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CNN Saturday Morning News

Is the 9/11 Commission non-partisan?

Aired March 27, 2004 - 07:00 ET

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

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

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is, is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is March 27. Good morning everyone. I'm Catherine Callaway.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Renay San Miguel. Good morning to you.

Good to see you again.

CALLAWAY: Good to see you again.

SAN MIGUEL: Good to be up here with you again.

We have a lot of news to cover over the next three hours but here is what's coming up this hour. The 9/11 Commission, it's supposed to be independent and non-partisan, in this election year what's the chance of that happening? We'll have a reality check for you in about 10 minutes.

Also a head, the Palestinian boy with a bomb strapped to his body. Where is he now? And how did it come to this? We'll have a live report from Jerusalem.

And ladies, you don't want to miss this. Another reason to exercise. It may add years of vitality to your life.

But first, here are our headlines.

CALLAWAY: More violence this morning in Baghdad. Five Iraqis are wounded when a roadside bomb blasts a passing SUV. The U.S. military closed the area and is now conducting a sweep.

And the man who led U.S. forces to Saddam Hussein's hiding place, reportedly was one of his closest bodyguards. Now, this is according to the BBC. Mohammed al-Musslit gave up Saddam's location just hours after he was picked up by U.S. forces last December.

However, he will not get the $25 million reward because he didn't the give up the information willingly.

And a soggy Saturday in Taiwan, but nasty weather is not stopping thousand of demonstrators, as you can see, protesting last week's election results. President Chen Shui-bian was re-elected by a razor- thin margin there. And the opposition leader, Lien Chan, addressed the crowd today calling for a vote recount. And a hurricane considered very rare in the south Atlantic is now approaching the southeastern coast of Brazil. And it could come ashore later today. The National Hurricane Center says that that storm is likely a category one hurricane and that is the weakest of five categories. It is the first such storm in that area in 38 years.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, we hope it is not too early in the morning to be talking politics. But John Kerry and President Bush are talking jobs and the economy. It is the hottest issue in the presidential race.

Senator John Kerry began rolling out his economic plan during a campaign stop in Detroit. The Democratic candidate wants to create 10 million new jobs in the next four years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: With the savings that I propose today we can, and we should, reduce the corporate tax rates by 5 percent to improve the competitiveness and narrow the difference between corporate tax rates here and overseas.

Some may be surprised to hear a Democrat calling for lower corporate tax rates. The fact is I don't care about the old debates. I care about getting the job done and creating jobs here in the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: The president, for his part, campaigned in the Southwest, saying the U.S. economy is strong and getting stronger. And the president says that will mean more jobs for Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You hear a lot of talk jobs going overseas. Some are going overseas and some from overseas are coming here. But the best way to make sure people can find work in America is to make sure the business environment, the entrepreneurial environment is strong and solid. It's a good place to do business, let me put it to you that way.

If you want people hiring people in America you have to make sure America is a good place to do business, a good place for our employers and there are some things we need to do.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: President Bush campaigned yesterday in Albuquerque and Phoenix.

CALLAWAY: Now congressional Republicans are jumping into the fray over Richard Clarke and the charges that he's making about 9/11 and the Bush administration. We get details now from CNN's congressional correspondent Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist is stepping up attacks against Richard Clarke, saying he made have lied to Congress.

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: I'm troubled that Mr. Clarke has had a hard time keeping his own story straight.

JOHNS: Frist said Clarke's criticism of the administration's anti-terrorism efforts is at odds with supportive comments he gave to reporters two years ago. Frist says Clarke also praised the administration in closed door congressional hearings.

FRIST: It is one thing for Mr. Clarke to dissemble in front the media, in front of the press, but if he lied under oath to the United States Congress it is a far, far more serious matter.

JOHNS: Clarke says he did cast the administration in a better light back then, but only because he was representing the administration.

RICHARD CLARKE, FMR. COUNTER-TERRORISM ADVISOR: I was asked to make that case to the press. I was a special assistant to the president and I made the case I was asked to make.

JOHNS: Frist say Clarke's closed-door testimony in 2002 should be declassified to get to the bottom of it. The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says he will ask the administration to make the material public.

A Democrat who heard Clarke's testimony agrees, but only because he believes the transcript will show Clarke has been consistent all along.

SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), FLORIDA: Absolutely. I think there should be even more declassification. First, the president should declassify all of Mr. Clarke's statement, not as he has done previously, cherry- pick just those parts that make the president's case.

JOHNS: Democratic Candidate John Kerry weighed in from the campaign trail, saying he was skeptical Clarke lied and challenged the administration.

Quote, "If he's not believable and they have reason to show it, then prosecute him for perjury."

(on camera): A senior advisor to Kerry accused the administration of scare tactics but now members of both parties, for different reasons, even the speaker of the House, himself, are on record supporting declassification of the information.

Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SAN MIGUEL: National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice will appear tomorrow night on CBS's "60 Minutes" where Richard Clarke appeared last week. Rice is one of Clarke's primary targets. She has testified behind closed doors before the 9/11 commission, but the White House says it would be inappropriate for her to testify in public.

Richard Clarke has written a book, which you just heard, in which he claims there was a push after the 9/11 suicide hijackings to attack Iraq. Clarke claims the pushers were Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, and that Secretary of State Colin Powell argued against it.

Jim Lehrer of PBS asked Colin Powell about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM LEHRER, ANCHOR, PBS: Was it correct to say that Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz were pushing for attacks on Iraq?

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: It is correct to say that everybody at Camp David that weekend expressed their views. And as is well known, Mr. Wolfowitz wanted to make sure that the president considered Iraq as a potential source of trouble that had to be dealt with, with respect to our interests around the world and with respect to terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: But Powell said that he recommended to President Bush that the focus be on al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Afghanistan.

Well, politics and the 9/11 hearings, NPR's Congressional Reporter Andrea Seabrook deals with that just minutes from now here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

CALLAWAY: And we have other stories making headlines across America this morning. Including this disturbing one from North Carolina, where a man, Brian Schellenberger, of Cary, has been arrested in connection with an international child pornography ring.

Schellenberger is accused of sexually abusing a six-year-old girl and a infant boy to create images the he posted on the Internet.

And the prosecutor in Phoenix is unhappy about the sentence given Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas O'Brien. That bishop got four years probation for a fatal hit-and-run accident that involved a pedestrian. Prosecutor Rick Romley says the judge sent a message that prominent people get special treatment.

And if you think the Hooters uniforms are revealing you should see the video on a computer that was seized by police in California. They show women changing into Hooters uniforms; women who were applying for jobs at a new restaurant there.

Officers have searched the home of a former Hooters manager. No charges have been filed yet.

And if you think you have problems with airport delays now, just wait a few years. Federal aviation officials say that at least 43 airports will be unable to handle their air traffic in the next 15 years if they don't expand.

And the FAA says that five airports are already too crowded, including Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago's O'Hare.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, shocking, but true. A high electric bill can bring cops crawling through your home. It happened recently in Carlsbad, California. Police raided one family's home because they had a $350 utility bill. The search warrant suspected an indoor marijuana operation because grow lights use a lot of juice.

The family pleaded guilty to using a lot of electricity but not to growing pot. Carlsbad police have since apologized.

OK, they don't grow pot, but maybe they should check out some of those energy efficient appliances.

CALLAWAY: Yes, I just hope the water department in Georgia doesn't come to my house to ...

SAN MIGUEL: Oh, yes? You think they're going to come in and bust down the doors and all of that? CALLAWAY: Well, I have a terribly high water bill, every time. I'm trying to conserve it. Lots of showers in our house.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, let's hope the police do not notice and aren't watching right now.

(LAUGHTER)

CALLAWAY: Well, stay with us everyone. She served five years in prison and has been a model citizen ever since.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I made poor choices in life. But this isn't who I am today.

CALLAWAY: So, why is she being sent back to prison? Well, Governor Schwarzenegger hopes for a Hollywood ending to that story. We'll have it for you right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I'm hearing now, is that God forbid that something like this happens again. They're still not ready. They're not ready to prevent anything.

SAN MIGUEL: A statement of frustration from families of September 11 victims: What can be done now to prevent another attack? And how much of the controversy is politics?

CALLAWAY: Our picture of the week, this week: A look at this. Israeli soldiers watch in horror as 14-year-old Palestinian boy arrives at a West Bank checkpoint. He's wearing a vest packed with explosives, as you can see.

The boy told soldiers that he didn't want to die, so they sent in a robot with a pair of scissors. And looked on as he cut away the vest and stripped. The boy told Israeli soldiers that he did this because schoolmates didn't like him.

Israeli is trying to find out if a terror cell or group is recruiting children to become a human bomb. Find out what happens to the boy when we go live to Jerusalem in the next half hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER FORECAST)

SAN MIGUEL: The independent commission investigating the September 11 attacks has yet to find a single action that would have prevented them. But it has found numerous missteps by both the Clinton and the Bush administration.

And as CNN's Kelly Wallace reports, families of 9/11 victims find little comfort in the proceedings.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): You could see the heaviness in the front rows, on the faces of families who lost loved ones. And you could hear it.

BOB KERREY (D), COMMISSION MEMBER: Osama bin Laden held a press conference to declare open war on the United States of America in February 1998.

WALLACE: Two days of troubling questions: Could September 11 have been prevented? Could the Bush and Clinton administrations have done more?

SAMUEL BERMAN, FMr. NAT'L SECURITY ADV.: We struck with the intent of killing bin Laden and/or his operatives. I deeply regret that we did not succeed.

WALLACE: Henry and Elaine Hughes of Smithtown, Long Island, listen and take notes. Their son Chris worked on the 89th floor of the South Tower.

HENRY HUGHES, SON KILLED ON 9/11: I'd like to see someone come forward and just say once, you know what, maybe we could have done a better job.

WALLACE: And that happened inside the hearing room Wednesday.

RICHARD CLARKE, FMr. COUNTER-TERRORISM ADV.: Your government failed you. Those entrusted with protecting you, failed you. And I, failed you.

WALLACE: Welcome words even two and a half years later. ELAINE HUGHES, SON KILLED ON 9/11: At least some of the witnesses actually said they were sorry and apologized that the job didn't get done.

WALLACE: The Hughes have stayed for almost every word. But other families left as a public protest when Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage appeared in place of Condoleezza Rice, the president's national security advisor, who choose not to testify.

KRISTEN BREITSEISER, HUSBAND KILLED ON 9/11: And 3,000 lost lives warranted her coming before the American people to restore confidence and to set the record straight.

WALLACE: Politics did not stay away from the hearing room. Democratic members of the commission appeared to be tougher on the Bush team. And Republicans...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a real credibility problem.

WALLACE: ....tougher on the Bush administration's critics like former terrorism advisor, Richard Clarke.

As the Hughes headed home, this hope, that the politics during a presidential election year doesn't get in the way of finding some answers.

ELAINE HUGHES: I mean, what I'm hearing now is, God forbid, something like this happens again, they're still not ready. They're not ready to prevent anything. And that is what scares me.

WALLACE (on camera): The commission now has just four months to put together a report with recommendations on how to prevent another September 11.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAN MIGUEL: Well, it seems you can't separate partisan politics from the 9/11 hearings, especially in an election year. In our weekly political brief NPR Congressional Reporter Andrea Seabrook joins us now from Washington with some insight.

Thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

ANDREA SEABROOK, NPR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Good morning.

SAN MIGUEL: Did anyone on Capitol Hill really expect to see anything different than what we saw, which was the Republican members really coming down hard on the Clinton administration, -- people testifying -- and then visa versa, the Democrats coming down hard on the Bush administration.

Did anyone really expect any big revelations here?

SEABROOK: Well, I think it would have been slightly naive to expect something different. But you're right, what I saw, what obviously Kelly Wallace saw, as you saw in the last segment, is exactly what you are saying. That they're -- it's not the kind of partisan rancor that you see in some kind of hearings, but there is partisanship.

And, you know, like I said, maybe we shouldn't have been quite so surprised by it this week. It was on Capitol Hill.

Like you said, though, the main partisan nugget, the thing that really polarized these things was the testimony of Richard Clarke, the former counter-terrorism advisor, under both Presidents Clinton and Bush.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

SEABROOK: You know, that really turned a corner in these hearings and I think made -- it's rippling out in the news today.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, exactly. And obviously, when you have -- when he has a book coming out the week that these hearings are scheduled, and of course, the "60 Minutes" appearance as well, that does put a whole new light on everything here.

What is the buzz on Capitol Hill about, what is in his book and about the White House reaction to what is in the book? I mean, it's been -- I've hearing words like "unprecedented", concerning the White House reaction.

SEABROOK: Well, it is very interesting. Richard Clarke, of course, says that the Bush administration didn't do enough in the months preceding September 11. He flatly says that about the early months of 2001.

Now, just yesterday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist came to the floor of the Senate, and said -- called for the declassification of testimonies that Richard Clarke gave before a joint congressional inquiry into September 11, in 2002.

Frist said that in that earlier testimony, which is still classified and therefore not public, that Richard Clarke had been effusive in his praise of the Bush administration in the early months of 2001. And so, so they're trying to -- I mean, the White House, the Republicans on Capitol Hill, are trying to debunk this guy with everything they've got, you're right.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes. Gotcha.

Let's move on to this Associated Press poll that came out, which really kind of is more evidence of just how divided this country is. Those surveyed believe that John Kerry will do a better job on the economy. Also, those believe that President Bush will do a better job on national security. So, how do you expect the two campaigns to spin this to their advantage?

SEABROOK: Well, those are really interesting numbers, because right now the same poll found that Americans, voters, care more about jobs and the economy right now than they do about national security.

So, that could really work in Mr. Kerry's favor. He's got better numbers right now on jobs and the economy. While Mr. Bush, has better numbers on national security. More voters trust him for that.

Now, nothing stays the same for very long in an election year, and we've got more than seven long months to go.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

SEABROOK: So, this could switch around, this could work in either favor and both will try to frame the debate throughout this campaign in a way that suits them.

SAN MIGUEL: We do have to keep reminding ourselves it is just the end of March. Just wait until the summer and the conventions and all that fun stuff happens. Andrea Seabrook is a congressional correspondent for National Public Radio.

Thanks for your time. We do appreciate it.

SEABROOK: It's my pleasure.

SAN MIGUEL: And this program note for you, Richard Clarke, President Bush's former counter-terrorism advisor will be a guest at CNN's "Late Edition" with Wolf Blitzer, that is tomorrow beginning at noon Eastern.

And out e-mail question this morning it on the 9/11 investigation. Should that debate on who knew what, when, be part of the political campaign? Do you want to hear more about this from the candidates? E-mail us with your comments at WAM@cnn.com.

(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When was the last time you had sex?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd rather not disclose that information.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, come on. Don't clam up ...

(END MOVE CLIP)

CALLAWAY: Ben Affleck moves on with his love life in this week's new releases, but is "Jersey Girl" another "Gigli"? Find out what critics say and what else is now showing, when we return. And check this out. One cute kitten and four cute ears, more on our wild of the week, late this hour. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CALLAWAY: Well, if you are in the mood for a movie this weekend, we are here to help you out. Check out what's new on the big screen.

(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Hey, you're the lady from the video store.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go back and wash your face.

(END MOVIE CLIP)

CALLAWAY: Suddenly a single-dad Ben Affleck loses his job and moves in with his dad. A love affair between Ben Affleck and a video store clerk, played by Liv Tyler, brings him back to life though. One more thing, the late mother of his child and the love of his life, with a cameo appearance in the movie, played by, who else? Jennifer Lopez.

Now, critics are giving "Jersey Girl" a C-minus. "The New York Times" calls it an equivalent of making goo-goo noises and chucking a baby under the chin for 103 minutes.

Well, who wouldn't mind doing that?

SAN MIGUEL: Yes, what's wrong with that?

CALLAWAY: That's not bad.

(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...setback, I am distraught. I'm more than distraught, I am devastated, I'm beset myself. I'm at a positive loss for words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: OK, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) censured professor turned criminal mastermind, his plot is to rob a New Orleans riverboat casino by digging a tunnel from a house where he and his three accomplices are staying. The only thing in the way is the landlady. But removing her turns out to be harder than expected.

And the critics are giving "The Ladykillers" a C-plus. "The Cincinnati Inquirer" calls it a weird, irresistible comedy loaded with treats surprises and belly laughs.

(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are screw ups. I guess looking back every time they made a plan we did screw it up somehow. I just never noticed before.

SCOOBY-DOO: Me neither!

(END MOVE CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

CALLAWAY: I can't help it. I think Scooby-Doo is funny. In this sequel to the 2002 hit, the same gang of all-American teens, along with their computer generated dog, Scooby, battle ghosts in the town of Coolsville. "Scooby-Doo 2" gets only a D-plus from critics. "The Chicago Tribune" says that to call this movie a dog would be an insult to canines.

Ouch!

SAN MIGUEL: Well, you know, it is all an excuse to sell more Scooby Snacks at theaters I guess.

CALLAWAY: The critics are not 13 and under and they're the ones that...

SAN MIGUEL: Yes, that is the target audience for that right there.

(WEATHER FORCAST)

SAN MIGUEL: Well, it is time to check the headlines. The economy takes center stage on the campaign trail. President Bush speaks about the growing economy to supporters in New Mexico. While Senator John Kerry touts his plan to add 10 million jobs to in the next decade, with the help of a sweeping tax reform plan.

The BBC is reporting that a captured bodyguard is the one who showed coalition forces where to find Saddam Hussein. The report also says that since he didn't give up the information willingly, the $25 million reward will go unpaid.

CALLAWAY: Also, coming up, remember this teenager with explosives strapped on to him. We'll find out what happened to him since then. That coming up next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

SAN MIGUEL: And then later this hour, ladies get a pen and paper ready. We'll tell you how to exercise. What to eat, what to look for in order to stay younger longer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Is it possible to get too much of a good thing? For some women and their children the answer is yes. Fish is considered a good source of protein and nutrients such as omega-3 acids, which benefit the heart. But it also may be high in mercury, which can slow down a developing brain.

The Food and Drug Administration just release guidelines advising young children, as well as women who are pregnant or nursing to avoid fish high in mercury.

That includes: shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tile fish. Also, choose light canned tuna over mercury laden Albacore.

Most of us should not avoid fish. In fact, the FDA recommends at least two servings a week.

Tori Atalia (ph), CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CALLAWAY: Well, you have seen these pictures from earlier this week. You can find out what happened to the young Palestinian boy who did not want to die.

Welcome back, everyone. I'm Catherine Callaway.

SAN MIGUEL: And I'm Renay San Miguel. We'll get to that story in a minute. But first, here are the headlines at this hour.

Republican congressional leaders want to know if Richard Clarke lied to the independent 9/11 Commission this week. Senate majority leader Bill Frist and House speaker Dennis Hastert say his testimony before a closed congressional hearing in 2002 was different than this week's and want to declassify it. Clarke denies that he lied. Democrats say if the Clarke testimony is declassified, then all testimony from the hearings should be made public.

SAN MIGUEL: NASA is attempting to set a new standard for speed with the planned test flight of an unmanned plane that supposedly can go seven times the speed of sound, Mach 7. A similar test back in 2001 was aborted.

SAN MIGUEL: In the West Bank, a 7-year-old boy was killed during an exchange of gunfire between Israelis troops and Palestinians. The boy's parents say he was shot by Israeli soldiers. But Israelis commander says a stray bullet from a Palestinian gunman hit the boy.

CALLAWAY: And by now, most of you might have seen these disturbing pictures of this Palestinian teenager who was loaded with explosives. Now, no one was injured in Wednesday's standoff, but both the boy's family and the Israeli government wants to know why a boy, who may be as young as 14 years old, was being used as a human weapon.

And for the latest, we're joined by our Chris Burns, who is in Jerusalem with us with the latest on this story.

Very disturbing to find out how young this boy is. Was he, like, 14 years old?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Catherine, he turned out to be actually 16, but looking very young for his age. Shorter than a 16-year-old would normally look like.

And yes, it's very troubling and disturbing on both sides of the Middle East divide. The Israelis have been busy questioning him to find out exactly who was behind persuading him to put on that explosive belt. Now, according to last word from security sources, they could actually release him as early as today. They don't plan to charge him after all, even though at 16 years old now, he could be charged by the Israelis in this attempt.

Now, on the Palestinian side, very interesting. Very divided, mixed feelings. The mother even said if he was 18 years old, perhaps she would support his attempt to set off a suicide bombing, as a way to fight the Israeli occupation. On the other hand, there are a lot of upset parents in that town of Nablus, a hotbed of militant activity, where a lot of people are afraid that they might have their young children recruited also by the militants. Very interesting development too. This shooting inside Nablus today, that is being seen as a possible link to the capture of this -- they call him the Bomb Boy, Hussam Abdul.

The shooting going on today is as Israeli forces have moved into the Balata Refugee Camp inside Nablus, going after what they say are three -- the organizers of three suicide bombings. And as they went in there was shooting going on and now both sides of accusing the other of shooting and killing this young boy, the 7-year-old boy who was killed, apparently in the crossfire as the Israelis went in -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Another tragic story out of there. Getting back to the Bomb Boy, there were some reports that he said he agreed to wear the bomb because he felt like his friends at school didn't like him. Perhaps he was being bullied. What was the information on that?

BURNS: Well, there are a number of interviews that have been published and even television interview that an Israeli reporter made who was given access to him. It appears that this could actually have been really more of a suicide than a suicide bombing by a Palestinian militant. He was apparently depressed. He told reporters that he was depressed that he was being abused and criticized, made fun of, called an idiot, called a dwarf. And that he was being promised by the perpetrators of this bombing that he would have 72 virgins in heaven if he did pull this off. So it does appears and indicate that maybe there were psychological problems here -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right. Chris Burns, interesting developments. Thank you very much, Chris.

And for updates on this story, be sure to stay with CNN THIS WEEKEND -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, should an alleged rape victim have to talk about her sex life? The Kobe Bryant case is on the docket for our legal panel. That is coming up at 8:15 Eastern.

And at 9:00, spring-cleaning for your yard, miracles on a budget from the co-host of the cable show "Rally Round The House."

And new clues in a 30-year hunt for a serial killer. The suspect reportedly sends a letter to the Wichita newspaper. We will take you live to Kansas and hear from a reporter with the Wichita newspaper at 9:30 Eastern.

But up next...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA MARTINEZ, FORMER PRISONER: You know, I've tried. I've tried so hard to change my life around. And now, they're going to reduce me back to poverty status. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: She did the crime and served her time, or she thought. A miscalculation could send her back to prison after two years of freedom. Now, Governor Schwarzenegger is getting involved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CALLAWAY: Exercise and a healthy diet. Some of the ways to slow down your biological clock. But you've heard that before. Find out what else you can do to stay young and healthy. We have details ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAN MIGUEL: In California, Governor Schwarzenegger weighs in on the case of a woman ordered back to prison, after being released too early more than two years ago. Yesterday, the governor sent a letter to the state Supreme Court asking for clemency.

In the letter, the governor says, "I would submit that here sentence be commuted to time served, and that she be allowed to commence her period of parole forthwith."

CNN's Frank Buckley picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Pamela Martinez who went to prison in 1996 for stealing a tool box, who had falling into a life of petty crime, to feed a drug addiction is not this Pamela Martinez.

MARTINEZ: I made poor choices in life, but this isn't who I am today.

BUCKLEY: After prison, Pamela got a job at Home Depot, she was well liked and respected. Her immediate boss described her in this letter as "reliable, responsible, and dependable." Two and a half years after being released from this prison, Pamela Martinez was back on her feet. But then, the California Supreme Court issued a ruling that turned her new life upside down.

(on camera) The effect of the court ruling, Pamela Martinez was released too early. Pamela had won an appeal while she was in prison. Her sentence was recalculated.

(voice-over): She was released from this prison in October of 2001. But a dispute over how Pamela's sentence was recalculated continued in the courts.

MARTINEZ: The long and the short of it is, the state attorney general's office finally won.

BUCKLEY: Which is why she's going back to prison to serve the remaining 65 days of her sentence. MARTINEZ: You know, I've tried. I've tried to hard to change my life around. And now they're going to reduce me back to poverty status.

BUCKLEY: Friends and supporters are asking California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, for clemency.

They gave her freedom once. They should not renege on it and take her back.

JACKIE GOLDBERG (D), CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY: I cannot think of a single thing, in terms of society, that is served by her going to jail for two months and five days.

BUCKLEY: A petition drive has garnered hundreds of signatures, some of them gathered at this 7-11.

DAVID SHAW, STORE OWNER: She's turned her life around. She's got a good job. She's got a good home. I mean why take that away from somebody.

BUCKLEY: The attorney general's office says Pamela's case was pursued because the sentencing formula could have actually resulted in longer sentences for other inmates. For Pamela, it's much simpler. The ruling means her hard work, her new life are on hold for now, because Pamela Martinez is headed back to prison.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Vista, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAN MIGUEL: The call for clemency from Governor Schwarzenegger is just a recommendation, since Martinez had two other felony convictions. The state Supreme Court has the final say on whether or not she'll head back to prison as scheduled on Tuesday.

CALLAWAY: If you haven't had time to keep up with the news this week, that's what we're here for. Let's "Rewind" for you now and look at some of the top stories.

Pointing fingers on Capitol Hill. Two days of 9/11 hearings to see if more could have been done to prevent the terror attacks.

Should school kids say one nation under God? The Supreme Court begins hearing arguments for and against keeping those words in the Pledge of Allegiance.

And Israel assassinates Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Palestinians vow revenge.

Tomorrow, we'll "Fast Forward" to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, take a look at these pictures coming up. A tiny, newborn ape arrives at the San Diego Zoo. But you can see it without leaving home. We'll tell you how and show you more federally mandated cute animal videos in our "Wows of the Week." It's coming up in about 10 minutes.

CALLAWAY: But first, get down with it, ladies. There are ways to make your biological clock tick a lot slower. We'll get forever- young secrets from Dr. Judith Reichman next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. There she is, looking young.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CALLAWAY: Well, ladies, if the ticking of your biological clock is getting too loud, there's a way to slow it down. And Dr. Judith Reichman's new book is "Slow Your Clock Down." It gives advice to women on how to offset effects of aging by living better and healthier. Kind of sounds like a song -- like a title of a song, doesn't it? "Slow Your Clock Down."

SAN MIGUEL: I think so, country music song or something.

CALLAWAY: May be it is.

Dr. Reichman practices in Los Angeles, where she specializes in women's health issues. She's joining us from New York, though, this morning.

Hello to you.

DR. JUDITH REICHMAN, AUTHOR: Good morning.

CALLAWAY: Good morning. You know, everyone wants to know if they can slow down that biological clock. We've been seeing so much news lately on how you can have surgery and take collagen and all these things to look young. But really, it's not going to slow down your clock. You need to be healthy and feel young, right?

Aired March 27, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is, is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is March 27. Good morning everyone. I'm Catherine Callaway.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Renay San Miguel. Good morning to you.

Good to see you again.

CALLAWAY: Good to see you again.

SAN MIGUEL: Good to be up here with you again.

We have a lot of news to cover over the next three hours but here is what's coming up this hour. The 9/11 Commission, it's supposed to be independent and non-partisan, in this election year what's the chance of that happening? We'll have a reality check for you in about 10 minutes.

Also a head, the Palestinian boy with a bomb strapped to his body. Where is he now? And how did it come to this? We'll have a live report from Jerusalem.

And ladies, you don't want to miss this. Another reason to exercise. It may add years of vitality to your life.

But first, here are our headlines.

CALLAWAY: More violence this morning in Baghdad. Five Iraqis are wounded when a roadside bomb blasts a passing SUV. The U.S. military closed the area and is now conducting a sweep.

And the man who led U.S. forces to Saddam Hussein's hiding place, reportedly was one of his closest bodyguards. Now, this is according to the BBC. Mohammed al-Musslit gave up Saddam's location just hours after he was picked up by U.S. forces last December.

However, he will not get the $25 million reward because he didn't the give up the information willingly.

And a soggy Saturday in Taiwan, but nasty weather is not stopping thousand of demonstrators, as you can see, protesting last week's election results. President Chen Shui-bian was re-elected by a razor- thin margin there. And the opposition leader, Lien Chan, addressed the crowd today calling for a vote recount. And a hurricane considered very rare in the south Atlantic is now approaching the southeastern coast of Brazil. And it could come ashore later today. The National Hurricane Center says that that storm is likely a category one hurricane and that is the weakest of five categories. It is the first such storm in that area in 38 years.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, we hope it is not too early in the morning to be talking politics. But John Kerry and President Bush are talking jobs and the economy. It is the hottest issue in the presidential race.

Senator John Kerry began rolling out his economic plan during a campaign stop in Detroit. The Democratic candidate wants to create 10 million new jobs in the next four years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: With the savings that I propose today we can, and we should, reduce the corporate tax rates by 5 percent to improve the competitiveness and narrow the difference between corporate tax rates here and overseas.

Some may be surprised to hear a Democrat calling for lower corporate tax rates. The fact is I don't care about the old debates. I care about getting the job done and creating jobs here in the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: The president, for his part, campaigned in the Southwest, saying the U.S. economy is strong and getting stronger. And the president says that will mean more jobs for Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You hear a lot of talk jobs going overseas. Some are going overseas and some from overseas are coming here. But the best way to make sure people can find work in America is to make sure the business environment, the entrepreneurial environment is strong and solid. It's a good place to do business, let me put it to you that way.

If you want people hiring people in America you have to make sure America is a good place to do business, a good place for our employers and there are some things we need to do.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: President Bush campaigned yesterday in Albuquerque and Phoenix.

CALLAWAY: Now congressional Republicans are jumping into the fray over Richard Clarke and the charges that he's making about 9/11 and the Bush administration. We get details now from CNN's congressional correspondent Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist is stepping up attacks against Richard Clarke, saying he made have lied to Congress.

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: I'm troubled that Mr. Clarke has had a hard time keeping his own story straight.

JOHNS: Frist said Clarke's criticism of the administration's anti-terrorism efforts is at odds with supportive comments he gave to reporters two years ago. Frist says Clarke also praised the administration in closed door congressional hearings.

FRIST: It is one thing for Mr. Clarke to dissemble in front the media, in front of the press, but if he lied under oath to the United States Congress it is a far, far more serious matter.

JOHNS: Clarke says he did cast the administration in a better light back then, but only because he was representing the administration.

RICHARD CLARKE, FMR. COUNTER-TERRORISM ADVISOR: I was asked to make that case to the press. I was a special assistant to the president and I made the case I was asked to make.

JOHNS: Frist say Clarke's closed-door testimony in 2002 should be declassified to get to the bottom of it. The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says he will ask the administration to make the material public.

A Democrat who heard Clarke's testimony agrees, but only because he believes the transcript will show Clarke has been consistent all along.

SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), FLORIDA: Absolutely. I think there should be even more declassification. First, the president should declassify all of Mr. Clarke's statement, not as he has done previously, cherry- pick just those parts that make the president's case.

JOHNS: Democratic Candidate John Kerry weighed in from the campaign trail, saying he was skeptical Clarke lied and challenged the administration.

Quote, "If he's not believable and they have reason to show it, then prosecute him for perjury."

(on camera): A senior advisor to Kerry accused the administration of scare tactics but now members of both parties, for different reasons, even the speaker of the House, himself, are on record supporting declassification of the information.

Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SAN MIGUEL: National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice will appear tomorrow night on CBS's "60 Minutes" where Richard Clarke appeared last week. Rice is one of Clarke's primary targets. She has testified behind closed doors before the 9/11 commission, but the White House says it would be inappropriate for her to testify in public.

Richard Clarke has written a book, which you just heard, in which he claims there was a push after the 9/11 suicide hijackings to attack Iraq. Clarke claims the pushers were Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, and that Secretary of State Colin Powell argued against it.

Jim Lehrer of PBS asked Colin Powell about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM LEHRER, ANCHOR, PBS: Was it correct to say that Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz were pushing for attacks on Iraq?

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: It is correct to say that everybody at Camp David that weekend expressed their views. And as is well known, Mr. Wolfowitz wanted to make sure that the president considered Iraq as a potential source of trouble that had to be dealt with, with respect to our interests around the world and with respect to terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: But Powell said that he recommended to President Bush that the focus be on al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Afghanistan.

Well, politics and the 9/11 hearings, NPR's Congressional Reporter Andrea Seabrook deals with that just minutes from now here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

CALLAWAY: And we have other stories making headlines across America this morning. Including this disturbing one from North Carolina, where a man, Brian Schellenberger, of Cary, has been arrested in connection with an international child pornography ring.

Schellenberger is accused of sexually abusing a six-year-old girl and a infant boy to create images the he posted on the Internet.

And the prosecutor in Phoenix is unhappy about the sentence given Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas O'Brien. That bishop got four years probation for a fatal hit-and-run accident that involved a pedestrian. Prosecutor Rick Romley says the judge sent a message that prominent people get special treatment.

And if you think the Hooters uniforms are revealing you should see the video on a computer that was seized by police in California. They show women changing into Hooters uniforms; women who were applying for jobs at a new restaurant there.

Officers have searched the home of a former Hooters manager. No charges have been filed yet.

And if you think you have problems with airport delays now, just wait a few years. Federal aviation officials say that at least 43 airports will be unable to handle their air traffic in the next 15 years if they don't expand.

And the FAA says that five airports are already too crowded, including Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago's O'Hare.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, shocking, but true. A high electric bill can bring cops crawling through your home. It happened recently in Carlsbad, California. Police raided one family's home because they had a $350 utility bill. The search warrant suspected an indoor marijuana operation because grow lights use a lot of juice.

The family pleaded guilty to using a lot of electricity but not to growing pot. Carlsbad police have since apologized.

OK, they don't grow pot, but maybe they should check out some of those energy efficient appliances.

CALLAWAY: Yes, I just hope the water department in Georgia doesn't come to my house to ...

SAN MIGUEL: Oh, yes? You think they're going to come in and bust down the doors and all of that? CALLAWAY: Well, I have a terribly high water bill, every time. I'm trying to conserve it. Lots of showers in our house.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, let's hope the police do not notice and aren't watching right now.

(LAUGHTER)

CALLAWAY: Well, stay with us everyone. She served five years in prison and has been a model citizen ever since.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I made poor choices in life. But this isn't who I am today.

CALLAWAY: So, why is she being sent back to prison? Well, Governor Schwarzenegger hopes for a Hollywood ending to that story. We'll have it for you right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I'm hearing now, is that God forbid that something like this happens again. They're still not ready. They're not ready to prevent anything.

SAN MIGUEL: A statement of frustration from families of September 11 victims: What can be done now to prevent another attack? And how much of the controversy is politics?

CALLAWAY: Our picture of the week, this week: A look at this. Israeli soldiers watch in horror as 14-year-old Palestinian boy arrives at a West Bank checkpoint. He's wearing a vest packed with explosives, as you can see.

The boy told soldiers that he didn't want to die, so they sent in a robot with a pair of scissors. And looked on as he cut away the vest and stripped. The boy told Israeli soldiers that he did this because schoolmates didn't like him.

Israeli is trying to find out if a terror cell or group is recruiting children to become a human bomb. Find out what happens to the boy when we go live to Jerusalem in the next half hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER FORECAST)

SAN MIGUEL: The independent commission investigating the September 11 attacks has yet to find a single action that would have prevented them. But it has found numerous missteps by both the Clinton and the Bush administration.

And as CNN's Kelly Wallace reports, families of 9/11 victims find little comfort in the proceedings.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): You could see the heaviness in the front rows, on the faces of families who lost loved ones. And you could hear it.

BOB KERREY (D), COMMISSION MEMBER: Osama bin Laden held a press conference to declare open war on the United States of America in February 1998.

WALLACE: Two days of troubling questions: Could September 11 have been prevented? Could the Bush and Clinton administrations have done more?

SAMUEL BERMAN, FMr. NAT'L SECURITY ADV.: We struck with the intent of killing bin Laden and/or his operatives. I deeply regret that we did not succeed.

WALLACE: Henry and Elaine Hughes of Smithtown, Long Island, listen and take notes. Their son Chris worked on the 89th floor of the South Tower.

HENRY HUGHES, SON KILLED ON 9/11: I'd like to see someone come forward and just say once, you know what, maybe we could have done a better job.

WALLACE: And that happened inside the hearing room Wednesday.

RICHARD CLARKE, FMr. COUNTER-TERRORISM ADV.: Your government failed you. Those entrusted with protecting you, failed you. And I, failed you.

WALLACE: Welcome words even two and a half years later. ELAINE HUGHES, SON KILLED ON 9/11: At least some of the witnesses actually said they were sorry and apologized that the job didn't get done.

WALLACE: The Hughes have stayed for almost every word. But other families left as a public protest when Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage appeared in place of Condoleezza Rice, the president's national security advisor, who choose not to testify.

KRISTEN BREITSEISER, HUSBAND KILLED ON 9/11: And 3,000 lost lives warranted her coming before the American people to restore confidence and to set the record straight.

WALLACE: Politics did not stay away from the hearing room. Democratic members of the commission appeared to be tougher on the Bush team. And Republicans...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a real credibility problem.

WALLACE: ....tougher on the Bush administration's critics like former terrorism advisor, Richard Clarke.

As the Hughes headed home, this hope, that the politics during a presidential election year doesn't get in the way of finding some answers.

ELAINE HUGHES: I mean, what I'm hearing now is, God forbid, something like this happens again, they're still not ready. They're not ready to prevent anything. And that is what scares me.

WALLACE (on camera): The commission now has just four months to put together a report with recommendations on how to prevent another September 11.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAN MIGUEL: Well, it seems you can't separate partisan politics from the 9/11 hearings, especially in an election year. In our weekly political brief NPR Congressional Reporter Andrea Seabrook joins us now from Washington with some insight.

Thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

ANDREA SEABROOK, NPR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Good morning.

SAN MIGUEL: Did anyone on Capitol Hill really expect to see anything different than what we saw, which was the Republican members really coming down hard on the Clinton administration, -- people testifying -- and then visa versa, the Democrats coming down hard on the Bush administration.

Did anyone really expect any big revelations here?

SEABROOK: Well, I think it would have been slightly naive to expect something different. But you're right, what I saw, what obviously Kelly Wallace saw, as you saw in the last segment, is exactly what you are saying. That they're -- it's not the kind of partisan rancor that you see in some kind of hearings, but there is partisanship.

And, you know, like I said, maybe we shouldn't have been quite so surprised by it this week. It was on Capitol Hill.

Like you said, though, the main partisan nugget, the thing that really polarized these things was the testimony of Richard Clarke, the former counter-terrorism advisor, under both Presidents Clinton and Bush.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

SEABROOK: You know, that really turned a corner in these hearings and I think made -- it's rippling out in the news today.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, exactly. And obviously, when you have -- when he has a book coming out the week that these hearings are scheduled, and of course, the "60 Minutes" appearance as well, that does put a whole new light on everything here.

What is the buzz on Capitol Hill about, what is in his book and about the White House reaction to what is in the book? I mean, it's been -- I've hearing words like "unprecedented", concerning the White House reaction.

SEABROOK: Well, it is very interesting. Richard Clarke, of course, says that the Bush administration didn't do enough in the months preceding September 11. He flatly says that about the early months of 2001.

Now, just yesterday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist came to the floor of the Senate, and said -- called for the declassification of testimonies that Richard Clarke gave before a joint congressional inquiry into September 11, in 2002.

Frist said that in that earlier testimony, which is still classified and therefore not public, that Richard Clarke had been effusive in his praise of the Bush administration in the early months of 2001. And so, so they're trying to -- I mean, the White House, the Republicans on Capitol Hill, are trying to debunk this guy with everything they've got, you're right.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes. Gotcha.

Let's move on to this Associated Press poll that came out, which really kind of is more evidence of just how divided this country is. Those surveyed believe that John Kerry will do a better job on the economy. Also, those believe that President Bush will do a better job on national security. So, how do you expect the two campaigns to spin this to their advantage?

SEABROOK: Well, those are really interesting numbers, because right now the same poll found that Americans, voters, care more about jobs and the economy right now than they do about national security.

So, that could really work in Mr. Kerry's favor. He's got better numbers right now on jobs and the economy. While Mr. Bush, has better numbers on national security. More voters trust him for that.

Now, nothing stays the same for very long in an election year, and we've got more than seven long months to go.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

SEABROOK: So, this could switch around, this could work in either favor and both will try to frame the debate throughout this campaign in a way that suits them.

SAN MIGUEL: We do have to keep reminding ourselves it is just the end of March. Just wait until the summer and the conventions and all that fun stuff happens. Andrea Seabrook is a congressional correspondent for National Public Radio.

Thanks for your time. We do appreciate it.

SEABROOK: It's my pleasure.

SAN MIGUEL: And this program note for you, Richard Clarke, President Bush's former counter-terrorism advisor will be a guest at CNN's "Late Edition" with Wolf Blitzer, that is tomorrow beginning at noon Eastern.

And out e-mail question this morning it on the 9/11 investigation. Should that debate on who knew what, when, be part of the political campaign? Do you want to hear more about this from the candidates? E-mail us with your comments at WAM@cnn.com.

(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When was the last time you had sex?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd rather not disclose that information.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, come on. Don't clam up ...

(END MOVE CLIP)

CALLAWAY: Ben Affleck moves on with his love life in this week's new releases, but is "Jersey Girl" another "Gigli"? Find out what critics say and what else is now showing, when we return. And check this out. One cute kitten and four cute ears, more on our wild of the week, late this hour. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CALLAWAY: Well, if you are in the mood for a movie this weekend, we are here to help you out. Check out what's new on the big screen.

(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Hey, you're the lady from the video store.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go back and wash your face.

(END MOVIE CLIP)

CALLAWAY: Suddenly a single-dad Ben Affleck loses his job and moves in with his dad. A love affair between Ben Affleck and a video store clerk, played by Liv Tyler, brings him back to life though. One more thing, the late mother of his child and the love of his life, with a cameo appearance in the movie, played by, who else? Jennifer Lopez.

Now, critics are giving "Jersey Girl" a C-minus. "The New York Times" calls it an equivalent of making goo-goo noises and chucking a baby under the chin for 103 minutes.

Well, who wouldn't mind doing that?

SAN MIGUEL: Yes, what's wrong with that?

CALLAWAY: That's not bad.

(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...setback, I am distraught. I'm more than distraught, I am devastated, I'm beset myself. I'm at a positive loss for words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: OK, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) censured professor turned criminal mastermind, his plot is to rob a New Orleans riverboat casino by digging a tunnel from a house where he and his three accomplices are staying. The only thing in the way is the landlady. But removing her turns out to be harder than expected.

And the critics are giving "The Ladykillers" a C-plus. "The Cincinnati Inquirer" calls it a weird, irresistible comedy loaded with treats surprises and belly laughs.

(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are screw ups. I guess looking back every time they made a plan we did screw it up somehow. I just never noticed before.

SCOOBY-DOO: Me neither!

(END MOVE CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

CALLAWAY: I can't help it. I think Scooby-Doo is funny. In this sequel to the 2002 hit, the same gang of all-American teens, along with their computer generated dog, Scooby, battle ghosts in the town of Coolsville. "Scooby-Doo 2" gets only a D-plus from critics. "The Chicago Tribune" says that to call this movie a dog would be an insult to canines.

Ouch!

SAN MIGUEL: Well, you know, it is all an excuse to sell more Scooby Snacks at theaters I guess.

CALLAWAY: The critics are not 13 and under and they're the ones that...

SAN MIGUEL: Yes, that is the target audience for that right there.

(WEATHER FORCAST)

SAN MIGUEL: Well, it is time to check the headlines. The economy takes center stage on the campaign trail. President Bush speaks about the growing economy to supporters in New Mexico. While Senator John Kerry touts his plan to add 10 million jobs to in the next decade, with the help of a sweeping tax reform plan.

The BBC is reporting that a captured bodyguard is the one who showed coalition forces where to find Saddam Hussein. The report also says that since he didn't give up the information willingly, the $25 million reward will go unpaid.

CALLAWAY: Also, coming up, remember this teenager with explosives strapped on to him. We'll find out what happened to him since then. That coming up next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

SAN MIGUEL: And then later this hour, ladies get a pen and paper ready. We'll tell you how to exercise. What to eat, what to look for in order to stay younger longer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Is it possible to get too much of a good thing? For some women and their children the answer is yes. Fish is considered a good source of protein and nutrients such as omega-3 acids, which benefit the heart. But it also may be high in mercury, which can slow down a developing brain.

The Food and Drug Administration just release guidelines advising young children, as well as women who are pregnant or nursing to avoid fish high in mercury.

That includes: shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tile fish. Also, choose light canned tuna over mercury laden Albacore.

Most of us should not avoid fish. In fact, the FDA recommends at least two servings a week.

Tori Atalia (ph), CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CALLAWAY: Well, you have seen these pictures from earlier this week. You can find out what happened to the young Palestinian boy who did not want to die.

Welcome back, everyone. I'm Catherine Callaway.

SAN MIGUEL: And I'm Renay San Miguel. We'll get to that story in a minute. But first, here are the headlines at this hour.

Republican congressional leaders want to know if Richard Clarke lied to the independent 9/11 Commission this week. Senate majority leader Bill Frist and House speaker Dennis Hastert say his testimony before a closed congressional hearing in 2002 was different than this week's and want to declassify it. Clarke denies that he lied. Democrats say if the Clarke testimony is declassified, then all testimony from the hearings should be made public.

SAN MIGUEL: NASA is attempting to set a new standard for speed with the planned test flight of an unmanned plane that supposedly can go seven times the speed of sound, Mach 7. A similar test back in 2001 was aborted.

SAN MIGUEL: In the West Bank, a 7-year-old boy was killed during an exchange of gunfire between Israelis troops and Palestinians. The boy's parents say he was shot by Israeli soldiers. But Israelis commander says a stray bullet from a Palestinian gunman hit the boy.

CALLAWAY: And by now, most of you might have seen these disturbing pictures of this Palestinian teenager who was loaded with explosives. Now, no one was injured in Wednesday's standoff, but both the boy's family and the Israeli government wants to know why a boy, who may be as young as 14 years old, was being used as a human weapon.

And for the latest, we're joined by our Chris Burns, who is in Jerusalem with us with the latest on this story.

Very disturbing to find out how young this boy is. Was he, like, 14 years old?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Catherine, he turned out to be actually 16, but looking very young for his age. Shorter than a 16-year-old would normally look like.

And yes, it's very troubling and disturbing on both sides of the Middle East divide. The Israelis have been busy questioning him to find out exactly who was behind persuading him to put on that explosive belt. Now, according to last word from security sources, they could actually release him as early as today. They don't plan to charge him after all, even though at 16 years old now, he could be charged by the Israelis in this attempt.

Now, on the Palestinian side, very interesting. Very divided, mixed feelings. The mother even said if he was 18 years old, perhaps she would support his attempt to set off a suicide bombing, as a way to fight the Israeli occupation. On the other hand, there are a lot of upset parents in that town of Nablus, a hotbed of militant activity, where a lot of people are afraid that they might have their young children recruited also by the militants. Very interesting development too. This shooting inside Nablus today, that is being seen as a possible link to the capture of this -- they call him the Bomb Boy, Hussam Abdul.

The shooting going on today is as Israeli forces have moved into the Balata Refugee Camp inside Nablus, going after what they say are three -- the organizers of three suicide bombings. And as they went in there was shooting going on and now both sides of accusing the other of shooting and killing this young boy, the 7-year-old boy who was killed, apparently in the crossfire as the Israelis went in -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Another tragic story out of there. Getting back to the Bomb Boy, there were some reports that he said he agreed to wear the bomb because he felt like his friends at school didn't like him. Perhaps he was being bullied. What was the information on that?

BURNS: Well, there are a number of interviews that have been published and even television interview that an Israeli reporter made who was given access to him. It appears that this could actually have been really more of a suicide than a suicide bombing by a Palestinian militant. He was apparently depressed. He told reporters that he was depressed that he was being abused and criticized, made fun of, called an idiot, called a dwarf. And that he was being promised by the perpetrators of this bombing that he would have 72 virgins in heaven if he did pull this off. So it does appears and indicate that maybe there were psychological problems here -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right. Chris Burns, interesting developments. Thank you very much, Chris.

And for updates on this story, be sure to stay with CNN THIS WEEKEND -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, should an alleged rape victim have to talk about her sex life? The Kobe Bryant case is on the docket for our legal panel. That is coming up at 8:15 Eastern.

And at 9:00, spring-cleaning for your yard, miracles on a budget from the co-host of the cable show "Rally Round The House."

And new clues in a 30-year hunt for a serial killer. The suspect reportedly sends a letter to the Wichita newspaper. We will take you live to Kansas and hear from a reporter with the Wichita newspaper at 9:30 Eastern.

But up next...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA MARTINEZ, FORMER PRISONER: You know, I've tried. I've tried so hard to change my life around. And now, they're going to reduce me back to poverty status. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: She did the crime and served her time, or she thought. A miscalculation could send her back to prison after two years of freedom. Now, Governor Schwarzenegger is getting involved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CALLAWAY: Exercise and a healthy diet. Some of the ways to slow down your biological clock. But you've heard that before. Find out what else you can do to stay young and healthy. We have details ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAN MIGUEL: In California, Governor Schwarzenegger weighs in on the case of a woman ordered back to prison, after being released too early more than two years ago. Yesterday, the governor sent a letter to the state Supreme Court asking for clemency.

In the letter, the governor says, "I would submit that here sentence be commuted to time served, and that she be allowed to commence her period of parole forthwith."

CNN's Frank Buckley picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Pamela Martinez who went to prison in 1996 for stealing a tool box, who had falling into a life of petty crime, to feed a drug addiction is not this Pamela Martinez.

MARTINEZ: I made poor choices in life, but this isn't who I am today.

BUCKLEY: After prison, Pamela got a job at Home Depot, she was well liked and respected. Her immediate boss described her in this letter as "reliable, responsible, and dependable." Two and a half years after being released from this prison, Pamela Martinez was back on her feet. But then, the California Supreme Court issued a ruling that turned her new life upside down.

(on camera) The effect of the court ruling, Pamela Martinez was released too early. Pamela had won an appeal while she was in prison. Her sentence was recalculated.

(voice-over): She was released from this prison in October of 2001. But a dispute over how Pamela's sentence was recalculated continued in the courts.

MARTINEZ: The long and the short of it is, the state attorney general's office finally won.

BUCKLEY: Which is why she's going back to prison to serve the remaining 65 days of her sentence. MARTINEZ: You know, I've tried. I've tried to hard to change my life around. And now they're going to reduce me back to poverty status.

BUCKLEY: Friends and supporters are asking California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, for clemency.

They gave her freedom once. They should not renege on it and take her back.

JACKIE GOLDBERG (D), CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY: I cannot think of a single thing, in terms of society, that is served by her going to jail for two months and five days.

BUCKLEY: A petition drive has garnered hundreds of signatures, some of them gathered at this 7-11.

DAVID SHAW, STORE OWNER: She's turned her life around. She's got a good job. She's got a good home. I mean why take that away from somebody.

BUCKLEY: The attorney general's office says Pamela's case was pursued because the sentencing formula could have actually resulted in longer sentences for other inmates. For Pamela, it's much simpler. The ruling means her hard work, her new life are on hold for now, because Pamela Martinez is headed back to prison.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Vista, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAN MIGUEL: The call for clemency from Governor Schwarzenegger is just a recommendation, since Martinez had two other felony convictions. The state Supreme Court has the final say on whether or not she'll head back to prison as scheduled on Tuesday.

CALLAWAY: If you haven't had time to keep up with the news this week, that's what we're here for. Let's "Rewind" for you now and look at some of the top stories.

Pointing fingers on Capitol Hill. Two days of 9/11 hearings to see if more could have been done to prevent the terror attacks.

Should school kids say one nation under God? The Supreme Court begins hearing arguments for and against keeping those words in the Pledge of Allegiance.

And Israel assassinates Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Palestinians vow revenge.

Tomorrow, we'll "Fast Forward" to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, take a look at these pictures coming up. A tiny, newborn ape arrives at the San Diego Zoo. But you can see it without leaving home. We'll tell you how and show you more federally mandated cute animal videos in our "Wows of the Week." It's coming up in about 10 minutes.

CALLAWAY: But first, get down with it, ladies. There are ways to make your biological clock tick a lot slower. We'll get forever- young secrets from Dr. Judith Reichman next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. There she is, looking young.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CALLAWAY: Well, ladies, if the ticking of your biological clock is getting too loud, there's a way to slow it down. And Dr. Judith Reichman's new book is "Slow Your Clock Down." It gives advice to women on how to offset effects of aging by living better and healthier. Kind of sounds like a song -- like a title of a song, doesn't it? "Slow Your Clock Down."

SAN MIGUEL: I think so, country music song or something.

CALLAWAY: May be it is.

Dr. Reichman practices in Los Angeles, where she specializes in women's health issues. She's joining us from New York, though, this morning.

Hello to you.

DR. JUDITH REICHMAN, AUTHOR: Good morning.

CALLAWAY: Good morning. You know, everyone wants to know if they can slow down that biological clock. We've been seeing so much news lately on how you can have surgery and take collagen and all these things to look young. But really, it's not going to slow down your clock. You need to be healthy and feel young, right?