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CNN Live Saturday

NBA Suspends 4 Players After Brawl In Stands; Tips On How To Protect Yourself During Holiday Travels

Aired November 20, 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, ANCHOR: It is 12:00 p.m. in Detroit, 2:00 p.m. in Santiago, Chile. Good afternoon, I'm Fredricka Whitfield at CNN's headquarters in Atlanta. Ahead this hour:
Basket-brawl: Players fight each other, then go after the fans in one of the ugliest incidents ever in American professional sports.

Millions of us will be traveling in the next six weeks or so. How to be safe and protect yourself from being a victim of crime while on the go.

Also:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Deep in my heart, I know we already lost the battle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But she continues to fight to save some adorable and important animals. You'll meet her and her friends on CNN LIVE SATURDAY, but first a look at the top stories now in the news.

President Bush, Chinese President Hu and Russian President Putin are leading a summit of leaders from Pacific Rim nations. The session Santiago, Chile is focusing on trade and global security.

A day of violent clashes in Iraq have left one U.S. soldier dead and nine others wounded in an insurgent attack in Baghdad and the Iraqi government says four if its workers were shot to death by terrorists while walking to work.

And in Washington, Condoleezza Rice has been released from the hospital for removal of non-cancerous growths. Doctors at Georgetown University Hospital are calling the operation a success. The national security adviser could be back at work, at the White House, as soon as Monday.

The nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran are taking center stage at a summit of Pacific Rim leader in Chile. The session takes on extra importance with the presence of President Bush. Dana Bash is traveling with the president in Santiago.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is a top priority for President Bush here in Chile, and he has had a series of one-on- one meetings on the side lines of the APEC summit, all aimed at getting North Korea back to the negotiation table. He's met with leaders involved in six-way talks, leaders from South Korea, from Russia, from Japan, from China and particularly Japan. He is -- the prime minister of Japan is somebody who is perhaps Mr. Bush's closest ally here and sitting next to Prime Minister Koizumi, the president, in pictures and in words wanted to make clear to North Korean leader, Kim Jong il, that all of these leaders speak with one common voice, that they want North Korea to dismantle its nuclear programs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What's very important is for the leader of North Korea to understand that the six- party talks are -- it will be the framework in which we continue to discuss the mutual goal we all have, which is to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, what Mr. Bush did not say, and even address, is what some of the leaders he's meeting with really want him to do, which is show more flexibility in the U.S. stance in these negotiations, which haven't taken place since last June and that stance, the U.S. stance at this point, is not to give in on what North Korea wants like some food aid, a lot of security assurances, until that country certifiably dismantles both its uranium programs and its plutonium program.

Now, one note, Fredricka, on the atmospherics, I mentioned one of the meetings he had was with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They were certainly cordial before the cameras, but President Putin is somebody who Mr. Bush has said in the past that he enjoys spending time with, and even has called him a "friend." But, in this particular sense, in this particular time, they did not make remarks, nor did they take questions before the cameras and Mr. Bush certainly has made it clear publicly over the past several months he's not been that happy with some of the things that President Putin has done, like tried to, perhaps, consolidate power in the way the White House thinks is not helpful to democracy, and of course most recently, as saying that he has a new nuclear weapon.

Now, one other thing that perhaps some of the leaders here will be happy about is the statement on the economy that Mr. Bush made. He said that he does support a strong dollar, he does support trying to reduce the U.S. deficit. Those are two big issues for leaders from South America, from Asia, even from Europe, because they believe that those issues are very much hurting their economies -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dana Bash, in Santiago, thanks so much.

Well, before heading home for the holidays on Capitol Hill, both the House and Senate are back at work today. They're getting ready to vote on a. The measure clamps down on spending on a wide range of programs from education, to clean energy projects. For the latest, we check in with CNN's congressional correspondent, Joe Johns.

And Joe, I understand there's another development there on the Hill.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly is, Fredricka. Three congressional sources now tell CNN that conferees working on that closely watched intelligence bill now believe they can say they have a tentative agreement on that all-important intelligence reform bill. However, there is a caveat, we're told. A number of key conservatives apparently are still not happy with what is contained in that package. We're told a meeting is being scheduled with conservatives to try to talk it through. Again, we are told a tentative agreement apparently has been reached among the conferees working on the intelligence bill. However, it's an important however, conservatives apparently not happy with it at this stage. They're trying to get together and discuss it. That meeting, we're told, should occur within the hour.

Meanwhile Fredricka, as you have noted, there is continuing work on that $388 billion catch-all spending bill, the House, of course, filed that bill early this morning, expected to pass it sometime today. The Senate as well expected to follow on. Now, of course, there are some questions. No. 1 is the question of how much time the president's going to get to rearview it. He's going to get stopgap spending measure that'll take him from today through about December 3rd to look over the bill with his staff. On the other hand, a lot of House members are saying they don't know what's in this gigantic bill. There was some talk about that on the House floor today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALCEE HASTINGS (D), FLORIDA: But much of what's in this bill, no member of the House of Representatives, other than a handful, have seen at all. So, the law requires that the president of the united states and his team of people rightly have an opportunity to review the provisions that are passed in this body and the other body, and they get ostensibly what will amount to 20 days and many of the members in this body won't get 20 minutes to read what it is we are passing in spending the American taxpayer's money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So, a lot going on here on Capitol Hill, today. Obviously, once again, the news, apparently a tentative agreement reached on that intelligence reform bill. However, it's not clear this is a done deal just yet, because a number of conservatives still apparently have issues.

Back to you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Joe, is Alcee Hastings inferring there might just not be enough time for this session of Congress to get through this bill, that it might perhaps spill over into the next session of Congress in January?

JOHNS: Well, the fact of the matter, excuse me, Fredricka, is that the republicans control the Congress and they're going to do everything they can to get this stopgap measure finished. At the end of the session, each year, of course, especially when they come with these huge ominous spending bills, there's a lot of discussion about how much gets read, how many different provisions have been slipped in by people who have pet projects and pet ideas. This is one of those occasions. So, as it turns out, it may be that a lot of members don't get to know everything that's in the bill. The republicans, of course, for their part, including Congressman Pete Sessions, who was also on the floor with Hastings, they say that they have kept this package very lean, very scaled down, exactly what the administration wanted, and they are being fiscally responsible in pushing it through.

WHITFIELD: All right, on Capitol Hill, thanks so much.

Turning now to Baghdad and the fight for Iraq. Iraqi forces and police spent hours battling insurgents in the capital this morning after an assault was launched on a police station. An insurgent attack on an Army patrol in Baghdad left one U.S. soldier dead and nine injured. Car bombs exploded in several areas of Baghdad, killing a number of Iraqi guardsmen and four ministry workers were shot and killed as they headed for work this morning.

Also today, Islamic militants have released a polish woman they too, hostage last month. The woman is back in Poland now and the Polish prime minister says she was treated humanely.

Moving now to Falluja. We are joined by CNN Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf, who has been embedded with the U.S. Army there in this battle against the insurgency -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN Baghdad BUREAU CHIEF: Fredricka, that intense battle is over in terms of the intense combat that we've seen over the past 12 days or so, but there are still insurgents out there and there is still a lot of work to be done in this shattered city. We have with us commander of Task Force 22 from the Army's 1st Infantry Division, Lieutenant Colonel Pete Newell.

Thanks very much for joining us.

LT. COL. PETE NEWELL, U.S. ARMY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

ARRAF: The Army part of this seems to be winding down. What does that mean exactly for this conflict?

NEWELL: For me, it means that Falluja has really entered that stage where they have to think about rebuilding, bringing the civilians back and bringing the government in. For my task force and my soldiers, it means that there is less use of the tanks and drives it's time for us to step aside and let the Iraqi Security Forces and the Marines who are staying behind do the really hard work of rebuilding Falluja.

ARRAF: And as you leave it what kind of shape is that sector in? Are there still insurgents out there? How much rebuilding needs to be done?

NEWELL: In my sector, there are no insurgents left. There will need to be some considerable work done removing rubble, removing the incredible number of weapons left behind and buried in rubble of the buildings. And despite a week-long effort on my soldiers' part to get rid of the IEDs, the bomb making factories and the mines and the weapons caches, there's still a lot out there and it'll take a lot of work to get it cleaned up.

ARRAF: That's a pretty confident sounding statement. Your sector was from the northeast to the southeast. How can you be sure there are no insurgents left?

NEWELL: We look hard for them every day. I had a good Iraqi Security Force unit with me. And we spent literally every day combing every building in our sector to make sure they didn't come back in. I'm sure there's some movement back and forth between sectors, but we went to great lengths to ensure once we occupied our piece of ground that nobody came back in.

ARRAF: Some of those doors your soldiers kicked open, there were some pretty starting things, as you mentioned, a car bomb factory, weapons depots, even documents linked to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. How significant are those finds?

NEWELL: I think the significant this proves just what a bed of insurgency Falluja had come. The area we went into that we saw, the civilians had been booted out, kicked out of their homes. The insurgents took over, planted mines in their yards, bombs next to the buildings, put rockets on top of the roofs, dug trenches next to the houses, moved into the industrial area, and built bomb factories and vehicle-bourn IED factories. What we were finding is not dissimilar to any of the other units. There are similar things all over Falluja.

ARRAF: And your troops are heading back sometime soon, presumably, to another part of the Sunni Triangle (UNINTELLIGIBLE). What effect will Falluja have on the insurgency there and in other places, do you think?

NEWELL: I think across Iraq we're seeing increased activity. I don't know that it's particularly because of Falluja. Part of the end of Ramadan, part of, in my area, taking advantage of the fact that there are less patrols being done, because a large portion of my task force is here, but none of it is -- none of it has a long-term effect. They can harass us. If we pick up the activity we're going to -- but the Iraqi National Guard (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with me does a great job of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) who are going out and hunting them down.

ARRAF: Thank you so much.

NEWELL: Sure.

ARRAF: That was Lieutenant Colonel Pete Newell, commander of Task Force 22 of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, which has been involved at the forefront for this battle for Falluja. Now into, it seems, another phase -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jane Arraf embedded with the U.S. Army there coming from Falluja. Thanks so much.

Well, you heard the lieutenant colonel mention that many of the insurgents have been driven out of Falluja. But, where have they gone? In Mosul, perhaps that could be the next point of resistance. CNN military analyst, retired major general, Donald Sheppard, will join us to talks to us about what's ahead if coalition seek keep peace before the January scheduled elections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, fans got involved and that was the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life as a coach or a player.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Action off the court and in the stands. Last night in Detroit, players and fans throwing punches, it was a real mess.

And a little bit of rain never hurt anyone, but the umbrellas sure did. CNN's Jeanne Moos on how President Bush, former leaders, and the first ladies fought to stay dry.

And, do you have any ethics questions out there for our ethics guy? Bruce Weinstein is taking your questions. E-mail him at ethics@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, we have ignition and we have lift off of NASA Swift Space Craft on a mission to study and understand gamma-ray bursts throughout the universe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A launch that took place from Cape Canaveral less than a minute ago. Could the gamma-rays be the birth cries of black holes? That's what this Boeing Delta Two Rocket which is not -- you're looking at a live picture of it soaring into space. It is hoping to determine. A Swift Space Craft is attached to that rocket. The hope is that it will try to examine, up close, this distant and powerful explosions of lights called gamma-rays, the gamma-ray bursts in space and try to determine the makeup of them, the science of them. The Delta Two Rocket carrying this Swift Space Craft, just took off from space -- from Cape Canaveral at the Air Force station there in Florida. And scientists say that this Swift is fine tuned to quickly locate those bursts -- those gamma-ray bursts and study them before they disappear. And apparently these bursts take place about once a day somewhere in the universe.

Well, as U.S. troops battle to keep some peace in Falluja, they now face the likelihood of similar urban fights in other cities. At some point, military commanders say the whack-a-mole strategy will lead to a tipping point in the fight against rebels. Let's talk to retired Air Force Major General Don Sheppard, one of our CNN military analysts. He joins us today from Tucson.

Good to see you. MAJ. GEN. DONALD SHEPPARD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Hi. How are you, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: I'm doing pretty good. All right, let's talk about this tipping point. What would define the tipping point?

SHEPPARD: Well, we're hoping for the tipping point. It certainly has not occurred yet. What we're looking for in the tipping point is that the Iraqi people, particularly in the Sunni Triangle, throw their lot in with the new government and political process as opposed to harboring terrorists and insurgents and attacking the transition government. It has not happened yet. It's not going to be anything that will miraculously happen, and you can say, well now they're on the side of the new government, but clearing out these insurgents, clearing out towns like Falluja, Aramodi (PH), Tikrit, Mosul, the others of these pockets that are intimidating the Iraqi citizens is a very important step, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And you mentioned some of those other cities. Mosul, which is about -- you know, north of Falluja and Baghdad, apparently the conventional wisdom is a number of insurgents left Falluja and perhaps have found some safe houses or made peace there in Mosul where that could be the next hot spot. If that is indeed the case, then as some of the Army and Marine troops are peeled away from Falluja and relocated to Mosul, isn't there some concern that perhaps some of those insurgents may make their way back to Falluja and that again become another trouble spot?

SHEPPARD: Of course, there's that concern and that will happen. And, we telegraphed our move in Falluja for strategic reasons. There was no strategic surprise. Many of the insurgents fled Falluja before the attack, they fled to other cities. They will filter back in. But in your previous interview between the Lieutenant Colonel Newell and Jane Arraf, he made the point that these people can harass us forever, but are not a significant military force. And so there is the fear they'll filter back, but what you're...

WHITFIELD: So, they're not a significant military force, but isn't part of the problem right now, or one of the major obstacles that they're presenting, is that there is such a fear and intimidation that has infiltrated all of these cities that this scheduled January election just might not happen as long as you have the insurgency picking up the way it is?

SHEPPARD: Absolutely, it's a concern. And the intimidation of citizens and people that cooperate with the government and the new Iraqi Forces certainly is a factor. On the other hand, it's mainly in the Sunni area and the fear of the Sunnis should be if they don't take part in this political process, they're going to be locked out of the new Iraq. It's pretty clear the new election's going to happen.

WHITFIELD: All right, I just want to interrupt you real quick, general. We're looking at live picture, first images of President Bush arriving in Santiago for the APEC meetings. And apparently in a couple of hours he is expected, actually, to take to the mikes and we'll hear his live comments for the first time during his visit in Chile, as he's meeting with other Asian Pacific Rim country leaders.

All right, as we continue to look at those pictures there, sorry, General Sheppard. Let's pick up where we were -- you know, talking about -- you know, trying to get a grasp of the insurgency as they make their way from city to city. A pretty daunting task for the coalition forces.

SHEPPARD: Yeah, very daunting and impossible to control them everywhere. But again, what you're trying to lower the level of violence, hold the election, and then hold a follow on election in December of 2005, which is also a very important election.

I make this point too, the Iraqi forces, the National Guard, the Army, the other -- the police forces are getting stronger and more numerous every day. They're still not good in the big picture, but you have heard Lieutenant Colonel Newell saying the people with him performed very well. You want to get them strong enough to take over and provide security in the cities. It won't be perfect, but hopefully it'll be so that you can hold elections and proceed on into the future.

WHITFIELD: OK, Major General Donner Sheppard -- Donald Sheppard thanks so much for joining us from Tucson...

SHEPPARD: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: ...this afternoon.

All right, well it was a scene that has left many sports fans stunned. A disagreement on the basketball court last night in Detroit, erupted into a huge brawl. Players in the stands, fans on the court. We'll sort out all the details or try to figure out what in the world happened and why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: He's absolutely out of his mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, this is something of how it started or depending on how you look at it, maybe this is the results. Punches, beer, popcorn, they all flying when a brawl erupted the Pistons-Pacers game at Palace in Auburn Hills in Michigan. This thing got so out of hand that police are now investigating and arrests may be on the horizon. Matt Morrison from "CNN Sport" is here to talk about the basket-brawl in Detroit.

What in the world happened? It went from a layup and a foul to suddenly some beer or...

MATT MORRISON, "CNN SPORTS": Out of hand. Out of hand, wild behavior, just insane, really is what -- I mean, we've seen this before in sports, probably only in European soccer. On this side of the ocean, you know, it's really a first for the American sport. It's the new standard, really, for shameful behavior both by athletes and fans. It's blight on the NBA to be sure, but it's also an alarming statement on how disgraceful the arena of American sports is becoming.

It happened at last night's Piston-Pacers game, as Fred said, it was a last minute foul by Ron Artest on the Pistons' Ben Wallace that started it off. And then after the confrontation between players spilled into the fans after a fan threw a beer on Ron Artest. And there, you see the result. The stadium security at the Palace of Auburn Hills trying to keep fans from absolutely -- you know, doing bodily injury to the players as they tried to get off the floor.

Now, thankfully, police report, only one person was hospitalized. No serious injuries, but this is really just the beginning of the fallout on this one. Ron Artest, Steven Jackson, and Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers were all seen connecting with punches on fans. You know, I think police who have spent some three hours in the television truck last night after the game examining tapes and walking away with video will be looking over this, not only to see what NBA players might have been involved and what their part in it was, but what fans were doing at the Palace. And hopefully, there'll be prosecution on both ends because this was absolutely out of line on both ends.

There is Ron Artest of the Pacers who is the -- well, he was the instigator when it comes to going into the crowd after things. He was hit with the beer and I got to tell you, it's a dangerous cocktail of testosterone, emotion, and intensity that really, you see it flair up and got out of hand last night. That, there's no excuse for it really.

WHITFIELD: So, have any of these folks, particularly the NBA players who were involved in this brawl -- you know, that tape seems to catch them -- you know, landing a punch or two. Did any of them comment afterwards of have any of them spoken?

MORRISON: No. No as a matter of fact, we have a call into their NBA League office and their official spokesman contacted the media just within the hour to say there will be no comment by any of the official NBA sources. The teams did not comment after the game last night. We've got cameras around the country looking to see if we can get comment from players.

There's Ron Artest absolutely going nuts and getting a beer bath.

WHITFIELD: It's so disappointing. Isn't it?

MORRISON: Yeah, and then here we see Artest punching a fan that came on to the court and then his teammate Jermaine O'Neal comes in and slams another fan to the ground.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

MORRISON: Yeah. Where is it assault and where is it self defense? Who knows. I guarantee there's going to be hefty fines, some serious suspensions, probably some legal action and, no doubt, some lawsuits involved.

Oh, my goodness and there's more. Oh, my gosh. Everyone's so disappointed in that.

MORRISON: What a disgusting display.

WHITFIELD: You know, it just has mushroomed into a horrible melee.

MORRISON: The fans in Detroit have long been known as one of the best supported groups for their single team, the Pistons. In fact, when Pistons received their championship rings this year, they gave an honorary championship ring to a fan selected at random. That intensity got way overboard in last night's circus.

WHITFIELD: Oh man. All right, well let's hope it gets resolved. We'll be counting on you to fill us in on that one...

MORRISON: Yeah. The video is so salacious that we're going to be seeing it for weeks.

WHITFIELD: Too much.

MORRISON: And really, it is the most intense and shameful episodes in NBA history.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, no one should be proud of that.

MORRISON: It's going down in history.

WHITFIELD: All right, Matt Morrison, thanks so much.

MORRISON: OK, you're welcome, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bottom of the hour, now. Let's look at our top stories.

President Bush huddles with China's president, Hu Jintao, earlier today in Santiago, Chile to discus North Korea's nuclear program. The two are in the Chilean capitol for the Asia Pacific Economic Summit. While the meeting's main focus is trade, other issues including the war on terror are also on the agenda.

Congress is trying to wrap up its work on a massive spending bill six weeks after the start of the new fiscal year. The $388 billion measure clamps down on spending on a wide range of programs, including education and clean energy projects. And there's word that congressional negotiators have reached agreement on legislation that would put place terrorism fighting recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. Meetings are still on-going involving that.

And in Iraq, while the battle against insurgents goes on, earlier today, Iraqi National Guard forces backed by U.S. troops clashed with insurgents in a Baghdad neighborhood.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Meetings are still ongoing involving that.

In Iraq, while the battle against insurgents goes on, earlier today, Iraqi National Guard forces, backed by U.S. troops, clashed with insurgents in a Baghdad neighborhood. Also, a roadside bomb attack in western Baghdad killed three Iraqi National Guard troops and in another incident, insurgents attacked a police station in the Iraqi capital.

Well a gruesome set of allegations now heading to a Florida court. He is known as the "Butcher of South Beach." Now he is facing trial for performing plastic surgery without a license. CNN's John Zarrella has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a medical procedure that brings new meaning to the word malpractice. Police say the plastic surgeon in this video, Ronaldo Silvestre, was only pretending to be a doctor. He gave the patient, a body builder seeking a more muscular chest, tranquilizers meant for animals and his choice of medical instrument? A kitchen spatula.

SPENCER ARONFELD, PATIENT'S ATTORNEY: When Mr. Baez finally woke up from this procedure, he had two full female breasts and had to walk around that way for several months until finally the female breasts could be removed.

ZARRELLA: Five years ago, allegations of Frankenstein-like surgeries by Silvestre rocked beauty fixated Miami Beach. It wasn't that he was a bad doctor. The police say he wasn't a doctor at all. Police think Silvestre came from Cuba about a decade ago and think he may have served as a nurse in the Cuban army. Before he could face trial, Silvestre disappeared. A tip led investigators to Central America where they say he set up shop again.

ED MORENO, BUREAU OF DIPLOMATIC SECURITY: Mr. Silvestre was, in fact, practicing medicine in Belize and also teaching at a local university medical -- to medical students.

ZARRELLA: Police arrested Silvestre in Belize, training medical students how to pass U.S. medical entrance exams. Extradited, he now awaits trial on charges of assault and practicing medicine without a license. For this woman, who says Silvestre mangled her breast implant operation, the emotional scars and desire to get even are still fresh. MILEIDI PIMIENTA (through translator): Personally, I would love to give him breast implants.

ZARRELLA: Information about doctors is readily available with a quick call to a state hotline. Investigators say Silvestre's patients could have avoided the pain if they had only checked. John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

WHITFIELD: When you're traveling during the upcoming holiday season, always keep personal safety in mind. What can you do to make sure you don't become easy prey for thieves? We'll talk with an expert, that expert right there, who has advice that can help you save your holiday trip.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, the holiday season is prime travel season, but along with making merry, you want to make it a safe trip. And Bruce McIndoe, CEO of Ijet Travel Risk Management says it can begin with how you pack. Bruce joins us in Washington today. Bruce, what do you mean?

BRUCE MCINDOE, IJET TRAVEL RISK MANAGEMENT: Well, it's just a matter of taking care of yourself. We try to tell people to try to pack with what they can handle personally. If you have too many bags, you can leave some behind when you're getting on and off buses and things and that's a perfect time for somebody to snatch it.

WHITFIELD: And we're talking about specifically the vulnerabilities that travelers might face as a result of people who are looking to steal their bags or their belongings, etc. and you say among the most vulnerable spots is when you just arrive at the airport or perhaps at your hotel?

MCINDOE: Absolutely. Any time you move into a new environment, that's when you become distracted. You're focused on either checking in, trying to figure out where to go. And the criminals, they are sitting there, looking for victims. They'll see you aren't paying attention to your bags, they'll just slip up beside you or near you and off they go.

WHITFIELD: Perhaps even for those folks who carry on their luggage, it might be a smart idea to even lock your carry-on luggage. Because at least that might act as a deterrent for someone who wants to conveniently take it away and realize, well, now I can't get into it.

MCINDOE: Unfortunately, they'll take it rip the lock off and off they go. So, it doesn't help a whole lot. You want to keep it near your person, keep aware of where it is at all times.

WHITFIELD: All right. You also advise not to travel alone. Really? A lot of people like to travel alone. And perhaps they have no choice, but to travel alone. What are the safety measures that maybe someone traveling solo needs to take? MCINDOE: It's a matter of choice. There are independent travelers and those people feel comfortable getting out on their own and taking care of themselves, but in general, if you can travel with a companion, that's the safest way to travel. It gives you somebody that can keep an eye on your back, and help you along. And when you're traveling, it's just a safer way to travel.

WHITFIELD: If someone grabs your bags, instincts are you want to go after them and try and get what belongs to you. What's your best advice on that?

MCNDOE: I don't care whether you're a female or male traveler, a child. If somebody wants one of your belongings, your life is not worth it. So just give it up. You know, be as defensive as possible. Try not to be argumentative. Just give it up and get out of the situation.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, now you've made it to perhaps the rental car agency. And you may feel like, okay, I'm making it home now, so to speak.

MCINDOE: Right.

WHITFIELD: Let me guard down. You say no?

MCINDOE: Absolutely not. We have run into a whole spate of incidents even within the United States where people now are surveilling(sic) rental car agencies. They'll look for people hauling bags and leaving bags by the car when they go back in to get paperwork or whatever it may be. And that's a perfect opportunity for them to strike. You want to look out in that parking lot. And if there's anyone hanging around go back and get somebody to escort you to your car. There's no sense in taking a chance.

WHITFIELD: And you say bottom line, be aware of your surroundings, no matter where you are, whether you are on the road, airport, hotel or rental car agency?

MCINDOE: Absolutely. Crime is probably the number one issue that will impact travelers over the season. You want to just not become a victim. So you want to pay attention to what's going on and don't get yourself into a situation where you will be a victim of crime.

WHITFIELD: All right. It's a shame we have to think about travel and we're getting ready to look forward spending time with friends and family and you have to worry about what terrible thing may happen. But these are great pieces of advice to make sure we all get there safely. Thank you so much, Bruce McIndoe.

MCINDOE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, straight ahead. They're cute, cuddly and they're on the verge of distinction.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (video clip): I'm Jeff Koinange in the Democratic Republic of Congo, coming up, we meet our closest cousins deep in the African bush.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In some struggling nations of central Africa, conservation often takes a backseat to daily survival, but our correspondent in Congo, Jeff Koinange shows us one example where humans are helping a disappearing breed of intelligent apes.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KOINANGE (voice-over): They are survivors of a dying species. Kikongo, Kisangani, and Kisongo are bonobos, a member of the ape family found only in the dense forests of the Congo. They are orphans, their parents were killed for meat among a brutal human civil war that has cost not only millions of human lives, but also countless bonobos. Until they are eight years old, the young require almost constant parental attention. They survive in this sanctuary only because their closest relatives are taking care of them. Traumatized by their experience in the bush, these young bonobos are initially wary of our camera equipment. It doesn't take long for them to adjust.

(on camera) Very much like chimps and gorillas they said to be extreme extremely intelligent.

(voice-over) In fact, scientists say their genes are very similar to humans. Claudine Andre has made it her mission to be stepmother to the bonobos. She first arrived in the Congo more than 30 years ago from Belgium. This mother of five now-grown children says she is passionate about saving the next generation of bonobos.

CLAUDINE ANDRE, SANCTUAIRE DES BONOBOS: Deep in my heart, I know we already lost the battle. This makes me sad, but I think we have to try. If we don't try, who will try?

KOINANGE: She tries by making regular trips to the meat market and with the help of Congolese officials, she confiscates chained bonobos about to be sold among other exotic meats.

ANDRE: Bushmeat, it's very popular. It's a job now. All over central Africa. And, strangely, this meat is very expensive for the people. But it's a new phenomenon.

KOINANGE: Andre's plowed her savings into buying this modest farm as a sanctuary. From sympathetic donors she gets some help to cover the $100,000 a year operational costs. She says she has managed to save 38 bonobos so far, but she warns there may not be too many still alive in the bush.

ANDRE: Perhaps we will have some good surprise, but I don't know. I'm not sure.

KOINANGE: You're not optimistic?

ANDRE: No. I'm very afraid for the species. KOINANGE: Studying bonobo behavior, she says, may provide important clues as to why humans can be so violent and why these great apes are not.

ANDRE: You have two things very important. You have no propriety of territory and you have no propriety, sexual proprietary. So it's two important reasons to have no conflict in a group.

KOINANGE: Andres says her next steps are to try to breed the species and eventually release some back in the wild, but that will depend on the safety and security of a country that has known little but human violence for nearly four decades. Jeff Koinange, CNN, Lola Yo Bonobo Sanctuary, Congo.

WHITFIELD: And if you would like to help out the sanctuary in central Africa, just go to the Web site on the scene here. It is bonoboducongo.free.fr. An email link is on that site.

Well, it is the kind of misbehaving that has a lot of folks talking today. The basketball brawl in Detroit. We'll talk with the ethics guy, Bruce Weinstein, for his take on the melee.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The word "fan" is short for fanatic. And last night, there was no shortage of impassioned emotion in Detroit as Pistons fans got into an all-out melee with the Indiana Pacers. It brings up a question of ethics and who better to answer this question than the ethics guy, Bruce Weinstein. Hell, Bruce.

BRUCE WEINSTEIN, CNN COMMENTATOR: Hi, Fredricka. How are you?

WHITFIELD: Well, how in the world does anyone make sense of what we saw last night?

WEINSTEIN: You know, it's really outrageous. And the sad thing is it's not only inappropriate for the fans and the players to act the way they did. It's self-defeating. The game ended 46 seconds earlier than it should have. It left a bad taste in everyone's mouth and everyone ended up losing. And one of the themes of this show has been when we take the high road, it's not just the right thing to do, but it's good for us in the long run. And conversely, when you take the low road, well, this is what you get.

WHITFIELD: And we should say it was both Pistons and Pacers fans apparently involved in all of this.

WEINSTEIN: There were no heroes in this. And it's interesting. One fan, in response to the melee, the problem is that the stadium was selling beer. And if there were no beer being sold this wouldn't have happened. Well, what about taking responsibility for your actions? You can't really blame it on the beer. And after all, it was the players who started it, not the fans.

WHITFIELD: It's going to be a tough one to sort out, who points the finger at whom. Because it doesn't look like anybody was right. Nobody responded with any sort of dignity.

WEINSTEIN: No. This reminds us exercising a little bit of restraint goes a long way. And again, being ethical and doing the right thing is a win/win situation. This is an example of what happens when we take the low road and why it's not a good thing to do.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, it's a terrible example. Everybody should be embarrassed and ashamed. It's embarrassing to watch over and over again to see people behave this way. And these are adults.

WEINSTEIN: It's true. And, in fact, the last thing any of us would probably want is to be front page news or featured on CNN for unethical conduct. And this is what's happened. We talk about players being professional. What is the word professional mean? It comes from a Latin word meaning to make a public declaration. So professional ball players, as well as health care professionals and law professionals are supposed to be devoted to serving the interests of other people. This was just completely selfish behavior. And so it turns the idea of professionalism on its head and it just really unfortunate for everyone in this situation.

WHITFIELD: What a terrible mess. All right. Bruce Weinstein, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

WEINSTEIN: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, perhaps you have questions for the ethics guy. E-mail your dilemma to ethics@cnn.com and we'll bring those on the air perhaps next weekend. And Bruce will try to sort it all out for you.

Well, they walked out standing tall without the cover and umbrella, but before long, our country's current and former leaders were seeking protection from the rain after all. CNN's Jeanne Moos on the wet dedication ceremony at former President Bill Clinton's library.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN WEATHERMAN: Hi. I'm Rob Marciano. Here is your cold and flu report for this Saturday. States highlighted in green indicate sporadic activity being reported into the CDC. That includes Texas, Arizona, California, Alaska, even Hawaii, where they typically have some pretty nice weather. Flu being reported in that state. Also Minnesota, New York getting a little more widespread, more green states on the map this weekend. Hope you're feeling well on this Saturday. And enjoy the balance of your weekend

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Looking at the brighter side of a very blustery day at the opening of his presidential library, Bill Clinton called the rain "liquid sunshine," quoting his late mom. The first word was definitely correct as CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you're a manly politician, there is an unwritten rule, ditch the wimpy umbrella, even when the camera gets to wear a raincoat, but in this case

BONO, U2: When the rain comes they run and hide their heads ...

MOOS: Even the manliest of politicians was forced to hide his head. Giving us a rare glimpse of leaders skewered by their spouses. See, Chelsea was almost blinded by her mom's umbrella and Senator Clinton was, herself, blonked.

SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON, (D) NY: ... dedication of this extraordinary institution.

MOOS: Usually being tall was an advantage for a politician, but it only made John Kerry more of a target while President Bush had to check under the umbrella to make sure he got the right wife.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Welcome to my rainy library dedication.

MOOS: Bubba may have rained supreme, but President Carter got the quote, "Once a president, always a gentleman," for wiping off his wife's seat. And the elder George Bush dedicated his raincoat for Laura Bush to sit on, though he eventually took it back. They were singing in the rain and praying in the rain, but mostly they were dripping in the rain. For security purposes, organizers handed out umbrellas without pointy tips. VIPs like Al Franken were given ponchos from Wal-Mart. John Glenn looked more like a blue Teletubby than an astronaut and even Bono surrendered to the elements.

BONO: Can I chicken out?

MOOS: Back in 1841, President William Henry Harrison spoke at his inauguration in pouring rain, declining the offer of an overcoat. He died within a month of pneumonia, no doubt a coincidence.

BILL CLINTON: If my beloved mother were here, she would remind me that rain is liquid sunshine.

MOOS: The soldier, holding the umbrella, didn't seem too convinced. He got almost as much face time as P. Diddy's manservant. But we wondered why in the downpour Mr. Clinton still had to lick his fingers. There is one good thing about huddling under an umbrella. Like two peas in a soggy pod, umbrellas inspire intimacy. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still much more ahead on CNN Saturday. In a few moments IN THE MONEY, at 2 Eastern, CNN LIVE SATURDAY. The holiday shopping season kicks off the day after Thanksgiving and there are lots of bargains out there if you know where to look. We'll have some tips for you.

At 3 it's NEXT@CNN. But now, a 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 November 20, 2004 - 12:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR: It is 12:00 p.m. in Detroit, 2:00 p.m. in Santiago, Chile. Good afternoon, I'm Fredricka Whitfield at CNN's headquarters in Atlanta. Ahead this hour:
Basket-brawl: Players fight each other, then go after the fans in one of the ugliest incidents ever in American professional sports.

Millions of us will be traveling in the next six weeks or so. How to be safe and protect yourself from being a victim of crime while on the go.

Also:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Deep in my heart, I know we already lost the battle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But she continues to fight to save some adorable and important animals. You'll meet her and her friends on CNN LIVE SATURDAY, but first a look at the top stories now in the news.

President Bush, Chinese President Hu and Russian President Putin are leading a summit of leaders from Pacific Rim nations. The session Santiago, Chile is focusing on trade and global security.

A day of violent clashes in Iraq have left one U.S. soldier dead and nine others wounded in an insurgent attack in Baghdad and the Iraqi government says four if its workers were shot to death by terrorists while walking to work.

And in Washington, Condoleezza Rice has been released from the hospital for removal of non-cancerous growths. Doctors at Georgetown University Hospital are calling the operation a success. The national security adviser could be back at work, at the White House, as soon as Monday.

The nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran are taking center stage at a summit of Pacific Rim leader in Chile. The session takes on extra importance with the presence of President Bush. Dana Bash is traveling with the president in Santiago.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is a top priority for President Bush here in Chile, and he has had a series of one-on- one meetings on the side lines of the APEC summit, all aimed at getting North Korea back to the negotiation table. He's met with leaders involved in six-way talks, leaders from South Korea, from Russia, from Japan, from China and particularly Japan. He is -- the prime minister of Japan is somebody who is perhaps Mr. Bush's closest ally here and sitting next to Prime Minister Koizumi, the president, in pictures and in words wanted to make clear to North Korean leader, Kim Jong il, that all of these leaders speak with one common voice, that they want North Korea to dismantle its nuclear programs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What's very important is for the leader of North Korea to understand that the six- party talks are -- it will be the framework in which we continue to discuss the mutual goal we all have, which is to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, what Mr. Bush did not say, and even address, is what some of the leaders he's meeting with really want him to do, which is show more flexibility in the U.S. stance in these negotiations, which haven't taken place since last June and that stance, the U.S. stance at this point, is not to give in on what North Korea wants like some food aid, a lot of security assurances, until that country certifiably dismantles both its uranium programs and its plutonium program.

Now, one note, Fredricka, on the atmospherics, I mentioned one of the meetings he had was with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They were certainly cordial before the cameras, but President Putin is somebody who Mr. Bush has said in the past that he enjoys spending time with, and even has called him a "friend." But, in this particular sense, in this particular time, they did not make remarks, nor did they take questions before the cameras and Mr. Bush certainly has made it clear publicly over the past several months he's not been that happy with some of the things that President Putin has done, like tried to, perhaps, consolidate power in the way the White House thinks is not helpful to democracy, and of course most recently, as saying that he has a new nuclear weapon.

Now, one other thing that perhaps some of the leaders here will be happy about is the statement on the economy that Mr. Bush made. He said that he does support a strong dollar, he does support trying to reduce the U.S. deficit. Those are two big issues for leaders from South America, from Asia, even from Europe, because they believe that those issues are very much hurting their economies -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dana Bash, in Santiago, thanks so much.

Well, before heading home for the holidays on Capitol Hill, both the House and Senate are back at work today. They're getting ready to vote on a. The measure clamps down on spending on a wide range of programs from education, to clean energy projects. For the latest, we check in with CNN's congressional correspondent, Joe Johns.

And Joe, I understand there's another development there on the Hill.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly is, Fredricka. Three congressional sources now tell CNN that conferees working on that closely watched intelligence bill now believe they can say they have a tentative agreement on that all-important intelligence reform bill. However, there is a caveat, we're told. A number of key conservatives apparently are still not happy with what is contained in that package. We're told a meeting is being scheduled with conservatives to try to talk it through. Again, we are told a tentative agreement apparently has been reached among the conferees working on the intelligence bill. However, it's an important however, conservatives apparently not happy with it at this stage. They're trying to get together and discuss it. That meeting, we're told, should occur within the hour.

Meanwhile Fredricka, as you have noted, there is continuing work on that $388 billion catch-all spending bill, the House, of course, filed that bill early this morning, expected to pass it sometime today. The Senate as well expected to follow on. Now, of course, there are some questions. No. 1 is the question of how much time the president's going to get to rearview it. He's going to get stopgap spending measure that'll take him from today through about December 3rd to look over the bill with his staff. On the other hand, a lot of House members are saying they don't know what's in this gigantic bill. There was some talk about that on the House floor today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ALCEE HASTINGS (D), FLORIDA: But much of what's in this bill, no member of the House of Representatives, other than a handful, have seen at all. So, the law requires that the president of the united states and his team of people rightly have an opportunity to review the provisions that are passed in this body and the other body, and they get ostensibly what will amount to 20 days and many of the members in this body won't get 20 minutes to read what it is we are passing in spending the American taxpayer's money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: So, a lot going on here on Capitol Hill, today. Obviously, once again, the news, apparently a tentative agreement reached on that intelligence reform bill. However, it's not clear this is a done deal just yet, because a number of conservatives still apparently have issues.

Back to you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Joe, is Alcee Hastings inferring there might just not be enough time for this session of Congress to get through this bill, that it might perhaps spill over into the next session of Congress in January?

JOHNS: Well, the fact of the matter, excuse me, Fredricka, is that the republicans control the Congress and they're going to do everything they can to get this stopgap measure finished. At the end of the session, each year, of course, especially when they come with these huge ominous spending bills, there's a lot of discussion about how much gets read, how many different provisions have been slipped in by people who have pet projects and pet ideas. This is one of those occasions. So, as it turns out, it may be that a lot of members don't get to know everything that's in the bill. The republicans, of course, for their part, including Congressman Pete Sessions, who was also on the floor with Hastings, they say that they have kept this package very lean, very scaled down, exactly what the administration wanted, and they are being fiscally responsible in pushing it through.

WHITFIELD: All right, on Capitol Hill, thanks so much.

Turning now to Baghdad and the fight for Iraq. Iraqi forces and police spent hours battling insurgents in the capital this morning after an assault was launched on a police station. An insurgent attack on an Army patrol in Baghdad left one U.S. soldier dead and nine injured. Car bombs exploded in several areas of Baghdad, killing a number of Iraqi guardsmen and four ministry workers were shot and killed as they headed for work this morning.

Also today, Islamic militants have released a polish woman they too, hostage last month. The woman is back in Poland now and the Polish prime minister says she was treated humanely.

Moving now to Falluja. We are joined by CNN Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf, who has been embedded with the U.S. Army there in this battle against the insurgency -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN Baghdad BUREAU CHIEF: Fredricka, that intense battle is over in terms of the intense combat that we've seen over the past 12 days or so, but there are still insurgents out there and there is still a lot of work to be done in this shattered city. We have with us commander of Task Force 22 from the Army's 1st Infantry Division, Lieutenant Colonel Pete Newell.

Thanks very much for joining us.

LT. COL. PETE NEWELL, U.S. ARMY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

ARRAF: The Army part of this seems to be winding down. What does that mean exactly for this conflict?

NEWELL: For me, it means that Falluja has really entered that stage where they have to think about rebuilding, bringing the civilians back and bringing the government in. For my task force and my soldiers, it means that there is less use of the tanks and drives it's time for us to step aside and let the Iraqi Security Forces and the Marines who are staying behind do the really hard work of rebuilding Falluja.

ARRAF: And as you leave it what kind of shape is that sector in? Are there still insurgents out there? How much rebuilding needs to be done?

NEWELL: In my sector, there are no insurgents left. There will need to be some considerable work done removing rubble, removing the incredible number of weapons left behind and buried in rubble of the buildings. And despite a week-long effort on my soldiers' part to get rid of the IEDs, the bomb making factories and the mines and the weapons caches, there's still a lot out there and it'll take a lot of work to get it cleaned up.

ARRAF: That's a pretty confident sounding statement. Your sector was from the northeast to the southeast. How can you be sure there are no insurgents left?

NEWELL: We look hard for them every day. I had a good Iraqi Security Force unit with me. And we spent literally every day combing every building in our sector to make sure they didn't come back in. I'm sure there's some movement back and forth between sectors, but we went to great lengths to ensure once we occupied our piece of ground that nobody came back in.

ARRAF: Some of those doors your soldiers kicked open, there were some pretty starting things, as you mentioned, a car bomb factory, weapons depots, even documents linked to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. How significant are those finds?

NEWELL: I think the significant this proves just what a bed of insurgency Falluja had come. The area we went into that we saw, the civilians had been booted out, kicked out of their homes. The insurgents took over, planted mines in their yards, bombs next to the buildings, put rockets on top of the roofs, dug trenches next to the houses, moved into the industrial area, and built bomb factories and vehicle-bourn IED factories. What we were finding is not dissimilar to any of the other units. There are similar things all over Falluja.

ARRAF: And your troops are heading back sometime soon, presumably, to another part of the Sunni Triangle (UNINTELLIGIBLE). What effect will Falluja have on the insurgency there and in other places, do you think?

NEWELL: I think across Iraq we're seeing increased activity. I don't know that it's particularly because of Falluja. Part of the end of Ramadan, part of, in my area, taking advantage of the fact that there are less patrols being done, because a large portion of my task force is here, but none of it is -- none of it has a long-term effect. They can harass us. If we pick up the activity we're going to -- but the Iraqi National Guard (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with me does a great job of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) who are going out and hunting them down.

ARRAF: Thank you so much.

NEWELL: Sure.

ARRAF: That was Lieutenant Colonel Pete Newell, commander of Task Force 22 of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, which has been involved at the forefront for this battle for Falluja. Now into, it seems, another phase -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jane Arraf embedded with the U.S. Army there coming from Falluja. Thanks so much.

Well, you heard the lieutenant colonel mention that many of the insurgents have been driven out of Falluja. But, where have they gone? In Mosul, perhaps that could be the next point of resistance. CNN military analyst, retired major general, Donald Sheppard, will join us to talks to us about what's ahead if coalition seek keep peace before the January scheduled elections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, fans got involved and that was the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life as a coach or a player.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Action off the court and in the stands. Last night in Detroit, players and fans throwing punches, it was a real mess.

And a little bit of rain never hurt anyone, but the umbrellas sure did. CNN's Jeanne Moos on how President Bush, former leaders, and the first ladies fought to stay dry.

And, do you have any ethics questions out there for our ethics guy? Bruce Weinstein is taking your questions. E-mail him at ethics@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, we have ignition and we have lift off of NASA Swift Space Craft on a mission to study and understand gamma-ray bursts throughout the universe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A launch that took place from Cape Canaveral less than a minute ago. Could the gamma-rays be the birth cries of black holes? That's what this Boeing Delta Two Rocket which is not -- you're looking at a live picture of it soaring into space. It is hoping to determine. A Swift Space Craft is attached to that rocket. The hope is that it will try to examine, up close, this distant and powerful explosions of lights called gamma-rays, the gamma-ray bursts in space and try to determine the makeup of them, the science of them. The Delta Two Rocket carrying this Swift Space Craft, just took off from space -- from Cape Canaveral at the Air Force station there in Florida. And scientists say that this Swift is fine tuned to quickly locate those bursts -- those gamma-ray bursts and study them before they disappear. And apparently these bursts take place about once a day somewhere in the universe.

Well, as U.S. troops battle to keep some peace in Falluja, they now face the likelihood of similar urban fights in other cities. At some point, military commanders say the whack-a-mole strategy will lead to a tipping point in the fight against rebels. Let's talk to retired Air Force Major General Don Sheppard, one of our CNN military analysts. He joins us today from Tucson.

Good to see you. MAJ. GEN. DONALD SHEPPARD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Hi. How are you, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: I'm doing pretty good. All right, let's talk about this tipping point. What would define the tipping point?

SHEPPARD: Well, we're hoping for the tipping point. It certainly has not occurred yet. What we're looking for in the tipping point is that the Iraqi people, particularly in the Sunni Triangle, throw their lot in with the new government and political process as opposed to harboring terrorists and insurgents and attacking the transition government. It has not happened yet. It's not going to be anything that will miraculously happen, and you can say, well now they're on the side of the new government, but clearing out these insurgents, clearing out towns like Falluja, Aramodi (PH), Tikrit, Mosul, the others of these pockets that are intimidating the Iraqi citizens is a very important step, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And you mentioned some of those other cities. Mosul, which is about -- you know, north of Falluja and Baghdad, apparently the conventional wisdom is a number of insurgents left Falluja and perhaps have found some safe houses or made peace there in Mosul where that could be the next hot spot. If that is indeed the case, then as some of the Army and Marine troops are peeled away from Falluja and relocated to Mosul, isn't there some concern that perhaps some of those insurgents may make their way back to Falluja and that again become another trouble spot?

SHEPPARD: Of course, there's that concern and that will happen. And, we telegraphed our move in Falluja for strategic reasons. There was no strategic surprise. Many of the insurgents fled Falluja before the attack, they fled to other cities. They will filter back in. But in your previous interview between the Lieutenant Colonel Newell and Jane Arraf, he made the point that these people can harass us forever, but are not a significant military force. And so there is the fear they'll filter back, but what you're...

WHITFIELD: So, they're not a significant military force, but isn't part of the problem right now, or one of the major obstacles that they're presenting, is that there is such a fear and intimidation that has infiltrated all of these cities that this scheduled January election just might not happen as long as you have the insurgency picking up the way it is?

SHEPPARD: Absolutely, it's a concern. And the intimidation of citizens and people that cooperate with the government and the new Iraqi Forces certainly is a factor. On the other hand, it's mainly in the Sunni area and the fear of the Sunnis should be if they don't take part in this political process, they're going to be locked out of the new Iraq. It's pretty clear the new election's going to happen.

WHITFIELD: All right, I just want to interrupt you real quick, general. We're looking at live picture, first images of President Bush arriving in Santiago for the APEC meetings. And apparently in a couple of hours he is expected, actually, to take to the mikes and we'll hear his live comments for the first time during his visit in Chile, as he's meeting with other Asian Pacific Rim country leaders.

All right, as we continue to look at those pictures there, sorry, General Sheppard. Let's pick up where we were -- you know, talking about -- you know, trying to get a grasp of the insurgency as they make their way from city to city. A pretty daunting task for the coalition forces.

SHEPPARD: Yeah, very daunting and impossible to control them everywhere. But again, what you're trying to lower the level of violence, hold the election, and then hold a follow on election in December of 2005, which is also a very important election.

I make this point too, the Iraqi forces, the National Guard, the Army, the other -- the police forces are getting stronger and more numerous every day. They're still not good in the big picture, but you have heard Lieutenant Colonel Newell saying the people with him performed very well. You want to get them strong enough to take over and provide security in the cities. It won't be perfect, but hopefully it'll be so that you can hold elections and proceed on into the future.

WHITFIELD: OK, Major General Donner Sheppard -- Donald Sheppard thanks so much for joining us from Tucson...

SHEPPARD: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: ...this afternoon.

All right, well it was a scene that has left many sports fans stunned. A disagreement on the basketball court last night in Detroit, erupted into a huge brawl. Players in the stands, fans on the court. We'll sort out all the details or try to figure out what in the world happened and why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: He's absolutely out of his mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, this is something of how it started or depending on how you look at it, maybe this is the results. Punches, beer, popcorn, they all flying when a brawl erupted the Pistons-Pacers game at Palace in Auburn Hills in Michigan. This thing got so out of hand that police are now investigating and arrests may be on the horizon. Matt Morrison from "CNN Sport" is here to talk about the basket-brawl in Detroit.

What in the world happened? It went from a layup and a foul to suddenly some beer or...

MATT MORRISON, "CNN SPORTS": Out of hand. Out of hand, wild behavior, just insane, really is what -- I mean, we've seen this before in sports, probably only in European soccer. On this side of the ocean, you know, it's really a first for the American sport. It's the new standard, really, for shameful behavior both by athletes and fans. It's blight on the NBA to be sure, but it's also an alarming statement on how disgraceful the arena of American sports is becoming.

It happened at last night's Piston-Pacers game, as Fred said, it was a last minute foul by Ron Artest on the Pistons' Ben Wallace that started it off. And then after the confrontation between players spilled into the fans after a fan threw a beer on Ron Artest. And there, you see the result. The stadium security at the Palace of Auburn Hills trying to keep fans from absolutely -- you know, doing bodily injury to the players as they tried to get off the floor.

Now, thankfully, police report, only one person was hospitalized. No serious injuries, but this is really just the beginning of the fallout on this one. Ron Artest, Steven Jackson, and Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers were all seen connecting with punches on fans. You know, I think police who have spent some three hours in the television truck last night after the game examining tapes and walking away with video will be looking over this, not only to see what NBA players might have been involved and what their part in it was, but what fans were doing at the Palace. And hopefully, there'll be prosecution on both ends because this was absolutely out of line on both ends.

There is Ron Artest of the Pacers who is the -- well, he was the instigator when it comes to going into the crowd after things. He was hit with the beer and I got to tell you, it's a dangerous cocktail of testosterone, emotion, and intensity that really, you see it flair up and got out of hand last night. That, there's no excuse for it really.

WHITFIELD: So, have any of these folks, particularly the NBA players who were involved in this brawl -- you know, that tape seems to catch them -- you know, landing a punch or two. Did any of them comment afterwards of have any of them spoken?

MORRISON: No. No as a matter of fact, we have a call into their NBA League office and their official spokesman contacted the media just within the hour to say there will be no comment by any of the official NBA sources. The teams did not comment after the game last night. We've got cameras around the country looking to see if we can get comment from players.

There's Ron Artest absolutely going nuts and getting a beer bath.

WHITFIELD: It's so disappointing. Isn't it?

MORRISON: Yeah, and then here we see Artest punching a fan that came on to the court and then his teammate Jermaine O'Neal comes in and slams another fan to the ground.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

MORRISON: Yeah. Where is it assault and where is it self defense? Who knows. I guarantee there's going to be hefty fines, some serious suspensions, probably some legal action and, no doubt, some lawsuits involved.

Oh, my goodness and there's more. Oh, my gosh. Everyone's so disappointed in that.

MORRISON: What a disgusting display.

WHITFIELD: You know, it just has mushroomed into a horrible melee.

MORRISON: The fans in Detroit have long been known as one of the best supported groups for their single team, the Pistons. In fact, when Pistons received their championship rings this year, they gave an honorary championship ring to a fan selected at random. That intensity got way overboard in last night's circus.

WHITFIELD: Oh man. All right, well let's hope it gets resolved. We'll be counting on you to fill us in on that one...

MORRISON: Yeah. The video is so salacious that we're going to be seeing it for weeks.

WHITFIELD: Too much.

MORRISON: And really, it is the most intense and shameful episodes in NBA history.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, no one should be proud of that.

MORRISON: It's going down in history.

WHITFIELD: All right, Matt Morrison, thanks so much.

MORRISON: OK, you're welcome, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bottom of the hour, now. Let's look at our top stories.

President Bush huddles with China's president, Hu Jintao, earlier today in Santiago, Chile to discus North Korea's nuclear program. The two are in the Chilean capitol for the Asia Pacific Economic Summit. While the meeting's main focus is trade, other issues including the war on terror are also on the agenda.

Congress is trying to wrap up its work on a massive spending bill six weeks after the start of the new fiscal year. The $388 billion measure clamps down on spending on a wide range of programs, including education and clean energy projects. And there's word that congressional negotiators have reached agreement on legislation that would put place terrorism fighting recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. Meetings are still on-going involving that.

And in Iraq, while the battle against insurgents goes on, earlier today, Iraqi National Guard forces backed by U.S. troops clashed with insurgents in a Baghdad neighborhood.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Meetings are still ongoing involving that.

In Iraq, while the battle against insurgents goes on, earlier today, Iraqi National Guard forces, backed by U.S. troops, clashed with insurgents in a Baghdad neighborhood. Also, a roadside bomb attack in western Baghdad killed three Iraqi National Guard troops and in another incident, insurgents attacked a police station in the Iraqi capital.

Well a gruesome set of allegations now heading to a Florida court. He is known as the "Butcher of South Beach." Now he is facing trial for performing plastic surgery without a license. CNN's John Zarrella has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a medical procedure that brings new meaning to the word malpractice. Police say the plastic surgeon in this video, Ronaldo Silvestre, was only pretending to be a doctor. He gave the patient, a body builder seeking a more muscular chest, tranquilizers meant for animals and his choice of medical instrument? A kitchen spatula.

SPENCER ARONFELD, PATIENT'S ATTORNEY: When Mr. Baez finally woke up from this procedure, he had two full female breasts and had to walk around that way for several months until finally the female breasts could be removed.

ZARRELLA: Five years ago, allegations of Frankenstein-like surgeries by Silvestre rocked beauty fixated Miami Beach. It wasn't that he was a bad doctor. The police say he wasn't a doctor at all. Police think Silvestre came from Cuba about a decade ago and think he may have served as a nurse in the Cuban army. Before he could face trial, Silvestre disappeared. A tip led investigators to Central America where they say he set up shop again.

ED MORENO, BUREAU OF DIPLOMATIC SECURITY: Mr. Silvestre was, in fact, practicing medicine in Belize and also teaching at a local university medical -- to medical students.

ZARRELLA: Police arrested Silvestre in Belize, training medical students how to pass U.S. medical entrance exams. Extradited, he now awaits trial on charges of assault and practicing medicine without a license. For this woman, who says Silvestre mangled her breast implant operation, the emotional scars and desire to get even are still fresh. MILEIDI PIMIENTA (through translator): Personally, I would love to give him breast implants.

ZARRELLA: Information about doctors is readily available with a quick call to a state hotline. Investigators say Silvestre's patients could have avoided the pain if they had only checked. John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

WHITFIELD: When you're traveling during the upcoming holiday season, always keep personal safety in mind. What can you do to make sure you don't become easy prey for thieves? We'll talk with an expert, that expert right there, who has advice that can help you save your holiday trip.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, the holiday season is prime travel season, but along with making merry, you want to make it a safe trip. And Bruce McIndoe, CEO of Ijet Travel Risk Management says it can begin with how you pack. Bruce joins us in Washington today. Bruce, what do you mean?

BRUCE MCINDOE, IJET TRAVEL RISK MANAGEMENT: Well, it's just a matter of taking care of yourself. We try to tell people to try to pack with what they can handle personally. If you have too many bags, you can leave some behind when you're getting on and off buses and things and that's a perfect time for somebody to snatch it.

WHITFIELD: And we're talking about specifically the vulnerabilities that travelers might face as a result of people who are looking to steal their bags or their belongings, etc. and you say among the most vulnerable spots is when you just arrive at the airport or perhaps at your hotel?

MCINDOE: Absolutely. Any time you move into a new environment, that's when you become distracted. You're focused on either checking in, trying to figure out where to go. And the criminals, they are sitting there, looking for victims. They'll see you aren't paying attention to your bags, they'll just slip up beside you or near you and off they go.

WHITFIELD: Perhaps even for those folks who carry on their luggage, it might be a smart idea to even lock your carry-on luggage. Because at least that might act as a deterrent for someone who wants to conveniently take it away and realize, well, now I can't get into it.

MCINDOE: Unfortunately, they'll take it rip the lock off and off they go. So, it doesn't help a whole lot. You want to keep it near your person, keep aware of where it is at all times.

WHITFIELD: All right. You also advise not to travel alone. Really? A lot of people like to travel alone. And perhaps they have no choice, but to travel alone. What are the safety measures that maybe someone traveling solo needs to take? MCINDOE: It's a matter of choice. There are independent travelers and those people feel comfortable getting out on their own and taking care of themselves, but in general, if you can travel with a companion, that's the safest way to travel. It gives you somebody that can keep an eye on your back, and help you along. And when you're traveling, it's just a safer way to travel.

WHITFIELD: If someone grabs your bags, instincts are you want to go after them and try and get what belongs to you. What's your best advice on that?

MCNDOE: I don't care whether you're a female or male traveler, a child. If somebody wants one of your belongings, your life is not worth it. So just give it up. You know, be as defensive as possible. Try not to be argumentative. Just give it up and get out of the situation.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, now you've made it to perhaps the rental car agency. And you may feel like, okay, I'm making it home now, so to speak.

MCINDOE: Right.

WHITFIELD: Let me guard down. You say no?

MCINDOE: Absolutely not. We have run into a whole spate of incidents even within the United States where people now are surveilling(sic) rental car agencies. They'll look for people hauling bags and leaving bags by the car when they go back in to get paperwork or whatever it may be. And that's a perfect opportunity for them to strike. You want to look out in that parking lot. And if there's anyone hanging around go back and get somebody to escort you to your car. There's no sense in taking a chance.

WHITFIELD: And you say bottom line, be aware of your surroundings, no matter where you are, whether you are on the road, airport, hotel or rental car agency?

MCINDOE: Absolutely. Crime is probably the number one issue that will impact travelers over the season. You want to just not become a victim. So you want to pay attention to what's going on and don't get yourself into a situation where you will be a victim of crime.

WHITFIELD: All right. It's a shame we have to think about travel and we're getting ready to look forward spending time with friends and family and you have to worry about what terrible thing may happen. But these are great pieces of advice to make sure we all get there safely. Thank you so much, Bruce McIndoe.

MCINDOE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, straight ahead. They're cute, cuddly and they're on the verge of distinction.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (video clip): I'm Jeff Koinange in the Democratic Republic of Congo, coming up, we meet our closest cousins deep in the African bush.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In some struggling nations of central Africa, conservation often takes a backseat to daily survival, but our correspondent in Congo, Jeff Koinange shows us one example where humans are helping a disappearing breed of intelligent apes.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KOINANGE (voice-over): They are survivors of a dying species. Kikongo, Kisangani, and Kisongo are bonobos, a member of the ape family found only in the dense forests of the Congo. They are orphans, their parents were killed for meat among a brutal human civil war that has cost not only millions of human lives, but also countless bonobos. Until they are eight years old, the young require almost constant parental attention. They survive in this sanctuary only because their closest relatives are taking care of them. Traumatized by their experience in the bush, these young bonobos are initially wary of our camera equipment. It doesn't take long for them to adjust.

(on camera) Very much like chimps and gorillas they said to be extreme extremely intelligent.

(voice-over) In fact, scientists say their genes are very similar to humans. Claudine Andre has made it her mission to be stepmother to the bonobos. She first arrived in the Congo more than 30 years ago from Belgium. This mother of five now-grown children says she is passionate about saving the next generation of bonobos.

CLAUDINE ANDRE, SANCTUAIRE DES BONOBOS: Deep in my heart, I know we already lost the battle. This makes me sad, but I think we have to try. If we don't try, who will try?

KOINANGE: She tries by making regular trips to the meat market and with the help of Congolese officials, she confiscates chained bonobos about to be sold among other exotic meats.

ANDRE: Bushmeat, it's very popular. It's a job now. All over central Africa. And, strangely, this meat is very expensive for the people. But it's a new phenomenon.

KOINANGE: Andre's plowed her savings into buying this modest farm as a sanctuary. From sympathetic donors she gets some help to cover the $100,000 a year operational costs. She says she has managed to save 38 bonobos so far, but she warns there may not be too many still alive in the bush.

ANDRE: Perhaps we will have some good surprise, but I don't know. I'm not sure.

KOINANGE: You're not optimistic?

ANDRE: No. I'm very afraid for the species. KOINANGE: Studying bonobo behavior, she says, may provide important clues as to why humans can be so violent and why these great apes are not.

ANDRE: You have two things very important. You have no propriety of territory and you have no propriety, sexual proprietary. So it's two important reasons to have no conflict in a group.

KOINANGE: Andres says her next steps are to try to breed the species and eventually release some back in the wild, but that will depend on the safety and security of a country that has known little but human violence for nearly four decades. Jeff Koinange, CNN, Lola Yo Bonobo Sanctuary, Congo.

WHITFIELD: And if you would like to help out the sanctuary in central Africa, just go to the Web site on the scene here. It is bonoboducongo.free.fr. An email link is on that site.

Well, it is the kind of misbehaving that has a lot of folks talking today. The basketball brawl in Detroit. We'll talk with the ethics guy, Bruce Weinstein, for his take on the melee.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The word "fan" is short for fanatic. And last night, there was no shortage of impassioned emotion in Detroit as Pistons fans got into an all-out melee with the Indiana Pacers. It brings up a question of ethics and who better to answer this question than the ethics guy, Bruce Weinstein. Hell, Bruce.

BRUCE WEINSTEIN, CNN COMMENTATOR: Hi, Fredricka. How are you?

WHITFIELD: Well, how in the world does anyone make sense of what we saw last night?

WEINSTEIN: You know, it's really outrageous. And the sad thing is it's not only inappropriate for the fans and the players to act the way they did. It's self-defeating. The game ended 46 seconds earlier than it should have. It left a bad taste in everyone's mouth and everyone ended up losing. And one of the themes of this show has been when we take the high road, it's not just the right thing to do, but it's good for us in the long run. And conversely, when you take the low road, well, this is what you get.

WHITFIELD: And we should say it was both Pistons and Pacers fans apparently involved in all of this.

WEINSTEIN: There were no heroes in this. And it's interesting. One fan, in response to the melee, the problem is that the stadium was selling beer. And if there were no beer being sold this wouldn't have happened. Well, what about taking responsibility for your actions? You can't really blame it on the beer. And after all, it was the players who started it, not the fans.

WHITFIELD: It's going to be a tough one to sort out, who points the finger at whom. Because it doesn't look like anybody was right. Nobody responded with any sort of dignity.

WEINSTEIN: No. This reminds us exercising a little bit of restraint goes a long way. And again, being ethical and doing the right thing is a win/win situation. This is an example of what happens when we take the low road and why it's not a good thing to do.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, it's a terrible example. Everybody should be embarrassed and ashamed. It's embarrassing to watch over and over again to see people behave this way. And these are adults.

WEINSTEIN: It's true. And, in fact, the last thing any of us would probably want is to be front page news or featured on CNN for unethical conduct. And this is what's happened. We talk about players being professional. What is the word professional mean? It comes from a Latin word meaning to make a public declaration. So professional ball players, as well as health care professionals and law professionals are supposed to be devoted to serving the interests of other people. This was just completely selfish behavior. And so it turns the idea of professionalism on its head and it just really unfortunate for everyone in this situation.

WHITFIELD: What a terrible mess. All right. Bruce Weinstein, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

WEINSTEIN: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, perhaps you have questions for the ethics guy. E-mail your dilemma to ethics@cnn.com and we'll bring those on the air perhaps next weekend. And Bruce will try to sort it all out for you.

Well, they walked out standing tall without the cover and umbrella, but before long, our country's current and former leaders were seeking protection from the rain after all. CNN's Jeanne Moos on the wet dedication ceremony at former President Bill Clinton's library.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN WEATHERMAN: Hi. I'm Rob Marciano. Here is your cold and flu report for this Saturday. States highlighted in green indicate sporadic activity being reported into the CDC. That includes Texas, Arizona, California, Alaska, even Hawaii, where they typically have some pretty nice weather. Flu being reported in that state. Also Minnesota, New York getting a little more widespread, more green states on the map this weekend. Hope you're feeling well on this Saturday. And enjoy the balance of your weekend

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Looking at the brighter side of a very blustery day at the opening of his presidential library, Bill Clinton called the rain "liquid sunshine," quoting his late mom. The first word was definitely correct as CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you're a manly politician, there is an unwritten rule, ditch the wimpy umbrella, even when the camera gets to wear a raincoat, but in this case

BONO, U2: When the rain comes they run and hide their heads ...

MOOS: Even the manliest of politicians was forced to hide his head. Giving us a rare glimpse of leaders skewered by their spouses. See, Chelsea was almost blinded by her mom's umbrella and Senator Clinton was, herself, blonked.

SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON, (D) NY: ... dedication of this extraordinary institution.

MOOS: Usually being tall was an advantage for a politician, but it only made John Kerry more of a target while President Bush had to check under the umbrella to make sure he got the right wife.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Welcome to my rainy library dedication.

MOOS: Bubba may have rained supreme, but President Carter got the quote, "Once a president, always a gentleman," for wiping off his wife's seat. And the elder George Bush dedicated his raincoat for Laura Bush to sit on, though he eventually took it back. They were singing in the rain and praying in the rain, but mostly they were dripping in the rain. For security purposes, organizers handed out umbrellas without pointy tips. VIPs like Al Franken were given ponchos from Wal-Mart. John Glenn looked more like a blue Teletubby than an astronaut and even Bono surrendered to the elements.

BONO: Can I chicken out?

MOOS: Back in 1841, President William Henry Harrison spoke at his inauguration in pouring rain, declining the offer of an overcoat. He died within a month of pneumonia, no doubt a coincidence.

BILL CLINTON: If my beloved mother were here, she would remind me that rain is liquid sunshine.

MOOS: The soldier, holding the umbrella, didn't seem too convinced. He got almost as much face time as P. Diddy's manservant. But we wondered why in the downpour Mr. Clinton still had to lick his fingers. There is one good thing about huddling under an umbrella. Like two peas in a soggy pod, umbrellas inspire intimacy. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still much more ahead on CNN Saturday. In a few moments IN THE MONEY, at 2 Eastern, CNN LIVE SATURDAY. The holiday shopping season kicks off the day after Thanksgiving and there are lots of bargains out there if you know where to look. We'll have some tips for you.

At 3 it's NEXT@CNN. But now, a check of the headlines.

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