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CNN Live Today

Pakistan Last Leg of President Bush's South Asia Trip; Iraq: Children & War; Bribery Sentencing for Former Congressman Randall Cunningham

Aired March 03, 2006 - 10:59   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. Here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
U.S. officials say they're satisfied with security precautions for President Bush's visit to Pakistan. Mr. Bush has just arrived in Islamabad from India. He plans to show his support for Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf while urging him to do more to hunt down al Qaeda militants. The president's visit comes on the heels of a bombing in Pakistan that killed a U.S. diplomat.

A top U.S. commander in Iraq says the crisis that erupted after the bombing of a Shiite mosque appears to be over, but General George Casey refused to rule out the possibility of civil war in Iraq. Sectarian violence broke out after the attack last month on one of Iraq's holiest Shiite shrines.

The new face of the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices posed this morning for their official class photo. The addition of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito represent a conservative shift for the high court. And Justice Ruth Badger Ginsburg is now the only woman on the court following the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor.

The so-called cell phone bandit is sentenced to 12 years in prison. Candice Martinez pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. Martinez earned the nickname after a surveillance video captured her chatting on a cell phone with her boyfriend during a bank heist. He got a 12-year sentence last month.

Good morning, everyone. And welcome to CNN LIVE TODAY.

It is 8:00 a.m. in San Diego and 9:00 p.m. in Islamabad.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris, in for Daryn Kagan.

Up first, President Bush visits an ally and a battleground on the war on terror. The president has just arrived in Pakistan after wrapping up a three-day trip to India. During a speech before leaving India, Mr. Bush urged Americans to view the country's exploding economy as an opportunity rather than a threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's true that some Americans have lost jobs when their companies move operations overseas. It's also important to remember that when someone loses a job it's an incredibly difficult period for the worker and their families. Some people believe the answer to this problem is to wall off our economy from the world through protectionist policies. I strongly disagree.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Pakistan is the final stop on the president's trip to South Asia. The already tight security there was ratcheted up even more after a suicide bombing yesterday that killed a U.S. diplomat.

Our Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy joins us from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

And good morning to you, Mike.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

Security here very, very tight. Parts of Islamabad virtually sealed off. Troops and police lining the streets, trying to ensure the safety of President Bush.

Throughout Pakistan today, there were demonstrations, protests against the president, clashes in Karachi and in other cities. Pakistani intelligence also arresting a man with a Belgium passport in the city of Lahore. They suspect that he might be involved in a possible terrorist plot aimed at the president here -- or the president's presence here in Islamabad. Another man seized with 15 kilos of explosives.

Still, Pakistani officials say they're confident they've done everything possible to protect Mr. Bush during his stay here -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Mike, there just seems to be so much these two presidents can talk about. What do you think it is that tops the agenda? I would guess it's this continuing war on terror.

CHINOY: Absolutely. The war on terror will almost certainly top the agenda.

Pakistan's President Musharraf is seen by the United States as an ally, but there's a lot of frustration in Washington, sense that he's not doing as much as he could to curb Taliban and al Qaeda operatives, especially in those wild and rugged border regions where Pakistan meets Afghanistan. The Taliban and al Qaeda have been able to operate there, mount attacks on American forces inside Afghanistan.

Pakistan's deployed 80,00 troops in the region, but the U.S. feels it could do more. And President Bush will certainly be asking President Musharraf to do more.

HARRIS: Senior Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy for us.

Mike, we appreciate it. Thank you. Iraqi authorities imposed a daytime curfew on vehicles today trying to prevent more attacks against mosques and worshipers. The violence that erupted after the bombing of a Shiite mosque may have pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war. And most Americans don't think the danger has passed.

In a new CNN-"USA-Today"-Gallup poll, 73 percent of Americans predict a major civil war in Iraq within the next year. Twenty percent say that's unlikely.

For Iraqi children, war often overshadows the everyday activities of being a kid, like playing outdoors or just daydreaming. So teachers try to make school a safe place where children can focus on fun and learning.

CNN's Arwa Damon reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These school boys don't even flinch at the sound of gunfire. Six-year-old Houda walks to school with her brother and sitter. Her tattered backpack almost as big as she is.

"I'm scared to go out," Houda says, but she has to overcome her fear every day.

Miss Rahama (ph) is trying to get her kids to concentrate on math class. Houda is paying more attention to her coloring book than what's on the chalk board. She doesn't care much for math. She wants to be a gym teacher. Barbie sneakers, Barbie pencil case, and her mom promised her more.

"I am happy," Houda says, "because my mom said she would buy me toys and things and new clothes. But I said, 'Daddy, I don't want,' because daddy needs to make money."

Like many students here, her parents don't talk to her about the country's violence. They just say don't go out.

As Houda's classmates compete to answer Miss Rahama's (ph) questions, Mohammed (ph) in the back is not being called on. But it's not his favorite subject, anyway. That would be religion. Ask him if he's ever scared and the answer's a defiant "No."

At recess, our camera gets the attention, though Mohammed (ph) just wants to eat his apple.

(on camera): Violence, sectarian divide, insurgent attacks are not topics of conversation here. Professors say that the kids go through so much trauma outside of school that they want this to be an environment where the kids can just have fun, focus on their studies and just be kids.

(voice over): The fourth grade divas, Hanan (ph) and her gang, rule the playground. She likes showing off her sense of fashion. But then it's to religion class, and the vivacious girls are subdued.

The scarves that were draped on their shoulders now cover their hair. The parents of Hanan (ph), the wannabe engineer, tell her not to be afraid. She'll do her chores when she gets home and then play, but not outside.

"I don't go in the streets," she says. "I just go to my friend's house."

These kids may seem like any others, but teachers say the effects of the war can be found just below the surface.

"I am scared of the explosions," Houda says. "Now at night..." -- but she's lost her thought before she's able to finish.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: You want amazing pictures? Take a look at amazing pictures.

This -- we're in Georgia now. Union City, Georgia, and Union City is south and west of Atlanta. I understand it's very near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

What you're watching now, pictures of a train colliding with a tractor trailer. I'm sure our helicopter pilot from WSB here in Atlanta will widen out so you can get a better look at this. But there you see the cab twisted around the front of the train.

There you go. There's a better picture of it. And this is a CSX freight train that collided with this tractor trailer.

We understand that the tractor trailer truck driver was trying to get through the intersection and locked up, and just ended up stuck in the intersection and in the path of this oncoming CSX train. Train meets truck, and you can see the results of it right there. What a mess. And as you can see, the tractor was dragged a bit down the track.

We understand that the driver jumped out of the rig just before impact.

Once again, live pictures now, Union City, Georgia. A CSX train meets an 18-wheeler and drags it down the road. And miraculously -- that may be an understatement -- no one, no one was injured.

A former U.S. congressman faces sentencing today in a corruption scandal of historic proportions, and prosecutors are asking for the maximum penalty. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty last November to accepting more than $2 million in bribes.

CNN's Jen Rogers is outside the courthouse in San Diego where Cunningham will be sentenced.

Jen, good morning.

JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony.

That's right, Randy "Duke" Cunningham is expected here in just about five hours. He will be in front of a judge here at the United States courthouse waiting to hear his fate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROGERS (voice over): Randall "Duke" Cuningham would have been serving out his eighth term in Congress this year. Instead, the San Diego Republican will likely start serving a prison term.

RANDALL CUNNINGHAM, FMR. CONGRESSMAN: The truth is I broke the law, concealed my conduct and disgraced my office.

ROGERS: Cunningham, who resigned from office last fall, has pleaded guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes and evading $1 million in taxes. The bribes from defense contractors enabled Cunningham to buy a multimillion-dollar mansion in southern California, a Virginia condominium, and even a Rolls Royce.

BUSH: The idea of a congressman taking money is outrageous. And Congressman Cunningham is going to realize that he has broken the law and is going to pay a serious price, which he should.

ROGERS: Cunningham's plea agreement with the government allows prosecutors to seek a maximum 10-year sentence. Cunningham's lawyers have asked for leniency in light of the former congressman's record as a decorated fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, his age, and his declining health. But prosecutors are unmoved by his request and continue to recommend Cunningham be sentenced to the full 10 years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROGERS: Now, as part of his plea agreement, Cunningham agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Neither side right now will say whether he is still cooperating, but the United States Attorney's Office did say that the investigation is ongoing -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Jen Rogers for us.

Jen, thank you.

And coming up, he is a suspected conspirator in the attacks on 9/11, but at least two men were suspicious of him long before that. Hear what red flags Zacarias Moussaoui raised when he wanted to learn to fly. It's a CNN exclusive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, there is trouble in paradise. Take a look.

Hawaii is under, wow, siege by heavy rain. Oahu is staring down a flashflood warning for much of the day. One spot picked up a foot and a half of rain in 48 hours. Man. Homes are flooded. Roads are a mess.

Trini is a meteorologist with our affiliate KHON in Honolulu.

Trini?

TRINI KAOPUIKI, KHON METEOROLOGIST: Yes, good morning, Tony.

HARRIS: You know, I just -- know I just butchered your last name. Why don't you pronounce that for me, please?

KAOPUIKI: It's Kaopuiki.

HARRIS: Kaopuiki.

KAOPUIKI: Yes. Not -- not that bad.

HARRIS: Better. Man, that was a mess.

Trini, good to talk to you.

KAOPUIKI: Thank you.

HARRIS: Boy, tell us about this storm system that has rolled through. You have had to endure, what, about a week or so of rain out there?

KAOPUIKI: You know, we did have some heavy showers last week, and then we had a couple of days of blue skies. And then the showers are back.

We've got a low pressure system west of the state, and that system is bringing up all of this tropical moisture from the south up over the islands. So the showers have been quite heavy over the last couple of days. As you mentioned, we do have a flashflood warning in effect for a Oahu, and we've got a flashflood watch in effect for Kauai and Niihau.

HARRIS: Hey, Trini, I've got to ask you, I mean, these pictures look very serious. I mean, are we talking about people who have had to evacuate their homes or are we talking about people who have lost their homes?

KAOPUIKI: You know, right now, we do not have any reports of people losing their homes, but there has been an evacuation, a shelter set up on the windward side of the island. The windward side of Oahu is the area that's really seen...

HARRIS: Now what does that mean, the windward side?

KAOPUIKI: It's the east side of the island.

HARRIS: Got you.

KAOPUIKI: Yes. And we've had road closures. We were hoping to have some improvement this morning, but the heavy showers will continue for that side of the island throughout the day today. So we have had road closures, mudslides, several schools are closed this morning. We did have some power outage.

Some residents on that side of the island are saying -- are calling this the worst flooding that they've seen in decades.

HARRIS: Yes. So you mentioned it just a moment ago, but let me follow up. What are the prospects for better weather? When might the skies start to really clear here?

KAOPUIKI: Well, forecasters at the National Weather Service here in Honolulu are seeing drier conditions by tomorrow, and we should see some periods of sunshine by tomorrow. But it will still be cloudy. You know, we'll still see a little bit of everything. But the return to more typical trade wind weather, which is our typical weather, should return by Sunday.

HARRIS: OK.

KAOPUIKI: Yes.

HARRIS: Trini -- Trini, you're in a situation out there. You guys sort of hunker down and ride this thing out.

KAOPUIKI: We're doing our best. Thank you.

HARRIS: OK.

Trini, what's the last name?

KAOPUIKI: Kaopuiki. It means the smaller stomach.

HARRIS: How about that? How about that? From our affiliate KHON in Honolulu.

Trini, thank you.

KAOPUIKI: Yes, thank you.

HARRIS: New pictures now of President Bush arriving in Islamabad, Pakistan, for meetings with Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf. As we told you just a short time ago, the president and the first lady, Laura Bush, in Pakistan.

Security is extraordinarily tight, as you can imagine. Roads are blocked off. Access to large parts of Islamabad virtually impossible right now. You have got to be properly credentialed if you're going to move around that city right now.

Mr. Bush is to spend the night at American embassy, and he will meet with President Musharraf late Friday and attend a roundtable on earthquake relief and I'm sure talk about some other issues as well regarding the war on terror.

Let's get you now upstairs to the CNN Weather Center and Dave Hennen.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: And coming up, a little to much curiosity and a lot of cash. When confessed terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui displayed both, it raised red flags for a couple of pilots. Hear what they did next in a CNN exclusive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And still to come, the stars, the gowns, the fashion police. The 78th annual Academy Awards are Sunday night, and we will have a preview, along with a Hollywood history lesson. We'll see how the awards have changed since that first little gold guy was handed out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Sunday night is a big night for Hollywood with the 78th annual Academy Awards ceremony. You can turn to CNN.com for a spotlight on the event.

If you've seen many films this year, this audio quiz tests your knowledge about all of the nominees for best picture.

And while stars are usually thrilled to be awarded with a statuette, that's not always been the case. George C. Scott and Marlon Brando won Oscars for best actor but refused their awards.

Check out other Oscar highs and lows in this gallery. This interactive breaks down all the nominees per category.

Also, what would you say if you were holding an Oscar? For the first time, the statue is on display for people to hold and say a few "thank yous" just for fun.

Don't forget, you still have time to play the "Inside the Envelope" game for a chance to win a home theater system and an HDTV.

You can find it all online at CNN.com/Oscars.

From the .comdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And coming up on the half-hour, I'm Tony Harris, in today for Daryn Kagan. Here is what's happening "Now in the News.".

President Bush arrived in Pakistan about a half-hour ago. He wrapped up his visit to India with a speech in New Delhi. He talked up the benefits of global trade and he defended the outsourcing of American jobs to India. The president vowed not to give in to protectionists.

That controversial takeover of six U.S. ports has gained yet another powerful opponent. Republican lawmaker Duncan Hunter says he will do everything he can to kill the deal. Under the proposal, a firm owned by the United Arab Emirates is trying to buy the British company that operates the ports. The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee says, "Dubai cannot be trusted."

Federal authorities have a lead on a Kentucky prisoner who disappeared more than a month ago after promising to donate a kidney to his sick son. A Washington State couple who saw a report on CNN told authorities they saw Byron Perkins and his fugitive girlfriend near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, earlier this week. Perkins vanished after being released for pre-transplant tests.

And check out these dramatic pictures in to CNN just a short time ago. A tractor trailer somehow got stuck on a train track in Union City, Georgia. And that is just southwest of Atlanta. And this is what happened when train meets truck.

The freight train dragged the big rig several feet. Fortunately, the trucker jumped out of his cab just before impact and no one was injured. Right now, authorities are trying to clear the track.

On Monday, a federal judge hopes to see the jury in the case against Zacarias Moussaoui. The confessed al Qaeda operative admits his guilt in several terror conspiracies. The only issue for the jury is whether he goes to prison for life or faces execution. Moussaoui trained briefly at a Minnesota flight school and claims he planned to fly a plane into the White House.

Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena shows us why that calamity never happened. Her exclusive report was prepared for CNN's "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUGH SIMS, FLIGHT SCHOOL MANAGER: What's up?

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're good friends, military veterans who work together at the same flight school. Tim Nelson spent 20 years in the Air Force, flew missions as a B-52 gunner in the Gulf War. Hugh Sims was in the Air Force for 24 years, flew 150 missions in Vietnam, and then was an airline pilot for 16 years.

SIMS: They offered me a job.

ARENA: They don't see much of each other since Sims retired. But, when they do, the talk inevitably turns to the strange flight student they met in August of 2001.

It was in Eagan, a small city 15 miles outside of Minneapolis. A foreign student was coming to the Pan Am International Flight School to learn how to fly 747 jumbo jets.

Hugh Sims says, the guy didn't even have a pilot's license.

SIMS: So, at first, it was more curiosity that my antenna was up.

ARENA: All the school had was an e-mail from the aspiring pilot, asking for -- quote -- "help to achieve my dream. I am sure that you can do something," he wrote. "After all, we are in America, and everything is possible."

It was signed "Zac," short for Zacarias Moussaoui.

TIM NELSON, FLIGHT SCHOOL MANAGER: He wanted to do -- be able to take off and land a 747-400. And he wanted to operate it between two particular points, between New York and Heathrow, between JFK and Heathrow Airport in London.

ARENA: Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, sent the e-mail under the username "zuluman tangotango."

(on camera): That e-mail made staffers at the flight school curious, even before Moussaoui got here. But, after he arrived, the curiosity turned into outright suspicion.

(voice-over): Monday, day one: Moussaoui showed up in the morning and settled his bill by putting down about $7,000 in cash.

NELSON: Cash is hard to track. You know, we get a customer who pays by check or by a credit card, you can kind of go back and say, OK, where did this guy come from?

SIMS: He came in. He was dressed in jeans, a color T-shirt, and a ball cap. This guy doesn't look like he has the kind of money that would be just to -- just to do this for -- for fun.

ARENA: Nelson, who had not seen Moussaoui yet, went out of his way to meet him.

NELSON: He was telling us that, well, it is an ego thing. I want to be able to tell my friends, hey, I can fly a 747. Well, that's a lot of money to spend to play, basically.

ARENA (on camera): Did you believe him?

NELSON: I didn't.

ARENA (voice-over): Nelson says he had just viewed a training tape about a 1999 Japanese hijacking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: Brandishing a knife, he got into the cockpit as the plane was making its ascent from...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA (on camera): So, you had seen that tape right at the same time that Moussaoui shows up?

NELSON: Yes, I had. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: And his motive for hijacking the plane was that he wanted to fly it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NELSON: I'm thinking, do I have that, or do I have something worse on my hands?

ARENA (voice-over): Even before 9/11, hijackings were often associated with the Middle East. At the time, Nelson had a class of Syrian airline pilots. He saw two of them greet Moussaoui in Arabic.

NELSON: I said, what were you guys talking about?

And he said, oh, they're just greeting in Arabic.

I said, how is it?

Oh, he's fluent. He's a native speaker.

That bothered me.

ARENA (on camera): Why?

NELSON: It was just one more red flag.

ARENA (voice-over): Tim Nelson is the son of a cop, and once took the FBI entrance exam. With Moussaoui, things just didn't add up. And, at the end of Moussaoui's first day at flight school, Sims was also troubled.

Sims got a chance to spend some time alone with Moussaoui when he gave him a ride to where the 747 flight simulators were located. During the two-mile drive, Moussaoui said he was an international consultant. Sims didn't buy it.

SIMS: Well, his English skills, for one, although they're adequate, they certainly didn't indicate a high degree of sophistication or indicate someone who had spent a lot of time in English conversations.

ARENA: Day two, Tuesday: Tim Nelson pulled Moussaoui's flight school file, which should have contained all sorts of documentation. Oddly, this one had nothing. Then he ran into Moussaoui's flight instructor, who said his student wanted to know about unusual things.

NELSON: He had asked questions like if the oxygen could be shut off, if I pull the circuit breakers to disable or turn off the transponder.

ARENA: Sims and Nelson say Pan Am flight school management was cautious about questioning a paying customer. But, by the end of Moussaoui's second day at school, Nelson and Sims were convinced something was wrong. NELSON: I'm saying, guys, do you really want this guy to go out and do something with this training, come back and say, where did you learn, you know, to fly, Pan Am in Minneapolis? I don't want that.

ARENA: Wednesday, day three: Moussaoui was staying at this Marriott Residence Inn. He was scheduled to take flight simulator lessons the next day. Hugh Sims and Tim Nelson were worried that he might learn just enough about flying a 747 to become very dangerous.

(on camera): After just two days, Sims and Nelson had seen enough. They both decided, without the other knowing, to call the FBI field office here in Minneapolis.

(voice-over): Their calls were transferred to a counterterrorism agent.

NELSON: I have got a student that is raising a lot of red flags. And I said, you need to understand that this aircraft weighs 900,000 pounds. It carries between 50,000 and 57,000 gallons of jet fuel. And I said, and if you fly it at 350 knots into a metro -- a heavily populated area, you're going to kill a boatload of people.

ARENA: Sims called around the same time.

SIMS: I explained to them that we had a student at the Pan Am flight academy that I think is asking for training that could become dangerous. And I think that somebody ought to really look into what he's doing here, is he here legally.

ARENA: It turns out, Moussaoui was not.

On Thursday, day four, FBI agents confronted him at the Marriott, along with immigration officials, who took him into custody.

NELSON: Hopefully, calling -- between Hugh and myself calling, then, maybe we did stop something from happening.

ARENA: Later investigation by the FBI would show, Zacarias Moussaoui was an al Qaeda operative, like the four 9/11 pilots who had also trained at U.S. flight schools. Of all the Americans those operatives ran into, Nelson and Sims were the only ones who called the FBI.

SIMS: I had 40 years of experience being around aviators. I would have been a fool not to recognize this.

NELSON: I was willing to be wrong over it. You know, I was hoping I was wrong, because being right -- you know, we saw what being right was, 9/11.

ARENA: Moussaoui later said his plan was to fly a plane into the White House. If Nelson and Sims hadn't acted on their suspicions, he just might have done it.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Eagan, Minnesota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Our "Daily Dose" looks at the fat state of America. The majority of us admit we need to drop a few pounds. The findings come in a survey by CNN/"USA Today" and Gallup. Fifty-seven percent said they'd like to lose their weight. Thirty-nine percent said they'd like to maintain their weight. A skinny four percent say they need to add a few pounds. How much exercise did you get last week? There's a question for you. Nearly a third of us got none. Twenty-one percent had one to two hours worth. Seventeen percent went a little longer. Thirty-one percent managed to work out five hours or more. Those figures underscore the importance of CNN's new project called "A Fit Nation."

Our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has teamed up with the American heart association, celebrities and some of America's top universities to encourage them to adopt healthier lifestyles and combat obesity.

Today Sanjay introduces us to a young woman doing her part to fight a troubling epidemic among African-Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Spelman College freshman Miriam Archibong doesn't take good health for granted.

MIRIAM ARCHIBONG, SPELMAN FRESHMAN: My grandfather died of diabetes. My dad has diabetes. He has Type I Diabetes, where he's injecting insulin into his body every day. My family is overweight and...

GUPTA: So Archibong started a vegetarian club at her high school and prompted the school board to create meals for vegetarian students.

ARCHIBONG: And it was very important for me to take care of myself before I got to a worse place.

GUPTA: Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher says when it comes to heart disease, statistics for African-American women in the U.S. are alarming.

DR. DAVID SATCHER, MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Black women, for example, are 35 to 40 percent more likely to die of heart disease than white women in this country?

GUPTA: Why are black women more affected by obesity and the chronic diseases associated with it? Satcher says the reasons are complicated.

SATCHER: People are predisposed to things like obesity and diabetes based on their genetic inheritance. But whether or not they actually become obese or diabetic depends a lot on behavior and environment.

GUPTA: And he warns that this new epidemic could undermine recent gains made in health care.

SATCHER: Decline in cardiovascular disease in the last 40 years of over 60 percent, decline in even new cases of cancer. All of that is spreading by the epidemic of overweight and obesity.

GUPTA: Satcher adds the disparities in health care between white and black Americans are real and they cut across class lines.

SATCHER : In every socioeconomic group that we have looked at there are major disparities. If you look at black physicians, compared to white physicians, there are major disparities in life expectancy.

GUPTA: Archibong says now that she knows the benefits of good health there's no going back.

ARCHIBONG: I was sick a lot, got migraines often. And once I became a vegetarian that was no longer an issue for me.

GUPTA: She believes setting an example and taking care of herself is the best thing she can do for those she cares about.

ARCHIBONG: In order for me to encourage others to change their lifestyle, I have to begin with myself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: You won't be able to pinch an inch on Sunday night when the super slender, super sexy stars hit the red carpet. But when did the Oscars get to be such a glamorous event. We'll do a little red carpet rewind for a look back at 78 years of Academy Awards and a look at ahead at whom we'll all be talking about come Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: I think I know that.

We will all know the answers Sunday night. Who's going home with Oscar? Hollywood is thinking small this year. Low-budget, socially provocative indies grabbed the top nominations. A look ahead to the 78th Academy Awards with Tom O'Neil in just a moment.

But first Carol Lin looks bask at Oscar through the years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first Academy Awards was held in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. About 270 people attended, and tickets cost $5. "Wings" won the first best picture award, and Emil Jannings won best actor for the 1928 film "The Last Command."

The actual Oscar stands 13 and a half inches tall, and weighs eight and half pounds. The statuette depicts a knight holding a crusader sword, standing on a reel of film. Officially named "The Academy Award of Merit," it's better known by the nicknamed Oscar. No one is sure how the nickname came about. A popular story has been that an Academy librarian thought it resembled her uncle Oscar. The Academy itself didn't use the nickname officially until 1939.

Since 1934, PricewaterhouseCoopers has counted the ballots. Newspaper headlines used to announce the winners before the ceremony until 1941, when they switched to sealed envelopes. The ceremonies were first televised in 1953, and then broadcast in color in 1966.

The awards have been postponed three times. First in 1938, due to extensive flooding in Los Angeles. Then, in 1968, after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. In 1981, the ceremony was delayed 24 hours after the attempted assassination of President Reagan.

The best animated feature film category was added in 2001. Still, Walt Disney is the most honored person in Oscar history, receiving 26 statues. Katherine Hepburn has the most Oscar wins with four. Meryl Streep is the most nominated performer. She had 13 nominations. Jack Nicholson is a close second. He's the most- nominated male performer with 12. Tatum O'Neal is the youngest person to ever win an Oscar, at 10 years old.

Just two years ago "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" won all 11 awards it was nominated for, tying "Ben Hur" and "Titanic" for most Oscars ever won by a film. But history has yet to be made. No one film has ever taken home all six top prizes.

Carol Lin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: What do you say we get back to the future? Some critics would have you believe the Oscar race is wide open this year. Let's see what Tom O'Neil has to say about that. He's senior editor at "In Touch Weekly," and he joins us from Los Angeles.

Tom, good to see you, sir.

TOM O'NEIL, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Same here, Tony.

HARRIS: Good Friday to you, good Friday to you. OK, what do you think? Wide open or case closed this year?

O'NEIL: This is the most suspenseful Oscar race ever.

HARRIS: Oh, come on!

O'NEIL: No, no, let me tell you why. It's fascinating. This is a calendar we've never seen before. In the past, a week or two before the Oscars, we had these guild awards that would tell us, for example, Halle Berry, who had won no awards prior to her SAG Award was suddenly viable at the Oscars. Well, we don't have those guild awards coming so late this year. They've moved into January to get away from the Winter Olympics. So we have no clues.

And there was a major upset that it's in the works. We could see "Crash"...

HARRIS: Hold on a minute. Don't get ahead of yourself. Don't get a head of yourself. OK, here we go. Let's start, because we've got this all produced, all fancy graphics and the works here.

So let's start with best picture. "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "Crash," "Good Night and Good Luck" and "Munich." Did I hear you indicate just a moment ago that we might see an upset here? "Brokeback Mountain" seems to be the runaway clear favorite, but...

O'NEIL: It is. And it has the most nominations. Normally that means it wins. It's the biggest picture cinematically, in terms of epics and all these things. But "Crash," watch out for this because I've polled about 20 Oscar voters. Nine said they were voting for "Crash," seven said "Brokeback Mountain."

There is this huge surge for this movie that was made for a couple million dollars is a was a wonderful little film and that's the whole theme this year. We could -- it's very -- I think "Brokeback"'s winning, I'm going for that. You can see all of my predictions at theenvelope.com, but I'm sticking with "Brokeback."

HARRIS: OK, let's move on to best director. In this category, you've got Ang Lee of "Brokeback Mountain," Bennett -- all right, these names. I guess George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Paul Haggis -- is that his name? For "Crash"?

O'NEIL: Haggis.

HARRIS: Haggis, OK, for "Crash." What's your pick?

O'NEIL: Well, this goes to Ang Lee no matter what happens...

HARRIS: Really?

O'NEIL: Because even when there are upsets like "Chariots of Fire" beating "Reds," Warren Beatty still won for directing "Reds." So this is a slam dunk to a great director who's overdue.

HARRIS: OK, take a look at best actor category for us. Handicap that and then give us your pick.

O'NEIL: OK, I think that Philip Seymour Hoffman is way out front here...

HARRIS: Oh, you think so?

O'NEIL: That career-defining role for "Capote." But watch out for Terrence Howard. What we forget about the Oscars is they love to crown ingenues like Adrien Brody came out of nowhere in this category a few years ago. And Terrence Howard was the breakout star of the year. He's been campaigning hard. There's a remote chance that he's the only one who can beat Hoffman.

HARRIS: Was that a well-received film, that "Hustle and Flow?"

O'NEIL: By critics, yes. If you haven't seen it, watch it. It's a fantastic movie.

HARRIS: OK, let me add that to the list.

I love Judi Dench in anything. But she is not your pick to win this year, is she?

O'NEIL: No, everybody is saying Reese Witherspoon because she portrays a real person. They love the babes. It's always a pretty girl who wins this category. But this is where I'm going out on a thin, shaky limb, and I think Felicity Huffman has got this for "Transamerica." It's a magnificent performance, and she's got what's called the "last movie seen syndrome" going for her, and that is that DVD screener was sent to Academy voters last, and when we see upsets like "Monster's Ball," it tends to be these little arty movies.

HARRIS: OK. And all right, so where can we find all of your picks, Tom?

O'NEIL: Theenvelope.com. It's the new awards site from "The Los Angeles Times."

HARRIS: All right, Tom, god see you. Good weekend to you.

Yes, what a weekend this is going to be for you and all of the folks who love movies. CNN can take care of al of your Oscar needs Sunday night. Tune in for a special edition of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" on Headline News at 5:30 Eastern, and then join us on the red carpet for live interviews with the nominees, presenters, and the first look at the best and the worst of Oscar fashions. That's at 6:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

If you want to know what Betty Nguyen -- Betty, we're talking about you -- this weekend, our picks for Oscar. "CNN SATURDAY" and "SUNDAY" morning. We'll mill that for the whole weekend.

We'll take a break and come back with more of CNN LIVE TODAY right after this.

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