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CNN Sunday Morning
Devastating California Wildfire; Saddam Hussein's Lawyer Writes Letter to President Bush; Remembering Legend Arnold 'Red" Auerbach
Aired October 29, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News" on this Sunday morning for you, waiting for power in the Northeast. A nasty storm with wind gusts exceeding 50 miles per hour hit several northeastern states overnight. Thousands from Maine all the way to Maryland still have no electricity this morning.
We are keeping a close watch on this one, as another day of high winds is expected.
Now let's get you straight to Reynolds Wolf for a quick check of the weather outside.
Not what they need, especially with all those power outages in the area.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. You know, I don't care where you happen to live around the country, no one needs this kind of weather to deal with.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
NGUYEN: Well, a letter from Saddam Hussein's lawyer to President Bush, it warns violence in Iraq will worsen if Hussein is found guilty. It also accuses the White House of trying to time the verdict before the midterm elections. The letter was e-mailed to CNN's Baghdad bureau. We have those details ahead in a live report from Iraq.
A deadly firefight to tell you about now in Afghanistan. NATO says its forces, along with Afghan troops, killed 70 suspected insurgents who attacked a military base in the south. One NATO soldier was killed. Officials say that up to 150 insurgents battled the NATO and Afghan troops for several hours.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: In Yemen, military officials say they've arrested eight people with possible ties to al Qaeda. The suspects are accused of smuggling weapons from Yemen to Somalia. Last month Yemeni officials said they broke up an al Qaeda-linked cell behind foiled attacks on oil and gas installations.
Arnold "Red" Auerbach has died of a heart attack. The legendary basketball coach and front office force will always be remembered as the man behind the Boston Celtics. Hall-of-famer Red Auerbach was 89 years old.
In about 15 minutes we're going to take a closer look at his career and his lasting impact on basketball.
And we do run down the top stories for you every 15 minutes here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines is coming up at 7:15 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Well, good morning to you, folks. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, October 29th, two days before Halloween.
Good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you so much for starting your day here with us.
NGUYEN: Yes, talk about severe weather, check this out. A rainy, windy night creates a wet morning without power.
Strong winds pounded the Northeast overnight. Here's some new video coming into CNN. What it did is it toppled trees and downed power lines all the way from Maine to Maryland.
Utility crews are out in force this morning trying to get the power back on. At one point, nearly a quarter million in New York City had no electricity.
High winds are also stirring things up along the Eastern Seaboard. The Coast Guard is issuing a warning this morning, telling sailors to seek shelter from winds above 60 miles an hour.
We'll get you back now to Reynolds Wolf.
HOLMES: Yes, Reynolds.
NGUYEN: Yes.
The situation there not good this morning. And it doesn't seem like it's going to improve too much -- Reynolds.
WOLF: Well, I mean, it's going to improve in certain places.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: Meanwhile, in southern California, firefighters get a break from the weather just a bit, with winds dying down. The aerial assault on the Esperanza Fire is in full force. The fire is now 60 percent contained -- that's good news -- but more than 30 homes have been destroyed, and for those families the tough task of picking through the rubble has begun.
We get more now from Lisa Sigell of our affiliate KCAL.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONNA RAYMOND, LOST HOME IN FIRE: A lid to one of my sugars, a little creamer...
LISA SIGELL, REPORTER, KCAL (voice over): A teacup, some broken china, it's all that's left of what used to be Donna and Robert Raymond's home.
RAYMOND: It's been a lot. My dad helped us build it. And so it has a lot of memories.
SIGELL: Sixteen years' worth, and the Raymonds are not alone. In the Twin Pines and Poppet Flats area, home after home burned to the ground.
ROBERT RAYMOND, LOST HOME IN FIRE: It's kind of surreal here. It's kind of like walking on the moon, as far as looking around. The -- it's more devastating than I thought it would be. I kind of thought we would have a foundation. But even the foundation's no good.
SIGELL: Even with their loss, the Raymonds are thanking the firefighters who tried to save their home.
D. RAYMOND: I was so glad that they got out, because there was -- there wasn't anything they were going to be able to do.
SIGELL: So the Raymonds sift through the pieces one by one, remembering back over the years. And now, even in the rubble, they're looking toward their future.
D. RAYMOND: We'll be able to rebuild and, you know, replace things. That's all -- we have memories. We have really good memories. So can't take that away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And again, that report from Lisa Sigell of CNN affiliate KCAL. She's reporting from near Beaumont, California.
NGUYEN: Saddam Hussein on trial. His lawyer on the offensive. Now, the attorney has written a letter to President Bush, and it warns of more violence in Iraq if Hussein is found guilty.
CNN's Arwa Damon joins us now live from Baghdad.
Arwa, we understand that this letter questions the expected timing of the verdict, which right now could happen next Sunday.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Betty. In this letter, Khalil Dulaimi -- he is the chief attorney for Saddam Hussein's defense team -- accuses U.S. President George Bush and the U.S. administration for deliberately orchestrating the date that the Dujail verdict will be heard so that it lands just two days before the midterm elections. We were expecting verdict mid-month. It was, however, delayed.
In that letter, Dulaimi also blames the U.S. administration for the violence that we have seen here, for sectarian violence that we have seen increasing here, and warns that if Saddam Hussein and his co- defendants are found guilty in the Dujail trial, that there will be only more violence. Now, they are standing trial for crimes against humanity for -- after -- in Dujail in 1982.
Saddam Hussein, there was an assassination attempt against him. Following that, there was a massive crackdown in that area that left at least 148 Shia dead, many homes and the entire surrounding area destroyed.
Now, we are expecting a verdict on November 5th right now. And if found guilty, Saddam Hussein and his co-defendants could face execution -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Arwa, I understand this letter was e-mailed to the Baghdad bureau, CNN's Baghdad bureau. Do you know if indeed it was received at the White House? Any idea on that?
DAMON: As of now, we do not have a reaction from the White House. In fact, many times when we see the defense team addressing the U.S. administration, or trying to get their statements out, they do tend to just e-mail these letters to the media.
Now, according to one of the spokespeople on the U.S. side in D.C., he said that he had not seen the letter. But if the defense team wanted -- he said -- sorry, that the defense team should be addressing the Iraqi people, stating that this was an Iraqi court. Of course, one of the main arguments of the defense team is that this is not an Iraqi court and that there is too much Iraqi and U.S. government interference -- Betty.
NGUYEN: OK. Another thing that we want to talk about this morning is the Iraqi prime minister, we understand his convoy was attacked.
DAMON: That's right. Now, that attack happened late yesterday night in the southern Baghdad suburb.
Now, the prime minister was not in the convoy at the time. This, according to a spokesman for the Iraqi government. However, one of his bodyguards was wounded. And this also prompted U.S. and Iraqi forces to search for hours, well into the morning, for the perpetrators.
They're saying that they detained one person, confiscated two weapons. This does, though, raise a certain question in that the prime minister lives and works out of the Green Zone. We do not quite know just yet what his convoy was doing in this southern Baghdad suburb.
And this attack also comes the same day that the Iraqi prime minister met with U.S. President George Bush via video conference. In that, they agreed to certain goals; namely, they agreed to speeding up the process of training up Iraqi security forces and handing over control to the Iraqis -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Yes. We'll see how that plays out.
Arwa Damon, thank you for that update out of Baghdad for us today.
Well, it's been a deadly month for U.S. troops in Iraq. Can the mission there be completed? Today on "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER," senators Richard Lugar and Joseph Biden of the Foreign Relations Committee, they'll be talking to Wolf. That's coming up at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.
And today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, John Roberts brings you "This Week at War" in Baghdad. He'll not only focus on Iraq, but Afghanistan as well.
And coming up in just 30 minutes from now, we will talk with a correspondent in Afghanistan about a firefight that has killed dozens of insurgents.
HOLMES: All right. Picture this...
NGUYEN: OK.
HOLMES: ... Jesus as a black man.
NGUYEN: All right.
HOLMES: I'll give you a second to take that in. Well, the first American film to depict Jesus as a black man is due out soon. We talk to Jean-Claude LaMarre, the director and star of "Color of the Cross" here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's coming up in about 10 minutes.
NGUYEN: Plus, remembering a legend. We are remembering basketball pioneer Arnold "Red" Auerbach this morning.
HOLMES: Also coming up, of course it's Halloween week, and, you know, some scary things are going on here and there. Haunted houses -- what in the world is going on there?
NGUYEN: You see, that's -- we'll get into it, but that started rocking on its own.
HOLMES: Right.
NGUYEN: I kid you not. It's captured on tape.
HOLMES: Yes. Sure thing, Betty. Haunted houses...
NGUYEN: I'm not kidding.
HOLMES: We're actually going to talk about haunted lighthouses. We're going to scare you with the top 10 list of the hauntingly scary lighthouses in America. That big boo coming up in 25 minutes.
NGUYEN: You don't sound too scared. You will be. Just wait.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: "Now in the News," wet and wild. The Northeast gets a pounding overnight. The high winds and rain creating a mess of downed trees and power lines.
Right now utility crews from Maine to Maryland are scrambling to get the power back on. This morning, the Coast Guard's warning sailors to watch out for wind gusts way above 60 miles an hour.
And a letter from Saddam Hussein's lawyer to President Bush, it warns violence in Iraq will worsen if Hussein is found guilty. It also accuses the White House of trying to time the verdict before the midterm elections. The letter was e-mailed to CNN's Baghdad bureau.
A deadly firefight in Afghanistan, 70 suspected insurgents are killed during an attack near a NATO and Afghan base in the south. One NATO soldier was killed. The NATO and Afghan troops battled between 100 and 150 insurgents for several hours.
And Israeli president Moshe Katsav is being advised to suspend his duties while he's being investigated on rape charges. The office of Israel's attorney general made the recommendation in response to a high court petition demanding President Katsav resign.
NGUYEN: Well, the president of Cuba, Fidel Castro, says rumors of his death are insulting and motivating. Interesting there. They are the first public pictures we've seen in over a month. The 80-year-old Castro is still recovering from intestinal surgery that he had back in July.
It is election day in Brazil. Large rallies mark the run-up to today's presidential run-off vote. Now, the country's current president, well, is expected to win easily despite accusations of widespread corruption in his administration.
We do run down the top stories every 15 minutes right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up at 7:30 Eastern.
HOLMES: The end of an era. Basketball pioneer Red Auerbach has died. He was the victim of a heart attack at the age of 89. But his gruff style and winning attitude will never be forgotten, especially by his beloved Boston Celtics.
CNN's Larry Smith takes a look back at Auerbach's legendary career.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Imagining the Boston Celtics without Red Auerbach is like trying to picture Mount Rushmore without George Washington. For nearly half a century, Auerbach's fiery temper, shrewd basketball sense, and ever-present cigar smoke wove their way through Boston, creating the most storied franchise in basketball history.
Arnold "Red" Auerbach became Boston's head coach in 1950 and ruled the Celtics with an iron fist. Said Bill Russell, "Auerbach cannot stand the thought of losing. If you don't play to win, Auerbach has no place for you."
That passion for winning got results. When Auerbach left Boston's bench in 1966, he was the NBA's all-time winningest coach. But Auerbach was more than just a master strategist and motivator, he was the architect of the Celtics' dynasty.
In 1956, he traded established stars Ed MacAuley and Cliff Hagan to St. Louis for a first round draft pick he used to select Bill Russell. With Russell at center, Boston won 11 titles over the next 13 seasons.
After a down period in the early 1970s, then general manager Auerbach restructured the team and two more titles followed in 1974 and in 1976. In the '80s, Boston would win three more championships after Auerbach assembled one of the greatest front courts of all time in Larry Byrd, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.
Auerbach was also instrumental in breaking the color barrier in the NBA. On his watch, the Celtics became the first NBA team with a black player when they signed Chuck Cooper in 1950. Boston was also the first team to start five black players and the first with a black head coach, when Auerbach named Russell to take his place in 1966.
But Auerbach's enduring legacy may be summed up in two words: Celtic pride. He established a commitment to winning, and a tradition of excellence that permeate the franchise to this day and continue to be the standard other sports teams strive to achieve.
Red Auerbach, he was the Boston Celtics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "COLOR OF THE CROSS")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think they're doing this because he's black?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're doing this because he's the messiah.
(END AUDIO CLIP, "COLOR OF THE CROSS")
HOLMES: A new face of Jesus causing both controversy and a fresh perspective. "Color of the Cross" is the first American film to depict Jesus as a black man. So why now?
Earlier, I spoke with Jean-Claude LaMarre, the director and star.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN-CLAUDE LAMARRE, ACTOR, DIRECTOR: A film like this comes at a very poignant time in our -- in our development as a nation. I think we are a nation right now experiencing conflict all over the world. And a film like this really goes to the heart of looking at some of the lines that divide us, not only here domestically, but -- but in regards to our policies overseas as well.
HOLMES: And to be clear, is your depiction of Jesus in this movie, being a black man, meant to be historically accurate or simply a -- I guess a personal or spiritual choice and option for black people?
LAMARRE: This film is probably closer to being historically accurate than anything we've seen previous. You know, Mel Gibson's "Passion," as much attention as Mel paid to detail, still was a bit off in terms of the visual representation of our lord, the savior, Jesus Christ.
I think everything that we know about that region of the world suggests that Jesus would in fact have been a person of color. Probably of darker hue. And definitely Semitic in nature. Obviously the images that we have been fed as a Christian community goes against everything that logic points to.
HOLMES: Now, also, why did you go as far as making the suggestion that race as well was a factor in the crucifixion of Jesus? A lot of people -- and the argument has been out there about what race Jesus might have been. But to factor that in and to say race was -- may have had something to do with the actual crucifixion, why -- why go that far?
LAMARRE: Well, what I didn't want to do, T.J., was make a film and just cast a black actor in a traditionally white role. I always joke about casting a black man to play Santa Claus. And so I didn't want to do that in this case.
What I actually wanted to do is I wanted to cast a character, cast an actor to play a character that we believed represented the very message of this film. And that is, that Jesus Christ himself was a darker-skinned person.
Understand that in this film, Christ's color is used as a metaphor for his station in life. During his time, he was, as scripture tells us, a member of the disenfranchised. He was a member of an undesirable class. He was a lowly man.
And so I think if Jesus Christ were indeed a black or darker-skinned Jew, he most likely would have experienced some of the alienation and the discrimination that even darker-skinned people today experience throughout the world.
HOLMES: How do you think white Christians can or would ever accept worshipping Jesus who is dark skinned, a black Jesus?
LAMARRE: I think that's a very good question, T.J. I think if you are a Christian, truly a Christian, and you have a problem with this movie, then you need to look inward. You need to really question what your values are, because Christ told us that he was about inclusion, and he was about love, and he was about brotherhood. And so at the end of the day, if you have a problem with a black Jesus, then there's something that suggests maybe you're not in line with Christian values.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: Very interesting discussion there.
HOLMES: Interesting stuff.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: A lot of folks might not like it, might not agree, but it at least gets folks to think a little bit.
NGUYEN: Well, he definitely has his points.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: So, go se the movie, decide for yourself.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, thousands in the Northeast, well, they are still waiting for power.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: No movie theaters there. No.
We'll bring you the latest on the nasty storm that hit several states in that region overnight.
HOLMES: Plus, the Taliban battling NATO forces head-on and in the open. How strong are the Taliban really in power? NATO troops countering the Taliban activity.
A live report from Kabul in about 15 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: "Now in the News," crews, well, they are gaining the upper hand on a wildfire in southern California. The Esperanza Fire is now about 60 percent contained. Firefighters hope to have it completely under control by Tuesday. But in the meantime, hundreds of families are still being kept out of their homes just in case.
Let's get you over to Reynolds Wolf for a quick check of the weather outside.
Good morning to you, Reynolds.
WOLF: Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: In the meantime, there is a warning for -- or from, I should say, Saddam Hussein's lawyer. He says violence in Iraq will increase if Hussein is convicted. That warning comes in a letter from the lawyer to President Bush. And it also questions the timing of the verdict, which is expected just before the midterm elections. A Bush administration official says the trial is in the hands of the Iraqis. HOLMES: Israeli president Moshe Katsav is being advised to suspend his duties while he's being investigated on rape charges. The office of Israel's attorney general made the recommendation in response to a high court petition demanding his resignation.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro showing off for the cameras a bit. The 80- year-old president says rumors of his death are insulting. These are the first public pictures of the ailing dictator in more than a month. He's still recovering from intestinal surgery he had in July.
And of course we do run down for you the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We have in-depth coverage for you all morning long. And your next check of the headlines is coming up at 7:45.
And hello to you, everybody. Again, from the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Well, good morning, everybody.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
We want to thank you for being with us today.
HOLMES: And this is that severe weather. A rainy, windy night, creating a wet morning without power for a lot of folks. Strong winds pounded the Northeast overnight, taking down trees, downing power lines.
This happened from Maine to Maryland. Utility crews are out in force this morning, as you can expect, trying to get all that power back on. At one point, nearly 250,000 in New York City had no electricity. Wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour, maybe even higher, as we were hearing about a short time ago from Reynolds there, they battered parts of Maine as well.
The Coast Guard is issuing a warning this morning, telling sailors, you need to seek shelter. Also this morning, high wind warnings posted across much of New England.
And we're going to head back over to Reynolds Wolf again.
Just a mess last night really.
WOLF: Oh, no question.
HOLMES: And they got more.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet. NGUYEN: Weather now on the side of firefighters in southern California, finally. That deadly Esperanza Fire is about 60 percent contained today, but the break from Santa Ana winds comes too late for dozens of families who just lost everything.
CNN's Carol Lin has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): More than 2,000 firefighters and better weather helped to slow the killer blaze.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you a resident up there?
LIN: Authorities started allowing people to return home. Some houses survived the fire. But 27 did not.
CLAUDIA KEELING, RESIDENT: I had no idea their home was lost. We hadn't heard about that.
BOB KEELING, RESIDENT: Yes.
LIN: Bob and Claudia Keeling return to find their homes intact, but like their neighbors, they hoped the half-million-dollar reward for the arsonist will lead to an arrest.
C. KEELING: It's just -- it's like a monster. And we have to catch this person.
TERRY TAYLOR, RESIDENT: I mean, there's just so many people that -- they lost everything.
LIN: Mary Van Horse (ph) did. On hands and knees, she searches for her mother's wedding ring.
SHERRY REDDISH, RESIDENT: You either let it kill you, absolutely totally devastate you, or you just get to work and get through it.
LIN: Hours of sifting through the ashes has yielded few treasures. This scorched tea service was one.
Firefighters are counting their losses in lives. Four of them were killed when flames overcame their crew truck.
A fifth firefighter is in the hospital with burns covering 90 percent of his body. Doctors say his chances are not good.
The family of one of those lost firefighters shared their grief. Jason McKay was just 27 years old, and his loss was deeply felt.
CRYSTAL MCKAY, FIREFIGHTER'S SISTER: Jason wasn't just my brother, he was my best friend.
LIN: Beyond the grief, there is resolve to put this fire out and to catch whoever started it.
Carol Lin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, the numbers are even worse this morning. Now, 34 homes destroyed, 20 other buildings also just gone. And about 500 homes, well, they still stand in a possible path of the fire.
HOLMES: We turn now to war and politics. Iraq shaping up, of course, to be a major factor in the midterm elections. Voters go to the polls in just nine days, and President Bush is trying to convince them that Republicans can win in Iraq and at the ballot box.
Details now from White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In Indiana, at his first public campaign rally this election season, President Bush tried to go on the offense, hitting Democrats on the issue analysts say is Republicans' biggest political liability, Iraq.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And all the people listening here, I want you to think about the Democrat plan for success. There isn't one. Iraq is a central front in this war, and yet leading Democrats argue we should pull out right now.
QUIJANO: With a little over a week to go until the congressional midterm elections, both the president and first lady Laura Bush tackled domestic politics Saturday, each campaigning in different states.
Later, addressing the troops in Charleston, South Carolina, the president underscored his national security message.
BUSH: If the United States of America were to leave before the job is done, the enemy will follow us here.
QUIJANO: At the same time, the White House tackled international politics, seeking to downplay recent reports of increased tensions between Baghdad and Washington over timelines for Iraqi progress. Aides say President Bush spent almost an hour Saturday morning on a video conference with Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, describing the meeting as part of ongoing consultations. But it came on the heels of the prime minister telling the U.S. Friday he was "not America's man in Iraq."
Still, a senior Bush aide called reports of tensions over-hyped, and a joint statement by the two leaders after the video conference said, "We are committed to the partnership our two countries and two governments have formed, and we'll work in every way possible for a stable, democratic Iraq and for victory in the war on terror."
Against that back drop, Democrats have seized on Iraq as an example, they say, of the Bush administration's and Republicans' failed policies. JIM WEBB (D), VIRGINIA SENATE CANDIDATE: With the right leadership, the situation in Iraq is solvable, but the key word is "leadership," which has been a scarce commodity among this administration and its followers.
QUIJANO: And the president may be facing an uphill fight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think right now there's very little that an individual candidate, the president himself, even with his bully pulpit, can do to change the mood of voters right now. They are in a very angry mood.
QUIJANO (on camera): As for U.S.-Iraqi relations, the joint statement outlined some common goals, including accelerating the pace of training for Iraq's security forces, and transferring security responsibilities to Iraq's government. In addition, a high-level working group will be formed with top officials from both countries in order to make recommendations on how to reach those goals.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
NGUYEN: This just in to CNN. We are getting word of an airline crash in Abuja, which is the capital city of Nigeria. Here's the map of the exact area.
Now, wire reports that we're getting so far say a Nigerian airliner crashed near the capital's airport. We don't have any word yet on the injuries or exactly how many people may be onboard that plane, or what even caused that crash. But as soon as we get more information, of course you know we'll bring it to you just as soon as we get it.
HOLMES: We turn now to Afghanistan, where there was a firefight there in southern Afghanistan. And NATO says this one hit hard at insurgents, and that it was a long and deadly battle.
We're going to go now to journalist Thomas Coghlan, who is joining us now on the phone from Afghanistan.
First, thank you for being here. And tell me, what is the point, I guess, of these insurgents in small numbers, I guess, going up against a NATO force attacking the way they do? What are they hoping to achieve? Are they really hoping to take on and take over the NATO forces, or just -- are they trying just to make a statement?
THOMAS COGHLAN, JOURNALIST: Well, this force that we're talking about here was quite a large one, actually. It was 150 -- estimated at 150 Taliban fighters. And these Taliban fighters did actually attack a major NATO base in the southern province of Uruzgan yesterday, and as you say, there was a very large and protracted battle that followed that -- that attack.
Now, NATO is saying they believe they killed 70 insurgents. Almost half of that attacking force, reports of NATO helicopters, NATO close- air support aircraft involved in that battle.
Now, this area where the attack took place, it's been an area that -- well, one NATO official described it to me earlier as a place that the Taliban had considered a bit of an R&R spot for them. It's in Uruzgan, which is a province, a very desolate, very underdeveloped province of Afghanistan, where they've really felt pretty safe until now.
Now, the NATO expansion in southern Afghanistan has seen a big NATO presence put into that province. They've got a lot of Dutch troops who have gone into that province, and they've become operational within the last couple of weeks. So I think that's altered the balance of power somewhat in that province. Those Dutch forces now beginning to rub up against the Taliban forces, and the result is this major, major firefight we've seen here yesterday.
HOLMES: Now, again, we hear 100 or 150 insurgents, and compared to a big NATO force of thousands it sounds like a smaller force, but like you said, you said this is kind of a larger group of insurgents here. So just how effective can a group like that of 100, 150 or so be?
COGHLAN: Well, these insurgents are fairly lightly armed. I mean, the Taliban, the strength that they have as a guerrilla force, they're able to melt into the civilian population at will. They look very much like any other Afghan tribesman up in these areas.
They're generally armed with small arms, AK-47s. They also have rocket-propelled grenades which are feasibly forcible and fairly effective at short range.
So they're able to pack quite a punch locally. But really, they have to move pretty quickly. They have to attack hard, go fast, and then get out as soon as they can, because they know that NATO aircraft will be overhead fairly quickly. And NATO attack helicopters just chew up Taliban formations if they're in any -- any sort of sights.
But I would add a cautionary note here that, actually -- I mean, when the Taliban do concentrate their forces, they often try to do so from areas where there's an existing civilian population, and NATO aircraft can and have in the last week, in fact, hit Taliban formations and caused widespread collateral damage to the civilian populations in those areas as well. There was this now notorious incident last Tuesday where NATO aircraft managed to kill as many as 85 civilians in an area called (INAUDIBLE), which is fairly close to where I am now. I'm in Kandahar province in the south there.
So those Taliban insurgents, they made the calculation that if they attack from a civilian area that's somewhat shielded and potentially, if NATO hits them back, NATO's going to start killing civilians. And that's very, very bad news for the propaganda war that both sides are fighting for the hearts and minds of ordinary Afghans here in the south of Afghanistan.
HOLMES: All right. Well, again, journalist Thomas Coghlan helping us there on the phone.
Thank you so much for your time and sharing with us what you're seeing there on the ground.
NGUYEN: We're going to shift now from real live tales of danger to the kind that we make up. During Halloween week, are lame ghosts and haunted houses just not doing the trick for you anymore?
HOLMES: Lame.
NGUYEN: Lame is the key word here.
HOLMES: Lame.
Well, if they are lame to you, then stick around.
NGUYEN: But look at that.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes. What/ What do you see? Where?
NGUYEN: That's not so lame.
HOLMES: Where, Betty? Where?
NGUYEN: Do you see the ghosts there walking up the stairs?
HOLMES: I don't see it.
NGUYEN: This is a real picture.
HOLMES: Yes. All right.
NGUYEN: It is.
HOLMES: Well, come on back here and Betty's going to walk you through this scary side here.
NGUYEN: You've got to get into this, T.J. You just wait.
HOLMES: But it's the tour of the nation's haunted lighthouses. I'll give it a chance here.
Now, even if this doesn't give you goose bumps, we'll try our luck with Reynolds Wolf, maybe, and a look at the weather.
NGUYEN: Whoa, that's scary. Let's talk about scary.
WOLF: Spooky. Spooky.
NGUYEN: Wow.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: An update now on that breaking news story we told you about just a moment ago. An airliner crashes in Abuja, Nigeria.
CNN has confirmed a Nigerian airliner crashed near the capital's airport and burst into flames. We don't know yet how many people might have been onboard this plane. But wire reports are saying that there are casualties.
We do know the plane is owned by Aviation development Company. That's a private Nigerian airline.
This information is coming in to us. We will continue to update you as we get it.
NGUYEN: We do run down the top stories every 15 minutes right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, with in-depth coverage all morning long. So your next check of the headlines is coming up at the top of the hour.
In the meantime, 'tis the season for scary, spooky stuff. And if you're tired of the same old haunted houses -- T.J.'s not impressed -- well, here's a different type of fright for you.
This month, "Coastal Living" magazine picks America's top 10 haunted lighthouses. Executive editor James Schwartz joins us from New York with the eerie music.
A little frightening on a Sunday morning, James. Thanks for being with us.
JAMES SCHWARTZ, EXEC. EDITOR, "COAST LIVING": My pleasure, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. I'm almost afraid to ask, but talk to us about the criteria used to pick these 10 haunted lighthouses.
SCHWARTZ: Well, we actually went around the country and found out the lighthouses that had the most interesting stories. And it turns out that lighthouses on both coasts and even on the Gulf of Mexico have great stories about hauntings that go back for hundreds of years.
NGUYEN: Oh, OK. So let's get right to it, shall we?
I want to start with number three. We're not going to do all 10 of them. Number three is really interesting, because we actually have a picture. This is from St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Let me put up the picture, first of all. It's a -- if we can put it up there for you -- it's a staircase, and then you see this vague figure in it. I can describe it all, but it's one thing to see it. There you go.
It looks like a man, James. What in the world is the story behind this?
SCHWARTZ: Well, at St. Simons, there's a wonderful tale about that lighthouse. There was an argument between the lighthouse keeper, a man named Frederick Osborne, and his assistant, a guy named John Stevens. Theoretically, the argument was about Mr. Osborne's wife.
Anyway, Mr. Stevens ended up shooting Mr. Osborne. He didn't lose his job, and he was acquitted of all charges, but Mr. Osborne has been heard for about 100 years climbing up those stairs, but nobody ever seems to get to the top. And there actually is nobody on the staircase at all.
NGUYEN: So who took this picture? Is that Mr. Osborne? I mean, do you have a picture of this Mr. Osborne, and can you compare and see if that indeed is him?
SCHWARTZ: I haven't seen a picture of Mr. Osborne, but this photograph was taken by keepers at that lighthouse. So I'm going to go ahead and trust them.
NGUYEN: That is just spooky. Apparently, Mr. Osborne likes his white shirts.
Let's go to number two. This is in Florida. Tell us about this lighthouse.
SCHWARTZ: Which one are you looking at now, Betty?
NGUYEN: Well, we don't actually have a picture of it, but it's Boca Grande Lighthouse.
SCHWARTZ: Oh, that's a great lighthouse, actually.
NGUYEN: Yes.
SCHWARTZ: That lighthouse sits on the Gulf. And there was a Spanish princess there who was decapitated by a pirate.
NGUYEN: What?
SCHWARTZ: She's been seen wandering around -- around the sand around the lighthouse now, again, for about 100 years. And one of the other things about that lighthouse is that there is the sound of a young girl giggling upstairs. When people go up and look, there's nobody there.
NGUYEN: Really?
SCHWARTZ: They believe it's the daughter of one of the lighthouse keepers who died when her parents were working there.
NGUYEN: Giggling upstairs. So you have someone walking on the sand on the beach...
SCHWARTZ: Yes.
NGUYEN: ... and then you have this giggling sound upstairs.
Now, let me ask you this, I mean, do you think people are making up these stories just so people will come to these lighthouses? Is it all just part of the fun and games of it all?
SCHWARTZ: Well, first of all, it's two days before Halloween and I've got two young nieces, and I'm not going to tell them that these stories don't exist. But certainly there's great consistency about a lot of the tales that come from these different lighthouses. Whether they're visitors or keepers at the lighthouses, they end up having the same experiences. So there's got to be something to it.
NGUYEN: Well, and very quickly, we've got to get the number one haunted lighthouse. We're almost out of time, though. Tell us what that one is.
SCHWARTZ: Oh, boy. There's a lighthouse in Maryland that's called Point Lookout. It's in a state park. It's dark now.
During the Civil War it was a hospital for confederate soldiers. And that one has the reputation of being the most haunted lighthouse in America.
NGUYEN: Oh, my goodness. OK. You've got me a little spooked, although I can't even watch scary movies. That stuff makes me -- I can't even sleep after that. I have nightmares.
So you've got me hooked.
SCHWARTZ: Good.
NGUYEN: We'll see if others are hooked with all the giggling and the ghost stories.
Thanks so much for spending a little time with us, James.
SCHWARTZ: Thanks, Betty.
HOLMES: And stay here. When we come back, we're going to update our breaking news story today, the airliner crash in Nigeria.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
HOLMES: Again, back to that breaking news story we've been telling you about. An airliner crashes in Abuja, Nigeria. CNN has confirmed a Nigerian airliner crashed near the capital's airport.
CNN's Africa correspondent, Jeff Koinange, joins us now on the phone.
Jeff, are you hearing? What can you tell us?
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: I just spoke to a senior source at the president's office, T.J., and he says the aircraft, a Boeing 737 owned by ADC Airlines -- that's Alpha Delta Charlie -- crashed on takeoff from Abuja. It was heading to the northern state of Sokoto.
It happened about a couple of hours ago. And a couple -- some passengers who just landed a short time ago said the plane is still on fire on the runway -- or off the runway. There may be reports of some survivors. Don't know yet how many.
We don't even know how many were on board to begin with, but we do understand that the sultan of Sokoto -- that's a very senior source in that northern Muslim state -- he may have been on board. So another -- yet another tragic event, airline crash in Nigeria.
The local airlines there are very notorious for having accidents. The last one, about last December, I covered it. About 67 schoolchildren died in an aircraft accident in one of the southern states. But again, this one yet adding to the ongoing tragedy of Nigeria's notorious airlines -- T.J.
HOLMES: And again, you say notorious for these, just this particular airline? Or just -- just that area in Nigeria? You said they have several of these?
KOINANGE: Yes. In general, T.J. In general.
HOLMES: Yes.
KOINANGE: Last year there were two accidents in -- within as many months. This -- and the government, they promised to tighten the laws against allowing all these ancient airlines, if you will, from buying secondhand planes and flying them in those -- in unfriendly skies.
So, again, less than a year after the last accident, yet another one. Again, ADC Airlines, a Boeing 737, taking off from the capital, Abuja, heading to the northern state of Sokoto, crashed about two hours ago -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Well, Jeff, thank you so much for that. I know you're going to keep working your sources.
And we're going to check back with Jeff again at the top of the hour.
But again, our breaking news story, the plane crash in Nigeria. Stick here with CNN. We'll continue to update you on that.
Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We continue now with our breaking news story. An airliner crashes in Abuja, Nigeria. CNN has confirmed a Nigerian airliner crashed near the capital's airport. We are checking in again with CNN's African correspondent Jeff Koinange on the phone. Jeff we are starting to get word, at least Reuters reporting that maybe as many as a hundred people onboard, were aboard this plane. Are you hearing anything on that yet?
KOINANGE: I'm hearing something like that, T.J., but also I'm also hearing that there may be some survivors. It happened about a couple of hours ago. The airline, a Boeing 737 owned by ADC Airlines, Alpha, Delta, Charlie was taking off from the capital of Abuja heading to the northern state of Sokoto, when it crashed. We understand a passenger just landed on a flight a few moments ago. The plane is still on fire at the edge of the runway. Another tragic, tragic accident in the skies that are not so friendly in Nigeria, T.J. HOLMES: Are you hearing anything as well? We saw a couple of reports here that the plane actually burst into flames. I don't exactly know how this happened. You say on takeoff. Are you hearing anything else about the nature of the crash?
KOINANGE: No, and it's too soon for that, T.J. That will obviously take a while. What the officials are doing now is trying to see if there are any survivors. That is most important right now, an investigation will be launched immediately, but what I'm also hearing, I can tell you is that the Sultan, the highest official in that northern Islamic state may have been onboard that airline. I can also tell you, T.J., when I lived in Nigeria, I used to take that airline a lot. ADC, there were a lot of close incidents when I would fly that plane. Not very efficient, that airline and others, too in Nigeria.
And the other accidents that I covered last than a year ago, more than a hundred people perished in that plane crash.
HOLMES: What else can you tell us about this airport? Is that the only option a lot of people have to get in and out and is it a fairly busy airport?
KOINANGE: It is pretty busy because it's obviously the capital. So all-36 states feed their various airlines and the passengers into the capital. It is pretty efficient, pretty well run. They have all of the sophisticated equipment and everything so; it's not the airport itself. Sometimes it's the airlines or the airline operators who go out and buy second hand aircraft and think they'll last 10, 20 extra years and a lot of time they go through a lot of stress and strain and if they're not maintained properly, obviously accidents will happen, T.J.
HOLMES: And again, you've covered a couple there before as you were saying and we don't know what happened here. You talk about some of the old planes and in buying old planes they have 20, 30 extra years on them. But there in the past seeing this happen in this area, these crashes, is there often-public outcry? Why is it nobody has been able to clamp down on these airlines and make sure they're operating safe planes?
KOINANGE: That is a very good point; in fact last year there were two aircraft accidents in as many months. There was a huge public outcry and they said well we are really looked at this very, very strictly. Who are we allowing to give licenses to? Who are these operators? It went well for a while. They updated their systems and it was pretty efficient for a while, but once in a while something will slip through like this and you have an incident like this. Again, we don't know what the cause of the accident is and obviously, we will in the coming days, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Again we're keeping our eye on this story, and Jeff we are going to let you go here. And of course we keep checking back in with you again updating our viewers here. If you are just tuning in with us, again, an aircraft crash in Abuja, Nigeria, the capital. Reports coming in a little sketchy at this point, but still some reports of some survivors and maybe a hundred people onboard that plane. No idea at this point exactly what caused that crash, but again we are keeping our eye it here, so stay with us.
NGUYEN: Here in the U.S., a nasty storm with wind gusts about 50 miles an hour hit several northeastern states over night. Thousands from Maine all the way to Maryland still have no electricity this morning. We'll have more on the storm and the forecast. That is just minutes away.
Also a coalition convoy comes under attack in Iraq. Troops fire back from the air. The multinational corps says 17 insurgents were killed. It happened today in Balad, north of Baghdad as the multi national troops were attempting to arrest several suspected terrorists.
And Cuban president Fidel Castro says rumors of his death are insulting and even motivating. They're the first public pictures we've seen in more than a month the 80-year-old Castro is still recovering from intestinal surgery he had back in July. A
Well a deadly fire fight in Afghanistan to tell you about. NATO says its forces along with Afghan troops killed 70 suspected insurgents who attacked the military base in the south, one NATO soldier was killed.
Arnold "Red" Auerbach has died of a heart attack. The legendary basketball coach will always be remembered as the man behind the Boston Celtics. Hall of Famer Red Auerbach was 89.
We run down the top stories every 15 minutes right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of headlines is coming up at 8:15 Eastern.
HOLMES: We've been telling you about this mess cross the northeast this morning, following heavy rain and high winds. Power is still out for thousands of people after winds of 50 miles an hour took down trees and power lines. Utility crews from Maine to Maryland struggling this morning to get all that power back on. And a warning this morning to anyone heading out in New England, many of the regions roads remain flooded. In New Hampshire a man drowned after his kayak overturned and was swept downstream in a river swollen by heavy rainfall.
NGUYEN: Lots of rain and people picking up the pieces after that. If they could get the power back up that would help a great deal. Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh no question. You mentioned the phrase picking up the pieces; there are a lot of pieces to pick up, especially with the strong winds, some of 50 miles per hour. Although the 50-mile hour wind gusts were strong, they certainly weren't the strongest that we recorded yesterday. In fact in Vermont we had one up here that was up to 92 miles per hour in parts of Maine, 70 miles an hour gusts. This tropical storm-force winds and also at JFK in New York. We had up to a 54 miles an hour gust. Again that is what we pretty much had around the area. And it looks like today the winds will subside, but that precipitation is going to begin to pick up, but not just rain we're talking about.
We're also talking about the other stuff. We're talking about snowfall. Not much for New York. New York should be a pretty lovely day today with skies partly cloudy to mostly sunny later on. But when you get upstate and you have the moist air coming in right off Lake Ontario. When it gets into the higher elevations especially into the Adorned axe as well as the Green Mountains, when you get near Burlington. Higher elevations that moist air is going to run into cool air. You could see snowball totals that could range from 6 to 8, maybe even as much as 10 inches of snow fall. So that is certainly going to be interesting there to say the very least.
Also places south of Rochester near Buffalo and Jamestown you may have a few flurries. But for the most part a much easier day to deal with then what you had yesterday and certainly last night. That's the latest.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you.
Well we want to get you the latest now on that fire in southern California. The Esperanza fire now about 60 percent contained. Firefighters hope to have it completely under control some time by Tuesday evening. They fought a hard battle here. The fire was deliberately set and so far there are no known suspects in the arson case and that has led to this emotional plea from the mother of one of the four firefighters killed in that blaze.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONNIE MCKAY, FIREFIGHTER'S MOTHER: To the arsonist, you already know that you have a problem. I truly believe you didn't think things were going to turn out the way they did, but they did. Don't let the remorse eat you a alive. Come forward. There are people who can help you deal with the grief and remorse that you must be feeling. I, for one, will not try; I will try not to judge you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Tough times there. The good news though is that that fire is 60 percent contained. They're hoping that by Tuesday that they will have it completely out and then the search still continues today for the suspected arson in that fire.
In the meantime, we're following some breaking news out of Nigeria. A plane has crashed, not sure how many people were killed or injured on that Nigerian plane, they crashed right off the runway therein the Nigerian capital. We'll get you the latest on that as soon as it comes into CNN.
HOLMES: OK we are also of course just days away from the election next week. So of course we need to talk politics and we'll be talking to our Ed Henry from the White House. Just stay here, we'll update you on all these stories.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Let's get you an update now on our breaking news out of Nigeria. We understand a domestic airliner has crashed on takeoff from the airport in the capital city. That capital city is Abuja. What we know so far as this airliner-crashed right there near the airport and according to Reuters around a hundred people are feared dead. Now, that is according to Reuters. CNN's Jeff Koinange has reported to us just minutes go that he spoke with witnesses who just flew in on a different plane who say that that plane that crashed is indeed on fire and there is the possible they there are survivors in this crash.
What we do know at this point is that the Sultan, which is a senior member of the Muslim state, may have been onboard that plane. That according to the Nigerian president's office. Again, it's not known what caused that plane to go down upon takeoff. We don't know exactly the number of people onboard, although we're hearing reports that there are as many as 100 people onboard. The good news is according to our reporter on the ground is that there is the possibility that there are survivors in this plane crash and just to recap very quickly in the Nigerian capital Abuja a plane has crashed upon takeoff near the airport. As soon as we get more information on this, we will bring it straight to you.
HOLMES: Control of Congress. The election to determine who is in charge just nine days away now and according to a new poll by "Newsweek," only 35 percent of Americans want the Republicans to keep control of the Congress, 50 percent would like to see the Democrats take over. How likely is that to happen? CNN's Brian Todd examines the latest election predictions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The magic number for Democrats to win the house. A gain of 15 seats, but with less than two weeks left, predictions are all over the map. From political analyst Stuart Rothenberg who says the Republicans could lose as few as 20 seats and as many as 30 possibly more because the environment for Republicans now is worse than it was for Democrats in 1994.
The Cook political report says Republicans could lose at least 20 seats, but the financial magazine "Barron's" predicts the Republicans will lose only 8 to 14 seats and hold on to the majority because their candidates have the money advantage and listen to Karl Rove, the man who helped President Bush win two close elections when a reporter with NPR implied Rove was too optimistic.
ROBERT SIEGEL: I'm looking at all of the same polls that you're looking at.
KARL ROVE: No, you're not. I'm looking at 68 polls a week. You may be looking at four or five public polls a week that talk about attitudes nationally, but they do not impact the outcome of the individual race.
TODD: The Senate could be tighter. Eight close races. Seven of those seats held by Republicans. The Democrats need six to win the majority and the knock down drag out boils down to three.
AMY WALTER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: In Tennessee, Virginia, this is the firewall for Republicans right now. They're in their ability to keep hold of the majority in the Senate. For Democrats to win the majority they need two out of those three seats.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: That, analysts say, is why so much national attention and money is being spent by both parties on those three states as we head into November.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
HOLMES: Well we know what is at stake. So what's the strategy and we're going to talk with our White House correspondent Ed Henry. He's here with us this morning. Good morning to you, Ed.
ED HENRY, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
HOLMES: I'm sure the president would like to talk taxes and terror, but for a lot of folks that might go in one ear and out the other. It's all about Iraq. So what is the president going to be focusing in his final days?
HENRY: Well absolutely, that is partly the reason why the president is making sure he keeps reminding people that he believes Iraq is the central front in the war on terror. It is about the two t's. He wants to motivate conservative voters on taxes and terrorism. He did yesterday at a large public rally in Indiana. He was charging that Democrats will raise your taxes if they take control of Congress. He was also charging Democrats have no plan at all on Iraq and when it comes to terrorism, he says, their mantra is just say no whenever he wants tools to fight the war on terror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Providing for the war on terror the Democrats in Washington follows a simple philosophy. Just say no. When it comes to listening in on the terrorists, what's the Democratic answer? Just say no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: That's something that worked for the president in 2002-2004, but the question now is since his standing with the public specifically on the issue of handling terrorism and handling Iraq has dipped so much since that last election cycle, will it work this time, T.J.?
HOLMES: Well at least one resident of the White House whose last name is Bush is always going to have higher approval ratings than the president. So the First Lady, everybody likes the First Lady. Are they getting her out there as much as possible?
HENRY: Oh absolutely. I was on the campaign trail with her this last week in Minnesota and Indiana, and it is really a one two punch. I think the White House is trying to formulate here. The president goes out as you saw there and tries to rally conservative voters. The first Lady goes to some states maybe where he's not very popular and tries to rally middle of the road voters. Just yesterday she was in Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut. States the president would not appear in because he's so unpopular there and that's why they're trying to formulate the strategy. Both of them are working together going after different kinds of voters, TJ.
HOLMES: And finally here the president I guess made the joke in his press conference the other day that some Democrats are measuring for the drapes and think they have this thing won, but the GOP is notorious for the effort they put together. Can Democrats even match that at all this time around?
HENRY: That's ultimately what it is going to come down to. The 72- hour program that Republicans have worked so effectively in the last couple of election cycles. Basically the final three days of the campaign. You target your voters and get them to the polls regardless of what the other public polls are saying. It's what matters and who shows up. The Republican machine will come to the ultimate test this time, though. Some of the conservative voters are depleted. Can the program in the final three days get them to the polls? If they can, some of this Democratic optimism may dip back just a bit, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Ed Henry from the White House he is going to be a very busy man in the next nine days. We'll see you plenty.
HENRY: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Well we're continuing to follow that plane crash in the capital of Nigeria today. As that information comes, of course, we will bring it to you. So stay tuned for more updates on that. They're continuing to come in to CNN and after this break we'll give you an update on exactly the information that we've received regarding this plane crash in Nigeria.
In the meantime, take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought I was going faint. My right side started getting weak. My leg felt a little wobbly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The symptoms are of a mini stroke, but there is nothing mini about it. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at diagnosing this growing health risk. Weekend "House Call" is coming up in a ten minutes. CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at this. This is the prettiest garden and nobody had anything to do with planting it.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Looking for beautiful scenery, simplicity, solitude and a good sweat? Go hiking. More and more people are getting out of the gym. Fallon Holloway recently got hooked on hiking and says anyone can do it.
FALLON HOLLOWAY, HIKER: Well I love hiking. It gets my heart going and I just feel better after I do it. It feels like my blood is flowing right.
COSTELLO: National Park ranger Jerry Hightower says being close to nature is healing.
JERRY HIGHTOWER, NATIONAL PARK RANGER: It puts your life in perspective. It helps reduce that stress that makes you a more productive individual and that, in turn, helps you keep more health in terms of your physical health as well.
COSTELLO: And he says corporations are even building their own trails into parks to help their employees reduce stress.
Carol Costello, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We have more now on our breaking news story out of Nigeria this hour. CNN has learned that a domestic airliner has crashed in the capital of Abuja. The ADC Airline plane is apparently still on fire near the airport, which is in the capital city, and CNN has learned that there were a large number of schoolchildren onboard that plane. This is according to Nigerian officials. What we know as of right now, as many as 103 people have been killed in this crash. Seven survivors reported. Again, many schoolchildren onboard this plane as well as perhaps the Sultan who is a senior member of the Muslim state. That according to the Nigerian president's office telling CNN's Jeff Koinange who is on the ground.
Now the cause of the crash is still unknown at this hour. We'll follow all developments and we'll bring you details as soon as we get them.
HOLMES: Those developments will be coming in for a while and we'll be all over that story.
We're going to just lighten things up here a little bit and take a live shot at the Washington area. You are looking at the 31st Annual Marine Corps Marathon. It just got going. They expected some 30,000 runners, volunteers and just spectators to be out there. They're starting out in Arlington, Virginia, crossing the Potomac River into Washington and then they'll wind their way through the capital, past the monuments of course then cross the finish line at the Marine Corps War Memorial.
NGUYEN: 30,000 runners. You can see, there are quite a few already in the crowd.
HOLMES: But they are just getting going this morning. A nice day, the weather looks pretty good there. Maybe a little windy, wet camera shaking there.
NGUYEN: That's what you need, right? You don't want it to be 100 degrees outside.
HOLMES: It doesn't look like it's started yet. NGUYEN: They're supposed to start in 10 minutes. This is the second portion of this run. Good for them and best of luck. It will be a good one today.
In the meantime, it is official, President Bush signed a bill authorizing the fence along part of the U.S.-Mexico board, but will that solve all of our immigration problems and will that fence ever be really built?
HOLMES: CNN's Lou Dobbs examines those issues of "CNN America Votes" special. Broken borders, that's coming up in 30 minutes.
First, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at what you can do to recognize and prevent strokes. Weekend "House Call" straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Now in the news, breaking news out of Nigeria, a domestic airliner has crashed on takeoff from the airport in the capital city. CNN's Jeff Koinange reporting to us just a few minutes ago that the Boeing 737 is still on fire at the end of a runway. The Associated Press now quoting a government official saying 104 passengers and crew were on that plane and that no survivors have yet been found. We'll bring you more details as we get them.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro showing off for the cameras. The 80-year-old president says rumors of his death are insulting. These are the first public pictures of the ailing dictator in more than a month. He's still recovering from intestinal surgery he had in July.
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