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CNN Live Saturday

Slobodan Milosevic Found Dead Today; Kidnappings a Harmful Trend in Iraq; Former Bush Aide Accused of Swindling Department Stores; Republican Delegates Participate in Straw Poll

Aired March 11, 2006 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour, a booming business in Iraq. Kidnapping. Why is the deadly industry gaining popularity? Plus, putting politics aside, two Americans take Iran by storm.
And then offering hope, where often none exists. We'll examine the world of experimental cancer treatments. Hello and welcome to "CNN Live Saturday." I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All of that and more after this check of the headlines.

Death in a detention cell. A Dutch team will perform an autopsy on Slobodan Milosevic. The former Yugoslav president was found dead today in his cell at The Hague. More on this story in a minute.

A tragic discovery in Iraq, the body of American hostage Tom Fox found in western Baghdad. The Christian peace worker had been shot in the head. Fox was kidnapped with three others back in November.

Shock and disappointment from The White House today over the arrest of the president's former top domestic political adviser, Claude Allen. Maryland authorities accuse Allen of swindling two department stores out of more than $5,000.

Ushering in a new era. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is among those attending the inauguration of Chilean president Michele Batchelet. Batchelet is Chile's first female president. Now circling mars, the spacecraft with the most powerful camera NASA's ever sent to the red planet. Scientists hope the mars reconnaissance orbiter provides them with a treasure trove of data.

He rose to power as a fierce nationalist and he led his people into four disastrous wars. Today accused Serbian war criminal Slobodan Milosevic is dead. He was found in his bed this morning at a U.N. prison near The Hague, he was 64 years old. CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour covered Milosevic extensively for more than a decade. She has more on the bloody reign that earned him the name the butcher of the Balkans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Slobodan Milosevic became president of Serbia in 1989. The Yugoslav wars would start two years later. Milosevic, the chief architect of carnage that had been unseen in Europe since the Second World War. It would take the next decade to stop his murderous Balkan rampage, to arrest, extradite and try him on charges of genocide at the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

LOUISE ARBOUR, WAR CRIMES CHIEF PROSECUTOR: I present the indictment for confirmation against Slobodan Milosevic and four others charging them with crimes against humanity. Specifically, murder, deportation, and persecutions in the violations of the laws and customs of war.

AMANPOUR: Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo. Throughout the 1990s, Slobodan Milosevic's policies, his paramilitaries, and his armed forces incited violence and ethnic hatred that would destroy Yugoslavia. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed, millions forced to leave their homes and wander the world as refugees. Civilians with a primary target in this bid to redesign Yugoslavia along purely ethnic lines.

The term ethnic cleansing became synonymous with Bosnia, as Serb forces there, loyal to and paid for by Milosevic, tried to carve out a separate state, by forcibly moving the non-Serb civilian population. They did it by bombarding towns and cities like Sarajevo with heavy artillery, besieging villages and massacring civilians. Snipers targeted men, women, and children. Markets full of people shopping were shelled. And in scenes unknown in Europe since World War II, there were concentration camps, mass rape, and the forced prostitution of women and very young girls.

This or gee of violence peeked with the Bosnian Serb assault on the tiny Muslim village of Srebrenitsa. To this day, the international Red Cross says that about 7,000 Muslim men and boys remain unaccounted for. The top Bosnian Serb leaders controlled by Milosevic were Radovan Karadzic and his military chief Radkom Laditch. They were twice indicted for genocide and crimes against humanity for the horror they brought to Bosnia. And to this day, they remain at large.

In 1995, after NATO conducted bombing raids to stop the Bosnian Serb, Slobodan Milosevic became the west partner in the peace that was forged a date in that year. But he was as poor a peace partner as he was a war maker. Having lost both Croatia and Bosnia in 1998 Milosevic launched one more military campaign. This time in the tiny Serbian province of Kosovo. It would prove his undoing. NATO again went to war to stop him. After 78 days of bombing, Milosevic finally capitulated. Now, NATO forces and the U.N. administration took over Kosovo. Hundreds of thousands of deported Albanian residents came home and survivors started looking for their dead.

Now the war crimes tribunal was able to start on-sight investigations. But ever the master of miscalculation barely a year after losing Kosovo, Milosevic called new elections. After supporting him for 10 bloodied years, the Yugoslav people had now had enough. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to celebrate his downfall, and the end of what many call their nightmare years. Next came Milosevic's arrest and by April 2001, only a few hundred die-hards mustered the will to protest. With Milosevic in Belgrade's central prison, Yugoslavia's new government accused him of everything from corruption, political killings and election fraud, to money laundering and recently even war crimes. In June 2001, the new government in Belgrade sent him to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. His trial there started in February 2002.

SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC: I consider this tribunal forced tribunal.

AMANPOUR: He never recognized the tribunal's authority and insisted on defending himself. If he'd been found guilty on the more than 60 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and other war crimes, he could have faced several lifetimes behind bars. Christiane Amanpour, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Our senior international correspondent Brent Sadler also covered the Bosnian conflicts and Slobodan Milosevic. He joins me now from Beirut. And Brent, you have to wonder of those surviving victims, how might this news be hitting them?

BRENT SADLER, BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Oh, we've heard from some of them already Fredricka and there is a great deal of shock and disillusionment that they've lost the chance to see Slobodan Milosevic being proven a war criminal by The Hague Tribunal in the Netherlands. That a historic opportunity to nail a former dictator for war crimes across the Balkans has been lost. The kind of conviction that could have set a warning to other potential future dictators that really these sort of crimes are not going to be tolerated in society today. So there's really a sense of tremendous disappointment, but at the same time, satisfaction that Slobodan Milosevic died locked up in a prison cell.

WHITFIELD: Well, given his ailing health, was there ever a feeling or thought that he would live to see the end of this trial?

SADLER: Oh I don't think there was much doubt that most close to the trial expected there to be continued delays. Although the chief war crimes prosecutor --(TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES)

WHITFIELD: All right, we've lost our signal there with Brent Sadler. When we are able to reestablish that perhaps we'll have to bring him back.

All right, friends and family of American Tom Fox are mourning his death after being shot and tortured. Fox was one of four Christian peace activists abducted back in November. There's been no worried on the fate of his three colleagues. CNN's Gary Nurenberg has more from Washington now.

GARY NURENBERG, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon Fredricka. Fox's friends today said he was a man of peace and an inspiration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG (voice-over): Tom Fox was trying to help Iraqi families learn what had become of missing loved ones. He knew the dangers and left a statement read today by an old friend.

ISABELLA BATES, FOX'S FRIEND: We reject the use of violent force to save our lives should we be kidnapped, held hostage, or caught in the middle of violent conflict situation. We also reject violence to punish anyone who harms us.

NURENBERG: At the Quaker meeting house in McLean, Virginia, where Fox served as a lay minister, friends remembered his dedication to peace.

SEAN WILNER, STUDENT: He was a man who listened to what God had to say and then did it.

NURENBERG: Fox taught here, students remember him with fondness.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: There are plenty of people out there in the world who are willing to die for war. But there are so few who are willing to die for peace.

NURENBERG: Fox's friends were joined by representatives of the local Muslim community who called for release of the remaining hostages.

NIHAD AWAD, COUNCIL FOR AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS: We hope that the Iraqi people and especially the kidnappers, they realize that the hostages that they have taken, are friends of the Iraqi people. They're not products of the country. They went there to help and they were there knowing that they're risking their lives. They should have been honored.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG: Fox's friends said today that what he would want most now is for his work to continue. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, Gary, what about the colleagues that were traveling with him and that were also being held hostage? Are any of these friends and families, are they having any insight or any reaction to what their disposition might be?

NURENBERG: What they are saying is that after the original videotapes of all of the hostages were released a couple of months ago, they have been receiving prayers from all over the world and they repeated today, their plea that these other hostages be released. They remain optimistic despite what happened to their friend Tom Fox.

WHITFIELD: All right Gary Nurenberg, thanks so much from Washington.

And we'll have more on the life of Tom Fox. Next hour, Carol Lin will talk with John Sir. A longtime friend of Tom Fox.

Well, Iraq topped the agenda this morning at The White House. President Bush and his advisers met to discuss efforts to counter what the military often refers to as IEDs. Those deadly roadside bombs that target U.S. military vehicles. Our White House correspondent Elaine Quijano has more, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka. Officials here at The White House believe that those devices, those IEDs have become almost exclusively the weapons of choice for insurgents in Iraq and others who want to incite sectarian violence. That is why we saw President Bush this morning sitting down for a briefing on IEDs.

He was joined by the defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and a retired army general, Montgomery Miggs, to get an update on how the U.S. military is trying to counter the threat from those IEDs. But this really is part of a larger White House effort to continue trying to drive home to Americans that in fact the administration does have a plan for victory in Iraq. White house officials believe it's especially important to deliver that message now as the three year anniversary of the start of the invasion approaches. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Elaine, the former political adviser Claude Allen, arrested and charged with theft. Is there any insight as to whether perhaps that's why he resigned his post last month?

QUIJANO: Well, we do have a little bit more background on that. First of all, President Bush was asked about this, the news that his former domestic policy adviser Claude Allen was arrested Thursday in Maryland for retail theft. Now, authorities in Maryland are alleging that Allen made fraudulent returns at two department stores. They say in 2005, they found some 25 incidents, totaling more than $5,000. Now the president says he learned about this last night through media reports, and today he expressed his shock and sadness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If the allegations are true, something went wrong in Claude Allen's life. And that is really sad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, Claude Allen's lawyer denies that his client did anything wrong. He says this was all a misunderstanding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALLON SNYDER, CLAUDE ALLEN'S ATTORNEY: Mr. Allen attends to establish that this is all a mistake. That nothing has been done that was inappropriate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, White House spokesman Scott McClellan says back on January 2nd, that is when an incident at Target was reported, and that's one of the places where some of these fraudulent returns were alleged to have been committed. Allen apparently notified White House chief of staff Andy Card that night on January 2nd about this matter. The next day, also talked to The White House Counsel Harriet Myers. And at that time, Allen assured both Card and Myers that in fact this was all a mistake. This was a misunderstanding. According to Scott McClellan, he says that there was some confusion Allen said, over his credit card because he had moved a number of times.

And because Allen had undergone very extensive background checks that they really were giving him the benefit of the doubt according to Scott McClellan, The White House press secretary. A few days after that, Allen told officials here he wanted to resign for family reasons. He held off until after the state of the union address and his last day was about three weeks ago. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano at The White House, thank you.

Well, get a look at this rare sight. In the bay area, snow. Heavy flurries redecorated San Francisco's landscape on Friday. More stormy weather is on tap today and it's not just taking aim at the west coast. Our meteorologist Bonnie Schneider is keeping track of all the activity. Hello Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEROLOGIST: Hello Fredricka. We have a tornado warning. It only has a couple more minutes left but it's in Barry County, which is in southwest Missouri. Highlighted here on your screen in red. And the reason that the National weather service has issued this tornado warning is because Doppler radar has indicated within this area the thunderstorm is producing strong winds and possibly even enough rotation to cause tornadoes to break out from it.

Now the bigger picture shows, we had a tornado watch we showed you earlier. A second one has been added and extended. So we're looking at a much larger area for a threat of severe weather today and tonight. Now it extends all the way far to the north into Peoria, Illinois, just to the south of Chicago. So a pretty broad area where we'll be looking for these very strong storms that may produce tornados and possibly even hail, 3/4 of an inch in diameter. So it's going to be a pretty stormy day there.

Now, as we take a look at what else is happening for the big picture, you'll see plenty of heavy rain that's pushing off to the east. And then back out to the west, you saw those pictures of the snow in San Francisco. Very unusual to see that, especially at sea level. We had reports of that all through the early morning hours. Now, we're getting some beneficial rain and snow to Arizona. Unfortunately though, while this is good news for Arizona, in Las Vegas, it is causing some airport delays. We have some reports there of airport delays in the Las Vegas region.

Now speaking of the severe weather, in the Midwest for tomorrow. The setup for today is, we have warm moist air ahead of a cold front coming in. So temperatures are into the 80s as you can see for New Orleans and into Dallas. But watch what happens for tomorrow. The colder air plunges further to the south. The warmer air surges further to the north. So that contrast is even more strong. So this area right through the heartland, including St. Louis and back down towards Oklahoma into Arkansas and then further off to the east, will be looking at an even bigger threat for severe weather Sunday afternoon into Sunday night. And Fredricka that could mean some violent tornadoes. So it's going to be a very, very active weekend for severe weather across the country.

WHITFIELD: All right, it looks like we're in that season. Thanks so much, Bonnie. Well, three Alabama college students remain in jail. They're accused of setting nine churches on fire. Up next, we'll speak with an associate pastor of one of those churches that burned to the ground.

And later, some republicans already have their eyes on the 2008 presidential race. We're live in Memphis for the southern republican leadership conference. Plus, fighting lung cancer. Could nontraditional treatments help you survive this deadly disease? We'll take a look.

Three Alabama college students remain locked up on suspicion of setting fires to nine churches. Yesterday a federal judge delayed a scheduled bond hearing for Russell Debusk, Benjamin Moseley and Matthew Cloyd. All three were arrested this week. What's the feeling of the church leaders now that suspects are in custody? Joining us now by phone from Centerville, Alabama, the Reverend Terry Bell. He is associate pastor of Pleasant Sabine Baptist Church, one of the churches burned last month. Glad you could be with us, Mr. Pastor.

REV. TERRY BELL, ASSOCIATE PASTOR, PLEASANT SABINE BAPTIST CHURCH: Well I'm glad to be here.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, a few days have passed. This has perhaps sunken in now that there are suspects in custody. What are your thoughts?

BELL: Well, I will say that we're sort of relieved that the arsonists have been caught. And that's a relief that no other church may have to go through what we went through.

WHITFIELD: At the same time when these church burnings were taking place, did you have any ideas as to who might be carrying out these fires? Was there a certain profile that perhaps you had envisioned?

BELL: Well, we didn't know exactly who, who did it and we had no clue. We were believing and trusting God that God would reveal them and that they would be shown. But we didn't have a clue who did it and why they did it.

WHITFIELD: So then, how shocking was this to learn that the lead suspects were college students from Birmingham?

BELL: That was a shock to us. No doubt these young mens come from good homes, good families. And they just -- they probably are great kids but made bad decisions and by them going to a Christian college I'm sure their parents wanted the best for them. They just made bad decisions.

WHITFIELD: Are you convinced of their reported reason that it was a joke that just got out of hand?

BELL: I can't speak for them. When one church is burned, that's one church too many. So I can't speak for them whether, how they take it as a joke or prank or what, I can't speak for them. But I'm thankful that they've been shown up.

WHITFIELD: So how comforting, if at all, is it that Birmingham Southern College is now saying they want to help rebuild the churches. Have you heard from anyone from that college directly?

BELL: I haven't heard anyone from anybody directly, I haven't talked to my pastor this morning. I don't know if he heard anything. But I did saw it on the news that he said he's willing to help the churches build back. So that's comforting to know and we're very thankful and grateful for that, so we're looking to hear from them.

WHITFIELD: In a strange way, this has brought a lot of congregations together, hasn't it? Just the common shared bond of having had to deal with this kind of travesty. So now as you all look to rebuild how might all of these nine churches get together to help one another to get back on your feet again?

BELL: Well it has been churches from various cities and states that have been coming to our rescue. They are donating pews, donating organs, donating church furniture. So everybody is reaching out to us and helping us, lending a hand. They've just been very gracious to us, so we're very thankful for that. And this cause I would saw helped bring the churches more, closer.

WHITFIELD: Terry bell, associate pastor of Pleasant Sabine Church there in Centerville, Alabama. Thanks so much, and continued good luck to you and the other congregations.

BELL: Okay, thank you so much, too.

WHITFIELD: Well, U.S. and Iranian politics may be worlds apart, but some basketball fans, they don't seem to care or think so. Next the story of two American athletes shooting hoops in of all places, Iran. Lung cancer, a leading cause of death in America and there is no cure, but some are finding hope in guess what, experimental treatments. That story later this hour.

Call it basketball diplomacy. American players are shooting hoops in Iran. While the war of words between governments heats up, U.S. players find they're big heroes among Iranian fans. ITN's John Snow has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN SNOW, ITN CORRESPONDENT: You notice them first on the team board. J. Crow at the bottom is no Iranian name, but it's when you see them that you know Eddie Elisma is decidedly not Iranian either. Two American basketballers playing a decisive role for an Iranian team. And the sponsor is Hoover. Of these people, virtually at war? Not tonight, they aren't. Their countries may not have had diplomatic relations for quarter of a century or more, but here in the hearts of the Islamic Republic of Iran, these two Americans, Eddie from New York, Jason from Los Angeles are Persian kings doing what they do best. At the end the game, carried a lot for all the world, as if they've been born precipitous.

JASON CROW, BASKETBALL PLAYER: Sports always, it brings our countries that are fighting together. Sports is a peaceful means, a chance for us to be together with other people without worrying about politics.

EDDIE ELISMA, BASKETBALL PLAYER: The people are very warm to us, you know.

SNOW: You got mobbed down there, really mobbed.

ELISMA: Yeah, they greeted me and Jason with open arms and I love them for that.

SNOW: And how long will you play here?

ELISMA: I mean it all depends. You know at the end of this season, go back home and then, you know, reevaluate situations.

SNOW: And nobody back home minds you being in Iran.

ELISMA: No, they mind.

CROW: They mind, but I'm a big boy so I make my own decisions.

SNOW: Coming off the court, Jason almost forgets himself tagging at his shirt as he would back home. But not here. Unlike football, in this sport, there are women present in the gallery. Even more poignant, though, are the next teams up. Representing two different Iranian army sides. Two Americans playing for each. They're not exactly banging the drum for engagement, but maybe it is proof that people to people, these people get along just fine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, there are about 20 Americans playing pro basketball in Iran. Some get paid as much as $200,000 a year. Most downplay the potential dangers of living in Iran. One says his biggest risk is being bored to death.

Now a look at our top stories. Investigators in the Netherlands are trying to determine the cause of death of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic. The man known as the butcher of the Balkans was found dead today in his prison cell at The Hague.

U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice is in Chile, where she offered congratulations to Chile's first female president. Rice led the U.S. delegation attending the inauguration of Michelle Batchelet. Rice offered no apology for U.S. support of former dictator Augusto Pinochet. Batchelet was jailed and tortured under Pinochet. President Bush says he's shocked by the arrest of former White House adviser Claude Allen. Allen was arrested this week in Maryland for allegedly defrauding department stores in a refund scam.

And two of the largest cell phone companies have temporarily stopped selling Motorola's popular Razor cell phones. Cingular and T-Mobile say technical problems are to blame. Some phones are dropping calls. Motorola says it is addressing the issues.

When we return, more on the death of American hostage Tom Fox.

Plus --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 'Cause of the criminal element. You ransom someone, you can make money and therefore fund your insurgent efforts.

LT. COL KEVIN BROWN, U.S. ARMY: Kidnaping is a deadly business in Iraq. Unfortunately it happens almost every day. A closer look at this threat right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Friends and family of American Tom Fox remembering him as a thoughtful man dedicated to the cause of peace. Fox's body was found along a Baghdad street. He had been shot in the head. Fox and three other Christian peace activists were kidnapped last fall. No word on the fate of his three colleagues.

Tom Fox is just the latest victim of what has become a daily threat in Iraq. But not all kidnapping victims out there are outsiders and the kidnappers often want more thing than more than any other. Money. Here is CNN's Arwa Damon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ali Rahed Ujai (ph) is one of the lucky ones. He was kidnapped for ransom in Baquba, freed by the Iraqi army, now back with his family. The kidnappers originally demanded $150,000. His family refused to pay.

They called again, asking for $50,000, his father Daea Darday (ph) says. I said, I will build his funeral tent before I will give you even $100. I said, let him die, let him be a martyr.

Kidnapping is big business all across Iraq. In the Abu Ghraib district west of the capital, the U.S. 10th Mountain Division has been busting kidnapping gangs since last year.

BROWN: Because of the criminal element. You know, you ransom someone, you make money and you can therefore find your insurgent efforts.

DAMON: This marketplace was prime pickings for kidnappers until Iraqi security forces set up permanent checkpoints in the area at the beginning of the year. Military officials say things are safer now, but the Abu Ghraib neighborhood used to be sanctuary for the kidnapping gangs. Multiple joint military operations reduce their ability to function there.

BROWN: The kidnapping cell is elusive because -- because of the nature of that type of activity. I mean, it's criminal, is what it is. And so what we have to do is work through our human intelligence linkages. They stay on the move. I mean, they don't -- kidnapping cells don't establish a location. You have to operate pretty quickly to stay on the heels of it and garner something out of it.

DAMON: When the kidnappers moved to the fields and farmlands north of the city, so did the military's intricate game of cat and mouse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be advised, audible small arms fire.

DAMON: The first major sweep of the area in early January saved the life of French engineer Bernard Planch (ph).

(on camera): Bernard Planch was rescued about a month after he was kidnapped, when U.S. and Iraqi army forces were conducting an operation through here. Planch, whose captors had fled, walked out of that little white building over there.

(voice-over): This run-down street in a relatively safe neighborhood became sanctuary for an entire family of 85, victims of multiple kidnappings.

DAMON: They kidnapped by brother, Aziz Salman (ph) says, and I paid $30,000. They kidnapped my uncle and I paid 20,000.

Aziz shows the house where he used to live, a place he was proud to have built but may never return to. I never cry, he says, just when I had to desert my home. He lost his home but knows that, unlike many other Iraqis, he was lucky to have enough money to save his family's lives.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Abu Ghraib, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And now to politics at home. Another presidential race is beginning to take shape. This weekend, a half dozen Republicans are going through an early audition. Senior National Correspondent John Roberts has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the day's big event. A straw poll for presidential preference. A first glimpse at who's up, who's down and who sold the delegates in Memphis?

SEN. SAM BROWNBACK, (R) KANSAS: Let's keep winning, keep smiling, and standing strong for freedom.

ROBERTS: Some tried out, presidential slogans. Others sought to burnish their conservative credentials.

BROWNBACK: I'm Sam Brownback and I'm a Ronald Reagan Republican.

ROBERTS: And while most of the potential candidates, like Senator Bill Frist, played down aspirations for '08.

SEN. BILL FRIST, (R) TENNESSEE: Way too early to say.

ROBERTS: Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee joked, who are you trying to kid?

GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) ARKANSAS: And nobody at all is thinking about 2008. And we don't know and in the world anybody is already going to New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina right now.

ROBERTS: For the delegates, it was a weekend shopping spree. Whether for Republican souvenirs or the party's next standard bearer. Most were looking for the vision thing. Though South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham painted a picture of a party in trouble.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: And I am sorry we're letting you down when it comes to spending your money. And I'm sorry that we've gone native and we're going to turn it around. If we don't, we're going to be in trouble in '06.

ROBERTS: But if the pundits were looking for potential candidates to run away from President Bush and his problem, they were disappointed. None were critical. In fact, former rival John McCain played the president's chief defender. Even on the ports deal.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: I would have at least allowed the president the 45-day delay before we HAD hammered him. And I think that the -- I think the president -- the president deserved better.

ROBERTS: McCain remains the front run among possible Republican candidates. The open question, can he appeal to the base after the bitter battle of the 2000 campaign? Republican strategist Charlie Black thinks he can.

CHARLIE BLACK, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: He might need to some personal repair work with some of the Bush campaign organization. But he'll certainly be acceptable to most conservatives.

ROBERTS (on camera): McCain's chances could also ride on how the Democratic contest shapes up. If it appears as though Hillary Clinton indeed will run for the nomination, Republicans, conservative and moderate, may rally behind McCain, believing he is the only person who could beat her.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, John Roberts, thanks so much from Memphis.

And now this just in. Tragic news coming out Evansville, Tennessee. According to Ray County Sheriff's Department, nine people died in a house fire there earlier this morning. This taking place just north of Chattanooga.

Meantime, lung cancer is a tough disease to beat. That's why some are turning to experimental drugs for help. After the break, we look at which ones are working.

And later, a year after the Atlanta court house shootings, Ashley Smith tells us what happened the night Brian Nichols showed up at her apartment. CNN LIVE SATURDAY will be right back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN ANCHOR: You can get federal tax credits for making your home more energy efficient. Installing items like insulation, energy efficient windows, and upgraded heating and cooling systems can save you as much as $500 this April 15th.

To learn more go to energystar.gov and click on tax credits. And remember these improvements may also qualify you for state tax rebates or incentives from your local utility company, so be sure to contact your state energy's offices as well.

Of course, an energy-efficient home means lower energy bills over time and your house will be that much more valuable when it comes time to sell. I'm Gerri Willis with "Your Energy Tip."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Carol Lin is here now to give us a preview of what's ahead.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. A couple of interesting stories. Of course, we've got some big news to cover today, but something unique in the next hour, a class at Harvard University on how to be happy.

WHITFIELD: I like that.

LIN: How to achieve happiness.

WHITFIELD: I like that.

LIN: You know, I mean, they're learning this in the ivy league. So what does that say about ivy league students? But it's one the most popular classes, and I'm going to talk to the founder about that.

WHITFIELD: Well, what does that say about people in general who have a hard time finding reasons to be happy?

LIN: Yes, exactly. And one of things he said is count your blessings every day, physical activity, but other tips and we're going to get into that.

WHITFIELD: Oh, good.

LIN: At 6:00, you've heard about this story that just makes you want to go online and check your bank account because people are losing hundreds or thousands of dollars because somebody managed to steal their pin code and there is this wave of fraud around the world.

So I'm going to talk to someone who says she thinks she knows how those pin codes got stolen. So we're going to talk more about that and how to keep your account safe, but she's got an interesting theory. Every time you use your debit card, did you know that the little machine, the keypad records your pin? WHITFIELD: Remembers. I know it's scary.

LIN: It is.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LIN: Well, there you go.

WHITFIELD: We're all nervous about our identity being, you know, compromised.

LIN: Well, you're unique, Fred so, I'm sure nobody ...

WHITFIELD: Oh, really? OK, thanks. Tell that to the fraud artists out there, all right?

LIN: You got it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot, Carol. Well, here's a question for you. Could a blood test predict which smokers will get lung cancer? Researchers say high levels C-reactive protein could help them determine which smokers are most at risk.

CRP is a biomarker, found in blood, used to gauge inflammation, which may lead it abnormal lesions in airways. Those lesions could advance into lung cancer, but researchers warn more tests are needed.

And many were stunned this week by the death of Dana Reeve, a nonsmoker. She died of lung cancer. It's one of the toughest cancers to beat. When traditional radiation or chemotherapy treatments fail, some are finding help in clinical trials with experimental drugs or gene therapy.

Dr. Bill Lloyd is with us now. He's at the University of California Davis Medical Center. Good to see you, Dr. Bill.

DR. BILL LLOYD, UNIV. OF CALIF.-DAVIS MED. CTR.: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's talk about how seriously people want to consider these experimental or nontraditional methods of cancer therapies?

LLOYD: Well, when we say something is experimental, it doesn't mean it doesn't work. It just means it's targeted therapy. Now think about this, Fredricka. If you wanted to rob a bank, you could use a bunch of dynamite, blow up the bank and maybe recover some of the money, but the building might fall down on top of you and next door buildings may fall as well.

In the past, we've managed cancer the same way. We're going to poison the tumor, chop it out, radiate it and you know what? There may be a lot of other damage to the rest of the body as well. So targeted therapies are the new way. And many of them are experimental but because we know the biology of cancer much better now than a generation ago, target therapies are the way to go to treat cancer.

WHITFIELD: So targeted or experimental therapies. Who has access to it?

LLOYD: Well that's a great point, because you used to think that you could only getting the cutting edge stuff if you were a celebrity or you knew a doctor who knew a doctor kind of thing. But, you know, are there hundreds of these clinical trials available from the federal government. Anybody with cancer is allowed to participate.

You have to volunteer and the best way to find out if there's a trial that's going to work for you, that you might to be able to be enrolled in, is just speak to your doctor because oncologists and clinicians hear all the time, and they know the network to go through in order to get somebody enrolled in one of these experimental trials.

WHITFIELD: Would it matter what stage your cancer might be in?

LLOYD: Well, different trials apply to different kinds of cancers. You know, there's over 300 different kind of cancer. And if it's an early lesion, then you know what? Traditional therapy may be best.

In other cases, where you have tumor that's resistant to traditional therapy, then you might be considered a candidate for an experimental trial even if you're in an advanced of stage of disease. So there's no universal pattern. Sometimes these targeted therapies are given in combination with radiation and chemotherapy.

WHITFIELD: No, in fact, that was going to be my follow-up. Is it more like a supplement or in exchange of? Lower radiation -- yes.

LLOYD: Once again, it depends specifically on what the different problems are and what stage they here in the disease.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Bill Lloyd, thanks so much.

LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.

WHITFIELD: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHLEY SMITH, HOSTAGE SURVIVOR: Well, he came in, and closed the door, and locked the door. And I can just remember right here just saying please don't hurt me. I have a little girl who doesn't have a dad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: One year later, Ashley Smith takes us back to the apartment where she went face-to-face with Brian Nichols. Her story in her own words next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A year ago today, Atlanta was trapped in a nightmare. It began with a man overpowering a guard and shooting his way out of a courtroom. The nightmare continued for 26 hours. And it eventually came down to the suspect and a struggling single mom. Tonight CNN's Kyra Phillips recounts 26 hours of terror in special "CNN PRESENTS." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): For the first time, Ashley Smith returns to her apartment since moving out one year ago.

(on camera): Is it strange being back?

ASHLEY SMITH, FORMER HOSTAGE: Yes, it's very strange being here.

PHILLIPS: What were you thinking when you pulled up?

SMITH: How nervous I was going to be going in here and how kind of weird it feels.

PHILLIPS: How do you feel right now.

SMITH: OK. I'm a little short of breath.

PHILLIPS: So take me through that day.

SMITH: When I turned around and saw him right there the door was already open. He just followed me in and shut and locked the door.

PHILLIPS: He the gun right on your head?

SMITH: Yes, yes, right at my face.

PHILLIPS: So what happened at that point?

SMITH: Um, well, he came in. And closed the door. Locked the door. I can just remember right here. Just saying, please don't hurt me. I have a little girl who doesn't have a dad.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): It's been two weeks since Ashley last saw her daughter. But she planned to see her later that morning.

SMITH: He the gun pointed right at me and I began to scream immediately with the gun pointed at my face.

PHILLIPS: Thinking she may never see her daughter again, she tries to reason with Nichols.

SMITH: I said you don't understand. I haven't seen her in two weeks. Her Daddy's dead. Imagine what she's going to feel like what I don't show up. She's going to think that I didn't want to see her.

PHILLIPS: Brian Nichols asked him for something to help him relax.

SMITH: He asked me if I had any marijuana. And I was like, what? No. But immediately I said I have some ice.

And thought, oh my gosh, what did I do? I can't do that. But it was too late, I had already offered to him.

PHILLIPS (on camera): Why did you have it?

SMITH: Because I was addicted at the time to it.

PHILLIPS: Did you feel a need to do it with him.

SMITH: No way. I knew that was my last chance. I had been more of a prisoner to that drug for the past few years and I was to Brian Nichols that night in this apartment, really. It took control of my life. It even made me give custody away of my daughter. The person I love the most in the world.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): For the first mine her life, Ashley Smith says she has the strength to refuse crystal meth.

SMITH: I just felt a presence, like a presence of God come into the house and, like, everything is going to be OK. And that's when I went and grab my "Purpose Driven Life" and asked him if I could read. I went and grabbed it and went and sat on the bed.

PHILLIPS: "Purpose Driven Life" is Rick Warren's best selling devotional book. Ashley reads a paragraph out loud.

SMITH: What you are is God's gift to you. What you do with yourself is your gift to God. God deserves your best. He shapes you for a purpose and he expects you to make the most of what you have been given. He doesn't want you to worry about or covet abilities you don't have.

SMITH: Nichols asks her to read it again. It seems to register. And he begins to open up.

PHILLIPS: He said he felt like there was a demon inside him. And that there was a spiritual warfare inside of him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Tune in tonight and tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m eastern for a special two-hour edition of a special "CNN PRESENTS: 26 Hours of Terror." Still much more ahead. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Carol Lin is up next with more of "CNN LIVE SATURDAY."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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