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CNN Saturday Morning News

A look at Casualty Numbers in Iraq; A look at ex-NFL, Ranger Pat Tillman's Death

Aired April 24, 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.


RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: We get up early on the weekend to dig up the news so you don't have to.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It's April 24.

Good morning.

I'm Renay San Miguel.

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone.

I'm Catherine Callaway.

Thank you very much for getting up with us this morning.

SAN MIGUEL: And here's what's coming up this hour.

From his war years to his voting record, the first complete biography of John Kerry will soon be on store shelves. How will it play out in the political landscape?

Also ahead, saying they're sorry -- the University of Alabama apologizes for its historic link to slavery. A report on the gesture and its possible impact.

And back to nature -- it's planting time. We'll talk with gardening expert and host of "Rally Round the House," William Moss about sowing seeds indoors and out.

But first, here are the headlines.

CALLAWAY: More U.S. casualties in Iraq. Five American soldiers were killed and six wounded in a rocket attack just north of Baghdad. No details are available, but one official says that the rockets were launched by "typical former regime elements."

A U.N. assessment team is at the site this morning of that massive train explosion in North Korea and the government is blaming the blast on carelessness. Estimates of the dead have varied widely and the latest is 154. That is from a Chinese news agency, quoting an unnamed North Korean official. And a massive explosion late last night at a chemical plant in central Illinois. Twelve workers escaped, but at least two are dead and two others are missing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TONY SACCO, SANGAMON COUNTY POLICE: Two recovered. We're still looking for two more and from the intensity of the blast up there, from what I've seen, you know, it's a good possibility that we may not find anything. So it was a very, very intense explosion and fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: The blasts forced evacuation of an area around that plant. It shut down I-72 in both directions.

SAN MIGUEL: Now for our top story this hour -- the latest American casualties in Iraq. Five American soldiers killed and six wounded in an area north of Baghdad. It was a rocket attack on what's shaping up to be a very active day in Iraq.

Our Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is on the story -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Renay, that rocket attack, one of the deadliest against coalition forces in recent months, took place just before dawn. And according to coalition officials, the death toll, as you said, now five dead -- that could rise -- and six wounded, three of them critically.

Coalition forces blame that attack on suspected regime loyalists and it's part of a spate of rocket and mortar attacks in Baghdad and around.

In the city of Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, a homemade bomb was responsible for the deaths of two Iraqi police and two civilians. That bomb exploded just outside the gates of the 1st Infantry Division Army base there in Saddam's hometown.

Now, these bases are increasingly being patrolled and secured around the perimeter by Iraqi forces. There were no U.S. casualties in that attack.

Here in Baghdad, a lot of anger in the Shia neighborhood of Sadr City after what was either a rocket or a mortar slammed into a crowded market around noon as people were doing their shopping. Between 10 and 12 casualties estimated. These appear to be all civilians, including a child. There's no apparent reason for these attacks, but U.S. officials say they seem designed to sow terror in civilian areas -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: Can you give us the latest on the situation with the siege in Falluja. The last we had heard, the coalition's patience was starting to wear very thin there.

ARRAF: The coalition warns daily that it could just be a matter of days, and not a lot of days at that, before they launch an all out offensive on that city west of Baghdad. The situation now has been fairly uncharacteristically quiet these past few hours. In recent days, we've had intense fighting when insurgents have launched attacks against the Marines who are ringing the city. And the Marines say that if those continue, they will drop the cease-fire and launch offensive operations again.

Now, it's had a huge effect on civilians. Many people can't get back to their houses. The Marines, in fact, are not allowing people to return in the fear that they could be launching another offensive and these civilians could get trapped in the crossfire -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: Jane Arraf live in Baghdad.

Thank you, Jane.

CALLAWAY: Seven hundred and fourteen Americans have been killed so far in the Iraq war, 515 of them by hostile fire. And in addition, 3,864 U.S. troops have been wounded in action since the shooting started in March of 2003. Now of those, 1,394 were treated for their wounds and then returned to active duty; 2,470 of the wounded were unable to return.

SAN MIGUEL: Casualties of war and the debate caused by showing them -- photographs of flag-draped caskets of Americans killed in battle were posted on the Web. The White House says President Bush was moved by the photographs, but he still stands by Pentagon policy, which bars media coverage as remains are shipped home.

And this brings us to our e-mail question for this morning. Do you think photos of U.S. caskets should be shown to the public?

You can e-mail us now at wam@cnn.com.

CALLAWAY: Hundreds are visiting a makeshift memorial at Arizona State University in honor of former football player Pat Tillman. Tillman was killed while serving with the elite Army Rangers in Afghanistan. His former pro team, the Arizona Cardinals, is planning the Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza in front of its new stadium.

Now to Pat Tillman. He played four years in NFL, but he walked away from his football career two years ago to join his brother in enlisting in the Army.

Now for more on Tillman's death, we turn now to our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, who's joining us now live from Kabul, Afghanistan.

What can you tell us?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Catherine, the details of exactly what happened and how Specialist Tillman came to be killed are still not clear. What we do, the two other soldiers who were injured in that ambush attack on his patrol are in stable condition. They're being treated at the Bagram Air Base just outside of Kabul. The details that we have learned is that Specialist Tillman was on a joint patrol with Afghan militia forces. They were in their vehicles. They entered a village just after dusk at about 7:00, 7:30 in the evening. They dismounted from their vehicles. That's when the attack happened. It's been described as an ambush.

Now, the details that we've had so far from coalition officials say that Specialist Pat Tillman's body is still in Afghanistan being processed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. MATT BEEVERS, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: Specialist Tillman's body still remains in Bagram and I don't know exactly when that will be evacuated back to the States. That said, the details of the engagement were pretty much as I described. The enemy size unknown at this time. Still kind of working through some of the details on that. That said, again, they were ambushed. They dismounted. They moved towards the ambush. The firefight ensued and that's when Specialist Tillman was killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, what we've also been told is that when they were engaged by this enemy, the enemy then retreated. Typically, what has been happening right along that border region -- and this incident took place very close to the border with Pakistan -- is that elements of Al Qaeda or Taliban are attacking either U.S. or Afghan troops, attacking them and then retreating back inside Pakistan to bases back there. That's what's been going on close to that border.

We were very close to that border when this incident took place and we could see from the base we were at helicopters were taking off, apparently to go support Specialist Tillman's unit on the ground. But in this case it appears, in his case in particular, to no avail -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Nic, I know there has been tremendous reaction, I'm sure you know, as well, here in the U.S. to Tillman's death, from his former teammates and other NFL players and coaches.

What about his fellow soldiers there? What has been the reaction?

ROBERTSON: Well, they're shocked. I mean they certainly recognize the position that he took to turn down a huge sum of money to join the Army following September 11. They recognize that. They see him as a patriot. They see him as a hero. So there is a level of shock and surprise that he would be killed here.

But as they say and they've told us today, in a way they're all heroes, they say, because they're all here because of what they believe in, all fighting in the war on terrorism. And another soldier said to me, he said, "You know, this operation in Afghanistan, it's sort of getting forgotten in a way, bypassed, overlooked with the massive operations under way in Iraq." And he said in a way it will help to show, he hoped, the people in the United States and the rest of the world that the soldiers here still are in danger, that they are still coming up against a very active enemy close to the border -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Very well said, Nic.

Thank you very much.

That's Nic Robertson from Afghanistan.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, if you haven't had time to keep up with the news this week, that's what we are here for. Let's rewind for you now and look at some of the top stories.

In Basra, five suicide bombings on Wednesday. The death toll, more than 70, including 18 students, some on their way to kindergarten.

Also Wednesday, a car bomb explodes in the Saudi capital, killing five people and wounding about 150. A group that says it's sympathetic to al Qaeda claims responsibility.

That same day, the man who spilled Israel's nuclear secrets is freed from prison after 18 years. Mordechai Vanunu remains defiant, saying he is proud of what he did.

And a tornado flattens a tavern in Illinois on Tuesday. Eight people were killed.

And tomorrow, we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories we think will be grabbing the spotlight.

Well, at issue, both President Bush and John Kerry take their campaigns off the beaten track this week. The politics behind it, just ahead.

CALLAWAY: Also coming up, sowing the seeds of summer -- what you need to know to make your garden grow. We will ask William Moss. You know him, with Discovery's "Rally Round the House." He'll be upcoming in just a moment.

Stay with us.

SAN MIGUEL: But first, picture this -- a homecoming reunion between father and son this week at Fort Hood. First Lieutenant Jason Price is with the 4th Infantry Division, who has spent a year in Iraq.

We'll be right back.

COMMERCIAL

SAN MIGUEL: Now this week in politics has been one for the books, literally. First, the political fallout from a new book by Bob Woodward, "Plan of Attack," that details the run up to the Iraq war. And another new book, "John Kerry: The Complete Biography," about to be released. And it's billed as an objective look at the Democratic candidate by reporters from the "Boston Globe."

Joining us from Washington to talk about both of these books is Andrea Seabrook -- I almost said Seabrook -- congressional correspondent for National Public Radio.

That might be appropriate considering what we're about to talk about.

Andrea, good morning to you.

ANDREA SEABROOK, NPR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Good morning.

SAN MIGUEL: So after serving so many years in the Senate, is there anything for John Kerry to be worried about about this book from the "Boston Globe" reporters, do you think?

SEABROOK: Well, yes. I would say so. Whenever you have a bunch of journalists, and journalists of the caliber as these journalists who are writing this book, then I'm sure any politician would have something to worry about. They will pull no punches. And I think that for most of us out here, it'll be a really refreshing look at the candidate because we're used to hearing things from either the perspective of the Bush administration or the perspective of the Kerry campaign. And so I think it'll be really, really nice to see a book that pulls no punches, but is sure to be fair and accurate.

SAN MIGUEL: I know that there will likely be some talk of his military records in that book.

How do you think the camp -- or what's the buzz on the Hill about how the campaign finessed the military records issue this week for John Kerry?

SEABROOK: You know, it's not been a great week for that. I mean, you know, as far as the buzz on the Hill, he's had to -- he's been forced, in much the same way that the Bush administration was a couple of weeks ago, to allow reporters time to look over his full military record. I mean he's been really pushed into the corner on this one. And there are, you know, some columnists and editorial writers who have been questioning what kinds of wounds he had in order to get this -- the medals that he's gotten.

And so it's not been great. But, you know, either -- any time that either the Bush administration or the Kerry campaign has been forced into this kind of corner, it doesn't make them look great.

SAN MIGUEL: You've got to play defense instead of offense and it gets you off of message and that kind of thing.

SEABROOK: You've got it.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, what about the buzz about "Plan of Attack," Bob Woodward's new book? From what I've heard, the Bush administration, you know, kind of likes it. It makes Bush look like a decisive and strong leader.

What are you hearing?

SEABROOK: Well, you know, I think, again, this has been a -- this has been not a great book for the Bush administration. I mean I see your point of making him look like a decisive leader. But at the same time, it has painted a picture that doesn't exactly put President Bush in charge of the nation. It questions a lot of what he has said publicly, what the president has said publicly about the lead up to the Iraq war. And so I think it has raised more questions, and that's not a good thing, I think, for the Bush administration.

SAN MIGUEL: The one thing that -- and I don't know if you've read it or not. I'm half way through the book right now, full disclosure here. And from what I am seeing, in the planning for the war, the Bush administration really believed that there were weapons of mass destruction. It was General Tommy Franks' big concern about making sure that the troops and the soldiers had enough chemical and biological weapons gear.

Is any of this, I mean, you know, even though that may have been faulty intelligence, or that's what it's looking like, is any of this kind of seeping through, through the -- inside the beltway there?

SEABROOK: It is, but, you know, I mean it makes everybody remember that there was almost no one who believed that Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction. I mean we all have to sort of go back to the state, our state of mind, the intelligence we were getting before the attack on Iraq. And almost every country in the world with a reliable intelligence system was having these assertions that there were weapons of mass destruction here.

I mean just this week, I think it was the Danish prime minister who was forced to step aside or in some way atone for assertions that he made before the war that there were definitely weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. And we're still seeing the fallout from this.

SAN MIGUEL: So, let's talk about the week that both candidates had. And both of them were kind of, you know, I guess not talking about the things that some would consider their strength. For example, Bush talking a lot, spending two days talking about the environment.

SEABROOK: Isn't that interesting? And you know there, you know, what's funny is that the environment is not on the top list of three of, you know, the top three things that American voters really care about. And so it was really interesting to see this week that both Kerry and President Bush focused some time on the environment.

And, you know, it's not stopping. This weekend Kerry has turned his focus to women's issues, you know, abortion rights and the sort of pro-choice, pro-life argument, especially with this giant march that's supposed to take place here in Washington on Sunday.

And so, you know, they're both focusing on things that aren't Iraq and aren't the economy, which for us, I have to say, it's kind of a welcome change.

SAN MIGUEL: It's kind of, let's talk about some other things for a while here.

Andrea Seabrook, congressional correspondent for National Public Radio, thanks for joining us this morning.

We'll see you next time.

SEABROOK: See you later.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, more than 100 years after the end of slavery, an apology. The story behind the gesture, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

COMMERCIAL

CALLAWAY: If you are planning on some popcorn and a couple of hours in front of the big screen this weekend, here's some new stuff that you have to pick from.

A fabulous Fifth Avenue apartment, successful career and a naked guy in the shower -- I didn't write that, but I like it -- that's what Jennifer Garner's character finds overnight after making a wish at her thirteenth birthday party. Can you imagine waking up finding that when you're 13?

SAN MIGUEL: Oh.

CALLAWAY: Suddenly 30, she's finally cool and she's popular. The only thing that is missing is her first love. The "Cincinnati Inquirer" says that even half funny bits in "13 Going On 30" feel lovable.

Now, if chick flicks are not your thing, there is "Man On Fire." Denzel Washington stars as a soldier of fortune who has given up on life. But he suddenly starts to care when a child he was supposed to protect is kidnapped. The "Chicago Tribune" says that after its exciting mid-point kidnapping, the movie goes a little crazy in the second half.

SAN MIGUEL: Although I'm hearing some really good reviews for Dakota Fanning, who plays the little girl in that movie.

CALLAWAY: Oh, you know, she can do no wrong.

SAN MIGUEL: And she and Denzel Washington have some good chemistry going on there, so who knows?

CALLAWAY: Yes.

SAN MIGUEL: Maybe it'll be number one after the weekend is over with.

CALLAWAY: She is just great to watch on screen, an adorable little girl.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How can you be such a good actress and be so young? SAN MIGUEL: I know. I know. It's like be so articulate and so self-aware and everything. But she is.

CALLAWAY: Not to say that Denzel doesn't hold his own in this movie.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes. He's got that Oscar thing going for him. MARCIANO: That's right.

Well, in some spots it'll be a good day to go see a movie, you know.

SAN MIGUEL: The rain.

MARCIANO: A little rain Saturday afternoon, go see a matinee, save yourself a couple of bucks.

CALLAWAY: Renay and I have been talking about it since we've been doing the show, we haven't seen a movie.

SAN MIGUEL: I don't think we've had...

MARCIANO: Yes.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes. Movies? They have talking movies now, is that it?

MARCIANO: Since last spring so anyway, the three of us right here.

Let's go to Boston and show you the live shot there.

CALLAWAY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MARCIANO: I included myself.

CALLAWAY: We know.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SAN MIGUEL: We're going to do a quick check of the headlines right now.

Five American soldiers were killed today in a rocket attack north of Baghdad. Six other soldiers were wounded in the attack on a U.S. military base.

Rescue crews are looking for two people missing after an explosion rocked a chemical plant in central Illinois. At least two people are dead in that blast. An evacuation was ordered for a one mile radius around the plant. It's unknown what caused the explosion.

CALLAWAY: Explicit language and raunchy images have some students at the all female Spellman College turning to a cold shower to one of the nation's hottest rap artists. Tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING at 7:00 Eastern time, the question, have music videos gone too far? On one side of the argument, an artist who went to court to different his right to produce explicit videos. 2 Live Crew's Luther Campbell tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

SAN MIGUEL: The end game in Falluja -- what the U.S. plans to do to try to end the violence in that city.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Students pass the cemetery every day and don't realize slaves were buried here. They pass this president's mansion every day and don't realize slaves worked there and lived there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: Why the University of Alabama is taking on the issue of slavery, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TORI ATALI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's now proof that adding folic acid to breads and cereals noticeably reduces the rate of serious birth defects. In 1998, after learning women were not getting enough of folic acid, also known as folate, the U.S. government mandated all grain products sold in the country be fortified with it. Since then, according to a recent issue of "Obstetrics and Gynecology," there has been a 32 percent drop in the number of women at risk for neural tube defects. There was also at least a 20 percent drop in the number of infants born with the condition.

NTDs are the most common and most serious of birth defects. They include spin bifida and anencephaly and develop in the early stages of pregnancy. It's especially important to get enough folic acid during child bearing years. Besides eating foods rich in this form of B vitamin, doctors recommend taking a daily supplement that contains folic acid, just to be sure.

Tori Atali, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COMMERCIAL

CALLAWAY: Fighting in Falluja -- is there an end game strategy?

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.

Hundreds of mourners, including the governor of Minnesota, are expected to attend today's funeral for Dru Sjodin. The service had to be moved to a larger venue to accommodate the expected crowd. Sjodin's body was found last week, some five months after she disappeared from the parking lot of a North Dakota shopping mall.

In Cypress, voters are deciding today whether to accept the terms of a United Nations peace plan. The plan would reunite Cypress after 30 years of division between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. If the plan fails, Cypress would lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed aid from the U.S.

Rescue workers in Indonesia are trying to reach about a half dozen people trapped under tons of mud. A landslide on the island of Sumatra smashed into a bus, killing at least 37 people. More than a dozen others are injured.

Five American soldiers are dead following a rocket attack on a U.S. base north of Baghdad. Six other soldiers were wounded in the attack by Iraqi insurgents.

CALLAWAY: The nearly two week old Falluja cease-fire has been shaky at best and now coalition commanders are hinting that the Marines may not wait much longer before storming that city.

Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

04230003.v98

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAN MIGUEL: A lot going on this week worldwide in the war on terror.

Here's a look at some events around the globe.

A suicide bomber set off an explosion in Saudi Arabia Wednesday, killing five victims. About 150 others were injured. A group said to be sympathetic to the aims of al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. This prompted a top Saudi official to say his nation is now at total war against terrorists.

An American expert commented on the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT JORDAN, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SAUDI ARABIA: The Saudi homeland is not a place where al Qaeda should be inflicting casualties and I think they've made a huge mistake. It's likely to galvanize the Saudi people even further to turn in suspected terrorists and to further cooperate with the police in ridding Saudi Arabia of these terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: Two people held in connection with Europe's largest terror attack went free this week. Both men said they were innocent of involvement in the commuter train bombings in Madrid that killed 190 people last month. Authorities are still holding 18 other suspects, some of them already charged with mass murder.

And a man described as one of the most dangerous al Qaeda members turned himself in to officials in Yemen. Ahmed al-Nagar (ph) is suspected of involvement in the bombing of the USS Cole in October of 2000.

CALLAWAY: Michael Jackson, Jayson Williams and Kobe Bryant, celebrities in court, on the docket next hour with our panel of legal experts.

Also, at 9:00 Eastern time, a preview of the biggest day ever for some college football players. That would be the NFL draft. We'll have some analysis from the vice president of Sporting News, live at 9:00.

Then at 9:45, Renay will show you some technology that may follow you home from your favorite store. Hmmm. Micro chips inside new clothing. That's coming up at 9:45.

Then later on this hour, it's time to rally around the house for some spring cleaning with William Moss -- gardening tips from the master.

COMMERCIAL

SAN MIGUEL: Are your blue jeans too skimpy?

CALLAWAY: Oh, my.

SAN MIGUEL: One Louisiana law maker might think so. What he's doing to make sure you don't have a wardrobe malfunction. Look what happened to Janet Jackson.

All that's coming up when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

Stay with us.

COMMERCIAL

CALLAWAY: Time to check some stories that are making headlines across America.

Republicans say that the 9/11 Commission needs to make a change. They are calling for Democratic member Jamie Gorelick to step down. They point to a memo she wrote during the Clinton administration which they say made it harder for police and intelligence agencies to share information. In fact, some senators also want her to testify in front of the Commission.

President Bush declared four Illinois counties a federal disaster area. Included was the City of Utica, where eight people died in Tuesday's storms. Nearly 700 homes and businesses in northern Illinois were damaged by high winds and tornadoes.

And in Louisiana, it may become illegal to show your skivvies. State Representative Derrick Shepherd is proposing a new law making it illegal to wear low rider jeans that leave the underwear exposed. He's worried about underwear? I think he should worry about, you know, if they're not...

SAN MIGUEL: Or if they're wearing underwear at all. CALLAWAY: Yes, exactly.

The law would carry a $500 fine for the fashion offense.

SAN MIGUEL: A historic gesture at the University of Alabama. This week, the school issued an apology for the people and policies of the Old South.

CNN's Bruce Burkhardt reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: Coming up, they say April showers bring May flowers. But if that's not happening in your yard, stay with us. How to sow the seeds that make your garden grow. Garden? I just want grass. Maybe William Moss can help me, from "Rally Round the House," when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

COMMERCIAL

SAN MIGUEL: Now, the difference between the beat in some Christian and some contemporary music has become so slight that sometimes only the lyrics set them apart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sound of angels, sons and others for our king.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: Tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, what is sparking the rising popularity of Christian music that some are, you know, talking a lot about, praise music, as well? The David Crowder Band live on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time.

CALLAWAY: Spring snow in Colorado, no rain here in the Southeast, but elsewhere, at least, springtime is gardening time.

Joining us from Chicago is master gardener and landscape expert William Moss -- he didn't change his name, that's his real name -- host of the Discovery Channel's William, I know you're going to show us how to grow things from seeds.

WILLIAM MOSS, "RALLY ROUND THE HOUSE":

Right.

CALLAWAY: But I've got to say, why do I want to grow something from seed? It's so much easier just to drive to the nursery and buy something already green and beautiful and blooming.

MOSS: Yes, Catherine, that's true, but growing from seeds gives you a lot of variety, things you can't get. Have you ever been to the store and gotten those like two or three red tomatoes? You can grow all sorts of tomatoes if you start from seed.

CALLAWAY: But it's intimidating.

MOSS: It's not really all that intimidating. Plus it's fun. It's a good experience and you get a great pleasure of going from seed to plant.

CALLAWAY: All right...

MOSS: You know, that's a good thing, too.

CALLAWAY: Yes, but the last time I did that was like first grade when you put the seed in the little thing and put it in the window.

MOSS: Well, it's time for a renewal for you then.

CALLAWAY: All right, show me how to do it.

MOSS: It's time to get you out here.

All right, well, first and foremost, right now is almost about the frost date here in Chicago now. So for people who are south of us, like in the Southeast and West, now is a good time to get outdoors and plant. But some people north of us can still do some indoor things.

So the most important thing to start out with when you're doing indoors is a good sterile seed mix. You've got to make sure that this is sterilized. I suggest you buy it rather than try to make it yourself. It's a lot easier.

CALLAWAY: No problem with that.

MOSS: Just to buy it.

Plus, you've got to have fresh seed. We've got good fresh seed here.

CALLAWAY: How do you know they're fresh? I'm sorry I'm asking these questions, that I'm interrupting you, but these are the things I know people at home -- like, how do you know that's fresh? MOSS: Well, you know it's fresh because you're going to go to the store and then when you buy the seed packets, you're going to look for things to have a date of 2004. If it says 2002, it's not fresh.

CALLAWAY: Oh, see, now I didn't even know they were dated.

MOSS: Yes, they are. So make sure that the date is 2004.

CALLAWAY: OK.

MOSS: You're also going to need warm water, not warm, but room temperature. You don't want to take these things through shock by giving them cold water or hot water. Make sure that when you water, and you will water often, make sure that it is lukewarm water. So that's basically what you need to start. And some sort of tray or container.

Now, here is this big fancy thing that you can buy from the store. But these takeout containers work just as well, you know? So just take a few things -- I'm going to sow some zinnias now, as a matter of fact.

CALLAWAY: All right.

MOSS: Just drop a few of these zinnias down into and -- I'm over planting. I know that. I'm over planting. Drop a few of them down in, you know, and then use my trusty takeout container lid, press them into the top of the soil...

CALLAWAY: Right.

MOSS: Cover these guys up...

CALLAWAY: Now you have water in the bottom of the tray, right?

MOSS: There's already water in here, but, you know, we can always add a little bit more. Just put a little water in here. That keeps the humidity constant. And then cover these guys up.

CALLAWAY: All right, how do you know if you're not over watering?

MOSS: Well, you can't over water when you're doing this process, because, you know, it will soak up and start to grow. Now, once it starts to grow, you'll know you're over watering because the plants will die. The simple way...

CALLAWAY: Thank you.

MOSS: The simple way to handle that, though, is just to keep the plants moist. You need to put this someplace warm now and someplace where you can kind of look at it over the next few days to make sure that it doesn't dry out. As long as it doesn't dry out you're fine.

CALLAWAY: All right, give us an example of where you could stick that, like in a kitchen window or... MOSS: Not a kitchen window all the time, because some plants don't want light until they've already started to sprout.

CALLAWAY: Oh, OK.

MOSS: So what you can do is put it on top of a radiator or a refrigerator, even better, because most refrigerators are a little warmer on top than the rest of the kitchen. Once you see those first few leaves starting to sprout up -- here's an example of that.

CALLAWAY: OK.

MOSS: Once you see those first few leaves start to come up, now you want to get this guy in some place where there's plenty of bright light and sunshine. That way they'll start to grow for you and get healthy.

Now, at this stage now, you see there's still too many seeds in here. I've got to get these guys out. The hardest part of gardening is to pull out plants that you've taken time to grow. But, you can't have them that crowded. You've got to thin these guys out or they just won't stay...

CALLAWAY: Uh-oh.

MOSS: Yes, this is the most difficult part.

CALLAWAY: That looks like surgery. I don't know.

MOSS: This is hard to do.

CALLAWAY: All right, so, we're running out of time.

MOSS: OK.

CALLAWAY: So you separate them there and then what do you do after that?

MOSS: You separate them there then you pull these guys then they'll grow into very large sized plants. Once they've got at least four good leaves on them -- that probably is going to take about maybe four weeks from germinating -- then this is, this represents outside, by the way.

CALLAWAY: That's a big pot for just a little tiny plant.

MOSS: This represents outside.

CALLAWAY: Oh, OK. All right. I got you.

MOSS: You can't -- so now you just make a little thing and drop it in, drop it in the hole.

CALLAWAY: They've got to be at least four leaves. How many, like, two, is that like two inches?

MOSS: About two inches tall for this plant.

CALLAWAY: OK.

MOSS: This happens to be a petunia. Other plants will be taller. But you just want to make sure you make the hole wide enough for them and then pull them out and drop them in. One -- two more quick things I want to point out is that...

CALLAWAY: All right, hurry.

MOSS: ... you need labels because you want to know what you wrote down. And I use these little plastic knives I get. I'm a good take out person. I use these and I just write down exactly what it is on here. So I'll put petunia and I know that my seeds are petunias and that my plants are petunias, as well.

CALLAWAY: That is great, William. And I know you like trying to encourage parents to do this for little kids and grow fun things like popcorn and...

MOSS: Always. Always.

CALLAWAY: ... sunflowers, stuff like that.

MOSS: Big seeds for kids. You want things that are big like pumpkin, like ornamental and popcorn, like sunflowers. You want things that are going to be -- have big seeds and a very big payout for them.

CALLAWAY: OK. William, I'm inspired. I'm going to go buy some fresh seeds, check the date...

MOSS: All right.

CALLAWAY: ... get some take out and I'm set.

OK...

MOSS: Right.

CALLAWAY: William, thank you so much for coming.

I enjoy your show so much.

MOSS: Thanks.

Thanks.

CALLAWAY: Bye-bye.

MOSS: Take care.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the first kidney transplant. But as much as technology has been perfected, people are still confused about the process. Today on House Call, Dr. Sanjay Gupta puts to rest the myths about the donation process and talks about the controversy surrounding organ donation, from who pays to whether celebrities are given preferential treatment. That's coming up at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time here on CNN.

CALLAWAY: But first, it looks like something straight out -- oh, my goodness -- it really does look like something straight out of "The Jetsons."

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

CALLAWAY: Look at this. How and why this man is taking off. It is one of our Wows of the Week when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

SAN MIGUEL: It made you go out, didn't it?

CALLAWAY: Yes, that looks like fun.

COMMERCIAL

SAN MIGUEL: All right, a drum roll from the CNN orchestra there. Time now for our ever popular Wows of the Week.

In China, it's the year of the monkey -- or is it monkeys? This pair of primates a rare sight, indeed. Golden monkey twins are virtually impossible in the wild and almost as improbable in captivity. You know, I think it's going to be a long, long time. I packed my bags last night, preflight.

An American stuntman reaches new heights with a rocket pack. The self-proclaimed rocket man -- and, no, it's not Elton John -- soared 13 stories to the top of an old English castle. The rocket man doesn't really have to worry about anyone breaking his record. He's the only one currently working with a rocket pack these days.

And what is better after a rocket ride than a beer? One of Germany's many beer makers says he has the best brew for what -- for those who want to enjoy life. It is called Erotic Beer. Jurgen Hopf (ph) says his creation is strong and sweet and has a little something special in it. But, of course, he will not be revealing the secret ingredient, so drink at your own risk. Erotic beer pops so many punch lines, none of them that I can repeat here on morning television.

CALLAWAY: So let's go right to the jet pack.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

CALLAWAY: The story that I think is the Wow of the Week -- Rob, you should get one of those and you could do like a live weather forecast on it.

MARCIANO: I don't know how that is news. I'm, I saw that on "I Dream of Jeannie" about 25 years ago.

CALLAWAY: Aren't you disappointed in our generation now, because we grew up...

MARCIANO: We thought we'd all be doing that right now. CALLAWAY: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

CALLAWAY: I thought we'd have hovering cars and...

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

CALLAWAY: And, you know, we don't. I'm so disappointed that we don't, after assuming that by this age, by the time I was old, that I'd have a hovering car and a jet pack to go to work. There you go.

MARCIANO: Hey, we still have -- we've got microwaves, you know, and cable TV.

SAN MIGUEL: Close enough.

CALLAWAY: So listen (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MARCIANO: And as far as the Erotic beer is concerned, it's toast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SAN MIGUEL: Our e-mail question of the day is do you think photos of U.S. caskets should be shown to the public?

Scott writes in: "My answer to this question is no. We should honor the families' privacy in this matter, not the people who think that we as a nation should see them. I am serving in Korea right now and I grieve, but I also know that their sacrifice was not in vain. We should honor them by remembering them, not by showing their flag- draped coffins."

CALLAWAY: And here's one from Pat: "Those caskets show the reality of war and that is something this administration has consistently tried to withhold from the public. Plastering smiley faces on events and relentless empty rhetoric is just -- is useless. These photos are photos that the American people should view on a daily basis. The attempts of sanitizing this war and repeated bleatings and banning photos from Dover are, for noble reasons, are both insulating and dangerous."

SAN MIGUEL: The e-mail address is wam, W-A-M@cnn.com.

Do you think photos of U.S. caskets should be shown to the public? Please write in. We'll read some more later on.

The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.

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 April 24, 2004 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: We get up early on the weekend to dig up the news so you don't have to.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It's April 24.

Good morning.

I'm Renay San Miguel.

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone.

I'm Catherine Callaway.

Thank you very much for getting up with us this morning.

SAN MIGUEL: And here's what's coming up this hour.

From his war years to his voting record, the first complete biography of John Kerry will soon be on store shelves. How will it play out in the political landscape?

Also ahead, saying they're sorry -- the University of Alabama apologizes for its historic link to slavery. A report on the gesture and its possible impact.

And back to nature -- it's planting time. We'll talk with gardening expert and host of "Rally Round the House," William Moss about sowing seeds indoors and out.

But first, here are the headlines.

CALLAWAY: More U.S. casualties in Iraq. Five American soldiers were killed and six wounded in a rocket attack just north of Baghdad. No details are available, but one official says that the rockets were launched by "typical former regime elements."

A U.N. assessment team is at the site this morning of that massive train explosion in North Korea and the government is blaming the blast on carelessness. Estimates of the dead have varied widely and the latest is 154. That is from a Chinese news agency, quoting an unnamed North Korean official. And a massive explosion late last night at a chemical plant in central Illinois. Twelve workers escaped, but at least two are dead and two others are missing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TONY SACCO, SANGAMON COUNTY POLICE: Two recovered. We're still looking for two more and from the intensity of the blast up there, from what I've seen, you know, it's a good possibility that we may not find anything. So it was a very, very intense explosion and fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: The blasts forced evacuation of an area around that plant. It shut down I-72 in both directions.

SAN MIGUEL: Now for our top story this hour -- the latest American casualties in Iraq. Five American soldiers killed and six wounded in an area north of Baghdad. It was a rocket attack on what's shaping up to be a very active day in Iraq.

Our Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is on the story -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Renay, that rocket attack, one of the deadliest against coalition forces in recent months, took place just before dawn. And according to coalition officials, the death toll, as you said, now five dead -- that could rise -- and six wounded, three of them critically.

Coalition forces blame that attack on suspected regime loyalists and it's part of a spate of rocket and mortar attacks in Baghdad and around.

In the city of Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, a homemade bomb was responsible for the deaths of two Iraqi police and two civilians. That bomb exploded just outside the gates of the 1st Infantry Division Army base there in Saddam's hometown.

Now, these bases are increasingly being patrolled and secured around the perimeter by Iraqi forces. There were no U.S. casualties in that attack.

Here in Baghdad, a lot of anger in the Shia neighborhood of Sadr City after what was either a rocket or a mortar slammed into a crowded market around noon as people were doing their shopping. Between 10 and 12 casualties estimated. These appear to be all civilians, including a child. There's no apparent reason for these attacks, but U.S. officials say they seem designed to sow terror in civilian areas -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: Can you give us the latest on the situation with the siege in Falluja. The last we had heard, the coalition's patience was starting to wear very thin there.

ARRAF: The coalition warns daily that it could just be a matter of days, and not a lot of days at that, before they launch an all out offensive on that city west of Baghdad. The situation now has been fairly uncharacteristically quiet these past few hours. In recent days, we've had intense fighting when insurgents have launched attacks against the Marines who are ringing the city. And the Marines say that if those continue, they will drop the cease-fire and launch offensive operations again.

Now, it's had a huge effect on civilians. Many people can't get back to their houses. The Marines, in fact, are not allowing people to return in the fear that they could be launching another offensive and these civilians could get trapped in the crossfire -- Renay.

SAN MIGUEL: Jane Arraf live in Baghdad.

Thank you, Jane.

CALLAWAY: Seven hundred and fourteen Americans have been killed so far in the Iraq war, 515 of them by hostile fire. And in addition, 3,864 U.S. troops have been wounded in action since the shooting started in March of 2003. Now of those, 1,394 were treated for their wounds and then returned to active duty; 2,470 of the wounded were unable to return.

SAN MIGUEL: Casualties of war and the debate caused by showing them -- photographs of flag-draped caskets of Americans killed in battle were posted on the Web. The White House says President Bush was moved by the photographs, but he still stands by Pentagon policy, which bars media coverage as remains are shipped home.

And this brings us to our e-mail question for this morning. Do you think photos of U.S. caskets should be shown to the public?

You can e-mail us now at wam@cnn.com.

CALLAWAY: Hundreds are visiting a makeshift memorial at Arizona State University in honor of former football player Pat Tillman. Tillman was killed while serving with the elite Army Rangers in Afghanistan. His former pro team, the Arizona Cardinals, is planning the Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza in front of its new stadium.

Now to Pat Tillman. He played four years in NFL, but he walked away from his football career two years ago to join his brother in enlisting in the Army.

Now for more on Tillman's death, we turn now to our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, who's joining us now live from Kabul, Afghanistan.

What can you tell us?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Catherine, the details of exactly what happened and how Specialist Tillman came to be killed are still not clear. What we do, the two other soldiers who were injured in that ambush attack on his patrol are in stable condition. They're being treated at the Bagram Air Base just outside of Kabul. The details that we have learned is that Specialist Tillman was on a joint patrol with Afghan militia forces. They were in their vehicles. They entered a village just after dusk at about 7:00, 7:30 in the evening. They dismounted from their vehicles. That's when the attack happened. It's been described as an ambush.

Now, the details that we've had so far from coalition officials say that Specialist Pat Tillman's body is still in Afghanistan being processed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. MATT BEEVERS, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: Specialist Tillman's body still remains in Bagram and I don't know exactly when that will be evacuated back to the States. That said, the details of the engagement were pretty much as I described. The enemy size unknown at this time. Still kind of working through some of the details on that. That said, again, they were ambushed. They dismounted. They moved towards the ambush. The firefight ensued and that's when Specialist Tillman was killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, what we've also been told is that when they were engaged by this enemy, the enemy then retreated. Typically, what has been happening right along that border region -- and this incident took place very close to the border with Pakistan -- is that elements of Al Qaeda or Taliban are attacking either U.S. or Afghan troops, attacking them and then retreating back inside Pakistan to bases back there. That's what's been going on close to that border.

We were very close to that border when this incident took place and we could see from the base we were at helicopters were taking off, apparently to go support Specialist Tillman's unit on the ground. But in this case it appears, in his case in particular, to no avail -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Nic, I know there has been tremendous reaction, I'm sure you know, as well, here in the U.S. to Tillman's death, from his former teammates and other NFL players and coaches.

What about his fellow soldiers there? What has been the reaction?

ROBERTSON: Well, they're shocked. I mean they certainly recognize the position that he took to turn down a huge sum of money to join the Army following September 11. They recognize that. They see him as a patriot. They see him as a hero. So there is a level of shock and surprise that he would be killed here.

But as they say and they've told us today, in a way they're all heroes, they say, because they're all here because of what they believe in, all fighting in the war on terrorism. And another soldier said to me, he said, "You know, this operation in Afghanistan, it's sort of getting forgotten in a way, bypassed, overlooked with the massive operations under way in Iraq." And he said in a way it will help to show, he hoped, the people in the United States and the rest of the world that the soldiers here still are in danger, that they are still coming up against a very active enemy close to the border -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Very well said, Nic.

Thank you very much.

That's Nic Robertson from Afghanistan.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, if you haven't had time to keep up with the news this week, that's what we are here for. Let's rewind for you now and look at some of the top stories.

In Basra, five suicide bombings on Wednesday. The death toll, more than 70, including 18 students, some on their way to kindergarten.

Also Wednesday, a car bomb explodes in the Saudi capital, killing five people and wounding about 150. A group that says it's sympathetic to al Qaeda claims responsibility.

That same day, the man who spilled Israel's nuclear secrets is freed from prison after 18 years. Mordechai Vanunu remains defiant, saying he is proud of what he did.

And a tornado flattens a tavern in Illinois on Tuesday. Eight people were killed.

And tomorrow, we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories we think will be grabbing the spotlight.

Well, at issue, both President Bush and John Kerry take their campaigns off the beaten track this week. The politics behind it, just ahead.

CALLAWAY: Also coming up, sowing the seeds of summer -- what you need to know to make your garden grow. We will ask William Moss. You know him, with Discovery's "Rally Round the House." He'll be upcoming in just a moment.

Stay with us.

SAN MIGUEL: But first, picture this -- a homecoming reunion between father and son this week at Fort Hood. First Lieutenant Jason Price is with the 4th Infantry Division, who has spent a year in Iraq.

We'll be right back.

COMMERCIAL

SAN MIGUEL: Now this week in politics has been one for the books, literally. First, the political fallout from a new book by Bob Woodward, "Plan of Attack," that details the run up to the Iraq war. And another new book, "John Kerry: The Complete Biography," about to be released. And it's billed as an objective look at the Democratic candidate by reporters from the "Boston Globe."

Joining us from Washington to talk about both of these books is Andrea Seabrook -- I almost said Seabrook -- congressional correspondent for National Public Radio.

That might be appropriate considering what we're about to talk about.

Andrea, good morning to you.

ANDREA SEABROOK, NPR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Good morning.

SAN MIGUEL: So after serving so many years in the Senate, is there anything for John Kerry to be worried about about this book from the "Boston Globe" reporters, do you think?

SEABROOK: Well, yes. I would say so. Whenever you have a bunch of journalists, and journalists of the caliber as these journalists who are writing this book, then I'm sure any politician would have something to worry about. They will pull no punches. And I think that for most of us out here, it'll be a really refreshing look at the candidate because we're used to hearing things from either the perspective of the Bush administration or the perspective of the Kerry campaign. And so I think it'll be really, really nice to see a book that pulls no punches, but is sure to be fair and accurate.

SAN MIGUEL: I know that there will likely be some talk of his military records in that book.

How do you think the camp -- or what's the buzz on the Hill about how the campaign finessed the military records issue this week for John Kerry?

SEABROOK: You know, it's not been a great week for that. I mean, you know, as far as the buzz on the Hill, he's had to -- he's been forced, in much the same way that the Bush administration was a couple of weeks ago, to allow reporters time to look over his full military record. I mean he's been really pushed into the corner on this one. And there are, you know, some columnists and editorial writers who have been questioning what kinds of wounds he had in order to get this -- the medals that he's gotten.

And so it's not been great. But, you know, either -- any time that either the Bush administration or the Kerry campaign has been forced into this kind of corner, it doesn't make them look great.

SAN MIGUEL: You've got to play defense instead of offense and it gets you off of message and that kind of thing.

SEABROOK: You've got it.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, what about the buzz about "Plan of Attack," Bob Woodward's new book? From what I've heard, the Bush administration, you know, kind of likes it. It makes Bush look like a decisive and strong leader.

What are you hearing?

SEABROOK: Well, you know, I think, again, this has been a -- this has been not a great book for the Bush administration. I mean I see your point of making him look like a decisive leader. But at the same time, it has painted a picture that doesn't exactly put President Bush in charge of the nation. It questions a lot of what he has said publicly, what the president has said publicly about the lead up to the Iraq war. And so I think it has raised more questions, and that's not a good thing, I think, for the Bush administration.

SAN MIGUEL: The one thing that -- and I don't know if you've read it or not. I'm half way through the book right now, full disclosure here. And from what I am seeing, in the planning for the war, the Bush administration really believed that there were weapons of mass destruction. It was General Tommy Franks' big concern about making sure that the troops and the soldiers had enough chemical and biological weapons gear.

Is any of this, I mean, you know, even though that may have been faulty intelligence, or that's what it's looking like, is any of this kind of seeping through, through the -- inside the beltway there?

SEABROOK: It is, but, you know, I mean it makes everybody remember that there was almost no one who believed that Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction. I mean we all have to sort of go back to the state, our state of mind, the intelligence we were getting before the attack on Iraq. And almost every country in the world with a reliable intelligence system was having these assertions that there were weapons of mass destruction here.

I mean just this week, I think it was the Danish prime minister who was forced to step aside or in some way atone for assertions that he made before the war that there were definitely weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. And we're still seeing the fallout from this.

SAN MIGUEL: So, let's talk about the week that both candidates had. And both of them were kind of, you know, I guess not talking about the things that some would consider their strength. For example, Bush talking a lot, spending two days talking about the environment.

SEABROOK: Isn't that interesting? And you know there, you know, what's funny is that the environment is not on the top list of three of, you know, the top three things that American voters really care about. And so it was really interesting to see this week that both Kerry and President Bush focused some time on the environment.

And, you know, it's not stopping. This weekend Kerry has turned his focus to women's issues, you know, abortion rights and the sort of pro-choice, pro-life argument, especially with this giant march that's supposed to take place here in Washington on Sunday.

And so, you know, they're both focusing on things that aren't Iraq and aren't the economy, which for us, I have to say, it's kind of a welcome change.

SAN MIGUEL: It's kind of, let's talk about some other things for a while here.

Andrea Seabrook, congressional correspondent for National Public Radio, thanks for joining us this morning.

We'll see you next time.

SEABROOK: See you later.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, more than 100 years after the end of slavery, an apology. The story behind the gesture, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

COMMERCIAL

CALLAWAY: If you are planning on some popcorn and a couple of hours in front of the big screen this weekend, here's some new stuff that you have to pick from.

A fabulous Fifth Avenue apartment, successful career and a naked guy in the shower -- I didn't write that, but I like it -- that's what Jennifer Garner's character finds overnight after making a wish at her thirteenth birthday party. Can you imagine waking up finding that when you're 13?

SAN MIGUEL: Oh.

CALLAWAY: Suddenly 30, she's finally cool and she's popular. The only thing that is missing is her first love. The "Cincinnati Inquirer" says that even half funny bits in "13 Going On 30" feel lovable.

Now, if chick flicks are not your thing, there is "Man On Fire." Denzel Washington stars as a soldier of fortune who has given up on life. But he suddenly starts to care when a child he was supposed to protect is kidnapped. The "Chicago Tribune" says that after its exciting mid-point kidnapping, the movie goes a little crazy in the second half.

SAN MIGUEL: Although I'm hearing some really good reviews for Dakota Fanning, who plays the little girl in that movie.

CALLAWAY: Oh, you know, she can do no wrong.

SAN MIGUEL: And she and Denzel Washington have some good chemistry going on there, so who knows?

CALLAWAY: Yes.

SAN MIGUEL: Maybe it'll be number one after the weekend is over with.

CALLAWAY: She is just great to watch on screen, an adorable little girl.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How can you be such a good actress and be so young? SAN MIGUEL: I know. I know. It's like be so articulate and so self-aware and everything. But she is.

CALLAWAY: Not to say that Denzel doesn't hold his own in this movie.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes. He's got that Oscar thing going for him. MARCIANO: That's right.

Well, in some spots it'll be a good day to go see a movie, you know.

SAN MIGUEL: The rain.

MARCIANO: A little rain Saturday afternoon, go see a matinee, save yourself a couple of bucks.

CALLAWAY: Renay and I have been talking about it since we've been doing the show, we haven't seen a movie.

SAN MIGUEL: I don't think we've had...

MARCIANO: Yes.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes. Movies? They have talking movies now, is that it?

MARCIANO: Since last spring so anyway, the three of us right here.

Let's go to Boston and show you the live shot there.

CALLAWAY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MARCIANO: I included myself.

CALLAWAY: We know.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SAN MIGUEL: We're going to do a quick check of the headlines right now.

Five American soldiers were killed today in a rocket attack north of Baghdad. Six other soldiers were wounded in the attack on a U.S. military base.

Rescue crews are looking for two people missing after an explosion rocked a chemical plant in central Illinois. At least two people are dead in that blast. An evacuation was ordered for a one mile radius around the plant. It's unknown what caused the explosion.

CALLAWAY: Explicit language and raunchy images have some students at the all female Spellman College turning to a cold shower to one of the nation's hottest rap artists. Tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING at 7:00 Eastern time, the question, have music videos gone too far? On one side of the argument, an artist who went to court to different his right to produce explicit videos. 2 Live Crew's Luther Campbell tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

SAN MIGUEL: The end game in Falluja -- what the U.S. plans to do to try to end the violence in that city.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Students pass the cemetery every day and don't realize slaves were buried here. They pass this president's mansion every day and don't realize slaves worked there and lived there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLAWAY: Why the University of Alabama is taking on the issue of slavery, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TORI ATALI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's now proof that adding folic acid to breads and cereals noticeably reduces the rate of serious birth defects. In 1998, after learning women were not getting enough of folic acid, also known as folate, the U.S. government mandated all grain products sold in the country be fortified with it. Since then, according to a recent issue of "Obstetrics and Gynecology," there has been a 32 percent drop in the number of women at risk for neural tube defects. There was also at least a 20 percent drop in the number of infants born with the condition.

NTDs are the most common and most serious of birth defects. They include spin bifida and anencephaly and develop in the early stages of pregnancy. It's especially important to get enough folic acid during child bearing years. Besides eating foods rich in this form of B vitamin, doctors recommend taking a daily supplement that contains folic acid, just to be sure.

Tori Atali, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COMMERCIAL

CALLAWAY: Fighting in Falluja -- is there an end game strategy?

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.

Hundreds of mourners, including the governor of Minnesota, are expected to attend today's funeral for Dru Sjodin. The service had to be moved to a larger venue to accommodate the expected crowd. Sjodin's body was found last week, some five months after she disappeared from the parking lot of a North Dakota shopping mall.

In Cypress, voters are deciding today whether to accept the terms of a United Nations peace plan. The plan would reunite Cypress after 30 years of division between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. If the plan fails, Cypress would lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed aid from the U.S.

Rescue workers in Indonesia are trying to reach about a half dozen people trapped under tons of mud. A landslide on the island of Sumatra smashed into a bus, killing at least 37 people. More than a dozen others are injured.

Five American soldiers are dead following a rocket attack on a U.S. base north of Baghdad. Six other soldiers were wounded in the attack by Iraqi insurgents.

CALLAWAY: The nearly two week old Falluja cease-fire has been shaky at best and now coalition commanders are hinting that the Marines may not wait much longer before storming that city.

Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

04230003.v98

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAN MIGUEL: A lot going on this week worldwide in the war on terror.

Here's a look at some events around the globe.

A suicide bomber set off an explosion in Saudi Arabia Wednesday, killing five victims. About 150 others were injured. A group said to be sympathetic to the aims of al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. This prompted a top Saudi official to say his nation is now at total war against terrorists.

An American expert commented on the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT JORDAN, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SAUDI ARABIA: The Saudi homeland is not a place where al Qaeda should be inflicting casualties and I think they've made a huge mistake. It's likely to galvanize the Saudi people even further to turn in suspected terrorists and to further cooperate with the police in ridding Saudi Arabia of these terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAN MIGUEL: Two people held in connection with Europe's largest terror attack went free this week. Both men said they were innocent of involvement in the commuter train bombings in Madrid that killed 190 people last month. Authorities are still holding 18 other suspects, some of them already charged with mass murder.

And a man described as one of the most dangerous al Qaeda members turned himself in to officials in Yemen. Ahmed al-Nagar (ph) is suspected of involvement in the bombing of the USS Cole in October of 2000.

CALLAWAY: Michael Jackson, Jayson Williams and Kobe Bryant, celebrities in court, on the docket next hour with our panel of legal experts.

Also, at 9:00 Eastern time, a preview of the biggest day ever for some college football players. That would be the NFL draft. We'll have some analysis from the vice president of Sporting News, live at 9:00.

Then at 9:45, Renay will show you some technology that may follow you home from your favorite store. Hmmm. Micro chips inside new clothing. That's coming up at 9:45.

Then later on this hour, it's time to rally around the house for some spring cleaning with William Moss -- gardening tips from the master.

COMMERCIAL

SAN MIGUEL: Are your blue jeans too skimpy?

CALLAWAY: Oh, my.

SAN MIGUEL: One Louisiana law maker might think so. What he's doing to make sure you don't have a wardrobe malfunction. Look what happened to Janet Jackson.

All that's coming up when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

Stay with us.

COMMERCIAL

CALLAWAY: Time to check some stories that are making headlines across America.

Republicans say that the 9/11 Commission needs to make a change. They are calling for Democratic member Jamie Gorelick to step down. They point to a memo she wrote during the Clinton administration which they say made it harder for police and intelligence agencies to share information. In fact, some senators also want her to testify in front of the Commission.

President Bush declared four Illinois counties a federal disaster area. Included was the City of Utica, where eight people died in Tuesday's storms. Nearly 700 homes and businesses in northern Illinois were damaged by high winds and tornadoes.

And in Louisiana, it may become illegal to show your skivvies. State Representative Derrick Shepherd is proposing a new law making it illegal to wear low rider jeans that leave the underwear exposed. He's worried about underwear? I think he should worry about, you know, if they're not...

SAN MIGUEL: Or if they're wearing underwear at all. CALLAWAY: Yes, exactly.

The law would carry a $500 fine for the fashion offense.

SAN MIGUEL: A historic gesture at the University of Alabama. This week, the school issued an apology for the people and policies of the Old South.

CNN's Bruce Burkhardt reports.

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CALLAWAY: Coming up, they say April showers bring May flowers. But if that's not happening in your yard, stay with us. How to sow the seeds that make your garden grow. Garden? I just want grass. Maybe William Moss can help me, from "Rally Round the House," when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

COMMERCIAL

SAN MIGUEL: Now, the difference between the beat in some Christian and some contemporary music has become so slight that sometimes only the lyrics set them apart.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sound of angels, sons and others for our king.

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SAN MIGUEL: Tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, what is sparking the rising popularity of Christian music that some are, you know, talking a lot about, praise music, as well? The David Crowder Band live on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time.

CALLAWAY: Spring snow in Colorado, no rain here in the Southeast, but elsewhere, at least, springtime is gardening time.

Joining us from Chicago is master gardener and landscape expert William Moss -- he didn't change his name, that's his real name -- host of the Discovery Channel's William, I know you're going to show us how to grow things from seeds.

WILLIAM MOSS, "RALLY ROUND THE HOUSE":

Right.

CALLAWAY: But I've got to say, why do I want to grow something from seed? It's so much easier just to drive to the nursery and buy something already green and beautiful and blooming.

MOSS: Yes, Catherine, that's true, but growing from seeds gives you a lot of variety, things you can't get. Have you ever been to the store and gotten those like two or three red tomatoes? You can grow all sorts of tomatoes if you start from seed.

CALLAWAY: But it's intimidating.

MOSS: It's not really all that intimidating. Plus it's fun. It's a good experience and you get a great pleasure of going from seed to plant.

CALLAWAY: All right...

MOSS: You know, that's a good thing, too.

CALLAWAY: Yes, but the last time I did that was like first grade when you put the seed in the little thing and put it in the window.

MOSS: Well, it's time for a renewal for you then.

CALLAWAY: All right, show me how to do it.

MOSS: It's time to get you out here.

All right, well, first and foremost, right now is almost about the frost date here in Chicago now. So for people who are south of us, like in the Southeast and West, now is a good time to get outdoors and plant. But some people north of us can still do some indoor things.

So the most important thing to start out with when you're doing indoors is a good sterile seed mix. You've got to make sure that this is sterilized. I suggest you buy it rather than try to make it yourself. It's a lot easier.

CALLAWAY: No problem with that.

MOSS: Just to buy it.

Plus, you've got to have fresh seed. We've got good fresh seed here.

CALLAWAY: How do you know they're fresh? I'm sorry I'm asking these questions, that I'm interrupting you, but these are the things I know people at home -- like, how do you know that's fresh? MOSS: Well, you know it's fresh because you're going to go to the store and then when you buy the seed packets, you're going to look for things to have a date of 2004. If it says 2002, it's not fresh.

CALLAWAY: Oh, see, now I didn't even know they were dated.

MOSS: Yes, they are. So make sure that the date is 2004.

CALLAWAY: OK.

MOSS: You're also going to need warm water, not warm, but room temperature. You don't want to take these things through shock by giving them cold water or hot water. Make sure that when you water, and you will water often, make sure that it is lukewarm water. So that's basically what you need to start. And some sort of tray or container.

Now, here is this big fancy thing that you can buy from the store. But these takeout containers work just as well, you know? So just take a few things -- I'm going to sow some zinnias now, as a matter of fact.

CALLAWAY: All right.

MOSS: Just drop a few of these zinnias down into and -- I'm over planting. I know that. I'm over planting. Drop a few of them down in, you know, and then use my trusty takeout container lid, press them into the top of the soil...

CALLAWAY: Right.

MOSS: Cover these guys up...

CALLAWAY: Now you have water in the bottom of the tray, right?

MOSS: There's already water in here, but, you know, we can always add a little bit more. Just put a little water in here. That keeps the humidity constant. And then cover these guys up.

CALLAWAY: All right, how do you know if you're not over watering?

MOSS: Well, you can't over water when you're doing this process, because, you know, it will soak up and start to grow. Now, once it starts to grow, you'll know you're over watering because the plants will die. The simple way...

CALLAWAY: Thank you.

MOSS: The simple way to handle that, though, is just to keep the plants moist. You need to put this someplace warm now and someplace where you can kind of look at it over the next few days to make sure that it doesn't dry out. As long as it doesn't dry out you're fine.

CALLAWAY: All right, give us an example of where you could stick that, like in a kitchen window or... MOSS: Not a kitchen window all the time, because some plants don't want light until they've already started to sprout.

CALLAWAY: Oh, OK.

MOSS: So what you can do is put it on top of a radiator or a refrigerator, even better, because most refrigerators are a little warmer on top than the rest of the kitchen. Once you see those first few leaves starting to sprout up -- here's an example of that.

CALLAWAY: OK.

MOSS: Once you see those first few leaves start to come up, now you want to get this guy in some place where there's plenty of bright light and sunshine. That way they'll start to grow for you and get healthy.

Now, at this stage now, you see there's still too many seeds in here. I've got to get these guys out. The hardest part of gardening is to pull out plants that you've taken time to grow. But, you can't have them that crowded. You've got to thin these guys out or they just won't stay...

CALLAWAY: Uh-oh.

MOSS: Yes, this is the most difficult part.

CALLAWAY: That looks like surgery. I don't know.

MOSS: This is hard to do.

CALLAWAY: All right, so, we're running out of time.

MOSS: OK.

CALLAWAY: So you separate them there and then what do you do after that?

MOSS: You separate them there then you pull these guys then they'll grow into very large sized plants. Once they've got at least four good leaves on them -- that probably is going to take about maybe four weeks from germinating -- then this is, this represents outside, by the way.

CALLAWAY: That's a big pot for just a little tiny plant.

MOSS: This represents outside.

CALLAWAY: Oh, OK. All right. I got you.

MOSS: You can't -- so now you just make a little thing and drop it in, drop it in the hole.

CALLAWAY: They've got to be at least four leaves. How many, like, two, is that like two inches?

MOSS: About two inches tall for this plant.

CALLAWAY: OK.

MOSS: This happens to be a petunia. Other plants will be taller. But you just want to make sure you make the hole wide enough for them and then pull them out and drop them in. One -- two more quick things I want to point out is that...

CALLAWAY: All right, hurry.

MOSS: ... you need labels because you want to know what you wrote down. And I use these little plastic knives I get. I'm a good take out person. I use these and I just write down exactly what it is on here. So I'll put petunia and I know that my seeds are petunias and that my plants are petunias, as well.

CALLAWAY: That is great, William. And I know you like trying to encourage parents to do this for little kids and grow fun things like popcorn and...

MOSS: Always. Always.

CALLAWAY: ... sunflowers, stuff like that.

MOSS: Big seeds for kids. You want things that are big like pumpkin, like ornamental and popcorn, like sunflowers. You want things that are going to be -- have big seeds and a very big payout for them.

CALLAWAY: OK. William, I'm inspired. I'm going to go buy some fresh seeds, check the date...

MOSS: All right.

CALLAWAY: ... get some take out and I'm set.

OK...

MOSS: Right.

CALLAWAY: William, thank you so much for coming.

I enjoy your show so much.

MOSS: Thanks.

Thanks.

CALLAWAY: Bye-bye.

MOSS: Take care.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the first kidney transplant. But as much as technology has been perfected, people are still confused about the process. Today on House Call, Dr. Sanjay Gupta puts to rest the myths about the donation process and talks about the controversy surrounding organ donation, from who pays to whether celebrities are given preferential treatment. That's coming up at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time here on CNN.

CALLAWAY: But first, it looks like something straight out -- oh, my goodness -- it really does look like something straight out of "The Jetsons."

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

CALLAWAY: Look at this. How and why this man is taking off. It is one of our Wows of the Week when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

SAN MIGUEL: It made you go out, didn't it?

CALLAWAY: Yes, that looks like fun.

COMMERCIAL

SAN MIGUEL: All right, a drum roll from the CNN orchestra there. Time now for our ever popular Wows of the Week.

In China, it's the year of the monkey -- or is it monkeys? This pair of primates a rare sight, indeed. Golden monkey twins are virtually impossible in the wild and almost as improbable in captivity. You know, I think it's going to be a long, long time. I packed my bags last night, preflight.

An American stuntman reaches new heights with a rocket pack. The self-proclaimed rocket man -- and, no, it's not Elton John -- soared 13 stories to the top of an old English castle. The rocket man doesn't really have to worry about anyone breaking his record. He's the only one currently working with a rocket pack these days.

And what is better after a rocket ride than a beer? One of Germany's many beer makers says he has the best brew for what -- for those who want to enjoy life. It is called Erotic Beer. Jurgen Hopf (ph) says his creation is strong and sweet and has a little something special in it. But, of course, he will not be revealing the secret ingredient, so drink at your own risk. Erotic beer pops so many punch lines, none of them that I can repeat here on morning television.

CALLAWAY: So let's go right to the jet pack.

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

CALLAWAY: The story that I think is the Wow of the Week -- Rob, you should get one of those and you could do like a live weather forecast on it.

MARCIANO: I don't know how that is news. I'm, I saw that on "I Dream of Jeannie" about 25 years ago.

CALLAWAY: Aren't you disappointed in our generation now, because we grew up...

MARCIANO: We thought we'd all be doing that right now. CALLAWAY: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

CALLAWAY: I thought we'd have hovering cars and...

SAN MIGUEL: Yes.

CALLAWAY: And, you know, we don't. I'm so disappointed that we don't, after assuming that by this age, by the time I was old, that I'd have a hovering car and a jet pack to go to work. There you go.

MARCIANO: Hey, we still have -- we've got microwaves, you know, and cable TV.

SAN MIGUEL: Close enough.

CALLAWAY: So listen (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MARCIANO: And as far as the Erotic beer is concerned, it's toast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SAN MIGUEL: Our e-mail question of the day is do you think photos of U.S. caskets should be shown to the public?

Scott writes in: "My answer to this question is no. We should honor the families' privacy in this matter, not the people who think that we as a nation should see them. I am serving in Korea right now and I grieve, but I also know that their sacrifice was not in vain. We should honor them by remembering them, not by showing their flag- draped coffins."

CALLAWAY: And here's one from Pat: "Those caskets show the reality of war and that is something this administration has consistently tried to withhold from the public. Plastering smiley faces on events and relentless empty rhetoric is just -- is useless. These photos are photos that the American people should view on a daily basis. The attempts of sanitizing this war and repeated bleatings and banning photos from Dover are, for noble reasons, are both insulating and dangerous."

SAN MIGUEL: The e-mail address is wam, W-A-M@cnn.com.

Do you think photos of U.S. caskets should be shown to the public? Please write in. We'll read some more later on.

The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.

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