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CNN Sunday Morning
Allawi Declares State of Emergency in Iraq; U.S. Forces Make Final Preparations for Assault on Falluja
Aired November 07, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins right now.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's November 7th, 8 a.m. at CNN headquarters in Atlanta and 5 a.m. on the West Coast.
Good morning everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We have decided to declare the state of emergency throughout Iraq except for Kurdistan...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, that was the word just a short time ago from a spokesman for Iraq's interim prime minister. The time frame means the state of emergency will last until just before the January elections.
The declaration comes as U.S. forces make final preparations for an assault on insurgents in Falluja. Senior military commanders have told the Marines the battle ahead is comparable to the Marines' assault on Iwo Jima and Hu (ph) City during the Vietnam conflict. A live report from CNN's Karl Penhaul with the U.S. Marine's is just ahead.
Palestinian officials have begun governing without Yasser Arafat. A meeting today in Ramallah spelled out a plan for improving security in the West Bank in Arafat's absence. Arafat remains critically ill in a Paris hospital.
A tentative agreement on dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions has been reached at talks in Paris. A European Union spokeswoman would not provide details of the agreement between Iranian and EU officials. The plan still must be approved by the governments of Iran, Britain, Germany and France.
And in New York City 17 Olympians will be among the 30,000 runners in today's New York marathon. The 26.2 mile course will make its way through all five boroughs. It officially starts in about 30 minutes on Staten Island. Keeping your informed CNN, the most trusted name in news.
NGUYEN: Now here's a look at some of the other stories we are working on for you this Sunday morning. This just in. The Iraqi government declares a 60 day state of emergency. We'll get more on that. Plus we will get the latest from Falluja where thousands of U.S. troops are poised for a major offensive.
President Bush's staunchest ally comes to the White House, talking abut Tony Blair. Item on the agenda are certainly going to include the Iraq war and the Middle East peace process.
Also a hard living, hard rocker turns his life into something totally different, but he doesn't leave his music behind. The faces of faith just ahead.
HARRIS: A spokesman for Iraq's prime minister says a state of emergency is being declared in all of Iraq except the Kurdish north for the next 60 days. It's still unclear exactly what that means. But 60 days would extend the emergency period into early January and Iraq's elections are to be held that month.
Meanwhile, final preparations are underway for a U.S. offensive in Falluja. CNN's Karl Penhaul is embedded with the U.S. Marines there.
Good morning, Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Tony. U.S. Marines now in the final stages of their preparations. You'll see behind me a group of Marines there, Charlie Company of the battalion that we're with. They're weapons are now polished. Their bags are packed. They've been cutting down any excess weight.
For that reason just a few moments ago they were sharing out the last goodies that were sent in the latest mail parcels from the folks back home. We just in fact had some cookies from grandpa Travis back in the U.S.
All this is a signal those Marines are paring down, packing up, ready to move out. And this morning the generals and the top brass from the First Marine Expeditionary Headquarters came to this camp in the desert near Falluja. They were giving their troops a pep talk and this is what they had to say to their Marines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. MAJOR CARLTON KENT, U.S. MARINE CORPS: As they tell us to go and they give us the word if they tell us to go you're going to make history. This is another Hu City in the making and you devil dogs, you soldiers, you sailors and if we've got airmen you all are going to do it.
GEN. JOHN SATTLER, MARINE CORPS COMMANDER: This town is being held hostage by mugs, thugs, murderers and intimidators. All they need is for us to give them the opportunity to break the back of that intimidation, to go into there and stomp it out where it needs to be stomped. And then the sun will come through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: Those pep talks were meant to pump the Marines up and that's exactly what they've done. Young men, rifles at the ready, they're ready to go. They can't get any more prepared than this, Tony.
HARRIS: Thank you very much. Karl Penhaul reporting, embedded with the Marines near Falluja.
Karl, Thank you.
Elsewhere in Iraq this morning deadly attacks and more fighting. More than 20 people have been killed in a series of attacks near Ramada. Insurgents struck three area police stations with grenades and other weapons. Some of the victims were police officers.
In Baghdad a loud explosion rocked central Baghdad just a short time ago. Also, the U.S. military says a car bomb went off on a road that leads to the airport. No other details available.
And south of Baghdad a report of a battle this morning. Witnesses say insurgents clashed with Iraqi national guardsmen and coalition forces. They say some civilians have been killed, but that has not been confirmed.
NGUYEN: And speaking of Iraq, a top U.S. official is in Baghdad this morning. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage arrived in the Iraqi capitol last night. The U.S. embassy says he will leave sometime today.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, America's closest ally in the war against Iraq will be at the White House for talks with President Bush this week. More now from CNN's Elaine Quijano, who was at the White House bright and early this morning.
Good morning to you, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Betty. That's right. This week international outreach will be on the agenda for President Bush. As you said, the White House announcing yesterday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be in Washington for talks on Thursday and on Friday.
Now in a statement yesterday the White House reiterated the US's close ties with Britain. Saying the UK stands as one of America's closest allies and Tony Blair one of America's greatest friends.
Now with the election behind President Bush, as he looks to continue carrying out the war on terror, also the war in Iraq, Britain does stand as a top U.S. ally. But the president is also at the same time trying to find ways to reach out to other countries and he is hoping that British Prime Minister Tony will help him bridge some of those gaps with other European nations, countries which have not seen eye to eye with President Bush on the issue of Iraq. Now on Friday we should tell you also Mr. Bush spoke with the president of the European Council and expressed his intention to work with the European Union on some of his priorities. Of course on the president's list, fighting terrorism, encouraging democracy worldwide and promoting development.
Betty.
NGUYEN: Elaine, just before your report we mentioned that Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is in Baghdad. What do you know about why he is there?
QUIJANO: Well, it's difficult at this point to say Betty. I can tell you I spoke to a spokesman at the State Department just a short time ago and he wouldn't even confirm that in fact Armitage was in Baghdad.
But I can tell you that during the State Department briefing on Friday officials were very cagey about his schedule saying that he would be in two regions. They said South Asia and the Middle East. But they wouldn't go into details on specific locations. When pressed by reporters whether that had to do with security these officials would not say.
What they did say is that they would be giving back more information once Deputy Secretary of State Armitage was in place. So Betty we're waiting right now to find out specific details, how long he will be in Baghdad and what exactly his reasons might be for being there at this time. But at this point, Betty, still waiting for confirmation even from the State Department that he is in fact there.
NGUYEN: All right. Stay on top of it. CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House this morning. Thank you.
Senator Charles Schumer said there is speculation Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton could be a front runner for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 2008. Now that brings us to our e-mail question this morning, is America ready to elect a woman president? E-mail us now at wam@cnn.com and we'll read those responses throughout the morning.
HARRIS: And we begin our news across America. In Hawaii this man honorably served his country. Now he's suing the military who wants him back. David Niasoto says he was living a quiet life with his family when he received orders to return to active duty years after being out of the service.
His lawsuit says he has fulfilled his military obligation. Recently the Army told him he must report as ordered or risk being declared absent without leave or a deserter.
A dramatic scene in Hollywood is no movie in the making. About 1,000 protesters gathered to rally against President Bush's reelection and military operations in Iraq. Minor disturbances erupted when riot police got between the demonstrators and the military recruiting office on Sunset Boulevard. Police arrested four people for allegedly throwing bottles and vandalizing cars.
And a similar scene in Seattle, Washington. Hundreds of people unhappy with the war and President Bush's reelection took to the streets. They called for an end to the conflict in Iraq. Organizers plan another protest January 20th. That's the first day of President Bush's second term.
NGUYEN: We want to give you the latest now on Yasser Arafat. There are conflicting reports about the ailing Palestinian leader. Sources earlier said Arafat was in a coma at a French hospital, but one of his aids now says he's not comatose and describes him as sleeping.
Back in the West Bank, Palestinian officials have been making some key decisions in their leader's absence. They decided within the last couple of hours to carry out a plan aimed at keeping law and order in the West Bank and Gaza.
Now Arafat's absence is being felt by his supporters. They've been holding a vigil outside the French hospital where he is being treated, laying flowers at a makeshift shrine. Still more tributes to Arafat. Palestinians in the holy city of Bethlehem have been lighting candles in honor of their ailing leader.
HARRIS: A life of drug addiction and hard living...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jesus Christ came into my life and free me from drug addiction. I was amazed by it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Coming up in our faces of faith segment meet Day of Fire, born again Christians with a rock-n-roll message.
NGUYEN: And on "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, I believe, battling aging. Actually Elizabeth Cohen is going to be doing "HOUSE CALL" today. What you need to know to help you fight off those wrinkles.
HARRIS: And just ahead, parts of the U.S. are showing their fall colors. Rob Marciano will have your complete forecast.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: One or the other it's...
NGUYEN: Going to get you.
HARRIS: It's going to get you. Good morning Miami. We'll have the complete weather forecast for all you football fans in about a minute.
NGUYEN: Right now we want to check our top stories this Sunday morning.
The Iraqi government is taking action. It is putting a 60 day state of emergency into effect for most of the country starting today. No word yet on what types of emergency measures the government will be taking.
And Palestinian officials are carrying on without their ailing leader. In Yasser Arafat's absence they've agreed to a plan to boost security in the West Bank and Gaza. Officials fear an outbreak of violence if Arafat dies.
Back in the U.S. the nation has been through a political marathon. Now it's time for the real thing. Check out this beautiful picture from New York. Some 30,000 runners from around the world are competing in the New York City marathon today.
HARRIS: Rob did such a good job of those colors. I can't even make out those colors, you know, what is that?
NGUYEN: Plumes and purples, beautiful, Rob.
HARRIS: Boy oh boy!
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: A young man most might have thought was a lost cause.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God touched me. The living of God changed my life then. And that's what turned me around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now like a wild fire he and his band mates are spreading God's message. We've got that story for you up next.
HARRIS: And at the bottom of the hour "HOUSE CALL" takes a closer look at techniques and treatments used to help at aging.: .
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In today's "Faces of Faith," contemporary Christian rock music. It is one of the hottest genres in the pop arena. For many performers, it's not just entertainment, it's a ministry as they tell their stories in song of being saved.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH BROWN, MUSICIAN: I have been born again. I mean I'm a new person. I'm not the guy that I used to, I mean, the guy who's smoking crack. You know, I'm changed.
HARRIS (voice-over) After a near death experience left him for dead, Josh Brown knew he had a choice to make. The choice was to start over from scratch or be consumed by a rock-n-roll lifestyle. BROWN: The whole time I was praying asking the Lord where do you want me. I've quit my life. I want to be where you want me to be. If you want me to go fry hamburgers I'll do it.
HARRIS: It was a bad heroin trip that sent him down a path he never knew he'd take. After years of partying, personal struggles and drug addiction the singer quit his nationally recognized rock band and says he found god.
BROWN: I say I quit Full Devil Jacket like I quit music, quit the music business and really I just had the desire to know God, to enlist God who had just come into my life and freed me from drug addiction.
HARRIS: Now 27 years old he says God slowly revealed himself over a six month period.
BROWN: Well, I went up to this one church service to where, you know, I went to this church service and some people asked me to go down to the front and they prayed for me and laid hands on me and God touched me. The living God changed my life then and that's what turned me around. You know, if that had never happened I'd still be doing drugs.
HARRIS: One of the changes included completely revamping the type of music he performed. Gone are the hard core lyrics of his previous band replaced now with Christian rock. But he says he was still motivated by the need for success.
BROWN: .Once we quit trying to write music to get a record deal and we started writing music to spread the love of God and to spread the truth of his word that's when the songs began to come.
HARRIS: Josh, along with guitarist Gregg Hionis, formed the group Day of Fire.
BROWN: Day of Fire is light the day that the holy spirit comes into your life and gives you a new hope and power to overcome the world.
HARRIS: Their first Christian album was released October 26th and now they're on tour with other Christian groups plying to upbeat, enthusiastic audiences.
BROWN: I can see kids coming to concerts hating rock music and being set on fire by the love of God. That's really the goal.
HARRIS: The goal for his personal life is to keep on doing good.
BROWN: We all come to that place. You know what I'm saying? We all come to a point in our lives where we go man I wish I could just start over. God gives us that chance. The fact that I'm still alive today is overwhelming to me. But even more than that, the fact that God continues to give me a loving family, he continues to allow me to walk in joy. I'm actually happy. I've never been happy in my whole entire life. And today I'm happy to be alive. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: All right, Josh. If you're interested in hearing more of Day of Fire the new CD is now available in stores and on the band's Web site at www.dayofire.com.
NGUYEN: And here's something that's causing a lot interest today and that's our e-mail question of the day. Is America ready to elect a woman president? We've gotten lots of responses.
Todd in Topeka, Kansas writes, a woman's point of view just might change -- be the change in leadership that this country needs to unite us where others have failed. The same old two party partisan politics business as usual stance is too narrow and out of touch with the leadership most Americans want and deserve.
HARRIS: And how about this one from Travis. No matter how much we would want to deny it America is still owned by rich, corporate white men who strongly believe in tradition values. Americans are too stubborn and stuck in their ways that having a woman for president will never happen in my lifetime.
NGUYEN: And of course we appreciate all of those responses. Keep them coming, wam@cnn.com.
Your top stories straight ahead. Followed by "HOUSE CALL" with your host Elizabeth Cohen. She looks at everything you need to know to keep that youthful glow.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. We will see you back here at the top of the hour. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: And in the meantime I want to give you a look at Washington, D.C. and the beautiful fall foliage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen at CNN headquarters here in Atlanta.
Now in the news. Iraq's interim prime minister has declared a 60 day state of emergency. But a government spokesman declining to say whether the announcement signals an imminent attack on Falluja. The time frame means that a state of emergency will last until just before the January elections.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei returns to Ramallah from meetings with militant factions and representatives of security groups in Gaza. And Israeli newspaper reports that Qorei has asked militants to stop attacks inside Israel.
Iran and the European Union have reached a tentative agreement over Tehran's nuclear program, but details must still be ironed out by Iron, Britain, Germany and France. A final deal could be an important change in Tehran's relations with Europe and the international community.
And 17 Olympic athletes are in the field of some 30,000 runners in the New York City marathon. Here's a live look at New York City this morning. That marathon starts in just a few seconds. The 26.2 mile foot race winds its way through all five new your boroughs. We'll be watching that.
"HOUSE CALL" with medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen begins right now.
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 November 7, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins right now.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's November 7th, 8 a.m. at CNN headquarters in Atlanta and 5 a.m. on the West Coast.
Good morning everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We have decided to declare the state of emergency throughout Iraq except for Kurdistan...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, that was the word just a short time ago from a spokesman for Iraq's interim prime minister. The time frame means the state of emergency will last until just before the January elections.
The declaration comes as U.S. forces make final preparations for an assault on insurgents in Falluja. Senior military commanders have told the Marines the battle ahead is comparable to the Marines' assault on Iwo Jima and Hu (ph) City during the Vietnam conflict. A live report from CNN's Karl Penhaul with the U.S. Marine's is just ahead.
Palestinian officials have begun governing without Yasser Arafat. A meeting today in Ramallah spelled out a plan for improving security in the West Bank in Arafat's absence. Arafat remains critically ill in a Paris hospital.
A tentative agreement on dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions has been reached at talks in Paris. A European Union spokeswoman would not provide details of the agreement between Iranian and EU officials. The plan still must be approved by the governments of Iran, Britain, Germany and France.
And in New York City 17 Olympians will be among the 30,000 runners in today's New York marathon. The 26.2 mile course will make its way through all five boroughs. It officially starts in about 30 minutes on Staten Island. Keeping your informed CNN, the most trusted name in news.
NGUYEN: Now here's a look at some of the other stories we are working on for you this Sunday morning. This just in. The Iraqi government declares a 60 day state of emergency. We'll get more on that. Plus we will get the latest from Falluja where thousands of U.S. troops are poised for a major offensive.
President Bush's staunchest ally comes to the White House, talking abut Tony Blair. Item on the agenda are certainly going to include the Iraq war and the Middle East peace process.
Also a hard living, hard rocker turns his life into something totally different, but he doesn't leave his music behind. The faces of faith just ahead.
HARRIS: A spokesman for Iraq's prime minister says a state of emergency is being declared in all of Iraq except the Kurdish north for the next 60 days. It's still unclear exactly what that means. But 60 days would extend the emergency period into early January and Iraq's elections are to be held that month.
Meanwhile, final preparations are underway for a U.S. offensive in Falluja. CNN's Karl Penhaul is embedded with the U.S. Marines there.
Good morning, Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Tony. U.S. Marines now in the final stages of their preparations. You'll see behind me a group of Marines there, Charlie Company of the battalion that we're with. They're weapons are now polished. Their bags are packed. They've been cutting down any excess weight.
For that reason just a few moments ago they were sharing out the last goodies that were sent in the latest mail parcels from the folks back home. We just in fact had some cookies from grandpa Travis back in the U.S.
All this is a signal those Marines are paring down, packing up, ready to move out. And this morning the generals and the top brass from the First Marine Expeditionary Headquarters came to this camp in the desert near Falluja. They were giving their troops a pep talk and this is what they had to say to their Marines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. MAJOR CARLTON KENT, U.S. MARINE CORPS: As they tell us to go and they give us the word if they tell us to go you're going to make history. This is another Hu City in the making and you devil dogs, you soldiers, you sailors and if we've got airmen you all are going to do it.
GEN. JOHN SATTLER, MARINE CORPS COMMANDER: This town is being held hostage by mugs, thugs, murderers and intimidators. All they need is for us to give them the opportunity to break the back of that intimidation, to go into there and stomp it out where it needs to be stomped. And then the sun will come through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: Those pep talks were meant to pump the Marines up and that's exactly what they've done. Young men, rifles at the ready, they're ready to go. They can't get any more prepared than this, Tony.
HARRIS: Thank you very much. Karl Penhaul reporting, embedded with the Marines near Falluja.
Karl, Thank you.
Elsewhere in Iraq this morning deadly attacks and more fighting. More than 20 people have been killed in a series of attacks near Ramada. Insurgents struck three area police stations with grenades and other weapons. Some of the victims were police officers.
In Baghdad a loud explosion rocked central Baghdad just a short time ago. Also, the U.S. military says a car bomb went off on a road that leads to the airport. No other details available.
And south of Baghdad a report of a battle this morning. Witnesses say insurgents clashed with Iraqi national guardsmen and coalition forces. They say some civilians have been killed, but that has not been confirmed.
NGUYEN: And speaking of Iraq, a top U.S. official is in Baghdad this morning. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage arrived in the Iraqi capitol last night. The U.S. embassy says he will leave sometime today.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, America's closest ally in the war against Iraq will be at the White House for talks with President Bush this week. More now from CNN's Elaine Quijano, who was at the White House bright and early this morning.
Good morning to you, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Betty. That's right. This week international outreach will be on the agenda for President Bush. As you said, the White House announcing yesterday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be in Washington for talks on Thursday and on Friday.
Now in a statement yesterday the White House reiterated the US's close ties with Britain. Saying the UK stands as one of America's closest allies and Tony Blair one of America's greatest friends.
Now with the election behind President Bush, as he looks to continue carrying out the war on terror, also the war in Iraq, Britain does stand as a top U.S. ally. But the president is also at the same time trying to find ways to reach out to other countries and he is hoping that British Prime Minister Tony will help him bridge some of those gaps with other European nations, countries which have not seen eye to eye with President Bush on the issue of Iraq. Now on Friday we should tell you also Mr. Bush spoke with the president of the European Council and expressed his intention to work with the European Union on some of his priorities. Of course on the president's list, fighting terrorism, encouraging democracy worldwide and promoting development.
Betty.
NGUYEN: Elaine, just before your report we mentioned that Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is in Baghdad. What do you know about why he is there?
QUIJANO: Well, it's difficult at this point to say Betty. I can tell you I spoke to a spokesman at the State Department just a short time ago and he wouldn't even confirm that in fact Armitage was in Baghdad.
But I can tell you that during the State Department briefing on Friday officials were very cagey about his schedule saying that he would be in two regions. They said South Asia and the Middle East. But they wouldn't go into details on specific locations. When pressed by reporters whether that had to do with security these officials would not say.
What they did say is that they would be giving back more information once Deputy Secretary of State Armitage was in place. So Betty we're waiting right now to find out specific details, how long he will be in Baghdad and what exactly his reasons might be for being there at this time. But at this point, Betty, still waiting for confirmation even from the State Department that he is in fact there.
NGUYEN: All right. Stay on top of it. CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House this morning. Thank you.
Senator Charles Schumer said there is speculation Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton could be a front runner for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 2008. Now that brings us to our e-mail question this morning, is America ready to elect a woman president? E-mail us now at wam@cnn.com and we'll read those responses throughout the morning.
HARRIS: And we begin our news across America. In Hawaii this man honorably served his country. Now he's suing the military who wants him back. David Niasoto says he was living a quiet life with his family when he received orders to return to active duty years after being out of the service.
His lawsuit says he has fulfilled his military obligation. Recently the Army told him he must report as ordered or risk being declared absent without leave or a deserter.
A dramatic scene in Hollywood is no movie in the making. About 1,000 protesters gathered to rally against President Bush's reelection and military operations in Iraq. Minor disturbances erupted when riot police got between the demonstrators and the military recruiting office on Sunset Boulevard. Police arrested four people for allegedly throwing bottles and vandalizing cars.
And a similar scene in Seattle, Washington. Hundreds of people unhappy with the war and President Bush's reelection took to the streets. They called for an end to the conflict in Iraq. Organizers plan another protest January 20th. That's the first day of President Bush's second term.
NGUYEN: We want to give you the latest now on Yasser Arafat. There are conflicting reports about the ailing Palestinian leader. Sources earlier said Arafat was in a coma at a French hospital, but one of his aids now says he's not comatose and describes him as sleeping.
Back in the West Bank, Palestinian officials have been making some key decisions in their leader's absence. They decided within the last couple of hours to carry out a plan aimed at keeping law and order in the West Bank and Gaza.
Now Arafat's absence is being felt by his supporters. They've been holding a vigil outside the French hospital where he is being treated, laying flowers at a makeshift shrine. Still more tributes to Arafat. Palestinians in the holy city of Bethlehem have been lighting candles in honor of their ailing leader.
HARRIS: A life of drug addiction and hard living...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jesus Christ came into my life and free me from drug addiction. I was amazed by it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Coming up in our faces of faith segment meet Day of Fire, born again Christians with a rock-n-roll message.
NGUYEN: And on "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, I believe, battling aging. Actually Elizabeth Cohen is going to be doing "HOUSE CALL" today. What you need to know to help you fight off those wrinkles.
HARRIS: And just ahead, parts of the U.S. are showing their fall colors. Rob Marciano will have your complete forecast.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: One or the other it's...
NGUYEN: Going to get you.
HARRIS: It's going to get you. Good morning Miami. We'll have the complete weather forecast for all you football fans in about a minute.
NGUYEN: Right now we want to check our top stories this Sunday morning.
The Iraqi government is taking action. It is putting a 60 day state of emergency into effect for most of the country starting today. No word yet on what types of emergency measures the government will be taking.
And Palestinian officials are carrying on without their ailing leader. In Yasser Arafat's absence they've agreed to a plan to boost security in the West Bank and Gaza. Officials fear an outbreak of violence if Arafat dies.
Back in the U.S. the nation has been through a political marathon. Now it's time for the real thing. Check out this beautiful picture from New York. Some 30,000 runners from around the world are competing in the New York City marathon today.
HARRIS: Rob did such a good job of those colors. I can't even make out those colors, you know, what is that?
NGUYEN: Plumes and purples, beautiful, Rob.
HARRIS: Boy oh boy!
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: A young man most might have thought was a lost cause.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God touched me. The living of God changed my life then. And that's what turned me around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now like a wild fire he and his band mates are spreading God's message. We've got that story for you up next.
HARRIS: And at the bottom of the hour "HOUSE CALL" takes a closer look at techniques and treatments used to help at aging.: .
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In today's "Faces of Faith," contemporary Christian rock music. It is one of the hottest genres in the pop arena. For many performers, it's not just entertainment, it's a ministry as they tell their stories in song of being saved.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH BROWN, MUSICIAN: I have been born again. I mean I'm a new person. I'm not the guy that I used to, I mean, the guy who's smoking crack. You know, I'm changed.
HARRIS (voice-over) After a near death experience left him for dead, Josh Brown knew he had a choice to make. The choice was to start over from scratch or be consumed by a rock-n-roll lifestyle. BROWN: The whole time I was praying asking the Lord where do you want me. I've quit my life. I want to be where you want me to be. If you want me to go fry hamburgers I'll do it.
HARRIS: It was a bad heroin trip that sent him down a path he never knew he'd take. After years of partying, personal struggles and drug addiction the singer quit his nationally recognized rock band and says he found god.
BROWN: I say I quit Full Devil Jacket like I quit music, quit the music business and really I just had the desire to know God, to enlist God who had just come into my life and freed me from drug addiction.
HARRIS: Now 27 years old he says God slowly revealed himself over a six month period.
BROWN: Well, I went up to this one church service to where, you know, I went to this church service and some people asked me to go down to the front and they prayed for me and laid hands on me and God touched me. The living God changed my life then and that's what turned me around. You know, if that had never happened I'd still be doing drugs.
HARRIS: One of the changes included completely revamping the type of music he performed. Gone are the hard core lyrics of his previous band replaced now with Christian rock. But he says he was still motivated by the need for success.
BROWN: .Once we quit trying to write music to get a record deal and we started writing music to spread the love of God and to spread the truth of his word that's when the songs began to come.
HARRIS: Josh, along with guitarist Gregg Hionis, formed the group Day of Fire.
BROWN: Day of Fire is light the day that the holy spirit comes into your life and gives you a new hope and power to overcome the world.
HARRIS: Their first Christian album was released October 26th and now they're on tour with other Christian groups plying to upbeat, enthusiastic audiences.
BROWN: I can see kids coming to concerts hating rock music and being set on fire by the love of God. That's really the goal.
HARRIS: The goal for his personal life is to keep on doing good.
BROWN: We all come to that place. You know what I'm saying? We all come to a point in our lives where we go man I wish I could just start over. God gives us that chance. The fact that I'm still alive today is overwhelming to me. But even more than that, the fact that God continues to give me a loving family, he continues to allow me to walk in joy. I'm actually happy. I've never been happy in my whole entire life. And today I'm happy to be alive. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: All right, Josh. If you're interested in hearing more of Day of Fire the new CD is now available in stores and on the band's Web site at www.dayofire.com.
NGUYEN: And here's something that's causing a lot interest today and that's our e-mail question of the day. Is America ready to elect a woman president? We've gotten lots of responses.
Todd in Topeka, Kansas writes, a woman's point of view just might change -- be the change in leadership that this country needs to unite us where others have failed. The same old two party partisan politics business as usual stance is too narrow and out of touch with the leadership most Americans want and deserve.
HARRIS: And how about this one from Travis. No matter how much we would want to deny it America is still owned by rich, corporate white men who strongly believe in tradition values. Americans are too stubborn and stuck in their ways that having a woman for president will never happen in my lifetime.
NGUYEN: And of course we appreciate all of those responses. Keep them coming, wam@cnn.com.
Your top stories straight ahead. Followed by "HOUSE CALL" with your host Elizabeth Cohen. She looks at everything you need to know to keep that youthful glow.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. We will see you back here at the top of the hour. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: And in the meantime I want to give you a look at Washington, D.C. and the beautiful fall foliage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen at CNN headquarters here in Atlanta.
Now in the news. Iraq's interim prime minister has declared a 60 day state of emergency. But a government spokesman declining to say whether the announcement signals an imminent attack on Falluja. The time frame means that a state of emergency will last until just before the January elections.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei returns to Ramallah from meetings with militant factions and representatives of security groups in Gaza. And Israeli newspaper reports that Qorei has asked militants to stop attacks inside Israel.
Iran and the European Union have reached a tentative agreement over Tehran's nuclear program, but details must still be ironed out by Iron, Britain, Germany and France. A final deal could be an important change in Tehran's relations with Europe and the international community.
And 17 Olympic athletes are in the field of some 30,000 runners in the New York City marathon. Here's a live look at New York City this morning. That marathon starts in just a few seconds. The 26.2 mile foot race winds its way through all five new your boroughs. We'll be watching that.
"HOUSE CALL" with medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen begins right now.
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