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CNN Sunday Morning

Iraq PM Calls for Cabinet Shuffle; Flagging Bush Turns to Iraq Study Group; Fidel Castro May Have Terminal Cancer

Aired November 12, 2006 - 09:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Another violent day in Iraq as the prime minister calls for some big changes in his cabinet. It's Sunday, November the 12th. Good morning from the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'm T.J. Holmes.
And good morning. I'm Susan Roesgen filling in again for Betty Nguyen. We have got a live report from Baghdad straight ahead, but first a check of the headlines.

"Now in the News," a possible shake-up for the fledgling Iraqi government. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is calling for a sweeping overhaul of his cabinet. His government has been unable to stop the sectarian violence that has been raging in Iraq and we will have a live report from Baghdad on another bloody day there just ahead.

Meanwhile the Associated Press is reporting that U.S. officials believe Cuban leader Fidel Castro has terminal cancer and that he may not live through the end of next year. The Associated Press cites unnamed U.S. government and defense officials and the report says those officials believe the Cuban leader may have cancer of the stomach, colon or pancreas.

HOLMES: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arrived in Washington early today for talks with President Bush. And the talks tomorrow are focused on the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program and also the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A historic milestone for former President Gerald Ford today. He surpassed Ronald Reagan, living longer than any other U.S. president. Reagan lived 93 years and 120 days. And today Gerald Ford is 93 years, 121 days old.

ROESGEN: And we are waiting for the start of a memorial remembering the victims of Flight 587. This hour a memorial will be dedicated to the 265 people who were killed in this American Airlines crash five years ago today. The plane crashed just after takeoff into a neighborhood in Queens in New York and the investigation blamed both pilot error and mechanical problems.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROESGEN: And we're running down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage, as you know, all morning long. And your next check of the headlines will be coming up at 9:15 Eastern. HOLMES: The violence raging, the government struggling. And now word of possible cabinet changes in Iraq. The prime minister is calling for a major reshuffling. CNN's Arwa Damon joins us now live from Baghdad with these details for us -- Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J. He's calling for that reshuffle according to a press statement issued by his office, saying that it needs to be a reshuffle based on the needs of the current security situation in Iraq. He also brought this up in parliament meeting today that happened behind closed doors again, calling for a reshuffling of the cabinet and asking permission from political blocks to allow him to move forward to do so.

Now this is not the first time that we have heard the prime minister calling for a reshuffle, asking for certain ministers to be changed. This is still an ongoing process. What we do know right now is that the prime minister is meeting with his cabinet. The meeting is expected to last for about two hours. This is, however, the regularly scheduled Sunday meeting.

What we have heard thus far from the country's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, is that the prime minister feels that some of his ministers are not necessarily buying into his notion, the proposal that he has put forward of national unity.

He believes that some ministers, again, the government not going into specifics of whom they are, staying at this point very tight- lipped about this, but feeling that some ministers are acting only for the benefit or purpose of the political block which they belong to. This will be a very closely-watched process as it moves forward if the cabinet is reshuffled.

The prime minister is right now in a very delicate situation. He and his government are largely viewed as being weak and incapable of dealing with the security situation here. The Iraqi people have been for quite some time now calling for change, and it will be very interesting to see exactly what sort of changes he does, if any, put forward -- T.J.

HOLMES: And, Arwa, you said he's making these changes, kind of given the security situation, trying to better handle that situation given what's happening on the ground. So just how bad has it been this weekend? I understand another violent day in Iraq today.

DAMON: T.J., that's right. And if we just look at today as an example, in the span of five hours, at least 49 Iraqis lost their lives. Over a hundred were wounded and that's just in five hours. The deadliest of those attacks came against a group of Iraqi police recruits. They were waiting outside of the national police headquarters.

These are Iraqi civilians, hopefuls trying to join the Iraqi security forces. Two suicide bombers wearing explosive vests detonated, killing at least 35 in that attack alone. T.J., the cycle of violence here just continues. It is the sort of scenario where events, violence that we're seeing today is just normal. Iraqis quite simply are saying that they cannot continue to live like this. And as of now, they have been looking towards their government, viewing it as being inadequate, incapable of handling this situation. They're looking for something to change, but again, exactly what those changes will be right now is what everyone is looking for -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. That's a shame. Iraqis now see that as the norm. Our Arwa Damon for us today in Baghdad. Thank you so much.

ROESGEN: And so what's next for American troops in Iraq? CNN's John Roberts talked to the man in charge of training U.S. forces there and John asked the question on many people's minds, how long before the troops come home?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, U.S. ARMY: I think that by the end of 2007, with minimal enabling or us providing capabilities to them that they will be largely self-reliant. That's our goal.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a way that U.S. forces will be able to come home?

DEMPSEY: In a way that U.S. forces will be able to come home unless we determine that our mission has somewhat changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: You can hear much more of this interview later today on a special edition of "THIS WEEK AT WAR." John Roberts reporting from Baghdad at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Despite some big changes in the political landscape in Washington, it's back to business for President Bush. He's going to start the week meeting with his Iraq Study Group and also with the Israeli prime minister, but only 31 percent of Americans now approve of the way the president is running the country. That's according to the latest Newsweek magazine poll. CNN's Ed Henry is live at the White House now with more on the meetings tomorrow -- Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Susan. That is right. I mean, obviously, the biggest drag on the president's popularity has been the war in Iraq. It was one of the biggest reasons why we saw the power shift this past week in Washington. Democrats taking over both chambers of Congress.

This Iraq Study Group is actually a group that was put together by Congress. They're advising the Congress, but they're also reaching out to the White House. It's led by that bipartisan powerhouse duo of James Baker, the Republican former secretary of state, as well as Lee Hamilton, the former Democratic congressman.

They are going to be reporting back to the Congress. They were chartered before this election but they're widely viewed by both parties as an organization that could really chart a new course in Iraq.

And in fact, Josh Bolten, the White House chief of staff, was asked about that on CNN's "LATE EDITION." And he will be talking this afternoon with Wolf Blitzer about that. And what the White House is basically saying is that they now see this as a new day with the Iraq Study Group, but also with the power shift in Washington, that they are going to be reaching out to Democrats, soliciting more ideas.

You have heard Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid, say this past week that he wants a bipartisan summit with the president, with Republican leaders on the Hill, and the White House realizes there's a new political reality in Washington. And while for the last six years they have had a Republican Congress giving them a free hand on the war in Iraq, it's new a new day -- Susan.

ROESGEN: It certainly is. Thank you, Ed Henry, reporting live for us today from Washington.

And you can see Wolf Blitzer's entire interview with White House chief of staff Josh Bolten on today's "LATE EDITION" that begins in just a couple of hours at 11 Eastern.

HOLMES: Democrats ready to go after possible waste and fraud in Iraq. Today's New York Times says they could introduce legislation as early as tomorrow to extend investigations of government contracts. The paper says the Republican Senator Susan Collins is expected to join with senators Joe Lieberman and Russ Feingold to push the measure in the Senate. According to The Times, the Democrats want to restore power to the federal agency that investigates waste and fraud in Iraq contracts. A Republican-backed law would shut down the agency next year.

And we want to know what you think this morning. What issue do you want the newly-elected Democrats to take on first? E-mail us your thoughts, please. Our address there, weekends@cnn.com.

ROESGEN: And the question for many people, political watchers and people on the street is, now what? What is going to happen now that the Democrats have taken control of Congress? Coming up in 30 minutes we'll take a closer look at the possible political power plays between the new Democratic majority and the White House.

And then later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got hit. I'm a little dinged up, but I'm OK and I'm in the hospital. I'll try to call again as soon as I'm a little less drugged up, but I'm fine, babe. I'm fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: We'll take you inside one of Baghdad's busiest combat hospitals. Also CNN's weekend-long salute to troops serving overseas continues tonight. Lou Dobbs celebrates America's "HEROES." That's at 7 Eastern. ROESGEN: And tomorrow night an "AC 360" special report. Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta take a closer look at life after war for our veterans troops "Coming Home." Only on CNN, your most trusted name in news. CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: "Now in the News," almost three dozen dead, scores more wounded in Iraq. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside police headquarters in Baghdad. That was one of several attacks in the Iraqi capital today, including several car bombings and roadside bomb explosions.

Controversy at the United Nations. The U.S. has vetoed a Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israel for its military offensive in Gaza. U.S. officials say the resolution was biased and politically motivated. The Hamas government spokesman called the veto shameful.

A new poll shows President Bush's approval still in a free fall. This latest poll by Newsweek puts the president's approval rating at 31 percent. That's 5 points lower than Bill Clinton's worst rating. The vast majority, 85 percent say Iraq is the main reason they disapprove of President Bush.

ROESGEN: The list of presidential contenders for 2008 just got shorter. Senator Russ Feingold says he's not going to run. The Wisconsin Democrat says he wants to focus on his work in the new Democrat-controlled Senate.

In Denver, a deadly hit and run that was no ordinary accident. Two men are accused of driving a pickup truck at high speed through a downtown Denver intersection, running down a mother, father and their two children in a stroller. The mother and children were killed, the father survived. He's in the hospital. A license plate knocked off in the crash led the police to the truck's owner.

HOLMES: And we run down the top stories for you every 15 minutes here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage for you all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up for you at 9:30 Eastern.

ROESGEN: Well, fire, wind, rain, they have got it all in Reno. This is what firefighters have been dealing with this weekend. A wildfire in November is rare in Nevada, but it seems to have been a blessing in disguise that it happened now because a mixture of rain and snow there was a huge help in getting the fire put out before it spread to any homes.

HOLMES: Parts of Wisconsin now looking like one of those snow globes. Folks in some areas are shoveling through 16 inches of snow and forecasters say more is on the way tonight. Say it ain't so.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROESGEN: Well, it's a floating museum that's just stuck in the mud. Now the Navy comes to the rescue of the USS Intrepid. We'll have an update from New York Harbor straight ahead.

NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And while some of you are stuck in line waiting to vote last beak, others were I-Reporting for CNN. Up next, we're going to have some of the best shots we got in this week. CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: A live look here now in New York. The Flight 587 Memorial being dedicated today, Flight 587 -- American Airlines Flight 587 crashed five years ago today in this Queens neighborhood. Today they're getting a memorial. It's a wall, the wall you can see behind them with 265 names of the people who died when that plane went down, again, five years ago today. Right now we're looking at a live picture of the names of each victim being read at this memorial just a short time ago as also a part of this memorial. They rang bells for the victims.

And again, the bell tolled for the victims just a short time ago, the video we're showing you there. Again, 265 people died in that crash. This was a crash that the investigation blamed on pilot error and mechanical problems. But today a lot of those family members of those victims do have a place now, a memorial to go to to remember their family members who died.

"Now in News" from "Across America," still stuck in the mud and needing a bit of a rescue. Now the Navy says it will help free the USS Intrepid from the muddy confinement. The aircraft carrier-turned museum got stuck Monday during efforts to move it to New Jersey for repairs.

ROESGEN: And a shark attack in Hawaii. These are the warning signs that went up. A Canadian swimmer kicked off a shark that bit him on his leg and his hand. He's in the hospital in stable condition. It happened about 40 feet off the beach there at Maui. And as a precaution, a two-mile stretch of the beach is now closed.

HOLMES: Meanwhile, in Washington, volunteers with the USO spent Veterans Day stuffing care packages for troops overseas. They packed more than 10,000 packages, including the USO's one millionth package, which is a milestone for them.

ROESGEN: And hard to believe that anybody would steal a war veteran's wheelchair, but that's what happened to this Korean War veteran, Don Murphy (ph). That is the bad news. The good news is that someone with a good heart heard about what happened and donated his own late wife's wheelchair as a replacement.

See all kind of stories here on CNN, but if you think you'd like to be a TV reporter, you don't need anything fancy to do it, just a digital camera or a cell phone camera and you, too, can become an I- Reporter for CNN. Nicole Lapin is here.

LAPIN: Well, Susan, it's very easy. Like you just said, a lot of people while they were busy voting in last week's midterm elections became I-Reporters for CNN. Many of you took some time out to send in pictures of your voting experience, and even went a little bit further, to take a stab at creating some political cartoons.

And some were really good, like this shot sent in by Lisa Cooley from New York. It was Lisa's very first time voting. Look at that big smile right there. See, she recently became a U.S. citizen and was so excited about taking part in the Democratic process.

And then there's a shot by William Barron of campaign workers right across the street from a polling station in Florida, really making a last-ditch effort to campaign for their candidates.

Also, check out some political cartoons drawn by Greg Kearney. This is from Casper, Wyoming. We should tell you though that Greg is a cartoonist for The Casper Star Tribune. And he is showing us a man leaving a voting booth, having just cast his vote and said, there, I have the right to complain for another year.

And then there's another political cartoon by Jim from New York. Jim went the extra mile. He colored in his political cartoon. And you can see the two political symbols, of course, the donkey and the elephant, running away from the wave. It says scandal on top of it. Now the caption reads: "It's hard to pick when both sides are all wet."

Did you like that one? Did you want to see it again? Or did you want to see others like it? Well, you can do that at cnn.com/exchange. And you can send in your own if you like.

HOLMES: But I don't get credit for coloring it.

LAPIN: No extra credit for being a CNN employee, either.

ROESGEN: Thanks, Nicole.

LAPIN: Sure.

HOLMES: Thank you. Well, now that the Democrats are taking over Congress, what's next? Will they be able to reach out across the aisle and overcome years of partisan bickering? And is it possible to find a partner in the White House for reform? Up next we'll examine the issues facing Pelosi and company.

ROESGEN: And later, you might have missed the headline, but there is a new world champion this morning. Not in any of the normal sports that you watch on television, but in that old school ground sport, rock-paper-scissors, the children's game. We'll tell you about it straight ahead when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: "Now in the News," a possible shake-up for the fledgling Iraqi government. Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki is calling for a sweeping overhaul of his own cabinet. Al Maliki complains that the cabinet was formed before he was chosen prime minister back in April.

No letup in the violence in Iraq today. In Baghdad, two suicide bombers attacked a police headquarters this morning. Almost three dozen police recruits were killed and many more were wounded. It was one of several attacks in Iraq today.

HOLMES: A report today says U.S. Officials think Cuban leader Fidel Castro has terminal cancer and may not live through 2007. The "Associated Press" cites unnamed U.S. government and defense officials. The "A.P." says the Cuban leader may have cancer of the stomach, colon, or pancreas.

Remembering the victims of Flight 587. This hour, a memorial is being dedicated to the 265 people killed in the American Airlines crash five years ago today. The plane went down just after takeoff in Queens, New York, in a neighborhood there. You're looking at a live picture now of the names being read at that dedication of the memorial. The investigation blamed both pilot error and mechanical problems.

ROESGEN: A milestone for former President Gerald Ford today. He has surpassed Ronald Reagan living longer than any other U.S. President. Reagan lived to be 93 years old and 120 days. Today Gerald Ford is 93 years and 121 days old.

Now to Bonnie Schneider for a quick check of the weather. She's in today for Reynolds Wolf -- Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROESGEN: Thanks, Bonnie.

If you're trying to do three things at once this morning, but you still want to stay on top of the news, we run down the top stories every 15 minutes on CNN SUNDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the coverage will be coming up at 9:45 Eastern.

HOLMES: Well, what a heck of a political week we've been having here. The Democrats steam rolled over the Republicans, taking control over of both the House and the Senate in the midterm elections.

Then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld became a casualty of the victory. He's going to be stepping down and President Bush nominated former CIA chief Robert Gates to take over the job and help shape Iraq war policy.

Now the president's future? A "Newsweek" poll shows a whopping 66 percent of Americans don't think President Bush will be able to get much done during his final two years in office.

So, with all that said, what's next? Joining us this morning, political analyst Amy Holmes, no relation, and Democratic strategist Jenny Backus.

Ladies, welcome, thank you for being here. We saw a lot of smiles, a lot of handshakes. Well, you just thought the president and Democrats were going to break out in song and dance at the White House. So, how long, Amy I'll start with you, can we expect things to be peachy?

AMY HOLMES, POLITICAL ANALYST: About 24 hours? I think.

HOLMES: That's it?

A. HOLMES: I think the spirit of bipartisanship is going to look like the spirit of Christmas past pretty quickly here. Going into January with Democrats controlling the House and the Senate, I think they're going to spend the next two years trying to bring down the president's approval numbers even lower and looking in the Senate you're going to be seeing senators vying for their position in 2008. So, it's going to be, I think, a pretty tumultuous next two years.

HOLMES: Jenny, please tell me you're a little more optimistic.

JENNY BACKUS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I am.

HOLMES: Thank you. Please.

BACKUS: I'm a uniter, not a divider, here. No, actually, I think what you will actually see is a lot of attempts at bipartisanship. Democrats have a mandate for change. The country message sent a message that they want Washington to work now and Democrats have a opportunity to really get stuff done and they're reaching their hand across the aisle.

I think you're going to see stuff pass very fast, right away. Minimum wage, I think you'll see work on immigration reform. I think you'll see work on taking a look at the oil subsidies and I think, hopefully, you'll see some bipartisanship on Iraq.

I think you have a Democratic majority now that has heard the American people and they want us to get to work and want us to solve the problems. I think Bush has a little bit of a problem being relevant, but I think Bush is really concerned about his legacy and that's really what you are going to be seeing in this White House. This White House needs to work with Democrats to get something done other than Iraq.

HOLMES: All right. All right, well Amy, she reeled off a couple of things there, couple of issues. So I'll ask you, what do you think will be the first major compromise where maybe the American people will say, wow, things are different, they're going to work together. What do you think the first compromise will be and what do you think, I guess, the first battle might be where the American people will look again and say, here we go again?

A. HOLMES: Well, the first battle -- the first compromise, really, clearly, is going to be the minimum wage. That's the No. 1 agenda item for the Democratic caucus and even though Republicans oppose it on conservative principle, it's very likely that they will vote for it as they have in the past, but what they will do is they'll be tying it to other reforms, for example, tax reform. Takes tax breaks for small businesses, health insurance plans for legal workers. So Republicans are certainly going to be advancing their agenda through the amendment process. In terms of a big battle, well it looks like the first one in the Senate will be John Bolton. We see Democrats are saying he's not going get a vote on the Senate floor, he's not going to get out of Foreign Relations Committee. So again, there's an example where Democrats are going to be, you know, hammering away at the president, on the one hand trying to persuade the American's -- the American people that they're for national security, while on the other hand trying to defeat a nominee who's done a very great job at the U.N. He was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in February and even one of his big Republican critics, George Voinovich, now says that he's doing working and he's working very constructively. Even the "New York Times" endorsed John Bolton's work at the U.N. But there's going to be a big battle coming up.

HOLMES: All right, well Jenny, we're getting down to the last minute here, so I'll start with you on this, but I'll ask you both, will the Democrats be able to keep it together? Can they stay unified and put out a message, a unifying message to the American people or can Republicans maybe sit back and just wait for Democrats to start the infighting and watch it all crumble?

BACKUS: There's nothing like being out of power that forms unity and we've been in the wilderness, politically, for a couple of years now and we have a great advantage. We have two very good leaders leaving our party. Nancy Pelosi really has proven that she is a pragmatic consensus builder. She has sent strong messages to both wings of the party saying look, we've got to get stuff done.

And if you take just a look at the political map, Democrats won some seats in some places like Kansas or North Carolina where you normally wouldn't think Democrats would win. So, we have a mandate to get stuff done. I think the party is unified to work together from Iraq to the economy, the American people do not like where the Republican Congress have taken us.

All right well...

A. HOLMES: I'd have to say, I think, that's a pretty rosy spin. If you look at the Democrats who were just elected, especially to the House, many of them are socially conservative; they're pro-life, pro- guns, anti-tax and there was a great quote in the "New York Times" this week, by Harry Mitchell, who's the congressman who defeated J.D. Hayworth in Arizona and he said that he can't be a rabid partisan Democrat and be able to represent that district. So, you're going to see fracturing on the Democratic side as they try to move forward with, what we hope, is a moderate agenda.

HOLMES: All right, just 24 hours, you think, huh? That's all we got left?

BACKUS: Ah, she's too cynical.

HOLMES: All right, well, Amy Holmes and the more optimistic Jenny Backus, with us this morning, thank you ladies, both, for spending some time with us. We'll see you again soon, I'm sure. And coming up in 20 minutes, RELIABLE SOURCES will take a closer look at the election and the fallout from the media's perspective, that's at 10:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

ROESGEN: And, of course, T.J., all morning long we've been asking for viewers' thoughts on our e-mail question: What issue do you want newly-elected Democrats to take on first?

We've received a lot of e-mails with lots of suggestions on Iraq, immigration, gas prices, the environment, even the minimum wage. Here's a few more.

HOLMES: All right, we'll start with this one. It says, "If the Democrats want to win back the respect of the middle class Americans, they should all buy a pair of hip boots and wade into the cesspool of corruption all around them in Washington," Chris.

ROESGEN: And then we have this one, "The real problem," this writer says, "is the gradual erosion of the American middle class. I would like to see a task force created to examine specifically what has happened to our so-called Democratic system and our legal structure that allows corporate America to dominate our government and our legal system at the expense of average income Americans," from Jim Ostrander.

HOLMES: And lastly, one here from Andy. It says, "As a moderate-conservative who helped vote the Democrats into power I can tell you what I do not want them to do: Conduct a witch hunt under the guise of "fact finding." If the inevitable hearings are limited to issues that can be reasonably fixed, then fine, but if it turns into campaign venue for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and others then I will abandon them just as fast a abandoned Bush."

ROESGEN: T.J. it sounds like that 24 hour prediction could be right on, could be less than that, even now.

HOLMES: Just 24 hours. Come on.

ROESGEN: Stay with CNN and the best political team on television. We'll bring you all the action, good, bad, and the ugly. And you did make CNN the most watched cable news channel on Election Day.

HOLMES: And we thank you for that. And you made cnn.com, as well, the No. 1 news Website, as the countdown now to -- we're talking about 2008 already. That countdown is underway. You can stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

ROESGEN: And just ahead here, inside one of the most stressful places in the world, the Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it's an American soldier in there as opposed to anybody else, our stress level goes up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just got oxygen on you, OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: Next, a behind the scenes look at the daily struggle to keep those wounded in battle alive. We'll take you inside one of Baghdad's combat hospitals.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANY LEVY, FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF "DAILY CANDY": Consumers today have access to so much information that you have to produce a really phenomenal product to catch their attention.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some would say Danny levy did just that with "Daily Candy." It's a free daily e-mail that offers an insider's guide to what's hot and undiscovered in your city. Launched in 2000 by levy with only a list of friends to send it to, it's now grown to over two million subscribers.

LEVY: We constantly look at what we do, I try and challenge our team to raise the bar daily. "Daily Candy" has been successful for some time now, but we never for a minute think we've got it figured out because the pace at which the world is changing these days, we've got to be ahead of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: "Now in the News," a bloody day in Baghdad. At least 35 police recruits were killed, scores more wounded. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside police headquarters in Baghdad. The attack was one of several in the Iraqi capital today, including car bombings and roadside bomb explosions.

A possible shake-up for the fledgling Iraqi government. Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki is calling for an overhaul of his cabinet. Al Maliki complained that the cabinet was already formed before he was chosen prime minister in April. He says he would have picked different cabinet ministers for at least some of those positions.

ROESGEN: And controversy at the United Nations. The U.S. Has vetoed a Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israel for its military offensive in Gaza. U.S. officials say the resolution was biased and politically motivated, but a Hamas government spokesman calls the veto "shameful."

The Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is in Washington now for talks with President Bush starting tomorrow. The White House says the two will talk about regional issues like Iran and the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and it comes in the wake of the U.S.-midterm leches that shifted control of Congress to the Democrats.

HOLMES: Senator Russ Feingold says he is not going run for president in 2008. The Wisconsin Democrat says he wants to focus on his work in the new Democratic controlled Senate. Feingold told a Milwaukee newspaper he realized he would be a long-shot candidate.

And of course, we run down the top stories for you every 15 minutes here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage for you all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up at the top of the hour.

ROESGEN: When you're on the front line of battle, the bottom line is just survival. We have a fascinating program this weekend. CNN PRESENTS goes inside the Tenth Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad. Here's a look at the life and death struggles that are just part of the job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are they coming us to, sir?

LT. COL. ROBERT MAZUR, M.D., U.S. ARMY: Who do you want? You want Marty?

I would say for everybody, as much as we hate to admit it, if it's an American soldier in there as opposed to anybody else, our stress level goes up.

What's your first name?

LT. JUSTIN THOMAS WATSON, U.S. ARMY: Justin.

MAZUR: Justin?

WATSON: Thomas.

MAZUR: Thomas.

WATSON: Watson.

MAZUR: Watson. W-a-t-s-o-n.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. I know. We just have some oxygen on you, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) What happened to you, man?

WATSON: IED.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead and give him a (INAUDIBLE) and take him out.

WATSON: Oh! Right arm, left arm, wherever you're poking at.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're got go to sleep, OK? Try and relax.

MAZUR: Stress is a good thing, a lot of pro athletes want to feel that stress, your adrenaline goes better and you oxygenate better and they will to feel better.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got this? OK. MAZUR: Everybody ready? Are you with us?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which way are we rolling? Toward me?

MAZUR: One, two, three, roll.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three, roll.

MAJ. MARTY LUCENTI, M.D., U.S. ARMY: He's got a subdural hematoma which means he's got some bleeding around the brain, it was on the right side and what that does is that squishes the brain and in sever cases it kind of pushes your brain right into your brain stem, kind of down into your spinal cord, that will kill you. So what we did was give him stuff to minimize the bleeding and then keep the pressure down and then in the interim he basically gets helicoptered to Ballad where they have a neurosurgeon. So the neurosurgeon will take him emergently to the O.R. and drill a hole right in his skull to get that hematoma out.

LUCENTI: Tough kid. Very good kid to take care of. It gives me Goosebumps to see how strong those guys are.

WATSON: Michele? Babe? Yeah. I'm here. I'm OK. I'm fine. We got hit. I'm a little dinged up, but I'm OK and I'm in the hospital. I'll try to call again as soon as I'm a little less drugged up, but I'm fine, babe. I'm fine. Honey? Honey, can you hear me? Honey! God damn it. Honey you hear me? I can barely hear you. That might be because I had a loud explosion in my ear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: That phone call is part of this really terrific special. Stay tuned for CNN PRESENTS: COMBAT HOSPITAL AIRING tonight at 8:00 Eastern. And you can also go online anytime for a closer look inside that combat hospital. Find out what makes those doctors and nurses tick. Go to cnn.com and click on "combat hospital."

And CNN's weekend-long Veterans Day salute to our troops serving overseas continues tonight. Lou Dobbs celebrates America's heroes at 7:00 Eastern.

HOLMES: And tomorrow night at 10:00 Eastern, "AC 360," special report. Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta take a look at life after war for our veterans coming home. That's only CNN, your most trusted name in news.

CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: Yes, our super-busy producers in the CNN production room there, monitoring the news from around the world, when they're not doing that they're playing this, the old game that people love, Rock, Paper, Scissors. You rember from when you were a kid. Well, in Toronto, this international game of dueling hands brings real competitors from all around the world playing for real money. The prize is $10,000.

HOLMES: What?

ROESGEN: We don't know yet who has won this thing, but we think you might want to know -- who knows who might be out there. So when we find out we will let you know.

HOLMES: It is now time for you to check in with Howard Kurtz in Washington where I know you guys at RELIABLE SOURCES always settle your dispute with a little Rock, Paper, Scissors. IS that right?

HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: I prefer paper. All right, thanks, T.J. Coming up: With Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid taking charge on Capitol Hill, will the press give the Democrats the same tough treatment at the White House.

Did President Bush lie to reporters when he said he planned to keep Don Rumsfeld at the Pentagon, only to dump him a week later? Did Rumsfeld's combative approach to the press contribute to his increasingly negative coverage? Plus, we'll look at YouTube's impact on the campaign. And how Katie, Brian, and Charlie did on election night. All of that ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.

HOLMES: All right, Howard, thank you so much. And again that's RELIABLE SOURCES, coming up at 10:00 Eastern followed by wolf Blitzer and LATE EDITION at 11:00 and then THIS WEEK AT WAR at 1:00, and you can stay tuned to CNN as we go in-depth into the stories of the day.

ROESGEN: And now one more check on the weather with Bonnie Schneider -- Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROESGEN: Thanks Bonnie.

HOLMES: Bonnie, thank you so much and thank you for being here this weekend sitting here for Reynolds and thank you as well for hanging out with us this weekend. It's been a treat, ladies.

And, of course, RELIABLE SOURCE up next, then LATE EDITION and then THIS WEEK AT WAR, so please don't go anywhere.

ROESGEN: And Fredericka Whitfield will be with you all morning with live news updates. Betty Nguyen will be back here next weekend. Have a great day.

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