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CNN Live Today

Iraq Set to Present Draft Constitution; Israel Empties Final Gaza Settlement; President Bush Hits Road in Support of Iraq War

Aired August 22, 2005 - 11:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, let's take a look at what's happening now in the news.
An Iraqi official tells CNN a draft constitution will be presented today. The deadline for negotiators is just five hours away. Earlier, officials close to the talks said Kurds and Shias had reached a tentative deal.

We'll go live to Baghdad in a moment for an update.

President Bush tries to boost sagging support for the war in Iraq. He'll make his case today at a speech in Utah at the National Convention of Veterans of Foreign Wars.

We'll have a preview this hour and live coverage of the speech. It's scheduled to begin at 1:35 Eastern.

Eric Rudolph faces sentencing today for the 1996 Olympic Park bombing. Rudolph will be sentenced to life in prison without parole for the attack and two other Atlanta bombings. He received a life sentence last month for the bombing at an Alabama women's clinic.

Harvard scientists report a potential breakthrough in stem cell research. They say they have discovered a way to fuse adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells. This method could lead to the creation of useful stem cells without destroying embryos. Bioethicist Arthur Kaplan (ph) joins me in the second half hour to talk about what this might mean.

Good morning.

Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY.

Checking the time around the world, just after 11:00 here in Atlanta, Georgia, after 4:00 in Lisbon, Portugal, and after 7:00 in Baghdad.

From CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Daryn Kagan.

Up first this hour, the constitution -- the countdown to the constitution in Iraq.

An Iraqi official telling CNN that a draft document will be presented today. The deadline for completing the process is now just five hours away.

Our Aneesh Raman is following developments and he joins us live now from Baghdad.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.

All expectations now that we will see a draft constitution to the national assembly today. That is what we're hearing from Shia members of the government.

We are not clear yet, Daryn, on how the wording will affect the issue for the Sunni minority.

Now, all along today, we have been reporting that the Shia and the Kurds had reached an agreement on a document that did include reference to federalism. The Kurds, of course, want an autonomous region in the north, something they had under Saddam. They want nothing less than that under the new Iraq.

The Sunnis, though, had long been pushing for this entire conversation to be sidelined and dealt with by a new government that would come into power at the end of today.

So what we saw was the Shia/Kurd agreement earlier today. They tried in the ensuing hours to bring the Sunnis into the fold. And now it seems we are likely to see a draft constitution that will go forward, that will meet the deadline but perhaps will not address the concerns of the Sunni community.

We have already heard some suggestions from Sunnis that, would make this process illegitimate, it would not be a sign of compromise. While that is politically correct, it is not technically necessary.

The Shia and the Kurds have a majority of seats in the national assembly. So they feel that if they can put this draft constitution forward, approve it, they then have some weeks ahead of them to try and engage the Sunni population to prevent the Sunnis from voting to reject this constitution in a referendum by mid-October, Daryn.

KAGAN: What about the issue -- another over-riding issue that was yet to be resolved, the role of Islam in deciding future family law disputes?

RAMAN: We're waiting to see what exact wording emerges.

We do know, however, that a deal had been reached in the past few days to make Islam, quote, "a main source of Iraqi law." That is a concession to more religious-minded politicians.

The U.S. had been pushing for some time to make Islam simply a source, something women's groups also were very vocal about, trying to make sure that their rights were not infringed upon. This, though, could lead Iraq down a path, as women's groups will undoubtedly raise objections over, to where regional governments and perhaps clerics are deciding what women can and cannot do.

The U.S. softened its stance in recent days for the hope of compromise, but also trying to make sure that the principles of democracy were also listed in the constitution, Daryn. KAGAN: Aneesh Raman live from Baghdad, thank you.

Now on to the president and the protesters.

President Bush tries to shore up support for the war in Iraq during a speech today. He also, though, faces growing public discontent and demonstrations in his own backyard.

White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux begins our coverage this hour.

Suzanne, good morning?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, first of all, I want to say that I spoke with senior administration officials. They don't have an official response yet to the possibility of that Iraqi constitution. I am told, however, the president is keeping a very close eye on those developments.

If it all comes together, we may see a presidential statement later today, perhaps he even may mention it in his speech.

But what the president is doing today is he's heading to Salt Lake City, Utah, and that is where he is going to be speaking before a group of veterans. He is trying to convince the American people that the Iraq war is worth it. He has been out of the public eye for eight days. He wants to try to get ahead of that message to counter what we have seen outside of the Crawford ranch. That, of course, a growing anti-war protest and demonstration led by the mother, Cindy Sheehan, who lost her own son in the Iraq war.

It also comes at a time, a growing chorus of Republican lawmakers who say they want the president to get out front and to make the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

U.S. SENATOR TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: First, I think it's important the president talk more about this, make sure that people understand we do have a plan. It's condition based and not calendar based, that we're working in a variety of ways. We're trying to help them diplomatically, we're trying -- other countries are helping with the training of the troops. We need to help get their infrastructure, their schools, their hospitals, their refineries, or their oil wells and pipelines going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So despite the fact that there have been people who have been calling to pull out those troops right away, the president -- including anti-war protesters -- the president, of course, responding, saying he does not believe that, that is a good idea.

What we expect from President Bush is that he will lay out his Iraq strategy, he will talk about the Iraq war in the context of the war on terror and the greater Middle East, bringing democracy to that region.

He'll also make some parallels with the Iraq war and World War II, saying that this is a long haul, that it's going to require a lot of sacrifice but that ultimately it is worth it.

And, Daryn, finally, the president will bring up something rather controversial. He has used it in the past. He will invoke the memories of 9/11. He will essentially say that he believes that the insurgents who are attacking Americans today in Iraq share the same ideology of al Qaeda, those who attacked Americans on 9/11 -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux live at the White House.

Suzanne, thank you.

By the way, the specific information about President Bush's speech you can see up there on the screen, Salt Lake City in just a few hours, 1:35 p.m. Eastern, 10:35 a.m. Pacific. You'll see it live right here on CNN.

So what about the anti-war protesters who are keeping up their vigil near the president's Texas ranch?

Well, now supporters of Mr. Bush's Iraq policy are also speaking out, including one family with a personal stake in the war.

Our Dana Bash has that story. She is in Crawford, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eighteen-year-old Bethany Berry stands at the side of the road every day now with a simple message: "My father is serving in Iraq. I support him and the troops and my neighbor, George Bush."

BETHANY BERRY, FATHER IN IRAQ: I pay attention to the media and I read stuff online, and I think that his plan to stay the course is the right plan.

BASH: Bethany's dad is Chaplain Kent Berry, a Crawford pastor ministering to soldiers in Iraq for nearly a year. We've been following his story since before he left.

(on camera): Are you scared?

KENT BERRY, CHAPLAIN IN IRAQ: Oh, well, you know, it's scary, yes.

BASH (voice-over): He was apprehensive, but supportive of the mission.

Now from Iraq, he's watching the protests Cindy Sheehan started in his hometown. "My heart certainly goes out to her," he writes of Sheehan in an e-mail. "We lost four soldiers last week, and that drives all of this very close to home. Our efforts here are made all the more significant and forever binding because of their personal sacrifice."

His wife, Vicki, and children live a normal life as best they can. In Crawford, that means coming out to support the football state champs. She understands a grieving mother's pain, but does not think her husband and other troops should be withdrawn now.

VICKI BERRY, HUSBAND IN IRAQ: I've really been proud of my daughter Bethany and, you know, wanting to go and make a positive stand for President Bush.

BASH: He's in a war zone, but Chaplain Berry reacts to Bethany's activism like a typical worried father.

B. BERRY: He's very protective of me and he doesn't want anything bad happening.

BASH: Last year, Bethany told us she was upset her dad would miss her high school senior year.

B. BERRY: I don't want him to go, because I want him there for those memories.

BASH: Now?

B. BERRY: Life goes on, and it gets easier. I mean, there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him.

BASH: And to honor her dad, she'll be right here holding her sign.

B. BERRY: I'll keep coming out here as long as it takes just to get, you know, for them to see my message. They've got their freedom of speech and their right to protest, but so do I.

BASH: Dana Bash, CNN, Crawford, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: One other note here for you on Iraq.

Saddam Hussein says he is prepared to sacrifice himself for the Arab cause. That revelation coming in a letter that the imprisoned former Iraqi dictator sent to a friend in Jordan. Parts of the letter were published yesterday by two Jordanian newspapers. Among other things, Hussein writes, quote, "My soul and my existence is to be sacrificed for our precious Palestine and our beloved, patient and suffering Iraq." And he goes on to say, "In our glorious nation, my soul, and what I have been born on is to be sacrificed to it."

The former Iraqi president is in coalition custody awaiting trial on a variety of criminal charges.

And then there's this from Afghanistan.

As that country moves closer to a full-fledged democracy, it remains a very dangerous place for American troops. At least four U.S. soldiers were killed, three others were wounded yesterday in a bomb attack in southern Afghanistan. The unit was taking part in a mission to find and defeat insurgents ahead of next month's elections.

In eastern Afghanistan, a joint Afghan/American operation has killed more than 40 insurgents. That word from coalition officials. They say Afghan national army units and U.S. Marines have fought side by side against insurgents in more than two dozen separate engagements over the last few weeks.

A home-grown terrorist faces his fate. Eric Rudolph is in court to hear his sentence today. But this morning we are also hearing from his mother.

There's just one Jewish settlement left in Gaza. Israeli troops expect it will be a ghost town before the end of today.

And a memorial is planned for a San Francisco 49er, but the death of lineman Thomas Herrion remains a mystery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: To world news now.

Israel is emptying the final Jewish settlement in Gaza today, it's well ahead of schedule. Soldiers hope to clear 500 settlers from Netzarim in central Gaza by the end of the day. Those evictions are largely peaceful but emotional. Netzarim is the last of 21 settlements in Gaza to be evacuated. Soldiers turn their attention to four West Bank settlements next. Those evictions could start as early as tomorrow.

Opponents of the Israeli withdrawal insist Gaza will become a lawless land for terrorists and bandits.

Our Ben Wedeman looks at those possibilities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Street politics, Gaza style: Round up all your buddies with guns, rocket-propelled grenades, a few fake rockets, crank up the battle tunes, strut through the streets, let rip a few rounds and head toward parliament. Shake the gates until they let you in.

These are gunmen from the Aqsa Martyrs Brigade -- in theory, loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. They say they helped drive out the Israelis and now want to be rewarded with jobs.

"We want to have our say, even if we weren't elected and don't drive around in fancy cars," says one of their leaders, Zaid Awujenda (ph). Palestinian police could do little but watch.

(on camera): After the Israeli pullout, the biggest challenge to the Palestinian Authority is going to be to bring under control men and boys like these, who in the past five years, have become a law unto themselves. (voice-over): Mahmoud (ph), armed with a submachine gun, says he's 17-years-old and isn't quite sure why he's here.

Another gunman didn't have time for Abu Mazen, the nickname for President Mahmoud Abbas.

While fighters run amok in Gaza, troops with the first brigade of Palestinian security stand guard around the Jewish settlement of Netzarim, soon to be evacuated. Their job, to prevent anything that might impede the Israeli withdrawal.

"This area is under complete control and there have been no violations," says Field Commander Bassam (ph).

Palestinian security officials say with all eyes on the pullout, cracking down on Gaza's militias is not a priority.

GENERAL SHAABAN ABU ASAR, PALESTINIAN SECURITY: This is a critical time. We are not concerned to make the clash up (ph). We have to contend with issues. There is -- much more is coming.

WEDEMAN: Controlling the Israeli pullout from Gaza may prove far easier than controlling what comes afterwards.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Now let's take a look at other stories making news around the world.

At least 25 wildfires are burning out of control in Portugal, which is also suffering its worst drought in decades. Nearly 330,000 acres and several homes have been destroyed. The fires are also blamed for at least 13 deaths. Portuguese officials appealed to the European Union over the weekend for assistance. Germany is dispatching firefighters and helicopters today. France and Spain and Italy have already sent firefighting aircraft.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was in Cuba over the weekend for the first graduation of the Latin-American Medical School. Cuban President Fidel Castro and Mr. Chavez appeared together on Cuban television praising each other's politics and discussing joint social ventures. The leaders also attended a meeting to discuss PetroCaribe, a deal that would make Venezuela an oil supplier to some Caribbean countries.

A British hospital was -- has discharged a mysterious patient who reportedly loved to play the piano. He didn't speak for months after being found on a beach in southern England. British media say the man began speaking in his last days in the hospital and claimed to be a German national. British officials say the man has been returned to Germany.

Gas prices are still high. Nothing new to you at home. But could your company help you save money for your commute? The answer ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Well, check your pump. AAA says motorists are paying a national average of $2.61 a gallon. That's for regular unleaded, by the way. Diesel is even higher, running $2.65 a gallon. So with fuel eating into family budgets, some companies and groups are offering some commuters incentives to save gas.

Our senior correspondent Allan Chernoff joins us from New York.

Did you drive to work today, Allan?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, I actually walked to the train, and then from the train walk over here.

KAGAN: Good boy.

CHERNOFF: So I'm not part of this. But what is happening here, is all of a sudden you have gasoline prices up to $2.61 a gallon, well, you know, that kind of makes people into environmentalists all of a sudden. So a lot of corporate programs that were set up to actually clean the air are now helping employees deal with the rise in gasoline prices. Now let's start out talking about what's going on in Atlanta. The clean air program there that's been around for more than 10 years, well, now they're providing incentives, discounts at local gas stations. So if you've got three people in your carpool, you get $20 a month. All the way up to five carpoolers, $40 a month. The Clean Air campaign also will provide $3 a day for 90 days to people who begin carpooling.

Now, outside San Francisco, there's the Bishop Ranch Business Park, a very large business park, about 350 tenant there's. They also are providing incentives. They're providing incentives of $60 in free gas, free money, to basically use, whatever you want, but essentially people can use it for gasoline. They're trying to get people to carpool as well. So that's the big incentive over there.

America Honda, they're also providing gas discounts to get people to carpool. Also they're providing parking spots, right by corporate headquarters, the best parking spots you can have. So another incentive there. You also have companies now giving money to employees to buy hybrid vehicles. This is really interesting. Hyperion Solutions, the software company, out in California. They're offering $5,000 to employees to buy a hybrid vehicle. And wouldn't you know, all of a sudden the parking lot there is packed with Priuses. It seems everybody has almost the same car, except perhaps a different color. Timberland also, the outdoor apparel company, they are offering $3,000 towards the purchase of a hybrid.

So what we have here is lots of carpooling, and also the purchase of hybrid vehicles. And it seems this may be the corporate sponsored wave of the future, especially if gasoline prices keep on rising. And by the way, Daryn, that program in Atlanta is corporate sponsored, and among the sponsors is Turner Broadcasting, the parent of CNN.

KAGAN: I could have told you that. And when those carpoolers come here to the parking lot over there, they get a special parking space as well.

CHERNOFF: That's a real incentive.

KAGAN: So good for them. Very good.

Thank you, Allan.

Ahead, an inclusive interview with the mother of Eric Robert Rudolph. He is sentenced today here in Atlanta. What does his mother have to say about people who call him a monster?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at what's happening now in the news. An Iraqi official telling CNN a draft constitution will be presented today. The deadline for negotiators is just a few hours away. Earlier officials close to the top said that Kurds and Shias had reached a tentative deal.

President Bush is focussing on the war on terror and the situation in Iraq, as he takes a break from his Texas ranch. Just a short time from now, Mr. Bush will address the National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. CNN will have live coverage of the speech at 1:35 Eastern.

A strike aimed at disrupting operations at Northwest Airlines appears to be a failure so far. Mechanics at the nation's number-four carrier are now spending their third day on the picket lines, but they don't have the support of the airlines' pilots or flight attendants. Northwest says it operated a normal schedule over the weekend, using replacement workers and outside contractors.

Reports from Australia say police in the U.S. are investigating the mysterious disappearance of the long-time boyfriend of Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John. And those reports say police have not ruled out the possibility that Patrick Kim McDermott may have been killed or faked his own death. McDermott was reported missing after a fishing trip off California this June.

It is the final legal act for Eric Rudolph. The Olympic Park bomber is in front of a judge this morning. Rudolph's hearing is a sentence that is already a done deal. It is life without parole.

Our Tony Harris joins me now from the federal courthouse not far away from us, here in downtown Atlanta -- Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to talk to you, Daryn.

We just want to give you a quick update on the sentencing hearing that is under way right now in the Russell Court building right behind here in downtown Atlanta. We can tell you that the proceeding is moving along rather briskly. Seven of 13 victim-impact statements have been read to the court.

John Hawthorne, who is the husband of Alice Hawthorne, who was killed when one of Eric Robert Rudolph's bombs when the off at Centennial Olympic Park in July of 1996, during the Summer Olympic Games, has addressed the court. And he began his remarks by saying that this would have been my 18th wedding anniversary with my wife, Alice. John Hawthorne went on to say, that this hearing does offer a bit of closure but then he said to Rudolph, I want you to see my wife as I saw her.

At that moment, pictures of Alice Hawthorne were shown to the court. Next was Kenneth McGee, a federal agent who worked one of the bomb sites. He said to Eric Rudolph, "You based your actions on some kind of religious belief that I find sick and demonic."

But, Daryn, back to John Hawthorne, at one point during his remarks, he said that Eric Rudolph actually walked into the court and winked at him and at his stepdaughter, Fallon Stubbs, who is Alice Hawthorne's daughter. And if you're interested in this kind of thing, Eric Rudolph is wearing a suit, no tie. At the end of this hearing, he will be transferred to the Supermax federal facility in Florence, Colorado, where he will serve the rest of his sentence, for the rest of his life -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Tony, one thing that disturbed some people about the sentencing hearing in Alabama was that it ended up being a platform for Eric Rudolph to get to spew his beliefs. Will he get that opportunity again today?

HARRIS: That's a very interesting question, and I'll tell you this, that we are certainly closely monitoring the situation inside the courtroom with our staff inside. But we don't know, as I stand here, outside of the courthouse, whether or not Eric Rudolph will get an opportunity to speak. As you mentioned, in his last statement, he did go on about a number of things, chief among them was this notion that he had denied the federal government of what it really sought, its ultimate goal, which was to see him put to death. We don't know if he will get an opportunity to issue a similar statement today.

KAGAN: All right, Tony Harris, in downtown, Atlanta, thank you.

Well, it's her first television interview. Eric Rudolph's mother is speaking out about her son and his crimes. Here now, correspondent Rick Sanchez with a CNN exclusive that he prepared for tonight's "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's in these North Carolina mountains where Eric Rudolph eluded authorities for more than five years. Now, through letters and conversations shared with his mother and revealed to CNN, we are able to retrace his steps. (on camera): Were you as fascinated as the rest of us to hear how Eric was able to survive in the mountains for such a long period of time?

PAT RUDOLPH, BOMBER'S MOTHER: Yes, it's very interesting, you know, that he knew how to do all this. And I'm sure a lot of it he didn't know, he just improvised as he went along.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Rudolph survived in large measure from skills he learned in the military, his firsthand knowledge of the area where had he grown up, and in several cases, just dumb luck. In one letter, he describes to his mother how he stole a car and ran out of gas in the middle of the road, and suddenly was face to face with what he feared the most -- the law.

RUDOLPH: It was in the middle of the night, and a police officer came by and asked him what was wrong. He told him. And he said, oh, don't worry about it, I have gas in my car for when I run out, and you can have that. So he gave it to him.

SANCHEZ (on camera): The police officer didn't know that he was helping a fugitive?

RUDOLPH: Right.

SANCHEZ: Who was on the lam?

RUDOLPH: Right.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Finally in 2003, a rookie cop in Murphy, North Carolina, apprehend Rudolph. At the time, Pat Rudolph did not believe her son was guilty, or even capable of such horrible crimes. Now, after hearing it from his own lips, she does.

RUDOLPH: It was quite a shock, quite a shock.

SANCHEZ: Eric Rudolph has admitted to, but not apologized, for two murders from four bombings that also injured more than 100 people. Pat Rudolph says she doesn't agree or condone with what her son did, but has this to say to those who call him a monster.

RUDOLPH: I don't see him as a monster. I don't think I could.

SANCHEZ: Pat Rudolph says she will not attend her son's sentencing.

(on camera): You're not going to go to the sentencing?

RUDOLPH: No.

SANCHEZ: Rick Sanchez, CNN, Murphy, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: This just in to CNN, the U.S. Coast Guard saying it is currently searching for about 31 people who possibly might be in the water of the Florida Straits between the U.S. and Cuba. This comes after the Coast Guard received a report that three Cuban nationals were rescued by a merchant vessel. They were taken back to Cuba. But they claim that they were onboard a 28-foot fast boat that sank with 31 other people onboard. The Coast Guard has diverted search and rescue to assess the situation, and they're looking for a boat in that area. Once again, the search goes on for 31 people that might have drowned or perhaps been on the sinking boat between Cuba and Florida.

We still have a lot of news to get to this hour. A possible breakthrough in the world of stem cell research, or is it perhaps just another false hope? this health story and more coming up in our "Daily Dose" segment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We are tracking what's taking place in Baghdad as the Iraqis try to come up with a draft constitution. For the latest on that, let's go back to Baghdad and our Aneesh Raman -- Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, we understand from the president of Iraq's national assembly that they will convene in two- and-a-half hours, at 10:00 p.m. local, and a draft of some sort, we expect, will be presented. Negotiations are still taking place right now between the Shia-Kurd coalition and the minority Sunni Arabs to try and work out language that all three could support.

But it is increasingly likely that a draft will come forward that the Sunnis will not support initially. It will bring in federalism into the Iraqi constitution, something the Kurds have vehemently pushed for. The Sunnis, though, have already started the rhetoric, saying this is going to be illegitimate, this is not about consensus. But for the Shia-Kurd coalition, at 10:00 p.m., if a draft goes through, it will begin the process of how they hope to engage the Sunni population, to prevent them, Daryn, from voting down this document by mid-October.

KAGAN: All right, Aneesh Raman, live from Baghdad, thank you.

Still ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY, we're going to talk about a possible breakthrough in a different way to do stem cell research. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The search for answers in the death of a San Francisco 49er continues this morning. Thomas Herrion collapsed in the locker room after a preseason game and was later pronounced dead.

CNN's Steve Overmyer has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE NOLAN, 49ERS HEAD COACH: Right now it's a day of mourning for the 49er family. As you all know, we lost a teammate and a very good friend as well. STEVE OVERMYER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An autopsy performed on the San Francisco 49er's lineman Thomas Herrion revealed nothing conclusive about his cause of death Saturday night. Investigators will wait for toxicology results to come back in three to six weeks before giving a definitive cause of death.

JANICE HERRION, MOTHER: It's not our reasoning to choose why that 23 years is all that he was allowed. And in those 23 years, he left his mark.

OVERMYER: Herrion, number 72, seen here, was on the field Saturday night in Denver in his team's last series which led to a touchdown. At the end of the game, Herrion greeted fans and even joked with the team's nutritionist before gathering for a team huddle with their coach. Moments later, the 6'3", 310-pound lineman collapsed in the locker room. Paramedics administered CPR, but he never regained consciousness.

HERRION: He was a joy. He lit up a room when he walked in. His teachers would say, "Oh, this boy just cracks me up." He had a teacher once who said, "Now, son, if you don't make it in nothing else, be a comic."

OVERMYER: Herrion was a backup lineman with the '9ers. He played college football at Utah before spending time with the Cowboys last year, and even a stint in NFL Europe. He may have only been with the team for a short amount of time, but was quick to make an impression.

NOLAN: I just respected his play and his work ethic. I always saw that he had leadership qualities.

OVERMYER: Steve Overmyer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: In today's daily dose of health news, Harvard scientists are reporting a potential breakthrough in stem cell research. They say they've discovered a way to fuse adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells. The researchers hope this will lead to the creation of useful stem cells without destroying human embryos. One scientist cautions, though, this is just a first step down a long uncertain road. He says there are still biological hurdles to overcome.

Well, could this development help tame the heated national debate over stem cell research?

Arthur Caplan is with us now from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He is the chairman of the Department of Medical Ethics.

Art, good morning.

ARTHUR CAPLAN, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IN PHILADELPHIA: Hey, Daryn. KAGAN: As we often see when we talk to you, it's science and the ethics and what we do with it, kind of not keeping pace with each other.

Let's do a 101 here. Human embryonic stem cells -- why are they important and what's the debate?

CAPLAN: Well, there are stem cells -- that just means things that replace body tissues in our body. We know our skin grows back if we cut it.

Embryonic stem cells can turn into any cells. And what makes them so interesting and what makes the fight about all this so heated is that some cells in our body -- heart cells, nerve cells, spinal cord cells -- don't grow back.

Embryonic stem cells would grow back at least in theory, if we can figure out how to do it. So people want to do the research there and see if they can actually heal something like a broken spinal cord or a heart damaged by a heart attack.

KAGAN: The controversy, though, being that many people believe that embryo is human life and you're destroying that in order to improve another human life.

CAPLAN: So the moral argument is, is an embryo a person, does it have full rights from the minute you make it in a dish?

I think a lot of people take the position that if it's outside the body in a dish, it hasn't yet become a full person. But some disagree. So that's where the heart of the ethical fight is.

KAGAN: OK. It brings us to up what this research is looking at, the idea that you could just take a skin cell and get done the kind of research you want to get done is very exciting, but it doesn't replace where stem cell research is right now.

CAPLAN: So the trick here is can you do a work around?

We have some permission from the president to use certain embryonic stem cells made a long time ago, already in existence. The idea here is you can stick one of those cells into a skin cell, merge them and turn that into a kind of embryonic stem cell. It's not an embryo. We've never made an embryo. But you've reprogrammed the skin cell.

Nice feature about that is it comes from your body, wouldn't be rejected. Bad feature, this is why people are a little hesitant, it has double the DNA and we're not really sure if those cells would be normal.

So it is an interesting idea to try and find a work-around. But I don't think it's going to solve the political battle that's coming up in the Senate very soon should we vote to allow embryonic stem cell research rather than look into these alternatives.

KAGAN: Why wouldn't it solve that?

CAPLAN: I think a lot of scientists are still going to say, look, this work-around is interesting, but it's very new, it's very primitive. We don't know if those cells are going to be normal. We have to chase all options.

And they're going to point out something else, Daryn. In Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Britain, they're pushing ahead. We can't afford, literally can't afford to fall behind.

KAGAN: Well, and what this comes down to, really, is funding and do you put governmental tax dollars behind this type of funding. That's what's helping fuel the South Koreans and those other countries that you were talking about.

CAPLAN: Exactly right.

If we don't have the kind of government funds that a Singapore or China puts in, our science is going to move very slowly. There's a little private money, not too much.

It's basically the National Institutes of Health budget -- are we going to put in the kind of money, $40 million, $50 million, $100 million, $3 billion over 10 years? Are we going to make the real investments that these other countries are doing?

And I think that's where the battle is going to be. Do we risk falling behind or is the ethics of respect for the embryo going to emerge in the United States as something that says that's a limit?

KAGAN: The conversation will continue.

Art Caplan, thank you.

CAPLAN: Thank you.

KAGAN: Well, do you enjoy listening to good tunes when you travel?

Just ahead, tips on some great places to visit that will be music to many people's ears.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: If the idea of travelling is music to your ears, we have a few destinations that will tickle your tympanic membrane. By the way, that's your eardrum there.

The latest issue of "Gourmet" magazine focuses on music-themed getaways. And that scoop of ice cream on the cover doesn't look so bad either.

Bill Sertl is travel editor of "Gourmet." He is in New York this morning.

Bill, good morning. BILL SERTL, "GOURMET" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's tune up and head for the road.

Jazz at Half Moon Bay.

SERTL: Right.

We know that music and food are two of the most sensual pleasures. So when "Gourmet" put its music issue together, we decided to come up with some companies that actually package tours. Here is Half Moon Bay, Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, which is on the cliffs above the Pacific, just 30 miles south of San Francisco. It's a beautiful setting. And the hotel does a jazz concert every Memorial Day and every Labor Day.

For $370 per couple, you get jazz concert, you get to attend. You also get a dinner. And if you throw in about $850, I think, more, you get two nights accommodation.

So it's an easy and a beautiful way to hear jazz right above the Pacific Ocean. The setting couldn't be more beautiful.

KAGAN: Hopefully sunshine, no fog.

SERTL: Hopefully at this time of the year, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: Brazilian music. Where am I going to find that?

SERTL: Well, if you want to go to Carnival in Brazil, the best place for Carnival is actually Salvador do Bahia, which is in northeastern Brazil. It's the more authentic, less touristy Carnival than the one in Rio.

And another company called Adventures in Rock has packaged a pre- Carnival trip in February to Salvador do Bahia. You get to see all the musicians, the samba dancers. You get to see everything before the Carnival starts. It's like a backstage tour. And, you know, you get to see it before the mob scene.

KAGAN: Excellent.

How about a little bit of opera, but I want to see it in France?

SERTL: Well, if you're an opera lover, the best program we could find is one that takes you to the beautiful Palais Garnier, the old opera house in Paris, which is a masterpiece of Bozart (ph) architecture. You get to attend operas. You go out to fancy dinners and you even go to Marie Antoinette's private opera house at Versailles and hopefully will come out a little better than she did afterwards. But...

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: Yes, exactly. With your ears still attached to your head.

SERTL: So you can hear more music, exactly.

But it's a spectacular program from a company called Morgan (ph) Tours.

KAGAN: What about -- let's wrap this one up with some American experience -- bluegrass music on a river rafting trip.

SERTL: Yes. Just the opposite of opera in Europe, we've got a good old whitewater rafting trip in Idaho, in California and Oregon combined with bluegrass. So they have professional fiddlers and banjo players. And this company also encourages you to bring your own instruments if you're a musician. And you sit around at night after the whitewater rafting around the campfire playing music and eating really good barbecue, which sounds like a lot of fun to me. And that's from a company called Echo River Trips.

KAGAN: Sounds good.

Bill Sertl from "Gourmet."

By the way, Bill, have you tried this flourless chocolate cake on the cover of your magazine?

SERTL: Well, I'm going to make that one of these days. It looks awful good.

KAGAN: It does. A few calories.

Thank you. Good to see you, Bill.

SERTL: Thank you.

KAGAN: We're going to go ahead and check weather and business, we'll do it after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(WEATHER UPDATE)

KAGAN: And that's going to wrap up this hour, but the news does continue on CNN. International news is up next.

I'm Daryn Kagan.

"Your World Today" with Jim Clancy and Zain Verjee comes your way right after this break. I'll see you right here tomorrow morning.

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