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CNN Sunday Morning

Stardust Lands Safely; Martin Luther King Jr. Remembered

Aired January 15, 2006 - 09:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Happy, happy, joy, joy, a successful landing of the Stardust space capsule, just hours ago. Jubilant scientists are hoping the secrets of the universe are now in their hands.
It is Sunday, the 15 day of the year. Good morning, everyone. From the CNN Center, I'm Tony Harris.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. Big day for NASA, we're going to be talking about Stardust in a moment. The importance of that mission, there is a lot to be told about what went on, what we're going to learn from it. Reporter Daniel Sieberg joins us live to talk about that.

First, though, some stories making news right now.

Police in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, have identified two teenagers who were allegedly involved in the beating of this homeless man. Look at the video here. It is quite disturbing. The attack was captured by a security camera on a college campus Thursday. Family attorneys are negotiating the surrender of the teens. Police say the teens are also linked to two other homeless beatings, one ended in death.

Thousands of mourners packed the streets of Kuwait and handled the coffin of the late Emir. Sheik Jabar al-Ahmad al-Sabah died this morning after a long illness, He was 77-years old. The Kuwaiti government says the emir's successor will be Crown Prince al-Sabah.

Well, the 15-year-old Florida boy shot Friday by a SWAT officer is clinically brain dead. A lawyer and family friend says the boy is being kept on life support so his organs can be harvested for transplants. Police say the officer shot the teen after terrorizing his classmates and then raised the weapon at a deputy; it turned out to be a pellet gun.

Off the field drama could effect the outcome of an NFL game today. Indianapolis Colts cornerback, Nick Harper, was taken to the hospital with knife wounds to his knee. It is questionable whether he'll play later today. His wife, Danielle Harper, is in jail this morning charged with cutting him with a knife. According to doctors, Harper's injuries were not serious. We'll have a live report in about 30 minutes.

There will be anew Super Bowl champion this year, the New England Patriots ended their two-year championship streak last night, losing 27-13 to the Denver Broncos. Seattle Seahawks ended 21 years of post- season drought. They beat the Washington Redskins, score, 20-10.

The Final two NFL playoff games come later today. The Carolina Panthers take on last year's NFC champs, Chicago. The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Indianapolis. Tony is going to be watching all of these games.

HARRIS: I have to, have to. I have a bet on the line with (INAUDIBLE).

Coming up, the nation remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This is the 20th year of celebrating MLK Day as a national holiday.

Anger in Pakistan as thousands turn out to protest Friday's U.S. air strike; 18 villagers died in the CIA attack, and not the intended target.

It's the last reel in the long movie career of Shelley Winters, the two-time Oscar winner died yesterday of heart failure.

The Stardust space craft and its capsule have ended a 3 billion mile journey. It is a big accomplishment for NASA. A space capsule carrying tiny particles and dust from a comet landed in Utah about four hours ago.

The Stardust mother ship released the capsule as it closed into 69,000 miles from Earth, still a long ways away. Joining us now to talk about all this is Technology Correspondent Daniel Sieberg.

Daniel, this is really an exciting time for NASA. Because, first of all, let's get to the basics. What's in this stardust?

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically star -- comet dust, essentially, inter-stellar dust. NASA likes to call it cosmic booty, if you will.

NGUYEN: Oh, wow!

SIEBERG: That's what they call it.

NGUYEN: The words you use, Daniel.

SIEBERG: Yes, I know, dangerous territory.

It actually could be clues to how the solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago. But let's back up a little bit. Seven years ago was when Stardust was initially launched, nearly 3 billion miles later, this was earlier this morning. You can see here, NASA tracking the capsule as it makes it's way across Oregon, Nevada, into Utah.

We can show you what it looks like as it came down to earth. It was pitch blackout there in the Utah Salt Flats. They used infrared cameras to track it as it made its way down. There were a few anxious moments before they knew that the parachute had opened. It was coming in at 29,000 miles per hour, initially; the parachute did open.

When they knew that the capsule had made it to the ground safely, this was the reaction at NASA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

We have touchdown!

(APPLAUSE, HOOTING)

SIEBERG: So, obviously, very happy there at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California, in Pasadena, very early this morning. A little after 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time, when the capsule actually made it down.

It was then -- the capsule has a number of components to it that need to keep it secure, keep it from getting contaminated. Samples are what is the key here.

And what we're seeing here is some animation of the collection of these samples. It is the Comet Wild 2, which at the time of the launch was about 500 million miles away. What was happening was Stardust was trying to get some of the dust or interstellar dust, this cosmic booty, if you will, from the Comet Wild 2, as it followed in the trail. It took a while to get out there, you can see, it had to loop around the sun three times just to get out to the comet itself. It gathered this dust in this really interesting material called aerogel.

NGUYEN: Yeah, what is aerogel?

SIEBERG: Well, aerogel is a very unique substance. It is considered the lightest solid on earth. I believe that we're showing -- yeah, this is our live picture of it here in had the studio. It looks like solid smoke. It's so clear and almost a strange looking, we set it up on a black background so you could see what it looks like. There, you can see, our cameraman is touching it there.

NGUYEN: You can see particles in it.

SIEBERG: Right. It is capturing these particles. The particles themselves are very small when it captured it out in space. We're talking about microscopic particles. The whole point is that these particles were left behind in the trail of this comet. The thought is that comets will hold clues as to how the solar system formed.

Comets were hitting the Earth at various times in its history. They believe -- some scientists believe that it actually brought water to earth, and life itself.

This is a very important mission in terms the science that we're going to get.

NGUYEN: Unlocking the clues of the universal, shall we say?

SIEBERG: Exactly.

NGUYEN: Let me ask you quickly. Stardust mother ship?

SIEBERG: Yes.

NGUYEN: It is still up there. What's it doing?

SIEBERG: It is still up there. It will be circling around the Sun for a while. Apparently they'll be taking proposals on what to do with it in the future.

NGUYEN: Good, maybe we can write in, tell them what they can do with it.

SIEBERG: You're welcome to try.

NGUYEN: I don't know if NASA really needs our suggestions.

SIEBERG: If you have some cash.

NGUYEN: You may need a lot of cash for that.

SIEBERG: Right.

NGUYEN: Daniel Sieberg, thank you for explaining all of that to us this morning.

SIEBERG: You bet.

NGUYEN: So, help us out. E-mails, if you captured images as this Stardust capsule streaked across the western sky very early this morning, send us those photos, via e-mail, to our Web site weekends@cnn.com. We'll put it on air.

HARRIS: Turning now to the tragic and controversial shooting of a student at a Florida middle school, Christopher Penley is clinically brain dead after a SWAT officers shot him on Friday. That officer says Penley was aiming a pellet gun at him, but he thought it was a 9- millimeter handgun. JJ Ramberg has the details including the father's reaction from Altamonte Springs, Florida.

MARK NATION, PENLEY FAMILY ATTORNEY: It's a pellet gun that's been painted black and he was on his way there to help talk his son out of the situation.

JJ RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The lawyer for Christopher Penley's family told reporters that Chris' father was devastated and extremely angry at police. The father also says he could have talked his son into surrendering.

NATION: When he got to the school, they would not let him in. He was later told that Christopher had been shot.

RAMBERG: Friday, police say 15-year-old Christopher Penley was in a classroom in his central Florida middle school and pulled out what looked like a 9 millimeter pistol.

MAURICE COTEY, SEVENTH GRADER: We were in the classroom. We were about to do a test. And then one of my classmates said, this kid has a gun.

RAMBERG: Thirteen-year-old Maurice Cotey and his mother recount his frightening encounter on Friday.

COTEY: Everyone ran out of the classroom except me and this one girl. We were walking and he said, you stay. So, the girl, she ran out of the classroom, and he told me to get up against the blackboard. And I did. And he put the gun to my back and then we -- then I told him, please don't shoot me. Please don't shoot me.

So, I was walking. Then he got me towards the closet door, he turned me around and he said -- he started to point the gun at me. So, I started to grab for it. I pointed it near his legs and he kicked me into the closet. I still had the gun twisted. And then he ran into the closet and that got me up. I pushed him and I ran out of the classroom.

RAMBERG: The sheriff says the officers ordered the eighth grader to drop the gun. Instead, they say, he took aim at police and a member of the SWAT team shot Penley. The gun turned out to be a pellet gun, painted, police say, to look just like a real firearm.

LT. MIKE WEIPPERT, SEMINOLE CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: This is the firearm that was held by the suspect inside of the -- one that I'm holding -- during the incident. As you can see, it looks almost identical to the one that Sgt. Collie (ph) is holding, which is the actual, real 9 millimeter handgun.

RAMBERG (on camera): Ralph Penley's lawyer says that they're not making any accusations and they're not pointing any fingers, but they felt the information they discussed should be out in the public.

We called the police who said, at this point, they're not making any comment. There is an ongoing investigation into this incident. JJ Ramberg, CNN, Altamont Springs, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: From West Virginia's mine country, a watershed day for families and friends of the victims of Sago mine tragedy. A memorial service is scheduled later in the day to honor the 12 minors who lost their lives nearly two weeks ago and help the community heal. The Reverend Angela Gay Kinkead, of West Virginia Wesleyan College, spoke with Betty earlier this morning about the significance of today's memorial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. ANGELA GAY KINKEAD, W.VA. WESLEYAN COLLEGE: We'll be lighting candles of honor at the beginning of the service. Each family will step forward and light a candle. Randy McCloy's candle is a candle of color. The others will be white.

They'll each be given a memento that the local committee has selected, something they can hang on to. And they'll also be supported today by the Red Cross. They'll hand out bears to people coming that will -- just something people can hold on to. Their standard -- it's a kind of a standard bear, handed out by the Red Cross. We just have a lot of support today from community organizations and from individuals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Join us here on CNN this afternoon at 2:00 Eastern Time for live coverage of the miners' memorial service.

NGUYEN: For 20 years now, Americans have celebrated the birthday of the late, great Martin Luther King, Jr. The question this morning is where is the civil rights movement headed now? I'll talk live with one of the daughters, Reverend Bernice King, who is live in our studio this morning. Actually, Tony will doing that.

HARRIS: First -- hi, Bernice! Good to see you.

First, let's get to Bonnie Schneider.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: This is the 20th year that Martin Luther King's birthday has been celebrated as a national holiday. But for one South Carolina county, it's the first. For the first time Greenville County is recognizing the holiday by giving employees a paid day off. And MLK Dream Weekend kicked off there Friday night with a banquet. It was attended by Dr. Bernice King, the daughter of the late civil rights leader.

Tomorrow's King celebration will take place in the midst of family strife and the illness of King's widow. The civil rights leader would have been 77 years old today. The King day celebration in Atlanta will pay tribute to the causes he fought for.

Joining us now, Dr. Bernice King and Bishop Eddie Long, senior pastor of the New Birth Baptist Church near Atlanta.

Good to see both of you. Thank you for coming in today.

DR. BERNICE KING, DAUGHTER OF DR. KING: Thank you.

BISHOP EDDIE LONG, KING FAMILY FRIEND: Thank you.

HARRIS: Bernice, how is your mom?

KING: She's recuperating pretty well.

HARRIS: She suffered a stroke last year and we all care about her. We all want to know how she's doing. When you say she's recuperating pretty well, what does that mean?

KING: When you suffer a stroke, especially the kind that she suffered, on the left side, left side brain damage, it takes a little time to fully come back, because her speech was impaired. And she still has a little weakness on her right hand -- I mean, on her right side, in particular, her right hand. So, it's a day by day process. Imagine you not being able to speak or talk, two days. HARRIS: Yes. Right.

KING: You can imagine, this is the woman who has, you know, spent a large portion of her life speaking, talking. And now, suddenly, that is impaired. So, the frustration -- days that are up, days that are down.

HARRIS: We wish her the best.

KING: Thank you.

HARRIS: And the family as well.

Bishop long, good to see you.

LONG: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Good to see you. It really is.

I read an editorial the other day that suggested the King holiday is largely a black holiday. I think about that, and I wondered, is that true? What do you think?

LONG: Well, certainly, you look at it as a people celebrating a leader, who happened to be African-American. So, that's one of the things we try to pull out of our community, is try to find African- American role models, not just for our people, but for all people.

But yet, as you look at it this, it is a celebration for the nation and a celebration for the world, of someone who stood for something, had a dream, had a vision. Put that forth and to start to see that manifest. So, it's not just within our community. It's worldwide really.

HARRIS: Bernice, Friday, you were in Greenville, South Carolina, the last county in South Carolina to acknowledge, to commemorate King Day. What was that experience like for you?

KING: It was a wonderful experience. I was glad to be a part of it. Ironically, I sit under Bishop Long's ministry, New Birth, and I told the crowd there, I come to New Birth and this is a "new birth" for them in many senses. Even though they're the last to join us, I believe that in many ways, they may end up being the first. Or have the opportunity to be the first in really crafting a celebration that really delves into the essence of Dr. King's non-violence philosophy.

A lot of cities and states, they kind of get caught up in ceremony, but this is an opportunity, since they have no reference point, other than other cities and states, to really be unique and different.

HARRIS: Bishop Long, I have to ask you, our e-mail question we're asking our viewers today, reads "Has the message of hope, peace and advancement espoused by Dr. King been diluted over the years?" How do you respond to that question? LONG: Well, when you look at his legacy, his dream, his vision over the years, first of all, you have to acknowledge the great progress that has been made as he laid out a blueprint and a plan and motivation for us.

But as time went on, you can look at many have been blessed and are really living off of the works of Dr. King, but yet you find this great disparity with wealth, etc cetera, even as we're growing. And so when you look at that, we're trying to really regroup and formulate and push forward to grab hold of the essence of the vision that Dr. King put forth. So we'll have something for generations to come to benefit from, i.e., why the Center is so important to keep that legacy alive.

HARRIS: That is almost a natural segue. Here is the way I would like to talk about the controversy that's going on within the family with regard to the King Center. I was, I just told you a moment ago, I watched "Citizen King" last night on PBS.

KING: Yes.

HARRIS: Just fascinating, just absolutely fascinating. I came away thinking -- knowing I was going to talk to you today, Bernice -- can't imagine the King Center being in the hands of the federal government. I know that's your position as well.

But I know that there are -- you have siblings who are floating a proposal, along with Andy Young, that would have the King Center be sold to the federal government, the Park Service.

What's your thought? What's your reaction? Where are we in the process?

KING: Well, I can't say exactly where we are in the process. We have been trying, my brother, Martin, and I, just trying to just raise the awareness in the community in hopes that at least the federal government to say, hey, now is not the time to engage in something like this. And give some opportunity to people to really sit back and rethink the magnitude of what this kind of sale would do.

I think it's very important for people to begin to realize the importance of keeping the King Center as an independent vehicle, of sorts. What I mean by that is my father always had an independent voice in the sense of being able to constructively critique this government. A lot of times, if you're housed in a building that is owned by the federal government, you're a little more uncomfortable doing something like that. You lose that essence.

I think the perception has been from people all over the nation, perhaps even the world, that the King Center is the King family. And so people have not readily supported it the same way, because some of the news stories that have come out about the King family profiting -- which to me is not the truth -- but for many people it's the truth, because perception sometimes is reality.

So, we have to realize and raise the awareness of how important it is for people to become a part and give. Many people come there on a daily basis. Few people send back anything. To me, my personal opinion, if I had to divorce myself of being Dr. King's daughter and just being an American, an African-American, it would almost be, to me, a gift to say thank you for the life and the sacrifice you made. I would be giving money yearly just for that, without anybody asking me. But I know everybody's not like that.

HARRIS: Bernice, good to see you.

KING: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Give our best to your mom.

KING: Thank you. Appreciate it.

HARRIS: Bishop Long, great seeing you.

LONG: Good seeing you. God bless you.

HARRIS: Important weekend, thanks for coming in.

KING: Thanks for having us.

HARRIS: Betty.

NGUYEN: It sounds like -- we're going to switch stories right now. We want to hear from you this morning about Dr. King's legacy. Has the message of hope, peace, advancement been diluted over the years? E-mail us your thoughts, our address, weekends@cnn.com.

Now to what it sounds like. Sounds like deja vu all over again; a big name athlete, an injured knee. But this time it all happened off the field. Now a playoff berth could be on the line.

Want to say good morning, as well, to Manchester. Waking up to a blanket of white and some frigid temperatures in Manchester. Bonnie will be along with your forecast, when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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HARRIS: Late night drama off the field. Wow! Have you heard this story?

NGUYEN: Wow is right.

HARRIS: Could affect the playoff chances for the Indianapolis Colts. On the field, we'll tell you what happened. Plus this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Do you think I'm planning to be careless?

(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: She leaped from the obscurity of a chorus line to become Hollywood royalty. We remember two-time Oscar winner, Shelley Winters, right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

* HARRIS: Are with me?

NGUYEN: I'm with you.

HARRIS: OK.

NGUYEN: Got a lot going on this morning. Can you see by the papers?

HARRIS: A lot going on. I promised to be better this year and I'm just as bad as I was last year.

NGUYEN: You're still making a mess.

HARRIS: Yeah, and welcome back everyone to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We went to welcome you back. Let's get started now with the look at what is happening in the news.

Police in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, know the identity of two teenagers who were allegedly involved in the beating of this homeless man and two others. The brutal attack was captured by a security camera, which you see right here. Family attorneys are negotiating the suspect's surrender to police. And police say the teens are also linked to two other beatings, one man was killed.

A key U.S. ally in the war against Iraq has died. The Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah died today after a long illness. He was 77. Mourners crowded around his coffin as it was carried through the streets. The Kuwaiti government says the Emir's successor will be the Crown Prince Al Sabah.

Today, family, friends, neighbors, so many in the town will gather to remember the 12 West Virginia miners who died in the Sago mine tragedy two weeks ago. A memorial will be held in the chapel at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon. CNN will bring you live coverage of the special memorial service, "Honor, Hope and Healing." It begins at 2:00 Eastern this afternoon.

HARRIS: Well, a high-profile athlete to tell you about this morning and it has nothing to do with what goes on in the game and between the lines. Indianapolis quarterback Nick Harper, made a trip to the hospital overnight and his wife is in jail, charged with cutting him with a knife. The Colts player was treated for a knee wound. The injury isn't serious, but it's doubtful that he'll be able to play in the big game against the Steelers. His wife, Danielle Harper, is being held without bail. CNN's sports business analyst Rick Horrow joins us from West Palm Beach with more on this. And Rick, good morning to you, first of all. There are two things here. Let's sort of deal with, for a moment, the kind of personal family crisis that's going on right now. This is not the first time that this family has been in distress and in crisis. Harper, who is 31 years old, was arrested in June on a domestic battery charge after police said he hit his wife, but turning now to the football story, this is not the kind of thing you want happening on the day when you're playing one of your biggest football games in franchise history.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Good morning, my friend. How are you?

HARRIS: Well, think you sir.

HORROW: Good.

Well, obviously teams are all about avoiding distractions, especially since the Colts have been off for the last two weeks and they had a buy heading into the favorite match against Pittsburgh, and they're one game away from the AFC championship.

Tony Dungy, the coach of the Colts, had his son commit suicide over the holidays, which was also a big distraction for the Colts. And we know -- we now understand the way teams need to view major disruptions. Barrett Robbins, the all-pro center, step away from the Oakland Raiders two days away before the Super Bowl in San Diego and the Raiders got killed by Tampa Bay. It was bipolar disease, he was diagnosed. He ended up in Tijuana before the game and there was a problem.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Eugene Robinson, was arrested before their Super Bowl game against Denver in Miami. The Falcons got killed. That's not to say it's going to happen to the Colts this time. All that's to say is the pre-game routine is major, major issue for teams and a major disruption can be a negative on everybody.

HARRIS: You know, but we're not talking about Edgerrin James, we're not talking about Marvin Harrison here, we're not talking about Peyton Manning, here. We're talking Nick Harper, he's the cornerback. He's not one of their stars. So, can the team overcome this distraction?

HORROW: Of course, they could. And you know, let's check in six hours and we can all decide whether they've overcome it or not. But he was a starter and a team behaves as a team and Tony Dungy is a great leader. But it's not just that, obviously, Tony, it's the NFL. You know, sponsors are involved, $2 billion of ad revenue spent by corporate America for NFL. This is not the end of the world, but after the Terrell Owens incident the NFL doesn't need another distraction like this. So, it's an issue that may potentially be way beyond the Indianapolis Colts.

HARRIS: And let's not fool ourselves. This is one of the marquis teams in the NFL.

HORROW: It is, absolutely. Remember, they won their first 13 games of the year. Everybody was excited about...

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: Undefeated...

HORROW: ...undefeated possibly and Indianapolis was going to be the home of what football is all about now and it still should be, but you got Peyton Manning who makes $11 million a year on one end of the endorsement spectrum, and now you got some image problems with his the Colts. So, we'll just see what happens.

HARRIS: Rick Horrow, thanks for your time my friend.

HORROW: Talk to you next week, man.

HARRIS: OK.

NGUYEN: Well, anti-America protests all across Pakistan today, all in the wake of a reported U.S. air strike. Thousands of people braved the rain and cold to denounce the U.S. and Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf. The reported CIA air strike, Friday, killed 18 people in a remote village near the Afghan border. The target of the attacks was said to be al Qaeda's No. 2 man, Ayman Al Zawahiri, but Pakistani authorities say Al Zawahiri was not in the area.

"Across America" now, the attorney for a second man accused in the killing of "New York Times" journalist David Rosenbaum says his client didn't do it. Percy Jordan Jr. had a court appearance yesterday. Rosenbaum was struck the head and robbed near his home in Washington. The 63-year-old had been a reporter and editor for the newspaper for more than 35 years.

Firefighters in Oklahoma are dealing with a red flag warning for extreme fire danger today. Wind gusts up to 40 miles-per-hour and temperatures in the 70s are expected. The Panhandle of Texas and eastern New Mexico are also under extreme fire danger warnings today.

Well, before dawn, a NASA space probe hit the Utah desert, ending a seven-year voyage chasing a comet. The Stardust spacecraft flew over earth, releasing a capsule, carrying a teaspoon sized sample of dust from a comet. We're going to give you a live picture of a NASA news conference underway right now, it's a post recovery briefing. Talking about exactly what have they been able to learn so far. NASA is banking on the cosmic particles being pristine leftovers from the birth of the solar system and they're telling us how it all started in outer space. Next up for NASA it's Tuesday's launch of its new Horizon mission to Pluto.

HARRIS: The Golden Globes are handed out tomorrow night for the 63rd annual awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is nominated, among others. Felicity Huffman as best actress in the movie "Transamerica," it's the unexpected travails of a transsexual before the operation. And Will Farrell nabbed a best supporting actor nomination for his role in "The Producers" the film is nominated for best picture, musical comedy. And CNN will be on the red carpet with all the celebrities tomorrow night. An actress who defied female stereotypes in her long Hollywood career has passed away. When she was discovered, Shelley Winters was just a plain-looking former chorus girl, but proved her medal in dozens of roles. Sibila Vargas has more on Shelley Winters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHELLEY WINTERS, ACTRESS: Now, you think I'm planning to be careless?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whether it was "The Poseidon Adventure" or here breakthrough role in 1947's "A Double Life," Shelley Winters made her name playing brassy, out spoken women. Initially she was typecast as the sexy blonde that would turn as the young factory worker in 1951's "A Place in the Sun" netted the actress her first Oscar nomination.

WINTERS: I'm not asking you. I'm asking Mr. Frank.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mother, for heaven's sakes.

WINTERS: Oh, I embarrass you, too, do I?

VARGAS: Her betrayal of selfish and temperamental matriarch, Mrs. Vandaan in "The Diary of Anne Frank" won her best supporting actress Oscar in 1959. It lead to a lifetime of work as a character actor which included memorable roles like the lonely widow in Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita."

WINTERS: Oh, you man.

VARGAS: Her second best supporting Oscar came as her turn as the bigoted mother in 1965's "A Patch of Blue." But say the name "Shelley Winters" and what most movie fans think of this:

WINTERS: You see Mr. Scott, in the water, I'm a very skinny lady.

VARGAS: Her role as the former swimming champ who paddles her way through 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure" earned her a final Oscar nomination. In later years, winters was probably best remembered as the grandmother on the sitcom "Roseanne".

ROSEANNE BARR, ACTRESS: Well, I am your granddaughter.

WINTER: When it comes to my potato salad, you are nothing to me.

VARGAS: A love of fantasy lead the St. Louis native, born Shirley Schrift, to a career of more than 100 movies and Broadway plays, and she said a rewarding life.

WINTERS: It's the thing that keeps you young and exciting creating new human beings.

VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Shelley winters was 85 years old.

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NGUYEN: An Iraqi woman puts her life on the line for U.S. soldiers. Coming up next, the huge risks some Iraqis take as they bridge the language barrier between U.S. forces and Iraqi citizens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Our top stories this morning, in case you are just joining us -- if you are, good morning. NASA went a long way for a little dust. That little point of light off the center of your screen is a space capsule returning earth with precious cargo, comet dust from 3 billion miles away. NASA scientists are excited about this capsule's return after seven years in space. The dust particles could give them a wealth of new information on how the solar system was formed.

The Emir of Kuwait has died at the age of 77. Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been ailing since suffering a brain hemorrhage five years ago.

And finally, the wife of an NFL football player is in jail this morning, charged with cutting her husband with a knife. Indian Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Nick Harper, was not seriously injured, but it's still not clear if he'll play in today's all- important playoff game against Pittsburgh. His wife, Danielle, remains in jail with no bond set.

NGUYEN: In this morning's "Soldier Story," U.S. and Iraqi coalition forces aren't the only ones with dangerous jobs. CNN international correspondent Michael Holmes brings you the story of one extraordinary Iraqi woman whose sacrifice put her right on the front lines in the war on terror.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are no shortage of war stories in Iraq nor close calls. Take this one.

SARAH: My other guys went around, they started shooting them while they were shooting mortars at us. I got injured from mortars. I got scars. You want to see the scars?

HOLMES: She's on patrol with the U.S. military, except Sarah is no soldier. In a country full of dangerous jobs, one of the riskiest is hers, being an Iraqi, translating for America American soldiers.

SARAH: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this has become my life. I can't just leave it.

HOLMES: Most Iraqi translators, like ODB here, cover their faces. Recognition on television or, indeed, on the streets, could mean death for them or their families, but they say it's worth it. The diminutive Sarah might be short on height, but is long on courage, say her U.S. friends, who asked us to hide her face, even if she won't.

SARAH: I'm serving my country, serving the U.S. Army. It's fun, but dangerous at the same time. But I like it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lack of a better way to put it, she's got more -- more guts than a lot of the men interpreters we've got.

HOLMES: There are at least 4,000 Iraqi translators working for the U.S. military, up to 150 have died doing so. Sarah stands out for all kinds of reasons. Just 19 years old, she's been doing this three years already and has braved too many encounters with insurgents to count.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I admire her courage. It's kind of hard to say you're scared of something when you have a 19-year-old girl sitting there beside you who is half your size who's unafraid of anything that's going on.

HOLMES (on camera): It is a crucial job because these people are not just dealing in words, they are dealing in people's lives, American and Iraqis. For example, Iraqis have died because they have not understood orders shouted to them in English or because their actions have been misunderstood.

SARAH: I feel like I'm responsible, because one word from me, a guy can live or can get shot.

HOLMES (voice-over): On this patrol, one of hundreds Sarah has been on, house searchers. Sarah, explaining to locals why and what to do. Half of Sarah's popularity is not just the way she does her job, but the way she can make these guys laugh. Even in the back of a Bradley finding vehicle in an area infamous for roadside bombs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's the best there is. She does good on questioning people and she knows when the dirty man's around. So, she's a big help and big asset to this team. That's what she is, she's a part of our team.

HOLMES: Sarah says her unit, her military base is her home now. She says she can't go back to her old life, but that life isn't important now.

SARAH: I'm not scared. Only god can take my soul.

HOLMES: Michael Holmes, CNN near Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, a short time ago, we heard from Dr. Bernice King, the daughter of Dr. King about her father's legacy. Now we want to hear from you. Has the message of hope, peace and advancement been diluted over the years? We'll read your e-mails coming up.

NGUYEN: Also want to say good morning, Manchester, New Hampshire. What a beautiful blanket of snow you have. We're going to get you a complete weather forecast in about three minutes, not just for Manchester, but the rest of the nation, as well CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And this just in to CNN. Hospital officials in Jerusalem say Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, will undergo a tracheotomy tonight. Hospital officials say the procedure will help wean Sharon off the respirator that has been helping him breathe since he suffered a massive stroke earlier this month, oh about 10 days ago or so now. He remains in a coma. He remains in critical, but stable condition. So, once again, hospital officials in Jerusalem say Ariel Sharon will undergo a tracheotomy tonight. We will keep you posted on this, of course.

NGUYEN: Right now it's time to check in with Howard Kurtz in Washington to see what's ahead on CNN's "Reliable Sources." Good morning Howard.

HOWARD KURTZ, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Good morning, Betty. Coming up, journalist Jill Carroll kidnapped in Baghdad. Did news organizations sit on this story because one of their own was involved? We'll also talk to the man who exposed Oprah's favorite author as a partially fabricated memoir. Look at the Alito conformation hearings with Gloria Borger and Dana Milbank, and we'll ask the blogger known as Wonkette why she's giving up her online gig. Plus the latest way to get your news fix and you don't need a television. All that and more on "Reliable Sources."

NGUYEN: Looking forward to it. Thank you.

Right now we want to get you caught up to speed on the weather outside. Some folks seeing a lot of rain, others a lot of snow -- Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Big difference from 70. Thank you, Bonnie.

HARRIS: All morning long we've been asking for your thoughts on our e-mail question. Here it is: Has the message of hope, peace and advancement been diluted, Dr. King's message, has it been diluted over the years?

Sharon from New York writes: "It's as alive and very active in the minds of those who choose it. Think of your own broadcasting. How much of it is positive? Has the media allowed any hopeful, peaceful and advancement stories to be bombarded into our homes on every level? That, however, does not mean that it is diluted. It just means it isn't talked about."

HARRIS: And this, don't who wrote it, but it's a pretty good sentiment: "Overall, I believe it's less of an issue of dilution of the message and more of a case of not progressing and acting on King's message. I believe there continues to be too much focus on diversity (by all of us) and not enough on unity. We adults could all learn by watching how young children of all races play together, without regard to race, color, etc."

Thank you for your e-mails this morning. We appreciate it.

NGUYEN: Yeah, one last one, Frederick says, "The U.S. has merely replaced racism with elitism and consumerism. Americans still care about everything other than each other."

Of course we appreciate all your thoughts today. Of course we'll have another e-mail question for you next weekend.

"Reliable Sources" with Howard Kurtz is up next.

HARRIS: And in four hours we'll take you live to West Virginia where there will be a memorial service for the miners killed in the Sago mine about two weeks ago now. You can see that live here on CNN starting at 2:00 Eastern.

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