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CNN Sunday Morning
Kerik Withdraws Name From Consideration for Homeland Security Secretary; Doctors Confirm Yushchenko Was Poisoned
Aired December 12, 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: And from the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is December 12th, 7:00 a.m. here in the East, 4:00 a.m. out West.
And good morning, everyone, I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, Tony. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for being with us today at home.
Now in the news, just moments ago, doctors for Ukraine's opposition presidential candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, said the illness that disfigured his face was not the detectable by ordinary forensic methods. Yesterday, doctors who treated Yushchenko at a Vienna hospital said they suspect a third party poisoned him with dioxin. This morning, Yushchenko thanked his doctors and left the clinic where he was being treated.
Our Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty has a live report. That is coming up in just minutes.
Grisly discoveries this weekend in two towns in Iraq. Four beheaded bodies were found in Hasaw, 30 miles south of Baghdad. And a fifth headless body was found in Balad, 40 miles north of the capitol.
Palestinian sources say an Israeli tank shell exploded this morning in a schoolyard in central Gaza, wounding eight children. Israeli military sources say they responded to a mortar attack with light weapons fire, but did not fire a tank shell.
And a source tells CNN the fingerprints of Michael Jackson and his accuser have been found on pornographic magazine seized at his Neverland Ranch last year. It is unclear what, if any, significance this has to the child molestation charges against Jackson, or if it will even be admitted as evidence in his trial.
HARRIS: And coming up this hour, targeting the targets. The government has a huge list of possible sites that could invite a terrorist attack, but prioritizing has been easier said than done. An expert from a Washington think tank offers is assessment.
In Ukraine, suspicions confirmed over the poisoning of a political populist. Now the question turns to who done it.
And later, faking your way through the holiday. For growing numbers of Americans, it just doesn't feel like Christmas until they've put up the artificial tree?
NGUYEN: We had artificial trees at my house. We'll talk about that a little bit later. But right now, on to our top story this Sunday morning, the vetting of Bernard Kerik.
The former New York City police commissioner has withdrawn as President Bush's nominee to be homeland security secretary. Kerik cites problems with the immigration status of a housekeeper and nanny who worked for him.
But why did this come to light only after the nomination was announced? CNN's Elaine Quijano reports now from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In his letter to President Bush, Bernard Kerik stated personal reasons for withdrawing his name from consideration for homeland security chief, saying moving forward would not be in the best interests of your administration, the Department of Homeland Security, or the American people. Kerik also apologized for not having brought his nanny's questionable immigration status to the White House's attention sooner. Critics say it was the Bush administration that should have been more careful.
JAMES CARAFANO, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: I think this is, you know, clearly a blunder. This is really kind of amateur hour. It's really surprising that something like this would happen quite frankly.
QUIJANO: White House officials continue to insist they have a thorough vetting process for nominees and say they're confident about its effectiveness. Observers suggest while the withdrawal is clearly a misstep for the administration, it's a sign that the system works.
P.J. CROWLEY, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Now is the White House embarrassed from this? Of course they are. You know is Mayor Giuliani embarrassed? Of course, he is. So is Bernie Kerik. But obviously this was caught early in the process and the White House will recover quickly.
QUIJANO: And one Democratic critic of the administration suggests that it was the White House's push to get president's second term team in place that might have been a factor.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Their emphasis was a rush to get the new nominees out, and they did not cross all their t's and dot all their i's.
QUIJANO: Saturday, the president ignored questions on Kerik's withdrawal as he departed National Naval Medical Center after his annual physical, which was delayed because of his busy campaign schedule. While there, he visited privately with wounded troops.
(on camera): The White House points to its extensive clearing process, citing the administration's team of lawyers that carries out the vetting of all nominees. But in the words of one senior administration official, "at some point, you have to rely on the nominee to give all the relevant information." But the official acknowledges it's unfortunate this came out after the president nominated Kerik.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Bernard Kerik is taking the blame for the so-called nannygate flap, saying it was his mistake and not that of the White House or its vetting process. Kerik is apologizing to President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNARD KERIK, FMR. NY POLICE COMMISSIONER: I didn't want to distract from the president's job, what he had to do. And I owe him an enormous thanks and gratitude for this opportunity, but I owe him a bigger apology for what has happened.
This is my responsibility. It was my mistake. It wasn't a mistake made by the White House during the vetting process. This was something that they had looked at. But in a deeper, closer look by me, it was something that I felt was just something I couldn't move forward on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Now a White House spokeswoman says President Bush "respects Commissioner Kerik's decision to withdraw his name and appreciates his previous service in law enforcement."
NGUYEN: As New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani appointed Kerik top cop, and Bush administration officials say Giuliani had lobbied for Kerik's nomination to the homeland security cabinet post, here's what Giuliani had to say about this latest development.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: I have great confidence in Bernie. He made a mistake that people -- human beings make mistakes, even the very best of us, including you and me. It's one -- unfortunately, that's a mistake that you can't deal with in a process like this where he's going to run the immigration service, and he had this oversight in terms of the immigration status and tax situation of this woman who was working for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now Giuliani himself has been mentioned as a possible nominee for homeland security secretary. But yesterday, the former mayor said, "I am not a candidate."
HARRIS: Well, we want to know what you think about all this. And that brings us to this morning's e-mail question. Who would you like to see heading the department of homeland security? Drop us a line at wam@cnn.com. NGUYEN: And we'll have more on this hour's Bernard Kerik's past, as well as the future of the homeland security department just a little bit later. "TIME" magazine correspondent Elaine Shannon has been covering the fallout. And she will join us from Washington.
But we want to shift to the unfolding drama of the presidential election in Ukraine. A new plot twist. A day after doctors announced presidential hopeful Viktor Yushchenko had been poisoned, many are throwing a suspicious eye to Yushchenko's opponent.
Now for more on this story, we turn to CNN's Jill Dougherty, live in Moscow with the latest. Hi, Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Betty. Well, just a few minutes ago, we actually had a news conference with Mr. Yushchenko himself. And the great interest was we already know it was dioxin. Would he say more? Would he say perhaps who had done it to him?
But Mr. Yushchenko came out and with his wife working as his interpreter, he didn't talk about his health, but he definitely thanked the doctors in that Viennese clinic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR YUSHCHENKO, UKRAINE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: (through translator) My dear friends and my dear colleagues, I'm going to be leaving this clinic now. I want to thank Professor Zinfit (ph) and Professor Korpat (ph) for the fact that such professional people exist in the world today.
And I want to thank their team. They spent many days and nights with me. I am very happy to be alive in this world today. And I thank the people -- these people for this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGHERTY: So being alive is actually a real issue, because when Viktor Yushchenko was taken to that Viennese clinic right after the poisoning back in September, doctors say that if he had stayed in Ukraine for maybe 24 hours, he would have been dead.
And indeed, it was a very, very serious illness. But again, the question remains who carried this out? The doctors have already said it was dioxin. It was administered, they believe, orally, probably in a liquid. It could have been soup, they say. And then finally, that it was by "a third party." But nobody knows at this point who the third party is.
Just one look at the face, the picture of Viktor Yushchenko before and after certainly tells that picture.
So now -- tells that story . So now, Mr. Yushchenko leaves the clinic in Vienna, goes back to Kiev, Ukraine, back onto the campaign trail. And Betty, just a few minutes ago in that news conference, he said that the changes that have plagued -- taken place in Ukraine over the past three weeks are equal to the end of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Back to you.
NGUYEN: I think a lot of people watching this are wondering what Yushchenko's opponent is saying about all of this. Has Yanukovich come out with any kind of a statement it?
DOUGHERTY: Actually, surprisingly, no. There's a lot of silence on the part of the leadership of the Ukraine. Mr. Yanukovich did have a quick statement, but it came out before the doctors spoke. And he said we know that Mr. Yushchenko is sick. We wish him godspeed. Hope he gets better. But any type of questions about what his illness is I will leave to the doctors.
So it's strikingly quiet, I'd have to say.
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Jill Dougherty this morning for us in Moscow. Thank you, Jill -- Tony?
HARRIS: Fit for duty, that's the declaration by President Bush's doctors following his annual physical at Bethesda Naval Hospital. While there, the president visited recovering sailors and Marines wounded in action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ...such an hour to see those who have been put themselves -- who have been injured and are now fighting back and recovering and seeing their spirit and their strength. And it's an uplifting experience to come here.
I can say to the loved ones in the military that their sons and daughters and husbands and wives get the very best medical care there is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Fifty servicemen and women are being treated at Bethesda for wounds or injuries sustained in Iraq and Afghanistan.
NGUYEN: The Bush administration reportedly is scrutinizing dozens of phone calls between the world's top nuclear watchdog and Iranian diplomats. "The Washington Post" says the White House is gathering ammunition to oust Mohamed ElBaradei as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Now Baradei questioned U.S. intelligence for going to war in Iraq. And he is now taking a cautious approach to Iran's nuclear program.
HARRIS: The Bush administration is busy making a list of where in the U.S. terrorists might strike next, but just how accurate is this list? And can it really make the nation safer?
NGUYEN: And want to say good morning, Washington. Look at the White House right now. We'll have the complete weather forecast in about 10 minutes when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the winner is Matt Leinart from the University of Southern California.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Other stories making headlines this morning, University of California quarter Matt Leinart is this year's winner of the Heisman Trophy. He guided the Trojans to a perfect seasons, passing for 28 touchdowns with six interceptions. Fantasy numbers.
Leinart is USC's sixth Heisman winner. 24 foot seas and winds reaching nearly 60 miles per hour off Alaska this morning. The harsh weather continues to stall efforts to clean up an oil spill from a freighter that ran aground on Tuesday. So far, no indications how much oil has spilled. Officials are trying to get experts to decide today to survey the damage to wildlife.
NGUYEN: Here in Atlanta, Georgia, thousands took part in a march that began near the grave site of Martin Luther King. Jr. Protesters also showed up, saying the marchers were pushing the anti-gay marriage agenda, and that King's legacy was being hijacked. The church leader who organized the march says the event was meant to promote unity.
Also in Atlanta, a man dressed as Santa Claus is facing assault charges. Police arrested Elkin Clark, after he allegedly hit a 74- year old woman on the head with a two by four. Police say Clark told them the woman had taken more than two dozen boxes of Hershey's Chocolates from him. Witnesses did not confirm his story.
Well, honoring those who serve, a tribute to troops in Iraq is coming up in about half an hour.
HARRIS: "TIME" magazine has been digging into Bernard Kerik's past and into the way the White House checks out its top nominee. "TIME" correspondent Elaine Shannon is covering the story. She's joining us now from Washington.
Good morning Elaine.
ELAINE SHANNON, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Tony.
HARRIS: Help me, I don't know, help me lay a little foundation on this story here. The nannygate flap here. Now when you hire someone to be a nanny, are you responsible for that person's immigration status or knowing that person's immigration status?
SHANNON: Yes, you are. And I've done it. I know a lot about it.
HARRIS: OK. SHANNON: You have to check that out. He says that he was misled. I understand that she had somebody else's papers. But there's another issue, which at the end of the year, and sometimes periodically, you have to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on this person. When your accountant says, well let's go over this, that, and the other, and ask you about household help, you have to pay those taxes. You can't just say, well I don't feel like it.
HARRIS: Yes.
SHANNON: I don't feel like listing this.
HARRIS: OK, so Elaine, what do you make of the claims? What is he saying, that I was misled? I wasn't aware of -- I don't think he's saying I wasn't aware of the law here, but what is he saying, that he was mislead about this woman's status?
SHANNON: I guess. I think the focus has been on well, her immigration status wasn't clear.
HARRIS: Right.
SHANNON: We quote Rudy Giuliani, his mentor, as saying, "Well he's a workaholic. He doesn't focus on these things." Well, we all work hard. And we all still have to focus on it, because it's a tax issue. You can't give the IRS a partial listing.
There's also state and federal unemployment taxes to pay for a household employee. And you can't just blow this off. So they realized -- they said it was untenable problem. And he withdrew.
HARRIS: And you would think he would be particularly sensitive to his being former law enforcement?
SHANNON: You'd think. And also for the homeland security position, immigration is an issue. And tax compliance should be an issue for everybody who wants to be in the president's cabinet.
The interesting story that's cropped up yesterday and overnight is whether or not the White House did a good job vetting him. And there's a lot of push back from the White House now, saying we asked. We asked this question. So it's not just a nanny problem, but oh, that nanny problem.
HARRIS: Yes, yes. The White House in this, how does the process work? Does -- there is vetting and then there is deep vetting. And the White House process in this was to what, do a cursory investigation before naming him? But there was nothing that precludes the White House from doing a full vetting of this nominee before the name is released. Is that correct?
SHANNON: That's right. There's a lot of confusion about this. The FBI backgrounder hadn't begun. That's for the detailed vetting process. And it's also for security clearance. That comes later.
But at first, the White House has a very detailed questionnaire. And they, I believe, talked to him. Giuliani says that when they were going over some material that they needed to submit to the White House, it's when he finally focused on the nanny issue and realized that he hadn't paid these taxes, and that he may have been confused about the lady's immigration status.
HARRIS: Yes. Embarrassing for the White House, but also embarrassing for Kerik and for Rudy Giuliani as well, isn't it?
SHANNON: That's right. It's an embarrassment for all of them. But there were other issues -- a lot of reporters were digging into Mr. Kerik's position on an advisory board, advising homeland security.
And also, on companies like the Taser International Company. It's a way he could advise security companies what homeland security would be spending their buckets of money for. Taser, he sold some stock options for about $6 million.
HARRIS: Yes.
SHANNON: And that may be fine. This may be business, but it was certainly being looked at. And there were some other issues that really haven't popped up yet.
HARRIS: And a final thought, Elaine. Much more to report on this story, you think?
SHANNON: Well, by withdrawing, that sort of takes the attention away from it. But Mr. Kerik is a very interesting man. He's had a very colorful life. There are a lot of things about his tenure in the city that reporters were looking into. So I don't think that we're going to see quite the end of this story.
HARRIS: Yes. Elaine Shannon from "TIME" magazine. Elaine, thanks for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.
SHANNON: Thank you.
NGUYEN: More than one million indecency complaints to the Federal Communications Commission this year alone. And you might be surprised to learn where the complaints actually come from. Is someone trying to control your television? That story, when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A little emotional rescue from the Stones, as you look live in New York City, as we're trying to keep Tony from singing.
HARRIS: No.
NGUYEN: Where today in the city it's the last day to catch the New York Expos, the longest running independent film festival in the U.S. So will the weather be picture perfect? Your Sunday forecast is coming right up.
HARRIS: I don't see why we need to wait. No need to pause, no need to hesitate.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: A classified list of places terrorists might strike. It's supposed to help prevent terrorist attacks. So why are some lawmakers calling it haphazard and a joke? We'll bring you those details.
HARRIS: And a real evergreen story for you this morning. There's a new trend in Christmas tree buying. We'll see if your tree tastes fall in line with most Americans this holiday season when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A potential list of terror targets in the U.S. And now, serious questions from lawmakers about what's on that list and how it's compiled. Welcome back. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. That story in a minute. First, a look at news in -- now in the news this morning. A deadly bombing today in the Philippines in a market crowded with Christmas shoppers. At least six people were killed. It happened in the city of General Santos.
The Palestinian authorities are now in possession of the late Yasser Arafat's official medical records. The final covers some 558 pages, including x-rays. It was handed over to Palestinian officials by Arafat's nephew, who is Palestinian envoy to the U.N. The exact cause of Arafat's death last month is still unknown, but Arafat's nephew says his uncle may have died an unnatural death.
International delegates are in Buenos Aires this weekend, preparing to launch the Kyoto Protocol next February. The environmental treaty seeks to curb global warming by lessening the amount of greenhouse gases released in the atmosphere. A report delivered to the conference blames global warming for drastic weather changes in many parts of the world.
And in the Bering Strait, authorities are shifting their attention from search and rescue to clean up. Six people are still missing after the crash of a Coast Guard helicopter last week. They were pulled from a wrecked tanker that has since broken apart. Initial estimates say about 140,000 gallons of fuel may have spilled from the wreckage.
NGUYEN: The homeland security department is putting together a database of potential terrorist targets here in the U.S. That list reportedly has 80,000 sites on it, but it's not complete. And many say it may not be complete for some time.
The database is classified, but has been seen by some members of Congress. It names major installations like dams, pipelines, chemical plants, and skyscrapers, but it also includes some popular recreational and tourist attractions like water parks and miniature golf courses. Some members of Congress are criticizing the effort, but a homeland security official told "USA Today," "we have a good handle on what the top targets in the U.S. are."
Now Gerald Epstein is with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a senior fellow in the Center's homeland security program. He specializes in science and security. And Gerald Epstein joins us now from Washington to talk about all this.
Good morning to you.
GERALD EPSTEIN, CTR. FOR STRATEGIC INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Good morning.
NGUYEN: Well, when you looked at that critical infrastructure, the water, the power, the nuclear plants, obviously those are going to be on the list, but how do you determine what else is going to be on the list? For example, is a skyscraper more important than say a mall with thousands of shoppers there?
EPSTEIN: Well, I think it's important to look in the question protecting the country, that it's much more than the list making exercise. I think the list is something that's an important part of it. It does help authorities focus on key -- particularly important facilities.
But the fact that a particular facility may be on or may not be on the list, I think is not as important as what do we do with those facilities that we need to protect?
NGUYEN: Exactly. But you have to start somewhere. So compiling this list is really priority number one right now. So in compiling that list, should state officials take part in that simply because they would know what's important in their local area?
EPSTEIN: The federal government doesn't have the degree of knowledge and expertise that state and local officials have. So it's clearly something that the state and local authorities are going to need to work with the federal government in compiling.
NGUYEN: Mm-hmm. And is this going to take a long time, because gosh, there's so many things out there that you could put on the list?
EPSTEIN: Well, that's right. Another reason why I tend not to want to focus so much on the list, because it makes it seem like protecting our country is a list making exercise. We just rank all the targets one to however many, put state troopers around the mall, and then we're protected.
It's actually -- it's much more complicated than that. There are very many different types of facilities on the list. And what you need to do to protect each of them is going to vary, depending on what type of thing it is.
NGUYEN: But the department of homeland security wants to go forward with this list. And once they do have this list compiled, what's the next step then, because you're saying it's going to take some time to get all of this done? EPSTEIN: Right. It's one part of a very long process. They're charged with assessing the threats to the country, cataloguing the lists of the key critical infrastructures and key resources, figuring out what the consequences of attacks on those facilities might be. And then the bottom line is to come up with protective strategies that can help the operators of these facilities and resources protect themselves. So it's an integrative process. And it's going to be quite a bit of work.
NGUYEN: Well, this list, as we mentioned, is kind of just the beginning. But it also has funding that's going to come with it. Where does that fall in all of this? Because for example, Las Vegas has been on the list of possible terrorist opportunities there in that city. But yet, it's lost funding for 2005. This is a whole another issue to this, isn't it?
EPSTEIN: The funding issue is very important. And in many ways, it's different and apart from the list. There's been an issue about the allocation of homeland security resources among the states. Does it go so much for state or do we concentrate on where more of the people are?
The list preparation process is part of that. But again, most of the facilities on this list are probably not going to receive federal funds. They're going to have to have their own operators and owners learn how to protect them better with guidance the federal government may be providing.
NGUYEN: All right, Gerald Epstein, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, we appreciate your insight this morning. Thank you.
EPSTEIN: Thank you. Glad to be here.
NGUYEN: Tony?
HARRIS: And time now to see what will be making headlines next week. Monday, members of the electoral college meet to make the presidential vote official. President Bush won the electoral vote nationally by a margin of 34 votes.
Also tomorrow, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announces nominees for the 62nd annual Golden Globes. The award show was scheduled for Sunday, January 16th and airs on NBC. During the show, actor Robin Williams will be awarded the Cecil B. DeMille award for outstanding achievement.
And on Thursday in Lost Angeles, the tentative trial date for Phil Spector is set to be announced. Spector, a music producer, known for creating the wall of sound is accused of murdering actress Lana Clarkson, who was found shot to death in his home.
NGUYEN: Well, saying happy holidays to those serving in Iraq. We'll show you what one group in Nevada did to honor troops and their families this season. It's a holiday hero's story when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The U.S. government has made it increasingly clear to broadcasters that indecency on the airwaves will not be tolerated. And the FCC watchdog seemed to have a lot of public support in that crusade.
But as CNN's Anderson Cooper discovered, virtually all of the public complaints are coming from one single source.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): When FCC chairman Michael Powell told Congress how many complaints he'd been getting, the numbers sounded overwhelming.
MICHAEL POWELL, CHAIRMAN OF THE FCC: 240,000 complaints over 357 programs.
COOPER: That was 2003. This year, according to the FCC the watchdog of the air waves, more than 1,068,000 indecency complaints were filed. More than half of them after Janet Jackson's Super Bowl malfunction.
What the FCC didn't say then, but blogger Jeff Jarvis discovered with a freedom of information act filing, is that most of those complaints came from just one conservative group, the Parents Television Council.
According to a new FCC estimate, 99.8 percent of indecency complaints in 2003 came from the PTC, as did 99.9 percent of the complaints made through October of this year not counting the Janet Jackson complaints.
JEFF JARVIS, BUZZMACHINE.COM: After the election we said there's a moral's value Army taking over America. Well, it's not true.
COOPER: The PTC's efforts are organized with pinpoint precision. It's Web site lists what it considers the best and worst programs, vivid descriptions of offensive material and a form letter all set to send off to the FCC with just a few clicks on the computer.
The FCC uses the complaints to level fines, often huge fines against the offending network. The Janet Jackson incident cost CBS more than half a million dollars. The program Married by America which featured strategically obscured strippers cost Fox broadcasting 1.2 million after the FCC said it received 159 complaints about the content.
JARVIS: The FCC admitted there were only 159 there were only 90 and they only came from 23 people, which is even more appalling.
COOPER: Media watchers say these coordinated complains are creating a climate of fear at the networks. HOWARD KURTZ, CNN'S RELIABLE SOURCES: Network executives don't care whether 3 or 300 or 300,000 people complain to the FCC. What they are worried about, and what has created this kind of chilling climate right now, is that the government may take action and slap them where it hurts in the wallet.
COOPER: And the PTC, the group says the FCC figures are all wrong, and the agency should care more about program content than the source of the complaints.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And that was CNN's Anderson Cooper.
HARRIS: And checking this hour's top stories now, about an hour ago, Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko talked to reporters about his apparent poisoning. Doctors in Austria confirm that they discovered he's been exposed to high levels of the poison Dioxin. Yushchenko says he'll spend time back in Ukraine to campaign ahead of the run-off election December 26.
A source tells CNN that investigators at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch found pornographic magazines there in a raid a year ago. Fingerprints of Jackson and the boy accusing him of molestation were found on the materials. And Iraqi authorities are trying to identify five beheaded bodies found this weekend. The remains were found in two towns around Baghdad.
NGUYEN: It's never easy being away from loved ones during the holidays, especially for families separated because of the war in Iraq.
HARRIS: When we return, we'll show you how one group in Nevada paid tribute to troops and their families when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: As the holidays approach, hundreds of military families will celebrate without their loved ones. One Las Vegas mother wanted to remember and honor her fallen son.
Maria Silva from CNN Las Vegas affiliate KVBC has this hero's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLORIA SALAZAR, MOTHER: You know he thought after 9/11 that he needed to serve his country so that we could have our freedom.
MARIA SILVA, KVBC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Defending freedom is how Gloria Salazar son's William, a Marine stationed in Iraq, may the ultimate sacrifice.
SALAZAR: I love him and I'll miss him with all my heart, but I know that he loves his country and he served it well. SILVA: Like Gloria, dozens of family members who have lost loved ones attended Operation Holiday Tear.
SALAZAR: I can feel their pain, just like they feel my pain.
SILVA: Also there, mothers with sons in Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Commander Christopher Wicker, commander of the 554 Maintenance Battalion. And this is EO 1 Curtis Wicker. And he's in Fallujah.
SILVA: And wives and children of our military who will be apart this Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, his name's Casey. And he is overseas right now -- or in the Middle East right now. And we're pretty proud of him.
SILVA: But it was not all sadness and tears. The crowd was well entertained and even treated to an Air Force flyover, courtesy of Dulles Air Force Base.
The event, ending with a fitting tribute, as hundreds of red, white, and blue balloons were released into the air in honor of our troops.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: We bring you heroes stories every week on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: Now this note from our globetrotting colleague Bill Hemmer, who is traveling the world to bring you his own special spin on the news, this time from Japan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We are back on the road. I'm Bill Hemmer in Tokyo. Join me starting on Monday. What role does Japan play in the U.S. security? We'll have it for you only on "AMERICAN MORNING," 7:00 a.m. Eastern time, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Just another tourist there. And you can catch CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" live in Japan starting at 7:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday.
HARRIS: Artificial America, forget about it keeping it real. Why fake is in when picking Christmas trees. We'll explain this holiday dilemma when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: What is this? What are we listening to? Who is selecting this music? Well, is it the new Gwen Stefani. NGUYEN: Gwen Stefani, yes.
HARRIS: It's a new one?
NGUYEN: Her new single, yes.
HARRIS: Which is like a tribute to the '80s or something? It sounds like it, right? All that retro stuff. Good morning, Boston. Put down that cup of coffee. Today is the reenactment of one of the city's most historical moments, the Boston Tea Party. Your Sunday forecast is coming right up.
NGUYEN: That music really gets you in the holiday spirit, doesn't it?
HARRIS: Well.
NGUYEN: Right, right, right. OK, well it is the holiday equivalent of paper or plastic. Every year at this time, families debate whether to get a real Christmas tree or an artificial one.
As CNN's Tom Foreman explains, most Americans now have a genuine preference for fake firs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Capitol Christmas tree has risen to oohs and ahs and lots of applause, but the government may be out of touch because this is a real tree. And most Americans are going artificial.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like a real Christmas tree, but my wife doesn't like cleaning up all the needles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd rather get a fake one, because at the end of the season, then I see the people throw them on the street, you know. It looks so sad.
FOREMAN: The National Christmas Tree Association, yes Virginia there is such a group, says in 1990, about half the people who put up trees went with real ones. Now 60 to 70 percent are faking it.
(on camera): This can't be true. Next, someone's going to say Martha Stewart has a new TV deal. But the quality of artificial trees has been improving for years. And people do like the convenience.
(voice-over): Consider this. While real trees require an annual pilgrimage to pick one out, cart it home, and put it up, a pre-lit artificial tree is cleaner, faster, and in the off season, can park in the basement next to all that exercise gear you once had delusions of using.
(on camera): Christmas tree growers, however, are launching aggressive marketing campaigns to slow this trend. They say there really is nothing else quite like a real tree. And they don't come from the woods. (voice-over): Christmas trees are a crop grown and harvested like corn. And 93 percent are recycled from holiday masterpieces into spring time mulch.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This isn't one of those trees that all the needles falls off, is it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, that's impossible.
FOREMAN: Still, popular culture has long noted this epic and unending struggle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, Zuloft (ph) bought one of those brand new green plastic trees.
FOREMAN (on camera): I am a real tree person. I've never really considered a fake. On the other hand, my Christmas music is not all Bing Crosby.
(voice-over): So maybe, even for traditionalists, cultural tastes are changing. And this Christmas fake firs are all the rage.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: You know, I've never had a real Christmas tree at my house. Never.
HARRIS: You've never had a real Christmas tree?
NGUYEN: Never.
HARRIS: You see, before -- how was it that you committed to fake trees all this time?
NGUYEN: All my life. Let me tell you something. Fake trees come with the lights already on them. That's the great thing about a fake tree.
HARRIS: Is that a family thing, because if you've had them all your life, that's...
NGUYEN: Well, we changed them. We don't have the same one that we started out with.
HARRIS: Right.
NGUYEN: They've gotten better through the years. But yes.
HARRIS: But what is it? You don't want to go and cut it down and lug it around and...
NGUYEN: It was just never a thing we did.
(WEATHER REPORT) HARRIS: All right, we want to get to our e-mail question. I do actually have more questions about this whole fake/real Christmas tree thing. But we'll deal with that next hour.
The question this morning, who would you like to see heading the Department of Homeland Security?
NGUYEN: Jim from Minneapolis writes, "Governor Jesse Ventura should get the job. Ventura means business and he'd scare the pants off the terrorists...Ventura would take them one by one if he could, and he'd win each time."
HARRIS: And how about this from Aaron. "Rudy is the only answer." The one and only answer is Rudy Giuliani.
NGUYEN: Rudy says no to the job.
HARRIS: Rudy says no.
NGUYEN: So far.
HARRIS: Yes, I've got a job. So we would encourage you to send along your e-mails and we'll read those throughout the morning. Wam@cnn.com.
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 12, 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: And from the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is December 12th, 7:00 a.m. here in the East, 4:00 a.m. out West.
And good morning, everyone, I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, Tony. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for being with us today at home.
Now in the news, just moments ago, doctors for Ukraine's opposition presidential candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, said the illness that disfigured his face was not the detectable by ordinary forensic methods. Yesterday, doctors who treated Yushchenko at a Vienna hospital said they suspect a third party poisoned him with dioxin. This morning, Yushchenko thanked his doctors and left the clinic where he was being treated.
Our Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty has a live report. That is coming up in just minutes.
Grisly discoveries this weekend in two towns in Iraq. Four beheaded bodies were found in Hasaw, 30 miles south of Baghdad. And a fifth headless body was found in Balad, 40 miles north of the capitol.
Palestinian sources say an Israeli tank shell exploded this morning in a schoolyard in central Gaza, wounding eight children. Israeli military sources say they responded to a mortar attack with light weapons fire, but did not fire a tank shell.
And a source tells CNN the fingerprints of Michael Jackson and his accuser have been found on pornographic magazine seized at his Neverland Ranch last year. It is unclear what, if any, significance this has to the child molestation charges against Jackson, or if it will even be admitted as evidence in his trial.
HARRIS: And coming up this hour, targeting the targets. The government has a huge list of possible sites that could invite a terrorist attack, but prioritizing has been easier said than done. An expert from a Washington think tank offers is assessment.
In Ukraine, suspicions confirmed over the poisoning of a political populist. Now the question turns to who done it.
And later, faking your way through the holiday. For growing numbers of Americans, it just doesn't feel like Christmas until they've put up the artificial tree?
NGUYEN: We had artificial trees at my house. We'll talk about that a little bit later. But right now, on to our top story this Sunday morning, the vetting of Bernard Kerik.
The former New York City police commissioner has withdrawn as President Bush's nominee to be homeland security secretary. Kerik cites problems with the immigration status of a housekeeper and nanny who worked for him.
But why did this come to light only after the nomination was announced? CNN's Elaine Quijano reports now from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In his letter to President Bush, Bernard Kerik stated personal reasons for withdrawing his name from consideration for homeland security chief, saying moving forward would not be in the best interests of your administration, the Department of Homeland Security, or the American people. Kerik also apologized for not having brought his nanny's questionable immigration status to the White House's attention sooner. Critics say it was the Bush administration that should have been more careful.
JAMES CARAFANO, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: I think this is, you know, clearly a blunder. This is really kind of amateur hour. It's really surprising that something like this would happen quite frankly.
QUIJANO: White House officials continue to insist they have a thorough vetting process for nominees and say they're confident about its effectiveness. Observers suggest while the withdrawal is clearly a misstep for the administration, it's a sign that the system works.
P.J. CROWLEY, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Now is the White House embarrassed from this? Of course they are. You know is Mayor Giuliani embarrassed? Of course, he is. So is Bernie Kerik. But obviously this was caught early in the process and the White House will recover quickly.
QUIJANO: And one Democratic critic of the administration suggests that it was the White House's push to get president's second term team in place that might have been a factor.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Their emphasis was a rush to get the new nominees out, and they did not cross all their t's and dot all their i's.
QUIJANO: Saturday, the president ignored questions on Kerik's withdrawal as he departed National Naval Medical Center after his annual physical, which was delayed because of his busy campaign schedule. While there, he visited privately with wounded troops.
(on camera): The White House points to its extensive clearing process, citing the administration's team of lawyers that carries out the vetting of all nominees. But in the words of one senior administration official, "at some point, you have to rely on the nominee to give all the relevant information." But the official acknowledges it's unfortunate this came out after the president nominated Kerik.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Bernard Kerik is taking the blame for the so-called nannygate flap, saying it was his mistake and not that of the White House or its vetting process. Kerik is apologizing to President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNARD KERIK, FMR. NY POLICE COMMISSIONER: I didn't want to distract from the president's job, what he had to do. And I owe him an enormous thanks and gratitude for this opportunity, but I owe him a bigger apology for what has happened.
This is my responsibility. It was my mistake. It wasn't a mistake made by the White House during the vetting process. This was something that they had looked at. But in a deeper, closer look by me, it was something that I felt was just something I couldn't move forward on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Now a White House spokeswoman says President Bush "respects Commissioner Kerik's decision to withdraw his name and appreciates his previous service in law enforcement."
NGUYEN: As New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani appointed Kerik top cop, and Bush administration officials say Giuliani had lobbied for Kerik's nomination to the homeland security cabinet post, here's what Giuliani had to say about this latest development.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: I have great confidence in Bernie. He made a mistake that people -- human beings make mistakes, even the very best of us, including you and me. It's one -- unfortunately, that's a mistake that you can't deal with in a process like this where he's going to run the immigration service, and he had this oversight in terms of the immigration status and tax situation of this woman who was working for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now Giuliani himself has been mentioned as a possible nominee for homeland security secretary. But yesterday, the former mayor said, "I am not a candidate."
HARRIS: Well, we want to know what you think about all this. And that brings us to this morning's e-mail question. Who would you like to see heading the department of homeland security? Drop us a line at wam@cnn.com. NGUYEN: And we'll have more on this hour's Bernard Kerik's past, as well as the future of the homeland security department just a little bit later. "TIME" magazine correspondent Elaine Shannon has been covering the fallout. And she will join us from Washington.
But we want to shift to the unfolding drama of the presidential election in Ukraine. A new plot twist. A day after doctors announced presidential hopeful Viktor Yushchenko had been poisoned, many are throwing a suspicious eye to Yushchenko's opponent.
Now for more on this story, we turn to CNN's Jill Dougherty, live in Moscow with the latest. Hi, Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Betty. Well, just a few minutes ago, we actually had a news conference with Mr. Yushchenko himself. And the great interest was we already know it was dioxin. Would he say more? Would he say perhaps who had done it to him?
But Mr. Yushchenko came out and with his wife working as his interpreter, he didn't talk about his health, but he definitely thanked the doctors in that Viennese clinic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR YUSHCHENKO, UKRAINE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: (through translator) My dear friends and my dear colleagues, I'm going to be leaving this clinic now. I want to thank Professor Zinfit (ph) and Professor Korpat (ph) for the fact that such professional people exist in the world today.
And I want to thank their team. They spent many days and nights with me. I am very happy to be alive in this world today. And I thank the people -- these people for this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGHERTY: So being alive is actually a real issue, because when Viktor Yushchenko was taken to that Viennese clinic right after the poisoning back in September, doctors say that if he had stayed in Ukraine for maybe 24 hours, he would have been dead.
And indeed, it was a very, very serious illness. But again, the question remains who carried this out? The doctors have already said it was dioxin. It was administered, they believe, orally, probably in a liquid. It could have been soup, they say. And then finally, that it was by "a third party." But nobody knows at this point who the third party is.
Just one look at the face, the picture of Viktor Yushchenko before and after certainly tells that picture.
So now -- tells that story . So now, Mr. Yushchenko leaves the clinic in Vienna, goes back to Kiev, Ukraine, back onto the campaign trail. And Betty, just a few minutes ago in that news conference, he said that the changes that have plagued -- taken place in Ukraine over the past three weeks are equal to the end of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Back to you.
NGUYEN: I think a lot of people watching this are wondering what Yushchenko's opponent is saying about all of this. Has Yanukovich come out with any kind of a statement it?
DOUGHERTY: Actually, surprisingly, no. There's a lot of silence on the part of the leadership of the Ukraine. Mr. Yanukovich did have a quick statement, but it came out before the doctors spoke. And he said we know that Mr. Yushchenko is sick. We wish him godspeed. Hope he gets better. But any type of questions about what his illness is I will leave to the doctors.
So it's strikingly quiet, I'd have to say.
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Jill Dougherty this morning for us in Moscow. Thank you, Jill -- Tony?
HARRIS: Fit for duty, that's the declaration by President Bush's doctors following his annual physical at Bethesda Naval Hospital. While there, the president visited recovering sailors and Marines wounded in action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ...such an hour to see those who have been put themselves -- who have been injured and are now fighting back and recovering and seeing their spirit and their strength. And it's an uplifting experience to come here.
I can say to the loved ones in the military that their sons and daughters and husbands and wives get the very best medical care there is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Fifty servicemen and women are being treated at Bethesda for wounds or injuries sustained in Iraq and Afghanistan.
NGUYEN: The Bush administration reportedly is scrutinizing dozens of phone calls between the world's top nuclear watchdog and Iranian diplomats. "The Washington Post" says the White House is gathering ammunition to oust Mohamed ElBaradei as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Now Baradei questioned U.S. intelligence for going to war in Iraq. And he is now taking a cautious approach to Iran's nuclear program.
HARRIS: The Bush administration is busy making a list of where in the U.S. terrorists might strike next, but just how accurate is this list? And can it really make the nation safer?
NGUYEN: And want to say good morning, Washington. Look at the White House right now. We'll have the complete weather forecast in about 10 minutes when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the winner is Matt Leinart from the University of Southern California.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Other stories making headlines this morning, University of California quarter Matt Leinart is this year's winner of the Heisman Trophy. He guided the Trojans to a perfect seasons, passing for 28 touchdowns with six interceptions. Fantasy numbers.
Leinart is USC's sixth Heisman winner. 24 foot seas and winds reaching nearly 60 miles per hour off Alaska this morning. The harsh weather continues to stall efforts to clean up an oil spill from a freighter that ran aground on Tuesday. So far, no indications how much oil has spilled. Officials are trying to get experts to decide today to survey the damage to wildlife.
NGUYEN: Here in Atlanta, Georgia, thousands took part in a march that began near the grave site of Martin Luther King. Jr. Protesters also showed up, saying the marchers were pushing the anti-gay marriage agenda, and that King's legacy was being hijacked. The church leader who organized the march says the event was meant to promote unity.
Also in Atlanta, a man dressed as Santa Claus is facing assault charges. Police arrested Elkin Clark, after he allegedly hit a 74- year old woman on the head with a two by four. Police say Clark told them the woman had taken more than two dozen boxes of Hershey's Chocolates from him. Witnesses did not confirm his story.
Well, honoring those who serve, a tribute to troops in Iraq is coming up in about half an hour.
HARRIS: "TIME" magazine has been digging into Bernard Kerik's past and into the way the White House checks out its top nominee. "TIME" correspondent Elaine Shannon is covering the story. She's joining us now from Washington.
Good morning Elaine.
ELAINE SHANNON, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Tony.
HARRIS: Help me, I don't know, help me lay a little foundation on this story here. The nannygate flap here. Now when you hire someone to be a nanny, are you responsible for that person's immigration status or knowing that person's immigration status?
SHANNON: Yes, you are. And I've done it. I know a lot about it.
HARRIS: OK. SHANNON: You have to check that out. He says that he was misled. I understand that she had somebody else's papers. But there's another issue, which at the end of the year, and sometimes periodically, you have to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on this person. When your accountant says, well let's go over this, that, and the other, and ask you about household help, you have to pay those taxes. You can't just say, well I don't feel like it.
HARRIS: Yes.
SHANNON: I don't feel like listing this.
HARRIS: OK, so Elaine, what do you make of the claims? What is he saying, that I was misled? I wasn't aware of -- I don't think he's saying I wasn't aware of the law here, but what is he saying, that he was mislead about this woman's status?
SHANNON: I guess. I think the focus has been on well, her immigration status wasn't clear.
HARRIS: Right.
SHANNON: We quote Rudy Giuliani, his mentor, as saying, "Well he's a workaholic. He doesn't focus on these things." Well, we all work hard. And we all still have to focus on it, because it's a tax issue. You can't give the IRS a partial listing.
There's also state and federal unemployment taxes to pay for a household employee. And you can't just blow this off. So they realized -- they said it was untenable problem. And he withdrew.
HARRIS: And you would think he would be particularly sensitive to his being former law enforcement?
SHANNON: You'd think. And also for the homeland security position, immigration is an issue. And tax compliance should be an issue for everybody who wants to be in the president's cabinet.
The interesting story that's cropped up yesterday and overnight is whether or not the White House did a good job vetting him. And there's a lot of push back from the White House now, saying we asked. We asked this question. So it's not just a nanny problem, but oh, that nanny problem.
HARRIS: Yes, yes. The White House in this, how does the process work? Does -- there is vetting and then there is deep vetting. And the White House process in this was to what, do a cursory investigation before naming him? But there was nothing that precludes the White House from doing a full vetting of this nominee before the name is released. Is that correct?
SHANNON: That's right. There's a lot of confusion about this. The FBI backgrounder hadn't begun. That's for the detailed vetting process. And it's also for security clearance. That comes later.
But at first, the White House has a very detailed questionnaire. And they, I believe, talked to him. Giuliani says that when they were going over some material that they needed to submit to the White House, it's when he finally focused on the nanny issue and realized that he hadn't paid these taxes, and that he may have been confused about the lady's immigration status.
HARRIS: Yes. Embarrassing for the White House, but also embarrassing for Kerik and for Rudy Giuliani as well, isn't it?
SHANNON: That's right. It's an embarrassment for all of them. But there were other issues -- a lot of reporters were digging into Mr. Kerik's position on an advisory board, advising homeland security.
And also, on companies like the Taser International Company. It's a way he could advise security companies what homeland security would be spending their buckets of money for. Taser, he sold some stock options for about $6 million.
HARRIS: Yes.
SHANNON: And that may be fine. This may be business, but it was certainly being looked at. And there were some other issues that really haven't popped up yet.
HARRIS: And a final thought, Elaine. Much more to report on this story, you think?
SHANNON: Well, by withdrawing, that sort of takes the attention away from it. But Mr. Kerik is a very interesting man. He's had a very colorful life. There are a lot of things about his tenure in the city that reporters were looking into. So I don't think that we're going to see quite the end of this story.
HARRIS: Yes. Elaine Shannon from "TIME" magazine. Elaine, thanks for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.
SHANNON: Thank you.
NGUYEN: More than one million indecency complaints to the Federal Communications Commission this year alone. And you might be surprised to learn where the complaints actually come from. Is someone trying to control your television? That story, when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A little emotional rescue from the Stones, as you look live in New York City, as we're trying to keep Tony from singing.
HARRIS: No.
NGUYEN: Where today in the city it's the last day to catch the New York Expos, the longest running independent film festival in the U.S. So will the weather be picture perfect? Your Sunday forecast is coming right up.
HARRIS: I don't see why we need to wait. No need to pause, no need to hesitate.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: A classified list of places terrorists might strike. It's supposed to help prevent terrorist attacks. So why are some lawmakers calling it haphazard and a joke? We'll bring you those details.
HARRIS: And a real evergreen story for you this morning. There's a new trend in Christmas tree buying. We'll see if your tree tastes fall in line with most Americans this holiday season when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A potential list of terror targets in the U.S. And now, serious questions from lawmakers about what's on that list and how it's compiled. Welcome back. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. That story in a minute. First, a look at news in -- now in the news this morning. A deadly bombing today in the Philippines in a market crowded with Christmas shoppers. At least six people were killed. It happened in the city of General Santos.
The Palestinian authorities are now in possession of the late Yasser Arafat's official medical records. The final covers some 558 pages, including x-rays. It was handed over to Palestinian officials by Arafat's nephew, who is Palestinian envoy to the U.N. The exact cause of Arafat's death last month is still unknown, but Arafat's nephew says his uncle may have died an unnatural death.
International delegates are in Buenos Aires this weekend, preparing to launch the Kyoto Protocol next February. The environmental treaty seeks to curb global warming by lessening the amount of greenhouse gases released in the atmosphere. A report delivered to the conference blames global warming for drastic weather changes in many parts of the world.
And in the Bering Strait, authorities are shifting their attention from search and rescue to clean up. Six people are still missing after the crash of a Coast Guard helicopter last week. They were pulled from a wrecked tanker that has since broken apart. Initial estimates say about 140,000 gallons of fuel may have spilled from the wreckage.
NGUYEN: The homeland security department is putting together a database of potential terrorist targets here in the U.S. That list reportedly has 80,000 sites on it, but it's not complete. And many say it may not be complete for some time.
The database is classified, but has been seen by some members of Congress. It names major installations like dams, pipelines, chemical plants, and skyscrapers, but it also includes some popular recreational and tourist attractions like water parks and miniature golf courses. Some members of Congress are criticizing the effort, but a homeland security official told "USA Today," "we have a good handle on what the top targets in the U.S. are."
Now Gerald Epstein is with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a senior fellow in the Center's homeland security program. He specializes in science and security. And Gerald Epstein joins us now from Washington to talk about all this.
Good morning to you.
GERALD EPSTEIN, CTR. FOR STRATEGIC INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Good morning.
NGUYEN: Well, when you looked at that critical infrastructure, the water, the power, the nuclear plants, obviously those are going to be on the list, but how do you determine what else is going to be on the list? For example, is a skyscraper more important than say a mall with thousands of shoppers there?
EPSTEIN: Well, I think it's important to look in the question protecting the country, that it's much more than the list making exercise. I think the list is something that's an important part of it. It does help authorities focus on key -- particularly important facilities.
But the fact that a particular facility may be on or may not be on the list, I think is not as important as what do we do with those facilities that we need to protect?
NGUYEN: Exactly. But you have to start somewhere. So compiling this list is really priority number one right now. So in compiling that list, should state officials take part in that simply because they would know what's important in their local area?
EPSTEIN: The federal government doesn't have the degree of knowledge and expertise that state and local officials have. So it's clearly something that the state and local authorities are going to need to work with the federal government in compiling.
NGUYEN: Mm-hmm. And is this going to take a long time, because gosh, there's so many things out there that you could put on the list?
EPSTEIN: Well, that's right. Another reason why I tend not to want to focus so much on the list, because it makes it seem like protecting our country is a list making exercise. We just rank all the targets one to however many, put state troopers around the mall, and then we're protected.
It's actually -- it's much more complicated than that. There are very many different types of facilities on the list. And what you need to do to protect each of them is going to vary, depending on what type of thing it is.
NGUYEN: But the department of homeland security wants to go forward with this list. And once they do have this list compiled, what's the next step then, because you're saying it's going to take some time to get all of this done? EPSTEIN: Right. It's one part of a very long process. They're charged with assessing the threats to the country, cataloguing the lists of the key critical infrastructures and key resources, figuring out what the consequences of attacks on those facilities might be. And then the bottom line is to come up with protective strategies that can help the operators of these facilities and resources protect themselves. So it's an integrative process. And it's going to be quite a bit of work.
NGUYEN: Well, this list, as we mentioned, is kind of just the beginning. But it also has funding that's going to come with it. Where does that fall in all of this? Because for example, Las Vegas has been on the list of possible terrorist opportunities there in that city. But yet, it's lost funding for 2005. This is a whole another issue to this, isn't it?
EPSTEIN: The funding issue is very important. And in many ways, it's different and apart from the list. There's been an issue about the allocation of homeland security resources among the states. Does it go so much for state or do we concentrate on where more of the people are?
The list preparation process is part of that. But again, most of the facilities on this list are probably not going to receive federal funds. They're going to have to have their own operators and owners learn how to protect them better with guidance the federal government may be providing.
NGUYEN: All right, Gerald Epstein, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, we appreciate your insight this morning. Thank you.
EPSTEIN: Thank you. Glad to be here.
NGUYEN: Tony?
HARRIS: And time now to see what will be making headlines next week. Monday, members of the electoral college meet to make the presidential vote official. President Bush won the electoral vote nationally by a margin of 34 votes.
Also tomorrow, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announces nominees for the 62nd annual Golden Globes. The award show was scheduled for Sunday, January 16th and airs on NBC. During the show, actor Robin Williams will be awarded the Cecil B. DeMille award for outstanding achievement.
And on Thursday in Lost Angeles, the tentative trial date for Phil Spector is set to be announced. Spector, a music producer, known for creating the wall of sound is accused of murdering actress Lana Clarkson, who was found shot to death in his home.
NGUYEN: Well, saying happy holidays to those serving in Iraq. We'll show you what one group in Nevada did to honor troops and their families this season. It's a holiday hero's story when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The U.S. government has made it increasingly clear to broadcasters that indecency on the airwaves will not be tolerated. And the FCC watchdog seemed to have a lot of public support in that crusade.
But as CNN's Anderson Cooper discovered, virtually all of the public complaints are coming from one single source.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): When FCC chairman Michael Powell told Congress how many complaints he'd been getting, the numbers sounded overwhelming.
MICHAEL POWELL, CHAIRMAN OF THE FCC: 240,000 complaints over 357 programs.
COOPER: That was 2003. This year, according to the FCC the watchdog of the air waves, more than 1,068,000 indecency complaints were filed. More than half of them after Janet Jackson's Super Bowl malfunction.
What the FCC didn't say then, but blogger Jeff Jarvis discovered with a freedom of information act filing, is that most of those complaints came from just one conservative group, the Parents Television Council.
According to a new FCC estimate, 99.8 percent of indecency complaints in 2003 came from the PTC, as did 99.9 percent of the complaints made through October of this year not counting the Janet Jackson complaints.
JEFF JARVIS, BUZZMACHINE.COM: After the election we said there's a moral's value Army taking over America. Well, it's not true.
COOPER: The PTC's efforts are organized with pinpoint precision. It's Web site lists what it considers the best and worst programs, vivid descriptions of offensive material and a form letter all set to send off to the FCC with just a few clicks on the computer.
The FCC uses the complaints to level fines, often huge fines against the offending network. The Janet Jackson incident cost CBS more than half a million dollars. The program Married by America which featured strategically obscured strippers cost Fox broadcasting 1.2 million after the FCC said it received 159 complaints about the content.
JARVIS: The FCC admitted there were only 159 there were only 90 and they only came from 23 people, which is even more appalling.
COOPER: Media watchers say these coordinated complains are creating a climate of fear at the networks. HOWARD KURTZ, CNN'S RELIABLE SOURCES: Network executives don't care whether 3 or 300 or 300,000 people complain to the FCC. What they are worried about, and what has created this kind of chilling climate right now, is that the government may take action and slap them where it hurts in the wallet.
COOPER: And the PTC, the group says the FCC figures are all wrong, and the agency should care more about program content than the source of the complaints.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And that was CNN's Anderson Cooper.
HARRIS: And checking this hour's top stories now, about an hour ago, Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko talked to reporters about his apparent poisoning. Doctors in Austria confirm that they discovered he's been exposed to high levels of the poison Dioxin. Yushchenko says he'll spend time back in Ukraine to campaign ahead of the run-off election December 26.
A source tells CNN that investigators at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch found pornographic magazines there in a raid a year ago. Fingerprints of Jackson and the boy accusing him of molestation were found on the materials. And Iraqi authorities are trying to identify five beheaded bodies found this weekend. The remains were found in two towns around Baghdad.
NGUYEN: It's never easy being away from loved ones during the holidays, especially for families separated because of the war in Iraq.
HARRIS: When we return, we'll show you how one group in Nevada paid tribute to troops and their families when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: As the holidays approach, hundreds of military families will celebrate without their loved ones. One Las Vegas mother wanted to remember and honor her fallen son.
Maria Silva from CNN Las Vegas affiliate KVBC has this hero's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLORIA SALAZAR, MOTHER: You know he thought after 9/11 that he needed to serve his country so that we could have our freedom.
MARIA SILVA, KVBC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Defending freedom is how Gloria Salazar son's William, a Marine stationed in Iraq, may the ultimate sacrifice.
SALAZAR: I love him and I'll miss him with all my heart, but I know that he loves his country and he served it well. SILVA: Like Gloria, dozens of family members who have lost loved ones attended Operation Holiday Tear.
SALAZAR: I can feel their pain, just like they feel my pain.
SILVA: Also there, mothers with sons in Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Commander Christopher Wicker, commander of the 554 Maintenance Battalion. And this is EO 1 Curtis Wicker. And he's in Fallujah.
SILVA: And wives and children of our military who will be apart this Christmas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, his name's Casey. And he is overseas right now -- or in the Middle East right now. And we're pretty proud of him.
SILVA: But it was not all sadness and tears. The crowd was well entertained and even treated to an Air Force flyover, courtesy of Dulles Air Force Base.
The event, ending with a fitting tribute, as hundreds of red, white, and blue balloons were released into the air in honor of our troops.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: We bring you heroes stories every week on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: Now this note from our globetrotting colleague Bill Hemmer, who is traveling the world to bring you his own special spin on the news, this time from Japan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We are back on the road. I'm Bill Hemmer in Tokyo. Join me starting on Monday. What role does Japan play in the U.S. security? We'll have it for you only on "AMERICAN MORNING," 7:00 a.m. Eastern time, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Just another tourist there. And you can catch CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" live in Japan starting at 7:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday.
HARRIS: Artificial America, forget about it keeping it real. Why fake is in when picking Christmas trees. We'll explain this holiday dilemma when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: What is this? What are we listening to? Who is selecting this music? Well, is it the new Gwen Stefani. NGUYEN: Gwen Stefani, yes.
HARRIS: It's a new one?
NGUYEN: Her new single, yes.
HARRIS: Which is like a tribute to the '80s or something? It sounds like it, right? All that retro stuff. Good morning, Boston. Put down that cup of coffee. Today is the reenactment of one of the city's most historical moments, the Boston Tea Party. Your Sunday forecast is coming right up.
NGUYEN: That music really gets you in the holiday spirit, doesn't it?
HARRIS: Well.
NGUYEN: Right, right, right. OK, well it is the holiday equivalent of paper or plastic. Every year at this time, families debate whether to get a real Christmas tree or an artificial one.
As CNN's Tom Foreman explains, most Americans now have a genuine preference for fake firs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Capitol Christmas tree has risen to oohs and ahs and lots of applause, but the government may be out of touch because this is a real tree. And most Americans are going artificial.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like a real Christmas tree, but my wife doesn't like cleaning up all the needles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd rather get a fake one, because at the end of the season, then I see the people throw them on the street, you know. It looks so sad.
FOREMAN: The National Christmas Tree Association, yes Virginia there is such a group, says in 1990, about half the people who put up trees went with real ones. Now 60 to 70 percent are faking it.
(on camera): This can't be true. Next, someone's going to say Martha Stewart has a new TV deal. But the quality of artificial trees has been improving for years. And people do like the convenience.
(voice-over): Consider this. While real trees require an annual pilgrimage to pick one out, cart it home, and put it up, a pre-lit artificial tree is cleaner, faster, and in the off season, can park in the basement next to all that exercise gear you once had delusions of using.
(on camera): Christmas tree growers, however, are launching aggressive marketing campaigns to slow this trend. They say there really is nothing else quite like a real tree. And they don't come from the woods. (voice-over): Christmas trees are a crop grown and harvested like corn. And 93 percent are recycled from holiday masterpieces into spring time mulch.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This isn't one of those trees that all the needles falls off, is it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, that's impossible.
FOREMAN: Still, popular culture has long noted this epic and unending struggle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, Zuloft (ph) bought one of those brand new green plastic trees.
FOREMAN (on camera): I am a real tree person. I've never really considered a fake. On the other hand, my Christmas music is not all Bing Crosby.
(voice-over): So maybe, even for traditionalists, cultural tastes are changing. And this Christmas fake firs are all the rage.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: You know, I've never had a real Christmas tree at my house. Never.
HARRIS: You've never had a real Christmas tree?
NGUYEN: Never.
HARRIS: You see, before -- how was it that you committed to fake trees all this time?
NGUYEN: All my life. Let me tell you something. Fake trees come with the lights already on them. That's the great thing about a fake tree.
HARRIS: Is that a family thing, because if you've had them all your life, that's...
NGUYEN: Well, we changed them. We don't have the same one that we started out with.
HARRIS: Right.
NGUYEN: They've gotten better through the years. But yes.
HARRIS: But what is it? You don't want to go and cut it down and lug it around and...
NGUYEN: It was just never a thing we did.
(WEATHER REPORT) HARRIS: All right, we want to get to our e-mail question. I do actually have more questions about this whole fake/real Christmas tree thing. But we'll deal with that next hour.
The question this morning, who would you like to see heading the Department of Homeland Security?
NGUYEN: Jim from Minneapolis writes, "Governor Jesse Ventura should get the job. Ventura means business and he'd scare the pants off the terrorists...Ventura would take them one by one if he could, and he'd win each time."
HARRIS: And how about this from Aaron. "Rudy is the only answer." The one and only answer is Rudy Giuliani.
NGUYEN: Rudy says no to the job.
HARRIS: Rudy says no.
NGUYEN: So far.
HARRIS: Yes, I've got a job. So we would encourage you to send along your e-mails and we'll read those throughout the morning. Wam@cnn.com.
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