used the intelligence, it does say -- at least the majority report -- says the White House did not pressure the CIA to reach conclusions.
It also says that the CIA did not warn off the White House about those disputed 16 words about African uranium purchases in the State of the Union. On the other hand, the macro message of this report is that there was simply no evidence for the central claims on which the president took the country to war about weapons of mass destruction.
And it also reinforces the conclusion of the September 11 independent commission that there was not an operative collaborative relationship in terms of operations between Al Qaeda and Iraq. So, in that sense, it's hard to see how it doesn't create problems in the long term for the president. WHITFIELD: Quickly, is a strange message being sent that the latest Bush ads that we're seeing, they're really showcasing John McCain, he's not on the ticket and they're also saying that Kerry wanted him as a first choice and they resorted to the second choice of John Edwards. Is this, in anyway, undermining Cheney's role?
BROWNSTEIN: John McCain is a very popular brand in American politics. I remember writing a column a few years ago, thinking John McCain, rather than New Hampshire, was the first stop in the Democratic primary because so many Democrats running for president wanted to co-sponsor bills with him.
He is someone who stands for something. He is someone who stands for something to American voters, a kind of independence and willingness to look beyond partisan at a time when there is very little of that in Washington.
So, it is perfectly understandable why President Bush would want to highlight John McCain and they are going to do so again at the convention.
Dick Cheney has become a very polarizing figure, in some ways in 2000 he was supposed to be a little bit of what John McCain was, sort of an elder statesman who represents the ability to make things work. He has become something very different. He has become a hero to conservatives and a lightning rod to many other voters and he has become, as a result, a much more of a mixed asset for President Bush.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ron Brownstein, thanks very much. Always good it see you.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, what is in a name? A firestorm for one California politician and a quandary for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger now. The governor has to decide whether the state's education secretary should be taught a lesson about political correctness after he teased a little girl about her name. CNN National Correspondent Frank Buckley explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): California's Education Secretary Richard Riordan, was at the Santa Barbara Library to encourage kids to read when a six-year-old girl in the audience named Isis, asked a question.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Did you know that my name actually means an Egyptian goddess?
RICHARD RIORDAN, CA. EDUCATION SECRETARY: It means stupid, dirty girl?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.
RIORDAN: What does it mean? UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Egyptian goddess.
RIORDAN: Is that what that means? That's nifty.
BUCKLEY: "Nifty" not the reaction of the governor who appointed Riordan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who issued a statement saying the comment was unacceptable in any context. Some are going further.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALEL: We would like to see the governor take responsibility and ask Mr. Riordan to leave.
BUCKLEY: From the "Sacramento Bee," "California shouldn't have an education secretary who makes offensive, damaging remarks to young children for no apparent reason." But columnist Dan Walters believes Riordan meant no harm.
DAN WALTERS, COLUMNIST: Dick Riordan, I don't think, he has a mean bone in his body. He was making a joke he thought she would get. That's my interpretation of it. It was a terrible joke and she didn't get it. And it sounded awful.
BUCKLEY: Riordan's response "I teased a little girl about her name," he said in a statement, "I immediately apologized to her and I want to do so again for the misunderstanding."
Riordan is a wealthy former mayor of Los Angeles who has donated millions to education and years to helping children.
(on camera): But his reputation for sometimes politically incorrect humor has long-caused political advisors to wince. And this time no one is laughing about the joke of the name of a six-year-old girl.
Frank Buckley, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Fighting for a spot on the U.S. Olympic track team: Why this year's competition is being overshadowed by a scandal that shows no signs on letting .
And still to come, redefining the public image of a professional dancer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: An Italian won the seventh stage of the Tour de France today. Lance Armstrong finished back in the pack today and remains in sixth place overall. Riders pedaled 127 miles toward northern France, contending with several crashes and rain during the run -- or ride, we should say.
Crashes were a problem during Friday's stage. Armstrong was bruised after going down early and slowed down when dozens of riders went down in front of him later on in the day. America's best track and field athletes are in Sacramento trying for spots on the U.S. Olympic team. Some of those athletes compete with a weight around them: questions of suspected use of performance enhancing drugs. CNN Sports Correspondent Josie Burke is watching the trials.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSIE BURKE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Defending Olympic 100 meter gold medallist Maurice Green has one wish at the track and field Olympic trials to see the drug scandal go away.
MAURICE GREEN, OLYMPIC CONTENDER: I just wish it would get over with as soon as possible so our sport can move on.
BURKE: Five athletes fighting doping bans from the United States Anti-Doping Agency are competing for spots in Athens. None of the cases appear close to settlement. The uncertainty has cast a shadow over the entire sport. At the one time every four years when track and field is supposed to enjoy being the focus of the sports world.
GREEN: They're talking about this athlete is under suspicion, this athlete has said that, this athlete has done that and everything else. So, I mean, it's very hurtful.
CHRISTIAN CANTWELL, OLYMPIC CONTENDER: The length that they're going to get these people out, the people who were cheating us out of our spotlight, great, get them out. Hang them all.
BURKE: The athlete who maybe under the most scrutiny at the trials in Sacramento is the sports most recognizable figure Marion Jones. There have been a flurry of rumors, but no charges against Jones. But having her name in any way linked to the scandal has all athletes feeling the sting of suspicion.
JOHN CAMPEL, SPINTER: Right now any time somebody runs a very, very fast time, they'll say, what? Is he on performance enhancing drugs?
BURKE: The United States Olympic Committee is hoping the U.S. team comes away with 100 medals in Athens. If the athletes being pursued by doping authorities can't participate, track and field may still make a significant contribution toward that goal.
The U.S. captured 20 medals on the track in Sydney. This year the team is so deep, it could match that. The biggest loss would come if Jones doesn't take part in the long jump where she is the only American woman ranked in the top 20 worldwide.
CRAIG MARBACK, CEO, U.S. TRACK & FIELD: I assure you, among those other 1,000 athletes we have the elements of a great Olympic team. Including in the events in which those six athletes compete.
GREEN: No matter what happens with the people who are in trouble, it will still be the United States. We're still the best track and field team in the world. BURKE (on camera): What happens if any of the athletes under suspicion make the team? Even though the United States must submit its final roster by July 21st, the International Olympic Committee will allow substitutions under exceptional circumstances before the games begin.
Of course, there is no guarantee that all the cases will be decided by then.
Josie Burke, CNN, Sacramento.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, thinking about planning a vacation that eases your mind and helps the environment, perhaps? After the break, how to find travel destinations that are truly eco friendly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Time for our CNN "Weekend Getaway": Today we're looking at eco resorts, just the place for earth-friendly tourists. Pauline Frommer, executive editor of "Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Online" joins us from New York; and Tom Worrel, owner of the El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Rejuvenation Center. Ah, I'm feeling relaxed already, joins us from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Good it see both of you.
PAULINE FROMMER, EXEC. EDITOR, "ARTHUR FROMER'S BUDGET TRAVEL ONLINE": Good it see you.
TOM WORREL, CEO, EL MONTE SAGRADO LIVING RESORT: Hi.
All right, Pauline, let's begin with you. Why don't you define for us, what are eco spas?
FROMMER: Well, it's hard to define, actually, because there's no one organization that says this is an eco resort. A lot of resorts are saying they're eco friendly simply because they use recycled stationary.
But an eco friendly resort would be one that is one that is concerned with sustainability. By that I mean sustainability in the natural sphere and in the human sphere. You want to have a place that conserves water, that disposes of its trash responsibly, and that deals with the local community in a responsible, culturally aware way.
WHITFIELD: It doesn't necessarily mean you're in the tropics or in the jungle either, though?
FROMMER: No, not at all. There are eco resorts all over the world now.
WHITFIELD: Tom, let's begin with you. What is most appealing about your resort? What do you offer there? WORREL: We offer what was just described, our resort. We recycle all of our water. Within five years we should be all green power. We use geothermal heating and cooling and many other things we do on the premises, but you are allowed to live in luxury while enhancing the environment.
WHITFIELD: Who does your resort appeal to? Describe what your typical clientele is like.
WORREL: They're not typical. They're very eclectic group from celebrities to people that are simply interested in the way we do things. Our holistic approach to building and living. So it is all across the board.
WHITFIELD: So, Pauline, how do you go about finding them? I think most people when they think eco tourism, they think Central America, South America, how do you find some of these places?
FROMMER: Well, they'll be advertised. It's a very big trend and it is very popular. By calling yourself eco tourists you'll get often a lot of tourists to yourself. But the tourist needs to ask some questions.
WHITFIELD: Like what?
FROMMER: First of all, has the local environmental community been involved in the planning of the resort? By that, I mean, has an environmentalist been on staff in helping the resort to plan ways to deal with things more efficiently.
I'd say, also, ask questions on how they conserve water, what they do with their waste, and how they interact with the local community. You may not understand the answers, but the tip off will be that they have answers. If they don't have answers, it's pretty clear that they're calling themselves eco friendly, but they're not.
WHITFIELD: And Tom, I understand there's a place called the International Eco Tourism Society. Is that something that you are registered with? Do you know much about that group?
WORREL: No, I don't know much about that group. We're focused on what we do and it's been a labor of love for the past four years building the place. It's like have a 900-pound elephant, obviously.
WHITFIELD: Tom, does it seem that most eco friendly environments or resorts are usually near water or usually have some sort of water site as part of the relaxation kind of setting the scene there?
WORREL: Well, yeah, water is the source of all life. It's extremely important to everyone. And it's pleasing to us. We have water everywhere at our resort.
We also, our core business is Dharma (ph) Living Systems, which is in the business of recycling water and what some people call waste. The earth has no concept of waste and we try to copy the earth and how it does things.
WHITFIELD: Pauline, what is your recommendation? Is this for the couple, the individual traveler, or is this something that an entire family would be able to enjoy and appreciate?
FROMMER: I think it's a wonderful idea for an entire families, for couples, for singles. I mean, this is an important movement within the tourism industry because, in the past, we've seen cruise ships going out into sea and dumping tons of waste there. We've seen resorts tearing down forests to build golf courses and that's destroying the environment. This is an important movement that everyone should support, if they can.
WHITFIELD: All right, Pauline Frommer of "Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Online", and Tom Worrel of El Monte Sagrado Living Resort. Thanks very much to both of you for joining us.
FROMMER: Thank you.
WORREL: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Apparently, you don't have to be a size 2 to take to the stage and dance any more. After the break, a dance troop that celebrates those who live in a plus size world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Artistry and acceptance are the twin themes of a Cuban dance company with a difference. CNN"s Lucia Newman shows us from Havana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It sound like "Swan Lake", but it's definitely different. In a world that associates dancers with trim and slim bodies Cuba's Voluminous Dance Company is striving to expand the universe of dance, not just by breaking away from taboos and stereotypes.
JUAN MIGUEL MAS, VOLUMINOUS DANCE COMPANY (through translator): The beauty of this is that we move differently. Moving our weight more quickly or more slowly, but not the conventional way.
NEWMAN: Juan Miguel Mas founded the Voluminous Dance Company eight years ago.
A dream for those who wanted to fulfill their ambition of dancing professionally. A chance to show the esthetic value of a wider softer body in dance, the same way Botticelli (ph), Rubens, Botterro (ph) have done with their paintings.
Maylin Dasa plays the lead role in the company's newest production called "A Sweet Death", which features dancers from Cuba's Contemporary Dance company. It's based on the novel by the same name about a young woman rejected by her mother and pressured to lose weight to the point of considering suicide. In real life, she feels different.
MAYLIN DASA, DANCER (through translator): I have found a way of showing that I don't have any complexes. That I can express myself with my body however I please. That I can move gracefully.
BARBARA (ph) VALDEZ, DANCER (through translator): For me it's a realization of a dream I never thought possible, something transcendental.
NEWMAN: Over the years Voluminous Dance has gained the respect of peers and the public.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think what they say about volume and space really works. I think it's very interesting.
NEWMAN: In "A Sweet Death" the main protagonist discovers that others see love and beauty in her.
Voluminous Dance's message, it seems, to everyone.
Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Still much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. In a few moments, "In The Money." at 2:00 Eastern, CNN Live Saturday presents Christiane Amanpour's in-depth interview with former President Bill Clinton. At 3:00 it is "Next@CNN." Daniel Sieberg introduces us to video games that make you break a sweat. But first, Jack Cafferty with a preview of "In The Money."
JACK CAFFERTY, ANCHOR, IN THE MONEY: Thank you. Coming up today, sidekicks with punch. We'll look at vice presidents that wouldn't settle for second fiddle.
Plus, Uncle Sam has your number, find out why a former Defense Department official says it's time to bring back the draft.
We're all in this together. See why cell phone users treat the people around them like they don't exist. All that and more right after this quick check of the headlines.
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