Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Summit in Slovakia; Pope Suffers Relapse; Talking to the Enemy

Aired February 24, 2005 - 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: Keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists. President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting to discuss that right now.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. It's a joint news conference. It's scheduled shortly. They say some time around 11:30. That obviously can change. If it does -- or if it does, or whether it does, we will have it for you right here on CNN.

KAGAN: And the pope is back in the hospital with breathing difficulties once again. We're going to go live to the Vatican.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

SANCHEZ: And here is a look at what is happening right "Now in the News."

The state of democracy in Russia is on the agenda as President Bush meets with President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Bush was expected to address concerns that Russia is rolling back democratic reforms. The two leaders are scheduled to hold a news conference in about 30 minutes. And once again, we're going to have it right here for you on CNN. Expect it.

An attorney enters pleas of not guilty on behalf of a teacher accused of having sex with a 13-year-old boy. That's Pamela Turner. She did not appear in court during yesterday's hearing in McMinnville, Tennessee. She is charged with 15 counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and 13 counts of statutory rape.

Prosecutors in Denver could file formal charges today against a serial rapist. Authorities believe Brent J. Brents may have sexually assaulted at least six women and girls in Denver this month. He's also suspected of raping a woman in October, and he allegedly admitted to molesting an 8-year-old boy as well.

New twist in the deaths of a pregnant woman and her son. Houston police now say they've arrested the business partner of Stephen Barbee, as well. He's a suspect in the killings.

Ron Dodd is his name. He's jailed on a parole violation. Police say Dodd told them about seeing the bodies of a woman and child in the back of an SUV.

All right. Here we go. Hour two.

It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. on the West Coast. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, we're proud to say, welcome, everyone. I'm Rick Sanchez.

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

They are on a first-name basis. It's a warm friendship, they say. But there is a chill in the air today as presidents Bush and Putin hold a summit in Slovakia, the slippery state of Russian democracy, Moscow support for Iran's nuclear program.

Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty traveled to the Slovak capital of Bratislava to cover the summit.

Jill, hello.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Daryn.

Well, that's one thing. A lot of people would love to be in that room and finding out exactly what is being said between Vladimir Putin and George Bush, especially on that issue of democracy, where both of them have different visions of what the world should look like.

They arrived. They actually have been in that meeting for about two hours, and we're expecting they'll go about two and a half hours, and then that will be followed by a news conference.

They arrived together with their wives and with their host, the president of Slovakia. And before that meeting, before sitting down, Mr. Bush went down to the main square here in Bratislava and delivered a speech to the Slovak people. And in that speech he touched many of the issues, the themes of democracy that he is expected to address with President Putin. And here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... that swept this region over 15 years ago are now reaching Georgia and Ukraine. In 10 days, Moldova has the opportunity to place its democratic credentials beyond doubt as its people head to the polls. And inevitably, the people of Belarus will someday proudly belong to the country of democracies.

Eventually, the call of liberty comes to every mind and every soul. And one day freedom's promise will reach every people and every nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: So that is the vision of George W. Bush about the march of democracy throughout the world. But Vladimir Putin sees it a little bit differently. In fact, some of those areas, some of those countries that President Bush mentioned are areas that Mr. Putin has questions about.

He certainly opposed some of what went on during the elections in Ukraine. And he has other issues, as well, with President -- President Bush. But there really are things on the agenda besides democracy, and that would be the traditional things of defense, security, et cetera.

They'll be talking, of course, about nonproliferation. And they also have a couple new things.

One of them is a proposal for both countries to put together a team, an emergency team that could respond in case terrorists were to get their hands on and use weapons of mass destruction. They also are expected to have an agreement that would be signed not by them, but by the secretary of state from the United States and the defense minister of Russia.

And that would be on these so-called MAN PADS. Those are shoulder-launched missiles that terrorists could use to bring down helicopters or planes. And then, no doubt, Daryn, as well, they will have the issue of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq, and many other security issues.

KAGAN: Jill, since you're our Moscow bureau chief, let's get some perspective from the Russian side. For President Putin, these have been some difficult times at home.

DOUGHERTY: Right. And that would be, Daryn, part of the argument that he uses.

You know, when they talk about democracy, Mr. Putin has said over the last couple of days, he said we do have democracy, it is our type of democracy that depends upon the circumstances in Russia today. And as he looks at it, he feels that the country is really in danger of being pulled apart by terrorists, both internal and external.

So you might -- that's what we're looking for right now. Will Mr. Putin put some of that back in the corner of President Bush and say, you should not criticize me because I'm doing the best I can under the circumstances?

KAGAN: Jill Dougherty in Slovakia. Thank you.

CNN does plan live coverage of the Bush-Putin news conference. It's scheduled to start in about 25 minutes. We'll talk to an expert on U.S.-Russian affairs about the summit.

SANCHEZ: Let's get back to some of the renewed concerns about the health of Pope John Paul II. The pope was rushed back to a hospital this morning, as you may have heard, and the Vatican says that he's suffering from a relapse of the flu, and perhaps some of the respiratory problems that he had the last time he was taken to Gemelli hospital.

Senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers has been following developments for us this morning. He joins us now live, once again.

Walter, what are you learning? What's the latest?

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rick, the seriousness of the pope's condition would seem to be a function of how successful the doctors in the Gemelli hospital behind me are in terms of treating this relapse of the flu, how successful they are in bringing down the pope's fever and clearing the congestion, which was causing him breathing difficulties. The pope was brought here about six hours ago. Quite a surprise, because the pope put in a quasi public appearance yesterday in the Vatican from his library.

It was a virtual appearance on television talking to the audience elsewhere in the Vatican. But he looked pretty good at the time. But then you'll recall this pope was in this hospital for 10 days earlier in the month of February. He had virtually the same conditions.

We were told two days ago here by the chief Vatican spokesman that the pope was healing, that he was on the road of recovery. He's put in several public appearances since he came out of hospital 13 days ago. Now, suddenly, yesterday afternoon, we're told, the pope began to experience some of those recurring symptoms of the flu.

It was not sufficient to cause enough alarm at the time yesterday afternoon to send the pope back into hospital yesterday, but he had to cancel a meeting this morning, John Paul II. His doctors decided they couldn't treat him sufficiently at the Vatican. So, as we've been saying, Pope John Paul II is back in the Gemelli hospital, where he's now being treated for what the Vatican is saying a recurrence, a relapse of flu -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Walter, just how consumed -- or how do you read the Vatican officials and their task of both the presentation of the pope in his present condition, having to deal with the media and the message that they get out, and concerns over what the faithful all over the world are thinking? How is the -- how are the Vatican officials dealing with these issues?

RODGERS: Well, the Vatican has one of the best public relation organizations and machines in the world. Having said that, you will note that this pope has, ever since he came out of hospital 13 days ago, put in at least three public appearances. The most recent being yesterday morning.

And what happens is it's a quasi public experience. Yesterday, for example, his holiness was speaking in a chair, sitting down, from his library in the Vatican, talking to a large audience of students and pilgrims elsewhere in another part of the building. But if you watch the switching back and forth of the television, you got the impression that the pope was almost addressing these people. Now, these are the wonders of modern technology.

Also, when the pope delivered his angelus last Sunday from his window in the Vatican, he was rolled to the window because, remember, he's confined to a wheelchair all the time now with severe arthritis. He was taken to the window with a microphone.

He was able to speak to the crowds for about three minutes, somewhat intelligbly. And his voice was hoarse. But, still, these public appearances give the impression, rightly or wrongly, the impression that the Vatican public relations machine wanted to give, that he was on the road to recovery. The problem in all of this was, he may well have been. But as one of our Vatican analysts, John Allen, told us after speaking to Vatican officials, this kind of flu relapse is not unheard of. As a matter of fact, the Vatican was predicting it would happen. It's not at all uncommon with Parkinson's victims, and the pope does suffer from Parkinson's Disease.

He's 84 years old. So, again, the Vatican says they could almost predict with 70 percent certainty that this pope would have been back in the hospital with a flu relapse -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers with that amplification. We thank you for that, Walter -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Moving on to Iraq. Insurgents targeted symbols of security again today. A suicide attacker drove his car into a police station compound today during the shift change. The blast in the Sunni city of Tikrit killed at least 12 police officers.

In Kirkuk, a roadside bomb killed two Iraqi policemen. Separate roadside bombs also killed two U.S. soldiers in northern Iraqi cities today. And in Baghdad, gunmen assassinated the director of the passport office. The official was also a police officer. The attackers opened fire as he left his home.

The American military is finding one way to beat back the insurgents, talk to them. Here now, CNN's Jane Arraf with U.S. troops.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): In Baquba, in the Sunni heartland, the U.S. military isn't just fighting, it's talking to the enemy, too. Colonel Dana Pittard, commander of the U.S. Army's 3rd Brigade 1st Infantry Division, has made an effort to reach out to suspected insurgents and former Ba'ath Party members, differentiating between terrorists who are indiscriminate in their violence and nationalists fighting against what they believe is occupation. Sunni Muslims make up the largest single group in the area.

COL. DANA PITTARD, U.S. ARMY: At least in the Diyala Province, it's Sunni-based former regime elements that are in charge of probably the majority of insurgency here. And we've been talking to the former Ba'athists and some insurgent representatives.

ARRAF: He's been talking to them since June, and he says the frequency of attacks has dropped by more than half since then. It's a far cry from the days just after Saddam Hussein was toppled, when the U.S. administrator for Iraq dissolved the Ba'ath Party and the army and banned Iraqi army leaders from public jobs.

There are 32,000 soldiers from Saddam's army here, hundreds of former generals and a lot of current Ba'athists. Pittard has hired 40 ex-generals and other senior leaders at $250 a month as consultants. PITTARD: We brought them together as part of our military advisory committee. And that's been very key in reaching out to former Iraqi military, to former Ba'athists. They've played a big part in helping us bring people together.

ARRAF: U.S. and Iraqi officials offer amnesty at meetings like this to insurgents who renounce violence and aren't guilty of having killed anyone.

(on camera): This is a pledge not to participate in, support or finance violence against Iraqi and coalition forces. U.S. military officials say 75 suspected insurgents have signed it so far.

(voice-over): At meetings like this, with the provincial governor and local and tribal leaders, talk invariably turns to the Ba'ath Party. One tribal leader asks the governor why he isn't acknowledging the Ba'athists.

"All the parties are doing what they want, why not this party?" he asks. The governor tells him it's a national decision whether to allow Saddam's old party back, a burning and controversial issue. Pittard said he believes the Ba'athists should be given the chance to make their case to the Iraqis, experiencing their first taste of democracy.

PITTARD: I would let the Ba'ath Party run, if we could in the next election, certainly in Diyala Province, because at least people have a choice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Diyala Province, Iraq...

ARRAF: Pittard's brigade handed over power this week to the 3rd Infantry Division. The new commander, Colonel Steven Salazar (ph), says he'll continue the policy of talking to insurgent leaders and Ba'athists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The forces of good and evil struggle here, but the people of Diyala have clearly spoken. They reject violence and oppression.

ARRAF: As this U.S. Army band playing the Iraqi national anthem shows, this is increasingly an Iraqi-run country. And there's an acknowledgment that all Iraqis have to be included. Almost two years after Saddam's regime was toppled, good and evil, it seems, has become less black and white.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Baquba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: It is no doubt a scarier world that we now live in, and most people want to do their part to try and help.

KAGAN: We're going to take you to one city where residents are learning how to spot possible terrorist situations.

SANCHEZ: And southern Californians are still not out of the woods or, in this case, out of the mud.

KAGAN: Or out of the way of the boulder. Even with less rain in the forecast, we're going to show you what they're dealing with today.

SANCHEZ: Also, President Bush and President Putin, they're scheduled to hold a news conference. It should happen in about 15 minutes, give or take a few. We'll take you straight to the pictures as soon as it happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: You might want to call this one neighborhood global watch with significance. When it comes to guarding against terrorism, federal authorities can't be everywhere all the time. So now there's a new terror-spotting class that's educating citizens about keeping their neighborhoods and their country safe.

Our Chris Lawrence has the CNN "Security Watch" special report this time from Wichita, Kansas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This Wichita grandmother has chased out drug dealers and helped police crack down on crime, but that was when watching her neighborhood was easy.

DOROTHY NAVE, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCATION PRESIDENT: Now, you have to worry about global things. I mean, you know, what's going on in other parts of the world is going to eventually affect your neighborhood, too.

LAWRENCE: Criminals she can handle, but Dorothy Nave is concerned about a terrorist attack in America.

(on camera): Do you think it can happen again?

NAVE: Yes.

LAWRENCE (voice over): The question that's been bugging her: What, if anything, could she do to stop it?

NAVE: The military is trained and a lot of your government officials are trained, but your ordinary persons in the neighborhoods, they're not trained. They don't know what to look for.

LAWRENCE: Which brought Dorothy to this free class and Dr. David Carter.

DR. DAVID CARTER, TERRORISM EXPERT: What we're looking for is behaviors, not physical profiles.

LAWRENCE: A former cop, he's got a grant from Homeland Security to teach police about intelligence.

CARTER: When McVeigh started buying ammonium nitrate, that was unusual.

LAWRENCE: Now, Dr. Carter is showing average folks how to trust their instincts about, say, conversations that just don't feel right.

CARTER: So you work here? How does this operate? They're starting to ask questions which go beyond mere curiosity.

LAWRENCE: But suspicion can only go so far, and he wants people to be prepared, not paranoid.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like a Muslim family on vacation at Niagara Falls videotaping Niagara Falls as a family.

LAWRENCE: The eventual goal is developing a direct line in which federal agents send an alert to local police, who tell trained community members specifically what to look for.

CARTER: I mean, it's going to be driven by the threat.

LAWRENCE: The tips have already changed how Dorothy looks at her own neighborhood.

NAVE: You're go to these classes, and you're made aware of some of the things that's going on. Then when you see it, hey, that's exactly what they were talking about. I'd better call 911.

LAWRENCE: It's a call she's made before for petty crimes, and one she's now prepared to make if she suspects something far more serious.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Wichita.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And we've got a reminder for you. CNN "Security Watch" keeps you up to date on safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

KAGAN: Presidents Bush and Putin are wrapping up a closely- watched summit. Some major issues involving your security are on the table. We'll hear what both leaders have to say when they talk to reporters. That is scheduled for about 10 minutes from now.

SANCHEZ: Yes. We're going to be going live to Slovakia for this as it -- and then this, the big bolder. Remember Daryn was telling you about it, not far from her mother's house?

KAGAN: Well, it's kind of far from where my parents live.

SANCHEZ: Well, it depends on how you look at it, I guess.

KAGAN: Yes, closer than we are. SANCHEZ: Well, the skies have cleared, but they've still got this big bolder there that's sitting over the Pacific Coast Highway. And they're wondering what they're going to do about it. They've tried a couple of different things. We'll tell you what they are, we'll tell you what they do. We'll stay with it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Big sigh of relief in southern California. Almost a solid week of rain. The sun is out there, though, this morning, and the cleanup is under way from mudslides and washouts. Record rains left 100 homes unsafe to live in and turned up more than 2,000 new potholes.

Then there is this. It's a rock, but it's about the size of a house. Hard to tell without anything next to it, but it's perched over the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

It has shut down a two-mile stretch of the road. Crews plan to inject the teetering boulder with a substance that will cause it to disintegrate from the inside out. It could take a little while, though. I think when you're going around a boulder that big you want to go kind of gently.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And it's 20 minutes from your mom's house.

KAGAN: About. Now that we're telling everybody where to go find the Kagans.

SANCHEZ: But we didn't tell them in which direction.

KAGAN: Well, that's true. They know it's not west, because that would be the ocean.

SANCHEZ: True, unless she's a shark.

Orelon Sidney standing by now to bring us up to date on -- stop that -- bring us up to date on what is going on out there in California and the rest of the country -- Orelon.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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 February 24, 2005 - 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: Keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists. President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting to discuss that right now.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. It's a joint news conference. It's scheduled shortly. They say some time around 11:30. That obviously can change. If it does -- or if it does, or whether it does, we will have it for you right here on CNN.

KAGAN: And the pope is back in the hospital with breathing difficulties once again. We're going to go live to the Vatican.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

SANCHEZ: And here is a look at what is happening right "Now in the News."

The state of democracy in Russia is on the agenda as President Bush meets with President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Bush was expected to address concerns that Russia is rolling back democratic reforms. The two leaders are scheduled to hold a news conference in about 30 minutes. And once again, we're going to have it right here for you on CNN. Expect it.

An attorney enters pleas of not guilty on behalf of a teacher accused of having sex with a 13-year-old boy. That's Pamela Turner. She did not appear in court during yesterday's hearing in McMinnville, Tennessee. She is charged with 15 counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and 13 counts of statutory rape.

Prosecutors in Denver could file formal charges today against a serial rapist. Authorities believe Brent J. Brents may have sexually assaulted at least six women and girls in Denver this month. He's also suspected of raping a woman in October, and he allegedly admitted to molesting an 8-year-old boy as well.

New twist in the deaths of a pregnant woman and her son. Houston police now say they've arrested the business partner of Stephen Barbee, as well. He's a suspect in the killings.

Ron Dodd is his name. He's jailed on a parole violation. Police say Dodd told them about seeing the bodies of a woman and child in the back of an SUV.

All right. Here we go. Hour two.

It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. on the West Coast. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, we're proud to say, welcome, everyone. I'm Rick Sanchez.

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

They are on a first-name basis. It's a warm friendship, they say. But there is a chill in the air today as presidents Bush and Putin hold a summit in Slovakia, the slippery state of Russian democracy, Moscow support for Iran's nuclear program.

Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty traveled to the Slovak capital of Bratislava to cover the summit.

Jill, hello.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Daryn.

Well, that's one thing. A lot of people would love to be in that room and finding out exactly what is being said between Vladimir Putin and George Bush, especially on that issue of democracy, where both of them have different visions of what the world should look like.

They arrived. They actually have been in that meeting for about two hours, and we're expecting they'll go about two and a half hours, and then that will be followed by a news conference.

They arrived together with their wives and with their host, the president of Slovakia. And before that meeting, before sitting down, Mr. Bush went down to the main square here in Bratislava and delivered a speech to the Slovak people. And in that speech he touched many of the issues, the themes of democracy that he is expected to address with President Putin. And here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... that swept this region over 15 years ago are now reaching Georgia and Ukraine. In 10 days, Moldova has the opportunity to place its democratic credentials beyond doubt as its people head to the polls. And inevitably, the people of Belarus will someday proudly belong to the country of democracies.

Eventually, the call of liberty comes to every mind and every soul. And one day freedom's promise will reach every people and every nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: So that is the vision of George W. Bush about the march of democracy throughout the world. But Vladimir Putin sees it a little bit differently. In fact, some of those areas, some of those countries that President Bush mentioned are areas that Mr. Putin has questions about.

He certainly opposed some of what went on during the elections in Ukraine. And he has other issues, as well, with President -- President Bush. But there really are things on the agenda besides democracy, and that would be the traditional things of defense, security, et cetera.

They'll be talking, of course, about nonproliferation. And they also have a couple new things.

One of them is a proposal for both countries to put together a team, an emergency team that could respond in case terrorists were to get their hands on and use weapons of mass destruction. They also are expected to have an agreement that would be signed not by them, but by the secretary of state from the United States and the defense minister of Russia.

And that would be on these so-called MAN PADS. Those are shoulder-launched missiles that terrorists could use to bring down helicopters or planes. And then, no doubt, Daryn, as well, they will have the issue of North Korea, Iran, and Iraq, and many other security issues.

KAGAN: Jill, since you're our Moscow bureau chief, let's get some perspective from the Russian side. For President Putin, these have been some difficult times at home.

DOUGHERTY: Right. And that would be, Daryn, part of the argument that he uses.

You know, when they talk about democracy, Mr. Putin has said over the last couple of days, he said we do have democracy, it is our type of democracy that depends upon the circumstances in Russia today. And as he looks at it, he feels that the country is really in danger of being pulled apart by terrorists, both internal and external.

So you might -- that's what we're looking for right now. Will Mr. Putin put some of that back in the corner of President Bush and say, you should not criticize me because I'm doing the best I can under the circumstances?

KAGAN: Jill Dougherty in Slovakia. Thank you.

CNN does plan live coverage of the Bush-Putin news conference. It's scheduled to start in about 25 minutes. We'll talk to an expert on U.S.-Russian affairs about the summit.

SANCHEZ: Let's get back to some of the renewed concerns about the health of Pope John Paul II. The pope was rushed back to a hospital this morning, as you may have heard, and the Vatican says that he's suffering from a relapse of the flu, and perhaps some of the respiratory problems that he had the last time he was taken to Gemelli hospital.

Senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers has been following developments for us this morning. He joins us now live, once again.

Walter, what are you learning? What's the latest?

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rick, the seriousness of the pope's condition would seem to be a function of how successful the doctors in the Gemelli hospital behind me are in terms of treating this relapse of the flu, how successful they are in bringing down the pope's fever and clearing the congestion, which was causing him breathing difficulties. The pope was brought here about six hours ago. Quite a surprise, because the pope put in a quasi public appearance yesterday in the Vatican from his library.

It was a virtual appearance on television talking to the audience elsewhere in the Vatican. But he looked pretty good at the time. But then you'll recall this pope was in this hospital for 10 days earlier in the month of February. He had virtually the same conditions.

We were told two days ago here by the chief Vatican spokesman that the pope was healing, that he was on the road of recovery. He's put in several public appearances since he came out of hospital 13 days ago. Now, suddenly, yesterday afternoon, we're told, the pope began to experience some of those recurring symptoms of the flu.

It was not sufficient to cause enough alarm at the time yesterday afternoon to send the pope back into hospital yesterday, but he had to cancel a meeting this morning, John Paul II. His doctors decided they couldn't treat him sufficiently at the Vatican. So, as we've been saying, Pope John Paul II is back in the Gemelli hospital, where he's now being treated for what the Vatican is saying a recurrence, a relapse of flu -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Walter, just how consumed -- or how do you read the Vatican officials and their task of both the presentation of the pope in his present condition, having to deal with the media and the message that they get out, and concerns over what the faithful all over the world are thinking? How is the -- how are the Vatican officials dealing with these issues?

RODGERS: Well, the Vatican has one of the best public relation organizations and machines in the world. Having said that, you will note that this pope has, ever since he came out of hospital 13 days ago, put in at least three public appearances. The most recent being yesterday morning.

And what happens is it's a quasi public experience. Yesterday, for example, his holiness was speaking in a chair, sitting down, from his library in the Vatican, talking to a large audience of students and pilgrims elsewhere in another part of the building. But if you watch the switching back and forth of the television, you got the impression that the pope was almost addressing these people. Now, these are the wonders of modern technology.

Also, when the pope delivered his angelus last Sunday from his window in the Vatican, he was rolled to the window because, remember, he's confined to a wheelchair all the time now with severe arthritis. He was taken to the window with a microphone.

He was able to speak to the crowds for about three minutes, somewhat intelligbly. And his voice was hoarse. But, still, these public appearances give the impression, rightly or wrongly, the impression that the Vatican public relations machine wanted to give, that he was on the road to recovery. The problem in all of this was, he may well have been. But as one of our Vatican analysts, John Allen, told us after speaking to Vatican officials, this kind of flu relapse is not unheard of. As a matter of fact, the Vatican was predicting it would happen. It's not at all uncommon with Parkinson's victims, and the pope does suffer from Parkinson's Disease.

He's 84 years old. So, again, the Vatican says they could almost predict with 70 percent certainty that this pope would have been back in the hospital with a flu relapse -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers with that amplification. We thank you for that, Walter -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Moving on to Iraq. Insurgents targeted symbols of security again today. A suicide attacker drove his car into a police station compound today during the shift change. The blast in the Sunni city of Tikrit killed at least 12 police officers.

In Kirkuk, a roadside bomb killed two Iraqi policemen. Separate roadside bombs also killed two U.S. soldiers in northern Iraqi cities today. And in Baghdad, gunmen assassinated the director of the passport office. The official was also a police officer. The attackers opened fire as he left his home.

The American military is finding one way to beat back the insurgents, talk to them. Here now, CNN's Jane Arraf with U.S. troops.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): In Baquba, in the Sunni heartland, the U.S. military isn't just fighting, it's talking to the enemy, too. Colonel Dana Pittard, commander of the U.S. Army's 3rd Brigade 1st Infantry Division, has made an effort to reach out to suspected insurgents and former Ba'ath Party members, differentiating between terrorists who are indiscriminate in their violence and nationalists fighting against what they believe is occupation. Sunni Muslims make up the largest single group in the area.

COL. DANA PITTARD, U.S. ARMY: At least in the Diyala Province, it's Sunni-based former regime elements that are in charge of probably the majority of insurgency here. And we've been talking to the former Ba'athists and some insurgent representatives.

ARRAF: He's been talking to them since June, and he says the frequency of attacks has dropped by more than half since then. It's a far cry from the days just after Saddam Hussein was toppled, when the U.S. administrator for Iraq dissolved the Ba'ath Party and the army and banned Iraqi army leaders from public jobs.

There are 32,000 soldiers from Saddam's army here, hundreds of former generals and a lot of current Ba'athists. Pittard has hired 40 ex-generals and other senior leaders at $250 a month as consultants. PITTARD: We brought them together as part of our military advisory committee. And that's been very key in reaching out to former Iraqi military, to former Ba'athists. They've played a big part in helping us bring people together.

ARRAF: U.S. and Iraqi officials offer amnesty at meetings like this to insurgents who renounce violence and aren't guilty of having killed anyone.

(on camera): This is a pledge not to participate in, support or finance violence against Iraqi and coalition forces. U.S. military officials say 75 suspected insurgents have signed it so far.

(voice-over): At meetings like this, with the provincial governor and local and tribal leaders, talk invariably turns to the Ba'ath Party. One tribal leader asks the governor why he isn't acknowledging the Ba'athists.

"All the parties are doing what they want, why not this party?" he asks. The governor tells him it's a national decision whether to allow Saddam's old party back, a burning and controversial issue. Pittard said he believes the Ba'athists should be given the chance to make their case to the Iraqis, experiencing their first taste of democracy.

PITTARD: I would let the Ba'ath Party run, if we could in the next election, certainly in Diyala Province, because at least people have a choice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Diyala Province, Iraq...

ARRAF: Pittard's brigade handed over power this week to the 3rd Infantry Division. The new commander, Colonel Steven Salazar (ph), says he'll continue the policy of talking to insurgent leaders and Ba'athists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The forces of good and evil struggle here, but the people of Diyala have clearly spoken. They reject violence and oppression.

ARRAF: As this U.S. Army band playing the Iraqi national anthem shows, this is increasingly an Iraqi-run country. And there's an acknowledgment that all Iraqis have to be included. Almost two years after Saddam's regime was toppled, good and evil, it seems, has become less black and white.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Baquba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: It is no doubt a scarier world that we now live in, and most people want to do their part to try and help.

KAGAN: We're going to take you to one city where residents are learning how to spot possible terrorist situations.

SANCHEZ: And southern Californians are still not out of the woods or, in this case, out of the mud.

KAGAN: Or out of the way of the boulder. Even with less rain in the forecast, we're going to show you what they're dealing with today.

SANCHEZ: Also, President Bush and President Putin, they're scheduled to hold a news conference. It should happen in about 15 minutes, give or take a few. We'll take you straight to the pictures as soon as it happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: You might want to call this one neighborhood global watch with significance. When it comes to guarding against terrorism, federal authorities can't be everywhere all the time. So now there's a new terror-spotting class that's educating citizens about keeping their neighborhoods and their country safe.

Our Chris Lawrence has the CNN "Security Watch" special report this time from Wichita, Kansas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This Wichita grandmother has chased out drug dealers and helped police crack down on crime, but that was when watching her neighborhood was easy.

DOROTHY NAVE, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCATION PRESIDENT: Now, you have to worry about global things. I mean, you know, what's going on in other parts of the world is going to eventually affect your neighborhood, too.

LAWRENCE: Criminals she can handle, but Dorothy Nave is concerned about a terrorist attack in America.

(on camera): Do you think it can happen again?

NAVE: Yes.

LAWRENCE (voice over): The question that's been bugging her: What, if anything, could she do to stop it?

NAVE: The military is trained and a lot of your government officials are trained, but your ordinary persons in the neighborhoods, they're not trained. They don't know what to look for.

LAWRENCE: Which brought Dorothy to this free class and Dr. David Carter.

DR. DAVID CARTER, TERRORISM EXPERT: What we're looking for is behaviors, not physical profiles.

LAWRENCE: A former cop, he's got a grant from Homeland Security to teach police about intelligence.

CARTER: When McVeigh started buying ammonium nitrate, that was unusual.

LAWRENCE: Now, Dr. Carter is showing average folks how to trust their instincts about, say, conversations that just don't feel right.

CARTER: So you work here? How does this operate? They're starting to ask questions which go beyond mere curiosity.

LAWRENCE: But suspicion can only go so far, and he wants people to be prepared, not paranoid.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like a Muslim family on vacation at Niagara Falls videotaping Niagara Falls as a family.

LAWRENCE: The eventual goal is developing a direct line in which federal agents send an alert to local police, who tell trained community members specifically what to look for.

CARTER: I mean, it's going to be driven by the threat.

LAWRENCE: The tips have already changed how Dorothy looks at her own neighborhood.

NAVE: You're go to these classes, and you're made aware of some of the things that's going on. Then when you see it, hey, that's exactly what they were talking about. I'd better call 911.

LAWRENCE: It's a call she's made before for petty crimes, and one she's now prepared to make if she suspects something far more serious.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Wichita.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And we've got a reminder for you. CNN "Security Watch" keeps you up to date on safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

KAGAN: Presidents Bush and Putin are wrapping up a closely- watched summit. Some major issues involving your security are on the table. We'll hear what both leaders have to say when they talk to reporters. That is scheduled for about 10 minutes from now.

SANCHEZ: Yes. We're going to be going live to Slovakia for this as it -- and then this, the big bolder. Remember Daryn was telling you about it, not far from her mother's house?

KAGAN: Well, it's kind of far from where my parents live.

SANCHEZ: Well, it depends on how you look at it, I guess.

KAGAN: Yes, closer than we are. SANCHEZ: Well, the skies have cleared, but they've still got this big bolder there that's sitting over the Pacific Coast Highway. And they're wondering what they're going to do about it. They've tried a couple of different things. We'll tell you what they are, we'll tell you what they do. We'll stay with it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Big sigh of relief in southern California. Almost a solid week of rain. The sun is out there, though, this morning, and the cleanup is under way from mudslides and washouts. Record rains left 100 homes unsafe to live in and turned up more than 2,000 new potholes.

Then there is this. It's a rock, but it's about the size of a house. Hard to tell without anything next to it, but it's perched over the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

It has shut down a two-mile stretch of the road. Crews plan to inject the teetering boulder with a substance that will cause it to disintegrate from the inside out. It could take a little while, though. I think when you're going around a boulder that big you want to go kind of gently.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And it's 20 minutes from your mom's house.

KAGAN: About. Now that we're telling everybody where to go find the Kagans.

SANCHEZ: But we didn't tell them in which direction.

KAGAN: Well, that's true. They know it's not west, because that would be the ocean.

SANCHEZ: True, unless she's a shark.

Orelon Sidney standing by now to bring us up to date on -- stop that -- bring us up to date on what is going on out there in California and the rest of the country -- Orelon.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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