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CNN Sunday Morning

Israel, Egypt Confirm Prisoner Exchange; Will Congress Pass Intelligence Reform?

Aired December 05, 2004 - 07:00   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.


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is December 6th (sic), 7:00 a.m. here in the East.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, December 6.

HARRIS: Is it? Well, I better check.

NGUYEN: Yes, I see it right down there. Yes, each of these for a minute. OK, well good morning. It's early apparently. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for being with us today.

Israel and Egypt confirm a prisoner exchange. And Azzam Azzam is back in Israel after spending eight years in an Egyptian prison for spying. And the Israelis are releasing six Egyptian students. The six were captured after sneaking into Israel and are charged with conspiring to kidnap Israeli soldiers. We have or we head live to Jerusalem for more details. That will happen straight ahead.

Also, the executive board of the baseball players union meets tomorrow. And the prime topic is sure to be the burgeoning scandal of steroid use by some major league stars. Senator John McCain is threatening to legislate stricter rules if the sport will not police itself.

Congressman Duncan Hunter is not backing down. The House Arms Services Committee Chairman is one of those bottling up the intelligence reform bill, as President Bush tries to jar it loose and get it past.

Hunter is still insisting that the Pentagon keep control of battlefield satellite intelligence.

At least 23 people are dead after an explosion inside a mine in Kazakhstan. Few details are available, but Russia's Interfax news agency says about 87 people were in the mine when that explosion occurred. Rescue efforts are underway.

HARRIS: Other stories to watch for this hour. The true reason Charles Jenkins abandoned his Army post in the DMZ. How he survived the next 40 years in North Korea and why he finally came in from the Cold War. We'll speak with "TIME" magazine's executive editor about the article hitting news stands tomorrow.

Also, going digital, your finger points the way to the future of personal identification, for better or worse. And later, from crooks to cooks, a corrections facility devises the perfect recipe for rehabilitating a misspent youth.

More now on our top story. It could be a sign of warming between -- ties between two former foes. Both Israel and Egypt are confirming a prison exchange this morning.

For the latest, let's go to Jerusalem and CNN's John Vause.

Hi, John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony. Azzam Azzam spent eight years in an Egyptian jail, accused by the Egyptian authorities of spying for Israel. It's a charge both he and the Israeli government have always denied. But a little more than an hour ago, he crossed from the Egyptian side from Taba, over to the Israeli side to the seaside town of Allah. He telephoned the Israeli prime minister, thanking him for negotiating his release. The Israeli prime minister said welcome home. He also spoke with his family up in the Galilee, the Israeli Drews area. They are now celebrating the release of Azzam Azzam.

This deal to release Azzam Azzam was apparently reached last week during a visit to Jerusalem by the Egyptian foreign minister and the chief of intelligence. The Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak said Azzam Azzam's release was a personal gesture to Ariel Sharon.

In return, Ariel Sharon released six Egyptian students were arrested in August of this year. They were accused of illegally crossing into Israel with plans to kidnap and kill Israeli soldiers. They were released earlier today -- Tony?

HARRIS: So John, what does all of this mean for the sometimes difficult relations between these two countries?

VAUSE: Well, it means that these countries are moving closer together, that Ariel Sharon and Hosni Mubarak are working together in a much closer way than they ever have before.

Last week, we heard some extraordinary statements coming from the Egyptian president, saying that Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, is the only man who can bring peace to the Middle East. We're also hearing talk that possibly Egypt will send its ambassador back to Tel Aviv. He was withdrawn in 2000 as protest over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

And also, after the bombing of the Taba Hilton in October of this year, these two countries have vowed to work closer together, to try and stop terrorist groups, that kind of thing, working closer together on security. We've also heard of working together to promote tourism between these countries.

And things like gas deals as well. So while this has been a frosty relationship over the last few years, it certainly appears that these two countries -- and in particular these two leaders, Mubarak and Sharon -- are now willing to work together -- Tony? HARRIS: Sure does. John Vause from Jerusalem this morning. John, thank you.

NGUYEN: And now to Iraq, where at least 21 people have been killed so far today, all of them Iraqis. 17 were civilians working for a private contractor. The other four were security personnel.

CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us now live from Baghdad with the latest on this.

Good morning, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Betty. Three attacks within the space of three hours. And all three attacks came on the same highway, Highway 1, which leads north from Baghdad up towards the Turkish border.

The first attack took place in the town of Samarra. An attack on a military convoy there with rocket propelled grenades. In that attack, insurgents killed one Iraqi Army soldier, wounded four others.

A couple of hours after that, in the city of Tikrit, an attack by insurgents in two vehicles. They drove up alongside a bus with Iraqi civilian contractors inside. They raked that bus with gunfire, killing 17 Iraqi civilians and wounding 13 others.

All those contractors were due to start work at a weapons dump used by the U.S. military, where their work is to destroy weapons that have been seized from insurgent groups or that have been discovered buried in the ground.

After that attack, about an hour later, a suicide car bomb attack a little further north near the oil refining town of Beiji. In that, three Iraqi national guardsmen were killed. 18 other were wounded.

All these three attacks come after a very bloody Saturday. There was the car bomb in Baghdad. 16 people died in that, but also in the northern city of Mosul, another car bomb there. And that killed 15 members of a Kurdish militia group that were working as a security force for one of the main political parties there.

All of this, really, adds to the picture highlighted by U.S. Congressman and highlighted by U.S. military authorities that the Iraqi security forces are increasingly a target for insurgents, and aren't yet ready to stand on their own two feet without assistance from the U.S. military, Betty.

NGUYEN: An increasing target, especially as these elections are set for January 30th. All right, CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad. Thank you.

Red Crescent and workers -- aid workers will suspend operations in Falluja for two days, because the security searches of a neighborhood where they've set up headquarters. The Iraqi Red Crescent has been working with U.S. Marines to distribute food, water, and medical supplies to Falluja residents. Only about 100 families are thought to be still living in Falluja. Most of them got out before the U.S. operation targeting insurgents occurred there.

HARRIS: The former commander of U.S. prisons in Iraq has been ordered to testify in one of the prisoner abuse courts martial. A military judge at Fort Hood, Texas ordered Brigadier General Janice Karpinksi to testify in the trial of Sergeant Javal Davis, but Karpinski's testimony will be limited to conditions at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad and the interaction between guards and interrogators. Assaulting detainees is one of the charges against Sergeant Davis.

And there is reaction today to these photos, which appear to show detainees and U.S. Navy Seals. General Mark Kimmitt tells al Jazeera, the photos show only isolated acts. And only a small number of U.S. troops have abused Iraqi prisoners. Kimmitt is the former U.S. spokesman in Iraq. The photos appear to show some detainees who are bloody, and others who are handcuffed or hooded. A preliminary investigation is underway to see if there was any criminal wrongdoing.

NGUYEN: Now to the war on terror. President Bush praises Pakistan's effort to flush out Osama bin Laden, even though that country has scaled back its search.

The president met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff at the White House yesterday. Musharaff also sat down for an exclusive interview with our Wolf Blitzer. Wolf asked him whether the U.S. and coalition partners should pull out of Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERVEZ MUSHARAFF, PAKISTANI PRESIDENT: Now that we are there, we need to stabilize the situation and then only. But I have been saying -- my view is, one is the direct action in Iraq to make sure that we stabilize and we have the elections.

After stabilizing and make sure that the elections are successful. And then only should we have an exit strategy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And you can watch the complete interview on CNN's "LATE EDITION" with Wolf Blitzer. That's this afternoon beginning at noon Eastern.

HARRIS: Care packages are on the way to thousands of U.S. troops, who will spend the holidays in Iraq and Afghanistan. Volunteers in Fort Belvoir, Virginia stuffed thousands of boxes yesterday with items ranging from phone calling cards to snacks. The USO or United Services Organization hosted the event. Their goal was to build more than 20,000 packages in a single day.

NGUYEN: Well, the mid shipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy are headed to bowl game, after easily defeating the cadets of West Point 42 to 13 in the annual Army-Navy game. Navy won the coin toss, provided by President Bush at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Now the president used an Iraqi coin from the city of Falluja for that toss. This was the 105th time the two academies had waged battle on the gridiron in the December classic.

As commander in chief, the president was non partial, of course. He watched the game from the Army side in the first half. And then he switched to the Navy side for the second half.

HARRIS: Forty years in North Korea, it's hard to imagine what that might be like. And this man has gone through torture and the danger of losing his daughters to a brutal regime. He escaped. And now he tells his tale.

NGUYEN: Some day your ID may lie in your finger tip, but will it jeopardize your privacy? We will explore that next.

HARRIS: And good morning, Washington, D.C. Weekend weather for you and the rest of the nation when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.

NGUYEN: But first, here is our e-mail question for you this morning. Do you think the intelligence bill make America safer? We're at wam@cnn.com. We'll read those replies throughout the program. So send them in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: In news across America, a quote, "I would like to welcome you to the Ukraine." That's from a speaker at a rally yesterday, except she was in Columbus, Ohio. She was one of about 400 others who compared the disputed election in that country to the recent presidential election in the U.S. The charge is voter fraud by election officials in Ohio rob presidential candidate John Kerry's of Ohio's 20 electoral votes.

Now they want a recount. The Reverend Jesse Jackson joins us at 9:30 a.m. Eastern to talk more about it.

Meanwhile, as his supporters protested in Ohio, Senator John Kerry was in New Hampshire thanking supporters there for their hard work during the campaign. The granite state placed its four electoral votes in Kerry's column, reversing course from four years ago, when New Hampshire went to President Bush.

NGUYEN: In other political bids and battles, this time in Louisiana, coming between father and son. This man that you're about to see, Democratic state representative Charles Melancon won the congressional seat in Louisiana's third district in a run-off yesterday. He defeated Republican Billy Tauzin III, who ran to seat his father, Representative Billy Tauzin Sr. who once held the seat.

In the 7th District, Republican Charles Boustany, Jr. beat Democratic state senator Willie Landry Mount.

And in California, pitting prayers and praise against x's and o's, the Generals finally had their say. The Fontana Generals, that is. A youth football team successfully lobbied to move their championship game from today to Tuesday. The nine and 10 year olds boycotted today's planned play-off game, saying they wouldn't miss church to play football. Now when told of the news, one proud parent said, "We give credit to Jesus."

Well from miracle moves to moving spirits. They say you can sell just about anything on Ebay, like arts and antiques, to goods, and games, but a ghost? In 40 minutes, that's right, we'll tell you how one woman is trying to sell the spooky spirit haunting her house -- Tony?

HARRIS: Your fingers, your eyes, your voice, will they one day replace your ID cards or your checkbook? It's called biometrics. And as the technology grows, so are questions about privacy and security. CNN technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE DEBOIS, SHOPPER: Might forget my credit card, but I'm not forgetting my finger.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Michelle Debois shops for groceries at her Piggly Wiggly in South Carolina, a scan of her index finger takes the place of writing a check or swiping a credit card. Shoppers can enroll in the pay by touch biometric system, by providing a driver's license and their checking or credit card information.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's easy, it's quick, as you're not fumbling your debit card and your checkbook to write it down.

SIEBERG (on camera): The pig, as it's known in the south, is testing the technology in four different stores before it rolls it out nationwide. And like any new technology, there's always a learning curve. Think back to ATM machines or buying something online.

And so, they want to make sure that they can balance convenience with security and privacy. And I've already registered, so I can just go ahead and use my finger. Thank you.

(voice-over): And fingers aren't the only body parts with characteristics that could be used for security. There are at least half a dozen others that act as your personal password.

(on camera): I am Daniel Sieberg, I am promise you. I am who I say I am.

(voice-over): At the University of West Virginia's Center for Identification Technology Research, other studies include voice recognition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is actually the frequency or pitch of your voice. This is an iris scan. This is actually the most accurate biometric system in use today. This essentially is reading your palm,

SIEBERG: Not a fortune teller?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it's actually -- I'm trying to see if you are actually who you say you are.

What it's measuring here is there's actually 14 different measurements.

SIEBERG: Some other measures include hand geometry and facial geometry. Researchers here say a biometric can be more secure than a password or an ID card.

ARUN ROSS, PROF. UNIV. OF WEST VIRGINIA: If I give my ID card to someone, or someone stole it, then they would probably be able to misuse it. However in biometrics, the person has to be at the point of transaction. And he has to offer his biometric trait at that point.

SIEBERG: Before September 11th, the focus of biometrics was mainly on making life a little easier for consumers, while still helping to prevent identity theft. That focus changed dramatically after the terrorist attacks. And the priority shifted to national security.

Legal experts are working directly with scientists on new security measures based on these physical characteristics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Now privacy advocates worry that biometrics isn't ready for prime-time. They say you can change a password or re-key a lock, but if you're personal features are somehow compromised, you're stuck. The technology is moving forward, though. Illinois is using biometrics to try to curb identity theft. The state now uses face geometry when people get their pictures taken for driver's license.

And when it comes to new technology, you might be surrounded by it and not even know it. For example, do you know who's watching you at the office? In the next hour of CNN MORNING, our Daniel Sieberg takes a look at privacy in the work place. That's at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They cater to us. And we just love them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels like eating in the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: These women are being served by waiters who are serving time. Details on a unique experiment, next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

HARRIS: And later this hour, for many living in Florida is a dream, but the harsh reality of living through a hurricane has turned into a nightmare that continues even two months later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Sir Elton John, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, and Cicely Tyson were among the red carpet arrivals that are being honored tonight at the 27th Annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C.

So good morning to you, D.C. Here's a look at the White House this morning. We'll have your weather forecast in just a minute or two.

HARRIS: Ah, Betty good food, good service, and a chance at a new life. That's what one New Jersey restaurant is offering. Our Alina Cho takes us there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first glance, it looks like a regular restaurant with regular waiters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything I can get you, miss?

CHO: This is anything, but. The only one of the kind in the U.S. The Mates Inn is run entirely by non-violent offenders serving time at the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need a side order of egg salad.

CHO: But every weekday, they come here, supervised by professional chefs, who double as teachers. The inmates make everything from scratch, and learn valuable skills, both in and out of the kitchen.

JOSEPH ALAMA, MATES INN INSTRUCTOR: You have to just give them the confidence. It's all a matter of building their confidence. The image people have of inmates is oh, well they're no good. They're just inmates and who are they? Like the dregs of society. These guys are extremely intelligent.

CHO: Pedro Torres was scared to deal with customers in the beginning.

PEDRO TORRES, INMATE: I was shy at first, but then I learned that they don't bite.

CHO: Twenty-six year old Torres has served three years on a drug charge. Brian Anning is in for burglary.

BRIAN ANNING, INMATE: You're always going to be looked down upon. Programs like this actually give you a chance.

CHO: These women who call themselves the Purple Hat Society are regulars. They like the food and love the service.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They cater to us. We just love them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels like eating in the White House.

CHO: Pedro Torres wants to be a chef one day.

TORRES: Feels good when (UNINTELLIGIBLE) plate are full. And they say, you know, but it's good. CHO: One thing he hasn't learned yet is restraint.

Have you gained some weight since you've been here?

TORRES: Yes. I gained 75 pounds.

CHO: The inmates may leave the Mates Inn a little heavier. They also leave with a culinary certificate, credits toward a high school diploma, and the knowledge that once they get out of prison, they have a good chance of getting a job.

Alina Cho, CNN, Trenton, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: How can you not gain weight?

HARRIS: No, there's no way.

NGUYEN: You're around that food all the time. And like one lady said, it's like eating at the White House. Must be good.

HARRIS: I thought that -- well, we see a rehabilitation program in jail that seems to be working for folks, huh?

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was the absolute culmination of our life. It was everything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we don't have enough insurance monies coming to replace the loss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Two months later, still waiting for help. The harsh reality and struggle to rebuild a life in Florida.

NGUYEN: And as a U.S. Army deserter tells the tale of what it's like spending nearly 40 years in North Korea. Both stories in the next half hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: After nearly 40 years in North Korea, the U.S. Army deserter speaks out. Welcome back. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And Tony Harris. The story of Charles Jenkins in a minute. But first, a look at news this morning.

Pakistan's leader says Osama bin Laden could be anywhere. Pervez Musharaff talked to CNN about his country's decision to scale back the hunt for the al Qaeda leader. He says the fight against terror isn't about just one terrorist. Musharaff met with President Bush this weekend.

In Iraq, three deadly attacks in separate spots this morning. Near Tikrit, insurgents opened fire on buses, killing 17 Iraqi civilians working for private contractor. Also, a suicide car bombing near Beiji killed at least three Iraqi national guardsmen. And in Samarra, insurgents attacked an Iraqi army convoy, killing a soldier.

Back in the U.S., the focus is on the national pastime and the scandal growing around it. The baseball players union plans to discuss steroid use at annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona tomorrow. More frequent testing and tougher penalties are on the table.

And there she is, Miss World. Maria Garcia, an aspiring high school teacher from Peru, has won the Miss World pageant. She was picked from more than 100 contestants by the viewers themselves. They voted by Internet, phone and cell phone text messages.

NGUYEN: Well, shifting gears now, in the annals of the Cold War, the tale of Sergeant Charles Jenkins is among the strangest. Long considered to be by the U.S. Army a traitor, Jenkins real story of desertion is vastly more complicated and fascinating.

In the upcoming issue of "TIME" magazine, he explains what happened that fateful night in January 1965 and reveals the grim details of life inside one of the world's most secretive and repressive societies.

"TIME" executive editor Adi Ignatius is with us from New York this morning with some of those highlights.

Good morning to you, Adi.

ADI IGNATIUS, TIME MAGAZINE: Hi, Betty. How are you?

NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about this. First of all, let's set the stage for exactly what happened. Why did Jenkins desert his post in South Korea in 1965 and flee to North Korea?

IGNATIUS: Well, he had a plan that wasn't really much of a plan. He was -- was based in South Korea. It was dangerous enough along the demilitarized zone. But things were about to get worse for him. He had learned that his unit was about to be sent to Vietnam, where a very real, live was happening. And frankly, he was afraid.

So he had this kind of crazy plan that he would sneak into North Korea, somehow make his way to Russia, and figured he could then talk his way into some sort of diplomatic deportation back to the U.S. and face the music there, but get out of fighting in Vietnam.

NGUYEN: A plan that obviously did not work because he was captured and held with three other Americans inside North Korea. They all stayed in one house. What does he describe about that experience? What did he go through? IGNATIUS: Well, he says now that he realized almost from day one that he'd made a huge mistake. And as you say, there were three other deserters there, three other American deserters. Very bleak existence. They were beaten frequently. The Korean officials who minded them actually had them beat each other. So there was a sort of sense of mutual suspicion. There was no effective bonding among these Americans.

They kept them alive, realizing they were probably more useful for propaganda purposes -- alive than dead, but it was a pretty horrible existence.

NGUYEN: And you mention this torture, these beatings. There's also a story that he described about a tattoo removal. Very fascinating, interesting, and horrible all at the same time. Explain that to us.

IGNATIUS: Well, he had a, you know, U.S. Army tattoo on his arm. At one point when he was being forced to teach English, he said it was in the warmer weather, he had a short sleeved shirt and his tattoo was visible to his students. The North Korean officials figure that's no good. So they, with very little warning, rushed him to a hospital and took this tattoo off with a knife and scissors with no anesthetic whatsoever, telling him anesthetic is just for the battlefields.

NGUYEN: That's just a glimpse inside North Korea. But he talks a little bit more about life inside North Korea. This is a man who has seen what many Westerners have never seen before.

IGNATIUS: Well, I mean, the value of the story is on three levels. One, this is one of the last remaining mysteries of the Cold War. I remember reading about this guy and thinking why in the world did he go from the South into the North? We'd assumed that he was somebody who really was against the U.S., was happily participating in propaganda against the U.S. Now we know that the story is something different.

But on another level, the value is he is giving insights into this very secretive society. I think we published some of them in this upcoming issue. I'm sure the U.S. Army and U.S. intelligence was very interested in what he had to say about North Korea's spy program, for example, which he was involved in on the periphery teaching English to would-be spies.

NGUYEN: Yes, because in this article, Jenkins claims that he was used to create spies for North Korea. How so?

IGNATIUS: Well, that's his theory. And it's hard to independently confirm, but he became convinced that the North Koreans were basically using the few Westerners like himself, who were trapped in the country, as breeders for spies.

So they actually kidnapped a woman in Japan, OK, brought her to North Korea, essentially provided her to him as his wife. And he felt that their children, they had two daughters, who were, you know, Western looking, semi Western looking, would -- could be used as overseas spies, as assets in the future. And that's part of the reason he realized he had to get out after...

NGUYEN: Adi, we're out of time, but Jenkins has a seventh grade education. He grew up in North Carolina. He still has family there. Does he ever want to return and see those family members?

IGNATIUS: He says he's dying to. He's not quite released from the -- you know, he went back to the U.S. Army, turned himself in, did 30 days. He's not quite released yet, but you know, he wants to settle Japan, but he wants to make one last trip to Roanoke, North Carolina to see -- he's got a 90-year old mother who's still alive.

NGUYEN: Fascinating story. Adi Ignatius for "TIME" magazine, we appreciate your insight this morning. Fascinating article. Thank you.

IGNATIUS: Thanks.

NGUYEN: Tony?

HARRIS: In our Sunday hero series, his dreams came close to an end on bumpy Iraqi roads. Now he's back home pursuing a once abandoned career. Meet this American hero next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: And good morning, Baltimore. We will have your weather forecast a little bit later this hour, but look at that morning sun. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Time now to take a look at some of the stories that will be making headlines this week. Steroids will be the hot topic at tomorrow's meeting of the executive board at a baseball players union. Baseball's drug testing policies are being scrutinized after reports about steroid use by some of the league's top players.

Congress is back in session tomorrow after its holiday break. The September 11th Commission and the White House are urging lawmakers to pass the Intelligence Reform bill that stalled last month.

Hamid Karzai will be sworn in Tuesday, as Afghanistan's newly elected president. Vice President Dick Cheney will attend that inauguration. He is the most senior U.S. official to visit since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001.

HARRIS: As many parents know, children are very curious about the war in Iraq. One person who can answer a lot of their questions is a soldier with the Oregon National Guard.

CNN's Bill Tucker has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With great honor and pleasure, let's give a very warm welcome to...

(applause) BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, the children in St. Pius School in Portland, Oregon, Second Lieutenant Peter Wood brings a far away war much closer to home.

2nd LT. PETER WOOD, OREGON NATIONAL GUARD: I was in Iraq from April to September. I was in an area called Taji, which is located just northwest of Baghdad.

TUCKER: Wood tells the children about his work helping the Iraqis repair broken water pipes, sewers, and roads. He talks about the children.

WOOD: When we go and we see kids you guys' age, they run up to our humvees. And they're not really wanting candy or food. A lot of them are just wanting pens and paper to write, because they love to write.

TUCKER: Wood patiently fields questions.

WOOD: What's it like being in a war?

TUCKER: And describes being scared. But he doesn't talk about is the bomb that hit his humvee and nearly cost his life.

WOOD: I remember the blast. I remember feeling it. And it took our vehicle for a good ride, as far as it threw us into a canal. And so, we tumbled around in the humvee. I remember -- I don't remember hearing the blast, but I remember seeing it and feeling it.

TUCKER: Wood lost two of his friends that day. Shrapnel tore the tendons of his wrist and fingers, leaving to surgery and being sent home to recover.

Wood hopes to recover full use of his hand one day and wishes he could return to Iraq.

WOOD: If I could back today, I'd hop on a plane and go back.

TUCKER: While his hand heals, Wood works at a local National Guard armory and speaks publicly about his Iraqi experience.

With a degree in political science, Wood hopes to stay in the military a few more years and move on to a career as a diplomat or politician.

Bill Tucker, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: We can use him. We bring you hero stories every week on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can cry at the drop of a hat. And I never -- I used to be able to control my emotions. (END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: That is just one of the ways hurricanes Charley and Jean have changed this woman's life. Now the challenge is trying to rebuild with no insurance help. A story of struggle, next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The annual Mayors Parade will be hitting the streets of Baltimore today. And that is Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Betty, you can stop down there at Phillips and get yourself a great crab cake sandwich.

NGUYEN: Sounds good at 7:47 in the morning.

HARRIS: Good morning, Baltimore. We'll have your weather forecast in just about 10 minutes.

Here's a quick check of our top stories this morning. A prisoner exchange between Israel and Egypt. Israeli businessman Azzam Azzam is back in Israel after spending eight years in Egyptian jail for spying. In return, Israel freed six Egyptian students charged with plotting attacks against Israeli soldiers.

In Iraq, relief supplies to families left in Falluja have been briefly suspended. The Iraqi Red Crescent says it will stop its operation for two days, while U.S. Marines conduct security searches around its headquarters.

Despite political pressure, House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter tells CNN is not backing down from his opposition to the 9/11 reform bill. Hunter insists the Pentagon should keep control of battlefield spy satellite intelligence.

And this brings us to our e-mail question this morning. Do you think this bill will make America safer? Get online right now. Don't delay and e-mail us at wam@cnn.com. And we'll be reading some of your replies a little later this hour.

NGUYEN: Well right now, it's been almost four months since the first of four hurricanes slammed into Florida. The deadly storms have destroyed homes and changed lives.

CNN's Gary Tuchman visited one hard hit area. And he found rebuilding is a big struggle. And life for many storm victims, well it hasn't changed much at all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The wrath of Hurricane Frances, the fury of Hurricane Jeanne, two powerful storms that against all odds, hit land at the exact same place on Florida's East Coast.

CAROL TAYLOR, HURRICANE VICTIM: The roof came off like a can of sardines with a key and rolled off. And we paid somebody to come and screw it back down the day before Jeanne hit.

TUCHMAN: And when Jeanne hit, Carol Taylor's home, the place where she and her husband Don plan to spend the rest of their lives, the destruction was complete. The house was totaled.

DON TAYLOR, HURRICANE VICTIM: This was the absolute culmination of our life. It was everything.

C. TAYLOR: And we don't have enough insurance monies coming to replace the loss.

D. TAYLOR: Nope, this is no good.

TUCHMAN: The Taylors lived in Vero Beach, Florida, 10 miles from the ocean, in a development called Lakewood Village where almost every one of the 320 homes suffered some damage and about 40 of the homes were total losses.

D. TAYLOR: Well, like, around here, you hear people saying, well, we don't want to forget this. We're going to have a t-shirt made up of, you know, hurricane 2004. Who in their right mind would want to remember something like this?

C. TAYLOR: We just want to forget it.

D. TAYLOR: Forget it, try to move on to something that we don't even know what it's going to be yet.

TUCHMAN: Weeks after the hurricanes, the Taylors have not yet seen a dime of insurance money.

(on camera): The people who live here in Lakewood Village come from all over the United States and Canada. They move here for a fresh start. They move here to retire. They move here to pursue the Florida dream, which this summer this community, turned into a real- life nightmare.

(voice-over): This is what many of the living room ceilings looked like in Lakewood Village.

JANET HUNTLEY, HURRICANE VICTIM: That was the floor.

TUCHMAN: Janet Huntley's home is another one of the inhabitable ones.

HUNTLEY: I haven't seen an insurance adjuster.

TUCHMAN: She is staying in an RV with her husband Al with the hope that eventual insurance money covers the cost of a new home in Lakewood Village.

HUNTLEY: I can cry at the drop of a hat. And I never -- I used to be able to control my emotions.

TUCHMAN (on camera): And you come up to the back of your house and you see a portion of the house right there. It doesn't look like it's part of your house.

BOB EBERLING, HURRICANE VICTIM: No, it isn't.

TUCHMAN: What is that right over there?

EBERLING: That's the roof to someone else's house.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Bob Eberling's house was bought by his father two decades ago.

EBERLING: I'm just glad he's not alive today to see it. I just think he'd be devastated. I mean he took such pride in this house and took such good care of it. And in one night, it's completely destroyed.

TUCHMAN: Nancy Davis, like virtually everybody here, evacuated before both storms. Hurricane Frances caused significant damage to her modest home. Hurricane Jeanne finished it off.

NANCY DAVIS, HURRICANE VICTIM: And it took awhile to sink in that I had no home left.

TUCHMAN: Carol and Don Taylor are temporarily living in an RV while they plan their move back to Massachusetts where they will live with family members, their Florida dream about to conclude.

(on camera): You've got to be very grateful that you have each other.

D. TAYLOR: Oh yes, yes. That's the only thing that really...

TUCHMAN (voice-over): For the Taylors and for so many others, this hurricane season changed everything.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Vero Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Goodness. I think what strikes me most about that is, that one woman who says she still hasn't seen an insurance adjuster.,,

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: ...after all this time. Seems like everyone is waiting.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: The lines are long. Orelon, you were down there during the hurricanes. What a mess it's left behind. And people still waiting for some of relief, some kind of help.

ORELON SIDNEY, METEOROLOGIST: And I'm really glad that we get a chance to see what happens afterwards. So many times we're there were during the hurricane. And we're covering all of what's happening. And then as the weeks go by, it becomes not a major story. And we forget that people still don't have a place to live and may not have a place to live even next hurricane season.

This is something that really, we've got to find a way to do better because these people deserve better. They pay their insurance premiums and they should be getting the help that they need.

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

HARRIS: Well said, Orelon.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Yes, U-2 has dropped another number one album this week. "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." That's the group's sixth number one album. The Irish quartet ends the two week reign of Eminem's encore, which dropped to the second slot.

Some country on the charts as well. Shania Twain and Toby Keith. They have greatest hits. And they are number three and five. And Destiny's Child, "Destiny Fulfilled," is in the number four spot.

HARRIS: And looking for an unusual Christmas gift his holiday? Bet no one on your list has a ghost. Bidding on Ebay for the spirit of the late Colin Anderson of Hobart, Indiana is already more than $160.00. Mary Anderson said he's auctioning her father's ghost because her six-year old son is afraid of it. Grandpa died in the house last year. The seller says the auction is no joke. It's real. And sweeten the deal, well, want a sweetener. She'll throw in late father's walking cane.

NGUYEN: I guess the bidder has to get something, right?

HARRIS: Something out of this deal.

NGUYEN: I think part of the deal, too, is that whoever buys the ghost...

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: ...has to send a letter back to her son, saying OK, I have the ghost now, and we're doing just fine.

HARRIS: So the house is free and clear of the ghost.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: You can live your little kit life in peace and tranquility.

NGUYEN: And he gets a little prize, thanks to the money that she'll earn from whoever buys this ghost. Then she's going to buy him a nice little surprise.

(WEATHER REPORT) NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about our e-mail question of the day. We've gotten a lot of interesting responses. The e-mail is dealing with the intelligence bill. Will a reform bill make America safer?

HARRIS: And here's the first response from Carl. He writes, "If you want to make the U.S.A. safer, make the Congress and the president responsible. Don't allow them to sell the placebo to give the appearance of progress."

NGUYEN: Lloyd writes, "No, because there's always a way for terrorists to attack. Until other parts of the world receive political freedom, education, jobs, homes, and a better living environment, they will always be out to attack and kill those that have what they cannot get."

HARRIS: And we want to encourage you to send us e-mails at wam@cnn.com. And we will follow up with more of your responses next our.

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 December 5, 2004 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is December 6th (sic), 7:00 a.m. here in the East.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, December 6.

HARRIS: Is it? Well, I better check.

NGUYEN: Yes, I see it right down there. Yes, each of these for a minute. OK, well good morning. It's early apparently. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for being with us today.

Israel and Egypt confirm a prisoner exchange. And Azzam Azzam is back in Israel after spending eight years in an Egyptian prison for spying. And the Israelis are releasing six Egyptian students. The six were captured after sneaking into Israel and are charged with conspiring to kidnap Israeli soldiers. We have or we head live to Jerusalem for more details. That will happen straight ahead.

Also, the executive board of the baseball players union meets tomorrow. And the prime topic is sure to be the burgeoning scandal of steroid use by some major league stars. Senator John McCain is threatening to legislate stricter rules if the sport will not police itself.

Congressman Duncan Hunter is not backing down. The House Arms Services Committee Chairman is one of those bottling up the intelligence reform bill, as President Bush tries to jar it loose and get it past.

Hunter is still insisting that the Pentagon keep control of battlefield satellite intelligence.

At least 23 people are dead after an explosion inside a mine in Kazakhstan. Few details are available, but Russia's Interfax news agency says about 87 people were in the mine when that explosion occurred. Rescue efforts are underway.

HARRIS: Other stories to watch for this hour. The true reason Charles Jenkins abandoned his Army post in the DMZ. How he survived the next 40 years in North Korea and why he finally came in from the Cold War. We'll speak with "TIME" magazine's executive editor about the article hitting news stands tomorrow.

Also, going digital, your finger points the way to the future of personal identification, for better or worse. And later, from crooks to cooks, a corrections facility devises the perfect recipe for rehabilitating a misspent youth.

More now on our top story. It could be a sign of warming between -- ties between two former foes. Both Israel and Egypt are confirming a prison exchange this morning.

For the latest, let's go to Jerusalem and CNN's John Vause.

Hi, John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony. Azzam Azzam spent eight years in an Egyptian jail, accused by the Egyptian authorities of spying for Israel. It's a charge both he and the Israeli government have always denied. But a little more than an hour ago, he crossed from the Egyptian side from Taba, over to the Israeli side to the seaside town of Allah. He telephoned the Israeli prime minister, thanking him for negotiating his release. The Israeli prime minister said welcome home. He also spoke with his family up in the Galilee, the Israeli Drews area. They are now celebrating the release of Azzam Azzam.

This deal to release Azzam Azzam was apparently reached last week during a visit to Jerusalem by the Egyptian foreign minister and the chief of intelligence. The Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak said Azzam Azzam's release was a personal gesture to Ariel Sharon.

In return, Ariel Sharon released six Egyptian students were arrested in August of this year. They were accused of illegally crossing into Israel with plans to kidnap and kill Israeli soldiers. They were released earlier today -- Tony?

HARRIS: So John, what does all of this mean for the sometimes difficult relations between these two countries?

VAUSE: Well, it means that these countries are moving closer together, that Ariel Sharon and Hosni Mubarak are working together in a much closer way than they ever have before.

Last week, we heard some extraordinary statements coming from the Egyptian president, saying that Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, is the only man who can bring peace to the Middle East. We're also hearing talk that possibly Egypt will send its ambassador back to Tel Aviv. He was withdrawn in 2000 as protest over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

And also, after the bombing of the Taba Hilton in October of this year, these two countries have vowed to work closer together, to try and stop terrorist groups, that kind of thing, working closer together on security. We've also heard of working together to promote tourism between these countries.

And things like gas deals as well. So while this has been a frosty relationship over the last few years, it certainly appears that these two countries -- and in particular these two leaders, Mubarak and Sharon -- are now willing to work together -- Tony? HARRIS: Sure does. John Vause from Jerusalem this morning. John, thank you.

NGUYEN: And now to Iraq, where at least 21 people have been killed so far today, all of them Iraqis. 17 were civilians working for a private contractor. The other four were security personnel.

CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us now live from Baghdad with the latest on this.

Good morning, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Betty. Three attacks within the space of three hours. And all three attacks came on the same highway, Highway 1, which leads north from Baghdad up towards the Turkish border.

The first attack took place in the town of Samarra. An attack on a military convoy there with rocket propelled grenades. In that attack, insurgents killed one Iraqi Army soldier, wounded four others.

A couple of hours after that, in the city of Tikrit, an attack by insurgents in two vehicles. They drove up alongside a bus with Iraqi civilian contractors inside. They raked that bus with gunfire, killing 17 Iraqi civilians and wounding 13 others.

All those contractors were due to start work at a weapons dump used by the U.S. military, where their work is to destroy weapons that have been seized from insurgent groups or that have been discovered buried in the ground.

After that attack, about an hour later, a suicide car bomb attack a little further north near the oil refining town of Beiji. In that, three Iraqi national guardsmen were killed. 18 other were wounded.

All these three attacks come after a very bloody Saturday. There was the car bomb in Baghdad. 16 people died in that, but also in the northern city of Mosul, another car bomb there. And that killed 15 members of a Kurdish militia group that were working as a security force for one of the main political parties there.

All of this, really, adds to the picture highlighted by U.S. Congressman and highlighted by U.S. military authorities that the Iraqi security forces are increasingly a target for insurgents, and aren't yet ready to stand on their own two feet without assistance from the U.S. military, Betty.

NGUYEN: An increasing target, especially as these elections are set for January 30th. All right, CNN's Karl Penhaul in Baghdad. Thank you.

Red Crescent and workers -- aid workers will suspend operations in Falluja for two days, because the security searches of a neighborhood where they've set up headquarters. The Iraqi Red Crescent has been working with U.S. Marines to distribute food, water, and medical supplies to Falluja residents. Only about 100 families are thought to be still living in Falluja. Most of them got out before the U.S. operation targeting insurgents occurred there.

HARRIS: The former commander of U.S. prisons in Iraq has been ordered to testify in one of the prisoner abuse courts martial. A military judge at Fort Hood, Texas ordered Brigadier General Janice Karpinksi to testify in the trial of Sergeant Javal Davis, but Karpinski's testimony will be limited to conditions at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad and the interaction between guards and interrogators. Assaulting detainees is one of the charges against Sergeant Davis.

And there is reaction today to these photos, which appear to show detainees and U.S. Navy Seals. General Mark Kimmitt tells al Jazeera, the photos show only isolated acts. And only a small number of U.S. troops have abused Iraqi prisoners. Kimmitt is the former U.S. spokesman in Iraq. The photos appear to show some detainees who are bloody, and others who are handcuffed or hooded. A preliminary investigation is underway to see if there was any criminal wrongdoing.

NGUYEN: Now to the war on terror. President Bush praises Pakistan's effort to flush out Osama bin Laden, even though that country has scaled back its search.

The president met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff at the White House yesterday. Musharaff also sat down for an exclusive interview with our Wolf Blitzer. Wolf asked him whether the U.S. and coalition partners should pull out of Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERVEZ MUSHARAFF, PAKISTANI PRESIDENT: Now that we are there, we need to stabilize the situation and then only. But I have been saying -- my view is, one is the direct action in Iraq to make sure that we stabilize and we have the elections.

After stabilizing and make sure that the elections are successful. And then only should we have an exit strategy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And you can watch the complete interview on CNN's "LATE EDITION" with Wolf Blitzer. That's this afternoon beginning at noon Eastern.

HARRIS: Care packages are on the way to thousands of U.S. troops, who will spend the holidays in Iraq and Afghanistan. Volunteers in Fort Belvoir, Virginia stuffed thousands of boxes yesterday with items ranging from phone calling cards to snacks. The USO or United Services Organization hosted the event. Their goal was to build more than 20,000 packages in a single day.

NGUYEN: Well, the mid shipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy are headed to bowl game, after easily defeating the cadets of West Point 42 to 13 in the annual Army-Navy game. Navy won the coin toss, provided by President Bush at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Now the president used an Iraqi coin from the city of Falluja for that toss. This was the 105th time the two academies had waged battle on the gridiron in the December classic.

As commander in chief, the president was non partial, of course. He watched the game from the Army side in the first half. And then he switched to the Navy side for the second half.

HARRIS: Forty years in North Korea, it's hard to imagine what that might be like. And this man has gone through torture and the danger of losing his daughters to a brutal regime. He escaped. And now he tells his tale.

NGUYEN: Some day your ID may lie in your finger tip, but will it jeopardize your privacy? We will explore that next.

HARRIS: And good morning, Washington, D.C. Weekend weather for you and the rest of the nation when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.

NGUYEN: But first, here is our e-mail question for you this morning. Do you think the intelligence bill make America safer? We're at wam@cnn.com. We'll read those replies throughout the program. So send them in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: In news across America, a quote, "I would like to welcome you to the Ukraine." That's from a speaker at a rally yesterday, except she was in Columbus, Ohio. She was one of about 400 others who compared the disputed election in that country to the recent presidential election in the U.S. The charge is voter fraud by election officials in Ohio rob presidential candidate John Kerry's of Ohio's 20 electoral votes.

Now they want a recount. The Reverend Jesse Jackson joins us at 9:30 a.m. Eastern to talk more about it.

Meanwhile, as his supporters protested in Ohio, Senator John Kerry was in New Hampshire thanking supporters there for their hard work during the campaign. The granite state placed its four electoral votes in Kerry's column, reversing course from four years ago, when New Hampshire went to President Bush.

NGUYEN: In other political bids and battles, this time in Louisiana, coming between father and son. This man that you're about to see, Democratic state representative Charles Melancon won the congressional seat in Louisiana's third district in a run-off yesterday. He defeated Republican Billy Tauzin III, who ran to seat his father, Representative Billy Tauzin Sr. who once held the seat.

In the 7th District, Republican Charles Boustany, Jr. beat Democratic state senator Willie Landry Mount.

And in California, pitting prayers and praise against x's and o's, the Generals finally had their say. The Fontana Generals, that is. A youth football team successfully lobbied to move their championship game from today to Tuesday. The nine and 10 year olds boycotted today's planned play-off game, saying they wouldn't miss church to play football. Now when told of the news, one proud parent said, "We give credit to Jesus."

Well from miracle moves to moving spirits. They say you can sell just about anything on Ebay, like arts and antiques, to goods, and games, but a ghost? In 40 minutes, that's right, we'll tell you how one woman is trying to sell the spooky spirit haunting her house -- Tony?

HARRIS: Your fingers, your eyes, your voice, will they one day replace your ID cards or your checkbook? It's called biometrics. And as the technology grows, so are questions about privacy and security. CNN technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE DEBOIS, SHOPPER: Might forget my credit card, but I'm not forgetting my finger.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Michelle Debois shops for groceries at her Piggly Wiggly in South Carolina, a scan of her index finger takes the place of writing a check or swiping a credit card. Shoppers can enroll in the pay by touch biometric system, by providing a driver's license and their checking or credit card information.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's easy, it's quick, as you're not fumbling your debit card and your checkbook to write it down.

SIEBERG (on camera): The pig, as it's known in the south, is testing the technology in four different stores before it rolls it out nationwide. And like any new technology, there's always a learning curve. Think back to ATM machines or buying something online.

And so, they want to make sure that they can balance convenience with security and privacy. And I've already registered, so I can just go ahead and use my finger. Thank you.

(voice-over): And fingers aren't the only body parts with characteristics that could be used for security. There are at least half a dozen others that act as your personal password.

(on camera): I am Daniel Sieberg, I am promise you. I am who I say I am.

(voice-over): At the University of West Virginia's Center for Identification Technology Research, other studies include voice recognition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is actually the frequency or pitch of your voice. This is an iris scan. This is actually the most accurate biometric system in use today. This essentially is reading your palm,

SIEBERG: Not a fortune teller?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it's actually -- I'm trying to see if you are actually who you say you are.

What it's measuring here is there's actually 14 different measurements.

SIEBERG: Some other measures include hand geometry and facial geometry. Researchers here say a biometric can be more secure than a password or an ID card.

ARUN ROSS, PROF. UNIV. OF WEST VIRGINIA: If I give my ID card to someone, or someone stole it, then they would probably be able to misuse it. However in biometrics, the person has to be at the point of transaction. And he has to offer his biometric trait at that point.

SIEBERG: Before September 11th, the focus of biometrics was mainly on making life a little easier for consumers, while still helping to prevent identity theft. That focus changed dramatically after the terrorist attacks. And the priority shifted to national security.

Legal experts are working directly with scientists on new security measures based on these physical characteristics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Now privacy advocates worry that biometrics isn't ready for prime-time. They say you can change a password or re-key a lock, but if you're personal features are somehow compromised, you're stuck. The technology is moving forward, though. Illinois is using biometrics to try to curb identity theft. The state now uses face geometry when people get their pictures taken for driver's license.

And when it comes to new technology, you might be surrounded by it and not even know it. For example, do you know who's watching you at the office? In the next hour of CNN MORNING, our Daniel Sieberg takes a look at privacy in the work place. That's at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They cater to us. And we just love them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels like eating in the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: These women are being served by waiters who are serving time. Details on a unique experiment, next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

HARRIS: And later this hour, for many living in Florida is a dream, but the harsh reality of living through a hurricane has turned into a nightmare that continues even two months later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Sir Elton John, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, and Cicely Tyson were among the red carpet arrivals that are being honored tonight at the 27th Annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C.

So good morning to you, D.C. Here's a look at the White House this morning. We'll have your weather forecast in just a minute or two.

HARRIS: Ah, Betty good food, good service, and a chance at a new life. That's what one New Jersey restaurant is offering. Our Alina Cho takes us there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first glance, it looks like a regular restaurant with regular waiters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything I can get you, miss?

CHO: This is anything, but. The only one of the kind in the U.S. The Mates Inn is run entirely by non-violent offenders serving time at the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need a side order of egg salad.

CHO: But every weekday, they come here, supervised by professional chefs, who double as teachers. The inmates make everything from scratch, and learn valuable skills, both in and out of the kitchen.

JOSEPH ALAMA, MATES INN INSTRUCTOR: You have to just give them the confidence. It's all a matter of building their confidence. The image people have of inmates is oh, well they're no good. They're just inmates and who are they? Like the dregs of society. These guys are extremely intelligent.

CHO: Pedro Torres was scared to deal with customers in the beginning.

PEDRO TORRES, INMATE: I was shy at first, but then I learned that they don't bite.

CHO: Twenty-six year old Torres has served three years on a drug charge. Brian Anning is in for burglary.

BRIAN ANNING, INMATE: You're always going to be looked down upon. Programs like this actually give you a chance.

CHO: These women who call themselves the Purple Hat Society are regulars. They like the food and love the service.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They cater to us. We just love them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels like eating in the White House.

CHO: Pedro Torres wants to be a chef one day.

TORRES: Feels good when (UNINTELLIGIBLE) plate are full. And they say, you know, but it's good. CHO: One thing he hasn't learned yet is restraint.

Have you gained some weight since you've been here?

TORRES: Yes. I gained 75 pounds.

CHO: The inmates may leave the Mates Inn a little heavier. They also leave with a culinary certificate, credits toward a high school diploma, and the knowledge that once they get out of prison, they have a good chance of getting a job.

Alina Cho, CNN, Trenton, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: How can you not gain weight?

HARRIS: No, there's no way.

NGUYEN: You're around that food all the time. And like one lady said, it's like eating at the White House. Must be good.

HARRIS: I thought that -- well, we see a rehabilitation program in jail that seems to be working for folks, huh?

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was the absolute culmination of our life. It was everything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we don't have enough insurance monies coming to replace the loss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Two months later, still waiting for help. The harsh reality and struggle to rebuild a life in Florida.

NGUYEN: And as a U.S. Army deserter tells the tale of what it's like spending nearly 40 years in North Korea. Both stories in the next half hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: After nearly 40 years in North Korea, the U.S. Army deserter speaks out. Welcome back. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And Tony Harris. The story of Charles Jenkins in a minute. But first, a look at news this morning.

Pakistan's leader says Osama bin Laden could be anywhere. Pervez Musharaff talked to CNN about his country's decision to scale back the hunt for the al Qaeda leader. He says the fight against terror isn't about just one terrorist. Musharaff met with President Bush this weekend.

In Iraq, three deadly attacks in separate spots this morning. Near Tikrit, insurgents opened fire on buses, killing 17 Iraqi civilians working for private contractor. Also, a suicide car bombing near Beiji killed at least three Iraqi national guardsmen. And in Samarra, insurgents attacked an Iraqi army convoy, killing a soldier.

Back in the U.S., the focus is on the national pastime and the scandal growing around it. The baseball players union plans to discuss steroid use at annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona tomorrow. More frequent testing and tougher penalties are on the table.

And there she is, Miss World. Maria Garcia, an aspiring high school teacher from Peru, has won the Miss World pageant. She was picked from more than 100 contestants by the viewers themselves. They voted by Internet, phone and cell phone text messages.

NGUYEN: Well, shifting gears now, in the annals of the Cold War, the tale of Sergeant Charles Jenkins is among the strangest. Long considered to be by the U.S. Army a traitor, Jenkins real story of desertion is vastly more complicated and fascinating.

In the upcoming issue of "TIME" magazine, he explains what happened that fateful night in January 1965 and reveals the grim details of life inside one of the world's most secretive and repressive societies.

"TIME" executive editor Adi Ignatius is with us from New York this morning with some of those highlights.

Good morning to you, Adi.

ADI IGNATIUS, TIME MAGAZINE: Hi, Betty. How are you?

NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about this. First of all, let's set the stage for exactly what happened. Why did Jenkins desert his post in South Korea in 1965 and flee to North Korea?

IGNATIUS: Well, he had a plan that wasn't really much of a plan. He was -- was based in South Korea. It was dangerous enough along the demilitarized zone. But things were about to get worse for him. He had learned that his unit was about to be sent to Vietnam, where a very real, live was happening. And frankly, he was afraid.

So he had this kind of crazy plan that he would sneak into North Korea, somehow make his way to Russia, and figured he could then talk his way into some sort of diplomatic deportation back to the U.S. and face the music there, but get out of fighting in Vietnam.

NGUYEN: A plan that obviously did not work because he was captured and held with three other Americans inside North Korea. They all stayed in one house. What does he describe about that experience? What did he go through? IGNATIUS: Well, he says now that he realized almost from day one that he'd made a huge mistake. And as you say, there were three other deserters there, three other American deserters. Very bleak existence. They were beaten frequently. The Korean officials who minded them actually had them beat each other. So there was a sort of sense of mutual suspicion. There was no effective bonding among these Americans.

They kept them alive, realizing they were probably more useful for propaganda purposes -- alive than dead, but it was a pretty horrible existence.

NGUYEN: And you mention this torture, these beatings. There's also a story that he described about a tattoo removal. Very fascinating, interesting, and horrible all at the same time. Explain that to us.

IGNATIUS: Well, he had a, you know, U.S. Army tattoo on his arm. At one point when he was being forced to teach English, he said it was in the warmer weather, he had a short sleeved shirt and his tattoo was visible to his students. The North Korean officials figure that's no good. So they, with very little warning, rushed him to a hospital and took this tattoo off with a knife and scissors with no anesthetic whatsoever, telling him anesthetic is just for the battlefields.

NGUYEN: That's just a glimpse inside North Korea. But he talks a little bit more about life inside North Korea. This is a man who has seen what many Westerners have never seen before.

IGNATIUS: Well, I mean, the value of the story is on three levels. One, this is one of the last remaining mysteries of the Cold War. I remember reading about this guy and thinking why in the world did he go from the South into the North? We'd assumed that he was somebody who really was against the U.S., was happily participating in propaganda against the U.S. Now we know that the story is something different.

But on another level, the value is he is giving insights into this very secretive society. I think we published some of them in this upcoming issue. I'm sure the U.S. Army and U.S. intelligence was very interested in what he had to say about North Korea's spy program, for example, which he was involved in on the periphery teaching English to would-be spies.

NGUYEN: Yes, because in this article, Jenkins claims that he was used to create spies for North Korea. How so?

IGNATIUS: Well, that's his theory. And it's hard to independently confirm, but he became convinced that the North Koreans were basically using the few Westerners like himself, who were trapped in the country, as breeders for spies.

So they actually kidnapped a woman in Japan, OK, brought her to North Korea, essentially provided her to him as his wife. And he felt that their children, they had two daughters, who were, you know, Western looking, semi Western looking, would -- could be used as overseas spies, as assets in the future. And that's part of the reason he realized he had to get out after...

NGUYEN: Adi, we're out of time, but Jenkins has a seventh grade education. He grew up in North Carolina. He still has family there. Does he ever want to return and see those family members?

IGNATIUS: He says he's dying to. He's not quite released from the -- you know, he went back to the U.S. Army, turned himself in, did 30 days. He's not quite released yet, but you know, he wants to settle Japan, but he wants to make one last trip to Roanoke, North Carolina to see -- he's got a 90-year old mother who's still alive.

NGUYEN: Fascinating story. Adi Ignatius for "TIME" magazine, we appreciate your insight this morning. Fascinating article. Thank you.

IGNATIUS: Thanks.

NGUYEN: Tony?

HARRIS: In our Sunday hero series, his dreams came close to an end on bumpy Iraqi roads. Now he's back home pursuing a once abandoned career. Meet this American hero next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: And good morning, Baltimore. We will have your weather forecast a little bit later this hour, but look at that morning sun. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Time now to take a look at some of the stories that will be making headlines this week. Steroids will be the hot topic at tomorrow's meeting of the executive board at a baseball players union. Baseball's drug testing policies are being scrutinized after reports about steroid use by some of the league's top players.

Congress is back in session tomorrow after its holiday break. The September 11th Commission and the White House are urging lawmakers to pass the Intelligence Reform bill that stalled last month.

Hamid Karzai will be sworn in Tuesday, as Afghanistan's newly elected president. Vice President Dick Cheney will attend that inauguration. He is the most senior U.S. official to visit since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001.

HARRIS: As many parents know, children are very curious about the war in Iraq. One person who can answer a lot of their questions is a soldier with the Oregon National Guard.

CNN's Bill Tucker has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With great honor and pleasure, let's give a very warm welcome to...

(applause) BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, the children in St. Pius School in Portland, Oregon, Second Lieutenant Peter Wood brings a far away war much closer to home.

2nd LT. PETER WOOD, OREGON NATIONAL GUARD: I was in Iraq from April to September. I was in an area called Taji, which is located just northwest of Baghdad.

TUCKER: Wood tells the children about his work helping the Iraqis repair broken water pipes, sewers, and roads. He talks about the children.

WOOD: When we go and we see kids you guys' age, they run up to our humvees. And they're not really wanting candy or food. A lot of them are just wanting pens and paper to write, because they love to write.

TUCKER: Wood patiently fields questions.

WOOD: What's it like being in a war?

TUCKER: And describes being scared. But he doesn't talk about is the bomb that hit his humvee and nearly cost his life.

WOOD: I remember the blast. I remember feeling it. And it took our vehicle for a good ride, as far as it threw us into a canal. And so, we tumbled around in the humvee. I remember -- I don't remember hearing the blast, but I remember seeing it and feeling it.

TUCKER: Wood lost two of his friends that day. Shrapnel tore the tendons of his wrist and fingers, leaving to surgery and being sent home to recover.

Wood hopes to recover full use of his hand one day and wishes he could return to Iraq.

WOOD: If I could back today, I'd hop on a plane and go back.

TUCKER: While his hand heals, Wood works at a local National Guard armory and speaks publicly about his Iraqi experience.

With a degree in political science, Wood hopes to stay in the military a few more years and move on to a career as a diplomat or politician.

Bill Tucker, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: We can use him. We bring you hero stories every week on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can cry at the drop of a hat. And I never -- I used to be able to control my emotions. (END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: That is just one of the ways hurricanes Charley and Jean have changed this woman's life. Now the challenge is trying to rebuild with no insurance help. A story of struggle, next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The annual Mayors Parade will be hitting the streets of Baltimore today. And that is Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Betty, you can stop down there at Phillips and get yourself a great crab cake sandwich.

NGUYEN: Sounds good at 7:47 in the morning.

HARRIS: Good morning, Baltimore. We'll have your weather forecast in just about 10 minutes.

Here's a quick check of our top stories this morning. A prisoner exchange between Israel and Egypt. Israeli businessman Azzam Azzam is back in Israel after spending eight years in Egyptian jail for spying. In return, Israel freed six Egyptian students charged with plotting attacks against Israeli soldiers.

In Iraq, relief supplies to families left in Falluja have been briefly suspended. The Iraqi Red Crescent says it will stop its operation for two days, while U.S. Marines conduct security searches around its headquarters.

Despite political pressure, House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter tells CNN is not backing down from his opposition to the 9/11 reform bill. Hunter insists the Pentagon should keep control of battlefield spy satellite intelligence.

And this brings us to our e-mail question this morning. Do you think this bill will make America safer? Get online right now. Don't delay and e-mail us at wam@cnn.com. And we'll be reading some of your replies a little later this hour.

NGUYEN: Well right now, it's been almost four months since the first of four hurricanes slammed into Florida. The deadly storms have destroyed homes and changed lives.

CNN's Gary Tuchman visited one hard hit area. And he found rebuilding is a big struggle. And life for many storm victims, well it hasn't changed much at all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The wrath of Hurricane Frances, the fury of Hurricane Jeanne, two powerful storms that against all odds, hit land at the exact same place on Florida's East Coast.

CAROL TAYLOR, HURRICANE VICTIM: The roof came off like a can of sardines with a key and rolled off. And we paid somebody to come and screw it back down the day before Jeanne hit.

TUCHMAN: And when Jeanne hit, Carol Taylor's home, the place where she and her husband Don plan to spend the rest of their lives, the destruction was complete. The house was totaled.

DON TAYLOR, HURRICANE VICTIM: This was the absolute culmination of our life. It was everything.

C. TAYLOR: And we don't have enough insurance monies coming to replace the loss.

D. TAYLOR: Nope, this is no good.

TUCHMAN: The Taylors lived in Vero Beach, Florida, 10 miles from the ocean, in a development called Lakewood Village where almost every one of the 320 homes suffered some damage and about 40 of the homes were total losses.

D. TAYLOR: Well, like, around here, you hear people saying, well, we don't want to forget this. We're going to have a t-shirt made up of, you know, hurricane 2004. Who in their right mind would want to remember something like this?

C. TAYLOR: We just want to forget it.

D. TAYLOR: Forget it, try to move on to something that we don't even know what it's going to be yet.

TUCHMAN: Weeks after the hurricanes, the Taylors have not yet seen a dime of insurance money.

(on camera): The people who live here in Lakewood Village come from all over the United States and Canada. They move here for a fresh start. They move here to retire. They move here to pursue the Florida dream, which this summer this community, turned into a real- life nightmare.

(voice-over): This is what many of the living room ceilings looked like in Lakewood Village.

JANET HUNTLEY, HURRICANE VICTIM: That was the floor.

TUCHMAN: Janet Huntley's home is another one of the inhabitable ones.

HUNTLEY: I haven't seen an insurance adjuster.

TUCHMAN: She is staying in an RV with her husband Al with the hope that eventual insurance money covers the cost of a new home in Lakewood Village.

HUNTLEY: I can cry at the drop of a hat. And I never -- I used to be able to control my emotions.

TUCHMAN (on camera): And you come up to the back of your house and you see a portion of the house right there. It doesn't look like it's part of your house.

BOB EBERLING, HURRICANE VICTIM: No, it isn't.

TUCHMAN: What is that right over there?

EBERLING: That's the roof to someone else's house.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Bob Eberling's house was bought by his father two decades ago.

EBERLING: I'm just glad he's not alive today to see it. I just think he'd be devastated. I mean he took such pride in this house and took such good care of it. And in one night, it's completely destroyed.

TUCHMAN: Nancy Davis, like virtually everybody here, evacuated before both storms. Hurricane Frances caused significant damage to her modest home. Hurricane Jeanne finished it off.

NANCY DAVIS, HURRICANE VICTIM: And it took awhile to sink in that I had no home left.

TUCHMAN: Carol and Don Taylor are temporarily living in an RV while they plan their move back to Massachusetts where they will live with family members, their Florida dream about to conclude.

(on camera): You've got to be very grateful that you have each other.

D. TAYLOR: Oh yes, yes. That's the only thing that really...

TUCHMAN (voice-over): For the Taylors and for so many others, this hurricane season changed everything.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Vero Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Goodness. I think what strikes me most about that is, that one woman who says she still hasn't seen an insurance adjuster.,,

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: ...after all this time. Seems like everyone is waiting.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: The lines are long. Orelon, you were down there during the hurricanes. What a mess it's left behind. And people still waiting for some of relief, some kind of help.

ORELON SIDNEY, METEOROLOGIST: And I'm really glad that we get a chance to see what happens afterwards. So many times we're there were during the hurricane. And we're covering all of what's happening. And then as the weeks go by, it becomes not a major story. And we forget that people still don't have a place to live and may not have a place to live even next hurricane season.

This is something that really, we've got to find a way to do better because these people deserve better. They pay their insurance premiums and they should be getting the help that they need.

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

HARRIS: Well said, Orelon.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Yes, U-2 has dropped another number one album this week. "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." That's the group's sixth number one album. The Irish quartet ends the two week reign of Eminem's encore, which dropped to the second slot.

Some country on the charts as well. Shania Twain and Toby Keith. They have greatest hits. And they are number three and five. And Destiny's Child, "Destiny Fulfilled," is in the number four spot.

HARRIS: And looking for an unusual Christmas gift his holiday? Bet no one on your list has a ghost. Bidding on Ebay for the spirit of the late Colin Anderson of Hobart, Indiana is already more than $160.00. Mary Anderson said he's auctioning her father's ghost because her six-year old son is afraid of it. Grandpa died in the house last year. The seller says the auction is no joke. It's real. And sweeten the deal, well, want a sweetener. She'll throw in late father's walking cane.

NGUYEN: I guess the bidder has to get something, right?

HARRIS: Something out of this deal.

NGUYEN: I think part of the deal, too, is that whoever buys the ghost...

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: ...has to send a letter back to her son, saying OK, I have the ghost now, and we're doing just fine.

HARRIS: So the house is free and clear of the ghost.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: You can live your little kit life in peace and tranquility.

NGUYEN: And he gets a little prize, thanks to the money that she'll earn from whoever buys this ghost. Then she's going to buy him a nice little surprise.

(WEATHER REPORT) NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about our e-mail question of the day. We've gotten a lot of interesting responses. The e-mail is dealing with the intelligence bill. Will a reform bill make America safer?

HARRIS: And here's the first response from Carl. He writes, "If you want to make the U.S.A. safer, make the Congress and the president responsible. Don't allow them to sell the placebo to give the appearance of progress."

NGUYEN: Lloyd writes, "No, because there's always a way for terrorists to attack. Until other parts of the world receive political freedom, education, jobs, homes, and a better living environment, they will always be out to attack and kill those that have what they cannot get."

HARRIS: And we want to encourage you to send us e-mails at wam@cnn.com. And we will follow up with more of your responses next our.

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