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CNN Sunday Morning

900 Protesters Arrested in Hong Kong

Aired December 18, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, in Hong Kong, a showdown police and WTO protesters ends in the arrest of 900 demonstrators. Several thousand protesters turned out for the last day of meetings with the World Trade Organization. They say free trade and globalization benefit the relatively rich nations at the expense of poorer countries.
In southern India, 42 people are dead and 13 more are injured after getting trampled outside a relief center. Police say those caught in the stampede had recently been flood victims who were waiting in line for food and supplies. There were conflicting reports about what caused the incident.

In New York, the buses and subways, Fred, are running again today.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good news.

HARRIS: Yes, but commuters may face difficulty later in the week. A transit strike deadline is set for tomorrow at midnight. The union representing 33,000 transit workers are still trying to seal a new labor deal with the MTA.

And checking in at CNN.com, this morning, a millionaire and former MIT professor is recovering this morning from multiple gunshots. Apparently, his attacker ambushed him at his office on Friday. Get all the details at the address on your screen there, CNN.com.

What's today? The 18th. Another...

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is.

HARRIS: Christmas week. A week until Christmas.

WHITFIELD: Yes. You just make me laugh.

HARRIS: Just a week. Good morning from the CNN Center in Atlanta. This is "CNN SUNDAY MORNING" a week before Christmas.

WHITFIELD: That's right.

HARRIS: And all through the house...

WHITFIELD: The pressure is on.

HARRIS: Good morning brunch.

WHITFIELD: But hopefully not too much pressure. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just enjoy the season.

HARRIS: Good morning. I'm Tony Harris.

WHITFIELD: Good morning. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Betty Nguyen this morning. Thanks so much for being with us.

Ahead this hour, who or what had the most influence on 2005. Every December, this time of year, you know what happens. "Time" magazine picks a person or event or idea to grace its cover. And you know what? There are about a dozen nominations out there. What's your pick?

And there will be no Sunday service at Willow Creek Community Church next week. We'll find out why it, and other churches, are hanging up the closed signed in our "Faces of Faith."

And a would-be robber of a convenience store got more than he bargained for, a whole lot more, in fact.

Same scene, different day. You're looking at live pictures right there, from Hong Kong, where is it now 8 p.m. Hundreds of protesters are taking their beef with the World Trade Organization to the streets again today.

Meanwhile, trade delegates wrap up final agreements on ending trade barriers. Mike Chinoy joins us now on the phone from Hong Kong with the very latest.

And Mike, yesterday, we should say it was late into the night Hong Kong time, this did get a little violent. The clash between the police and the protesters led to a number of arrests.

Right now it looks like it did yesterday at about this time, when they started out very peaceful. The drumming of the beat. What's the mood right now?

(BEGIN AUDIO FEED)

MIKE CHINOY, CNN SENIOR ASIA CORRESPONDENT: Well, the mood significantly different, in fact. The protests today have been almost entirely peaceful. What you're seeing now is a small group of mostly of mostly South Korean farmers who have plopped down at a corner now far from the convention center where the WTO meeting was winding up.

They're sitting there chanting and singing. The police are letting them be. But there's a small number, and the main protest on Sunday passed off without incident. All this in very sharp contrast to what happened on Saturday when well over a thousand protesters managed to break through police barricades and almost reach that convention center.

The police were forced to fire tear gas; something that's almost unheard of here in Hong Kong. The protest dragged on throughout the night. And in the end, about 900 people were arrested, still in custody now. The police processing them, trying to figure out whether to charge them or simply to deport them.

WHITFIELD: But the definition of violence here, you know, it really is rather relative, especially since you were talking. This is the kind of clash that doesn't ordinarily take place in Hong Kong. So while there was a lot of pushing and shoving, there weren't any serious injuries, were there?

CHINOY: Several dozen people were hospitalized, a couple with significant injuries. But, it's true. Hong Kong is one of these very orderly places. When local folks demonstrate they stop at the street lights and clean up there garbage afterwards.

So for protesters to be pushing and shoving with police to provoke police to the point where the police have to fire tear gas, it's something almost unseen here. But if you compare it to many, many other countries, or if you compare it to the protests at previous WTO meetings, it really was rather mild. No serious injuries. The meeting itself was not significantly disrupted. And all but a small minority of the protesters have been pretty well behaved.

In fact, what we heard from a lot of protesters today is that the focus on the security and the violence was obscuring their more fundamental message, which is they think the WTO favors rich countries over the poor countries, and that's what needs to be the focus of attention.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mike Chinoy in Hong Kong. Thanks so much. We'll keep a close watch on this continuation of protests there.

HARRIS: Well, one day after admitting to the nation he authorized spying on Americans, President Bush goes prime time tonight. He'll address the nation from the Oval Office about the war in Iraq. It is the first time, since the start of the war; Mr. Bush has spoken from the West Wing.

The speech will wrap up a series on the war in Iraq. And the president will continue to outline how victory is defined.

And once again, you can watch President Bush's Oval Office address right here on CNN.

Tune in for a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE" at 9:00 eastern.

WHITFIELD: The stories America this morning include this rush on free gasoline in Idaho, which, of course, had people lining up. Boise area churches donated $11,000 worth of free fuel to more than 300 single parents.

Last year, this same church group helped pay off people's unpaid parking tickets.

And in south Florida, how about some PB&J with your presents? Well, police have nabbed one alleged Grinch and are looking for three others after four homes were burglarized of Christmas gifts. The cops say, not only did the thieves make off with gifts from under the Christmas tree, they also made themselves at home in the kitchen and made a few sandwiches to go.

HARRIS: Yes, this is crazy. About this, in Modesto, California, a convenience store manager literally goes from would-be robbery victim to crime fighter. From CNN affiliate KXTV, here's Cornell Bernard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CORNELL BERNARD, CORRESPONDENT, KXTV AFFILIATE (voice-over): When 24-year-old Corey Alan Funt (ph) walked into this Modesto Quick Stop, hoping to rob it, he never expected a manager like Edward Petrossi.

EDWARD PETROSSI, MANAGER, MODESTO QUICK STOP: I didn't want to hurt him but he made me.

BERNARD: It was like the suspect waited for all the customers to leave, then snuck up on Edward from behind.

PETROSSI: Absolutely. I push here. I seem my gun. He's coming right behind me. Suddenly, I had to turn. I said, "What are you doing?" Suddenly, he -- I saw the knife, a ridged knife, long like that. He goes, "Open the drawer. Give me your money."

BERNARD: What the suspect didn't know is that Edward has a black belt in six martial arts. On surveillance video, Edward goes into fighting stance, ready for action.

PETROSSI: I said no, this is serious. I had to jump backward and stand my, you know, get ready position. He grabbed something. I said, "Hey, you want my money? Come on. Get it." Right there. I chased him. He just was shocked.

BERNARD: The surprised suspect runs for the door, but the manager is right behind. And with a few high kicks, sends the robber tumbling right into the parking lot.

PETROSSI: That's the best place to jump through the air or just get him right behind his back. And he went all the way to the ground.

BERNARD: The young suspect almost loses his pants in the scuffle and flees to his car. But that's not the end of the story. At that moment, Edward remembers his cell phone camera.

PETROSSI: I said, "My God, let me take a picture of him -- this man." I thank myself on times for technology. I zoomed in, adjusted the lens now, got it.

BERNARD: He sure did. A clear shot of the suspect's license plate number, which later led to his arrest.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: How good was all that?

WHITFIELD: My gosh. Talk about quick thinking.

HARRIS: Crouching tiger, hidden tiger right there.

WHITFIELD: And hidden cell phone.

HARRIS: And cell phone picture.

WHITFIELD: Yes. He was on the mark.

HARRIS: He was awesome. That was great. That was great.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that was great.

HARRIS: Cornell Bernard from our affiliate KXTV reporting. Good stuff. Good stuff.

WHITFIELD: I like that.

Well, former Secretary of State Colin Powell speaks out on the situation in Iraq. Find out why he thinks pulling out U.S. troops would be a tragic mistake.

HARRIS: And plus, "Time" magazine is expected to announce its 2005 Person of the Year in less than an hour. I've got a pretty good idea of who it's going to be.

But we're asking you this morning, who would you choose to be the Person of the Year? E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com. I'm open to bribes. We'll be reading your replies throughout the program.

BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm meteorologist Brad Huffines with your cold and flu report around the country. As you start to see things becoming more widespread, you can expect to see more sporadic and regional activity through the west. Notice the states in purple, from Idaho all the way down to Arizona and into New Mexico. That is some local activity. Meanwhile, the states in green, sporadic activity. In the south, no activity still reported. But you notice that it's becoming more and more widespread. Please be careful out there. Wash your hands and be healthy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: It is a tradition that's nearly 80 years old. "Time" magazine's Person of the Year, the most influential, often controversial, sometimes unexpected. Who will it be in '05? The announcement comes in just 45 minutes. Stay tuned for a special hour of "Time Person of the Year" hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, good morning again. If you're just now tuning us in, here are some of the top stories in the news right now. Anti-globalization protesters are marching in Hong Kong again today on the last day of World Trade talks. Police arrested 900 demonstrators already. Earlier today, the WTO agreed to propose all countries and agriculture export subsides by 2013.

Jordan's military court sentenced al Qaeda's Iraq chief, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and two others to death today, even though Zarqawi is still in hiding. They're accused in last year's failed suicide bombing on the Jordanian-Iraqi border.

President Bush is giving his first speech from the Oval Office in nearly three years, tonight. The subject Iraq. CNN will carry it live on a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE" beginning at 9:00 eastern.

"Time" magazine is expected to announce its 2005 Person of the Year less than an hour from now. So who could you choose to get the honoring this year? E-mail your suggestions and stay tuned with CNN to find out if you got it right. We are at weekends@cnn.com. Reading your replies throughout the program. Tony --

HARRIS: Pulitzer Price winning columnist Jack Anderson died Saturday at the age of 83, after suffering complications from Parkinson's disease. CNN's Ed Henry looks back at the historic life of the muckraking journalist.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joining us on the international hour now syndicated columnist Jack Anderson.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jack Anderson was a tenacious investigative reporter, exposing malfeasance in the nation's capital for over five decades.

The last of the old fashioned muckrakers, Anderson won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 for revealing that the Nixon administration was secretly tilting toward Pakistan in its war with India.

MARK FELDSTEIN, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: He truly believed that he had a mission from God, that the constitution was divinely inspired and he was put here on this earth to go after government wrong-doing, corporate wrong-doing.

HENRY: The devout Mormon, Anderson never shied from a fight with a corrupt politician. The more powerful, the better.

Crusading against communist-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy, riffling through the home trashcans of J. Edgar Hoover, after learning that was a tactic the FBI director himself used to intimidate people.

Anderson's sensational scoops during the Watergate years landed him on Nixon's enemies' list. With G. Gordon Liddy and other operatives going so far as to plot the columnist's murder in order to silence him. FELDSTEIN: This is the only case, I know of, where the president's White House top aides are talking about a mob-style hit on a reporter.

HENRY: But Anderson was never quieted by his critics. His column syndicated in over 1000 newspapers. He finally retired in 2004 because of Parkinson's Disease. He made light of his illness, joking that the trembling was really caused by spending more than 50 years in Washington.

(on camera): Part of Jack Anderson's legacy was spawning future generations of journalists who learned at this elbow, like Brit Hume, Howard Kurtz and this reporter too.

Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Jack Anderson was 83 years old.

WHITFIELD: And now, would you believe trading a Christmas tradition for a DVD? Some churches will offer taped sermons next Sunday instead of holding service on Christmas day. Is it a good idea? A look at both sides next.

HARRIS: And don't forget out e-mail question this morning. Who would you choose to be the "Time" magazine Person of the Year? We are at weekends@cnn.com. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: In the Christian faith, Christmas is a commemoration of Jesus' birth. This year, December 25 falls on a Sunday, but several churches are hanging out the closed sign, offering their parishioners a DVD instead of a traditional Sunday service. Earlier this week, Reverend Mark Ashton from Willow Creek Community Church explains, to CNN's Kyra Phillips, why his church is canceling service.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ASHTON, REVEREND, WILLOW CREEK COMMUNITY CHURCH: So what we're doing is we're doing a large group gathering to celebrate Jesus the week before, and then we're encouraging people in their homes, home to home, to be able to have a celebration on the day.

It's not so much the size of the gathering that matters or whether there's a pastor present or not, but that people are celebrating God in their hearts and setting aside that time to make sure that he's the central focus of what's happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK. So what gives? Is the decision to cancel church on Christmas a contradiction? Joining me now is Reverend Robert Jeffress. He is senior pastor at the First Baptist Church of Wichita Falls, Texas. Pastor Jeffress, thanks for talking to us this morning.

ROBERT JEFFRESS, PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS: Good morning, Tony.

HARRIS: Well, I barely know where to start on this one. Let me get your, I guess your reaction to the pastor, Pastor Ashton.

JEFFRESS: Well, it seems a little bit ironic that the same Christians who are complaining about the secularization of Christmas and saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, many of these same Christians are going to be AWOL next Sunday morning when we celebrate Christ's birth. And it just seems a little bit ironic, at best, that they would be doing this.

And, again, I don't believe, Tony, that the members of Willow Creek or any other church are going to hell because they're not in church on Sunday morning.

HARRIS: Right. Sure, sure, sure.

JEFFRESS: But I do think we need to sit back and see what's really going on here. And I think it's another example of what I call convenience Christianity, which says, "I'm going to be a Christian as long as it's convenient. But if it interferes with my schedule, well, forget it."

And I'm reminding my members this morning in my sermon. You know, it was inconvenient for God to leave heaven to be born in a manger, to die on the cross. But he did it anyway because he loved us. And, perhaps, next Sunday is the time for us to return the sentiment.

HARRIS: All right, Pastor Jeffress, I think we probably agree on this. But I'm trying to sort out and be fair to the other opinions on this.

What the reverend just said a moment ago, Reverend Ashton, is that God is in your heart, lives in your heart and it doesn't whether you're in a building or not, if God is in your heart, that's where he lives and that's where the wellspring of good thoughts and God's work should take place, and where it comes from.

JEFFRESS: Well, that's true, Tony. If we're Christians and have trusted in Christ, we do have God's Holy Spirit and we can worship anywhere throughout the week. But we're also to come together once a week and worship on Sunday.

And, again, I'm not here to pick an argument with Reverend Ashton, but I think he better be careful because his members are going to be able to use that same argument, not only on Christmas day, but the next Sunday and the next Sunday, and say, "Why not just stay at home and worship God in my heart instead of going to church."

HARRIS: And Reverend, the other argument that we're hearing is that attendance is going to be low anyway so why open up the church? JEFFRESS: Isn't that a strange thing?

HARRIS: Yes, that is.

JEFFRESS: I mean, Easter Sunday is the biggest day of the year, when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Why wouldn't it be the same way on Christmas Day?

And I realize that, you know, Christmas is a family time. But why not take an hour out of the entire day and bring your family to church. In fact, Tony, I'm going to make a money-back guarantee to our viewers today. I promise that if you take your family to church on Christmas day you won't be disappointed. And if you are, you write me and I'll send you a free copy of my book.

HARRIS: You're -- you know what? You know what? You're having too much fun with this.

All right. One other argument here, very quickly. If our target and our mission is to reach the unchurched, basically the people who don't go to church, how likely is it that they'll be going to church on Christmas morning.

JEFFRESS: Well, I think -- we have a saying. We call people that come to church Christmas and Easter, CEOs, Christmas and Easters only.

And the fact is there are many people who those are the only two days of the year they come to church. And what message does it send when they come to the church and find the church doors locked?

HARRIS: Yes. Pastor Jeffress, it's good to talk to you.

JEFFRESS: It's great to talk to you, Tony.

HARRIS: It's really good to talk to you, and Merry Christmas to you.

JEFFRESS: Merry Christmas to you.

HARRIS: OK. Fred, to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks, gentlemen.

Well, let's take a peek outside. Look at the weather picture with Brad Huffines, who's inside in the Weather Center. Fred --

HUFFINES: And it's amazing, Fredricka, we've seen so much winter weather. Winter hasn't even begun yet. That's actually going to occur on Wednesday. In the east, Wednesday afternoon, in the west, Wednesday late morning. Winter Solstice begins Wednesday at 1:35 eastern time.

Why is there a specific time? Well, that is exactly the time that the sun's rays are hitting the Tropic of Capricorn, which is 23.5 degrees south. The good news is that, as the day of the year when the sun is the lowest in the sky, from here on out, we see the sun begin to effect more and more toward the equator. And, of course, in the spring, the summer actually, that's when it crosses the Tropic of Cancer, which is our hottest time of the year.

So that's what's happening as far as the winter season goes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HUFFINES: And winter weather hasn't begun yet, guys.

HARRIS: Oh, man. All right, Brad. Thank you.

Well, he regrets the decision to go to war in Iraq and now the former secretary of state talks about withdrawing troops. That's next.

WHITFIELD: And don't forget our e-mail question this morning. Who would you choose to be "Time" magazine's 2005 Person of the Year, or event of thing? E-mail us your suggestions at weekends@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says walking away from Iraq right now would be a tragic mistake and that's not all Mr. Powell has to say. Welcome back, everyone, to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Tony Harris.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Betty Nguyen this morning. That story in a minute, but, first, a look at the other news this morning.

In Hong Kong, about 900 protesters are behind bars. On the final day of meetings of the World Trade Organization, thousands of protesters turned out chiding the WTO for its desire to remove international trade barriers. WTO critics say such moves benefit the relatively rich nations at the expense of the poorer countries.

And President Bush will revisit the issue of the Iraq war in a primetime address set for tonight at 9:00 Eastern. You can watch it live right here on CNN. It's the president's first speech from the oval office since he announced the start of the war in March of 2003.

And one of the most popular stories on cnn.com right now. An American auto maker moves forward by going back to the 1950s for style. What's new or old again in this Chevrolet garage? Find out about it. Plus, all the big hits news wise of course. It's at the address on your screen cnn.com/mostpopular.

HARRIS: Colin Powell says the U.S. will be in Iraq for a while to come. In a BBC interview, the former secretary of state says the U.S. owes it to the Iraqi people to stay until they decide they don't need us any longer. Powell also said U.S. intelligence services did not reveal their doubts about the reliability of information of weapons of mass destruction. According to Powell, what we were right about was that Saddam Hussein had the intentions of having such weapons. He had them in the past and there was no reason to believe that he did not have them now or would not wish to have them in the future in greater quantities than we thought he had. What we got wrong was actual existence of stockpiles of chemical weapons or biological weapons.

It has been a turbulent week in Australia today. Security is out in force around Sydney's beaches after days of race riots in the area. Earlier police arrested seven men carrying Molotov cocktails, knives, iron bars and mobile phones. Investigators say the men were planning to insight a new round of racial violence between whites and mostly Muslim Arab Australians. Samantha Armitage from Sydney's channel seven news has more on the stepped up security down under.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMANTHA ARMITAGE, CHANNEL 7 CORRESPONDENT: To get to Australia's most popular beach today, you had to pass through a roadblock. Police were on every corner pulling over cars on Campbell Parade, most driven by (INAUDIBLE), all drivers of Middle Eastern origin. Officers boarded buses searching for troublemakers and scanned from the skies. Along the usually bustling strip, the cafes and restaurants were deserted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even on a winter Sunday, it's not this quiet.

ARMITAGE: On the sand, the only ones for most of the day were the nippers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not as many down here as normal as you'd expect it.

ARMITAGE: The mums defiant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't not come to the beach and stay away.

ARMITAGE: Even the backpackers stayed inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) so I feel fairly safe up here.

ARMITAGE: That police presence stretched along Sydney sands. (INAUDIBLE) say the crowd was smaller than a winter's weekend. Further south at Marubra (ph), as a family builds sand castles, police patrol the beach and watch from the water. Near Woolengong (ph), the beaches were quiet, too. To the north, people stayed away from Terrigol (ph) and around New Castle, police were turning cars away from the beach.

Here at Biondai (ph), as the temperatures climbed and the wind died down a little, more and more people defied the warnings and came to the beach, although it was no where near as packed as it normally would be the weekend before Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a lot of police, a lot more than there was yesterday (INAUDIBLE). It feels OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's summer, that's why we live here. So come down to the beach.

ARMITAGE: Samantha Armitage, 7 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And now just under half an hour away from finding out who "Time" magazine named as the 2005 person of the year. Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and blizzards, one of the candidates on this year's list, mother nature. Do you think mother nature might win or deserves to? We'll talk to a "Time" magazine editor. Brad?

HUFFINES: And meanwhile, what we see is 68 degrees in Phoenix and 34 in Salt Lake City. Somewhere in the middle is Las Vegas. Let's go there live and show you a gorgeous picture of the strip, right now about 42 degrees, highs today around 56. Merry Christmas, baby even in Vegas where the city never sleeps. We'll talk about your other forecast. Gosh, Christmas one week away. For your nation's weather coming up next, well, actually in just a few minutes on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: We know you're counting the days. Only one week until Christmas.

WHITFIELD: I'm excited about that, though. I love this time of year. I'm happy.

HARRIS: We're going to take a look forward to give you a quick look at some of the stories you'll be following in the news this week. You better have your cards and packages ready. Tomorrow is traditionally the busiest day of the year for the U.S. Postal Service. You're encouraged to mail by tomorrow so the cards and gifts will arrive before Christmas.

Tens of thousands of New York City commuters may have to find a new way to get to work this coming week. The transit workers union has set a strike deadline by just after midnight Tuesday if no contract agreement is reached. The selective strike could start Monday against two private bus lines that the city's transit authority plans to take over. The two sides have been talking this weekend, but there's still no word of progress.

And on Wednesday, singer Elton John will marry his long-term partner David Furnish. The United Kingdom just passed a law recognizing civil unions for gay couples and Wednesday is when the law comes into force. The two will wed at the same chapel where Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles were married last April.

WHITFIELD: The list is so long, they've got iPods, you've got Blackberries, cell phones, laptops. It goes on and on and on. People seem to have all of it. What other gizmos and gadgets are out there for those tech savvy friends and family members of yours for Christmas. CNN.com's Melissa Long has a few suggestions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you're stumped about what to buy someone who loves hi-tech toys, CNN money's gift guide shows you what many techies may want this holiday season. What do you buy someone who owns one of the 28 million iPods sold over the last few years? Accessories. This gallery shows you the latest peripherals from wireless headphones to a mobile disk jockey mixer that also works with other MP3 players.

If you're shopping for the techie who seems to have everything, you can try the Nokia N91 phone which is also an MP3 player and a camera all in one. Or if you have deep pockets and know someone who doesn't mind a little wind in their hair, they suggest the trendy Vespa as an option. You can browse through this gallery for other gift suggestions and for more help with your holiday shopping, logon to cnn.com/tech. Happy shopping, for the dot.com desk, I'm Melissa Long.

WHITFIELD: Were you taking notes?

HARRIS: Yeah. I was checking the e-mail box and people are offering me some pretty nice bribes to find out the name of the person of the year. Not going to tell.

WHITFIELD: Few more minutes to go.

HARRIS: About 15 minutes from now we will actually be naming "Time" magazine's person of the year for 2005.

WHITFIELD: Who will it be? We'll try to bring you some answers or some ideas.

HARRIS: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: We're going to be talking to one of the editors when we come right back. A few hints he'll be dropping.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: This just in to CNN, the Associated Press is reporting that Vice President Dick Cheney has made a surprise visit to Iraq to visit with soldiers and top military leaders on the ground in Iraq. The vice president, as you know, is starting a trip of the Middle East and he's scheduled to stop in Afghanistan and Amman, in Afghanistan to be on hand for the first meeting of that country's new parliament. But we understand according to the Associated Press, that the vice president has made a surprise stop to Iraq. We'll get more information on this trip and possibly some pictures of the vice president in Iraq and we will pass those along to you as soon as we can. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot Tony and this just in. We still don't know who the "Time" magazine person of the year is. But we're just minutes away from the big announcement. Every December since 1927 "Time" has chosen a person or sometimes an idea or object that had the most influence on the year. The first and youngest person to receive the honor was 25-year-old Charles Lindbergh. President Roosevelt was the only person to be honored three times. In 1982 the computer became the person, the it thing of the year. Whole generations and groups of people were nominated, as well. U.S. scientists, American women, whistle-blowers, the American soldier. In 2004, George W. Bush got his second nomination as person of the year, so who will it be or what will it be this year? For a preview and maybe some hints, we're looking for some hints. We're joined now by "Time" magazine's Steve Koepp. Good to see you Steve. Good morning.

STEVE KOEPP, TIME MAGAZINE: Good morning.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, this is always an exciting time and everyone always wants to kind of cast their ballots or throw some ideas around. It's become kind of office water cooler conversation. This year are we more leaning toward a person or something else that has made an incredible impact of the year? Want to drop any hints for us?

KOEPP: Sure. When we start thinking about this every fall, we also look at besides people who changed the world, we look at, well, what are the big stories that year. This year it was certainly natural disaster, hurricanes, a tsunami, an earthquake and there was a huge outpouring of relief because there was a recognition that it was poor people who were affected the most.

WHITFIELD: And a lot of times when it boils down to that one person, if not thing, like you talk about mother nature, if it's that one person, it doesn't always necessarily mean that it's someone who's popular with people, but in some other way has made a great impact or influence on the year or on people as a whole.

KOEPP: Right. Our definition is the person or people who have changed the world the most for good or ill. In some years it's been villains. We even had the Ayatollah Khomeini, Stalin, but most of the time it is people who have had a positive impact on the world.

WHITFIELD: Does "Time" magazine always feel confident that they got it right? In the end, do you end up getting an awful lot of feedback from readers who say, you know what, we resoundingly disagree with you.

KOEPP: Well certainly when it's a villainous character, we do. But sometimes people just disagree because they don't, they don't agree with perhaps the politics involved, but we do a lot of reporting and we try to make a really solid argument for why our person should be the choice and we like it if it's a bit of a surprise, too.

WHITFIELD: And this year was an incredible year of world events, significant changes, huge impact. At what point of the year do you start assembling all of these ideas and thoughts and say, you know what, let's start now pairing it down?

KOEPP: Well, in the fall we get suggestions from our bureaus all around the world. We have a big round table discussion. We pick a few names and then we start following those people around and reporting on what they do and how they do it and then it gets down to a big argument toward the end. Sometimes even at the last minute. And then we have not only our choice, but our runners up, as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, you talked about mother nature being a potential candidate. We started the year and then we saw mid-way through the year and then we're ending the year with great influences from mother nature, from hurricanes to tsunamis etcetera and then we also know that among your picks everyone from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Bono to Steve Jobs, to the Google guys. What's the criteria for them? Why is it that these folks, you know, aside from mother nature, which you already addressed, these folks topped the list.

KOEPP: Well somebody like Condoleezza Rice has emerged as a global celebrity, kind of rock star in her own right, who's really taken over the portfolio of America's reputation in the world from, for example, the Pentagon, who had it before. Somebody like the president is always a strong choice because he's the most powerful person in the world and certainly this year, it's been a kind of a year of accountability for him in terms of the Iraq war and natural disasters. Somebody like the pope is always a contender. This year, although, I think in the case of Pope Benedict, his doctrine is still emerging. So, I think it might be another year for him.

WHITFIELD: Will this year's pick get people talking, reevaluating who this person is or persons or thing is and what kind of influence they made or do you feel like as a whole people will say, you know what, you so got it right?

KOEPP: Well, we'd like to think that, but having a provocative choice is always great because usually that person who's done something that's really changed the world has raised issues or solved problems. And so, if people start talking about it and want to have their own argument, that's great with us.

WHITFIELD: All right. We know the official announcement is in eight minutes but we're going to give you an opportunity to break some news right now if you'd like to go ahead and make that announcement right now.

KOEPP: Oh, I think I don't want to spoil the surprise.

WHITFIELD: You're keeping us on pins and needles instead.

KOEPP: Right.

WHITFIELD: All right, Steve Koepp, thanks so much, deputy managing editor with "Time" magazine. The clock is ticking, just a few minutes away and while the clock is ticking, you at home can jot down a few ideas if you'd like and e-mail them our way. We'll get your ideas and thoughts on the air about who you think the person, thing or event of the year just might be. E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com. And Steve, thanks again.

HARRIS: OK and Fred, we just want to update just into CNN story that CNN's White House correspondent Dana Bash is reporting that Vice President Dick Cheney has made a surprise visit to Iraq under heavy security, taking a tour of the country after this week's parliamentary elections. Vice president also suggesting to reporters that this is a major step toward drawing down U.S. troops and we told you yesterday that the vice president was going to be in that region on a five- nation tour of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Oman, but we have confirmed that the vice president has made a surprise stop to visit the troops and to visit the country of Iraq. We will have more on this story as soon as we get it for you. A quick break and we'll be back with more on CNN SUNDAY MORNING right after this.

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HARRIS: We want to bring you the latest on this developing story just into CNN. We have learned that Vice President Dick Cheney has made a surprise stop in Iraq during his five-nation tour to the Middle East. We know this because it has been confirmed by CNN's White House correspondent Dana Bash, who is on the line with us right now with more information. Dana, good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony and I am actually calling from Iraq and I'm traveling with Vice President Cheney. I have been with him since we left I think, about nine hours ago from Andrews Air Force Base, knowing that we were going to come to the Middle East, but not officially knowing that we were going to head to Iraq as our first step and stop until we changed planes in England. And then once we did that, we were told that our next stop would actually be Iraq and we had been here for almost, as I said, almost nine hours.

You know, this is the vice president's very first trip to Iraq. He, of course is the architect, one of the architects of the U.S. policy that led to the invasion here. But, again, it's his first trip here and he spent a lot of time meeting with officials on the ground, meeting with U.S. military officials in Baghdad and meeting with some of the Iraqi leaders with President Talabani with also the Prime Minister Jaafari. The idea from the White House's point of view, from the vice president's point of view that this was perfect timing because they wanted to really come and get briefings about the election but also try to bolster the troops before the holidays. That is why the vice president made this surprise trip here. It's been quite an interesting ride, Tony, to say the least.

HARRIS: Dana, let me ask you a quick question. You know, it's hard for us here to imagine and I suspect folks around the country to imagine that the vice president would travel to the Middle East and not make a stop to Iraq. So, I almost hear it in the way you're telling us this story that members of the press corps almost expected it, as well. Am I hearing this right?

BASH: It was a strong suspicion, but never actually confirmed that we were going to come here, they were very very careful and this for security reasons. Coming in here we were thinking about the fact that of course it was Vice President Cheney who, before the war, talked about the fact that he was convinced that the United States would be greeted as liberators. So it was an interesting position to be in, come in with him having to come under this real cloak of secrecy because of security concerns.

But I can tell you that the kind of event that the vice president has had has been very much, as you can imagine, Tony, in keeping with the strategy that has been going on back in the United States, which is to try to make the case that there is a strategy for victory here, that there is progress going on and that is why the vice president, as I said, had not only some briefings with the military commanders on the ground, but he also made a stop to a base where they're training Iraqi army actually, Iraqi security forces and went through pretty great detail with an Iraqi general, some of the thing that they have been doing.

We saw an event that they put on for him as if it was a checkpoint, as if there were Iraqis sort of helping out at the checkpoint. All of these people it was made clear, were involved in the Iraqi elections, involved in making sure that the elections were secure. So, again, this is sort of all part of the same kind of theme. But it is interesting that the vice president's very first stop here and he's the most senior official to come since the president did this, since the president surprised us in Thanksgiving of 2003.

HARRIS: CNN's White House correspondent Dana Bash on the phone with us, a surprise visit by the vice president to Iraq this morning as part of his five-nation tour of the Middle East. And hard to imagine that he wouldn't stop in Iraq, but I understand for security reasons, you want to keep that as tight-lipped and under wraps as you possibly can.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and this holiday season, I'm sure the troops are going to be very thrilled to see him.

All right, we're just moments away from finding out who "Time" magazine's 2005 person of the year is. In fact, we should be finding out within nanoseconds, right?

HARRIS: Yeah, yeah.

WHITFIELD: Well, first, let's bring you up to date on this morning's headlines. And was I right when I said nanoseconds or what? Because here we go. Voila. The "Time" magazine cover -- persons of the year, it has happened before.

HARRIS: Oh, it has, OK.

WHITFIELD: Bono and Melissa and Bill Gates receiving the honor. Well, coming up, in just moments, you'll hear from "Time" magazine's editors about why these three were selected. Trio persons of the year.

And, as Tony has been reporting and Dana Bash, as well, Vice President Dick Cheney is spending much of the day in Iraq. Cheney made this surprise visit as he begins a tour on the U.S. allies in the war on terror. During his day-long tour, he reportedly discussed the recent elections and how Iraqis must take control of their country. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is predicting the U.S. will have a military presence in Iraq for years, but he also says a gradual withdrawal is likely to start next year in an interview with the BBC to be broadcast today. Powell also said taking troops out quickly would be a, quote, "tragic mistake."

And now, here's Anderson Cooper.

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