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Pentagon Claims It Removed Some Munitions from Iraqi Site; Candidates in Home Stretch; Surgeon Teach Astronauts to Operate in Space

Aired October 29, 2004 - 14:00   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: What happened to tons of explosives at an Iraq weapons facility? The Pentagon says the U.S. Army removed a lot of it. We're live on the story.
We're live from the campaign trail as Bush and Kerry make their final blitz to get your vote.

And political statement? America's oldest civil rights organization comes under scrutiny by the IRS after comments critical of the Bush administration. Live this hour, NAACP president Julian Bond.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips. Miles is off. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Iraq's missing explosives. The mystery deepens, and now the Pentagon says it removed a vast quantity of munitions from the site in question. But it's still unclear exactly what was removed by the U.S. Army.

Let's bring in Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr to help us unravel some of the confusion -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, confusion it was, Kyra. About a half-hour press briefing here at the Pentagon, but it's not clear what that briefing really accomplished at the moment. Let's explain a little bit. The secretary's top political operative, Larry Di Rita, the top spokesman at the department, went to the podium, accompanied by a young Army major, a professional Army officer who was an expert in munitions handling, who served in Iraq in April 2003 in this very area.

Now, the political side of the house. The Pentagon says it was trying to make the point that there was an organized effort to find munitions and destroy them. The Army major walked through what he knew about the al Qa Qaa munitions facility. That he was there on April 13, 2003, removed 250 tons of munitions, including what he believed was plastic explosives.

But very importantly, this Army major said he could not testify to the notion, if you will, that any of the material he removed, and his unit, was the material that was the subject of the IAEA's concern, the material that the IAEA says is part of the 377 tons of munitions missing in Iraq. Here is a bit of what the Army major had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. AUSTIN PEARSON, U.S. ARMY: I did not see any IAEA seals at the locations that we went into. I was not looking for that. My mission specifically was to go in there and to prevent the exposure of U.S. forces and to minimize that by taking out what was easily accessible and putting it back and bringing it into ((UNINTELLIGIBLE) holding area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Five days after this major was there, a Minneapolis television station was there. It took these pictures of other soldiers going through locked sealed areas, opening them up, looking at the munitions inside, looking through IAEA-sealed materials which would indicate high explosives were there five days later after this major says his unit removed 250 tons of material that he really couldn't say was the IAEA material.

This comes one day after this satellite photo was put out by the Pentagon which showed trucks at one of the bunkers in this area back on March 17, 2003, before the war began. This potentially bolstering the case that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld was making just a day ago that the material, in his judgment, was most likely removed by Saddam Hussein's regime before the war began.

So Kyra, what you have is a number of scenarios and no clear answers yet. But clearly what the big mystery is today is why the Pentagon decided to have this briefing and put even more legs on this story -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Thank you so much.

And the Army group that moved some of those munitions from the facility was led by U.S. Army Major Austin Pearson. Pearson said that he found no evidence of any of the munitions being sealed by U.N. weapons inspectors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEARSON: I did not see any IAEA seals that the locations we went into. I was not looking for that. My mission specifically was to go in there and to prevent the exposure of U.S. forces and to minimize that by taking out what was easily accessible and putting it back and bringing it into (UNINTELLIGIBLE) holding area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: However, here's another element to the story. Videotape shot by the ABC affiliate that Barbara was talking about appears to support the theory that the munitions were removed after Baghdad fell, when U.S. troops were in charge. Reporter Dean Staley worked for KSTP- TV at the time that he was embedded with the 101st Airborne when it entered the bunker nine days after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DEAN STALEY, FMR. REPORTER, KSTP-TV: Well, at least one of the bunkers had a very thin wire around the steel doors that were -- you know, the doors opening -- that opened to the bunker. And when we first saw it, it looked suspicious to us because it was too thin to, you know, keep anyone out of the bunker. So our first thought was maybe this is some sort of booby trap.

It was very suspicious to us. We looked at it very closely.

We ended up breaking it so that we could get inside. And it is only now that some weapons inspectors have looked at this videotape. And we're hearing now that they say they believe that's one more reason to think that the weapons inside may be the weapons that everyone are talking about -- everyone is talking about right now because this was a seal likely that one of the inspectors left there before the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: It was a flash point issue from the outset. But at his first campaign event on the last Friday before the election, John Kerry steered clear of the missing explosives. Instead, delivering a sweeping closing argument, imploring voters to wake up.

CNN's ever vigilant Frank Buckley is awake. He's standing live. The rally is soon to get under way in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Hi, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Buckley, Frank Joseph, reporting for duty for you, Lieutenant Phillips. We are here in West Palm awaiting the arrival of Senator Kerry for a rally as the campaign moves from the -- the phase of closing arguments, as the campaign has been calling the various speeches, into more of a phase of rallies. We'll have one here later, and others along the way between now and Tuesday.

Having said that, earlier today in Orlando, Florida, Senator Kerry did deliver one last speech that the campaign said was an attempt to bring together all those closing arguments that Senator Kerry has been making. Senator Kerry describing it as a summary of his case. Kerry trying to convince voters that he will be the champion of the middle class.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This election is a choice between four more years of tax giveaways for millionaires, along with a higher tax burden for the middle class. Wake up, America. Wake up.

The middle class of America is paying a higher tax burden as a share of the tax burden under George Bush, and lower wages, and the millionaires and the richest people in the country are earning more money and paying a lower tax burden. You have a choice. You can have a president who continues down that road of separating America, or you can have a president like me, who will stand up and fight for a tax cut for the middle class, to raise the minimum wage, and make sure that women are paid equal pay for a day's work in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: As we were saying just a moment ago, the campaign now moving into this phase of rallies. The whole point to try to get their supporters excited, to make sure they get out to the polls.

And helping in that effort tonight here in the Miami area, just south of where we are, will be The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, once again performing on behalf of John Kerry, with Senator John Kerry. Bruce Springsteen appearing yesterday in Madison, Wisconsin, before a huge crowd of some 80,000 people. Appearing later as well in Columbus, Ohio.

The campaign telling us that afterward, he said that he didn't want to wake up on Wednesday feeling as if he hadn't done everything he could to help John Kerry. And so they added -- he asked to be added to the slate of folks down here at Miami this evening.

So Bruce Springsteen once again to appear with Senator Kerry tonight in the Miami area. They're saying the crowd they expect tonight, not as many as in Madison, where there's some 80,000 people. A smaller crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 folks expected down here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I'm so disappointed I'm only a lieutenant. I've been holding on to that.

BUCKLEY: I'm sorry?

PHILLIPS: You called me a lieutenant at the beginning of the live shot. You could have at least given me lieutenant general.

BUCKLEY: All right. How about lieutenant commander?

PHILLIPS: All right. Oh, man, I'm slowly working my way up.

Hey, Jon Bon Jovi with Edwards, The Boss with John Kerry. It's pretty amazing these musicians that they pull out.

BUCKLEY: Yes. You know, and both sides do this, Kyra. As you know, on the Bush side, President Bush is calling out Arnold Schwarzenegger to help him out in Ohio.

This is something they do to generate those big crowds. Both sides do it. Both sides have their stars.

And in the case of Senator Kerry, it's Bon Jovi and Carole King has been performing as well. The Foo Fighters were out yesterday. So a lot of these celebrities come out toward the end to try to generate the big crowds.

PHILLIPS: Our biggest celebrity, Frank Buckley. Thanks so much.

Well, George W. Bush is on his final campaign expedition of 2004. He left the White House this morning and won't be back until Election Day, at which time he'll have paid one more visit to New Hampshire, Ohio, Michigan Wisconsin, Minnesota, Florida, Texas and maybe others.

New Hampshire is the only New England state Al Gore lost in 2000. But this time Bush can't take the Granite State lightly. OK, we promise after the primary we'll lay off the pun.

In Manchester today, Bush, too, delivered what aides call a culmination of his case for a second term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our strategy to win the war on terror is succeeding. We are shrinking the area where terrorists can operate freely. We have the terrorists on the run. And so as long as I am your president, we will be determined and steadfast, and we will keep the terrorists on the run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Bush's next stop, Toledo, Ohio, about two hours from now.

In other news "Across America," all settled. What began as a stunning case of she said-he said ends with both sides saying never mind.

Fox talk show host Bill O'Reilly and a former associate producer have dropped their lawsuits. She had charged sexual harassment. He had countered with a charge of extortion. Both sides now say there was no wrongdoing by anyone but won't discuss terms of that settlement.

Black Hawk down. It happened overnight during a cross-country training exercise. Four paratroopers were injured when their helicopter crashed just outside of Richmond, Virginia. The cause of that crash is under investigation.

A white Halloween, at least in Flagstaff, Arizona. Residents are digging out from a record 10 inches of snow that surprised them. And just think, winter officially still about eight weeks away.

Do you have what it takes to be a surgeon?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MEHRAN ANVARI, NEEMO 7 MISSION: With this technology, people who are not doctors, people who are not surgeons can perform emergency surgery to save somebody's life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: An underwater experiment that could ultimately be a life saver.

And Sir Elton John has some more words for Madonna, but this time none of them are the four-letter kind. Will they be holding hands and skipping stones? Find out later on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News "Around the World" now.

Terror in Thailand. Back-to-back bombs explode at a marketplace in the south of the country. Twenty people are wounded, eight civilians and 12 police. Violence in Thailand's Muslim south has recently surged with more than 400 deaths just this year.

A constitution for Europe. Leaders of 25 European countries sign a treaty establishing the European Union's first constitution. It will only come into force after ratification by member states. That document is designed to speed up the decisionmaking process in the EU.

And from ballet dancer to king. Carried on a golden throne, former dancer Norodom Sihamoni is crowned Cambodia's new king. He replaces his father. Cambodia's king is seldom involved in day-to-day politics, but the position carries huge cultural significance for the country's people.

Now this from our "don't try this at home" department. It's called remote surgery, or to give it is proper name, telementoring. NASA is going underwater to teach astronauts to act as surgeons if a medical emergency happens in space. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the television series "Star Trek," doctors of the future may treat a patient, even in the far reaches of outer space. But for now, NASA astronauts are being trained to act as doctors in extreme environments.

ANVARI: With this technology, people who are not doctors, people who are not surgeons can perform emergency surgery to save somebody's life.

GUPTA: The technology is called telementoring. Dr. Anvari is a general surgeon guiding astronauts on Neemo 7. That's the NASA Extreme Environmental Mission Operations.

ANVARI: Guiding an astronaut who acted as my left and right hand to perform the surgery...

GUPTA: Using telecommunication lines from a hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Dr. Anvari gives surgical instructions to NASA astronauts located in Aquarius. That's an underwater habitat similar in size to the space shuttle off the coast of Florida.

ANVARI: You are operating with somebody who has absolutely no knowledge of human anatomy, of surgical instruments, what they are supposed to do. So you really go back to the basics and try and be as simple as possible, trying to coach them through a potentially dangerous, life-threatening operation.

Not even a spill of blood or bile.

GUPTA: NASA astronaut Cady Coleman has flown in space twice. And she has no formal medical training but just completed her first operation.

CADY COLEMAN, ASTRONAUT: I've gone from Band-Aids to gall gallbladders. And I think it's a pretty big step.

GUPTA: From gallbladders to kidney stones, to repairing an injured artery, telementoring can be a surgical solution for soldiers in the field, to remote areas lacking doctors.

COLEMAN: In order to send people further, we'd like to send them as safely as we can. We'd like to send them with all the capabilities that we can.

GUPTA (on camera): As doctors prepare to use their skills beyond the confines of hospitals like these, they may find that in extreme situations, almost anyone can act as a surgeon.

(voice-over): Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: It was a defining moment for America. But will Americans want to relive it on television? A couple of networks are betting you will. Details later on LIVE FROM.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler live from the New York Stock Exchange. For many people, there will be more than just trick or treaters at the door this Halloween. I'll explain when CNN's LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, this Halloween you may have all that candy ready for trick or treat, the scary movie already in the DVD player. But have you ordered the pizza? Better order it early because it's going to be a busy night.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(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


Aired October 29, 2004 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: What happened to tons of explosives at an Iraq weapons facility? The Pentagon says the U.S. Army removed a lot of it. We're live on the story.
We're live from the campaign trail as Bush and Kerry make their final blitz to get your vote.

And political statement? America's oldest civil rights organization comes under scrutiny by the IRS after comments critical of the Bush administration. Live this hour, NAACP president Julian Bond.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips. Miles is off. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Iraq's missing explosives. The mystery deepens, and now the Pentagon says it removed a vast quantity of munitions from the site in question. But it's still unclear exactly what was removed by the U.S. Army.

Let's bring in Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr to help us unravel some of the confusion -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, confusion it was, Kyra. About a half-hour press briefing here at the Pentagon, but it's not clear what that briefing really accomplished at the moment. Let's explain a little bit. The secretary's top political operative, Larry Di Rita, the top spokesman at the department, went to the podium, accompanied by a young Army major, a professional Army officer who was an expert in munitions handling, who served in Iraq in April 2003 in this very area.

Now, the political side of the house. The Pentagon says it was trying to make the point that there was an organized effort to find munitions and destroy them. The Army major walked through what he knew about the al Qa Qaa munitions facility. That he was there on April 13, 2003, removed 250 tons of munitions, including what he believed was plastic explosives.

But very importantly, this Army major said he could not testify to the notion, if you will, that any of the material he removed, and his unit, was the material that was the subject of the IAEA's concern, the material that the IAEA says is part of the 377 tons of munitions missing in Iraq. Here is a bit of what the Army major had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. AUSTIN PEARSON, U.S. ARMY: I did not see any IAEA seals at the locations that we went into. I was not looking for that. My mission specifically was to go in there and to prevent the exposure of U.S. forces and to minimize that by taking out what was easily accessible and putting it back and bringing it into ((UNINTELLIGIBLE) holding area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Five days after this major was there, a Minneapolis television station was there. It took these pictures of other soldiers going through locked sealed areas, opening them up, looking at the munitions inside, looking through IAEA-sealed materials which would indicate high explosives were there five days later after this major says his unit removed 250 tons of material that he really couldn't say was the IAEA material.

This comes one day after this satellite photo was put out by the Pentagon which showed trucks at one of the bunkers in this area back on March 17, 2003, before the war began. This potentially bolstering the case that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld was making just a day ago that the material, in his judgment, was most likely removed by Saddam Hussein's regime before the war began.

So Kyra, what you have is a number of scenarios and no clear answers yet. But clearly what the big mystery is today is why the Pentagon decided to have this briefing and put even more legs on this story -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Thank you so much.

And the Army group that moved some of those munitions from the facility was led by U.S. Army Major Austin Pearson. Pearson said that he found no evidence of any of the munitions being sealed by U.N. weapons inspectors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEARSON: I did not see any IAEA seals that the locations we went into. I was not looking for that. My mission specifically was to go in there and to prevent the exposure of U.S. forces and to minimize that by taking out what was easily accessible and putting it back and bringing it into (UNINTELLIGIBLE) holding area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: However, here's another element to the story. Videotape shot by the ABC affiliate that Barbara was talking about appears to support the theory that the munitions were removed after Baghdad fell, when U.S. troops were in charge. Reporter Dean Staley worked for KSTP- TV at the time that he was embedded with the 101st Airborne when it entered the bunker nine days after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DEAN STALEY, FMR. REPORTER, KSTP-TV: Well, at least one of the bunkers had a very thin wire around the steel doors that were -- you know, the doors opening -- that opened to the bunker. And when we first saw it, it looked suspicious to us because it was too thin to, you know, keep anyone out of the bunker. So our first thought was maybe this is some sort of booby trap.

It was very suspicious to us. We looked at it very closely.

We ended up breaking it so that we could get inside. And it is only now that some weapons inspectors have looked at this videotape. And we're hearing now that they say they believe that's one more reason to think that the weapons inside may be the weapons that everyone are talking about -- everyone is talking about right now because this was a seal likely that one of the inspectors left there before the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: It was a flash point issue from the outset. But at his first campaign event on the last Friday before the election, John Kerry steered clear of the missing explosives. Instead, delivering a sweeping closing argument, imploring voters to wake up.

CNN's ever vigilant Frank Buckley is awake. He's standing live. The rally is soon to get under way in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Hi, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Buckley, Frank Joseph, reporting for duty for you, Lieutenant Phillips. We are here in West Palm awaiting the arrival of Senator Kerry for a rally as the campaign moves from the -- the phase of closing arguments, as the campaign has been calling the various speeches, into more of a phase of rallies. We'll have one here later, and others along the way between now and Tuesday.

Having said that, earlier today in Orlando, Florida, Senator Kerry did deliver one last speech that the campaign said was an attempt to bring together all those closing arguments that Senator Kerry has been making. Senator Kerry describing it as a summary of his case. Kerry trying to convince voters that he will be the champion of the middle class.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This election is a choice between four more years of tax giveaways for millionaires, along with a higher tax burden for the middle class. Wake up, America. Wake up.

The middle class of America is paying a higher tax burden as a share of the tax burden under George Bush, and lower wages, and the millionaires and the richest people in the country are earning more money and paying a lower tax burden. You have a choice. You can have a president who continues down that road of separating America, or you can have a president like me, who will stand up and fight for a tax cut for the middle class, to raise the minimum wage, and make sure that women are paid equal pay for a day's work in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: As we were saying just a moment ago, the campaign now moving into this phase of rallies. The whole point to try to get their supporters excited, to make sure they get out to the polls.

And helping in that effort tonight here in the Miami area, just south of where we are, will be The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, once again performing on behalf of John Kerry, with Senator John Kerry. Bruce Springsteen appearing yesterday in Madison, Wisconsin, before a huge crowd of some 80,000 people. Appearing later as well in Columbus, Ohio.

The campaign telling us that afterward, he said that he didn't want to wake up on Wednesday feeling as if he hadn't done everything he could to help John Kerry. And so they added -- he asked to be added to the slate of folks down here at Miami this evening.

So Bruce Springsteen once again to appear with Senator Kerry tonight in the Miami area. They're saying the crowd they expect tonight, not as many as in Madison, where there's some 80,000 people. A smaller crowd of 3,000 to 4,000 folks expected down here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I'm so disappointed I'm only a lieutenant. I've been holding on to that.

BUCKLEY: I'm sorry?

PHILLIPS: You called me a lieutenant at the beginning of the live shot. You could have at least given me lieutenant general.

BUCKLEY: All right. How about lieutenant commander?

PHILLIPS: All right. Oh, man, I'm slowly working my way up.

Hey, Jon Bon Jovi with Edwards, The Boss with John Kerry. It's pretty amazing these musicians that they pull out.

BUCKLEY: Yes. You know, and both sides do this, Kyra. As you know, on the Bush side, President Bush is calling out Arnold Schwarzenegger to help him out in Ohio.

This is something they do to generate those big crowds. Both sides do it. Both sides have their stars.

And in the case of Senator Kerry, it's Bon Jovi and Carole King has been performing as well. The Foo Fighters were out yesterday. So a lot of these celebrities come out toward the end to try to generate the big crowds.

PHILLIPS: Our biggest celebrity, Frank Buckley. Thanks so much.

Well, George W. Bush is on his final campaign expedition of 2004. He left the White House this morning and won't be back until Election Day, at which time he'll have paid one more visit to New Hampshire, Ohio, Michigan Wisconsin, Minnesota, Florida, Texas and maybe others.

New Hampshire is the only New England state Al Gore lost in 2000. But this time Bush can't take the Granite State lightly. OK, we promise after the primary we'll lay off the pun.

In Manchester today, Bush, too, delivered what aides call a culmination of his case for a second term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our strategy to win the war on terror is succeeding. We are shrinking the area where terrorists can operate freely. We have the terrorists on the run. And so as long as I am your president, we will be determined and steadfast, and we will keep the terrorists on the run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Bush's next stop, Toledo, Ohio, about two hours from now.

In other news "Across America," all settled. What began as a stunning case of she said-he said ends with both sides saying never mind.

Fox talk show host Bill O'Reilly and a former associate producer have dropped their lawsuits. She had charged sexual harassment. He had countered with a charge of extortion. Both sides now say there was no wrongdoing by anyone but won't discuss terms of that settlement.

Black Hawk down. It happened overnight during a cross-country training exercise. Four paratroopers were injured when their helicopter crashed just outside of Richmond, Virginia. The cause of that crash is under investigation.

A white Halloween, at least in Flagstaff, Arizona. Residents are digging out from a record 10 inches of snow that surprised them. And just think, winter officially still about eight weeks away.

Do you have what it takes to be a surgeon?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MEHRAN ANVARI, NEEMO 7 MISSION: With this technology, people who are not doctors, people who are not surgeons can perform emergency surgery to save somebody's life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: An underwater experiment that could ultimately be a life saver.

And Sir Elton John has some more words for Madonna, but this time none of them are the four-letter kind. Will they be holding hands and skipping stones? Find out later on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News "Around the World" now.

Terror in Thailand. Back-to-back bombs explode at a marketplace in the south of the country. Twenty people are wounded, eight civilians and 12 police. Violence in Thailand's Muslim south has recently surged with more than 400 deaths just this year.

A constitution for Europe. Leaders of 25 European countries sign a treaty establishing the European Union's first constitution. It will only come into force after ratification by member states. That document is designed to speed up the decisionmaking process in the EU.

And from ballet dancer to king. Carried on a golden throne, former dancer Norodom Sihamoni is crowned Cambodia's new king. He replaces his father. Cambodia's king is seldom involved in day-to-day politics, but the position carries huge cultural significance for the country's people.

Now this from our "don't try this at home" department. It's called remote surgery, or to give it is proper name, telementoring. NASA is going underwater to teach astronauts to act as surgeons if a medical emergency happens in space. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the television series "Star Trek," doctors of the future may treat a patient, even in the far reaches of outer space. But for now, NASA astronauts are being trained to act as doctors in extreme environments.

ANVARI: With this technology, people who are not doctors, people who are not surgeons can perform emergency surgery to save somebody's life.

GUPTA: The technology is called telementoring. Dr. Anvari is a general surgeon guiding astronauts on Neemo 7. That's the NASA Extreme Environmental Mission Operations.

ANVARI: Guiding an astronaut who acted as my left and right hand to perform the surgery...

GUPTA: Using telecommunication lines from a hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Dr. Anvari gives surgical instructions to NASA astronauts located in Aquarius. That's an underwater habitat similar in size to the space shuttle off the coast of Florida.

ANVARI: You are operating with somebody who has absolutely no knowledge of human anatomy, of surgical instruments, what they are supposed to do. So you really go back to the basics and try and be as simple as possible, trying to coach them through a potentially dangerous, life-threatening operation.

Not even a spill of blood or bile.

GUPTA: NASA astronaut Cady Coleman has flown in space twice. And she has no formal medical training but just completed her first operation.

CADY COLEMAN, ASTRONAUT: I've gone from Band-Aids to gall gallbladders. And I think it's a pretty big step.

GUPTA: From gallbladders to kidney stones, to repairing an injured artery, telementoring can be a surgical solution for soldiers in the field, to remote areas lacking doctors.

COLEMAN: In order to send people further, we'd like to send them as safely as we can. We'd like to send them with all the capabilities that we can.

GUPTA (on camera): As doctors prepare to use their skills beyond the confines of hospitals like these, they may find that in extreme situations, almost anyone can act as a surgeon.

(voice-over): Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: It was a defining moment for America. But will Americans want to relive it on television? A couple of networks are betting you will. Details later on LIVE FROM.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler live from the New York Stock Exchange. For many people, there will be more than just trick or treaters at the door this Halloween. I'll explain when CNN's LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, this Halloween you may have all that candy ready for trick or treat, the scary movie already in the DVD player. But have you ordered the pizza? Better order it early because it's going to be a busy night.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(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