Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

WTO Protetsters Clash with Police in Hong Kong; New York Transit Labor Unrest; A Look at the NSA; Child Prostitution; Alternative Gift Giving; Stoli-Wood, Russia Film Industry

Aired December 17, 2005 - 17:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In a stunning statement, President Bush says spying inside the U.S. is essential to stop terrorists.
And the "Fight for Iraq": The votes are cast and many Americans are now wondering if U.S. troops can now come home.

And all I want for Christmas is -- an ox? You're about to find out about a different kind of giving this year.

Hello, and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Carol Lin. All that, and more, after this quick check of the headlines.

Vice President Dick Cheney says he is going to be traveling to the front lines of the war on terror. He is stopping in Afghanistan Monday for the opening of parliament before heading on to Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

A busy weekend on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers are trying to wrap up last minute business on a number of funding bills before the Christmas holidays. GOP allies of President Bush are also fighting to save expiring provisions of the PATRIOT ACT.

A tragic bus accident in South Africa today. At least 20 people died. Nearly 80 others were injured. The bus ran off a dirt road and plunged into a river. It was packed with people heading home for the Christmas holiday when the driver lost control.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jack Annderson died from complications from Parkinson's disease. He spent his life fighting political corruption, writing newspaper columns that appeared in some 1,000 newspapers. Anderson was 83 years old.

To our top story now. President Bush is confirming one of the government's biggest secrets. A domestic spying program. And he's blasting the media for outing it. The president is also dealing with some harsh criticism. CNN's Kathleen Koch live now at the White House. Kathleen?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, President Bush was facing some heavy pressure here from members of Congress and the public, many of them deeply troubled by the prospect of the federal government without a warrant spying on people inside the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KOCH (voice-over): It was a dramatic about face. Friday the president insisted he would not discuss ongoing intelligence operations. But in a rare live televised radio address Saturday an unapologetic Mr. Bush admitted he gave the National Security Agency permission to intercept international communications of people in the United States.

GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives.

KOCH: Mr. Bush insisted those targeted were people with known links to al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations. He said the program had protected and prevented terrorist attacks in the U.S. and abroad.

BUSH: I have reauthorized this program more than 30 times since the September 11th attacks and I intend to do so for as long as our nation faces a continuing threat from al Qaeda and related groups.

KOCH: President Bush maintained congressional leaders had been briefed on the program. And that top government legal officials regularly reviewed the activities. The top Senate Republican wouldn't say whether he backed the eavesdropping but that he was aware.

SEN. BILL FRIST, (R) MAJORITY LEADER: I have been kept abreast of programs that are appropriate for the majority leader to be briefed on.

KOCH: Mr. Bush insisted the Constitution grants him the power to authorize the eavesdropping. Others disagree.

SEN. RUSSELL FEINGOLD, (D) WISCONSIN: It doesn't matter how many times he talks to members of Congress, how many times the Justice Department tells him it's OK, if it's not within the law, if we haven't passed a law allowing it, he can't do it. What he is doing is illegal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: So, despite the president's unusually candid explanation after what he did and why, many members of Congress remain unconvinced. So the new year for the White House may start with hearings promised by members of both the House and Senate into the legality of the eavesdropping program. Carol?

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Kathleen Koch live at the White House. President Bush is preparing for another live speech, this one on Iraq. He is going to address the nation tomorrow night. Join Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM for a preview at 8:00 Eastern and at 9:00, watch the presidential address and a special edition of LARRY KING LIVE.

Now, some may see the agency responsible for eavesdropping as shadowy and sinister but the government is trying to change that image. CNN national security correspondent David Ensor takes you inside the NSA, it is a report you may have first seen on CNN's ANDERSON COOPER 360.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From its headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, the super secret National Security Agency eavesdrops on literally billions of communications worldwide.

MAUREEN BAGINSKI, NSA DIRECTOR OF SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE: It's secrets worth knowing, data that no one else can get.

ENSOR: But for some, the awesome power of NSA's technology and its secrecy are a source of concern.

BARRY STEINHARDT, ACLU: What's happening, of course, is that the NSA says trust us, we're the government. We won't abuse the law but of course what they're really saying trust us, we're the government spies and won't abuse the law. But since there is no real check on them, there's no way to know that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Request immediate keyhole visual tasking at maximum resolution.

ESNOR: In the 1998 movie "Enemy of the State," NSA was portrayed by Hollywood as an evil big brother, spying on Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get into his life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The government's been in bed with telecommunications industry since the '40s. They have affected everything. They can get into your bank statements, computer files, e-mail. Listen to your phone calls.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife's been saying that for years.

GEN. MICHAEL HAYDEN, NSA: I made the judgment that we couldn't survive with the popular impression of this agency being formed by the last Will Smith movie.

ENSOR: When General Michael Hayden saw the movie, he saw a problem, an image problem, in part why the NSA decided to let CNN inside the NSA to see where code breakers gather and protect the nation's secrets. Above all, Hayden knows NSA cannot be seen as trampling on the privacy rights of U.S. citizens.

HAYDEN: It has to be somewhat a secretive agency. OK? And right in the middle of a political culture that just distrusts two things most of all. Power and secrecy. OK? And that's a challenge for us. And that's why, frankly, we're trying to explain what it is we do for America and how it is that the law. Could there be abuses? Of course. Would there be? I'm looking you in the eye and the American people in the eye and saying there are not.

ENSOR: Hayden says the NSA has not spied on the Americans since the '70s after it was found to be eavesdropping on Jane Fonda, Dr. Benjamin Spock and other anti Vietnam war activists. At that time, the law was tightened up but when, for example, eavesdropping on a drug ring in Colombia separating the foreigners who can be legally bugged from the U.S. citizens or residents who cannot is not always easy. And the NSA gets pressure from law enforcement agencies to help out with such cases.

JAMES BAMFORD, AUTHOR, "BODY OF SECRETS": It's a battle that goes on behind the lines and great deal of secrecy and, you know, how close they get to the line or whether they slip over sometimes is a matter that has to be watched closely.

ENSOR: In Europe, the debate about the NSA and privacy centers around these surveillance facilities in Menwith Hill, England, a European Parliament report suggested there may have been economic espionage by the U.S. to help American companies against European competitors.

Is that true?

HAYDEN: No. And I'm really welcome the opportunity and glad you asked the question. That is absolutely not true.

ENSOR (on camera): However, he says if the NSA detects lawbreaking, by law, it must inform other U.S. agencies like the State Department. So, if, for example, it learns that a foreign company is using bribery to try to obtain a contract, that information does not remain a secret. David Ensor, CNN, Fort Meade, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. So stay tuned to CNN for the latest information, day and night.

Now, dawn is about to break in Hong Kong after a night of violent clashes between riot police and anti-World Trade Organization protesters.

CNN's Mike Chinoy was there in the middle of it. He filed this report a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A peaceful end to a day of chaos and violence here in Hong Kong. In the middle of the night, the police moving in and dragging away hundreds of protesting South Korean farmers.

(voice-over): The farmers' leader had earlier declared they would not resist violently. They were ready to be arrested with dignity. It was a stark contrast to the running battles the Koreans fought with police earlier in the day. The protesters' target, a Hong Kong convention site of the WTO meeting. Their goal, to have their voice heard inside the corridors of power. To demonstrate their opposition to opening South Korea's market to imports of foreign rice, something they say would destroy their traditional way of life and something they blame on globalization and the WTO. The police had set up new concrete barriers to prevent demonstrators from getting past the officially designated protest site. The South Koreans tried anyway and were repelled by hoses and pepper spray. As darkness fell, they regrouped outmaneuvered the police and charged towards the convention center trying to overturn barriers and fight their way inside.

The police fired teargas to drive them back. Running battles turning this area of luxury hotels and businesses into chaos. Later, the protesters occupied one of Hong Kong's main highways, forcing police to warn local people to get off the streets.

(on camera): With their patience at an end, the police finally moved in. That's not the end of the protests here. Another big rally is scheduled for Sunday afternoon to mark the closing of the WTO session. Mike Chinoy, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says he sees U.S. troops involved in Iraq for years to come. He told the BBC that the U.S. owes it to Iraq to keep troops there as long as they're needed and that could hinge largely on Iraq's political future. CNN's Aneesh Raman has more from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The two leading candidates for prime minister are sharply divided over religion and politics. Ayad Allawi, a familiar face, the former interim prime minister thought to be hand picked by the U.S. and seen as one of America's closest friends in the Iraqi leadership. A year ago September, Allawi addressed Congress to thank the U.S. for its support. In the post-Saddam transitional government, though, Allawi fell out of power and has since been planning a comeback since. He is fiercely secular, a moderate Shiite who enjoys support among both the minority Kurdish and Sunni communities because of his opposition to allowing Shi'a religious leaders into politics.

AYAD ALLAWI, FORMER INTERIM PRIME MINISTER: We project ourselves as Iraqis. Secular Iraqis. We would like to see noninterference or not getting political parties to use the religious names of religious scholars and their campaigns.

RAMAN: With so much turmoil, for many his forceful, no-nonsense approach sounds good, in fact, a rumor he killed a jailed insurgents in the days before he became prime minister only added to his appeal. Allawi denies the rumor. The other front runner is this man, Adel Abdul Mehdi. He is also Shiite, but he represents the alliance of Shi'a religious parties. He is the interim vice president and looks and talks like a national leader.

ADEL ABDUL MEHDI, INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT: I feel very confident, very optimistic about those election. These people would not only for the slates, they think they represent them. But also, against terrorism. Against terrorism and insurgency. RAMAN: As prime minister, Mehdi would be the political face of a religious party led by Muslim clerics. He lived in Iran as the party's representative from 1992 to '96, and would no doubt push for better relations between Baghdad and Tehran. In his government, clerics could play a significant, maybe even dominant role. With religious rules controlling daily life and religious hard line could be difficult for not only the U.S. but also Sunnis.

SALAH AL-MUTLAG, LEADING SUNNI: If the sectarian part of the political process is going to govern the country again, I think it will worsen the situation and the insurgency will go up.

RAMAN: These two men, classmates back in high school, now vying to lead post-Saddam Iraq.

(on camera): One promising a secular democracy. The other, democratically elected by guided by clerics. Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: The fallout from Hurricane Katrina. People who want to go home say they are priced out of the market. Are landlords just out to make a quick buck?

Plus, innocence lost. We are going to take a look at America's sex trade and hear firsthand from the people who are forced to sell their bodies.

And later in the program, you've heard about Hollywood. And Dollywood. Well, watch out. Here comes Stoliwood. Details from Russia ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I'm Chief James Jefferson here in Paati (ph), Iraq. I'd like to wish a very happy holidays to my wife, Jahndi (ph) Jefferson, my son James, and my daughter Britney (ph). Happy holidays.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, my name is Major Wanda Jenkins (ph) from Awastad, Iraq (ph). I'd like to say hi to my family in Killeen, Texas. Hi Todd, hi Tiffany and hi, T.J. We'll see you soon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I'm Sergeant Jesus Jimenez. I want to send a happy holidays to my wife back in Fort Hood, Celeste Jimenez.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We've been focusing on what's been happening in the places hardest hit by the hurricanes. So, you've probably heard that the New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin wants people to come home now. Well, it turns out many New Orleans residents are dying to do just that if only they could afford the rent. Here's CNN's Alina Cho with a report that first aired on PAULA ZAHN NOW.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The new New Orleans is an expensive, very expensive, place to live. Katrina evacuees who want to return are finding they can't. Rents have doubled, in some cases, tripled. Residents like Sherry Cunningham and her daughter, Megan (ph), feel priced out.

SHERRY CUNNINGHAM, KATRINA EVACUEE: The perfect example is, we found a three-bedroom for $950. We were so excited. We called. And he said, oh, I'm sorry. I went up to -- I decided to go up to $1,250 today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

CHO: Megan (ph) is up against the clock. She will be a senior at Tulane University when classes resume next month. They're renting a room on the outskirts of the city, while they look for something permanent.

CUNNINGHAM: The one across the street is not too bad.

CHO: They feel that landlords, post-Katrina, are out for a quick buck.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the perfect opportunity ...

CUNNINGHAM: To take advantage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To take advantage.

CUNNINGHAM: We're all in dire straits.

CHO: In dire straits, but at least in New Orleans.

Chiquita Simms and her son are stuck hundreds of miles away, in Atlanta. Before Katrina, she paid $800 a month for her two-bedroom apartment in New Orleans. Now she would be lucky to find something for $2,000 a month. So, she's waiting it out in this bare-bones apartment.

CHIQUITA SIMMS, KATRINA EVACUEE: This is not the way a freezer looks for a household in New Orleans.

CHO: The rest of the apartment is just as empty. She sleeps on a blow-up mattress in the living room. Her son got a bed last week.

SIMMS: At a time when people are down to their least and wanting to come back to contribute to the economy, or wanting to come back, you can't, because you can't afford it. We're priced out.

CHO (on camera): Would you go so far as to say that this is price gouging?

SIMMS: It's definitely price-gouging.

CHO (voice-over): Attorney Judson Mitchell represents people searching for affordable housing. He says there are three main problems. An estimated one-third of the city's homes were wiped out in the storm. FEMA workers are willing to pay top dollar for places to live. Finally, state housing laws let landlords evict month-to- month tenants without cause.

JUDSON MITCHELL, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: So, the previous tenants, when they come back, they generally find that the landlord doesn't want to talk to them, does everything to avoid them, tells them that they have to leave, and, in many cases, just straight-out evicts them, so they can clear the way for these new people to come in and, you know, get those big rents.

CHO: And it's all perfectly legal.

ANDREW HOOPER, RIVERLAKE PROPERTIES: It's about our survival as -- as landowners.

CHO: Andre Hooper manages more than 1,000 rental units in the city. He's collecting rent on half. The other half, damaged in the storm, are under repair. But those repairs don't come cheap these days. For example, laborers now charge between 50 and 100 percent more an hour than they did before Katrina.

HOOPER: I think we have probably gone up 10 percent on the stuff that we can rent right now, but our expenses far outweigh that. I mean, it's not even close.

CHO: Sherry and Megan (ph) Cunningham say they could understand a 10 percent increase in rent, but, so far, everything they have seen has been a lot more than that.

(on camera): So, you're essentially waiting it out?

CUNNINGHAM: We're waiting it out. We are -- we're hoping that, as more properties become available, those that do have to be fixed up, that the prices will start going down.

CHO (voice-over): They could be waiting a long time.

Alina Cho, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Here's a welcome sign for New Orleans, beginning tomorrow, the streetcars are going to start running again. And the familiar sound of the trolley, well, that hasn't been heard since Hurricane Katrina. Officials are going to start slowly and the federal government is paying millions to make it work.

Fashion fugitive. Accused of assaulting a woman for 12 hours on Halloween. One of America's most wanted is finally captured.

Also, have you been searching for that perfect something for that special someone this holiday season? Well, we may have the answer you've been looking for.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: A fugitive fashion writer is under wraps today in Memphis, weeks after fleeing New York. A tip led police to Peter Braunstein after the case was aired Monday on "America's Most Wanted."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE HARBER, UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS POLICE: We called our officers in. Gave them pictures of the individual that was on the Internet and an officer was on patrol looking for the guy, actually, and encountered him here.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Instead of surrendering, Braunstein took out a knife and stabbed himself in the neck. His capture was as bizarre as the crimes he's suspected of committing and a life this once successful book editor and fashion writer had come to lead. Police say Braunstein bought a firefighters uniform on the Internet and they say he wore it on Halloween night when he set two small fires to break into a former colleague's apartment. He allegedly drugged her, tied her up with tape and assaulted her for 13 hours. His father said he was shocked to learn the man accuse odd of this horrible crime was his own son.

ALBERTO BRAUNSTEIN, PETER BRAUNSTEIN'S FATHER: You could just -- devastating. Devastated. Because really reading about it, my first thought was anyone who -- who could commit such a thing must be emotionally disturbed.

COLLINS: Braunstein vanished, and so began a month and a half long game of cat and mouse with the NYPD. He was featured on "America's Most Wanted" tracked to a midtown New York City hotel, spotted in Time Square and may have used his metro card in a subway station. Some who know Peter Braunstein say his issues with women began long before his alleged crime.

NAT FINKELSTEIN, FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER: He is abusive, nasty, at least six women that I know of including my own wife that he's threatened.

COLLINS: A look at the employment record shows Braunstein was a scribe with a dark side. His words were featured on a website called gettingiton. Writing articles like "Commitment to Raunch" and "Wicked Women to Watch." He was charged with stalking a former girlfriend and sentenced to probation. And used another Web site to label her a biohazard. Though he was estranged from his son for two years, Braunstein's father begged his son to stop running from the law.

BRAUNSTEIN: I'm pleading with him. To turn himself in. Before something drastic or tragic happens.

COLLINS: But his son didn't listen. And when confronted by cops in Memphis, he simply said, I'm the person you're looking for. Before attempting to take his own life. Heidi Collins, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, coming up, crack down on child prostitution. How the Justice Department was able to break up numerous sex rings.

And this.

JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jen Rogers in Manhattan where holiday shoppers are busy scurrying about, thankful a strike was averted this weekend. Will they be so happy come Monday morning? Stick around. I'll have the very latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: These are the stories happening right now. President Bush acknowledges ordering secret wiretaps and he says he would do it again. In a live speech today, the president said he authorized the National Security Agency to spy on people right here in the United States linked to terror groups.

To the Middle East now. Palestinian security forces say a Palestinian militant was killed in an air strike on a car in Gaza. An attack they blame on Israel.

Christmas at the Vatican, a towering Christmas tree was lit in Saint Peters Square, today. The honor of lighting the 100 foot fir went to an Australian boy that saved a relative from drowning.

Now, a federal crack down on child prostitution. Thirty people are named in separate indictments which targeted shadowy networks that forced children as young as 12 to have sex. Federal law enforcement officials say the problem is huge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS SWECKER, FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: There are approximately 300,000 youth currently at risk of becoming victims of commercial and sexual exploitation in the United States. The average age of a child who enters into prostitution is 14 with some as young as nine years old. A large percentage of these children run away from home because of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Prostitution is a continuation of the victims' sexual exploitation, not the beginning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: What in the world is going on out there? Let's try to find out. My guest tonight, B.J. Bernstein. She's a former federal prosecutor, she was involved a landmark federal prosecution against a child prostitution ring right here in Atlanta. B.J. good to have you.

Thank you.

LIN: How do the sickos get the kids?

B.J. BERNSTEIN, FMR. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It's really unbelievable. When I was working with -- I was actually the guardian for the victim, 15 young girls who were victimized in the federal case in Atlanta, and you would start talking to them and they would say, I went to the mall and this man came up to me and he took me to get my nails done or took me to get my hair done. LIN: Like a courtship.

BERNSTEIN: Almost -- exactly. And just start seducing these girls, and then they would talk to them and find out, well, what's going on at home? What are your problems? You can talk to me. And then next thing you know is the next step where they literally get the child to stay out all night. And then they introduce them to drugs, and into a life that is -- it's really horrifying.

LIN: And are the kids usually from, I don't know, what kind of families?

BERNSTEIN: You know, it's across the board. I would have girls from -- who were part of a suburban family with two parents were there and go in an area that was a good middle class neighborhood to girls who were definitely subject to being open to victimizing. I mean, one little girl, she had a mother who had been a crack addict. She lived with her father that took care of her. She went to the bad neighborhood looking for her mother. She got targeted and they said, oh, we'll help you find your mother and then next thing you know, the child is, you know, caught up in this web. So it can be any type. It is not limited to a certain race or psyocioeconomic background and that's what's so frightening.

LIN: Is it hard to prosecute these guys or is it pretty much an open and shut case?

BERNSTEIN: No, it's very difficult to.

LIN: Why?

BERNSTEIN: And part of the problem is getting the evidence together. These little girls, you know, once they've gone into this life, they're very afraid to testify. And, they get these bizarre emotional attachments. In the case here in Atlanta, this one little girl after she testified against the person who was her pimp, got off the stand and wept and cried because she said she lived loved him, that is the person who had taken care of her.

LIN: You're kidding?

BERNSTEIN: No. So, there's so much more involved than just your regular prosecution, even of a regular child molestation case because not only are they being molested, but they're entire life is abducted. Their entire being is in this very shadowy, dangerous world.

LIN: What's the maximum that these guys can get?

BERNSTEIN: Oh, goodness, they could face up to 20, 30 years in prison...

LIN: But not life?

BERNSTEIN: It depends how this indictment has drafted. I haven't actually seen the new federal indictment. But again, it's very difficult to prosecute. Because, also, it's hard to keep track of the victims. I know that when I was involved in the case, the FBI gave me a list of where these girls were and over half of them weren't where they originally were because it's not like you get taken off the street and then you're ready for a regular life again.

LIN: All right, so some of the kids, in this particular case, young as 12. What are the long-term implications? You've known these girls now for four years. How -- do they -- can they lead a normal life? Have normal relationships?

BERNSTEIN: Some can and some can't. The girl's that I'm involved with -- one of the girls is ready to go to college and is doing well. Another one I talked to just a month ago, and she's still fighting a drug problem. Because once you're introduced to drugs, it's very difficult to get off of them and we don't have resources. You know, for the 12, 13,-year-old girls, there are programs. But once, believe it or not, these girls are 17, 18 years old, and really not able to care for themselves, we don't have services available for them and it is a fight to try to keep them in a straight life.

LIN: B.J., thank you very much. What a big heart you had to be by the girls' sides while they went through such a terrible ordeal.

BERNSTEIN: I'm glad the government is continuing to fight the fight.

LIN: Thank you very much.

Well, now another look at a child prostitution case, this from the eyes of the victims. That part of the story from CNN's Deborah Feyerick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was never a choice, not for Linda.

LINDA BORK, SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIM: I was 11 and my mom sold me into prostitution.

FEYERICK: Not for "Keisha" who was 12 and did it to make her 32- year-old boyfriend happy.

"KEISHA": SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIM: That's all it takes is pull my pants down and like have sex with a guy for money, then that was just something I felt I was going to do at that time.

FEYERICK: And not for Tina, who was 14.

TINA FRUNDT, SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIM: I was raped and I was assaulted and I was sexually abused.

FEYERICK: They were all children, forced to grow up too soon.

BORK: It's not glamorous and it is not fun and it's...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. BORK: It's -- it's not a choice I made. I was put there by someone that I loved and trusted.

FEYERICK: Not a choice because when "Keisha" tried to get out after six months, she was already in too deep. She asked us to protect her identity.

"KEISHA": And he threw a glass at my face and told me that I couldn't leave, and because he loved me.

FEYERICK: Donna Hughes is working for the State Department putting together a report on sex trafficking, also known as forced prostitution.

DONNA HUGHES, UNIV. OF RHODE ISLAND: Part of it is that everyone assumes that the women are there by choice. They don't understand the violence and the control that these pimps or traffickers have over them.

FEYERICK: No knows how many American women and girls are forced to prostitute themselves. The Census Bureau doesn't keep those kinds of figures, yet research shows where U.S.-born prostitutes treated as criminals, those born outside the country treated as victims of an inescapable tragedy.

HUGHES: They are not arrested. They are -- and they're offered services the same as a refugee would be. But unfortunately, because we haven't recognized that the exact same thing is happening to American women and girls, they're often just arrested, put in jail.

FEYERICK: American girls are simply not seen as being unwilling players in the sex trade. Yet, Tina Frundt learned otherwise when her boyfriend forced her to have sex for cash.

FRUNDT: Just like in international trafficking, they move you to a different country where you know no one, where you have to solely depend on them. Same thing with domestic trafficking, they're moving you constantly from state to state. Sometimes you don't know where you're going to be next. You don't know the city. You know where he puts you out on the street, that block and that's then only thing you know.

FEYERICK (on camera): The laws are slowly changing. Still, the majority of states are unable to prostitute cute pimps as sex traffickers charging them instead with other crimes like rape or kidnapping.

(voice-over): Even so, it is the women on the streets who bear the brunt of the backlash. Carol Smolenski heads an organization trying to wipe out child prostitution.

CAROL SMOLENSKI, ECPAT USA: If only we could change the -- chain the train the American girls to say they're Canadian then they could be referred to the federally funded services for trafficking victims.

FEYERICK: Yet for women like Linda, the damage is done.

BORK: I'll never be the same. I'll never be...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I won't either.

BORK: A happy go lucky little girl. I never got that chance. And I'll never be able to be that happy, go lucky little girl.

FEYERICK: And that, too, was never her choice, Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Saint Paul, Minnesota, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, right now we want to move to New York City. That city is bracing for a possible transit strike at the height of the holiday rush, but there's still hope buses and trains will run as usual. Jen Rogers at Penn Station, right now, with the latest on the negotiations -- Jen.

JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Carol. That is right. Today, buses and trains were running as usual and of course, that putting a smile on New Yorkers' faces, but also for tourists around the country, some of whom coming here for the holidays and of course the big New Year's Eve celebration which is just up the street in Times Square.

Now, what happened today is that it was really business as usual for the subway. It was not so smooth, though, over at the bargaining table. Negotiations did continue between the transit authority and the transportation workers' union. They pulled an all-nighter on Thursday and were not able to reach an agreement on pay, health, and pension benefits. So, again, they were back to the bargaining table for a few short hours before recessing again. Neither side would characterize for us how the talks went today but the transportation authority said the fact they're talking at all is progress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY DELLAVERSON, MTA NEGOTIATOR: Have the talks broken off? The answer to the question is the talks have not broken off. We're still here. As far as I know, the union is still here. I spoke to them, you know, not too long ago on the telephone and they told me that they were still here, so I believe they're still here. I know that we're still here. So, by no means have the talks broken off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROGERS: Now if no new terms are reached, they could go into what they're calling phase one of a strike and that would be a limited strike affecting two private bus lines in Queens. That would impact a small fraction of the 33,000 workers and nearly seven million daily riders, here in New York -- Carol.

LIN: Yeah, but the people who need public transportation the most probably live in Queens, you know, they can't afford a taxi or car service, so let's hope they get this resolved. Thanks, Jen. Well, if you're not into giving or getting sweaters and ties this holiday season, how about an ox? Or even enough vaccinations to protect an entire village against meningitis? The art of alternative gift giving, next.

And then, the Bruce Willis of Russian motion pictures. You're see life in Stoli-wood. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, you're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SPEC. ROSEO EMARQUEZ (PH), U.S. ARMY: Hi, my name is Specialist Roseo Emarquez (ph) from Tikrit, Iraq. And I wish -- I want to wish happy holidays to my family and friends down in Houston, Texas.

LNT. COLONEL JOHN MCLAUREN (PH), U.S. ARMY: Hi, this is Lieutenant Colonel John McLauren (ph) on Kabul, Afghanistan, wishing merry Christmas to my wife Laurie and two boys, Brian and Daniel, who are in Wichita Falls, Texas.

LNT. COLONEL AFREDO EMONTAVO (PH), U.S. ARMY: Hello. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Afredo Emontavo (ph), I just want to say happy holidays to everyone in San Antonio, Texas. I'm in Mosul, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Do you ever get tired of spending, spending, spending on just stuff? All the crowds of people shopping at Christmas malls. I mean, well, might be Christmas malls because that's the way it feels right now. But what if your gift could change lives? Jeanne Sahadi with CNNMoney.com is here with an alternative way to give.

Jeanne, what a relief, because you know what? Why do go to a department store and grab, you know, the same old sweater when you could do something for someone who has literally nothing. Right?

JEANNE SAHADI, CNNMONEY.COM That's exactly right. And in fact, you could do something for 50 or 100 people or even 1,000 people with literally nothing. You can provide medical care, blankets, partial -- portions of shelter, farming animals to help them get out of, you know, to help them increase their harvest. You know, for the price of a stocking stuffer, your money can go incredibly far. It's a sort of thing that people who do it say that, you know, it is a win-win-win situation. You, the giver, feel good about, you know, making maximum use of your money, the person who -- in whose name you give the gift feels good. And the person who's receiving the services you're helping to support, obviously, is in need of those services and is appreciatetive even if it's anonymous donation.

LIN: But Jeanne, let's -- you know, there are politics in giving, right? Even amongst family members. I mean, if I give you a gift, you're kind of expecting, I don't know, some thing. So how do I wrap it? How do I communicate that this is something that I want to be good for both of us and for someone we don't even know? SAHADI: Well, you know, you can make it a part of the gift you give somebody. If it's going to be awkward that someone wants something material as well as a donation. The organization through which you make the denoition will send a card and an explanation of how that donation is used in your name. And if, you know, for instance, say you're buying a share of an oxen, you can do so for $14 for a farmer in Bolivia, they will -- you can maybe get a picture of an oxen and something else having to do with oxens. I don't know.

LIN: A little toy oxen.

SAHADI: Yeah.

LIN: How do you find groups, though, that are willing to, you know, package it for you?

SAHADI: There are a number of groups out there. I spoke to a couple and you can find it on CNNMoney.com. One is called Alternative Gifts International. There's also a network called Network for Good -- Networkforgood.org. And there are a number of charities like Doctors without Borders (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that have created sections on the websites specifically for holiday gifts, birthday gifts, wedding gifts.

LIN: You know, I interviewed a nonprofit called Room to Read based out of San Francisco and they build schools. I mean, $5 is an after school tutoring or $10 is a bicycle for kids that don't have anything. It's amazing how far, you know, just a few dollars can go.

SAHADI: Right.

LIN: But, how do you -- how do you know that it's not a scam? I mean, let's say you Google something, right? Alternative Gifts or something like that, how do you know it's a legitimate organization?

SAHADI: I think that if you're going to give directly to a charity, you want to go to Charitynavigator.org, Charitywatch.org, or guidestar.org. All three of those organizations rate charities and they give you access to their financial records. You know, because you really want to make sure that the money is being used efficiently, that a lot of it isn't going to fundraising or to overhead for the organization. Charitynavigator.org is great, they have an efficiency rating and that's what measures the use of that money and that's really important to donors.

LIN: And can you pick your country or region where you want to help?

SAHADI: Oh, absolutely. If you go to Alternative Gifts International for instance, you can -- they have 35 relief projects, you can pick any one of them. They're, you know, international from any number of countries. World Vision, I believe breaks it down by country. But, they make it is so simple for you and it's going to open your eyes to all sorts of needs you didn't know existed.

LIN: And what if you want to give right here at home in the United States?

SAHADI: You know, interestingly, with all the money that we have donated for Hurricane Katrina and also for the tsunami, donations to human services has gone down in the past three years. Food banks, shelters.

LIN: So in short?

SAHADI: In short, you can give a gift on behalf of Americans. There's a lot of poverty in this country, as well and these groups do serve those populations, too.

LIN: Terrific. Jeanne, what a great idea. Thanks so much.

SAHADI: Thank you.

LIN: Happy holidays.

SAHADI: Thank you very much.

LIN: Now, you have heard of Hollywood and maybe Bollywood in India, but what about Stoli-wood? We'll learn why this new age of film making to give a new meaning of the phrase "From Russia with love."

And her enigmatic face has captivated imaginations for centuries. But now, scientists are decoding Mona Lisa's smile. Details when CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Checking the most popular stories from CNN.com: Chevrolet is looking back on the vintage models for inspiration. The car maker hopes to recapture a share of the auto market with innovative eye- catching designs. Look for changes in the coming years.

And it is not exactly the "Da Vinci Code," but scientists are looking, or at least unlocking the secrets of Mona Lisa's smile. Using a computer and emotional recognition software, they determined she's 83 percent happy and a mix of other emotions. Click on to CNN.com for more details.

Now, Hollywood is always looking for the next big thing, but "King Kong" may not be it. The remake about the giant ape look if less than $10 million in its opening day, Wednesday, well below the king-sized debuts of other action films. In Russia they're working on their own blockbuster, minus the big ape. Here's our Matthew Chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Action!

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the next action-packed blockbuster to hit the screens. But this isn't this Hollywood, its Russia's answer to America's domination of the movie business. Stoli-wood as it's known here is producing a new wave of high quality, highly popular Russian movies with homegrown stars like Goshi Kutsenka who calls himself the Bruce Willis of Russian film.

GOSHI KUTSENKA, RUSSIAN ACTOR (through translator): I remember a time not so long ago when we shot only one or two films a year. We had no film market and people had to beg for money. Now we are selling so much oil we have cash to spend on films and us actors are feeling wealthy.

CHANCE: And that new money is funding big Stoli-wood hits like "Company 9" set in the 1980s in the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The movie struck a cord with the Russian public, grossing more than $25 million in just a few weeks, smashing records for any film here, Russian or otherwise. But star and director, Fyador Bandachuk told me problems, like too few movie screens across Russia still hamper real profits.

FYADOR BANDACHUK, RUSSIAN FILMMAKER: We have 400 theaters in Moscow and only two -- 20 in Saint Petersburg, so imagine about Siberia and just imagine about the small city and the small town in Siberia, there is no theater Dolby theaters there so I think this is the most important question of -- to make industry more modern and more interesting.

CHANCE: There's also a big problem with pirated DVDs eating into profits. Sometimes hitting the streets before films like this are even released.

(on camera): Russia's film industry is still very much in the infancy. The idea of making films and money is still to fully take root here, but every year more and more movies are being produced and amongst Russians at least, they're proving among the most popular.

(voice-over): And growing contacts with Hollywood itself, making the Russian industry stronger, more professional. Hollywood movies filmed in Moscow, like the soon to be released "Captivity" directed by Roland Joffe, used mostly Russian technical staff. But if Russia's own film industry is to thrive and build on its success, insiders say it will need to convert this Stoli-wood popularity into much bigger profits.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And there's still much more ahead on CNN, including a frank and very personal look at post-traumatic stress disorder for the men and women in the U.S. military. More of CNN LIVE SATURDAY after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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