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CNN Saturday Morning News

Novak Zone: A look at how Haiti is down post-Aristide

Aired March 27, 2004 - 09:00   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.


RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: The view from Iraq. What Iraqi citizens think about the job the U.S. is doing in their country.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. That story is topping our news today. But first, we have a news alert for you.

A 7-year-old Palestinian boy was shot to death today as Israeli troops entered a refugee camp at Nablus in the West Bank there. Palestinians claimed an Israeli soldier shot the boy, but the Israelis claim that he was killed by a stray bullet fired by a Palestinian gunman.

And a vote today in one of the main pro-British parties in Northern Ireland. And David Trimble survives as party leader. He received 60 percent of the votes in a three-way race in the Ulster Unionist Party. You may remember that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize back in 1998.

CALLAWAY: And a rare South Atlantic hurricane, that's the first since satellite tracking began back in 1966. It is now threatening the southeastern coast of Brazil. It could come ashore later today. The storm is believed to be a category 1, that is the weakest of five hurricane categories.

And this just in to CNN. We have learned that at least two dozen people were wounded by a blast just outside a hotel in southern Thailand. Now, authorities are saying it was caused by a bomb attached to a motorcycle.

SAN MIGUEL: Haiti's new government wants the old leaders to stick around. The justice minister ordered all former members of the Aristide government to remain in the country, though they have not been charged with any crimes.

Caribbean leaders meeting at a summit have refused to recognize the U.S.-backed interim government in Haiti. They are calling for an investigation into the departure of former president Aristide.

CNN's Bob Novak traveled to Haiti recently to meet with the leaders of the new government. He joins us now from Washington for this live edition of The Novak Zone.

And Bob, this story has kind of -- been kind of under the radar screens for the last couple of weeks as we've talked more about the 9/11 hearings and what happened in Spain and the elections there. But I'm wondering, in your visit there, did you find that order has been restored, or are the rebel gangs still running loose, and are they...

ROBERT NOVAK, HOST, THE NOVAK ZONE: No, it's -- order has been restored, Renay. It -- there are U.S. Marines, French Foreign Legion, and Canadian troops. But also, about half the country is under the control of what prime minister (UNINTELLIGIBLE) calls the freedom fighters, the people who forced Aristide to leave say. But these are gradually being replaced by international peacekeepers. But there's no fighting, there's no disorder in the streets right now.

And the prime minister is a distinguished international public servant, and he is using full powers to try to bring some kind of prosperity to the country, which is in desperately poor condition.

SAN MIGUEL: And is it a tenuous hold on order right now, or are things -- have things gotten better since this was in the news?

NOVAK: Oh, no, they've gotten much better. See, when -- during the period when the -- before Aristide left, there was absolute chaos. The pro-Aristide gangs were trashing factories, burning places, a tremendous amount of this high, very high unemployment in Haiti, and it's -- and the many jobs, thousands and thousands of jobs were lost.

I visited burnt-out factories and burnt-out warehouses that were -- that the mobs had taken. All that has ended now, and there is really peace. But the country is in, after 10 years of rule by President Aristide, is in desperately poor shape. The schools are not functioning. The tremendous unemployment. The roads are impassable. Haiti is a basket case.

SAN MIGUEL: This, you know, we just talked about the 15-nation Caribbean community not recognizing the new U.S.-backed government there, saying that it wants the U.N. Generally Assembly to look into the Aristide's charges that he was kidnapped by the U.S. and forced to leave that country. How bad is this going to be for a country that is, as you say, just now getting its footing? I mean, they're going to need help, the Haitians are going to need help from other nations in the Caribbean, right?

NOVAK: Yes, they -- I don't think they're going to get much help from the other nations in the Caribbean. I think where they need help from is the United States, that is the only place they're going to get help from. And if the Bush administration is going to help them, I think it will move along.

The sad part about it, I had not, I used to go to Haiti frequently. I had not been there in 10 years. The last time I was going to go, I was told there was a contract out on me, and I didn't go. But I was just amazed how much deterioration there had been under the Aristide rule.

And the prime minister in an interview with me, we're going to have a part of that tonight on "THE CAPITAL GANG" at 7:00 Eastern. The prime minister indicated to me that the central bank had been looted by the Aristide people and over a billion dollars had been taken out in the last two weeks. So it's not only -- the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), the infrastructure in terrible shape, but the country is really bankrupt.

SAN MIGUEL: As you said, you're going to hear more of the -- your reporting on Haiti tonight at 7:00 Eastern on "THE CAPITAL GANG" here on CNN. Bob Novak, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

NOVAK: Thank you. My pleasure.

CALLAWAY: It appears that Paul Bremer, the U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq, is not the most popular figure on the Baghdad streets.

CNN's Walter Rodgers talked with some of the people there. His survey is not scientific, of course, but it is certainly interesting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since the Ottoman Empire, this Baghdad tea shop has seen occupying armies, the Turks, the British, now the Americans. Historical perspective comes with the hubbly-bubblies here, and the tea house verdict on U.S. administrator Paul Bremer was bitter.

"For us as people, he achieved nothing. Services are nonexistent. No improvement."

The answers were so universally negative, I asked this man to try to say something nice.

(on camera): Tell me something good Bremer did.

"We suffer from an interim constitution the Americans imposed on us," Hashim Zabala (ph) replied. By turning over civil government to the Iraqis June 30, Americans are clearly gambling democracy will take root here. Yet the first thing Iraqis say they want is to get rid of that Bremer constitution. "The constitution the Americans drafted favors one group over another," this man said.

The heat seems to be building in Iraq, one group of Muslims vying with another, tribe against tribe. I went over to Hikmat Mahmoud's (ph) barber shop, and customers there were just as adamant about Paul Bremer's record. "We are Arabs, Muslims," Ibrahim said. "If someone comes into your house against your will, we will not love you."

Hedging their bets, Iraqis now say Saddam did some good things, like nationalizing the oil companies. They know Paul Bremer will be gone by July. "Under Saddam, there used to be law. He was a strong man. When Bremer leaves, there will be chaos," Dr. Gazal Abbas (ph) says.

The good old boys at Hikmat's barber shop agreed with the coffee shop crowd, the Bremer report card is disappointing. "Bremer has only achieved the interests of America and the Jews," Abdul Baki (ph) says.

Still, there are contradictions in these conversations. (on camera): Iraqis insist they can govern themselves better than outsiders do. But when you remind them that so far all they've produced is a bumper crop of dictators, they then reply, "Ah, but we hope for the best."

Ironically, Paul Bremer and the Americans may still be the Iraqis' best hope, at least in the short run.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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 now for a 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.

And should school kids say "One nation under God"? Well, the Supreme Court begins hearing arguments for and against keeping those words in the Pledge of Allegiance.

And Israel assassinates Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and the Palestinians are vowing revenge.

Tomorrow we will fast-forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, back to the future. Why a 30-year-old serial killer case is making front-page news again, and the media outlet that the killer supposedly reached out to. That is when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAN MIGUEL: She did her time in prison and then became a model citizen, so why could Pamela Martinez be headed back to jail? And who is speaking out on her behalf? You may be surprised. That's when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is appealing to the state supreme court in the case of a woman who has been ordered back to prison more than two years after her release. Pamela Martinez has actually -- had actually been released from prison 65 days early after already serving seven years for stealing a $30 toolbox. She is expected to report back to the prison on Tuesday.

In a letter to the court, Schwarzenegger said, "I would submit that her sentence be commuted to time served, and that she be allowed to commence her period of parole forthwith." Since Martinez had two prior felony convictions, the governor cannot personally commute that sentence. CALLAWAY: An old ghost has suddenly reappeared in Wichita, Kansas, to taunt its past. A notorious serial killer who once stalked the community is again casting a long shadow over the city. Authorities have every reason to believe that it is not a hoax.

Here's CNN's Jonathan Freed with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The people of Wichita had allowed themselves to move on, to push the images of the bodies from their minds. But an old demon has pushed his way back into their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This communique most likely came from BTK.

FREED: The BTK strangler is connected to seven murders, mostly women attacked in their homes between 1974 and '79. He toyed with police, sending letters, claiming responsibility for the crimes, even giving himself his infamous nickname.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BTK stands for bind, torture, and kill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREED: He wasn't heard from for 25 years. Then, last week, "The Wichita Eagle" newspaper received a letter containing a photocopy of the driver's license of a 1986 murder victim, Vickie Wegerle (ph), along with pictures of her body. Victim number eight.

Richard LaMunion (ph) was chief of police back in the '70s.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's unprecedented. I don't know of any -- personally, I don't have any knowledge where it's ever happened like this before.

FREED: Why break a quarter-century of silence? We asked a psychiatrist who was involved in the investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has he recently gone through some kind of a life change, like a divorce, where he feels like stirring up something? Has he returned to the community after being incarcerated?

FREED: Whatever the killer's motive, he has piqued emotion in Wichita. Some stores have sold out of MACE. Alarm companies are getting more calls. And listen to a woman who lives around the corner from the site of the first attack in 1974.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought about it when I went to sleep last night, made sure that I double-checked every single window in the house, as did most of the people I've talked to.

FREED (on camera): Police have samples of the killer's DNA, and they're hoping that modern techniques and a little luck will eventually lead them to a match.

Jonathan Freed, CNN, Wichita, Kansas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAN MIGUEL: Well, it is a rite of spring, April showers, May flowers, and Red Sox fans who think they might finally beat the New York Yankees this baseball season.

Josie Burke previews the season on tap for the Red Sox and their faithful followers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His first at-bat of the game. There's a fly ball deep to left. It's on its way. There it goes. And the Yankees are going to the World Series.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOSIE BURKE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That Aaron Boone swing ended game seven of the 2003 American League championship series and started another chapter of misery for the Boston Red Sox.

JOHNNY DAMON, RED SOX OUTFIELDER: You don't get over games like that. You look forward to the next year and the next meetings against them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just like yesterday walking off that field and having that taste in game seven at Yankees Stadium. And now we're preparing, and everybody is hungry to go forward to the 2004 season.

BURKE: The Red Sox and Yankees already own the fiercest rivalry in sports. This season it only stands to get hotter because of the way last season concluded, and the way the offseason unfolded. Boston thought it had locked up a deal that would have landed the Red Sox reigning American League MVP, Alex Rodriguez. It fell through, and weeks later, A-Rod was wearing pinstripes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think there wasn't a person on this planet that's a baseball fan that didn't think A-Rod was going to be a Red Sock.

CURT SCHILLING, RED SOX PITCHER: It didn't bother me until the Yankees signed him. I mean, you know, I obviously (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- the Yankees, sure, a good club, but they got better getting the best player in the game, and that was a little bit frustrating.

BURKE: Frustrating might describe the entire A-Rod affair for Nomar Garciaparra, the Red Sox all-star shortstop who would have been traded to make room for Rodriguez. NOMAR GARCIAPARRA, RED SOX SHORTSTOP: I was definitely hurt by a lot of it. I probably feel like anyone else would feel after spending their whole career in one organization and giving and doing what you do, and then having to find out that you've been traded or you're pretty much gone over the television.

BURKE: The Red Sox insist team chemistry has not been affected, and Boston's roster is improved. The Red Sox did pull off one big trade adding dominant pitcher Curt Schilling to a starting rotation that already featured Pedro Martinez. Now Boston begins the season with the same goal that's eluded the Red Sox since 1918 -- win a World Series, and beat the Yankees in the process.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't question that these guys think they can beat the Yankees. They just haven't done it yet. They brought me here to help them do that.

DEREK LOWE, RED SOX PITCHER: You know, bottom line is, you know, maybe years past, we really weren't that close to them. And so the fact of saying, Can you beat the Yankees? was great topic, but realistically probably wasn't going to happen. And this year, I think finally that, you know, the gap is narrow.

BURKE: Josie Burke, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: Best time of the year when they start talking baseball.

SAN MIGUEL: This is true.

CALLAWAY: Spring weather.

SAN MIGUEL: That's right. Let's see if they've got some good weather for all those spring training games going on in Florida and Arizona and all that. Here's Rob Marciano with the latest.

MARCIANO: Hey, Renay.

Yes, both places, Arizona and Florida, looking good. Although the start of spring for especially Arizona was not looking all that great.

Hey, I take you to the Northeast. They'll be playing baseball here in a couple of weeks. From Boston and New York to Philly to D.C., we're looking at rainfall, but it shouldn't last all that much longer.

Let's go to Philadelphia right now, where it is raining. And it's currently 50 degrees, KYW is our affiliate. And there's a beautiful City of Brotherly Love skyline. Look for the rain to last another couple of hours, then you'll look to dry out a little bit, although it will remain cool, I think, through the weekend.

Some action across the midsection of the country, not so much right now but later on today. We could see some severe weather in this area. Dallas northward towards Kansas City and through parts of Missouri, some of that rain could be heavy at times, and they've already seen some rain-soaked areas of Missouri yesterday, three, even close to four inches of rain.

Mention that cool rains will be departing from south, or north to south across the Northeast and then much of the Southeast looking real nice. We'll watch for isolated pockets of some severe weather here.

Much of the West Coast looking dry, although the Pacific Northwest looks to be wet, at least today. Tomorrow looks to be a little bit more dry.

These are the high temperatures, 80 in Atlanta, 73 in St. Louis, with rain and thunderstorms, and cooler in Boston, 54 degrees for the Sox when they arrive in a couple of weeks.

Want to fly you down to South America. Mentioned this about a half an hour ago. This is an extremely rare event. We believe this is a hurricane out of satellite imagery. They don't typically get hurricanes in this part of the South Atlantic, or any part of the South Atlantic, for that matter.

And we're looking for this to make landfall in the next 12 hours across the southern part of Brazil. No hurricane hunters, no ship reports out of this thing. And winds, though, estimated at about 80 miles an hour. And we'll watch this thing as it rolls towards Brazil. Weird things happening in the weather department.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, let's hope...

MARCIANO: Back to you guys.

SAN MIGUEL: Let's hope they're getting the word out about what to do in a hurricane down there.

CALLAWAY: Yes, they're not used to that.

SAN MIGUEL: Because they're not -- Yes.

MARCIANO: You know, no one is taking responsibility. Certainly it's out of the U.S. jurisdiction, and...

SAN MIGUEL: Exactly.

MARCIANO: ... we're just looking at this thing, going, you know, hopefully it doesn't do too much damage.

CALLAWAY: Yes, level one sounds...

SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CALLAWAY: ... low unless you're not used to any kind of hurricane.

MARCIANO: Right, right. Hopefully they are getting out of the way.

CALLAWAY: All right, thanks, Rob.

SAN MIGUEL: I hope so. Thanks, Rob, appreciate it.

CALLAWAY: "ON THE STORY" is coming up next. And let's check in now with Kelly Wallace, find out what's coming up. Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, "ON THE STORY": Good morning. Well, we are "ON THE STORY" from here in Washington, New York, Crawford, Texas, and Jerusalem. We will be talking about how the big names of both the Bush and Clinton administrations were telling the September 11 commission why they missed the signs of the looming terror attacks. We'll have the latest from the campaign trail and some questions about whether President Bush crossed the line when he made jokes about searching for weapons of mass destruction.

That's all coming up, all "ON THE STORY." We'll hope you'll join us.

Catherine, Renay, back to you.

SAN MIGUEL: All right, Kelly, thanks so much.

Well, time now for a quick check at 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 try to add 10 million jobs in the next decade with the help of a sweeping tax reform plan.

NASA is planning to launch a new toy today, the unmanned Hyper-X, as it's called, has the ability to reach speeds of up to 5,000 miles per hour, or about seven times the speed of sound.

CALLAWAY: We've been asking you all morning if the who knew what and when about 9/11 should be part of the presidential campaign. We've been receiving your e-mail all morning. Here is a sample of what we've been hearing.

This is from Steve in Chicago. "I do not think that 9/11 should be part of the campaign. I don't think that actions taken or not taken were partisan at all. As much as I am not a fan of Bush, I doubt that he allowed 9/11 to occur."

SAN MIGUEL: This from Mike in Maryland. "George W. Bush did a great job handling the fallout from 9/11. I doubt Gore could have done that well. 9/11 is one of GW's strengths. Why shouldn't he be able to use that?"

As always, we appreciate you writing in for our e-mail question of the day here on CNN.

CALLAWAY: That's right. And there is still plenty more ahead right here on CNN. Coming up, "ON THE STORY," a live report from Israel on the Palestinian teen who was stopped before he could become a human bomb.

Also coming up, we have a look at 11:00 Eastern time at "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS," looking at two controversial superstars, Janet Jackson and Kobe Bryant. And at noon, we will talk live with two members of the independent 9/11 commission and hear what they -- their thoughts are of Richard Clarke's testimony.

SAN MIGUEL: Expecting to hear a lot more from Richard Clarke regarding what happened at the 9/11 hearings and also some more on "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER" tomorrow.

CALLAWAY: That's right. Now, you're not here tomorrow, right?

SAN MIGUEL: I am not here tomorrow, but (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CALLAWAY: I'll be here with Fredricka Whitfield. We're just changing chairs around to keep you...

SAN MIGUEL: That's right, musical anchors.

Thanks for joining us on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We appreciate your time.

CALLAWAY: Headlines are coming up in just a moment.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired March 27, 2004 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: The view from Iraq. What Iraqi citizens think about the job the U.S. is doing in their country.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. That story is topping our news today. But first, we have a news alert for you.

A 7-year-old Palestinian boy was shot to death today as Israeli troops entered a refugee camp at Nablus in the West Bank there. Palestinians claimed an Israeli soldier shot the boy, but the Israelis claim that he was killed by a stray bullet fired by a Palestinian gunman.

And a vote today in one of the main pro-British parties in Northern Ireland. And David Trimble survives as party leader. He received 60 percent of the votes in a three-way race in the Ulster Unionist Party. You may remember that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize back in 1998.

CALLAWAY: And a rare South Atlantic hurricane, that's the first since satellite tracking began back in 1966. It is now threatening the southeastern coast of Brazil. It could come ashore later today. The storm is believed to be a category 1, that is the weakest of five hurricane categories.

And this just in to CNN. We have learned that at least two dozen people were wounded by a blast just outside a hotel in southern Thailand. Now, authorities are saying it was caused by a bomb attached to a motorcycle.

SAN MIGUEL: Haiti's new government wants the old leaders to stick around. The justice minister ordered all former members of the Aristide government to remain in the country, though they have not been charged with any crimes.

Caribbean leaders meeting at a summit have refused to recognize the U.S.-backed interim government in Haiti. They are calling for an investigation into the departure of former president Aristide.

CNN's Bob Novak traveled to Haiti recently to meet with the leaders of the new government. He joins us now from Washington for this live edition of The Novak Zone.

And Bob, this story has kind of -- been kind of under the radar screens for the last couple of weeks as we've talked more about the 9/11 hearings and what happened in Spain and the elections there. But I'm wondering, in your visit there, did you find that order has been restored, or are the rebel gangs still running loose, and are they...

ROBERT NOVAK, HOST, THE NOVAK ZONE: No, it's -- order has been restored, Renay. It -- there are U.S. Marines, French Foreign Legion, and Canadian troops. But also, about half the country is under the control of what prime minister (UNINTELLIGIBLE) calls the freedom fighters, the people who forced Aristide to leave say. But these are gradually being replaced by international peacekeepers. But there's no fighting, there's no disorder in the streets right now.

And the prime minister is a distinguished international public servant, and he is using full powers to try to bring some kind of prosperity to the country, which is in desperately poor condition.

SAN MIGUEL: And is it a tenuous hold on order right now, or are things -- have things gotten better since this was in the news?

NOVAK: Oh, no, they've gotten much better. See, when -- during the period when the -- before Aristide left, there was absolute chaos. The pro-Aristide gangs were trashing factories, burning places, a tremendous amount of this high, very high unemployment in Haiti, and it's -- and the many jobs, thousands and thousands of jobs were lost.

I visited burnt-out factories and burnt-out warehouses that were -- that the mobs had taken. All that has ended now, and there is really peace. But the country is in, after 10 years of rule by President Aristide, is in desperately poor shape. The schools are not functioning. The tremendous unemployment. The roads are impassable. Haiti is a basket case.

SAN MIGUEL: This, you know, we just talked about the 15-nation Caribbean community not recognizing the new U.S.-backed government there, saying that it wants the U.N. Generally Assembly to look into the Aristide's charges that he was kidnapped by the U.S. and forced to leave that country. How bad is this going to be for a country that is, as you say, just now getting its footing? I mean, they're going to need help, the Haitians are going to need help from other nations in the Caribbean, right?

NOVAK: Yes, they -- I don't think they're going to get much help from the other nations in the Caribbean. I think where they need help from is the United States, that is the only place they're going to get help from. And if the Bush administration is going to help them, I think it will move along.

The sad part about it, I had not, I used to go to Haiti frequently. I had not been there in 10 years. The last time I was going to go, I was told there was a contract out on me, and I didn't go. But I was just amazed how much deterioration there had been under the Aristide rule.

And the prime minister in an interview with me, we're going to have a part of that tonight on "THE CAPITAL GANG" at 7:00 Eastern. The prime minister indicated to me that the central bank had been looted by the Aristide people and over a billion dollars had been taken out in the last two weeks. So it's not only -- the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), the infrastructure in terrible shape, but the country is really bankrupt.

SAN MIGUEL: As you said, you're going to hear more of the -- your reporting on Haiti tonight at 7:00 Eastern on "THE CAPITAL GANG" here on CNN. Bob Novak, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

NOVAK: Thank you. My pleasure.

CALLAWAY: It appears that Paul Bremer, the U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq, is not the most popular figure on the Baghdad streets.

CNN's Walter Rodgers talked with some of the people there. His survey is not scientific, of course, but it is certainly interesting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since the Ottoman Empire, this Baghdad tea shop has seen occupying armies, the Turks, the British, now the Americans. Historical perspective comes with the hubbly-bubblies here, and the tea house verdict on U.S. administrator Paul Bremer was bitter.

"For us as people, he achieved nothing. Services are nonexistent. No improvement."

The answers were so universally negative, I asked this man to try to say something nice.

(on camera): Tell me something good Bremer did.

"We suffer from an interim constitution the Americans imposed on us," Hashim Zabala (ph) replied. By turning over civil government to the Iraqis June 30, Americans are clearly gambling democracy will take root here. Yet the first thing Iraqis say they want is to get rid of that Bremer constitution. "The constitution the Americans drafted favors one group over another," this man said.

The heat seems to be building in Iraq, one group of Muslims vying with another, tribe against tribe. I went over to Hikmat Mahmoud's (ph) barber shop, and customers there were just as adamant about Paul Bremer's record. "We are Arabs, Muslims," Ibrahim said. "If someone comes into your house against your will, we will not love you."

Hedging their bets, Iraqis now say Saddam did some good things, like nationalizing the oil companies. They know Paul Bremer will be gone by July. "Under Saddam, there used to be law. He was a strong man. When Bremer leaves, there will be chaos," Dr. Gazal Abbas (ph) says.

The good old boys at Hikmat's barber shop agreed with the coffee shop crowd, the Bremer report card is disappointing. "Bremer has only achieved the interests of America and the Jews," Abdul Baki (ph) says.

Still, there are contradictions in these conversations. (on camera): Iraqis insist they can govern themselves better than outsiders do. But when you remind them that so far all they've produced is a bumper crop of dictators, they then reply, "Ah, but we hope for the best."

Ironically, Paul Bremer and the Americans may still be the Iraqis' best hope, at least in the short run.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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 now for a 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.

And should school kids say "One nation under God"? Well, the Supreme Court begins hearing arguments for and against keeping those words in the Pledge of Allegiance.

And Israel assassinates Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and the Palestinians are vowing revenge.

Tomorrow we will fast-forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, back to the future. Why a 30-year-old serial killer case is making front-page news again, and the media outlet that the killer supposedly reached out to. That is when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAN MIGUEL: She did her time in prison and then became a model citizen, so why could Pamela Martinez be headed back to jail? And who is speaking out on her behalf? You may be surprised. That's when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is appealing to the state supreme court in the case of a woman who has been ordered back to prison more than two years after her release. Pamela Martinez has actually -- had actually been released from prison 65 days early after already serving seven years for stealing a $30 toolbox. She is expected to report back to the prison on Tuesday.

In a letter to the court, Schwarzenegger said, "I would submit that her sentence be commuted to time served, and that she be allowed to commence her period of parole forthwith." Since Martinez had two prior felony convictions, the governor cannot personally commute that sentence. CALLAWAY: An old ghost has suddenly reappeared in Wichita, Kansas, to taunt its past. A notorious serial killer who once stalked the community is again casting a long shadow over the city. Authorities have every reason to believe that it is not a hoax.

Here's CNN's Jonathan Freed with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The people of Wichita had allowed themselves to move on, to push the images of the bodies from their minds. But an old demon has pushed his way back into their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This communique most likely came from BTK.

FREED: The BTK strangler is connected to seven murders, mostly women attacked in their homes between 1974 and '79. He toyed with police, sending letters, claiming responsibility for the crimes, even giving himself his infamous nickname.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BTK stands for bind, torture, and kill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREED: He wasn't heard from for 25 years. Then, last week, "The Wichita Eagle" newspaper received a letter containing a photocopy of the driver's license of a 1986 murder victim, Vickie Wegerle (ph), along with pictures of her body. Victim number eight.

Richard LaMunion (ph) was chief of police back in the '70s.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's unprecedented. I don't know of any -- personally, I don't have any knowledge where it's ever happened like this before.

FREED: Why break a quarter-century of silence? We asked a psychiatrist who was involved in the investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has he recently gone through some kind of a life change, like a divorce, where he feels like stirring up something? Has he returned to the community after being incarcerated?

FREED: Whatever the killer's motive, he has piqued emotion in Wichita. Some stores have sold out of MACE. Alarm companies are getting more calls. And listen to a woman who lives around the corner from the site of the first attack in 1974.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought about it when I went to sleep last night, made sure that I double-checked every single window in the house, as did most of the people I've talked to.

FREED (on camera): Police have samples of the killer's DNA, and they're hoping that modern techniques and a little luck will eventually lead them to a match.

Jonathan Freed, CNN, Wichita, Kansas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAN MIGUEL: Well, it is a rite of spring, April showers, May flowers, and Red Sox fans who think they might finally beat the New York Yankees this baseball season.

Josie Burke previews the season on tap for the Red Sox and their faithful followers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His first at-bat of the game. There's a fly ball deep to left. It's on its way. There it goes. And the Yankees are going to the World Series.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOSIE BURKE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That Aaron Boone swing ended game seven of the 2003 American League championship series and started another chapter of misery for the Boston Red Sox.

JOHNNY DAMON, RED SOX OUTFIELDER: You don't get over games like that. You look forward to the next year and the next meetings against them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just like yesterday walking off that field and having that taste in game seven at Yankees Stadium. And now we're preparing, and everybody is hungry to go forward to the 2004 season.

BURKE: The Red Sox and Yankees already own the fiercest rivalry in sports. This season it only stands to get hotter because of the way last season concluded, and the way the offseason unfolded. Boston thought it had locked up a deal that would have landed the Red Sox reigning American League MVP, Alex Rodriguez. It fell through, and weeks later, A-Rod was wearing pinstripes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think there wasn't a person on this planet that's a baseball fan that didn't think A-Rod was going to be a Red Sock.

CURT SCHILLING, RED SOX PITCHER: It didn't bother me until the Yankees signed him. I mean, you know, I obviously (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- the Yankees, sure, a good club, but they got better getting the best player in the game, and that was a little bit frustrating.

BURKE: Frustrating might describe the entire A-Rod affair for Nomar Garciaparra, the Red Sox all-star shortstop who would have been traded to make room for Rodriguez. NOMAR GARCIAPARRA, RED SOX SHORTSTOP: I was definitely hurt by a lot of it. I probably feel like anyone else would feel after spending their whole career in one organization and giving and doing what you do, and then having to find out that you've been traded or you're pretty much gone over the television.

BURKE: The Red Sox insist team chemistry has not been affected, and Boston's roster is improved. The Red Sox did pull off one big trade adding dominant pitcher Curt Schilling to a starting rotation that already featured Pedro Martinez. Now Boston begins the season with the same goal that's eluded the Red Sox since 1918 -- win a World Series, and beat the Yankees in the process.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't question that these guys think they can beat the Yankees. They just haven't done it yet. They brought me here to help them do that.

DEREK LOWE, RED SOX PITCHER: You know, bottom line is, you know, maybe years past, we really weren't that close to them. And so the fact of saying, Can you beat the Yankees? was great topic, but realistically probably wasn't going to happen. And this year, I think finally that, you know, the gap is narrow.

BURKE: Josie Burke, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: Best time of the year when they start talking baseball.

SAN MIGUEL: This is true.

CALLAWAY: Spring weather.

SAN MIGUEL: That's right. Let's see if they've got some good weather for all those spring training games going on in Florida and Arizona and all that. Here's Rob Marciano with the latest.

MARCIANO: Hey, Renay.

Yes, both places, Arizona and Florida, looking good. Although the start of spring for especially Arizona was not looking all that great.

Hey, I take you to the Northeast. They'll be playing baseball here in a couple of weeks. From Boston and New York to Philly to D.C., we're looking at rainfall, but it shouldn't last all that much longer.

Let's go to Philadelphia right now, where it is raining. And it's currently 50 degrees, KYW is our affiliate. And there's a beautiful City of Brotherly Love skyline. Look for the rain to last another couple of hours, then you'll look to dry out a little bit, although it will remain cool, I think, through the weekend.

Some action across the midsection of the country, not so much right now but later on today. We could see some severe weather in this area. Dallas northward towards Kansas City and through parts of Missouri, some of that rain could be heavy at times, and they've already seen some rain-soaked areas of Missouri yesterday, three, even close to four inches of rain.

Mention that cool rains will be departing from south, or north to south across the Northeast and then much of the Southeast looking real nice. We'll watch for isolated pockets of some severe weather here.

Much of the West Coast looking dry, although the Pacific Northwest looks to be wet, at least today. Tomorrow looks to be a little bit more dry.

These are the high temperatures, 80 in Atlanta, 73 in St. Louis, with rain and thunderstorms, and cooler in Boston, 54 degrees for the Sox when they arrive in a couple of weeks.

Want to fly you down to South America. Mentioned this about a half an hour ago. This is an extremely rare event. We believe this is a hurricane out of satellite imagery. They don't typically get hurricanes in this part of the South Atlantic, or any part of the South Atlantic, for that matter.

And we're looking for this to make landfall in the next 12 hours across the southern part of Brazil. No hurricane hunters, no ship reports out of this thing. And winds, though, estimated at about 80 miles an hour. And we'll watch this thing as it rolls towards Brazil. Weird things happening in the weather department.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, let's hope...

MARCIANO: Back to you guys.

SAN MIGUEL: Let's hope they're getting the word out about what to do in a hurricane down there.

CALLAWAY: Yes, they're not used to that.

SAN MIGUEL: Because they're not -- Yes.

MARCIANO: You know, no one is taking responsibility. Certainly it's out of the U.S. jurisdiction, and...

SAN MIGUEL: Exactly.

MARCIANO: ... we're just looking at this thing, going, you know, hopefully it doesn't do too much damage.

CALLAWAY: Yes, level one sounds...

SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CALLAWAY: ... low unless you're not used to any kind of hurricane.

MARCIANO: Right, right. Hopefully they are getting out of the way.

CALLAWAY: All right, thanks, Rob.

SAN MIGUEL: I hope so. Thanks, Rob, appreciate it.

CALLAWAY: "ON THE STORY" is coming up next. And let's check in now with Kelly Wallace, find out what's coming up. Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, "ON THE STORY": Good morning. Well, we are "ON THE STORY" from here in Washington, New York, Crawford, Texas, and Jerusalem. We will be talking about how the big names of both the Bush and Clinton administrations were telling the September 11 commission why they missed the signs of the looming terror attacks. We'll have the latest from the campaign trail and some questions about whether President Bush crossed the line when he made jokes about searching for weapons of mass destruction.

That's all coming up, all "ON THE STORY." We'll hope you'll join us.

Catherine, Renay, back to you.

SAN MIGUEL: All right, Kelly, thanks so much.

Well, time now for a quick check at 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 try to add 10 million jobs in the next decade with the help of a sweeping tax reform plan.

NASA is planning to launch a new toy today, the unmanned Hyper-X, as it's called, has the ability to reach speeds of up to 5,000 miles per hour, or about seven times the speed of sound.

CALLAWAY: We've been asking you all morning if the who knew what and when about 9/11 should be part of the presidential campaign. We've been receiving your e-mail all morning. Here is a sample of what we've been hearing.

This is from Steve in Chicago. "I do not think that 9/11 should be part of the campaign. I don't think that actions taken or not taken were partisan at all. As much as I am not a fan of Bush, I doubt that he allowed 9/11 to occur."

SAN MIGUEL: This from Mike in Maryland. "George W. Bush did a great job handling the fallout from 9/11. I doubt Gore could have done that well. 9/11 is one of GW's strengths. Why shouldn't he be able to use that?"

As always, we appreciate you writing in for our e-mail question of the day here on CNN.

CALLAWAY: That's right. And there is still plenty more ahead right here on CNN. Coming up, "ON THE STORY," a live report from Israel on the Palestinian teen who was stopped before he could become a human bomb.

Also coming up, we have a look at 11:00 Eastern time at "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS," looking at two controversial superstars, Janet Jackson and Kobe Bryant. And at noon, we will talk live with two members of the independent 9/11 commission and hear what they -- their thoughts are of Richard Clarke's testimony.

SAN MIGUEL: Expecting to hear a lot more from Richard Clarke regarding what happened at the 9/11 hearings and also some more on "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER" tomorrow.

CALLAWAY: That's right. Now, you're not here tomorrow, right?

SAN MIGUEL: I am not here tomorrow, but (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CALLAWAY: I'll be here with Fredricka Whitfield. We're just changing chairs around to keep you...

SAN MIGUEL: That's right, musical anchors.

Thanks for joining us on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We appreciate your time.

CALLAWAY: Headlines are coming up in just a moment.

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