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CNN Sunday Morning

Tropical Storm Arlene Drenches Florida; French Journalist Held Captive in Iraq Freed; Effects of Meth Abuse

Aired June 12, 2005 - 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.


ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, if you're checking in with us to see if Florida floated away in the night. Well, we're here to tell you that it got drenched by tropical storm Arlene, but the state is still attached to the mainland.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's June 12th. I'm Rob Marciano in for Tony Harris.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, still there. Just a little wet today. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks for being with us. It is 7:00 a.m. here on the East coast, 6:00 a.m. Central time in Pensacola, Florida. Thanks for being with us today.

A French journalist has been freed in Iraq five months after being snatched off a Baghdad street. The French foreign ministry confirms that Florence Aubenas, that is, and her Iraqi assistant were released earlier today. There are no details on why they were freed.

The U.S. Marines says air strikes in western Baghdad have killed about 40 insurgents. There are no reports of civilian or U.S. casualties. The attack was part of a stepped up campaign against insurgents around the country.

In Russia, terrorism is suspected in an explosion that injured at least 15 people aboard a passenger train. The train was en route to Moscow from war torn Chechnya. Today is a national holiday in Russia. And security forces were already on high alert for possible attacks by Chechen rebels.

MARCIANO: Here's a look at what's coming on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. More fizzle than sizzle, as Arlene fails to muster up hurricane strength before coming ashore. You won't find any complaints from the Gulf Coast residents, that's for sure. They're still bearing the scars of last year's hurricane season.

And the ravages and the raging popularity of methamphetamine. It's a big time threat that brings with it big time problems. Our investigative unit takes a deeper look at its effects.

And erasing debt, the global scale of the rich, the poor, and the bridge builders. Will the world's richest nations forgive the debts of the poorest?

NGUYEN: Well, yesterday, a lot of folks on the Gulf Coast were pretty worried about an unwelcome guest named Arlene. As it turns out, her visit went better than many people expected. Tropical storm Arlene came ashore with more menace than muscle. The blustery storm packed heavy rains and 20 foot waves, as it hit the Gulf Coast, but damage is described as minimal. Arlene right now is a tropical depression.

MARCIANO: CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti was on the Gulf Coast awaiting Arlene's arrival. Now she has the aftermath in Pensacola, Florida.

Susan, you're still there, as is the state, I presume?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We made out OK, Rob. Good morning to you.

The reports of damage so far this morning in Pensacola, not even a downed tree. The Gulf is calm and so are residents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Arlene fizzled. And that was just fine with Gulf Coast residents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It'll be a great eye opener for us, to wake us up for the season, get everyone prepared, and get those medical kits and the first aid equipment in the houses, get that bottled water stored up.

CANDIOTTI: But when word came that the hurricane season's first named storm was heading toward Pensacola, Florida, an understandable reaction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go again.

CANDIOTTI: No one thought Arlene would come close to matching last September's Hurricane Ivan. Yet the surf looked menacing, pounding beaches and blasting sand. Waves crashed up and over piers along the Gulf Coast.

Along Pensacola Beach, a steady flow of residents and tourists spent much of the day watching Arlene blow onto shore. The Waylans brought they daughters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were too young when Ivan came through. So we just wanted them to play and have some fun, get out of the house for a little bit.

CANDIOTTI: Arlene made some anxious that hurricane season was officially underway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can't handle another Ivan. That was too much to take in one season. And followed up with another one next season, this season? They can't do it.

We've got too much damage, too much loss. And it would really (INAUDIBLE) apart.

CANDIOTTI: But Tropical Storm Arlene barely made an impact. No more than about three inches of rain, virtually no damage from wind or flooding. And a storm surge that fortunately didn't live up to forecasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Now along the Gulf Coast, about 11,000 homes and businesses lost power. It's expected to be restored some time today.

And if there is any lesson learned, according to emergency management officials here, but when it comes to tropical storms and hurricanes, the Gulf Coast is never off the hook.

Back to you, Rob.

MARCIANO: That's for sure, Susan. It's only June. Are you ready for another hurricane season? It was busy last year.

CANDIOTTI: Oh, sure, because you have to be prepared for anything. It's expected to be a busy season this year, too. Fortunately, tropical storm Arlene lived up to its expectations of not being too big of a deal.

MARCIANO: Well, we're happy about that. Thanks very much, Susan Candiotti in Pensacola, Florida.

NGUYEN: As she says, oh, sure. Yes...

MARCIANO: Yes, I'm really excited about that.

NGUYEN: Of course I'm ready.

MARCIANO: Still water logged from last hurricane season.

NGUYEN: Still drying out.

All right, let's welcome our newest member of CNN's weather team, meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. What a weekend to start.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: She mentioned tornadoes.

NGUYEN: Yes.

MARCIANO: Also a threat today. It's been a threat all week. And we have video of one in Wisconsin, the weather. Didn't come from the seas like Arlene did. Came from the sky. A tornado ripped through a village in Hammond, about 35 miles east of St. Paul, Minnesota.

About two dozen homes were hit. And officials say the damages were likely -- might top $3.5 million. Wow, look at that video.

Luckily, though, no injuries were reported. Good news there.

NGUYEN: Yes, this is good news. Yes.

In Aruba, the search for a missing Alabama teenager is clouded by contradictions, denials, and few public statements.

A senior police official tells CNN of a possible breakthrough. And prosecutors suggest a major development may be near. CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Palm Beach, Aruba and filed this full report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Aruba judge has ordered three suspects to be detained for eight more days, while police investigate their alleged links to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.

Investigators brought the three in unmarked cars to the courtroom in Aruba's capitol Oranjestad. They'd been named as 17-year old Joran Van Der Sloot and brothers 21-year old Deepak and 18-year Satish Kalpoe.

Witnesses say they saw the three men drive off from an Aruba bar with Natalee on the morning of May 30th, the day she disappeared.

A senior police official has told CNN there's been a breakthrough in the investigation amounting to a confession or some sort of confession. But defense attorneys for the three suspects had this to say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My client states -- keeps on saying that he's not guilty. And he hasn't -- he is not that have been writing in the press that has confessed. Up to now, that I know, nobody has.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My client is maintaining that he is innocent.

PENHAUL: Earlier in the day, Aruba's prosecution service had this to say about the progress of the investigation.

VIVIAN VAN DER BIEZEN, PROSECUTOR'S SPOKESWOMAN: The Prosecution Service has -- is aware of some information that are related to the investigation of alleged statements of witnesses -- of, sorry suspects in this case. And what the Prosecution Service would like to state is at this moment; we neither confirm or deny any information coming from other sources.

The investigation at this point is the following. We have five suspects. They are being interrogated. And we are at a very crucial, very important moment in our investigation.

PENHAUL: Two other men, both security guards, were arrested a week ago. They're still being held. One of those men's defense attorneys said his client had an alibi and appealed for him to be freed.

CHRIS LEJUEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They know now for sure that they don't need him to solve this case. And yet, they still keep him. And this brings injustice to an innocent man. PENHAUL: Amid the cut and thrust of the investigation and legal arguments, one fact is clear. There's still no sign of Natalee or her remains.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Palm Beach, Aruba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: What's going next week? Well, let's fast forward through some of the stories we'll be covering in the days to come.

Tuesday, the Senate begins work on a bill aimed at revamping the nation's energy policy. The measure calls for a doubling of ethanol and gasoline, which makes gasoline burn cleaner. It would also increase research into the use of hydrogen as fuel.

And the Senate's top Republican Bill Frist says he believes the Senate will vote some time over the next week on the controversial nomination of John Bolton as U.N. ambassador -- U.S. ambassador to the U.N. But Democrats say they think they have enough to support a block of that nomination.

And Thursday, at North Carolina's Pinehurst resort, Retief Goosen defends his 2004 U.S. Open title. He's going to have to work for it, though. He's going to have to deal with Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson, just to name a few.

NGUYEN: Yes, just to name a few. That's a lot right there.

MARCIANO: Yes.

NGUYEN: OK, so Howard Dean is on the attack, but what does the rest of the Democratic party think about his jabs at Republicans?

MARCIANO: Plus, behind methamphetamine, the pictures that tell a disturbing story of the damage this dangerous drug can really do.

NGUYEN: And Tropical Storm Arlene hits the Gulf Coast, then fizzles out. You're looking at a live picture of Tampa, Florida. Bonnie Schneider's here with your complete forecast. That is all coming up right after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Well, when the governor of Texas chose the inside of a church to sign a new bill, it sparked a controversial question. What role should God play in politics? The separation of church and state, an emotional debate live next hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Some stories making news across America now. Flags and flowers, craters and praise, one of the last firefighters identified as being killed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center was laid to rest in New York City yesterday. A band playing "Amazing Grace" serenaded Keith Roy Maynard. At 30-years old, he had followed his father into firefighting. 343 New York firefighters were killed on September 11th.

From Army barracks to a prison cell, that's the journey Sergeant Aaron Stanley will make. A court martial panel in Kansas has sentenced him to life without parole for shooting two fellow soldiers to death. Prosecutors called the killings "extraordinarily violent and senseless." They say the 23-year old shot the soldiers to protect a drug running operation.

And in California, some signs of the times. Anti-gay protesters from Kansas showed up at a high school graduation ceremony in Tracy, California. Members of a Kansas church went to the community to protest the formation of a gay, straight club at the local high school. Gay rights activists also rallied.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is usually spotlighted on the world stage. Well, now she's taking to a different kind of stage. We will explain later this hour on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

MARCIANO: Well, after a week of controversy over his fiery rhetoric, Democratic party chairman Howard Dean is not sorry. He told party activists in Iowa he's determined to keep talking tough, despite calls for Democrats to tone it down.

More from CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To hear Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean tell it, last week was a pretty good week for him and the party.

HOWARD DEAN, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: The last couple days we've raised over $100,000 in 24 hours on the web, unsolicited. People want us to fight, and we are here to fight. We are not going to lie down...

(APPLAUSE)

JOHNS: As voters found out in his race for the White House, Dean has a way with words. But in the days leading up to this weekend's meeting of the Democratic Party's top brass in Washington, Dean's rhetoric about Republicans has attracted increasing attention.

DEAN: They are pretty much -- they all behave the same and they all look the same. And they all -- you know, it's pretty much a white Christian Party.

JOHNS: Dean has also said embattled Republican majority leader Tom DeLay, whose fund-raising and foreign travel funding, have come under scrutiny, ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence. DeLay has not been charged with any crime.

These kinds of comments have made some Democrats nervous and given joy to joke writers. JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: A large group of Democrats are going to Europe this week, not a fact finding mission. They're just trying to distance themselves from Howard Dean.

JOHNS: And some Democrats with relative degrees of diplomacy have tried to distance themselves. Even a former general chair of the party suggested Dean has stepped over the line.

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: He's doing a good job as chairman. Did he make a mistake with these comments? Absolutely.

JOHNS: The Senate and House Democratic leaders have also criticized Dean's remarks and plenty of Republicans have, too. One political observer said the problem is Democrats have a wealth of political targets to exploit right now, from social security, to protecting the independence of the judiciary, and don't need Dean turning the spotlight on himself.

PROF. ALLAN LICHTMAN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: If Howard Dean would just be able to touch right on the line; he would be the most effective advocate the Democrats have.

JOHNS (on camera): Many Democrats agree that the point of Dean's remarks has been to motivate the Democratic base, and they say he's doing that. But some say a little more subtlety and nuance couldn't hurt.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: It is no secret what Howard Dean thinks of the Republican party. So how would you characterize it? And how about the Democrats? E-mail us your thoughts on both parties at weekends@cnn.com. We'll be reading your responses all morning long.

MARCIANO: And he struggled for years with an addiction to speed. Now this recovering meth addict talks about what the drug did to him and how it's still affecting his life. This story coming up, when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Time now for our weekly look at some of the best stories from our investigative unit. Today, methamphetamine. On the street, it's known as speed, meth, chalk. It can give its users a rush of energy, but it can also kill.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen examines the facts about meth addiction in our investigation unit spotlight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every time Clancy Miller looks in the mirror, he's reminded of his past. CLANCY MILLER, FORMER METH ADDICT: I went see the doctor. And he said, "My God, you only got one-thirty second of one inch of your jawbone left, which is about that much. I said, "Well, what happened to my jawbone?" He said, "Did you do speed?" I go, "Yes." He said, "Did you grind your teeth like that?" And I go, "Yes." And he says you literally wore out your jawbone.

COHEN: For two decades, Clancy Miller was addicted to methamphetamines.

And how long have you been off of meth?

MILLER: Sixteen years, six months, three weeks, four days, two hours and fifteen minutes, but who's counting?

COHEN: Doctors had to replace Miller's jaw with bone from his hip. And while now his jaw works fine, Miller says his brain doesn't always.

MILLER: I'm really good in math. And I'm still fairly good, but I can figure things in my brain really quick and come out and throw an answer out at you, amaze people. And I can't do that any more.

COHEN: And that long term brain damage is what doctors say sets it apart from other drugs. Dr. Edythe London, a pharmacologist at UCLA, specializes in meth and the brain.

EDYTHE LONDON, UCLA PHARMACOLOGIST: I've heard from a man who is 51-years old. He's been off of methamphetamine for 8 years. And he can't get out of bed.

This is good, this is good.

COHEN: Here's what Dr. London has discovered. Look at the areas in red. That's where meth abusers have less gray matter.

LONDON: This part of the brain is very important for regulating mood and also has something to do with attention.

COHEN: Addicts have fewer brain cells in areas that influence decision-making and mood.

LONDON: When comparing methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroine, the long term effects seem to be much more dramatic with methamphetamine. And these changes make them depressed, so depressed that they may not be able to get out of bed. And they then really need the drug to get that energy and just to be normal.

COHEN: And that's what happened to Clancy Miller. Here he is at the height of his addiction.

MILLER: I can remember one time I was living with a girl. And she said, get up, get up. And I said, "I'm too tired and I'm out of speed." So she went out and bought me some speed, brought it back. And I did a couple lines and I was up and gone. COHEN: And then Miller had an experience that changed his life. He was training with his National Guard unit and suddenly collapsed. His colleagues thought he'd been drinking.

MILLER: And one of the medics yelled to the company commander, "Commander, bring the young troopers over here and let them watch an old alcoholic die."

COHEN: But he didn't die. Instead, he checked himself into the hospital and got clean.

MILLER: My name is Clancy. And I'm dually diagnosed.

COHEN: Now Clancy Miller has his own drug abuse treatment program for recovering addicts.

DANIELLE: My name is Danielle and I'm dually diagnosed.

MILLER: Hi, Danielle.

DANIELLE: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you come to someone and ask them, I need help. I know I have a problem, then you know, that's the first step.

COHEN: Recovery is tough. And even though researchers, like Dr. London, know precisely what areas of the brain are affected by meth, they haven't yet been able to take that information and use it to improve treatment.

LONDON: There is a need for not only more knowledge, but for treatment programs to use the knowledge that we have.

COHEN: Clancy Miller and his friends know this better than anyone, as they try to overcome the powerful effects of meth etched in their brains and in their souls.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Well, deleting debt. Some of the richest nations are wiping away money owed by some of the poorest. But will this new deal actually help the people who need it the most when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, I guess you could say, yeah, surf's up. Tropical storm Arlene hits the Gulf coast and then it fizzles out, knocked some people down a little bit.

MARCIANO: All fun and games until somebody gets swept out to sea.

NGUYEN: Right, now it's fun and games. I want to welcome you back this morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in for Tony Harris. More on the storm's aftermath in just a minute, but first, a look at the news this morning.

There are indications this morning that the British had doubts about the U.S. war plan for Iraq long before the actual invasion. "The Washington Post" has obtained a staff paper prepared for British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The memo concluded that the U.S. gave little thought to the post-war occupation. The "Post" says the memo was written eight months before the war began.

And President Bush plans to promote a new prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients this week. Seniors will be eligible to enroll in the program this November and benefits begin in January. The White House estimates that the plan adds $700 billion to the Medicare program, even as Medicare's finances sink deeper into the red.

And could this finally be the end for Mike Tyson? The former heavy weight champ says he doesn't have the stomach for boxing anymore.

NGUYEN: It's over?

MARCIANO: He quit in the sixth round yesterday after taking a beating from underdog Kevin McBride. It was Tyson's third loss in the last four fights.

NGUYEN: Arlene is now a tropical depression. The storm fizzled out as it blew ashore yesterday along the Gulf coast. It did bring a lot of rain, but caused little damage. Reporter Bob Masson (ph) of our affiliate WVUE reports from Pensacola, Florida, where residents are still recovering from hurricane Ivan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): They lost everything in Ivan.

MATTHEW GILLY, PENSACOLA RESIDENT: We lost our home, but like I say, luckily by the grace of God we got another place. We were one of the lucky ones out of the bunch I guess.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As tropical storm Arlene came ashore, the Gilly family came out to see what a lesser storm could bring.

GILLY: It's changed a lot, man. It's taken away a lot of the scenery out here.

TRISTAN GILLY, PENSACOLA RESIDENT: It felt good, but it's getting me where it rains and it sprinkles, it hurts me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arlene slammed into Pensacola Beach with wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. It provided a stern test to partially rebuilt structures and roads damaged by hurricane Ivan.

BUCK LEE, SANTA ROSA ISLAND AUTHORITY: A lot of money into that parking lot and we're trying to save it right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bulldozers tried to do battle against the wind slept sea to save a freshly poured parking lot on Fort Pickens Road. The roadway itself just repaired after Ivan is under water again, a new setback for national park officials hoping to reopen the road by the fourth of July.

LEE: They thought they were going to have it open around the 16th of June, two days from now. Looks like now they probably had a setback somewhat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At Pensacola's main beach, sightseers flocked to the surf's edge in spite of heavy winds and rough seas.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: This is just child play compared to Ivan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the storm approached, (INAUDIBLE) deputies closed the main pier, running off sightseers as six foot waves lapped beneath the deck. After Ivan the terrible, Arlene was impressive, but something of a weak sister.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the other things are just extras. We have what we need and that's each other and if we have a roof over our head that's all that matters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Keeping it in perspective. Arlene reached the coast far below the minimum hurricane level of 74 miles an hour.

MARCIANO: Time now to check on some of the other big stories making news around the world.

NGUYEN: A Russian train is derailed by an explosion. Also, there have been several bombings in Iran. For those details, let's hand it over to Anand Naidoo at the CNN international desk. Good morning Anand.

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you and good morning to you. I'll have details on those stories in just a moment, but first, a hostage release in Iraq. CNN has confirmed that a French journalist and her interpreter held hostage in Iraq for about five months have been freed. French foreign ministry officials say Florence Aubenas is heading back home. She works for "Liberation," a Paris daily. Aubenas was taken hostage January 5th after leaving her Baghdad hotel. The French President Jacques Chirac says she's healthy, and he thanked officials for working in what he called dangerous and difficult conditions to free those hostages.

Now to Russia, and there's been a train derailment there, and it's thought to have been caused by an explosion. The Itar TASS news agency says that the train was on it way from Grozny in war-torn Chechnya to Moscow. It went off the rails about 100 miles from the Russian capital. At least 15 people on the train were hurt when six of the cars jumped the rails. An engineer says the explosive device went off in front of the train. Now to Iran. Several bombs going off there in the southern city of Ahvaz. Local reports say three bombs went off near government buildings, killing at least two people and wounding 23 others. At least one of the blasts was the result of a car bomb that exploded near the governor's office. A local military official says that it's difficult to tell who's behind those bombings right now. Five people were killed in the same area in ethnic unrest and that took place last April. That is all for me now. Later on we'll be looking at the Lebanese elections. For now, back to Rob and Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. Thank you Anand.

MARCIANO: Thanks Anand. Finance ministers from the eight richest nations have agreed to write off all debt owed by 18 of the poorest countries to the tune of $40 billion. Other countries may enjoy similar debt relief in the future. CNN's Carol Lin has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tanzania, Ghana, Ethiopia, they owed so much money to rich western countries they cut health and education budgets and charged taxes for basic services just to repay world debt. In Ethiopia, where people survive on $1 a day, a woman has to pay a month's wage to give birth safely in a hospital.

JEFFREY SACHS, MILLENNIUM PROJECT: Maybe they'd be charged in effect $20 or $30 or $50 for a delivery and the result is that many, many women die in child birth because they can't afford to have a safe attended child birth.

LIN: People in sub-Saharan Africa are so poor they have to chose between food or sending their kids to school because parents were taxed for basic education. That money would barely cover the interest payment on Ethiopia's crushing world debt. Jeffrey Sachs is a special adviser to the U.N.'s Millennium's Project, which is fighting to end world hunger and poverty in the next 10 years.

SACHS: So it's been a brutal tradeoff. Do you pay the debt? That's what the rich and powerful countries have been demanding up until today or do you save your children and ensure that they're at school.

LIN: During the 1970s and '80s, the U.S., France and other rich western countries lent billions of dollars to corrupt governments who opposed communism. Regimes have changed. Africa is more democratic, less corrupt, but still seen as a breeding ground for war and terror.

SACHS: Africa itself is being seen more and more as a security risk because of instability, but the way to solve the instability is not through a military approach, but it's by helping people have more food, helping children to survive and get to school and become productive citizens.

LIN: And for the average taxpayer, Africa still was a world away until recently when Hollywood brought the issue closer to home. U2's Bono, one of the most famous voices and faces in the world has personally taken on the issue of world poverty.

BONO, SINGER/ACTIVIST: Understand, the people are burnt out seeing images of flies buzzing around children, but they're people -- you know, there's people living inside those images.

LIN: He raised eyebrows and awareness when he toured Africa with Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill. Super star Brad Pitt and conservative evangelical Pat Robertson find common ground when it comes to Africa. They both believe poverty can be eliminated in the next 10 years. That is the United Nations goal. If I could write you a check today how much would it cost?

SACHS: If each of us would give 70 cents out of every $100 of our income, extreme poverty around the planet could be ended by our generation.

LIN: Carol Lin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: We're going to go a little further into the G-8's plan to forgive world debt. What does it mean for Africans and what does it do to the American bottom line? Georgetown University Professor Carol Lancaster is the author of "Aid to Africa." She's our guest in the 9:00 a.m. Eastern hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: He has two purple hearts from brushes with death. So why can't this man go back to his work as a Marine, even though he wants to. He is today's hero. We'll have that story coming up.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Not much left with tropical depression Arlene on this map, but in Pensacola, the storm did pack a punch. Check out a live picture of the beaches there. Not looking bad today, but I'll have a look at your complete weather forecast coming up as CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Marine Lance Corporal Nathan Borquez is the focus of our hero story this week. His helmet saved his life during the fighting last fall in Fallujah, but it wasn't enough to save his military career. Bill Tucker reports.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) was wounded in Iraq a couple times, got blown up, a couple IEDs.

BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lance Corporal Nathan Borquez is on an unfamiliar mission. He's a visitor at Camp Pendleton, California. Although he looks well, home for Borquez is a hospital. He's been there for months recovering and hoping for a normal life. Borquez has two purple hearts. His first brush with death came on his 20th birthday.

LANCE CPL. NATHAN BORQUEZ, USMC: I was on a convoy and the convoy got struck by an IED, an improved explosive device and I was hit in the head with some frag and knocked unconscious. TUCKER: He came to, was checked out and sent back to work.

BORQUEZ: Dazed, headaches, not the same. This is weird, weird experience.

TUCKER: He struggled but he did his job. A month later he was hit in the head again by another IED.

BORQUEZ: I just couldn't believe it happened a second time. The symptoms were much worse this time and my memory along with my balance was off by a lot.

TUCKER: Borquez had suffered two traumatic concussions and damage to his eardrums.

BORQUEZ: I thought I was going to shake it off. I thought it was just a regular type of knock in the head.

TUCKER: He tried again to go back to work, but this time his fellow Marines could see that he wasn't right. He was sent home to recover. Borquez has been hospitalized ever since, undergoing treatment to restore his memory, his hearing, and to deal with his constant vertigo.

BORQUEZ: It'll take a couple, a year or two for me to heal up and get back to normal.

TUCKER: Borquez will soon be medically retired from the Marine Corps. He says he feels better just having a chance to visit with the Marines that he served with and those of a previous generation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And for you, I want to thank you and I want to wish you well and (INAUDIBLE) for your mother and for your father for having you back.

BORQUEZ: Thank you, means a lot to me.

TUCKER: Bill Tucker, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And we bring you hero stories every week on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

MARCIANO: Well, pretty much a white Christian party. That's the Democratic party chief Howard Dean. That's what he said recently about Republicans. His comment drew fire from the GOP and from his own party too. It also begs the question, what role does God have in politics. That debate live next hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

NGUYEN: First, though a CNN extra. Researchers at Allstate insurance found drivers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa are the safest in the nation, averaging one car accident every 15 years. The national average, this may be surprising to some, it was to me, the national average is one accident every 10 years. Cedar Rapids drivers credit everything from the efficient interstate highways to the slower pace and attitudes of Iowans in general.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Taking a look at top stories now. The now downgraded tropical depression Arlene is nothing more than a weather maker. Blowing ashore with 60 mile an hour winds, Arlene lashed the Gulf coast with sheets of rain and 20-foot waves. All hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been lifted.

Police in Aruba now deny that a suspect confessed about the missing Alabama teenager. However, five men are still being held in connection with Natalee Holloway's disappearance.

A French journalist has been freed in Iraq. Held hostage for five months, she was released along with her Iraqi interpreter. Three Rumanian journalists also have been released.

All right. Liposuction is a popular method for getting rid of unsightly lumps and bumps caused by the dreaded cellulite. But a noted dermatologist says that's a total waste of money. The secret to better skin from the author of the "Cellulite Solution." That is 9:00 a.m. Eastern live right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Don't miss it.

MARCIANO: Well, they say home is where the heart is. It's also where a lot of your money is too. How do you make the most of your home or at least your next housing investment? CNN's Christina Park joins us with some tips you can find online.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you want to spruce your house or buy that dream home at the beach, cnnmoney.com is your guide. Go to the renovations section for a few tips on what you can do to bring your home to the digital age. Install a wireless home monitoring system to control the temperature, turn lights on and off and run a security camera while you're away. All you need is access to the Internet. If you travel and worry about you've left the coffee maker on, another device will let you know whether you did. It will also check for any leaky pipes and a wireless remote can control all the lights in your home. Just don't lose it.

How about that dream home at the beach? Check out this gallery high lighting some of the most affordable places to make that dream come true from sunny Florida's forgotten coast to the cooler Prince Edward Island in Canada. That's all online at cnn.money.com/yourhome. Reporting from the dot com desk, I'm Christina Park.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Look at this. He came oh so close to winning the triple crown, but two out of three ain't bad. How a fleet Alex took the Belmont stakes when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Well it was fleeting indeed. A fleet Alex broke out of the pack on the clubhouse turn and blew to a seven-length victory in the Belmont stakes. The Preakness winner's time of just 2:28 broke Secretariat's Belmont record by almost five seconds. That's fast.

NGUYEN: That's big time in racing.

All right. Look at this. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice takes to the stage. We'll show it to you in just a moment. A pianist from the age of three, Rice performed at the Kennedy Center last night and she accompanied a 21-year-old soprano who is diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension which is often fatal. Showing her talents out there on stage last night.

MARCIANO: She is one talented person. Howard Dean, he's been in the news.

NGUYEN: Yeah.

MARCIANO: Some people say he's talented. But as we've been - he's been making some scathing remarks about the Republican Party and we're asking you this morning how would you categorize both the GOP and the Democrats? We've got actually, the first e-mail is kind of -- just makes a comment on both. It's from Howard in New York. He says both parties need to grow up and govern for the American people. Shady people should go to jail just like any other citizen. Abuse of power ruins our country.

NGUYEN: All right. Here is what Sue from Waterville, Vermont says. She says, I can't believe Howard Dean. He is much more intelligent than he sounds in his last statements. I'm a Vermonter. I voted for him as governor of our state. I thought he did well for the people of Vermont and I am a white Christian. What is up Howard?

So we want to know what you think. Keep those e-mails coming. How would you characterize the republican and Democratic parties? E- mail us your thoughts at weekends@cnn.com.

MARCIANO: A little tradition we have in the weather department. Bonnie Schneider joins us by the way this weekend.

NGUYEN: Yes. Welcome Bonnie.

MARCIANO: Great job yesterday on tropical storm. We typically like to hear your political views.

SCHNEIDER: Don't even go there. (INAUDIBLE) You know, we did pretty well with one tropical storm, but it's still early in the season.

NGUYEN: One down. Many to go.

SCHNEIDER: Exactly. We're only at the letter "A". But in the meantime, if we take a look at our satellite perspective, you won't see much left of tropical storm Arlene, especially down in Florida. It's really not looking too bad at this point, but we do have a clear sky for much of the region that was unfortunately plummeted with a lot of rain that we saw yesterday, about five inches in some areas to less than three in others. So it really depended on where you were to see quite a bit of rain. Actually, the remnants of Arlene will be moving up to the north and we're likely to see that pretty much throughout the Ohio valley into Kentucky today. A lot of rain expected.

Here's a look at some rainfall totals of what Arlene did yesterday. A lot of rain in Panama City, almost 5.5 inches. And down in Pensacola, where it's actually starting to become a little more sunny there, 3.5 just about. So a lot of rain in a short amount of time, but the good news it's cleared out down in the Gulf coast. Unfortunately though, folks a little further to the north will be feeling the effects of Arlene. A tropical depression right now soon to (ph) become an ordinary area of low pressure that will trigger some downpours. So we do have flood watches posted for much of the Ohio valley into even parts of Tennessee.

And then further to the west, the threat of severe weather. Yesterday we had tornadoes break out in Wisconsin. A little further south now, we're looking for the severe weather potential to exist in northern Texas, parts of Oklahoma. We've got drier air coming in through here with a lot of warm, Gulf moisture and that definitely will trigger the possibility of some severe weather. In the meantime, high temperatures across the country today, looking pretty warm and actually pretty steamy especially into the northeast where highs today will be in the 90s. Off to the west, we'll look for conditions a little bit cooler in the Pacific Northwest but overall we're looking at a hot day on the east coast, a little cooler on the west coast and I'd say pretty stormy right in between.

MARCIANO: Looks like a pretty good deal.

NGUYEN: Stuck in the middle of the storms, the Dallas area is going to be a little shaky and hot today.

SCHNEIDER: Definitely. We could see some strong storms and maybe even tornadoes into northern Texas today.

MARCIANO: Bonnie, she's from Dallas. Don't fall into the trap of giving her a...

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: ... personalized forecast. No problem.

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: OK, Bonnie, thank you. We'll be check in later.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

NGUYEN: The next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins right now.

For those of you just joining us to see what Arlene did to the Gulf Coast well, her punch was pretty weak. She'll be known more for her heavy rain than strong winds. All is well, as the now tropical depression inches her way up north.

From the CNN Center this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING the 12th of June. Good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in for Tony Harris. Here's a quick look at what's happening right now.

The Gulf Coast is reporting very little damage from Arlene, after the tropical storm failed to build to hurricane strength before coming ashore near Florida's Santa Rosa Island. Arlene dumped a lot of rain and it kicked up 20 foot surf, but CNN's Susan Candiotti says there have been virtually no reports of flooding or wind damage. She'll joins us live from Pensacola Beach in just a bit.

And French journalist, a French journalist is on her way to Paris right now, five months after being snatched off the streets of Baghdad. The French Foreign Ministry confirms that Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi translator were freed earlier today. It's still unclear how or why they were set free.

And in Aruba a judge has ordered that the three youngest people held in the case remain jailed for another eight days. Publicly there is no new information on what happened to Natalie Holloway, the Alabama teen who vanished nearly two weeks ago.

There are conflicting reports on whether there has been a confession of some kind. A total of five people are being held in connection tot he case. None of them have been charged.

NGUYEN: Fighting words, a fight over faith and a fight to the finish. That is coming up. The dean of the DNC tells Republicans he is not going to take their tact any more. We will tell you what else the dean is saying.

And church and state are supposed to be separate, but religion is increasingly playing a role in politics. We will take a look. And there was no biting but there was a head butt. We've got the one two punch on what may have been Mike Tyson's last fight.

MARCIANO: All right, here's the latest on Arlene. The weakening storm has downgraded from a tropical storm to a depression. I should know this stuff. The National Hurricane Center has canceled all the tropical storm warnings. The greatest threat now is heavy rain, especially in the lower lying areas that lie north of Arlene's path.

Let's first get a gauge on what Arlene did across parts of Florida. CNN national correspondent, Susan Candiotti is in Pensacola Beach, Florida and joins us live.

You survived, Susan.

CANDIOTTI: We did, but we've got our rain gear ready for the next storm now. Of course no one expected Arlene to pack Hurricane Ivan's wallop from last fall after all, this was a tropical storm. But it did rattle some nerves.

Everything seems to be back to normal now. The Gulf is calm. I think off in the distance you might be able to get a look at some surfers who are already out looking for some waves. Not much out there this morning.

Damage, emergency planners say none.

Now on Saturday the waves were menacing as Arlene pounded ashore and made landfall just west of Pensacola following virtually the same path as Hurricane Ivan last September. Sustained winds only 20 to 30 miles per hour, storm surge of only about three feet and Arlene was dry. This area got only two to three inches of rain.

Authorities here do give high marks to area residence for making preparations. People did go out and buy bottled water, get the batteries and they did follow, at least some did, orders to evacuate or suggestions that they evacuate from low lying areas. But fewer than 200 people took advantage of area shelters.

And while certainly people did prepare they're not looking forward to this hurricane season.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can't handle another Ivan. That was too much to take in one season and followed up with another one next season or this season they can't do it. We've had too much damage, too much loss and it would really tear Pensacola apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: About 11,000 people are still reported to be out of power, losing power here along the Gulf Coast. However, the utility company does expect to have everyone back on line sometime today. Meantime, people are still recovering from Hurricane Ivan here, about 10,000 homes still need to have their roofs repaired. However, there is apparently no need to recover from Tropical Storm Arlene.

Back to you, Rob.

MARCIANO: Susan Candiotti live in Pensacola, Florida getting ready for the next storm.

Thanks, Susan.

NGUYEN: As we talk about this next storm, let's turn it over to Bonnie Schneider.

Where is this next (INAUDIBLE)? You're actually watching an area of disturbance in the Caribbean, but so far so good. It's just a disturbance.

SCHNEIDER: Yes. Now the remnants of Arlene will bring some rains to other parts of the country, so we're watching for the potential for flooding in some locations.

Let's take a look at our satellite perspective and we'll show you what we're looking at right now, clear conditions for the Gulf Coast. That's a nice change from this time yesterday when we had heavy, heavy downpours across Mobile into New Orleans. A lot of rain fell in a short amount of time, and those rainfall totals actually did accumulate to quite a bit.

In fact, take a look at the numbers as we take a look at these totals. You'll see parts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi got a lot of rain, and Ft. Myers, Florida as well almost five inches there.

Now we talk about hot spots today. On the map we're watching out for the potential for tornadic activity in the northern sections of Texas and into Oklahoma, Kansas as well. But yesterday the hot spot Wisconsin. That's where we saw a host of tornadoes, 22 homes destroyed. Wow! Look at that, roofs collapsed.

We have a lot of dry air coming in from the west. That collides with that warm Gulf moisture and we're definitely looking out for some warm conditions for today as well and I think we could see some more severe weather break out across much of the region, so we'll be watching that as it occurs.

NGUYEN: Those pictures, yes.

MARCIANO: They just ripped right off there.

SCHNEIDER: They sure did.

MARCIANO: Good news, no injuries. That's good.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Bonnie. We'll be checking in.

All right, from Arlene to what some are calling hurricane Howard Dean. The dean of the DNC says he will fight political adversaries, but some say he's just picking a fight.

At a meeting in Washington yesterday Dean promised the party faithful that he will keep talking tough and won't lay down on attacks.

CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns has more now from Washington.

Good morning, Joe.

JOHNS: Good morning, Betty. Many Democrats say recent controversial remarks by Chairman Dean have been designed to motivate the democratic base and they say he's doing that, but they also say a little more subtly and nuance couldn't hurt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): To hear Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean tell it, last week was a pretty good week for him and the party.

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: In the last couple of days we raised over $100,000 in 24 hours on the Web, unsolicited. People want us to fight. We are here to fight. We are not going to allow... (APPLAUSE)

JOHNS: As voters found out in his race for the White House, Dean has a way with words. But in the days leading up tot his weekend's meeting of the Democratic Party's top brass in Washington, Dean's rhetoric about Republicans has attracted increasing attention.

DEAN: They pretty much, they all behave the same, they all look the same and they all, you know, it's pretty a white Christian party.

JOHNS: Dean has also said embattled Republican Majority Lead Tom DeLay, whose fund raising and foreign travel funding have come under scrutiny, ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence. DeLay has not been charged with any crime.

These kinds of comments have made some Democrats nervous and given joy to joke writers.

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": A large group of Democrats going to Europe this week. Not a fact finding mission, they're just trying to distance themselves from Howard Dean.

JOHNS: And some Democrats with relative degrees of diplomacy have tried to distance themselves. Even a former general chair of the party suggested Dean has stepped over the line.

SENATOR CHRISTOPHER DODD, (D) CONNECTICUT: He's doing a good job as chairman. Did he make a mistake with these comments? Absolutely.

JOHNS: The Senate and House democratic leaders have also criticized Dean's remarks and plenty of Republicans have too. One political observer said the problem is Democrats have a wealth of political targets to exploit right now from Social Security to protecting the independence of the judiciary and don't need Dean turning the spotlight on himself.

PROF. ALLAN LICHTMAN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: If Howard Dean would just be able to touch right on the line he would be the most effective advocate the Democrats have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: Some Republicans have called on Dean to apologize, but so far, as you can see, there's no sign of backing down.

Betty, back to you.

NGUYEN: Which means it's going to get very interesting.

Joe Johns, thank you.

It is no secret what Howard Dean thinks of the Republican Party. So, how would you characterize it, and how about those Democrats? E- mail us your thoughts on both parties at weekends@cnn.com. We'll be reading your responses all morning. MARCIANO: Kind of a political Sunday. Given that, sometimes the line between church and state appears blurred, at best, like when the governor of Texas recently used a chapel as a setting for a bill signing. Does God belong in politics? We're going to have a live debate in about 10 minutes here on CNN SUNDAY.

NGUYEN: And Arlene turned out to be a real lady. Meteorologist Bonnie Snyder tracks the storm when we come back. But right now here is a live look at Tampa. Not too bad on this Sunday morning.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A lot of people turn to liposuction to get rid of those unsightly lumps and bumps caused by cellulite. But a noted dermatologist says they are just wasting their money. The secret to better skin from the author of "The Cellulite Solution." That's live next hour, 9 a.m. eastern right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Good morning. Welcome back. Tropical storm Bonnie -- Arlene, Bonnie Schneider, our new meteorologist in the CNN weather center now with a look at other stuff. It's not all that great, right? We've got the threat of tornadoes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Checking our top stories right now. There is some confusion and conflicting reports out of Aruba in the case of the missing Alabama teenager. Prosecutors won't confirm or deny a report by a senior police official who says there's been a confession of some sort.

The prime minister does say there is no search underway for Natalie Holloway's body.

In Iraq, French journalist, Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi interpreter have been freed after being held hostage for five months. French President Jacques Chirac says Aubenas is in good health and is headed home.

A passenger derails outside Moscow after a bomb exploded on the tracks. The Russian news agency says 15 people were injured. The train was travelling from the Russian Republic of Chechnya to Moscow.

MARCIANO: Well, when Howard Dean talks, people listen. Some get angry. His words are renewing a debate that's been around in America for centuries. Should God have anything to do with politics? That debate continues live right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: Plus the pages turn in the troubled saga of Mike Tyson. Is boxing about to close the book on the once youngest heavyweight champion in history? We'll tell you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: First, a CNN extra. It's about seeing green, a lot of green. A new report says the number of millionaires in the U.S. grew nearly 10 percent in 2004 to a grand total of nearly two and a half million people. Worldwide there are 8.3 million of these so-called high net worth individuals last year. That's a growth of more than seven percent. And you know what? If you are one of these people...

SCHNEIDER: What should I do?

MARCIANO: Maybe you should spend some cash with our sponsors.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes.

MARCIANO: It's time for a commercial break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: The Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people. They're a pretty monolithic party. They're pretty much -- they all behave the same and they all look the same and they all -- you know, it's pretty much a white Christian party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: There it was. Those controversial comments from Howard Dean this last are drawing fire from Republicans and Democrats. The Democratic Party chairman said those words at a forum of journalists and minority leaders in San Francisco.

He has got the country talking about religion and politics, and that's the subject of this morning's Faces of Faith, politics and religion in America. Can you invite one to the party without the other? And that's the question we're posing as we walk the line between church and state.

In one corner, in Washington, Peter Sprigg is senior director of policy studies at the Family Research Council. He's also an ordained Baptist minister.

In the other corner, Barry Lynn is executive director of Americans Untied for Separation of Church and State. He is also an attorney and an ordained minister.

We want to thank you both for being on the show.

Barry, let me start with you.

BARRY LYNN, AMERICANS UNITED: Sure.

NGUYEN: Does religion belong in politics? LYNN: Frankly in a system of constitutional government hat we have, Betty, we're really supposed to be talking and making laws based on the values of the Constitution not the values of anyone's particular scriptural reference. So I do think one of the things that Howard Dean said that suggest a real problem is that the Republican Party has been seeking out Evangelical Christian voters and then promoting the specific religious views that those Evangelical Christian voters have, and frankly that's not the way to govern in a country that has 10,000 different religious groups and 20 million non- believers. We've got to look for commonly shared values not divisive values based on particular religious view points.

NGUYEN: OK. So, Peter, let me ask you this. How can politicians just escape from the religious beliefs and put about law? How can they do that? Can you really remove yourself from those beliefs?

PETER SPRIGG, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: You can't. I mean all political issues involve questions of moral values, and the vast majority of Americans have their moral values informed in some way by their religious faith. That's something that's inevitable and it should not be segregated from our public life.

What the separation of church and state really means is the separation of the institutions and offices of the church from the institutions and offices of the state. It means you don't have an official national denomination like the Church of England is. It means that you don't automatically get to be a bishop by virtue of being elected to Congress or vice versa. It means that there is no -- you can't coerce people into participating in explicitly religious rituals like baptism or communion.

But he idea that it means that people cannot bring their religiously informed moral values to bear on public policy issues was not what the founders had in mind at all.

LYNN: Nobody really says that there's complete divorcement of those two ideas. But he important thing is that when we make laws in this country we must make them on the basis of commonly shared constitutionally based values. And when people like Peter from the Family Research Council talks about being pro-family what he really means is he would like he and fellow Evangelicals on his political side of the spectrum to make all decisions. First to define what a family is then to make all decisions about how a family can conduct itself from kind of the moment of conception until the moment of death and every minute in between. That is not the way the American Constitution system is based.

NGUYEN: So, Peter, if you allow for these beliefs and you cannot separate yourself from them, then you have to allow for all beliefs. Meaning whether you're Christian, Muslim, Atheist. How does that play into all of this?

SPRIGG: I agree with you absolutely. The first amendment clearly guarantees the free exercise of religion and that means that people of all religious faiths, all religious beliefs have the right to bring those beliefs to bear. Somehow the attitude has arisen though among liberals in this country that everyone can bring their values to bear except for Christians. And that itself violates the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.

Now to what Barry said a moment ago, in fact, a lot of these issues that we're dealing with in the public sphere right now are not exclusively theological or religious issues. Defining life as -- the beginning of life as the moment of conception is a scientific reality. That's when we know that the distinct human genetic identity comes into being.

Defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman is not uniquely religious. That's rooted in the biological reality of the human race, that it takes one man and one woman to reproduce.

NGUYEN: Last word here, Barry.

LYNN: That's certainly not science. This is just his theology masquerading as science. And I think sadly what we're seeing in this country is more and more politicians sadly in both political parties trying to find a proof text from the Bible to prove whatever their public policy point happens to be, that we should not be having battling Bible verses on the floor of the House and the Senate.

We should be looking for these shared constitutional values. They're awfully good ones, equal justice under law, a respect for individual choice in the most intimate matters whether those are in the bedroom or in the churches, synagogues, mosques and temples and anywhere in-between. We've got to give people a right to exercise their religious views not have those imposed on them by the will of the majority in politics.

NGUYEN: OK. Gentlemen we are going to have to leave it there. Of course we could debate this for many more hours, but we thank you for your insight and your time today.

LYNN: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Peter Sprigg, Barry Lynn thank you both.

Rob.

MARCIANO: Politics and religion always a heated conversation.

Now to our e-mail question of the day. As we told you Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean called the Republican Party, quote, "Pretty much a white Christian Party."

NGUYEN: So our question for you, how would you characterize Republican and Democratic parties?

MARCIANO: Here's one for you from James W. Rice. He says, "I truly believe the average Joe in this country sees the Democrats as dividing this country while the GOP tries to unite this country. I know this is wrong, but with a guy such as Howard Dean running the DNC what other conclusion can one come up with. NGUYEN: Well, Barbara says, "I'm totally disappointed in both parties. They have let the American people down in favor of corporate Americans special interest. I think we should clean house and vote them all, in capital letters ALL out of office."

We invite you to keep those responses coming to our e-mail question of the day. Here it is. How would you characterize the Republican and Democratic parties? E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com.

MARCIANO: Maybe we'll get an e-mail from Mike Tyson...

NGUYEN: Maybe.

MARCIANO: ...giving his opinion.

Well, he's down. Mike Tyson is down, and he says he's out. After losing a match to underdog Kevin McBride yesterday Tyson said he doesn't have the stomach for boxing any more. After head butting his opponent, Tyson quit in the sixth round. It's his third loss in his last four fights.

NGUYEN: So he head butted his opponent?

MARCIANO: As opposed to biting and then he quit.

NGUYEN: And I also heard that when that was over fans started throwing things at them. They were pretty upset by the whole thing.

MARCIANO: I would imagine. I would imagine.

NGUYEN: And booing him as well, so...

MARCIANO: Yes, that's the American way.

NGUYEN: All right.

MARCIANO: We have a pretty good story coming up here soon. She lost one leg in the Iraq war, but now she's found new hope and a new career. A wounded warrior decides to give something back. A unique Soldier's Story live next hour on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: But first, starting to forget even the simplest things? I don't have that problem. Dr. Sanjay Gupta makes a house call with tips on how to sharpen your memory. So forget about everything else, top stories and HOUSE CALL that's next.

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 June 12, 2005 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, if you're checking in with us to see if Florida floated away in the night. Well, we're here to tell you that it got drenched by tropical storm Arlene, but the state is still attached to the mainland.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's June 12th. I'm Rob Marciano in for Tony Harris.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, still there. Just a little wet today. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks for being with us. It is 7:00 a.m. here on the East coast, 6:00 a.m. Central time in Pensacola, Florida. Thanks for being with us today.

A French journalist has been freed in Iraq five months after being snatched off a Baghdad street. The French foreign ministry confirms that Florence Aubenas, that is, and her Iraqi assistant were released earlier today. There are no details on why they were freed.

The U.S. Marines says air strikes in western Baghdad have killed about 40 insurgents. There are no reports of civilian or U.S. casualties. The attack was part of a stepped up campaign against insurgents around the country.

In Russia, terrorism is suspected in an explosion that injured at least 15 people aboard a passenger train. The train was en route to Moscow from war torn Chechnya. Today is a national holiday in Russia. And security forces were already on high alert for possible attacks by Chechen rebels.

MARCIANO: Here's a look at what's coming on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. More fizzle than sizzle, as Arlene fails to muster up hurricane strength before coming ashore. You won't find any complaints from the Gulf Coast residents, that's for sure. They're still bearing the scars of last year's hurricane season.

And the ravages and the raging popularity of methamphetamine. It's a big time threat that brings with it big time problems. Our investigative unit takes a deeper look at its effects.

And erasing debt, the global scale of the rich, the poor, and the bridge builders. Will the world's richest nations forgive the debts of the poorest?

NGUYEN: Well, yesterday, a lot of folks on the Gulf Coast were pretty worried about an unwelcome guest named Arlene. As it turns out, her visit went better than many people expected. Tropical storm Arlene came ashore with more menace than muscle. The blustery storm packed heavy rains and 20 foot waves, as it hit the Gulf Coast, but damage is described as minimal. Arlene right now is a tropical depression.

MARCIANO: CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti was on the Gulf Coast awaiting Arlene's arrival. Now she has the aftermath in Pensacola, Florida.

Susan, you're still there, as is the state, I presume?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We made out OK, Rob. Good morning to you.

The reports of damage so far this morning in Pensacola, not even a downed tree. The Gulf is calm and so are residents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Arlene fizzled. And that was just fine with Gulf Coast residents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It'll be a great eye opener for us, to wake us up for the season, get everyone prepared, and get those medical kits and the first aid equipment in the houses, get that bottled water stored up.

CANDIOTTI: But when word came that the hurricane season's first named storm was heading toward Pensacola, Florida, an understandable reaction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go again.

CANDIOTTI: No one thought Arlene would come close to matching last September's Hurricane Ivan. Yet the surf looked menacing, pounding beaches and blasting sand. Waves crashed up and over piers along the Gulf Coast.

Along Pensacola Beach, a steady flow of residents and tourists spent much of the day watching Arlene blow onto shore. The Waylans brought they daughters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were too young when Ivan came through. So we just wanted them to play and have some fun, get out of the house for a little bit.

CANDIOTTI: Arlene made some anxious that hurricane season was officially underway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can't handle another Ivan. That was too much to take in one season. And followed up with another one next season, this season? They can't do it.

We've got too much damage, too much loss. And it would really (INAUDIBLE) apart.

CANDIOTTI: But Tropical Storm Arlene barely made an impact. No more than about three inches of rain, virtually no damage from wind or flooding. And a storm surge that fortunately didn't live up to forecasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Now along the Gulf Coast, about 11,000 homes and businesses lost power. It's expected to be restored some time today.

And if there is any lesson learned, according to emergency management officials here, but when it comes to tropical storms and hurricanes, the Gulf Coast is never off the hook.

Back to you, Rob.

MARCIANO: That's for sure, Susan. It's only June. Are you ready for another hurricane season? It was busy last year.

CANDIOTTI: Oh, sure, because you have to be prepared for anything. It's expected to be a busy season this year, too. Fortunately, tropical storm Arlene lived up to its expectations of not being too big of a deal.

MARCIANO: Well, we're happy about that. Thanks very much, Susan Candiotti in Pensacola, Florida.

NGUYEN: As she says, oh, sure. Yes...

MARCIANO: Yes, I'm really excited about that.

NGUYEN: Of course I'm ready.

MARCIANO: Still water logged from last hurricane season.

NGUYEN: Still drying out.

All right, let's welcome our newest member of CNN's weather team, meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. What a weekend to start.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: She mentioned tornadoes.

NGUYEN: Yes.

MARCIANO: Also a threat today. It's been a threat all week. And we have video of one in Wisconsin, the weather. Didn't come from the seas like Arlene did. Came from the sky. A tornado ripped through a village in Hammond, about 35 miles east of St. Paul, Minnesota.

About two dozen homes were hit. And officials say the damages were likely -- might top $3.5 million. Wow, look at that video.

Luckily, though, no injuries were reported. Good news there.

NGUYEN: Yes, this is good news. Yes.

In Aruba, the search for a missing Alabama teenager is clouded by contradictions, denials, and few public statements.

A senior police official tells CNN of a possible breakthrough. And prosecutors suggest a major development may be near. CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Palm Beach, Aruba and filed this full report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Aruba judge has ordered three suspects to be detained for eight more days, while police investigate their alleged links to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.

Investigators brought the three in unmarked cars to the courtroom in Aruba's capitol Oranjestad. They'd been named as 17-year old Joran Van Der Sloot and brothers 21-year old Deepak and 18-year Satish Kalpoe.

Witnesses say they saw the three men drive off from an Aruba bar with Natalee on the morning of May 30th, the day she disappeared.

A senior police official has told CNN there's been a breakthrough in the investigation amounting to a confession or some sort of confession. But defense attorneys for the three suspects had this to say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My client states -- keeps on saying that he's not guilty. And he hasn't -- he is not that have been writing in the press that has confessed. Up to now, that I know, nobody has.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My client is maintaining that he is innocent.

PENHAUL: Earlier in the day, Aruba's prosecution service had this to say about the progress of the investigation.

VIVIAN VAN DER BIEZEN, PROSECUTOR'S SPOKESWOMAN: The Prosecution Service has -- is aware of some information that are related to the investigation of alleged statements of witnesses -- of, sorry suspects in this case. And what the Prosecution Service would like to state is at this moment; we neither confirm or deny any information coming from other sources.

The investigation at this point is the following. We have five suspects. They are being interrogated. And we are at a very crucial, very important moment in our investigation.

PENHAUL: Two other men, both security guards, were arrested a week ago. They're still being held. One of those men's defense attorneys said his client had an alibi and appealed for him to be freed.

CHRIS LEJUEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They know now for sure that they don't need him to solve this case. And yet, they still keep him. And this brings injustice to an innocent man. PENHAUL: Amid the cut and thrust of the investigation and legal arguments, one fact is clear. There's still no sign of Natalee or her remains.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Palm Beach, Aruba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: What's going next week? Well, let's fast forward through some of the stories we'll be covering in the days to come.

Tuesday, the Senate begins work on a bill aimed at revamping the nation's energy policy. The measure calls for a doubling of ethanol and gasoline, which makes gasoline burn cleaner. It would also increase research into the use of hydrogen as fuel.

And the Senate's top Republican Bill Frist says he believes the Senate will vote some time over the next week on the controversial nomination of John Bolton as U.N. ambassador -- U.S. ambassador to the U.N. But Democrats say they think they have enough to support a block of that nomination.

And Thursday, at North Carolina's Pinehurst resort, Retief Goosen defends his 2004 U.S. Open title. He's going to have to work for it, though. He's going to have to deal with Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson, just to name a few.

NGUYEN: Yes, just to name a few. That's a lot right there.

MARCIANO: Yes.

NGUYEN: OK, so Howard Dean is on the attack, but what does the rest of the Democratic party think about his jabs at Republicans?

MARCIANO: Plus, behind methamphetamine, the pictures that tell a disturbing story of the damage this dangerous drug can really do.

NGUYEN: And Tropical Storm Arlene hits the Gulf Coast, then fizzles out. You're looking at a live picture of Tampa, Florida. Bonnie Schneider's here with your complete forecast. That is all coming up right after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Well, when the governor of Texas chose the inside of a church to sign a new bill, it sparked a controversial question. What role should God play in politics? The separation of church and state, an emotional debate live next hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Some stories making news across America now. Flags and flowers, craters and praise, one of the last firefighters identified as being killed in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center was laid to rest in New York City yesterday. A band playing "Amazing Grace" serenaded Keith Roy Maynard. At 30-years old, he had followed his father into firefighting. 343 New York firefighters were killed on September 11th.

From Army barracks to a prison cell, that's the journey Sergeant Aaron Stanley will make. A court martial panel in Kansas has sentenced him to life without parole for shooting two fellow soldiers to death. Prosecutors called the killings "extraordinarily violent and senseless." They say the 23-year old shot the soldiers to protect a drug running operation.

And in California, some signs of the times. Anti-gay protesters from Kansas showed up at a high school graduation ceremony in Tracy, California. Members of a Kansas church went to the community to protest the formation of a gay, straight club at the local high school. Gay rights activists also rallied.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is usually spotlighted on the world stage. Well, now she's taking to a different kind of stage. We will explain later this hour on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

MARCIANO: Well, after a week of controversy over his fiery rhetoric, Democratic party chairman Howard Dean is not sorry. He told party activists in Iowa he's determined to keep talking tough, despite calls for Democrats to tone it down.

More from CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To hear Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean tell it, last week was a pretty good week for him and the party.

HOWARD DEAN, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: The last couple days we've raised over $100,000 in 24 hours on the web, unsolicited. People want us to fight, and we are here to fight. We are not going to lie down...

(APPLAUSE)

JOHNS: As voters found out in his race for the White House, Dean has a way with words. But in the days leading up to this weekend's meeting of the Democratic Party's top brass in Washington, Dean's rhetoric about Republicans has attracted increasing attention.

DEAN: They are pretty much -- they all behave the same and they all look the same. And they all -- you know, it's pretty much a white Christian Party.

JOHNS: Dean has also said embattled Republican majority leader Tom DeLay, whose fund-raising and foreign travel funding, have come under scrutiny, ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence. DeLay has not been charged with any crime.

These kinds of comments have made some Democrats nervous and given joy to joke writers. JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: A large group of Democrats are going to Europe this week, not a fact finding mission. They're just trying to distance themselves from Howard Dean.

JOHNS: And some Democrats with relative degrees of diplomacy have tried to distance themselves. Even a former general chair of the party suggested Dean has stepped over the line.

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: He's doing a good job as chairman. Did he make a mistake with these comments? Absolutely.

JOHNS: The Senate and House Democratic leaders have also criticized Dean's remarks and plenty of Republicans have, too. One political observer said the problem is Democrats have a wealth of political targets to exploit right now, from social security, to protecting the independence of the judiciary, and don't need Dean turning the spotlight on himself.

PROF. ALLAN LICHTMAN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: If Howard Dean would just be able to touch right on the line; he would be the most effective advocate the Democrats have.

JOHNS (on camera): Many Democrats agree that the point of Dean's remarks has been to motivate the Democratic base, and they say he's doing that. But some say a little more subtlety and nuance couldn't hurt.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: It is no secret what Howard Dean thinks of the Republican party. So how would you characterize it? And how about the Democrats? E-mail us your thoughts on both parties at weekends@cnn.com. We'll be reading your responses all morning long.

MARCIANO: And he struggled for years with an addiction to speed. Now this recovering meth addict talks about what the drug did to him and how it's still affecting his life. This story coming up, when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Time now for our weekly look at some of the best stories from our investigative unit. Today, methamphetamine. On the street, it's known as speed, meth, chalk. It can give its users a rush of energy, but it can also kill.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen examines the facts about meth addiction in our investigation unit spotlight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every time Clancy Miller looks in the mirror, he's reminded of his past. CLANCY MILLER, FORMER METH ADDICT: I went see the doctor. And he said, "My God, you only got one-thirty second of one inch of your jawbone left, which is about that much. I said, "Well, what happened to my jawbone?" He said, "Did you do speed?" I go, "Yes." He said, "Did you grind your teeth like that?" And I go, "Yes." And he says you literally wore out your jawbone.

COHEN: For two decades, Clancy Miller was addicted to methamphetamines.

And how long have you been off of meth?

MILLER: Sixteen years, six months, three weeks, four days, two hours and fifteen minutes, but who's counting?

COHEN: Doctors had to replace Miller's jaw with bone from his hip. And while now his jaw works fine, Miller says his brain doesn't always.

MILLER: I'm really good in math. And I'm still fairly good, but I can figure things in my brain really quick and come out and throw an answer out at you, amaze people. And I can't do that any more.

COHEN: And that long term brain damage is what doctors say sets it apart from other drugs. Dr. Edythe London, a pharmacologist at UCLA, specializes in meth and the brain.

EDYTHE LONDON, UCLA PHARMACOLOGIST: I've heard from a man who is 51-years old. He's been off of methamphetamine for 8 years. And he can't get out of bed.

This is good, this is good.

COHEN: Here's what Dr. London has discovered. Look at the areas in red. That's where meth abusers have less gray matter.

LONDON: This part of the brain is very important for regulating mood and also has something to do with attention.

COHEN: Addicts have fewer brain cells in areas that influence decision-making and mood.

LONDON: When comparing methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroine, the long term effects seem to be much more dramatic with methamphetamine. And these changes make them depressed, so depressed that they may not be able to get out of bed. And they then really need the drug to get that energy and just to be normal.

COHEN: And that's what happened to Clancy Miller. Here he is at the height of his addiction.

MILLER: I can remember one time I was living with a girl. And she said, get up, get up. And I said, "I'm too tired and I'm out of speed." So she went out and bought me some speed, brought it back. And I did a couple lines and I was up and gone. COHEN: And then Miller had an experience that changed his life. He was training with his National Guard unit and suddenly collapsed. His colleagues thought he'd been drinking.

MILLER: And one of the medics yelled to the company commander, "Commander, bring the young troopers over here and let them watch an old alcoholic die."

COHEN: But he didn't die. Instead, he checked himself into the hospital and got clean.

MILLER: My name is Clancy. And I'm dually diagnosed.

COHEN: Now Clancy Miller has his own drug abuse treatment program for recovering addicts.

DANIELLE: My name is Danielle and I'm dually diagnosed.

MILLER: Hi, Danielle.

DANIELLE: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you come to someone and ask them, I need help. I know I have a problem, then you know, that's the first step.

COHEN: Recovery is tough. And even though researchers, like Dr. London, know precisely what areas of the brain are affected by meth, they haven't yet been able to take that information and use it to improve treatment.

LONDON: There is a need for not only more knowledge, but for treatment programs to use the knowledge that we have.

COHEN: Clancy Miller and his friends know this better than anyone, as they try to overcome the powerful effects of meth etched in their brains and in their souls.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Well, deleting debt. Some of the richest nations are wiping away money owed by some of the poorest. But will this new deal actually help the people who need it the most when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, I guess you could say, yeah, surf's up. Tropical storm Arlene hits the Gulf coast and then it fizzles out, knocked some people down a little bit.

MARCIANO: All fun and games until somebody gets swept out to sea.

NGUYEN: Right, now it's fun and games. I want to welcome you back this morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in for Tony Harris. More on the storm's aftermath in just a minute, but first, a look at the news this morning.

There are indications this morning that the British had doubts about the U.S. war plan for Iraq long before the actual invasion. "The Washington Post" has obtained a staff paper prepared for British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The memo concluded that the U.S. gave little thought to the post-war occupation. The "Post" says the memo was written eight months before the war began.

And President Bush plans to promote a new prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients this week. Seniors will be eligible to enroll in the program this November and benefits begin in January. The White House estimates that the plan adds $700 billion to the Medicare program, even as Medicare's finances sink deeper into the red.

And could this finally be the end for Mike Tyson? The former heavy weight champ says he doesn't have the stomach for boxing anymore.

NGUYEN: It's over?

MARCIANO: He quit in the sixth round yesterday after taking a beating from underdog Kevin McBride. It was Tyson's third loss in the last four fights.

NGUYEN: Arlene is now a tropical depression. The storm fizzled out as it blew ashore yesterday along the Gulf coast. It did bring a lot of rain, but caused little damage. Reporter Bob Masson (ph) of our affiliate WVUE reports from Pensacola, Florida, where residents are still recovering from hurricane Ivan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): They lost everything in Ivan.

MATTHEW GILLY, PENSACOLA RESIDENT: We lost our home, but like I say, luckily by the grace of God we got another place. We were one of the lucky ones out of the bunch I guess.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As tropical storm Arlene came ashore, the Gilly family came out to see what a lesser storm could bring.

GILLY: It's changed a lot, man. It's taken away a lot of the scenery out here.

TRISTAN GILLY, PENSACOLA RESIDENT: It felt good, but it's getting me where it rains and it sprinkles, it hurts me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arlene slammed into Pensacola Beach with wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. It provided a stern test to partially rebuilt structures and roads damaged by hurricane Ivan.

BUCK LEE, SANTA ROSA ISLAND AUTHORITY: A lot of money into that parking lot and we're trying to save it right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bulldozers tried to do battle against the wind slept sea to save a freshly poured parking lot on Fort Pickens Road. The roadway itself just repaired after Ivan is under water again, a new setback for national park officials hoping to reopen the road by the fourth of July.

LEE: They thought they were going to have it open around the 16th of June, two days from now. Looks like now they probably had a setback somewhat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At Pensacola's main beach, sightseers flocked to the surf's edge in spite of heavy winds and rough seas.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: This is just child play compared to Ivan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the storm approached, (INAUDIBLE) deputies closed the main pier, running off sightseers as six foot waves lapped beneath the deck. After Ivan the terrible, Arlene was impressive, but something of a weak sister.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the other things are just extras. We have what we need and that's each other and if we have a roof over our head that's all that matters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Keeping it in perspective. Arlene reached the coast far below the minimum hurricane level of 74 miles an hour.

MARCIANO: Time now to check on some of the other big stories making news around the world.

NGUYEN: A Russian train is derailed by an explosion. Also, there have been several bombings in Iran. For those details, let's hand it over to Anand Naidoo at the CNN international desk. Good morning Anand.

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you and good morning to you. I'll have details on those stories in just a moment, but first, a hostage release in Iraq. CNN has confirmed that a French journalist and her interpreter held hostage in Iraq for about five months have been freed. French foreign ministry officials say Florence Aubenas is heading back home. She works for "Liberation," a Paris daily. Aubenas was taken hostage January 5th after leaving her Baghdad hotel. The French President Jacques Chirac says she's healthy, and he thanked officials for working in what he called dangerous and difficult conditions to free those hostages.

Now to Russia, and there's been a train derailment there, and it's thought to have been caused by an explosion. The Itar TASS news agency says that the train was on it way from Grozny in war-torn Chechnya to Moscow. It went off the rails about 100 miles from the Russian capital. At least 15 people on the train were hurt when six of the cars jumped the rails. An engineer says the explosive device went off in front of the train. Now to Iran. Several bombs going off there in the southern city of Ahvaz. Local reports say three bombs went off near government buildings, killing at least two people and wounding 23 others. At least one of the blasts was the result of a car bomb that exploded near the governor's office. A local military official says that it's difficult to tell who's behind those bombings right now. Five people were killed in the same area in ethnic unrest and that took place last April. That is all for me now. Later on we'll be looking at the Lebanese elections. For now, back to Rob and Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. Thank you Anand.

MARCIANO: Thanks Anand. Finance ministers from the eight richest nations have agreed to write off all debt owed by 18 of the poorest countries to the tune of $40 billion. Other countries may enjoy similar debt relief in the future. CNN's Carol Lin has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tanzania, Ghana, Ethiopia, they owed so much money to rich western countries they cut health and education budgets and charged taxes for basic services just to repay world debt. In Ethiopia, where people survive on $1 a day, a woman has to pay a month's wage to give birth safely in a hospital.

JEFFREY SACHS, MILLENNIUM PROJECT: Maybe they'd be charged in effect $20 or $30 or $50 for a delivery and the result is that many, many women die in child birth because they can't afford to have a safe attended child birth.

LIN: People in sub-Saharan Africa are so poor they have to chose between food or sending their kids to school because parents were taxed for basic education. That money would barely cover the interest payment on Ethiopia's crushing world debt. Jeffrey Sachs is a special adviser to the U.N.'s Millennium's Project, which is fighting to end world hunger and poverty in the next 10 years.

SACHS: So it's been a brutal tradeoff. Do you pay the debt? That's what the rich and powerful countries have been demanding up until today or do you save your children and ensure that they're at school.

LIN: During the 1970s and '80s, the U.S., France and other rich western countries lent billions of dollars to corrupt governments who opposed communism. Regimes have changed. Africa is more democratic, less corrupt, but still seen as a breeding ground for war and terror.

SACHS: Africa itself is being seen more and more as a security risk because of instability, but the way to solve the instability is not through a military approach, but it's by helping people have more food, helping children to survive and get to school and become productive citizens.

LIN: And for the average taxpayer, Africa still was a world away until recently when Hollywood brought the issue closer to home. U2's Bono, one of the most famous voices and faces in the world has personally taken on the issue of world poverty.

BONO, SINGER/ACTIVIST: Understand, the people are burnt out seeing images of flies buzzing around children, but they're people -- you know, there's people living inside those images.

LIN: He raised eyebrows and awareness when he toured Africa with Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill. Super star Brad Pitt and conservative evangelical Pat Robertson find common ground when it comes to Africa. They both believe poverty can be eliminated in the next 10 years. That is the United Nations goal. If I could write you a check today how much would it cost?

SACHS: If each of us would give 70 cents out of every $100 of our income, extreme poverty around the planet could be ended by our generation.

LIN: Carol Lin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: We're going to go a little further into the G-8's plan to forgive world debt. What does it mean for Africans and what does it do to the American bottom line? Georgetown University Professor Carol Lancaster is the author of "Aid to Africa." She's our guest in the 9:00 a.m. Eastern hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: He has two purple hearts from brushes with death. So why can't this man go back to his work as a Marine, even though he wants to. He is today's hero. We'll have that story coming up.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Not much left with tropical depression Arlene on this map, but in Pensacola, the storm did pack a punch. Check out a live picture of the beaches there. Not looking bad today, but I'll have a look at your complete weather forecast coming up as CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Marine Lance Corporal Nathan Borquez is the focus of our hero story this week. His helmet saved his life during the fighting last fall in Fallujah, but it wasn't enough to save his military career. Bill Tucker reports.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) was wounded in Iraq a couple times, got blown up, a couple IEDs.

BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lance Corporal Nathan Borquez is on an unfamiliar mission. He's a visitor at Camp Pendleton, California. Although he looks well, home for Borquez is a hospital. He's been there for months recovering and hoping for a normal life. Borquez has two purple hearts. His first brush with death came on his 20th birthday.

LANCE CPL. NATHAN BORQUEZ, USMC: I was on a convoy and the convoy got struck by an IED, an improved explosive device and I was hit in the head with some frag and knocked unconscious. TUCKER: He came to, was checked out and sent back to work.

BORQUEZ: Dazed, headaches, not the same. This is weird, weird experience.

TUCKER: He struggled but he did his job. A month later he was hit in the head again by another IED.

BORQUEZ: I just couldn't believe it happened a second time. The symptoms were much worse this time and my memory along with my balance was off by a lot.

TUCKER: Borquez had suffered two traumatic concussions and damage to his eardrums.

BORQUEZ: I thought I was going to shake it off. I thought it was just a regular type of knock in the head.

TUCKER: He tried again to go back to work, but this time his fellow Marines could see that he wasn't right. He was sent home to recover. Borquez has been hospitalized ever since, undergoing treatment to restore his memory, his hearing, and to deal with his constant vertigo.

BORQUEZ: It'll take a couple, a year or two for me to heal up and get back to normal.

TUCKER: Borquez will soon be medically retired from the Marine Corps. He says he feels better just having a chance to visit with the Marines that he served with and those of a previous generation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And for you, I want to thank you and I want to wish you well and (INAUDIBLE) for your mother and for your father for having you back.

BORQUEZ: Thank you, means a lot to me.

TUCKER: Bill Tucker, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And we bring you hero stories every week on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

MARCIANO: Well, pretty much a white Christian party. That's the Democratic party chief Howard Dean. That's what he said recently about Republicans. His comment drew fire from the GOP and from his own party too. It also begs the question, what role does God have in politics. That debate live next hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

NGUYEN: First, though a CNN extra. Researchers at Allstate insurance found drivers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa are the safest in the nation, averaging one car accident every 15 years. The national average, this may be surprising to some, it was to me, the national average is one accident every 10 years. Cedar Rapids drivers credit everything from the efficient interstate highways to the slower pace and attitudes of Iowans in general.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Taking a look at top stories now. The now downgraded tropical depression Arlene is nothing more than a weather maker. Blowing ashore with 60 mile an hour winds, Arlene lashed the Gulf coast with sheets of rain and 20-foot waves. All hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been lifted.

Police in Aruba now deny that a suspect confessed about the missing Alabama teenager. However, five men are still being held in connection with Natalee Holloway's disappearance.

A French journalist has been freed in Iraq. Held hostage for five months, she was released along with her Iraqi interpreter. Three Rumanian journalists also have been released.

All right. Liposuction is a popular method for getting rid of unsightly lumps and bumps caused by the dreaded cellulite. But a noted dermatologist says that's a total waste of money. The secret to better skin from the author of the "Cellulite Solution." That is 9:00 a.m. Eastern live right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Don't miss it.

MARCIANO: Well, they say home is where the heart is. It's also where a lot of your money is too. How do you make the most of your home or at least your next housing investment? CNN's Christina Park joins us with some tips you can find online.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA PARK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you want to spruce your house or buy that dream home at the beach, cnnmoney.com is your guide. Go to the renovations section for a few tips on what you can do to bring your home to the digital age. Install a wireless home monitoring system to control the temperature, turn lights on and off and run a security camera while you're away. All you need is access to the Internet. If you travel and worry about you've left the coffee maker on, another device will let you know whether you did. It will also check for any leaky pipes and a wireless remote can control all the lights in your home. Just don't lose it.

How about that dream home at the beach? Check out this gallery high lighting some of the most affordable places to make that dream come true from sunny Florida's forgotten coast to the cooler Prince Edward Island in Canada. That's all online at cnn.money.com/yourhome. Reporting from the dot com desk, I'm Christina Park.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Look at this. He came oh so close to winning the triple crown, but two out of three ain't bad. How a fleet Alex took the Belmont stakes when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Well it was fleeting indeed. A fleet Alex broke out of the pack on the clubhouse turn and blew to a seven-length victory in the Belmont stakes. The Preakness winner's time of just 2:28 broke Secretariat's Belmont record by almost five seconds. That's fast.

NGUYEN: That's big time in racing.

All right. Look at this. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice takes to the stage. We'll show it to you in just a moment. A pianist from the age of three, Rice performed at the Kennedy Center last night and she accompanied a 21-year-old soprano who is diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension which is often fatal. Showing her talents out there on stage last night.

MARCIANO: She is one talented person. Howard Dean, he's been in the news.

NGUYEN: Yeah.

MARCIANO: Some people say he's talented. But as we've been - he's been making some scathing remarks about the Republican Party and we're asking you this morning how would you categorize both the GOP and the Democrats? We've got actually, the first e-mail is kind of -- just makes a comment on both. It's from Howard in New York. He says both parties need to grow up and govern for the American people. Shady people should go to jail just like any other citizen. Abuse of power ruins our country.

NGUYEN: All right. Here is what Sue from Waterville, Vermont says. She says, I can't believe Howard Dean. He is much more intelligent than he sounds in his last statements. I'm a Vermonter. I voted for him as governor of our state. I thought he did well for the people of Vermont and I am a white Christian. What is up Howard?

So we want to know what you think. Keep those e-mails coming. How would you characterize the republican and Democratic parties? E- mail us your thoughts at weekends@cnn.com.

MARCIANO: A little tradition we have in the weather department. Bonnie Schneider joins us by the way this weekend.

NGUYEN: Yes. Welcome Bonnie.

MARCIANO: Great job yesterday on tropical storm. We typically like to hear your political views.

SCHNEIDER: Don't even go there. (INAUDIBLE) You know, we did pretty well with one tropical storm, but it's still early in the season.

NGUYEN: One down. Many to go.

SCHNEIDER: Exactly. We're only at the letter "A". But in the meantime, if we take a look at our satellite perspective, you won't see much left of tropical storm Arlene, especially down in Florida. It's really not looking too bad at this point, but we do have a clear sky for much of the region that was unfortunately plummeted with a lot of rain that we saw yesterday, about five inches in some areas to less than three in others. So it really depended on where you were to see quite a bit of rain. Actually, the remnants of Arlene will be moving up to the north and we're likely to see that pretty much throughout the Ohio valley into Kentucky today. A lot of rain expected.

Here's a look at some rainfall totals of what Arlene did yesterday. A lot of rain in Panama City, almost 5.5 inches. And down in Pensacola, where it's actually starting to become a little more sunny there, 3.5 just about. So a lot of rain in a short amount of time, but the good news it's cleared out down in the Gulf coast. Unfortunately though, folks a little further to the north will be feeling the effects of Arlene. A tropical depression right now soon to (ph) become an ordinary area of low pressure that will trigger some downpours. So we do have flood watches posted for much of the Ohio valley into even parts of Tennessee.

And then further to the west, the threat of severe weather. Yesterday we had tornadoes break out in Wisconsin. A little further south now, we're looking for the severe weather potential to exist in northern Texas, parts of Oklahoma. We've got drier air coming in through here with a lot of warm, Gulf moisture and that definitely will trigger the possibility of some severe weather. In the meantime, high temperatures across the country today, looking pretty warm and actually pretty steamy especially into the northeast where highs today will be in the 90s. Off to the west, we'll look for conditions a little bit cooler in the Pacific Northwest but overall we're looking at a hot day on the east coast, a little cooler on the west coast and I'd say pretty stormy right in between.

MARCIANO: Looks like a pretty good deal.

NGUYEN: Stuck in the middle of the storms, the Dallas area is going to be a little shaky and hot today.

SCHNEIDER: Definitely. We could see some strong storms and maybe even tornadoes into northern Texas today.

MARCIANO: Bonnie, she's from Dallas. Don't fall into the trap of giving her a...

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: ... personalized forecast. No problem.

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: OK, Bonnie, thank you. We'll be check in later.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

NGUYEN: The next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins right now.

For those of you just joining us to see what Arlene did to the Gulf Coast well, her punch was pretty weak. She'll be known more for her heavy rain than strong winds. All is well, as the now tropical depression inches her way up north.

From the CNN Center this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING the 12th of June. Good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in for Tony Harris. Here's a quick look at what's happening right now.

The Gulf Coast is reporting very little damage from Arlene, after the tropical storm failed to build to hurricane strength before coming ashore near Florida's Santa Rosa Island. Arlene dumped a lot of rain and it kicked up 20 foot surf, but CNN's Susan Candiotti says there have been virtually no reports of flooding or wind damage. She'll joins us live from Pensacola Beach in just a bit.

And French journalist, a French journalist is on her way to Paris right now, five months after being snatched off the streets of Baghdad. The French Foreign Ministry confirms that Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi translator were freed earlier today. It's still unclear how or why they were set free.

And in Aruba a judge has ordered that the three youngest people held in the case remain jailed for another eight days. Publicly there is no new information on what happened to Natalie Holloway, the Alabama teen who vanished nearly two weeks ago.

There are conflicting reports on whether there has been a confession of some kind. A total of five people are being held in connection tot he case. None of them have been charged.

NGUYEN: Fighting words, a fight over faith and a fight to the finish. That is coming up. The dean of the DNC tells Republicans he is not going to take their tact any more. We will tell you what else the dean is saying.

And church and state are supposed to be separate, but religion is increasingly playing a role in politics. We will take a look. And there was no biting but there was a head butt. We've got the one two punch on what may have been Mike Tyson's last fight.

MARCIANO: All right, here's the latest on Arlene. The weakening storm has downgraded from a tropical storm to a depression. I should know this stuff. The National Hurricane Center has canceled all the tropical storm warnings. The greatest threat now is heavy rain, especially in the lower lying areas that lie north of Arlene's path.

Let's first get a gauge on what Arlene did across parts of Florida. CNN national correspondent, Susan Candiotti is in Pensacola Beach, Florida and joins us live.

You survived, Susan.

CANDIOTTI: We did, but we've got our rain gear ready for the next storm now. Of course no one expected Arlene to pack Hurricane Ivan's wallop from last fall after all, this was a tropical storm. But it did rattle some nerves.

Everything seems to be back to normal now. The Gulf is calm. I think off in the distance you might be able to get a look at some surfers who are already out looking for some waves. Not much out there this morning.

Damage, emergency planners say none.

Now on Saturday the waves were menacing as Arlene pounded ashore and made landfall just west of Pensacola following virtually the same path as Hurricane Ivan last September. Sustained winds only 20 to 30 miles per hour, storm surge of only about three feet and Arlene was dry. This area got only two to three inches of rain.

Authorities here do give high marks to area residence for making preparations. People did go out and buy bottled water, get the batteries and they did follow, at least some did, orders to evacuate or suggestions that they evacuate from low lying areas. But fewer than 200 people took advantage of area shelters.

And while certainly people did prepare they're not looking forward to this hurricane season.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can't handle another Ivan. That was too much to take in one season and followed up with another one next season or this season they can't do it. We've had too much damage, too much loss and it would really tear Pensacola apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: About 11,000 people are still reported to be out of power, losing power here along the Gulf Coast. However, the utility company does expect to have everyone back on line sometime today. Meantime, people are still recovering from Hurricane Ivan here, about 10,000 homes still need to have their roofs repaired. However, there is apparently no need to recover from Tropical Storm Arlene.

Back to you, Rob.

MARCIANO: Susan Candiotti live in Pensacola, Florida getting ready for the next storm.

Thanks, Susan.

NGUYEN: As we talk about this next storm, let's turn it over to Bonnie Schneider.

Where is this next (INAUDIBLE)? You're actually watching an area of disturbance in the Caribbean, but so far so good. It's just a disturbance.

SCHNEIDER: Yes. Now the remnants of Arlene will bring some rains to other parts of the country, so we're watching for the potential for flooding in some locations.

Let's take a look at our satellite perspective and we'll show you what we're looking at right now, clear conditions for the Gulf Coast. That's a nice change from this time yesterday when we had heavy, heavy downpours across Mobile into New Orleans. A lot of rain fell in a short amount of time, and those rainfall totals actually did accumulate to quite a bit.

In fact, take a look at the numbers as we take a look at these totals. You'll see parts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi got a lot of rain, and Ft. Myers, Florida as well almost five inches there.

Now we talk about hot spots today. On the map we're watching out for the potential for tornadic activity in the northern sections of Texas and into Oklahoma, Kansas as well. But yesterday the hot spot Wisconsin. That's where we saw a host of tornadoes, 22 homes destroyed. Wow! Look at that, roofs collapsed.

We have a lot of dry air coming in from the west. That collides with that warm Gulf moisture and we're definitely looking out for some warm conditions for today as well and I think we could see some more severe weather break out across much of the region, so we'll be watching that as it occurs.

NGUYEN: Those pictures, yes.

MARCIANO: They just ripped right off there.

SCHNEIDER: They sure did.

MARCIANO: Good news, no injuries. That's good.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Bonnie. We'll be checking in.

All right, from Arlene to what some are calling hurricane Howard Dean. The dean of the DNC says he will fight political adversaries, but some say he's just picking a fight.

At a meeting in Washington yesterday Dean promised the party faithful that he will keep talking tough and won't lay down on attacks.

CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns has more now from Washington.

Good morning, Joe.

JOHNS: Good morning, Betty. Many Democrats say recent controversial remarks by Chairman Dean have been designed to motivate the democratic base and they say he's doing that, but they also say a little more subtly and nuance couldn't hurt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): To hear Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean tell it, last week was a pretty good week for him and the party.

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: In the last couple of days we raised over $100,000 in 24 hours on the Web, unsolicited. People want us to fight. We are here to fight. We are not going to allow... (APPLAUSE)

JOHNS: As voters found out in his race for the White House, Dean has a way with words. But in the days leading up tot his weekend's meeting of the Democratic Party's top brass in Washington, Dean's rhetoric about Republicans has attracted increasing attention.

DEAN: They pretty much, they all behave the same, they all look the same and they all, you know, it's pretty a white Christian party.

JOHNS: Dean has also said embattled Republican Majority Lead Tom DeLay, whose fund raising and foreign travel funding have come under scrutiny, ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence. DeLay has not been charged with any crime.

These kinds of comments have made some Democrats nervous and given joy to joke writers.

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": A large group of Democrats going to Europe this week. Not a fact finding mission, they're just trying to distance themselves from Howard Dean.

JOHNS: And some Democrats with relative degrees of diplomacy have tried to distance themselves. Even a former general chair of the party suggested Dean has stepped over the line.

SENATOR CHRISTOPHER DODD, (D) CONNECTICUT: He's doing a good job as chairman. Did he make a mistake with these comments? Absolutely.

JOHNS: The Senate and House democratic leaders have also criticized Dean's remarks and plenty of Republicans have too. One political observer said the problem is Democrats have a wealth of political targets to exploit right now from Social Security to protecting the independence of the judiciary and don't need Dean turning the spotlight on himself.

PROF. ALLAN LICHTMAN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: If Howard Dean would just be able to touch right on the line he would be the most effective advocate the Democrats have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: Some Republicans have called on Dean to apologize, but so far, as you can see, there's no sign of backing down.

Betty, back to you.

NGUYEN: Which means it's going to get very interesting.

Joe Johns, thank you.

It is no secret what Howard Dean thinks of the Republican Party. So, how would you characterize it, and how about those Democrats? E- mail us your thoughts on both parties at weekends@cnn.com. We'll be reading your responses all morning. MARCIANO: Kind of a political Sunday. Given that, sometimes the line between church and state appears blurred, at best, like when the governor of Texas recently used a chapel as a setting for a bill signing. Does God belong in politics? We're going to have a live debate in about 10 minutes here on CNN SUNDAY.

NGUYEN: And Arlene turned out to be a real lady. Meteorologist Bonnie Snyder tracks the storm when we come back. But right now here is a live look at Tampa. Not too bad on this Sunday morning.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A lot of people turn to liposuction to get rid of those unsightly lumps and bumps caused by cellulite. But a noted dermatologist says they are just wasting their money. The secret to better skin from the author of "The Cellulite Solution." That's live next hour, 9 a.m. eastern right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Good morning. Welcome back. Tropical storm Bonnie -- Arlene, Bonnie Schneider, our new meteorologist in the CNN weather center now with a look at other stuff. It's not all that great, right? We've got the threat of tornadoes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Checking our top stories right now. There is some confusion and conflicting reports out of Aruba in the case of the missing Alabama teenager. Prosecutors won't confirm or deny a report by a senior police official who says there's been a confession of some sort.

The prime minister does say there is no search underway for Natalie Holloway's body.

In Iraq, French journalist, Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi interpreter have been freed after being held hostage for five months. French President Jacques Chirac says Aubenas is in good health and is headed home.

A passenger derails outside Moscow after a bomb exploded on the tracks. The Russian news agency says 15 people were injured. The train was travelling from the Russian Republic of Chechnya to Moscow.

MARCIANO: Well, when Howard Dean talks, people listen. Some get angry. His words are renewing a debate that's been around in America for centuries. Should God have anything to do with politics? That debate continues live right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: Plus the pages turn in the troubled saga of Mike Tyson. Is boxing about to close the book on the once youngest heavyweight champion in history? We'll tell you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: First, a CNN extra. It's about seeing green, a lot of green. A new report says the number of millionaires in the U.S. grew nearly 10 percent in 2004 to a grand total of nearly two and a half million people. Worldwide there are 8.3 million of these so-called high net worth individuals last year. That's a growth of more than seven percent. And you know what? If you are one of these people...

SCHNEIDER: What should I do?

MARCIANO: Maybe you should spend some cash with our sponsors.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes.

MARCIANO: It's time for a commercial break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: The Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people. They're a pretty monolithic party. They're pretty much -- they all behave the same and they all look the same and they all -- you know, it's pretty much a white Christian party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: There it was. Those controversial comments from Howard Dean this last are drawing fire from Republicans and Democrats. The Democratic Party chairman said those words at a forum of journalists and minority leaders in San Francisco.

He has got the country talking about religion and politics, and that's the subject of this morning's Faces of Faith, politics and religion in America. Can you invite one to the party without the other? And that's the question we're posing as we walk the line between church and state.

In one corner, in Washington, Peter Sprigg is senior director of policy studies at the Family Research Council. He's also an ordained Baptist minister.

In the other corner, Barry Lynn is executive director of Americans Untied for Separation of Church and State. He is also an attorney and an ordained minister.

We want to thank you both for being on the show.

Barry, let me start with you.

BARRY LYNN, AMERICANS UNITED: Sure.

NGUYEN: Does religion belong in politics? LYNN: Frankly in a system of constitutional government hat we have, Betty, we're really supposed to be talking and making laws based on the values of the Constitution not the values of anyone's particular scriptural reference. So I do think one of the things that Howard Dean said that suggest a real problem is that the Republican Party has been seeking out Evangelical Christian voters and then promoting the specific religious views that those Evangelical Christian voters have, and frankly that's not the way to govern in a country that has 10,000 different religious groups and 20 million non- believers. We've got to look for commonly shared values not divisive values based on particular religious view points.

NGUYEN: OK. So, Peter, let me ask you this. How can politicians just escape from the religious beliefs and put about law? How can they do that? Can you really remove yourself from those beliefs?

PETER SPRIGG, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: You can't. I mean all political issues involve questions of moral values, and the vast majority of Americans have their moral values informed in some way by their religious faith. That's something that's inevitable and it should not be segregated from our public life.

What the separation of church and state really means is the separation of the institutions and offices of the church from the institutions and offices of the state. It means you don't have an official national denomination like the Church of England is. It means that you don't automatically get to be a bishop by virtue of being elected to Congress or vice versa. It means that there is no -- you can't coerce people into participating in explicitly religious rituals like baptism or communion.

But he idea that it means that people cannot bring their religiously informed moral values to bear on public policy issues was not what the founders had in mind at all.

LYNN: Nobody really says that there's complete divorcement of those two ideas. But he important thing is that when we make laws in this country we must make them on the basis of commonly shared constitutionally based values. And when people like Peter from the Family Research Council talks about being pro-family what he really means is he would like he and fellow Evangelicals on his political side of the spectrum to make all decisions. First to define what a family is then to make all decisions about how a family can conduct itself from kind of the moment of conception until the moment of death and every minute in between. That is not the way the American Constitution system is based.

NGUYEN: So, Peter, if you allow for these beliefs and you cannot separate yourself from them, then you have to allow for all beliefs. Meaning whether you're Christian, Muslim, Atheist. How does that play into all of this?

SPRIGG: I agree with you absolutely. The first amendment clearly guarantees the free exercise of religion and that means that people of all religious faiths, all religious beliefs have the right to bring those beliefs to bear. Somehow the attitude has arisen though among liberals in this country that everyone can bring their values to bear except for Christians. And that itself violates the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.

Now to what Barry said a moment ago, in fact, a lot of these issues that we're dealing with in the public sphere right now are not exclusively theological or religious issues. Defining life as -- the beginning of life as the moment of conception is a scientific reality. That's when we know that the distinct human genetic identity comes into being.

Defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman is not uniquely religious. That's rooted in the biological reality of the human race, that it takes one man and one woman to reproduce.

NGUYEN: Last word here, Barry.

LYNN: That's certainly not science. This is just his theology masquerading as science. And I think sadly what we're seeing in this country is more and more politicians sadly in both political parties trying to find a proof text from the Bible to prove whatever their public policy point happens to be, that we should not be having battling Bible verses on the floor of the House and the Senate.

We should be looking for these shared constitutional values. They're awfully good ones, equal justice under law, a respect for individual choice in the most intimate matters whether those are in the bedroom or in the churches, synagogues, mosques and temples and anywhere in-between. We've got to give people a right to exercise their religious views not have those imposed on them by the will of the majority in politics.

NGUYEN: OK. Gentlemen we are going to have to leave it there. Of course we could debate this for many more hours, but we thank you for your insight and your time today.

LYNN: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Peter Sprigg, Barry Lynn thank you both.

Rob.

MARCIANO: Politics and religion always a heated conversation.

Now to our e-mail question of the day. As we told you Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean called the Republican Party, quote, "Pretty much a white Christian Party."

NGUYEN: So our question for you, how would you characterize Republican and Democratic parties?

MARCIANO: Here's one for you from James W. Rice. He says, "I truly believe the average Joe in this country sees the Democrats as dividing this country while the GOP tries to unite this country. I know this is wrong, but with a guy such as Howard Dean running the DNC what other conclusion can one come up with. NGUYEN: Well, Barbara says, "I'm totally disappointed in both parties. They have let the American people down in favor of corporate Americans special interest. I think we should clean house and vote them all, in capital letters ALL out of office."

We invite you to keep those responses coming to our e-mail question of the day. Here it is. How would you characterize the Republican and Democratic parties? E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com.

MARCIANO: Maybe we'll get an e-mail from Mike Tyson...

NGUYEN: Maybe.

MARCIANO: ...giving his opinion.

Well, he's down. Mike Tyson is down, and he says he's out. After losing a match to underdog Kevin McBride yesterday Tyson said he doesn't have the stomach for boxing any more. After head butting his opponent, Tyson quit in the sixth round. It's his third loss in his last four fights.

NGUYEN: So he head butted his opponent?

MARCIANO: As opposed to biting and then he quit.

NGUYEN: And I also heard that when that was over fans started throwing things at them. They were pretty upset by the whole thing.

MARCIANO: I would imagine. I would imagine.

NGUYEN: And booing him as well, so...

MARCIANO: Yes, that's the American way.

NGUYEN: All right.

MARCIANO: We have a pretty good story coming up here soon. She lost one leg in the Iraq war, but now she's found new hope and a new career. A wounded warrior decides to give something back. A unique Soldier's Story live next hour on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: But first, starting to forget even the simplest things? I don't have that problem. Dr. Sanjay Gupta makes a house call with tips on how to sharpen your memory. So forget about everything else, top stories and HOUSE CALL that's next.

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