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CNN Sunday Morning

Drama at Saddam's Trial; Bob Woodruff Injured in Explosion in Iraq

Aired January 29, 2006 - 07:30   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Same courtroom, same accusations, new judge, not so new ending. So what is going on in Baghdad? We're going to talk to one international law expert with the inside scoop. You definitely want to stay tuned to that. Welcome back, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: What a morning already.

NGUYEN: Fireworks going off. It was wild!

HARRIS: I'm Tony Harris. That story in a minute, first a look at other news this morning.

Rescuers in Poland are searching in the bitter cold for survivors of a devastating roof collapse but hopes are dimming. At least 60 people were killed when the roof of an exhibition center caved in during a packed event yesterday. Dozens of others were injured. It's not clear what caused the collapse, but temperatures had plunged and there was heavy snow.

A Christian aid group says it's grateful to see a newly released video of four of its members. They're being held hostage in Iraq. The group believes the western peace activists abducted in November are still alive. CNN cannot confirm when the footage was shot. The kidnapers say they're giving the U.S. and Iraq one more chance to release all prisoners.

NGUYEN: A brawl on the Las Vegas strip was so out of control police had to shut down part of the strip for 20 minutes. At least 14 people were arrested. Police say some brawling party-goers started fighting with officers when they arrived to break up the fight. Police called for backup and some 70 officers responded.

There's an important deadline tomorrow for some 40,000 hurricane Katrina evacuees still living in hotels. They have to get a special authorization code so the Federal government will keep paying their bill beyond a week from now. The number to call, put it on the screen for you, 1-800-621-fema. The code must be given to the hotel to extend the subsidy for at least a week.

The army unit that rescued Private Jessica Lynch from her Iraqi captors has been given a award of valor. The first battalion 75 ranger regiment received the valorous unit award Friday. It's the service's third highest unit citation. The battalion is back from a three-month deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell made the list for last night's annual Alfalfa Club dinner in Washington. The black-tie affair is a light-hearted roasting of politicians on both sides of the aisle. President Bush previewed his Tuesday state of the union address by saying, there's a need for discourse without anger.

NGUYEN: It is 3:30 p.m. in Baghdad, where the trial of Saddam Hussein resumed with a new chief judge and then proceedings quickly ground to a halt when angry outbursts from Hussein led to a heated exchange between him and the new chief judge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRANSLATOR: God willing, allow me to get out of this court, because I cannot stay in this court session until all issues are resolved.

TRANSLATOR: The court decided to get the defendant out of this courtroom. Sit down.

TRANSLATOR: Don't say that. You are an Iraqi. The Iraqi respect his elders. I led you for 35 years. How can you tell them to get me out? Shame on you!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: There you have it. So as you can see, not much has changed in the past few months, giving you a live picture now of the courtroom. That trial has been overshadowed by the murders of two defense lawyers and the replacement of two of the top tribunal judges. So should we take this trial seriously? Can we take it seriously? Let's ask Michael Scharf, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University. He joins us this morning. Thanks for being with us.

MICHAEL SCHARF, LAW PROF., CASE WESTERN RESERVE: Hi, it's good to be on.

NGUYEN: Oh, my! You had to have seen what happened in the courtroom. It kind of gets diluted when we hear the translation of it. But you could tell, even though we couldn't understand what was being said the emotion behind this. People were yelling at each other. A new judge steps in, he says I'm going to get this court under control. Saddam's half-brother calls the court illegitimate, saying it was quote, the daughter of a whore. He was thrown out. Saddam starts getting into it with the judge. He says he's leaving. His whole defense team leaves. They walk out. What is going on? Is this out of control?

SCHARF: Well, it certainly seems to be quite the circus. Here's what's going on. Judge Rizgar Amin, the former judge, had been walking a tightrope, where he was really giving in to the wishes of the defense and Saddam Hussein, allowing them to use the tribunal as a stage for political arguments and issues. And there was a lot of criticism of that, but the one thing that he succeeded in doing is keeping Saddam Hussein in the courtroom. Now, we've got a new sheriff in town, the new chief judge, judge... NGUYEN: Barzan Hassan (ph).

SCHARF: Right. And Judge Abdel-Rahman is a much stronger judicial temperament. He's a forceful judge and he is probably seeing his new mandate as gaining control of the courtroom. The problem is, if Saddam Hussein thinks he has nothing to win by sitting quietly in court and he doesn't get a chance to make all of his outbursts, why even be there at all? And so when Judge Rahman told Saddam's half- brother, you can't treat the court this way, you can't impugn the dignity of the court, you're out of here, he was doing what he thought he was hired to do, gain control of the courtroom. And then of course, Saddam responded the way one might predict and that is to try to disrupt the trial by, once again going on a boycott.

NGUYEN: I have to ask you this, though, because you helped train some of the attorneys on Saddam's defense team. Was this a smart move for them to leave, just to walk out, because the judge said that if you walk out, you're not going to be allowed back in any of the proceedings.

SCHARF: Let me correct you. I didn't train the defense counsel. I actually trained all of the judges, including the new judge who is presiding here. Yeah, I do think, though that it's a smart move. What's happening is there is a balance in this tribunal and Ramsey Clark, who also has represented other international defendants like Slobodan Milosevic, his goal is not the same as the judges. He doesn't want a fair and smooth trial. He wants to disrupt the trial. So he is telling his client, Saddam Hussein, whenever you have an opportunity, you need to find a way to disrupt the proceedings and the challenge for the judge is to keep the trial going forward, in spite of the tactics of the defendants.

NGUYEN: OK, we've been watching this for months now and it does seem like it's out of control. So when this thing does wind up, because proceedings are still going on right now, witnesses are giving their testimony. When it's all said and done and there is a verdict here, is it going to be taken seriously? Will it be legitimate?

SCHARF: Well, what's happening, after our attention has been distracted is that the judge actually continued the proceedings and now nobody in the west is watching what's actually being said in the courtroom, but all of the people in Iraq are watching what is probably very compelling and significant testimony. At the end of the day if Saddam Hussein watches from his jail cell and we see video cutaways of him watching the trial or if he watches from the actual courtroom, it doesn't matter. He's going to get his fair trial. The important thing is what is said in the courtroom, what is proved in court. And at the end, that's what this trial will be judged on.

NGUYEN: What do you think of this new judge Abdul Raman? Do you think he can really he get it under control and get this trial back on track?

SCHARF: I do. I have a lot of confidence in him. He was actually the super star judge that they had picked for the next trial, which is this huge Anfal campaign trial. So he's the big gun, and they didn't want to bring him in for this very small case of Al-Dujayl. They thought that Judge Amin would be able to handle that. But since things started to get out of control, they brought in their super star, their all-star team and he should be able to get things moving right along in the coming days.

NGUYEN: We'll see how it goes. Boy, it started with a bang today. Michael Scharf, thank you for your insight.

So what do you think of the unfolding developments in the Saddam Hussein trial? What do you really think? E-mail us those thoughts. I imagine they run the gamut. Our address is weekends@cnn.com. We'll read some of them throughout the morning.

HARRIS: Want more chaos, confusion?

NGUYEN: I guess so, let's go.

HARRIS: On to Palestinian politics now, the Bush administration would like to say Mahmoud Abbas retain his position as president of the Palestinian authority but according to the Palestinian constitution, the new Hamas-controlled parliament could impeach Abbas. It would take at least two-thirds of the new Palestinian legislature to impeach. Palestinian security forces today pledged their loyalty to President Abbas. He has told security chiefs they answer to him and not any new Hamas-led government. CNN's Elaine Quijano reports it all leaves U.S.-Palestinian relations up in the air.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Bush is sending a clear message to Hamas. He told CBS news the group must renounce violence and its pledge to destroy Israel, saying, quote, aid packages won't go forward. Well, that's their decision to make. But we won't be providing help to a government that wants to destroy our ally and friend. Yet the Bush administration is facing a difficult question, cut off aid to Hamas without punishing the Palestinian people. Since 1993, the U.S. has given more than $1.5 billion in financial assistance to the Palestinians for water, medicine, education and other areas. Much of that money has flowed through non-governmental organizations or NGOs and was designated for specific projects.

SHIBLEY TELHAMI, MIDDLE EAST EXPERT: The problem for the administration is those huge humanitarian need by the Palestinian people. A lot of that aid frankly goes to NGOs as well and some of that aid to NGOs should continue, because people need help on the ground, separate from the authority.

QUIJANO: A State Department official tells CNN the U.S. is committed to assuring that Palestinians do receive humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, as the U.S. waits for the political dust to settle, one prominent senator says it's an untenable position to have a government in the Middle East led by a group committed to the destruction of its neighbor, Israel.

SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R) ARIZONA: Hopefully that Hamas, now that they are going to govern, will be motivated to renounce this commitment to the extinction of the state of Israel. Then we can do business again. We can resume aid. We can resume the peace process. It's very, very important, though, that they renounce this commitment.

QUIJANO: Economic aid to the Palestinian authority will be on the agenda Monday, when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets in London with representatives from Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations. Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Later this morning, the co-founder of Hamas, Mahmoud al- Zahar will be guest on "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." That comes your way 11:00 a.m. Eastern, 8:00 a.m. Pacific.

NGUYEN: All right. We're going to give you an update now, this just in to CNN, we've been talking about the Saddam trial and how it got off to really a rocky start yet again. CNN's Aneesh Raman has the latest for us from Baghdad. I understand the trial is wrapping up, at least today?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has, Betty. Yes, trial has gone into recess. It's done for the day, set to come back into session on Wednesday or Thursday. The discrepancy is because this week marks the Muslim holiday, which is based on the lunar calendar and so essentially if Wednesday becomes the holiday, given where the moon is, then the court will resume on Thursday. But for now it is set to reconvene on Wednesday.

We heard in total from three witnesses today, all of them complainant witnesses speaking behind the curtain, their voices disguised, describing torture that was endured at the hands of Saddam's regime, but it capped off as you said a dramatic morning where Saddam Hussein walked out, where Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti, his half-brother was forcibly removed, where two other co-defendants walked out and where the entire defense team walked out and were replaced by court-appointed defense attorneys. So now, as we wait for this trial session to resume on Wednesday or Thursday, the lingering questions will be whether any compromise gets reached with the defense lawyers and whether Saddam Hussein will show up later in the week. Betty?

NGUYEN: Big question to you, I guess, no one has been able to really put their finger on that just yet since it all blew up today. Obviously we'll be watching and waiting to see if Saddam and his defense team are back in court when this thing gets under way once again on Wednesday. Aneesh, thanks so much. We'll be checking in with you throughout the day.

And there's much more on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. You'll want to stick around for that. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We do have a sad story out of Poland that we've been covering this morning.

HARRIS: Yeah, 60, maybe more than 60...

NGUYEN: It's supposed to rise.

HARRIS: ... dead in that roof collapse there at an exhibition hall in Poland. We're going global this morning with Danielle Elias. Danielle, good morning.

DANIELLE ELIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Thanks Tony. Now, time is of the essence as hopes of more rescues are fading and the death toll continues to rise in Poland's roof collapse. Now at least 60 people have died and at least 140 people are injured after the roof of an exhibition hall in southern Poland buckled under the weight of snow. The extreme cold weather has been a major problem as temperatures are dipping well below zero.

Now shifting now to Davos, Switzerland and the world economic forum, Iran has asked for the attention of world leaders. Iranian officials are expected to sit down with members of the European Union Monday in Brussels. Although British officials say it's a sign of progress in the nuclear standoff, it's not quite a return to talks that stalled a year ago. Many in the west are concerned because Iran said it resumed nuclear research.

In Japan, the question is, is U.S. beef safe? A new report by Japan's food panel says Japan should be stricter with imported beef. This comes nine days after Tokyo put a ban on U.S. beef after a shipment was found to have parts of the cow at risk for mad cow disease.

Now here's a bit of a cleaner story for you. Tony, you know how your mom always says to brush your teeth?

HARRIS: Yeah, yeah.

NGUYEN: I believe he still does that of course.

ELIAS: Of course, well, in the Philippines nearly 11,000 school children brushed their teeth at the same time. Take a look at these pictures. These kids are trying to break a world record for a simultaneous brush-off. And as you might guess, they're keeping their teeth and gums healthy. They used soft bristle tooth brushes for nearly three minutes and playfully tossed their red caps in the air.

NGUYEN: Graduation or something.

ELIAS: What a great way to promote health. Now Betty, if I remember correctly, you said you had a little fun story on brushing teeth.

NGUYEN: I told you this in the makeup room. When I was a kid we didn't have a lot of games to play, so my cousins and I, we used to have a brush off. It's really lame isn't it? But I will tell you this, went to the dentist a couple weeks ago, no cavities so it pays off.

ELIAS: It sure does. NGUYEN: You should have had a brush-off as a kid.

HARRIS: I made up for it later in life, plenty of brush-offs to tell you about. All right, Danielle good to talk to you.

NGUYEN: Danielle. You might not have known the face of one television pioneer but you'd definitely recognize his work.

HARRIS: We'll look back on the life of Arthur Bloom and his contributions to CBS and "60 Minutes." That is next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, everyone. I'm meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in the CNN weather center. As we look towards the northeast get ready for rain. It's already coming down in some places like Detroit, over the great lakes area and you'll see all of this moisture sliding up to the east. If you're wondering will it be rain or will it be snow? Most places rain only. Look at the temperatures. They're just too mild for snow with some exceptions.

We will see snow in upstate New York like in Albany and then further north where temperatures will teeter around the freezing mark so you will get some snow there. And once the system moves through actually on the backside of it, we should get snow in some other places as well and actually some snow flurries in the forecast tonight for Chicago even though the temperature is 48. The temperatures will be falling throughout the day as the cold air wraps around our low and really reinforces some cold temperatures for later tonight across Chicago and into Madison, Wisconsin, for example.

And as we look further off to the west, unfortunately, we have another area of fire danger we're watching. This area of low pressure very close to an area of high pressure and when you have a difference in pressure, you get a strong pressure gradient. And the closer those two are, it means we're going to be seeing some very strong winds across much of the region. And one other thing we're watching unfortunately is no rain in Phoenix. Yesterday shattered a record, today is the 103rd day with no rain. The last time it rained in Phoenix, October 18th, 2005, so had to go back to last year for that one. Hopefully they'll get some rain soon, just not in the forecast right now. Tony?

HARRIS: OK, Bonnie, thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE WALLACE, CBS NEWS: I'm Mike Wallace.

MORLEY SAFER, CBS NEWS: I'm Morley Safer.

ED BRADLEY, CBS NEWS: I'm Ed Bradley.

STEVE CROFT, CBS NEWS: I'm Steve Croft.

LESLIE STAHL, CBS NEWS: I'm Leslie Stahl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The TV news director who supplied the "60 Minutes" icon that, ticking stopwatch has died. Director Arthur Bloom helped found the newsmagazine. He died Saturday of cancer. He was 63. Bloom joined CBS in its mail room when he was 18 years old. He went on to spend 38 years with "60 Minutes" and he helped Dan Rather succeed Walter Cronkite as anchor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: All right. We've been talking about the unfolding developments in the Saddam Hussein trial. This is what you have to say based on the question, what do you think of all of this? Lynn writes from Lake Ridge, Virginia, the events of the Saddam trial this morning are comical at best. What is both amazing and frightening is Saddam's evident stranglehold over the safety of the court personnel. I'm sure most would agree that the court dignitaries chose to leave their positions due to their safety. I am thrilled to see that this new judge is firm and to the point with the arrogant Hussein.

NGUYEN: And John writes, my 28 years of experience in dealing with convicted felons tells me that the new judge in the trial of Saddam Hussein is doing exactly what needs to be done. He is taking control of the court. Diabolical manipulators like Hussein are all about taking control of their environment and Saddam had taken control of the court and the previous judge. You will probably now see some concessions from the judge to allow his original defense team back into the court, not that any of his attorneys short of Ramsey Clark weren't overjoyed to be given the opportunity to exit the case.

So keep them coming. We still want to know what you think. It was quite a day in court today for Saddam and his team, let alone the judge and all the others involved. What do you think of the unfolding developments in the Saddam Hussein trial? E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com.

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SADDAM HUSSEIN, FORMER LEADER, IRAQ (through translator): I led you for 35 years. How can you tell them to get me out? Shame on you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Fireworks in the courtroom. Saddam Hussein walks out one defendant is expelled, and that is just, just the beginning.

We're going to have a live report straight-ahead.

From the CNN Center, this is "CNN SUNDAY MORNING." What a morning it's been. January 29, everybody, 8 a.m., here at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta, 4 p.m. in Baghdad.

Good morning, I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us. Our top story in a moment. But first, headlines now in the news.

Officials say it's a recovery effort rather than a rescue mission in Poland this morning. At least 60 people were killed and 140 injured when the roof of an exhibition center caved in southern Poland.

Some people are still trapped in the debris. Officials doubt they're alive. We will bring the very latest in this developing story coming up in a live report.

Palestinian security forces have reportedly pledged their loyalty to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. This comes just a day after hundreds of armed Fatah Party supporters protested Hamas's victory in this weeks elections. For more, don't miss "CNN's LATE EDITION." Wolf Blitzer talks with Hamas co-founder Mahmoud Al-Zahar about his group's rise to power. That's "LATE EDITION" with Wolfe Blitzer at 11a.m. Eastern.

Just one day left for evacuees to get FEMA authorization codes. The codes are needed to get subsidized funding for hotels and motels through at least February 13. Whether you're switching hotels or checking in for the first time, you must have the code to do so. Anyone without a code is encouraged to FEMA now at 1-800-621-FEMA.

Happy New Year, China. It is the year of the dog. People born under this Chinese zodiac sign are said to possess the best traits of human nature. Beijing lit up in celebration after the recent lifting of a 12-year ban on fireworks. They started and sparked 4000 of them for the occasion.

NGUYEN: All right. There's a new chief judge but it is the same old banter and posturing in Saddam Hussein's war crimes trial.

Just minutes ago the trial adjourned until Wednesday. And to say the proceedings got off to a testy start would be an understatement.

CNN's Aneesh Raman has a front row seat in the courtroom and has the latest on this developing story.

First of all, take us back to what happened earlier today. Boy, things blew up.

RAMAN: They did, Betty. An understatement, as you said, it would be that. It was easily the most dramatic day in court as far as the ones that I've been.

The new chief judge -- and we were all anticipating to see how and what kind of tone he would set in the courtroom. The new chief judge came in, laid out a whole new list of rules. The top among them that none of the defendants were going to be allowed to embark on any sort of political diatribe, speak of anything that was unrelated to the case at hand. Well, the rule was broken within minutes of the judge saying that. Barzan al-Hassan al-Tikriti, Saddam Hussein's half brother, who was the first to stand up after the judge finished his opening remarks, detailed to the court that he had cancer. He did not feel he was getting adequate medical attention.

And then, parlayed his speech into calling the court, quote, "The daughter of a whore." Well, that prompted immediate outrage by the judge who said that Barzan had crossed the line. He then had him forcibly removed. And you won't see it on the video because they want to conceal the identity of the guards. But it took four guards, two of them who actually entered into the docks and two who surrounded it, to drag Barzan al-Hassan al-Tikriti out of the courtroom, clearly against his will.

Well, at that point, the defense attorney's, who in mass numbered around 13, all stood up. One of them began screaming. The judge had him taken out of the courtroom. And the other 12 defense attorneys followed suit and left on their own will.

And the judge warned them, as they were leaving, if you walk that door you will not be allowed back, not just in today's court session, but to any court sessions to come.

Well, once that happened, the question was, who's going to represent the defendant? So the judge brought in six court-appointed defense lawyers, it seemed, were waiting in the wings almost. It took just minutes for them to be brought into the courtroom.

Saddam Hussein then took center stage. He stood up, said, "I reject these court-appointed lawyers." He turned to them specifically, called them evil, and then him and the judge had this back and forth where Saddam said, "I led this country. I led you for 35 years." The judge said Saddam -- essentially calling Saddam an old man. He also said, the judge, I can call you other names but I choose not to.

At that point, Saddam Hussein decided he wanted to leave. The judge said he couldn't leave, that the judge was going to throw him out. And then two other co-defendants left with Saddam.

So in all, by the end of today's session, half of the defendants had either been forcibly removed or walked out. The entire defense team had been walked out and has now been barred officially from reentering this courtroom. And huge issues remain as to how this trial's going to proceed.

It's adjourned now until Wednesday, Betty.

NGUYEN: You know, arguments, yelling back and forth, saying you're evil...

HARRIS: Insults.

NGUYEN: ... the trial is basically illegitimate, the daughter of a whore. My goodness, Aneesh. Let me ask you this, though. This new judge replaces an old judge that a lot of folks said was just simply too lenient. How has this judge fared so far? I know it's just the first day, but with all that happened in the courtroom, are you hearing what word on the street is, what people thing so far of this new judge?

RAMAN: Well, I think they'll clearly be content with the fact that he began at least with a very strong impulse, trying to bring order to a court that, as you say, as been marred by chaos. The previous chief judge was criticized often for allowing the defendants to speak at will, and often at length.

So he started this session with these rules that we laid out. Now, the question will be whether, perhaps, he went to far, whether, because of how long -- we've seen three months of this trial process exist with these loose rules -- whether too quickly he implemented the whole new set of rules.

Because, now, that is a very real question. He has barred the defense from re-entering the courtroom. What happens there? And if Saddam rejects his court-appointed defense lawyers, he could easily be in a stalemate and boycott the rest of these sessions.

So I think there will be some joy at least on the Iraqi streets that there's some defiance against Saddam, who a lot of Iraqis thought was using this as a platform for his political views and not as a defendant facing trial on crimes against humanity.

But this new tactic of the judges raises any number of new questions, Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, a lot of questions that really could possibly put this trial in jeopardy, depending on what happens with all of it. Of course, we're going to stay tuned.

Aneesh Raman, thank you for that live report out of Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: That's always a great moment, isn't it? It doesn't matter who the president is. That's just a really cool moment.

Tuesday night, President Bush will deliver his State of the Union address. And it's traditionally the president's most important speech of the year. It's also a key political event. Months are spent in preparation.

With a preview now, CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us live from the White House.

Elaine, good morning. QUIJANO: Good morning to you, Tony.

President Bush undoubtedly spending time reviewing that State of the Union address this weekend.

At a time, though, when some polls are showing that many Americans are not satisfied with the direction the country is headed. Aides say that President Bush, in his address, will try to set an optimistic tone.

Now, we got a little bit of a preview this past week when President Bush held his first news conference of the year. The president outlines some of the issues that he plans to talk about, including the war on terror.

Aides are saying, though, not to expect a laundry list of proposals but rather broad themes. His focus on issues the administration believes are close to home for Americans, things like the economy, energy and gas prices, and health care among them.

And a look at some of the president's recent poll numbers gives some explanation as to why that focus.

First of all, taking a look at the president's overall approval rating, according to a new "Time" magazine poll, 41 percent of Americans say they approve of the way the president is handling his job, with 55 percent of Americans saying they disapprove.

And a look at the numbers on the economy, more than half of people polled, 56 percent, said they disapprove of the president's handling of the economy, and 39 percent said that they approve.

Now, of course, another area that Americans are very concerned about is the war in Iraq. Aides say you can expect a fair amount of this speech to be devoted to that.

But interesting to note, unlike last year, when you'll recall the president outlined his very ambitious goal of overhauling social security, we're not expecting to see anything like that this year. Tony --

HARRIS: CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House for us. Elaine, thank you.

And we will have complete coverage of the president's address Tuesday night.

And we do mean complete, Betty. Look at this. Look at all that on the screen there. Seven p.m. eastern, Wolf Blitzer and Paula Zahn will anchor CNN's coverage of the speech. Tick down one. The State of the Union address will be live on CNN, 9 p.m.

One more down here, following by the Democratic response at approximately 10:30. Then live from Washington, a special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360." We're not done. Followed by CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" beginning at midnight, with top political leaders and analysts. NGUYEN: Now that's a line-up.

HARRIS: It's a lot.

More now on the tragic story out of Poland. A roof collapsed yesterday, burying people inside an exhibition hall. At least 60 people have died. Dozens are hurt this morning. There's snow on the ground and temperatures are below freezing.

CNN's Paula Newton joins us now live with the latest.

And, Paula, what town in Poland are we talking about here?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's Katowice, which is an industrial town just south of Poland. We're actually in a suburb of that. And it's a town and you can imagine a country in mourning.

They've really unfortunately, Tony, given up hope. They've just brought in the heavy equipment. They have people on the roof to see how they can begin to pluck the heavy beams and the heavy sheet metal. They're all most positive now that the only thing that they're going to find underneath are dead bodies.

The family members are absolutely distraught. They've been searching hospitals, searching morgues for their loved ones. There is a bit of confusion in terms of where people went if they did come out of here dead or alive.

And, in talking to survivors about this terrifying ordeal, it really did seems that, whether or not you came out of this unscathed or injured really depended on where you were standing in the building. The roof seemed to collapse, in and of itself, in the center. But if you were in and around the walls, you seemed to be OK.

Really, in the end, this was all just a matter of luck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCIS NOLMANS, INJURED COLLAPSE VICTIM: I think that the one's that were in the center of the building didn't have a lot of chance to get out. You had to be on the side or you had to be in the neighborhood of one of these pillars that hold us the roof. The other ones that were underneath, I don't think they had a lot of chance getting out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: That was Francis. He was Belgium. He was here with five of his friends. He then -- when he was able to get out through just one of the exits here, he then directed search and rescue officials to where his friends were and they all got out OK.

Many others are saying, perhaps, as many as 100 were not so lucky. That's on top of the 65, 66 now actually, that are already confirmed dead. They've already started an investigation here. There were some rumors that he had to do with the snow on the roof. But really they won't know the real cause for weeks -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. What a story. What a tragedy. CNN's Paula Newton for us. Paula, thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, his congregation is spread all across the country, but that doesn't stop this minister from reaching out to those in need.

Coming up, we will tell you how Bishop Paul Morton is extending his faith to Hurricane Katrina victims one state at a time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Oh, and that was just part of it.

Here's a look at some of our top stories.

Of course, Saddam Hussein's trial does top it. It has adjourned until Wednesday. But not before drama filled the courtroom.

The new chief judge expelled a co-defendant and a defense attorney. Before it was all over, Saddam Hussein and his defense team walked out of the courtroom. The judge immediately appointed new lawyers.

We'll keep you on top of all of it.

Rescuers in Poland now have switched from rescue mission to a grim recovery mission in a deadly roof collapse. At least 60 people were killed when the roof of an exhibition center packed with people gave way yesterday. Some 140 people were injured. And it's unclear what caused that collapse.

eBay says it is not responsible for fakes sold on its site. But angry traders say it better be. The "New York Times" reports Tiffany and Company is suing eBay, claiming it facilitates the trade of counterfeit Tiffany items. eBay says it doesn't have any expertise in recognizing fake goods, but in bringing buyers and sellers together.

HARRIS: And what was going on in Baghdad? Was it in the water today or was it in the weather?

NGUYEN: I don't know what happened blew up in the courtroom.

HARRIS: Maybe it was the traffic and weather together.

Bonnie Schneider upstairs in the CNN Weather Center with the weather for the nation this morning.

NGUYEN: Helping cool things off, right?

SCHNEIDER: Nothing controversial up here, that's for sure.

NGUYEN: Yes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right, Bonnie. Thank you.

Talking about spreading the wings of ministry in two states, up next in our "Faces of Faith," Bishop Paul Morton reaches out to displaced hurricane victims.

HARRIS: Oh, we love him.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes. By bringing his church to them.

HARRIS: Also a reminder, send us your e-mail thoughts. What do you think of the unfolding developments in the Saddam Hussein trial, this craziness this morning? We want to here what you have to say. weekends@cnn.com.

We will right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We've got some breaking news to tell you about. This involving ABC "World News Tonight" anchor Bob Woodruff. I want to read you a statement that we have received from the president of ABC News, David Weston. Here it is.

Quote, "Bob Woodruff and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, we injured in an IED attack near Taji today. They were embedded with the 4th Infantry Division traveling with an Iraqi army unit in an Iraqi mechanized vehicle. Bob and Doug are in serious condition and are being treated at a U.S. military hospital in Iraq. ABC News will provide updates on their condition as they become available.

So, again, ABC News "World News Tonight" anchor Bob Woodruff injured in an IED attack in Baghdad. He was embedded with the 4th Infantry Division. He is in serious condition, as you recall. He was recently named to that post at ABC "World News Tonight" with Elizabeth Vargas. That happened back on December 5 last year, replacing Peter Jennings, as we all know, who passed away.

But one more time, ABC anchor Bob Woodruff injured in an IED attack in Iraq. He's in serious condition. We'll bring you the latest as soon as we know it -- Tony.

HARRIS: We certainly wish Bob and Doug a speedy recovery and our thoughts are certainly best wishes with their families.

On this morning's "Faces of Faith," the same storm winds that devastated New Orleans also scattered its religious communities across the country. Now, churches are rising above the wreckage and trying to reconnect with their displaced flocks.

And Bishop Paul Morton's church has one of the largest congregations in New Orleans and he's also reaching out to his members. Today, he opens another mega church right here in Atlanta. And he joins us now.

Bishop, good to see you.

PAUL MORTON, BISHOP, GREATER ST. STEPHEN MINISTRY: It is good to be here. Good morning.

HARRIS: Oh, man. Good to talk to you. I want to get into the church building that's going on in just a second.

But I have to ask you, two churches in New Orleans, the West Bank, Uptown?

MORTON: West Bank and Uptown. We were one church in three locations. But Uptown is up and running again. West Bank is up and running again. Now the East was destroyed. That was our largest location so we lost that location. But two out of three ain't bad in New Orleans.

HARRIS: How about that. Storm winds rolled through late August, the end of the month, and what are you thinking? In the aftermath, we've heard so much about whether this is a message from God to clean up your house in New Orleans, a message from God that the apocalypse is near.

What messages did you take from Katrina?

MORTON: Well, I don't think it's a message just for New Orleans. I do believe that it's a message for America. I believe that America has been kind of lately snubbing God. We don't want the Ten Commandments in the courthouse. We don't want the pledge of allegiance "under God." So I think God says, "You don't want to be under God, who do you want to be under? Under water?"

I mean, we have to really look at life itself. I don't think that New Orleans was the real target as it relates to God being angry because, it seems like to me, he would have destroyed Bourbon Street and not my church.

HARRIS: Right. True.

MORTON: So it's a message to America that we really need to go back to God and recognize God as being the source of our strength. And I believe that he's using either New Orleans as the instrument because there is a change that is taking place.

You know, Katrina means purging. It means purification. And I believe that that purification process is taking place in New Orleans.

HARRIS: Bishop, how difficult has it been for you to watch the suffering of so many of your fellow New Orleaneans? And I have to ask you, do you think race or class played a role at all in the recovery?

MORTON: Well, you know, it has bothered me as it relates to how slow they moved into New Orleans. It seems like to me, we were rushing into Iraq and too slow into New Orleans. And something's wrong with that picture. There was a lot involved. I think, communication, people now being where they were supposed to be. They knew about the levees for years and years and years.

HARRIS: Yes.

MORTON: We were playing really Russian roulette with our lives. You know, every time a hurricane would pass, I guess they would say, "Missed it again." And this time it caught us.

So I think if it would have been some other areas there would be more sensitivity to what was really going on and the levee's would have been taken care of.

HARRIS: And Bishop, a final thought from you. What is it that you're saying to the folks who are so displaced? We mentioned that you're opening a church today here in Atlanta, reaching out to your folks here, who were displaced in Atlanta.

What is it, as you begin this new year, you're saying to your congregates?

MORTON: I am bringing a message of hope. And, as for me, you know, to wake up one morning and pasturing a mega-church in New Orleans and the next day you have no church. What do you do? Do you stop? Or do you say, "I'm going to re-build. I'm going to do what I can to make it work."

That's why we've expanded to Atlanta, Georgia. Because we decided that, hey, as long as you have life there is hope and there is purpose for your life. So look in the mirror every day and say, "I'm alive." So that means there's purpose.

HARRIS: Bishop Paul Morton. Good to see you. Good to meet you.

MORTON: Bless you.

HARRIS: Thank you. Thank you, I need it.

That's this Sunday's "Faces of Faith." Betty.

NGUYEN: Coming up next on our "CNN SUNDAY MORNING" hour, fireworks in court. We will pick through the debris of the Saddam Hussein trial. In a nutshell, Saddam walks out. His lawyers walk out. Another defendant is expelled. Can the tribunal be taken seriously? That's the question.

But first, low carb, no carb, fat-free, even prayer? So many ways to loose weight, but which one is the right one for you?

On today's "House Call" Elizabeth Cohen examines healthy diet alternatives. Right after this short break.

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