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Falluja Crackdown; Arafat's Health; Driver's Ed for Girls

Aired November 05, 2004 - 10:59   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
As U.S. officials say, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is on life support amid concerns over his burial and the future of the Palestinian leadership. The chief Palestinian negotiator denies that. We'll have live reports from Arafat's Paris hospital and from the State Department just ahead.

Time is running out for a peaceful settlement in the volatile Iraqi city of Falluja. That was the statement today from Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYAD ALLAWI, IRAQI INTERIM PRIME MINISTER: The window really is closing for a peaceful settlement. The Falluja people have left -- most of them have left Falluja, and the insurgents and terrorists are still operating there. We hope they will come to their senses, otherwise we have to bring them to face the -- the justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: U.S. and Iraqi forces are preparing for an assault to wipe out insurgents in Falluja.

Elizabeth Edwards will undergo more tests to determine the course of treatment for breast cancer. The wife of the former vice presidential candidate, John Edwards, was diagnosed after the Democrats' concession in the race for the White House. A spokesman for Senator Edwards says that calls of support have been pouring into his office.

Jury deliberations are set to resume this hour in the Scott Peterson murder trial. Peterson is accused of killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son. The judge says that no video or still cameras will be allowed in court once a verdict is reached. We'll have an update from the courthouse at the bottom of the hour.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's 11:0 a.m. on the East Coast. There is a lot going on. 8:00 a.m. out West, of course. From the CNN Center in Atlanta I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Good morning once again.

We want to go directly to Iraq. Late news from Falluja, where the U.S. Marines are readying a mayor crackdown on insurgents in the Iraqi city. Our correspondent, Karl Penhaul, is with troops just outside the city and he joins us now by phone -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn.

Well, we've seen the U.S. Marines continue their preparation for this possible all-out assault on the city of Falluja. U.S. commanders here are talking most certainly of when, not if.

They seem to have ruled the "if" option out. Now they seem to be indicating that the assault will get under way at some stage.

No timelines have been set yet, but in the course of today we've seen Iraqi soldiers training alongside the U.S. Marines. They will be heading into Falluja, alongside U.S. Marines fighting with them.

Most of the Iraq soldiers that we've seen are either former Peshmerga guerrillas, those who fought against Saddam Hussein, or some other soldiers from the Shia southern areas of Iraq. Obviously the area around Falluja is a predominantly Sunni area.

What we have also heard is more U.S. military intelligence reports of the scale of the threat inside Falluja. Latest indications suggest possibly 3,000 insurgents, what the military terms hard-core insurgents, are still holed up inside the city. All indications suggest that they have been preparing defensive positions.

The military says that the biggest threat is likely to come from suicide car bombs, other kinds of car bombs, some homemade bombs dug into the side of roads or into walls. They also believe that some of the buildings inside of Falluja may have been rigged to explode.

All this is a potential nightmare for the U.S. Marines as they go in. Although the tactic here is going to be to go in, in large numbers, and to go in with a mixture of all forms weaponry, including armory and infantry, certainly the Marine commanders we've been speaking to in the course of the day are saying that this is going to be their biggest fight since the offensive on Hue City. That was in Vietnam in 1968 -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And Karl, then there's the question of how many people, civilians are left in Falluja and how many have fled and where have they gone?

PENHAUL: Well, certainly I was listening with interest to those comments from the interim prime minister. He indicated that most of the civilians have left.

According to U.S. military intelligence, Falluja normally has a population of about 250,000 people. And the latest reports indicate about 50,000 civilians remain inside of Falluja. That will obviously prevent a difficulty for the U.S. forces as they try to precision targets, the insurgents, and avoid civilian casualties -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And the question of the buildings of Falluja, it's known as the City of Mosques, which is also going to be a huge challenge for troops as they move in. PENHAUL: Indeed. What the U.S. military tacticians suspect is that the mosques inside the city of Falluja could be used to stifle positions. They also suspect that the mosques could be used as command and control positions by insurgent leaders.

Fallujah, though, from my recollection, the times that I've actually been inside of Falluja, most of the buildings are probably two and three-story buildings. Some of them, though, are higher.

Some of the intelligence reports that I have seen indicate there are buildings there 30, 40, 50-feet high. And certainly that does present a challenge to both the infantrymen and to the tanks, because they have been saying that those positions on roof tops are potential positions for men with rocket-propelled grenades and also with sniper rifles -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Karl Penhaul reporting from Iraq. We will certainly be in touch with you.

Also, very soon here we are going to go live to the Pentagon and check in with our Barbara Starr -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Another international story that we're following on this day has to do with Yasser Arafat. Still clinging to life, while Palestinians plan for life without their longtime leader. CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney is keeping watch outside Arafat's hospital in Paris. She joins us now with the very latest.

And what is that, Fionnuala?

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, we're actually awaiting a news conference which is expected to begin any time. It was scheduled to begin an hour ago, but I think perhaps I'll give you a sense, if I can, if we can pan over behind me.

You can see a lot of activity. That's just one aspect of the media scrum, really, that is here. And this whole street is lined with media and cameramen and journalists.

And there you can see people setting up a stage and sound equipment and lights, which is usually our cue to start preparing for a news conference. Now, that news conference, if yesterday's standards are anything to go by, will last only about a minute or so. We're really waiting to see who gives it, whether it be Lala Shaheed (ph), who is the Palestinian envoy to Paris, or rather the French military hospital spokesman, General Christian Estripeau (ph).

And from what they will say, we're hoping for some clarification and a definition and perhaps even a diagnosis of his illness. But only we can say now that he is gravely ill.

The Palestinians denying that he is in a coma, or that if he is in a coma, it's reversible, in their view. They say his organs, body organs are functioning normally and he's not on life support. But until we get further news, that's all we know for now -- Rick. SANCHEZ: How is the information about where he's going to be buried and that debate that seems to be going on now with that affecting, if it is at all, the information that you're getting there from hospital officials and Palestinian officials?

SWEENEY: Well, hospital officials are very separate from the family of Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian delegation that's here. The hospital officials are just purely here to give a medical definition or an update on his health. And they're not obliged either to release the full medical details, only what they think the public needs to know.

Regarding Yasser Arafat's burial, should he pass away in the next coming days, in the interim period, Palestinian officials here saying that they're not even contemplating that for the time being. Though, of course you know they must be at some point.

But they would also suggest that, really, that should not be a problem. It will be a logistical issue, whatever is taking place in Israel. They say unofficially that they're not looking for him to be buried in Jerusalem because they know from statements Ariel Sharon has made as late as last Sunday that that isn't going to happen.

But as regards to the impact of the flow of information here, I think they're -- they're almost two separate issues, except when the confluence, when they come together, that's when we'll know the definition of Yasser Arafat's health and how he's doing. And then they're taking it one step at a time here -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Fionnuala Sweeney following the situation there in Paris just outside the hospital. We thank you for that report -- Daryn.

KAGAN: The Bush administration has shunned Arafat from day one, but his death could open the door for a new round of peacemaking. Our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, joins us this morning.

Andrea, good morning.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, several administration officials have told CNN that the U.S. has been told by both Palestinian and French sources that Yasser Arafat is effectively being kept alive on life support. As one senior State Department official told me, "No one thinks that he'll survive."

This is a very delicate situation. And again, it's our understanding from having spoken with U.S. officials that Yasser Arafat, because he's a Muslim, would have to be buried within 24 hours.

And so, while publicly the Palestinians are continuing to deny that he is on life support, behind the scenes they're negotiating with Israel, would like him to be buried at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a holy site for both Israelis and Palestinians. But Israel has already ruled that out, as we heard Fionnuala Sweeney mention.

So right now we have negotiations going on. But what is likely to happen, most likely to happen, is that when Yasser Arafat does pass from the scene, he would be buried in Gaza, where his family has been buried until now.

Now, as you mentioned, the very prospect of Yasser Arafat, somebody who has been -- embodied the symbol of Palestinian nationalism for decades, the idea that he would pass from the scene has got a lot of U.S. officials thinking now for the first time really effectively of a post-Arafat era and what that would mean for the Middle East peace process. The Bush administration had ruled out meeting with Yasser Arafat since June of 2002. President Bush saying that Yasser Arafat was an obstacle to peace.

The last time that they met with Yasser Arafat, as you can se there, was in April of 2002, when -- when Secretary of State Colin Powell went to Ramallah, where Yasser Arafat was being basically forced to stay and had been until he left for Paris. So right now, what you have, at least Palestinian officials telling CNN, is an interim agreement that you would have.

Both the former and the current Palestinian prime ministers share power. They are both viewed as moderates. But it's unclear, Daryn, whether or not they would be holding on to power for months or years.

So you have the beginning of discussions behind the scenes as to how you would restart a peace process. This is by no means the end of the discussion. It's the very beginning as to whether or not you would want to reach out to the former and current Palestinian prime ministers, put some kind of offer on the table.

Still very early to say whether or not any decisions would be made on that in the very near term. But there has been a four-year- long Palestinian uprising. You've had talks between Israelis and Palestinians basically sidelined for the last couple years.

And so this is the very beginning of what some in the U.S. hope could be the start of a new chapter, at least the hope that a new chapter could begin in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. But no one knows how long Yasser Arafat will remain on life support -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes. Well, Andrea, just a quick question because we're short on time. But this is what really boggles my mind about this story.

All the scrambling, all the wondering, all the negotiations, this isn't a surprise. Yasser Arafat is an old man. He has been sick for a long time. Why does it come down to the 11th hour and all the scrambling? Why weren't some of these plans, why weren't some of these negotiations already in place?

KOPPEL: Well, it was really only a week ago that it became public just how sick Yasser Arafat was. And as one diplomat mentioned to me the other day, he said, "Yasser Arafat is someone who survived a plane crash. He's someone who is like a cat with nine lives." So no one thought -- even though he was 75 years old, look at the life span of so many Arab leaders. They live into their 80s, 90s. No one was counting him out.

KAGAN: Andrea Koppel at the State Department. Andrea, thank you.

SANCHEZ: And, of course, the big story that we're following on this day as well, lock, loaded and now waiting for the order. A massive ground assault on Falluja could come at any time. But will this be the urban combat scenario that some in the military fear? That story's next.

KAGAN: Also, the jury continues to deliberate and debate in the Scott Peterson murder case. We're live with the latest from there.

SANCHEZ: Also, speculation, but a deadly sight. A fireworks display turns terrifying. The pictures amazing. We'll share.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: To Iraq. The U.S. hit targets in Falluja today, softening up the insurgent city for what's being described as an all- out offensive. Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, joins us this morning with more on that -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, U.S. and Iraqi forces now, by all accounts, are ready to go, ready to launch a ground assault into Falluja if and when the order comes. And if it does, the fighting is expected to be very tough

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice over): As U.S. troops prepare for a ground attack, Marines know that once inside Falluja, snipers may lie in wait, booby traps may already be laid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is antiaircraft ammunition. These are some of the copper wires they use for the side where road bombs are, as people call them -- we call them IEDs.

STARR: Intelligence indicates thousands of insurgents remain in the Falluja area. Troops are now searching cars for fighters trying to escape. Defeating the insurgency in Falluja is now seen as a vital step towards controlling the country.

MAJ. JIM WEST, MARINE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: It is not, though, the panacea. Just by taking it out does not mean the rest of the insurgency will fall. But it will be a big chip in that block out there.

STARR: It is called the tipping point, the point at which insurgents believe they have no hope of winning. That is the fundamental challenge across Iraq.

One senior U.S. military officer told CNN, "We may be at an operational stalemate. We are nowhere near the tipping point."

Insurgents number between 8,000 to 12,000 strong, conducting about 80 attacks a day nationwide. But intelligence experts say they still don't have a good handle on what is motivating many.

One assessment, Sunni and Ba'ath loyalists, trying to regain power won't stop their fight, raising the prospect of violence for years to come. But on this day, U.S. troops near Falluja are focused on their mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what you're writing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Stay away or we'll kill you."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Arabic?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist who has claimed responsibility for so much of the violence in Iraq, well, officials say they don't even know at this point if he is still in the Falluja area. If they do get him, though, they call it a combat bonus -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you. More on that from the Pentagon and also from Falluja as the day goes on.

SANCHEZ: And this story, it sounds sexist, but some say it's true. The question is who makes the best drivers? There is a surprising new statistic, and there's a push to change what they found in the statistic about women drivers.

KAGAN: I like how you wait to the end to say "women drivers."

OK. Also, a volcano in Iceland blows its top. It's causing a lot of problems. That's coming up in our "World Wrap."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Checking some of the headlines overseas. This is a spectacular fire. Look at these pictures.

It destroyed a fireworks factory in western Denmark when the flames set off a chain reaction. Essentially a fireworks exhibit. Unplanned, of course.

It felt like the magnitude 2 earthquake, some said. 350 homes and buildings damaged. One firefighter killed.

The plant was legally licensed to make fireworks. But police believe it had stockpiled many times the tonnage of explosives it was permitted to have. The factory denies any wrongdoing. In Iceland, nature that provided the fireworks, at least in the form of a volcanic eruption. Flights were diverted around the gigantic cloud of black ash. The eruption began Monday beneath a glacier in the eastern part of this country.

KAGAN: So how you feeling? Feeling good? Feeling healthy? Feeling strong?

SANCHEZ: Me or Orelon?

KAGAN: No, you.

SANCHEZ: Me? I'm feeling good.

KAGAN: Yes. That's good, because you know it's kind of cold, and flu season coming on.

SANCHEZ: I'm fine.

KAGAN: That's good -- Orelon.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Didn't take my flu shot, though. Wanted to leave it for the older people.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I don't know. My boyfriend is at home in bed with something. So I don't know.

KAGAN: Better than someone.

SIDNEY: This is true. That would be really interesting, wouldn't it?

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: She just says what she thinks. It's like...

KAGAN: No doubt.

SIDNEY: He doesn't have a fever, though, so I think it must be cold.

KAGAN: Oh, OK.

SIDNEY: I think if you get the flu you have the fever. Anyway...

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: You know what you've got to do when you go home tonight, Orelon.

SIDNEY: Well, as a matter of fact, I may leave early.

SANCHEZ: You've got to stay away.

(LAUGHTER) SIDNEY: That's true.

SANCHEZ: Care for him from afar.

SIDNEY: Oh, that's true. He does pretty good, though, so he doesn't like to be, you know, pampered. So he'll be OK.

KAGAN: That's good. Orelon, thank you. Hope he feels better.

SIDNEY: Thanks.

KAGAN: As well.

So have you thought about that -- you have four kids.

SANCHEZ: Four.

KAGAN: At some point you're going to have four children driving.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Only one right now is even nearing that or contemplating that, and that's the 14-year-old.

KAGAN: Have you been thinking about the training? And, you know, you have boys and you have a girl.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we got the big wheels. The only thing that seems to work.

KAGAN: Apparently there's some thought out there that girl drivers might need a little bit of extra help.

SANCHEZ: Really? Any parent with an inexperienced teenage driver in the house probably has some misgivings about handing those keys over, right?

KAGAN: And apparently especially for drivers that are young and female. Julie Vallese takes a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Annemarie Maravetz is 16, a new driver, and has mixed feelings about the independence that comes along with getting the keys to a car.

ANNEMARIE MARAVETZ, 16-YEAR-OLD NEW DRIVER: No one's sitting in the passenger seat telling me, you know, "Slow down, go fast," or anything like that. It's all up to me. So that's really -- it worries me sometimes, too.

VALLESE: Recent statistics by the Department of Transportation show over the past 10 years the number of 15 to 20-year-old female drivers killed in car crashes has risen by 42 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Young women need to learn that they are in control of their safety.

VALLESE: That is the core message of a new program, Safe Smart Women, it's car safety just for girls.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's our goal to give them the information that they're not getting at home, they're not getting in schools, so that we can help them be safer and smarter on the road.

VALLESE: The Web site, S2w.org, is written in teen speak and outlines risk, tips and facts on safety. Hands-on training teaches how to properly maintain tires, including how to change one, how to check fluids, fuses and the battery. It also teaches proper positioning behind the wheel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rather than having your thumbs around the wheel, I would prefer you have your thumbs on the wheel.

VALLESE: Annemarie says she would rather have her friends tease her about her attitude to driving than lose them in a crash.

MARAVETZ: It's better for them to be like, "Oh, what's your problem," than get in a crash and then not be able to talk again or anything horrible.

VALLESE (on camera): The program plans to go nationwide, adding six cities in six months. It is funded in part by the CarMax Foundation, so the class itself is free. The information learned, possibly priceless.

Julie Vallese, CNN, Rockville, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Here's another big story. The Peterson trial in the hands of a jury very soon. They'll start deliberating again. They've been sleeping. And a verdict, in fact, could be -- could be...

KAGAN: Hours.

SANCHEZ: ... any moment.

KAGAN: Yes, it could be. We're live at the courthouse. Plus, we're talking to our legal eagle, Kendall Coffey. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired November 5, 2004 - 10:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
As U.S. officials say, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is on life support amid concerns over his burial and the future of the Palestinian leadership. The chief Palestinian negotiator denies that. We'll have live reports from Arafat's Paris hospital and from the State Department just ahead.

Time is running out for a peaceful settlement in the volatile Iraqi city of Falluja. That was the statement today from Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYAD ALLAWI, IRAQI INTERIM PRIME MINISTER: The window really is closing for a peaceful settlement. The Falluja people have left -- most of them have left Falluja, and the insurgents and terrorists are still operating there. We hope they will come to their senses, otherwise we have to bring them to face the -- the justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: U.S. and Iraqi forces are preparing for an assault to wipe out insurgents in Falluja.

Elizabeth Edwards will undergo more tests to determine the course of treatment for breast cancer. The wife of the former vice presidential candidate, John Edwards, was diagnosed after the Democrats' concession in the race for the White House. A spokesman for Senator Edwards says that calls of support have been pouring into his office.

Jury deliberations are set to resume this hour in the Scott Peterson murder trial. Peterson is accused of killing his wife, Laci, and their unborn son. The judge says that no video or still cameras will be allowed in court once a verdict is reached. We'll have an update from the courthouse at the bottom of the hour.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's 11:0 a.m. on the East Coast. There is a lot going on. 8:00 a.m. out West, of course. From the CNN Center in Atlanta I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. Good morning once again.

We want to go directly to Iraq. Late news from Falluja, where the U.S. Marines are readying a mayor crackdown on insurgents in the Iraqi city. Our correspondent, Karl Penhaul, is with troops just outside the city and he joins us now by phone -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn.

Well, we've seen the U.S. Marines continue their preparation for this possible all-out assault on the city of Falluja. U.S. commanders here are talking most certainly of when, not if.

They seem to have ruled the "if" option out. Now they seem to be indicating that the assault will get under way at some stage.

No timelines have been set yet, but in the course of today we've seen Iraqi soldiers training alongside the U.S. Marines. They will be heading into Falluja, alongside U.S. Marines fighting with them.

Most of the Iraq soldiers that we've seen are either former Peshmerga guerrillas, those who fought against Saddam Hussein, or some other soldiers from the Shia southern areas of Iraq. Obviously the area around Falluja is a predominantly Sunni area.

What we have also heard is more U.S. military intelligence reports of the scale of the threat inside Falluja. Latest indications suggest possibly 3,000 insurgents, what the military terms hard-core insurgents, are still holed up inside the city. All indications suggest that they have been preparing defensive positions.

The military says that the biggest threat is likely to come from suicide car bombs, other kinds of car bombs, some homemade bombs dug into the side of roads or into walls. They also believe that some of the buildings inside of Falluja may have been rigged to explode.

All this is a potential nightmare for the U.S. Marines as they go in. Although the tactic here is going to be to go in, in large numbers, and to go in with a mixture of all forms weaponry, including armory and infantry, certainly the Marine commanders we've been speaking to in the course of the day are saying that this is going to be their biggest fight since the offensive on Hue City. That was in Vietnam in 1968 -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And Karl, then there's the question of how many people, civilians are left in Falluja and how many have fled and where have they gone?

PENHAUL: Well, certainly I was listening with interest to those comments from the interim prime minister. He indicated that most of the civilians have left.

According to U.S. military intelligence, Falluja normally has a population of about 250,000 people. And the latest reports indicate about 50,000 civilians remain inside of Falluja. That will obviously prevent a difficulty for the U.S. forces as they try to precision targets, the insurgents, and avoid civilian casualties -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And the question of the buildings of Falluja, it's known as the City of Mosques, which is also going to be a huge challenge for troops as they move in. PENHAUL: Indeed. What the U.S. military tacticians suspect is that the mosques inside the city of Falluja could be used to stifle positions. They also suspect that the mosques could be used as command and control positions by insurgent leaders.

Fallujah, though, from my recollection, the times that I've actually been inside of Falluja, most of the buildings are probably two and three-story buildings. Some of them, though, are higher.

Some of the intelligence reports that I have seen indicate there are buildings there 30, 40, 50-feet high. And certainly that does present a challenge to both the infantrymen and to the tanks, because they have been saying that those positions on roof tops are potential positions for men with rocket-propelled grenades and also with sniper rifles -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Karl Penhaul reporting from Iraq. We will certainly be in touch with you.

Also, very soon here we are going to go live to the Pentagon and check in with our Barbara Starr -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Another international story that we're following on this day has to do with Yasser Arafat. Still clinging to life, while Palestinians plan for life without their longtime leader. CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney is keeping watch outside Arafat's hospital in Paris. She joins us now with the very latest.

And what is that, Fionnuala?

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, we're actually awaiting a news conference which is expected to begin any time. It was scheduled to begin an hour ago, but I think perhaps I'll give you a sense, if I can, if we can pan over behind me.

You can see a lot of activity. That's just one aspect of the media scrum, really, that is here. And this whole street is lined with media and cameramen and journalists.

And there you can see people setting up a stage and sound equipment and lights, which is usually our cue to start preparing for a news conference. Now, that news conference, if yesterday's standards are anything to go by, will last only about a minute or so. We're really waiting to see who gives it, whether it be Lala Shaheed (ph), who is the Palestinian envoy to Paris, or rather the French military hospital spokesman, General Christian Estripeau (ph).

And from what they will say, we're hoping for some clarification and a definition and perhaps even a diagnosis of his illness. But only we can say now that he is gravely ill.

The Palestinians denying that he is in a coma, or that if he is in a coma, it's reversible, in their view. They say his organs, body organs are functioning normally and he's not on life support. But until we get further news, that's all we know for now -- Rick. SANCHEZ: How is the information about where he's going to be buried and that debate that seems to be going on now with that affecting, if it is at all, the information that you're getting there from hospital officials and Palestinian officials?

SWEENEY: Well, hospital officials are very separate from the family of Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian delegation that's here. The hospital officials are just purely here to give a medical definition or an update on his health. And they're not obliged either to release the full medical details, only what they think the public needs to know.

Regarding Yasser Arafat's burial, should he pass away in the next coming days, in the interim period, Palestinian officials here saying that they're not even contemplating that for the time being. Though, of course you know they must be at some point.

But they would also suggest that, really, that should not be a problem. It will be a logistical issue, whatever is taking place in Israel. They say unofficially that they're not looking for him to be buried in Jerusalem because they know from statements Ariel Sharon has made as late as last Sunday that that isn't going to happen.

But as regards to the impact of the flow of information here, I think they're -- they're almost two separate issues, except when the confluence, when they come together, that's when we'll know the definition of Yasser Arafat's health and how he's doing. And then they're taking it one step at a time here -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Fionnuala Sweeney following the situation there in Paris just outside the hospital. We thank you for that report -- Daryn.

KAGAN: The Bush administration has shunned Arafat from day one, but his death could open the door for a new round of peacemaking. Our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, joins us this morning.

Andrea, good morning.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, several administration officials have told CNN that the U.S. has been told by both Palestinian and French sources that Yasser Arafat is effectively being kept alive on life support. As one senior State Department official told me, "No one thinks that he'll survive."

This is a very delicate situation. And again, it's our understanding from having spoken with U.S. officials that Yasser Arafat, because he's a Muslim, would have to be buried within 24 hours.

And so, while publicly the Palestinians are continuing to deny that he is on life support, behind the scenes they're negotiating with Israel, would like him to be buried at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a holy site for both Israelis and Palestinians. But Israel has already ruled that out, as we heard Fionnuala Sweeney mention.

So right now we have negotiations going on. But what is likely to happen, most likely to happen, is that when Yasser Arafat does pass from the scene, he would be buried in Gaza, where his family has been buried until now.

Now, as you mentioned, the very prospect of Yasser Arafat, somebody who has been -- embodied the symbol of Palestinian nationalism for decades, the idea that he would pass from the scene has got a lot of U.S. officials thinking now for the first time really effectively of a post-Arafat era and what that would mean for the Middle East peace process. The Bush administration had ruled out meeting with Yasser Arafat since June of 2002. President Bush saying that Yasser Arafat was an obstacle to peace.

The last time that they met with Yasser Arafat, as you can se there, was in April of 2002, when -- when Secretary of State Colin Powell went to Ramallah, where Yasser Arafat was being basically forced to stay and had been until he left for Paris. So right now, what you have, at least Palestinian officials telling CNN, is an interim agreement that you would have.

Both the former and the current Palestinian prime ministers share power. They are both viewed as moderates. But it's unclear, Daryn, whether or not they would be holding on to power for months or years.

So you have the beginning of discussions behind the scenes as to how you would restart a peace process. This is by no means the end of the discussion. It's the very beginning as to whether or not you would want to reach out to the former and current Palestinian prime ministers, put some kind of offer on the table.

Still very early to say whether or not any decisions would be made on that in the very near term. But there has been a four-year- long Palestinian uprising. You've had talks between Israelis and Palestinians basically sidelined for the last couple years.

And so this is the very beginning of what some in the U.S. hope could be the start of a new chapter, at least the hope that a new chapter could begin in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. But no one knows how long Yasser Arafat will remain on life support -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes. Well, Andrea, just a quick question because we're short on time. But this is what really boggles my mind about this story.

All the scrambling, all the wondering, all the negotiations, this isn't a surprise. Yasser Arafat is an old man. He has been sick for a long time. Why does it come down to the 11th hour and all the scrambling? Why weren't some of these plans, why weren't some of these negotiations already in place?

KOPPEL: Well, it was really only a week ago that it became public just how sick Yasser Arafat was. And as one diplomat mentioned to me the other day, he said, "Yasser Arafat is someone who survived a plane crash. He's someone who is like a cat with nine lives." So no one thought -- even though he was 75 years old, look at the life span of so many Arab leaders. They live into their 80s, 90s. No one was counting him out.

KAGAN: Andrea Koppel at the State Department. Andrea, thank you.

SANCHEZ: And, of course, the big story that we're following on this day as well, lock, loaded and now waiting for the order. A massive ground assault on Falluja could come at any time. But will this be the urban combat scenario that some in the military fear? That story's next.

KAGAN: Also, the jury continues to deliberate and debate in the Scott Peterson murder case. We're live with the latest from there.

SANCHEZ: Also, speculation, but a deadly sight. A fireworks display turns terrifying. The pictures amazing. We'll share.

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KAGAN: To Iraq. The U.S. hit targets in Falluja today, softening up the insurgent city for what's being described as an all- out offensive. Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, joins us this morning with more on that -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, U.S. and Iraqi forces now, by all accounts, are ready to go, ready to launch a ground assault into Falluja if and when the order comes. And if it does, the fighting is expected to be very tough

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice over): As U.S. troops prepare for a ground attack, Marines know that once inside Falluja, snipers may lie in wait, booby traps may already be laid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is antiaircraft ammunition. These are some of the copper wires they use for the side where road bombs are, as people call them -- we call them IEDs.

STARR: Intelligence indicates thousands of insurgents remain in the Falluja area. Troops are now searching cars for fighters trying to escape. Defeating the insurgency in Falluja is now seen as a vital step towards controlling the country.

MAJ. JIM WEST, MARINE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: It is not, though, the panacea. Just by taking it out does not mean the rest of the insurgency will fall. But it will be a big chip in that block out there.

STARR: It is called the tipping point, the point at which insurgents believe they have no hope of winning. That is the fundamental challenge across Iraq.

One senior U.S. military officer told CNN, "We may be at an operational stalemate. We are nowhere near the tipping point."

Insurgents number between 8,000 to 12,000 strong, conducting about 80 attacks a day nationwide. But intelligence experts say they still don't have a good handle on what is motivating many.

One assessment, Sunni and Ba'ath loyalists, trying to regain power won't stop their fight, raising the prospect of violence for years to come. But on this day, U.S. troops near Falluja are focused on their mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what you're writing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Stay away or we'll kill you."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Arabic?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist who has claimed responsibility for so much of the violence in Iraq, well, officials say they don't even know at this point if he is still in the Falluja area. If they do get him, though, they call it a combat bonus -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you. More on that from the Pentagon and also from Falluja as the day goes on.

SANCHEZ: And this story, it sounds sexist, but some say it's true. The question is who makes the best drivers? There is a surprising new statistic, and there's a push to change what they found in the statistic about women drivers.

KAGAN: I like how you wait to the end to say "women drivers."

OK. Also, a volcano in Iceland blows its top. It's causing a lot of problems. That's coming up in our "World Wrap."

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SANCHEZ: Checking some of the headlines overseas. This is a spectacular fire. Look at these pictures.

It destroyed a fireworks factory in western Denmark when the flames set off a chain reaction. Essentially a fireworks exhibit. Unplanned, of course.

It felt like the magnitude 2 earthquake, some said. 350 homes and buildings damaged. One firefighter killed.

The plant was legally licensed to make fireworks. But police believe it had stockpiled many times the tonnage of explosives it was permitted to have. The factory denies any wrongdoing. In Iceland, nature that provided the fireworks, at least in the form of a volcanic eruption. Flights were diverted around the gigantic cloud of black ash. The eruption began Monday beneath a glacier in the eastern part of this country.

KAGAN: So how you feeling? Feeling good? Feeling healthy? Feeling strong?

SANCHEZ: Me or Orelon?

KAGAN: No, you.

SANCHEZ: Me? I'm feeling good.

KAGAN: Yes. That's good, because you know it's kind of cold, and flu season coming on.

SANCHEZ: I'm fine.

KAGAN: That's good -- Orelon.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Didn't take my flu shot, though. Wanted to leave it for the older people.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I don't know. My boyfriend is at home in bed with something. So I don't know.

KAGAN: Better than someone.

SIDNEY: This is true. That would be really interesting, wouldn't it?

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: She just says what she thinks. It's like...

KAGAN: No doubt.

SIDNEY: He doesn't have a fever, though, so I think it must be cold.

KAGAN: Oh, OK.

SIDNEY: I think if you get the flu you have the fever. Anyway...

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SANCHEZ: You know what you've got to do when you go home tonight, Orelon.

SIDNEY: Well, as a matter of fact, I may leave early.

SANCHEZ: You've got to stay away.

(LAUGHTER) SIDNEY: That's true.

SANCHEZ: Care for him from afar.

SIDNEY: Oh, that's true. He does pretty good, though, so he doesn't like to be, you know, pampered. So he'll be OK.

KAGAN: That's good. Orelon, thank you. Hope he feels better.

SIDNEY: Thanks.

KAGAN: As well.

So have you thought about that -- you have four kids.

SANCHEZ: Four.

KAGAN: At some point you're going to have four children driving.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Only one right now is even nearing that or contemplating that, and that's the 14-year-old.

KAGAN: Have you been thinking about the training? And, you know, you have boys and you have a girl.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we got the big wheels. The only thing that seems to work.

KAGAN: Apparently there's some thought out there that girl drivers might need a little bit of extra help.

SANCHEZ: Really? Any parent with an inexperienced teenage driver in the house probably has some misgivings about handing those keys over, right?

KAGAN: And apparently especially for drivers that are young and female. Julie Vallese takes a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Annemarie Maravetz is 16, a new driver, and has mixed feelings about the independence that comes along with getting the keys to a car.

ANNEMARIE MARAVETZ, 16-YEAR-OLD NEW DRIVER: No one's sitting in the passenger seat telling me, you know, "Slow down, go fast," or anything like that. It's all up to me. So that's really -- it worries me sometimes, too.

VALLESE: Recent statistics by the Department of Transportation show over the past 10 years the number of 15 to 20-year-old female drivers killed in car crashes has risen by 42 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Young women need to learn that they are in control of their safety.

VALLESE: That is the core message of a new program, Safe Smart Women, it's car safety just for girls.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's our goal to give them the information that they're not getting at home, they're not getting in schools, so that we can help them be safer and smarter on the road.

VALLESE: The Web site, S2w.org, is written in teen speak and outlines risk, tips and facts on safety. Hands-on training teaches how to properly maintain tires, including how to change one, how to check fluids, fuses and the battery. It also teaches proper positioning behind the wheel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rather than having your thumbs around the wheel, I would prefer you have your thumbs on the wheel.

VALLESE: Annemarie says she would rather have her friends tease her about her attitude to driving than lose them in a crash.

MARAVETZ: It's better for them to be like, "Oh, what's your problem," than get in a crash and then not be able to talk again or anything horrible.

VALLESE (on camera): The program plans to go nationwide, adding six cities in six months. It is funded in part by the CarMax Foundation, so the class itself is free. The information learned, possibly priceless.

Julie Vallese, CNN, Rockville, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Here's another big story. The Peterson trial in the hands of a jury very soon. They'll start deliberating again. They've been sleeping. And a verdict, in fact, could be -- could be...

KAGAN: Hours.

SANCHEZ: ... any moment.

KAGAN: Yes, it could be. We're live at the courthouse. Plus, we're talking to our legal eagle, Kendall Coffey. That's coming up next.

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