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CNN Saturday Morning News
Novak Zone: Interview with Marvin Hamlisch; A look at Violence in Iraq
Aired April 24, 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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Catherine Callaway.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Renay San Miguel. Good morning to you, if you're just waking up on the West Coast. Thanks to all of you for starting your day with us.
Got a lot of news to cover. Here's what's we've got coming up.
A deadly day in Iraq. This attack kills Iraqis. Another one causes U.S. casualties. We'll get the latest from the country.
CALLAWAY: Remembering a fallen hero, the life and death of Army Specialist and former pro football player Pat Tillman.
SAN MIGUEL: And on a much lighter note, getting musical in The Novak Zone. Composer Marvin Hamlisch drops by a little later.
But first, here's what's happening at this hour.
CALLAWAY: Two U.S. oil workers have been killed in Nigeria. Now, it happened last night on the Niger Delta. The Nigerian army says that the gunmen in a speedboat fired at a riverboat carrying oil workers there. A subsidiary of Chevron-Texaco in Nigeria says that the attack was unprovoked. A third U.S. oil worker was wounded in that incident.
And Iraq today is convulsing with fresh violence. A dozen or so people were reported killed by an explosion in a crowded Baghdad market. Five U.S. soldiers were killed in a rocket attack at the base just north of the capital. In Tikrit, two Iraqi policemen and two Iraqi civilians died from a roadside bomb. In Karbala, coalition troops shot and killed five suspected insurgents.
On the Korean peninsula, a frantic effort to rush emergency aid to the site of a horrific train explosion in North Korea. According to wire service reports, a Red Cross worker at the scene describes a giant crater and utter destruction for more than two miles in every direction. The Red Cross also confirms that at least 154 people died.
On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the Reuters news agency reports that at least 44 deaths occurred after a bus was swallowed up by a landslide. The local police chief tells Reuters that 13 people survived. Five are still trapped and presumed dead. That slide was caused by heavy rains on a hillside that was being cleared of trees by loggers.
In Minnesota, a final farewell today for college student Dru Sjodin. Her funeral this afternoon, her funeral is taking place this afternoon. She disappeared just before Thanksgiving from a mall in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where she worked. Her remains were found a week ago near Crookstown, Minnesota. A suspect has been charged with her kidnapping.
SAN MIGUEL: One deadly attack after another in Iraq, that tops the news at this hour, a rocket attack on a U.S. base north of Baghdad, another at a crowded market in a Baghdad suburb, and an explosion in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.
We get more now from our Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf. She joins us live. Jane?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Renay, the attack on the Taji base north of Baghdad took place just before dawn, when two rockets, at least, slammed into that base, it's a 1st Cavalry Division base, killing five soldiers and wounding six, three of them critically.
Now, that is the deadliest rocket attack on U.S. targets in some months.
And in Baghdad, as you said, another deadly attack, this one on a crowded marketplace in the crowded Shi'a neighborhood of Sadr City. Officials now confirming 12 dead and 25 injured. Among the dead were children who were out around noon in that crowded market buying food, apparently.
And yet another attack in Tikrit, Saddam's home town north of Baghdad as well, where a homemade bomb exploded outside a base there, a 1st Infantry Division base. No U.S. casualties, but two Iraqi police and two civilians were killed, more than a dozen others wounded, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: So Jane, can you talk a little bit about, you know, the interdiction efforts going on with the coalition to try to, you know, stop these arms from moving from one place to another? I know that there were an awful lot of the rocket-propelled grenades and mortars launchers left over from the war and from the Iraqi army, but there has to be some other groups smuggling them as well. What's being done to try to stop that?
ARRAF: Well, that is one of their main priorities, and it's one of the reasons that this ceasefire in Fallujah, that town west of Baghdad that's basically surrounded by Marines with an unsteady ceasefire is so shaky. The Marines have called for townspeople and insurgents to turn in their weapons. So far, they say, they've received almost nothing of value.
But we have to remember, this whole country is basically an arsenal. It was very heavily armed. Almost everyone was in the military. There are a lot of rocket-propelled grenades, lot of explosive materials. And with the borders not exactly secure, there is definitely the fear that things have been coming across the borders as well. They are trying to round them up, although with the Iraqi police and the Iraqi army not yet fully in place, it's very tough, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Jane Arraf, live in Baghdad. Thank you, Jane.
CALLAWAY: The White House is reiterating to Israel that harming Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat would be a serious mistake.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: After hearing the Israeli prime minister say he no longer feels bound by a three-year- old promise to President Bush not to harm Yasser Arafat, the White House sent Israel an urgent message, a pledge is a pledge.
Senior administration officials say it was national security adviser Condeleeza Rice who delivered that message of displeasure in a phone call to Ariel Sharon's chief of staff, Dov Weisslaf (ph).
Administration sources do confirm that Sharon told the president while in Washington last week he may want to go after Arafat because he thinks he has a direct role in terrorism against Israel.
Now, the president himself has made it very clear in his view Yasser Arafat is an obstacle to peace. And Mr. Bush has never had Arafat to the White House. And the president did not back the so- called road map to peace until there was someone else on the Palestinian side to deal with.
However, the White House strongly believes targeting Arafat would be a huge mistake, because, in their view, it would make him a martyr and make the already volatile situation on the ground much worse.
Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAN MIGUEL: It was an eventful 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 there.
(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 is 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 U.S.S. "Cole" in October of 2000.
Well, yesterday's news about the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman certainly put a face on the dangers and sacrifices U.S. soldiers are making every day.
CALLAWAY: And it also made many people stop and reflect on the life that Pat Tillman led.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He saw himself as no different than any other young man and woman that made a decision to serve our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: Coming up, we'll talk more about the man who gave up the fame and the fortune of professional sports to serve his country, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Good morning, Denver. You had snow just a couple of days ago. We'll check your forecast for today in just about 10 minutes. Here's a hint, it's probably melting.
And a bit later, award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch stops the music and pays a visit to The Novak Zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When on the move, intercepted by Pat Tillman.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I hope that all of us revere his memory, share the grief with his family, and recognize that this young man served a cause greater than his self-interest. There's nothing more noble than to fight and sacrifice in defense of someone else's freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: The NFL's Arizona Cardinals will dedicate their new stadium plaza to Pat Tillman. Tillman played defense for the Cardinals before joining the Army Rangers in 2002. He was killed in action Thursday in Afghanistan.
The Army had this statement earlier today from Kabul.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. MATTHEW BEEVERS, U.S. ARMY: Specialist Tillman's body still remains in Bagram, and don't know exactly when that will be, when that'll be evacuated back to the States.
That said, the details of the engagement (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 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, firefight ensued, and that's when Specialist Tillman was killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: Similar memorials are being observed at Arizona State, where Tillman was a standout player.
Bruce Snyder was Tillman's coach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
BRUCE SNYDER, UNLV ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH: For this to happen to somebody that I admire very much, I mean, when I have memories of Pat Tillman, a smile comes to my face, because they're all good.
TIM LAYDEN, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": To him, the usual standards by which we measure success were not important. He internalized success completely. So it can't be surprising that eventually he would seek out some different way to consider himself successful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: And as we just heard from the U.S. Army spokesman, plans to return Tillman's body to the U.S. from Afghanistan have not yet been made.
John Rawlings is the editorial director of "The Sporting News." He joins us now with his recollections of Pat Tillman.
And Mr. Rawlings, we are discussing Pat Tillman on a day when the NFL is having its annual draft. A lot of young men out there are about to get very, very rich, rake in an awful lot of fame. Tell us how Pat Tillman's story puts all of that into perspective.
JOHN RAWLINGS, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, "THE SPORTING NEWS": Well, Pat's life was very consistent with what we saw of him on the football field. He was undersized and an overachiever. He was a walk-on at Arizona State. He was never offered a football scholarship. He was drafted in the seventh and last round of the NFL draft, yet made himself into an NFL player.
So what we saw, his act of leaving the NFL to join the special forces, was very consistent with his view of life and the way he led his life.
SAN MIGUEL: Before 9/11, I mean, he had a chance to make even more money with the St. Louis Rams wanted him to sign a contract for $9 million. And yet loyalty meant so much to him that he stayed with Arizona. Why?
RAWLINGS: Again, because it's perfectly in context with his set of values. The Rams did want him. There's the connection between Mike Marks (ph), the head coach of the Rams, and Arizona State, where he played. But he was dedicated to Dave McGinness (ph), who was the head coach of the Cardinals. Didn't want to leave there because he felt like McGinness had given him a chance when he was -- when Tillman was not expected to be an NFL player. And he thought McGinness deserved his loyalty for giving him that opportunity.
SAN MIGUEL: Now, he made this decision to sign up with the Army after his honeymoon. He married his high school sweetheart. There was -- he didn't want any publicity on this at all. There was no press conference announcing he was leaving on his part. The team made a statement. But he -- I mean, he made it clear that he was not out for the publicity on any of this.
RAWLINGS: Oh, that was painfully clear to those of us in the media. We, among others at "The Sporting News," tried very hard to get an interview with him. I believe at one time when he was stationed overseas, CNN tried to get an interview with him. He wanted nothing to do with that, because he wanted to be just like his other soldiers, his friends, his peers, and he was doing this because he thought it was right, not because he was looking for any promotional value for himself.
SAN MIGUEL: Do you think that the other NFL players out there who are hearing this story today, the ones who are about to be drafted, and the ones who have been in the league for a long, long time, are going to take some kind of lesson from this? You and I, you know, we talk about so many stories involving athletes in trouble, and, you know, the dark side of athletics, that kind of thing. Tell me what they need to take away from this story.
RAWLINGS: I don't know that the players who will be drafted today and become very wealthy young men are much different than any of the rest of us, Renay. I think we all need to look inside ourselves and say, What can I do to make a contribution to the greater good? Certainly I hope that happens today for these young men. But I would hope that, more than that, it makes us all reflect on what kind of contributions we are making.
SAN MIGUEL: While I got you, I need to ask you about the draft today. It looks like it's going to be a very interesting day with the draft. It looks like Eli Manning, the number one, the likely number one pick, the Ole Miss quarterback, is going to pull a John Elway here. What do you think about this? I mean, he -- is he manipulating the draft, or does he have a right to say where he wants to play?
RAWLINGS: I have great sympathy for any player who's drafted. It's as though someone told you, Renay, you can work only for CNN in Atlanta, you have no choice where you are going. It's -- sports is the only industry where that happens. I think if he can use whatever means he has to get himself in a place where he thinks he's going to be successful, more power to him.
SAN MIGUEL: And Maurice Clarett, Ohio State's running back, who wanted to be a part of this draft, the Supreme Court said no. What do you think about this situation here? No real comparisons with the NBA, where players are allowed to go right from high school to the pros?
RAWLINGS: Well, again, only in the NFL can a person who is prepared and ready, and I believe Clarett would be, is denied the ability to make a living at his chosen profession. I don't understand the logic behind saying, because you are not a certain age, you can't play in our league. If a young man can go to med school and be a doctor at 20, if soldiers can be fighting for our country at 20, why can't Maurice Clarett play in the NFL? It's illogical to me.
SAN MIGUEL: Very quickly, is there more of one position? Is this draft stocked with quarterbacks, tight ends, defensive players, than any other position here? What do you think?
RAWLINGS: It's a great draft for wide receivers. And you're going to see wide receivers go very high. Larry Williams might end up being the number one choice when all the maneuvering is good. And even down in the third and fourth rounds, you're going to see a lot of very good wide receivers taken today.
SAN MIGUEL: All right. John Rawlings, editorial director of "The Sporting News," joining us from St. Louis. Thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.
RAWLINGS: You bet.
CALLAWAY: Well, the nation's capital is the site of much debate this weekend. We will take you live to one of the hot spots in the capital today when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Explicit language and raunchy images have some students at the all-female Spellman College turning a cold shoulder to one of the nation's hottest rap artists. Tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING at 7:00 Eastern, the question, have music videos gone too far? On one side of the argument, an artist who went to court to defend his right to produce explicit videos, Two Live Crew's Luther Campbell, coming up tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
SAN MIGUEL: Now we're going to turn to Rob Marciano, who's in the Weather Center, and we are hoping that folks who need some rain today get a nice, gentle rain and no major storms like we saw earlier this week in the Midwest.
CALLAWAY: And maybe in honor of Luther, you could just rap the whole forecast.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You want me to bust a rhyme?
CALLAWAY: Do you mind?
SAN MIGUEL: Go for it.
MARCIANO: Yes, yes, no, I've got nothing. I got nothing. Even though Rob Marciano, another Rob Marciano, is a rapper. But I've got nothing.
SAN MIGUEL: Oh, is that right?
MARCIANO: Yes, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: He's got a little ditty with P. Diddy.
Anyway, I'm talking weather, right?
SAN MIGUEL: Yes.
CALLAWAY: Yes.
MARCIANO: OK.
SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARCIANO: Let's go to Denver. Yesterday was a big day in Denver. They saw several inches of snow. Depending on what part of the city you live in, from four to up to a foot towards (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the foothills. Clear skies this morning, KUSA's our affiliate. It's 30 degrees. So, yes, still some snow on the ground, but temperatures will quickly rise into the 40s and 50s throughout the day today. And you know how that works, a lot of that snow will melt.
All right. Here's the storm system that affected Denver yesterday, and it's pulling out into the Plains. As it does so, this is the same system that brought all the severe weather to the Plains for the past four days. But now it's finally on the move. And, well, eastern Texas and Oklahoma and Arkansas will pay the brunt of it.
The Southeast, though, where they do need the rain, not going to get it. Cool air across Chicago into the Northeast, drying out there. And also dry and warm across much of the West Coast. Good morning to you folks if you are waking up at 6:30 or so in the morning. Temperatures will once again above normal in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Here's that storm system as it pulls off into the Plains. Mentioned that as far north and east as St. Louis and all the way down towards Houston, where right now, that's where a lot of the action is, in spots that have already seen a lot of rainfall. So there are flood watches out for southeast Texas, southwest Louisiana, eastern parts of Oklahoma, in the northwest corner of Arkansas, and even some flash flood warnings out for the next hour or two as some of those rivers have swollen up.
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) orange yellow watch boxes indicating severe thunderstorm watches out for I-10 corridor, Houston east towards the Golden Triangle and in through Lake Charles, Louisiana, into Dallas, Texas, we're seeing showers and storms at this hour. But most of this is a moderate rainfall as opposed to real, real heavy rainfall. But it's over areas that have already seen a lot of rain. So the midsection of the country kind of a washout today.
Sixty-one degrees expected in Chicago, but the rains will hold off till late today and tonight. Atlanta, 82 degrees, another dry day. There's 73 in San Francisco, 81 degrees expected today in Los Angeles, and 55 degrees expected in New York City.
Tomorrow, 57 degrees in Boston, and the rains arrive in Detroit with a high of about 57. Finally the midsection of the country, including Denver, including Oklahoma City, including Little Rock, Arkansas, Sunday looks to be a lot drier than your Saturday and the past couple of days. So we'll start to see things calm down just a little bit.
SAN MIGUEL: Let's hope so.
CALLAWAY: All right.
MARCIANO: Not one thing I said rhymed there. That was pretty lame...
CALLAWAY: I know.
MARCIANO: ... wasn't it?
CALLAWAY: You dropped the ball on that one, though.
SAN MIGUEL: It was iambic pentameter rap. You know, Shakespearean, or whatever. Thanks so much.
MARCIANO: Appreciate (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SAN MIGUEL: We'll talk with you later.
MARCIANO: All right.
SAN MIGUEL: Here's a quick look at some of today's top stories.
An unknown number of people were killed in a Baghdad suburb after an attack on a busy marketplace. The explosions left dozens of people injured.
Elsewhere in Iraq, five U.S. soldiers were killed in a rocket attack north of Baghdad, and a roadside bomb attack in Tikrit killed four Iraqis.
The Bush White House is warning Israeli leaders against targeting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he no longer feels bound by a earlier pledge to President Bush not to harm Arafat.
CALLAWAY: Well, there is an increased police presence on the streets of Washington today. That's probably an understatement, as antiglobalization activists demonstrate against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Now, the institutions are gathering in the nation's capital for their spring meeting.
And our Sean Callebs is there with the very latest on, I'm sure security extremely tight there.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, security is extremely tight, Catherine, but I think demonstrators are sleeping in today. They're not expected to be here for several hours.
We can tell you we're in the heart of Washington right here on Pennsylvania Avenue. Behind me you see the white stone and the glass facade of the World Bank Building. And that really a symbol of oppression to legions of the demonstrators who are expected to make their way down here in a couple hours or so.
Now, they're going to be walking from the Washington Monument, make their way down Pennsylvania Avenue, and end up in this large penlike area that has been set up here by authorities. Police have really cordoned off an area several blocks around the World Bank. And the demonstrators are going to be held right in this area. They're not going to be able to get out.
Those are the knowns. But the unknowns are really what concerns authorities, how many demonstrators will show up, because they've had a certain degree of success in the past in trying to disrupt or shut down IMF meetings. They have often been in these showdowns have been characterized by police with riot gear and tear gas and demonstrators shouting on the other side.
The protesters say they're really concerned because they believe the rich nations are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. They say the elite are really funneling money into these areas to keep a world bet up high. They are promoting, they are not providing sustainable development, just concerned about the short-term profit.
Now, for their part, the World Bank says that simply isn't the case. Its members are going to be insulated from the shouts, the taunts of the demonstrators in large part today. They say they're simply trying to bring these poor nations into the 21st century.
Catherine, back to you.
CALLAWAY: It will be very interesting to see how things develop out there later today. All right, Sean, thank you very much.
We check the stories making news around America when we come back. Michael Jackson makes a plea to the media. We'll have an explanation after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Well, even the smallest of today's high-tech toys need accessories. We will browse the aisles coming up.
Welcome back, everyone. We have that story for you.
SAN MIGUEL: But first, we're going to get to this news alert.
In Cyprus, voters are deciding today whether to accept the terms of a United Nations peace plan. The plan would reunite Cyprus after 30 years of division between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. If the plan fails, Cyprus would likely lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed aid from the U.S.
The Chinese health ministry has confirmed two cases of SARS. A ministry spokesperson also says the mother of one of the SARS patients died this week, and she may have been infected as well. Close to 250 people who had come in contact with the SARS patients have been quarantined.
Two U.S. oil workers and several Nigerian employees of the Chevron Oil Company were ambushed and killed in Nigeria. It happened in the Niger Delta region, where warring factions regularly fire on anyone navigating the waters there. Two other workers, one American and one Nigerian, were injured.
CALLAWAY: Marvin Hamlisch, he's won numerous awards for his musical works, including an Oscar for "The Sting" and a Pulitzer for "A Chorus Line." Well, now he's taken up with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. And that brings a visit from CNN's Robert Novak and a spin in The Novak Zone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone. We are at the Golden Circle lounge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., with award-winning conductor and composer Marvin Hamlisch.
Mr. Hamlisch, millions of Americans have seen you play the piano. Millions more have heard your songs, great show business songs. But you are now also a famous conductor conducting the Pops Orchestras for the National Symphony here in Washington and the Pittsburgh Symphony.
First place, what is pops?
MARVIN HAMLISCH, CONDUCTOR: Well, pops is something that started many, many years ago, and it's really means popular. It's an orchestra, a symphony orchestra, the same huge, wonderful orchestra that plays Beethoven and Bach, and then on certain days plays the popular music, meaning whether it's Gershwin, whether it's Irving Berlin. It's light classics, let's call it.
And it gives people a chance to come into the orchestra who might be a little bit concerned or, you know, they might not be as warm to, let's say, the classical music as they should be. They come into pops, and it is almost like a stepping stone for them. And they go, Wow, an orchestra, live music. You know, that's something that we're losing a lot of these days, live music.
NOVAK: Do you like being a conductor?
HAMLISCH: I love it. I love it. I, I, you know, I love it because personally, I learn a lot from musicians. And we have some of the best musicians in the world here. And it's not just me, you know, starting the beat and all this stuff. But I learn a lot about, you know, how to get along with people. So it's very good for me.
NOVAK: Now, you have said that today's popular music is a little strange, and you don't like it. What do you mean by that?
HAMLISCH: Well, let's put it this way. I grew up on melodies. You know, my father was from Vienna, the home of the great melodies. I grew up and tried to write all the time a good melody. I find melodies very scarce these days. I'm not sure, in the time capsule, when we put down 2000 and 2004, what is actually going to be kept. You know, we've got some wonderful performers in this world, we really do. I just wish sometimes the songs were better.
NOVAK: Mr. Hamlisch, in your autobiography, you say you were 13 years old, and you heard a Judy Garland concert, and you fell in love with show music at that time.
HAMLISCH: Absolutely.
NOVAK: Yes, did you know you were going to be a composer at that time?
HAMLISCH: I think I did. I tell you the truth, I knew I wasn't going to be Horowitz. You know, the, the Juilliard wanted me to be Horowitz. I couldn't, in fact, at Juilliard, they have these things called the rehearsal rooms. And in the rehearsal rooms, you are supposed to be doing -- That's what you're supposed to be doing.
And I was going (singing), "Earth angel, earth angel, will you... " I was into this kind of stuff. And obviously, you never told anyone at Juilliard that you were into that, you know, so when they walked in -- Hi, how are you?
But yes, it was -- I heard Judy Garland, and then I met Judy Garland through a dear friend of mine who was dating Liza Minnelli, believe it or not. And I met Judy Garland. And I, you know, being around those people for me was just it, it was, like, that was it. I just thought the talent, you know, I work now with Barbra Streisand, one of the great singers of all, all, all times.
NOVAK: Now, I read you were an 18-year-old rehearsal piano player for her?
HAMLISCH: Right, I was. And in fact, it was interesting, because at the time, she had her own pianist, and I occasionally would play for her. Most of the times, I went to Horn and Hardart to get her the right doughnut. That's so important in this world, you know?
But yes. And, you know, that was one of those things where the wheel really went around. You know, I started out as a rehearsal pianist with her. Years go by. I write "The Way We Were."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBRA STREISAND (singing): (UNINTELLIGIBLE) like the corners of my mind...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMLISCH: Years go by, you know, and I'm able to conduct for her. And that's -- those are some of this -- that's some of the greatest parts of my life.
NOVAK: Now, "The Way We Were" is a, is a, one of your great songs you have written. You wrote a chorus, "Chorus Line."
HAMLISCH: Well, "The Way We Were"... written...
NOVAK: Let, what is your...
HAMLISCH: ... "Way We Were," I wrote with the Bergmans, and "Chorus Line" with Ed Kliban (ph).
NOVAK: What is your favorite song that you've written?
HAMLISCH: Probably not one that not many people know, but it's from "Chorus Line," and it's called "At the Ballet." And funny enough, the reason I love it so much is because of one line in it, which I didn't write. But the line is, "Every prince has got to have his swan." I -- when the lyricist put that -- those words with that music, I just went, you know, wow.
NOVAK: What do you want to do next?
HAMLISCH: What do I want to do next? I actually want to keep doing what I'm doing. I just want to keep doing it, you know. Particularly I want to go back to Broadway. Broadway, I love Broadway. And I'm hoping to do a show there in the next couple of years.
And I want to continue with this magnificent orchestra, which I just truly love. I have to tell you, I have to sometimes pinch myself when I'm up there, here, you know, conducting, because, you know, here I am, you know, product of -- I mean, it's the American dream. I'm the product of two immigrants from -- who had to leave Austria early because of what was going on there. And here I am in front of one of the greatest orchestras in the world. So, yes, it's great.
NOVAK: Broadway, you did "Chorus Line." Was that, is that your favorite Broadway show?
HAMLISCH: I did "Chorus Line," I did "They're Playing Our Song," and then I had my bombs, yesterday. It's nice about these bios, because the bios, we keep the bombs out, you know. But yes, we've had, I've had two successes that I'm really proud of. And funny enough, working on "Chorus Line" was wonderful because we worked with a great director, Michael Bennett, who -- that was his idea, it was whole -- his whole concept.
And it was -- yes, still one of my favorite. In fact, we're going to be doing something from "Chorus Line" that we never used in the show, which is the overture. We wrote an overture...
NOVAK: How does that go?
HAMLISCH: Well, it's based on -- And we never used the overture. And we're going to be playing it here at the Kennedy Center.
NOVAK: Pops.
HAMLISCH: Right, with the Pops.
NOVAK: And now the big question for Marvin Hamlisch.
Mr. Hamlisch...
HAMLISCH: Uh-oh.
NOVAK: ... all over America, there are tight school budgets and a lot of schools, the first thing they hit is music education.
HAMLISCH: Right.
NOVAK: Who needs music? Does this bother you?
HAMLISCH: Bothers me a lot. There's no doubt, it's been proved, that kids who do -- who listen to music who do well at, you know, art appreciation, just appreciation, do better later on in their scores for, you know, SAT tests. So that's a proven.
But more than that, what worries me is this. I come into a town, and the cab driver will say, Now, over there we've got for $168 million, we have our soccer stadium. And over there, that's where they are taking down the, you know, the old Philharmonic Hall.
That's one of the weird, horrible moments what's going on right now in America. We have to be very careful of that. I mean, I'm, I know that we've got budgetary problems all over this place. But people have got to care. People, if they want it, they will have it. But they have to want it. And that's really, I think, the -- a crisis that we are going through.
NOVAK: Marvin Hamlisch, thank you very much.
HAMLISCH: Thank you very much.
NOVAK: And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.
HAMLISCH (singing): The Novak Zone, he's got his own. It's called the Novak Zone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAN MIGUEL: Theme song by Marvin Hamlisch there for The Novak Zone.
A plea from Michael Jackson, that's first up in our look of stories -- at stories making news across America. Michael Jackson is pleading for privacy from the swarm of reporters at his Florida home. In a statement, Jackson says there are helicopters hovering overhead and photographers hiding in the bushes of his Orlando estate.
Meanwhile, Jackson's attorney joined media representatives in asking a judge to lift the gag order in the case.
A convicted child molester is facing more charges stemming from a 1996 incident in Oregon. Edward Stokes will be arraigned on Monday on charges of kidnapping and sodomy. Stokes was released from a California prison just a few weeks before his arrest in Oregon this week.
Rescue crews are searching for two people missing in an Illinois chemical plant explosion. Two people were killed in the blast. Evacuations were ordered for one mile around the destroyed plant.
In Ohio, a priest is in jail and is charged in the killing of a nun 24 years ago. Police say new technology led to the arrest of 63- year-old Reverend Gerald Robinson.
Well, like something out of a movie, fact and science fiction collide with the latest in high-tech identification. We're going to take a closer look coming up.
And an idea before its time. One artist's vision finally becomes reality.
CNN SATURDAY MORNING rolls on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: A reminder to weigh in on this morning's e-mail question. Here it is. Do you think photos of the U.S. caskets of returning servicemen and -women should be shown to the public? We will read your responses coming up in about 10 minutes. Here's our address, wam@cnn.com.
Also a reminder, there's a briefing, a news briefing coming up at 11:00 Eastern time with Brigadier General Mark Kimmett, CPA spokesman Dan Senor, at 11:00 Eastern time, 8:00 Pacific. And we will bring that to you live.
Stay with us as CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: If you have not had time to keep up with the news this week, that's what we are here for. Let's rewind now for a look at some of the top stories.
In Basra, five suicide bombings occurred on Wednesday. The death toll more than 70, including 18 students, some on their way to kindergarten.
Also on Wednesday, a car bomb explodes in the Saudi capital, killing five people and wounding 150. A group that says it is sympathetic to al Qaeda claims responsibility.
And that same day, the man who spilled Israel's nuclear secrets is freed from prison after 18 years. Mordecai Manunu (ph) remains defiant, saying that he is proud of what he did.
And a tornado flattens a tavern in Illinois on Tuesday, and eight people were killed.
Tomorrow we will fast-forward to the week ahead and tell you which story will grab the spotlight.
SAN MIGUEL: Well, the future is now, or at least our tech roundup is now. It's about stories showing how the future seems to be creeping up on us more and more these days thanks to technology.
Here's a perfect example. If you saw Steven Spielberg's sci-fi film "Minority Report," you may remember the scene where Tom Cruise walks into a Gap store and a scanner reads his retina, checks it with a computer database, and a computer's voice asks him if he would like another pair of khakis like he bought before.
Well, the same thing could theoretically happen at Wal-Mart soon, thanks to something called radio frequency identification, or RFID, a military technology that Wal-Mart now wants to use to track inventory. A good way to think of it is bar codes on steroids. There you see it right there, a chip embedded in a product tag sends a radio signal to a special reader, which lets the store track the storage and the sale of its products.
But privacy is just one of the issues still to be worked out in this. Maybe you don't want your -- whatever you bought at Wal-Mart tracked by the store. Along with which frequency to use, so your cell phone and other electronics won't interfere in all that. So we shall see.
So did you see the big Internet scare stories in the media this week? A flaw in the Internet's protocols, sort of the rules of the road for the Internet, could let bad-boy hackers collapse the Web, or so the initial reports indicated. I mean, after all the U.S. and British governments issued alerts about this.
But the man who discovered how to exploit the flaw told a Vancouver security conference audience late in the week that it's not that big a deal. Small networks theoretically could get knocked out, but they would recover quickly.
Still, it is an indication of the security mania that exists among cyberspace providers and those who try to secure it these days. And finally, you know Apple's iPod digital music player has crashed the cultural Zeitgeist party when it creates its own cottage industry. Accessories like colorful protective sleeves, separate stereo speakers, and attachments that let you play your iPod through your car stereo can now be found at Web sites like ipodlounge.com, belkin.com, and a host of others.
Never mind about those pesky battery problems that the iPod can occasionally fall victim to. If your iPod does not work, at least it will look good.
Catherine, back to you.
CALLAWAY: I want all of those, except for the little disk.
Well, we all know that the modern automobile was born about 100 years ago. But Leonardo da Vinci actually had detailed plans for a style-and-ride back in the 15th century. A working model was unveiled yesterday in Florence, Italy. All right, it's a small working model, but as you can see, it really does move under its own power. Amazing. Doesn't have a cup holder, though.
Well, the images brought out emotions and opinions all across the country. And coming up next, we will see what you think about these photos. And we're going to read your e-mail coming up on the topic.
Also, good morning, Los Angeles. Your complete forecast in about five minutes.
But first, take a look at this. A woman -- All right, now, now, that's the wrong photograph. That's space. We'll try to get the right photograph for you in a moment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: All right, take a look at this. NASA made a gem of a find this week, a ring of brilliant blue-star clusters wrapped around the yellowfish nucleus of a former spiral galaxy. But you knew that already.
All right, we tried to show you this earlier, and this photograph popped up. And we wanted to tell you what this one is, because a very interesting X-ray, right?
SAN MIGUEL: People have questions about this, yes.
CALLAWAY: People have questions. A woman in Sydney, Australia, complained of her intense pain in her abdomen. And we know why now.
SAN MIGUEL: Yes.
CALLAWAY: Because she had surgery to remove part of her colon, but this X-ray revealed that a 6 1/2-inch pair of scissors was left in. Now, what -- that could have killed her.
SAN MIGUEL: Sure. CALLAWAY: She says she plans to sue...
SAN MIGUEL: And which is, yes.
CALLAWAY: ... we can understand why. But when we tried to show this one a minute ago to explain what that was, guess what popped up? The space picture again.
So, anyway, now we told you...
SAN MIGUEL: So we hope everybody...
CALLAWAY: ... what they both are.
SAN MIGUEL: That's right.
CALLAWAY: We hope you are happy now that we have given you the explanation of both photographs, and we can move on and go to Rob.
SAN MIGUEL: There will be a test after this.
Rob Marciano has the weather. Rob?
MARCIANO: Hey, guys.
We were talking a little bit about rapping earlier. Let's talk now about the jazz fest in New Orleans, 35th annual. And Jazz and Heritage Festival really kind of a misnomer, because they have 12 stages there, just about any kind of music, maybe even rap.
But the temp -- the humidity is typically there this time of year. Temperatures today, 80 to 85 degrees. And also, in a two- weekend stretch, there is always a day where at least one day it rains. And I think tomorrow you'll probably see some thunderstorms roll through at the fairgrounds. Temperatures tomorrow just a little bit cooler, 75 to 80 degrees.
And today, Macey Gray (ph), Lenny Kravits (ph), Herman Thomas (ph), just a huge lineup.
Boston, New York, and D.C., temps today in the 60s and lower 70s, about 10 degrees cooler tomorrow, but pretty much dry. So the rains of yesterday have pretty much moved on.
Nashville, 75, 75 the next two days. Thunderstorms expected today. Atlanta will probably get out of the thunderstorms, will not see them, really, till late tomorrow and tomorrow night. Miami will remain dry as well, with temperatures pretty pleasant.
Chicago, 59, you stay dry until late today and tonight. Sixty- one, some lingering showers tomorrow. Detroit also dry today but wet tomorrow. St. Louis, on and off rainshowers with some thunderstorms today. One of those Saturdays you may want to make alternative plans indoors.
Seventy-two in Dallas, heavy rain, at least this morning, tapering off in the afternoon, a little bit drier tomorrow. Phoenix, 90 to 95, heating up across the Southwest. And it was hot in Los Angeles yesterday. It will be hot in Los Angeles again today, with a high at about 85. Warming up in Seattle and San Fran, temps there in the 70s.
Live shot from Los Angeles, this morning it's 58 degrees. Record high temperatures yesterday, 90 degrees recorded at USC. KABC is our affiliate. You see the blue sky there. Actually, when it gets this warm, you don't see a lot of fog, because you have the offshore winds. So the sun shines pretty nice.
Good morning, Los Angeles. Coming up on 7:00. And there's the downtown skyline.
Here's what's going on around the rest of the country as far as the radars are concerned. This area has been very active the past couple days. Finally that storm system is on the move. And as it does so, we're going to see severe thunderstorms break out. Still a watch box out for the Houston area as this line stretches well from the Gulf of Mexico almost all the way to St. Louis.
And in some of these areas, still some heavy rain dropping on top of saturated soils. So we are looking at some flood potentials as well, especially across parts of northwest Arkansas in through southern Missouri. And there's St. Louis. So we're looking at rainfall for you folks. And there are the flood watches out. So we could use some of this rain over in Atlanta, guys, but...
You know what would be great, Catherine, is for...
CALLAWAY: What, Rob?
MARCIANO: ... is for Renay's annual CNN barbecue. I think today would be a...
SAN MIGUEL: The annual CNN barbecue?
MARCIANO: Where you have all the employees over at your house.
SAN MIGUEL: At the San Miguel estates.
CALLAWAY: Would it be the first annual, or have you had...
SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), it would have to be, but...
CALLAWAY: Because I haven't invited to any of them.
MARCIANO: Well, let's just show up at about 4:00.
SAN MIGUEL: There you go.
CALLAWAY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARCIANO: Fire up the grille.
SAN MIGUEL: There you go. BYOB. Thanks so much. MARCIANO: OK.
SAN MIGUEL: All right, here's our top stories with the hour.
In Iraq, five American soldiers were killed and six wounded when rockets slammed into their base north of Baghdad. Military officials say the rockets landed inside the 1st Cavalry camp in Taji.
In North Korea, aid workers arrived on the scene of a devastating train explosion. North Korea's official news agency today blamed the blast on carelessness, when a downed power line ignited a cargo of fertilizer. North Korean officials reportedly told the Red Cross the blast killed at least 154 people and injured 1,300.
CALLAWAY: Well, all morning we've been asking you to weigh in on our e-mail question. Do you think photos of U.S. caskets should be shown to the public?
SAN MIGUEL: And here's what Dave from Somerville, South Carolina, said. "I'm a retired 23-year active-duty Korean and Vietnam-era veteran. I believe it is a shame that the media displays our troops' coffins on TV. All governments try to protect the right of dignity, but the media has dishonored the dignity of those families' sons and daughters killed in action when they display the coffins on TV. All veterans are asking you not to do that, and please give the families their dignity."
CALLAWAY: And from Frank, "I'm in Iraq, and I believe that we should show the caskets. I mean, that's why we are here, no, to promote democracy and to have freedom? I thought that freedom of the press was one of the rights in the Constitution."
SAN MIGUEL: Mary from Buffalo writes in, "My family had the heartbreaking experience of having a flag-draped coffin come home to us during the Vietnam War. I disagree with the government's contention that the publication of these photographs somehow invades the privacy of the families. Now as then, the American people need to realize what the ultimate cost of war is."
All of you, thank you for writing in today. We appreciate your opinions.
CALLAWAY: And there is still much more ahead today on CNN. Coming up next, it's "ON THE STORY." At 11:00 Eastern time, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiles the king of pop, Michael Jackson, followed by more "CNN LIVE SATURDAY," with the latest from Iraq on today's deadly violence. It is all ahead.
SAN MIGUEL: But for now, that is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Thanks for joining us.
CALLAWAY: We'll have the headlines after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Catherine Callaway.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Renay San Miguel. Good morning to you, if you're just waking up on the West Coast. Thanks to all of you for starting your day with us.
Got a lot of news to cover. Here's what's we've got coming up.
A deadly day in Iraq. This attack kills Iraqis. Another one causes U.S. casualties. We'll get the latest from the country.
CALLAWAY: Remembering a fallen hero, the life and death of Army Specialist and former pro football player Pat Tillman.
SAN MIGUEL: And on a much lighter note, getting musical in The Novak Zone. Composer Marvin Hamlisch drops by a little later.
But first, here's what's happening at this hour.
CALLAWAY: Two U.S. oil workers have been killed in Nigeria. Now, it happened last night on the Niger Delta. The Nigerian army says that the gunmen in a speedboat fired at a riverboat carrying oil workers there. A subsidiary of Chevron-Texaco in Nigeria says that the attack was unprovoked. A third U.S. oil worker was wounded in that incident.
And Iraq today is convulsing with fresh violence. A dozen or so people were reported killed by an explosion in a crowded Baghdad market. Five U.S. soldiers were killed in a rocket attack at the base just north of the capital. In Tikrit, two Iraqi policemen and two Iraqi civilians died from a roadside bomb. In Karbala, coalition troops shot and killed five suspected insurgents.
On the Korean peninsula, a frantic effort to rush emergency aid to the site of a horrific train explosion in North Korea. According to wire service reports, a Red Cross worker at the scene describes a giant crater and utter destruction for more than two miles in every direction. The Red Cross also confirms that at least 154 people died.
On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the Reuters news agency reports that at least 44 deaths occurred after a bus was swallowed up by a landslide. The local police chief tells Reuters that 13 people survived. Five are still trapped and presumed dead. That slide was caused by heavy rains on a hillside that was being cleared of trees by loggers.
In Minnesota, a final farewell today for college student Dru Sjodin. Her funeral this afternoon, her funeral is taking place this afternoon. She disappeared just before Thanksgiving from a mall in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where she worked. Her remains were found a week ago near Crookstown, Minnesota. A suspect has been charged with her kidnapping.
SAN MIGUEL: One deadly attack after another in Iraq, that tops the news at this hour, a rocket attack on a U.S. base north of Baghdad, another at a crowded market in a Baghdad suburb, and an explosion in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.
We get more now from our Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf. She joins us live. Jane?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Renay, the attack on the Taji base north of Baghdad took place just before dawn, when two rockets, at least, slammed into that base, it's a 1st Cavalry Division base, killing five soldiers and wounding six, three of them critically.
Now, that is the deadliest rocket attack on U.S. targets in some months.
And in Baghdad, as you said, another deadly attack, this one on a crowded marketplace in the crowded Shi'a neighborhood of Sadr City. Officials now confirming 12 dead and 25 injured. Among the dead were children who were out around noon in that crowded market buying food, apparently.
And yet another attack in Tikrit, Saddam's home town north of Baghdad as well, where a homemade bomb exploded outside a base there, a 1st Infantry Division base. No U.S. casualties, but two Iraqi police and two civilians were killed, more than a dozen others wounded, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: So Jane, can you talk a little bit about, you know, the interdiction efforts going on with the coalition to try to, you know, stop these arms from moving from one place to another? I know that there were an awful lot of the rocket-propelled grenades and mortars launchers left over from the war and from the Iraqi army, but there has to be some other groups smuggling them as well. What's being done to try to stop that?
ARRAF: Well, that is one of their main priorities, and it's one of the reasons that this ceasefire in Fallujah, that town west of Baghdad that's basically surrounded by Marines with an unsteady ceasefire is so shaky. The Marines have called for townspeople and insurgents to turn in their weapons. So far, they say, they've received almost nothing of value.
But we have to remember, this whole country is basically an arsenal. It was very heavily armed. Almost everyone was in the military. There are a lot of rocket-propelled grenades, lot of explosive materials. And with the borders not exactly secure, there is definitely the fear that things have been coming across the borders as well. They are trying to round them up, although with the Iraqi police and the Iraqi army not yet fully in place, it's very tough, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Jane Arraf, live in Baghdad. Thank you, Jane.
CALLAWAY: The White House is reiterating to Israel that harming Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat would be a serious mistake.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: After hearing the Israeli prime minister say he no longer feels bound by a three-year- old promise to President Bush not to harm Yasser Arafat, the White House sent Israel an urgent message, a pledge is a pledge.
Senior administration officials say it was national security adviser Condeleeza Rice who delivered that message of displeasure in a phone call to Ariel Sharon's chief of staff, Dov Weisslaf (ph).
Administration sources do confirm that Sharon told the president while in Washington last week he may want to go after Arafat because he thinks he has a direct role in terrorism against Israel.
Now, the president himself has made it very clear in his view Yasser Arafat is an obstacle to peace. And Mr. Bush has never had Arafat to the White House. And the president did not back the so- called road map to peace until there was someone else on the Palestinian side to deal with.
However, the White House strongly believes targeting Arafat would be a huge mistake, because, in their view, it would make him a martyr and make the already volatile situation on the ground much worse.
Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAN MIGUEL: It was an eventful 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 there.
(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 is 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 U.S.S. "Cole" in October of 2000.
Well, yesterday's news about the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman certainly put a face on the dangers and sacrifices U.S. soldiers are making every day.
CALLAWAY: And it also made many people stop and reflect on the life that Pat Tillman led.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He saw himself as no different than any other young man and woman that made a decision to serve our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: Coming up, we'll talk more about the man who gave up the fame and the fortune of professional sports to serve his country, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Good morning, Denver. You had snow just a couple of days ago. We'll check your forecast for today in just about 10 minutes. Here's a hint, it's probably melting.
And a bit later, award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch stops the music and pays a visit to The Novak Zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When on the move, intercepted by Pat Tillman.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I hope that all of us revere his memory, share the grief with his family, and recognize that this young man served a cause greater than his self-interest. There's nothing more noble than to fight and sacrifice in defense of someone else's freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: The NFL's Arizona Cardinals will dedicate their new stadium plaza to Pat Tillman. Tillman played defense for the Cardinals before joining the Army Rangers in 2002. He was killed in action Thursday in Afghanistan.
The Army had this statement earlier today from Kabul.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. MATTHEW BEEVERS, U.S. ARMY: Specialist Tillman's body still remains in Bagram, and don't know exactly when that will be, when that'll be evacuated back to the States.
That said, the details of the engagement (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 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, firefight ensued, and that's when Specialist Tillman was killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: Similar memorials are being observed at Arizona State, where Tillman was a standout player.
Bruce Snyder was Tillman's coach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
BRUCE SNYDER, UNLV ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH: For this to happen to somebody that I admire very much, I mean, when I have memories of Pat Tillman, a smile comes to my face, because they're all good.
TIM LAYDEN, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": To him, the usual standards by which we measure success were not important. He internalized success completely. So it can't be surprising that eventually he would seek out some different way to consider himself successful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: And as we just heard from the U.S. Army spokesman, plans to return Tillman's body to the U.S. from Afghanistan have not yet been made.
John Rawlings is the editorial director of "The Sporting News." He joins us now with his recollections of Pat Tillman.
And Mr. Rawlings, we are discussing Pat Tillman on a day when the NFL is having its annual draft. A lot of young men out there are about to get very, very rich, rake in an awful lot of fame. Tell us how Pat Tillman's story puts all of that into perspective.
JOHN RAWLINGS, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, "THE SPORTING NEWS": Well, Pat's life was very consistent with what we saw of him on the football field. He was undersized and an overachiever. He was a walk-on at Arizona State. He was never offered a football scholarship. He was drafted in the seventh and last round of the NFL draft, yet made himself into an NFL player.
So what we saw, his act of leaving the NFL to join the special forces, was very consistent with his view of life and the way he led his life.
SAN MIGUEL: Before 9/11, I mean, he had a chance to make even more money with the St. Louis Rams wanted him to sign a contract for $9 million. And yet loyalty meant so much to him that he stayed with Arizona. Why?
RAWLINGS: Again, because it's perfectly in context with his set of values. The Rams did want him. There's the connection between Mike Marks (ph), the head coach of the Rams, and Arizona State, where he played. But he was dedicated to Dave McGinness (ph), who was the head coach of the Cardinals. Didn't want to leave there because he felt like McGinness had given him a chance when he was -- when Tillman was not expected to be an NFL player. And he thought McGinness deserved his loyalty for giving him that opportunity.
SAN MIGUEL: Now, he made this decision to sign up with the Army after his honeymoon. He married his high school sweetheart. There was -- he didn't want any publicity on this at all. There was no press conference announcing he was leaving on his part. The team made a statement. But he -- I mean, he made it clear that he was not out for the publicity on any of this.
RAWLINGS: Oh, that was painfully clear to those of us in the media. We, among others at "The Sporting News," tried very hard to get an interview with him. I believe at one time when he was stationed overseas, CNN tried to get an interview with him. He wanted nothing to do with that, because he wanted to be just like his other soldiers, his friends, his peers, and he was doing this because he thought it was right, not because he was looking for any promotional value for himself.
SAN MIGUEL: Do you think that the other NFL players out there who are hearing this story today, the ones who are about to be drafted, and the ones who have been in the league for a long, long time, are going to take some kind of lesson from this? You and I, you know, we talk about so many stories involving athletes in trouble, and, you know, the dark side of athletics, that kind of thing. Tell me what they need to take away from this story.
RAWLINGS: I don't know that the players who will be drafted today and become very wealthy young men are much different than any of the rest of us, Renay. I think we all need to look inside ourselves and say, What can I do to make a contribution to the greater good? Certainly I hope that happens today for these young men. But I would hope that, more than that, it makes us all reflect on what kind of contributions we are making.
SAN MIGUEL: While I got you, I need to ask you about the draft today. It looks like it's going to be a very interesting day with the draft. It looks like Eli Manning, the number one, the likely number one pick, the Ole Miss quarterback, is going to pull a John Elway here. What do you think about this? I mean, he -- is he manipulating the draft, or does he have a right to say where he wants to play?
RAWLINGS: I have great sympathy for any player who's drafted. It's as though someone told you, Renay, you can work only for CNN in Atlanta, you have no choice where you are going. It's -- sports is the only industry where that happens. I think if he can use whatever means he has to get himself in a place where he thinks he's going to be successful, more power to him.
SAN MIGUEL: And Maurice Clarett, Ohio State's running back, who wanted to be a part of this draft, the Supreme Court said no. What do you think about this situation here? No real comparisons with the NBA, where players are allowed to go right from high school to the pros?
RAWLINGS: Well, again, only in the NFL can a person who is prepared and ready, and I believe Clarett would be, is denied the ability to make a living at his chosen profession. I don't understand the logic behind saying, because you are not a certain age, you can't play in our league. If a young man can go to med school and be a doctor at 20, if soldiers can be fighting for our country at 20, why can't Maurice Clarett play in the NFL? It's illogical to me.
SAN MIGUEL: Very quickly, is there more of one position? Is this draft stocked with quarterbacks, tight ends, defensive players, than any other position here? What do you think?
RAWLINGS: It's a great draft for wide receivers. And you're going to see wide receivers go very high. Larry Williams might end up being the number one choice when all the maneuvering is good. And even down in the third and fourth rounds, you're going to see a lot of very good wide receivers taken today.
SAN MIGUEL: All right. John Rawlings, editorial director of "The Sporting News," joining us from St. Louis. Thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.
RAWLINGS: You bet.
CALLAWAY: Well, the nation's capital is the site of much debate this weekend. We will take you live to one of the hot spots in the capital today when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Explicit language and raunchy images have some students at the all-female Spellman College turning a cold shoulder to one of the nation's hottest rap artists. Tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING at 7:00 Eastern, the question, have music videos gone too far? On one side of the argument, an artist who went to court to defend his right to produce explicit videos, Two Live Crew's Luther Campbell, coming up tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
SAN MIGUEL: Now we're going to turn to Rob Marciano, who's in the Weather Center, and we are hoping that folks who need some rain today get a nice, gentle rain and no major storms like we saw earlier this week in the Midwest.
CALLAWAY: And maybe in honor of Luther, you could just rap the whole forecast.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You want me to bust a rhyme?
CALLAWAY: Do you mind?
SAN MIGUEL: Go for it.
MARCIANO: Yes, yes, no, I've got nothing. I got nothing. Even though Rob Marciano, another Rob Marciano, is a rapper. But I've got nothing.
SAN MIGUEL: Oh, is that right?
MARCIANO: Yes, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: He's got a little ditty with P. Diddy.
Anyway, I'm talking weather, right?
SAN MIGUEL: Yes.
CALLAWAY: Yes.
MARCIANO: OK.
SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARCIANO: Let's go to Denver. Yesterday was a big day in Denver. They saw several inches of snow. Depending on what part of the city you live in, from four to up to a foot towards (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the foothills. Clear skies this morning, KUSA's our affiliate. It's 30 degrees. So, yes, still some snow on the ground, but temperatures will quickly rise into the 40s and 50s throughout the day today. And you know how that works, a lot of that snow will melt.
All right. Here's the storm system that affected Denver yesterday, and it's pulling out into the Plains. As it does so, this is the same system that brought all the severe weather to the Plains for the past four days. But now it's finally on the move. And, well, eastern Texas and Oklahoma and Arkansas will pay the brunt of it.
The Southeast, though, where they do need the rain, not going to get it. Cool air across Chicago into the Northeast, drying out there. And also dry and warm across much of the West Coast. Good morning to you folks if you are waking up at 6:30 or so in the morning. Temperatures will once again above normal in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Here's that storm system as it pulls off into the Plains. Mentioned that as far north and east as St. Louis and all the way down towards Houston, where right now, that's where a lot of the action is, in spots that have already seen a lot of rainfall. So there are flood watches out for southeast Texas, southwest Louisiana, eastern parts of Oklahoma, in the northwest corner of Arkansas, and even some flash flood warnings out for the next hour or two as some of those rivers have swollen up.
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) orange yellow watch boxes indicating severe thunderstorm watches out for I-10 corridor, Houston east towards the Golden Triangle and in through Lake Charles, Louisiana, into Dallas, Texas, we're seeing showers and storms at this hour. But most of this is a moderate rainfall as opposed to real, real heavy rainfall. But it's over areas that have already seen a lot of rain. So the midsection of the country kind of a washout today.
Sixty-one degrees expected in Chicago, but the rains will hold off till late today and tonight. Atlanta, 82 degrees, another dry day. There's 73 in San Francisco, 81 degrees expected today in Los Angeles, and 55 degrees expected in New York City.
Tomorrow, 57 degrees in Boston, and the rains arrive in Detroit with a high of about 57. Finally the midsection of the country, including Denver, including Oklahoma City, including Little Rock, Arkansas, Sunday looks to be a lot drier than your Saturday and the past couple of days. So we'll start to see things calm down just a little bit.
SAN MIGUEL: Let's hope so.
CALLAWAY: All right.
MARCIANO: Not one thing I said rhymed there. That was pretty lame...
CALLAWAY: I know.
MARCIANO: ... wasn't it?
CALLAWAY: You dropped the ball on that one, though.
SAN MIGUEL: It was iambic pentameter rap. You know, Shakespearean, or whatever. Thanks so much.
MARCIANO: Appreciate (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SAN MIGUEL: We'll talk with you later.
MARCIANO: All right.
SAN MIGUEL: Here's a quick look at some of today's top stories.
An unknown number of people were killed in a Baghdad suburb after an attack on a busy marketplace. The explosions left dozens of people injured.
Elsewhere in Iraq, five U.S. soldiers were killed in a rocket attack north of Baghdad, and a roadside bomb attack in Tikrit killed four Iraqis.
The Bush White House is warning Israeli leaders against targeting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he no longer feels bound by a earlier pledge to President Bush not to harm Arafat.
CALLAWAY: Well, there is an increased police presence on the streets of Washington today. That's probably an understatement, as antiglobalization activists demonstrate against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Now, the institutions are gathering in the nation's capital for their spring meeting.
And our Sean Callebs is there with the very latest on, I'm sure security extremely tight there.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, security is extremely tight, Catherine, but I think demonstrators are sleeping in today. They're not expected to be here for several hours.
We can tell you we're in the heart of Washington right here on Pennsylvania Avenue. Behind me you see the white stone and the glass facade of the World Bank Building. And that really a symbol of oppression to legions of the demonstrators who are expected to make their way down here in a couple hours or so.
Now, they're going to be walking from the Washington Monument, make their way down Pennsylvania Avenue, and end up in this large penlike area that has been set up here by authorities. Police have really cordoned off an area several blocks around the World Bank. And the demonstrators are going to be held right in this area. They're not going to be able to get out.
Those are the knowns. But the unknowns are really what concerns authorities, how many demonstrators will show up, because they've had a certain degree of success in the past in trying to disrupt or shut down IMF meetings. They have often been in these showdowns have been characterized by police with riot gear and tear gas and demonstrators shouting on the other side.
The protesters say they're really concerned because they believe the rich nations are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. They say the elite are really funneling money into these areas to keep a world bet up high. They are promoting, they are not providing sustainable development, just concerned about the short-term profit.
Now, for their part, the World Bank says that simply isn't the case. Its members are going to be insulated from the shouts, the taunts of the demonstrators in large part today. They say they're simply trying to bring these poor nations into the 21st century.
Catherine, back to you.
CALLAWAY: It will be very interesting to see how things develop out there later today. All right, Sean, thank you very much.
We check the stories making news around America when we come back. Michael Jackson makes a plea to the media. We'll have an explanation after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Well, even the smallest of today's high-tech toys need accessories. We will browse the aisles coming up.
Welcome back, everyone. We have that story for you.
SAN MIGUEL: But first, we're going to get to this news alert.
In Cyprus, voters are deciding today whether to accept the terms of a United Nations peace plan. The plan would reunite Cyprus after 30 years of division between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. If the plan fails, Cyprus would likely lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed aid from the U.S.
The Chinese health ministry has confirmed two cases of SARS. A ministry spokesperson also says the mother of one of the SARS patients died this week, and she may have been infected as well. Close to 250 people who had come in contact with the SARS patients have been quarantined.
Two U.S. oil workers and several Nigerian employees of the Chevron Oil Company were ambushed and killed in Nigeria. It happened in the Niger Delta region, where warring factions regularly fire on anyone navigating the waters there. Two other workers, one American and one Nigerian, were injured.
CALLAWAY: Marvin Hamlisch, he's won numerous awards for his musical works, including an Oscar for "The Sting" and a Pulitzer for "A Chorus Line." Well, now he's taken up with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. And that brings a visit from CNN's Robert Novak and a spin in The Novak Zone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone. We are at the Golden Circle lounge at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., with award-winning conductor and composer Marvin Hamlisch.
Mr. Hamlisch, millions of Americans have seen you play the piano. Millions more have heard your songs, great show business songs. But you are now also a famous conductor conducting the Pops Orchestras for the National Symphony here in Washington and the Pittsburgh Symphony.
First place, what is pops?
MARVIN HAMLISCH, CONDUCTOR: Well, pops is something that started many, many years ago, and it's really means popular. It's an orchestra, a symphony orchestra, the same huge, wonderful orchestra that plays Beethoven and Bach, and then on certain days plays the popular music, meaning whether it's Gershwin, whether it's Irving Berlin. It's light classics, let's call it.
And it gives people a chance to come into the orchestra who might be a little bit concerned or, you know, they might not be as warm to, let's say, the classical music as they should be. They come into pops, and it is almost like a stepping stone for them. And they go, Wow, an orchestra, live music. You know, that's something that we're losing a lot of these days, live music.
NOVAK: Do you like being a conductor?
HAMLISCH: I love it. I love it. I, I, you know, I love it because personally, I learn a lot from musicians. And we have some of the best musicians in the world here. And it's not just me, you know, starting the beat and all this stuff. But I learn a lot about, you know, how to get along with people. So it's very good for me.
NOVAK: Now, you have said that today's popular music is a little strange, and you don't like it. What do you mean by that?
HAMLISCH: Well, let's put it this way. I grew up on melodies. You know, my father was from Vienna, the home of the great melodies. I grew up and tried to write all the time a good melody. I find melodies very scarce these days. I'm not sure, in the time capsule, when we put down 2000 and 2004, what is actually going to be kept. You know, we've got some wonderful performers in this world, we really do. I just wish sometimes the songs were better.
NOVAK: Mr. Hamlisch, in your autobiography, you say you were 13 years old, and you heard a Judy Garland concert, and you fell in love with show music at that time.
HAMLISCH: Absolutely.
NOVAK: Yes, did you know you were going to be a composer at that time?
HAMLISCH: I think I did. I tell you the truth, I knew I wasn't going to be Horowitz. You know, the, the Juilliard wanted me to be Horowitz. I couldn't, in fact, at Juilliard, they have these things called the rehearsal rooms. And in the rehearsal rooms, you are supposed to be doing -- That's what you're supposed to be doing.
And I was going (singing), "Earth angel, earth angel, will you... " I was into this kind of stuff. And obviously, you never told anyone at Juilliard that you were into that, you know, so when they walked in -- Hi, how are you?
But yes, it was -- I heard Judy Garland, and then I met Judy Garland through a dear friend of mine who was dating Liza Minnelli, believe it or not. And I met Judy Garland. And I, you know, being around those people for me was just it, it was, like, that was it. I just thought the talent, you know, I work now with Barbra Streisand, one of the great singers of all, all, all times.
NOVAK: Now, I read you were an 18-year-old rehearsal piano player for her?
HAMLISCH: Right, I was. And in fact, it was interesting, because at the time, she had her own pianist, and I occasionally would play for her. Most of the times, I went to Horn and Hardart to get her the right doughnut. That's so important in this world, you know?
But yes. And, you know, that was one of those things where the wheel really went around. You know, I started out as a rehearsal pianist with her. Years go by. I write "The Way We Were."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBRA STREISAND (singing): (UNINTELLIGIBLE) like the corners of my mind...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMLISCH: Years go by, you know, and I'm able to conduct for her. And that's -- those are some of this -- that's some of the greatest parts of my life.
NOVAK: Now, "The Way We Were" is a, is a, one of your great songs you have written. You wrote a chorus, "Chorus Line."
HAMLISCH: Well, "The Way We Were"... written...
NOVAK: Let, what is your...
HAMLISCH: ... "Way We Were," I wrote with the Bergmans, and "Chorus Line" with Ed Kliban (ph).
NOVAK: What is your favorite song that you've written?
HAMLISCH: Probably not one that not many people know, but it's from "Chorus Line," and it's called "At the Ballet." And funny enough, the reason I love it so much is because of one line in it, which I didn't write. But the line is, "Every prince has got to have his swan." I -- when the lyricist put that -- those words with that music, I just went, you know, wow.
NOVAK: What do you want to do next?
HAMLISCH: What do I want to do next? I actually want to keep doing what I'm doing. I just want to keep doing it, you know. Particularly I want to go back to Broadway. Broadway, I love Broadway. And I'm hoping to do a show there in the next couple of years.
And I want to continue with this magnificent orchestra, which I just truly love. I have to tell you, I have to sometimes pinch myself when I'm up there, here, you know, conducting, because, you know, here I am, you know, product of -- I mean, it's the American dream. I'm the product of two immigrants from -- who had to leave Austria early because of what was going on there. And here I am in front of one of the greatest orchestras in the world. So, yes, it's great.
NOVAK: Broadway, you did "Chorus Line." Was that, is that your favorite Broadway show?
HAMLISCH: I did "Chorus Line," I did "They're Playing Our Song," and then I had my bombs, yesterday. It's nice about these bios, because the bios, we keep the bombs out, you know. But yes, we've had, I've had two successes that I'm really proud of. And funny enough, working on "Chorus Line" was wonderful because we worked with a great director, Michael Bennett, who -- that was his idea, it was whole -- his whole concept.
And it was -- yes, still one of my favorite. In fact, we're going to be doing something from "Chorus Line" that we never used in the show, which is the overture. We wrote an overture...
NOVAK: How does that go?
HAMLISCH: Well, it's based on -- And we never used the overture. And we're going to be playing it here at the Kennedy Center.
NOVAK: Pops.
HAMLISCH: Right, with the Pops.
NOVAK: And now the big question for Marvin Hamlisch.
Mr. Hamlisch...
HAMLISCH: Uh-oh.
NOVAK: ... all over America, there are tight school budgets and a lot of schools, the first thing they hit is music education.
HAMLISCH: Right.
NOVAK: Who needs music? Does this bother you?
HAMLISCH: Bothers me a lot. There's no doubt, it's been proved, that kids who do -- who listen to music who do well at, you know, art appreciation, just appreciation, do better later on in their scores for, you know, SAT tests. So that's a proven.
But more than that, what worries me is this. I come into a town, and the cab driver will say, Now, over there we've got for $168 million, we have our soccer stadium. And over there, that's where they are taking down the, you know, the old Philharmonic Hall.
That's one of the weird, horrible moments what's going on right now in America. We have to be very careful of that. I mean, I'm, I know that we've got budgetary problems all over this place. But people have got to care. People, if they want it, they will have it. But they have to want it. And that's really, I think, the -- a crisis that we are going through.
NOVAK: Marvin Hamlisch, thank you very much.
HAMLISCH: Thank you very much.
NOVAK: And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.
HAMLISCH (singing): The Novak Zone, he's got his own. It's called the Novak Zone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAN MIGUEL: Theme song by Marvin Hamlisch there for The Novak Zone.
A plea from Michael Jackson, that's first up in our look of stories -- at stories making news across America. Michael Jackson is pleading for privacy from the swarm of reporters at his Florida home. In a statement, Jackson says there are helicopters hovering overhead and photographers hiding in the bushes of his Orlando estate.
Meanwhile, Jackson's attorney joined media representatives in asking a judge to lift the gag order in the case.
A convicted child molester is facing more charges stemming from a 1996 incident in Oregon. Edward Stokes will be arraigned on Monday on charges of kidnapping and sodomy. Stokes was released from a California prison just a few weeks before his arrest in Oregon this week.
Rescue crews are searching for two people missing in an Illinois chemical plant explosion. Two people were killed in the blast. Evacuations were ordered for one mile around the destroyed plant.
In Ohio, a priest is in jail and is charged in the killing of a nun 24 years ago. Police say new technology led to the arrest of 63- year-old Reverend Gerald Robinson.
Well, like something out of a movie, fact and science fiction collide with the latest in high-tech identification. We're going to take a closer look coming up.
And an idea before its time. One artist's vision finally becomes reality.
CNN SATURDAY MORNING rolls on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: A reminder to weigh in on this morning's e-mail question. Here it is. Do you think photos of the U.S. caskets of returning servicemen and -women should be shown to the public? We will read your responses coming up in about 10 minutes. Here's our address, wam@cnn.com.
Also a reminder, there's a briefing, a news briefing coming up at 11:00 Eastern time with Brigadier General Mark Kimmett, CPA spokesman Dan Senor, at 11:00 Eastern time, 8:00 Pacific. And we will bring that to you live.
Stay with us as CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: If you have not had time to keep up with the news this week, that's what we are here for. Let's rewind now for a look at some of the top stories.
In Basra, five suicide bombings occurred on Wednesday. The death toll more than 70, including 18 students, some on their way to kindergarten.
Also on Wednesday, a car bomb explodes in the Saudi capital, killing five people and wounding 150. A group that says it is sympathetic to al Qaeda claims responsibility.
And that same day, the man who spilled Israel's nuclear secrets is freed from prison after 18 years. Mordecai Manunu (ph) remains defiant, saying that he is proud of what he did.
And a tornado flattens a tavern in Illinois on Tuesday, and eight people were killed.
Tomorrow we will fast-forward to the week ahead and tell you which story will grab the spotlight.
SAN MIGUEL: Well, the future is now, or at least our tech roundup is now. It's about stories showing how the future seems to be creeping up on us more and more these days thanks to technology.
Here's a perfect example. If you saw Steven Spielberg's sci-fi film "Minority Report," you may remember the scene where Tom Cruise walks into a Gap store and a scanner reads his retina, checks it with a computer database, and a computer's voice asks him if he would like another pair of khakis like he bought before.
Well, the same thing could theoretically happen at Wal-Mart soon, thanks to something called radio frequency identification, or RFID, a military technology that Wal-Mart now wants to use to track inventory. A good way to think of it is bar codes on steroids. There you see it right there, a chip embedded in a product tag sends a radio signal to a special reader, which lets the store track the storage and the sale of its products.
But privacy is just one of the issues still to be worked out in this. Maybe you don't want your -- whatever you bought at Wal-Mart tracked by the store. Along with which frequency to use, so your cell phone and other electronics won't interfere in all that. So we shall see.
So did you see the big Internet scare stories in the media this week? A flaw in the Internet's protocols, sort of the rules of the road for the Internet, could let bad-boy hackers collapse the Web, or so the initial reports indicated. I mean, after all the U.S. and British governments issued alerts about this.
But the man who discovered how to exploit the flaw told a Vancouver security conference audience late in the week that it's not that big a deal. Small networks theoretically could get knocked out, but they would recover quickly.
Still, it is an indication of the security mania that exists among cyberspace providers and those who try to secure it these days. And finally, you know Apple's iPod digital music player has crashed the cultural Zeitgeist party when it creates its own cottage industry. Accessories like colorful protective sleeves, separate stereo speakers, and attachments that let you play your iPod through your car stereo can now be found at Web sites like ipodlounge.com, belkin.com, and a host of others.
Never mind about those pesky battery problems that the iPod can occasionally fall victim to. If your iPod does not work, at least it will look good.
Catherine, back to you.
CALLAWAY: I want all of those, except for the little disk.
Well, we all know that the modern automobile was born about 100 years ago. But Leonardo da Vinci actually had detailed plans for a style-and-ride back in the 15th century. A working model was unveiled yesterday in Florence, Italy. All right, it's a small working model, but as you can see, it really does move under its own power. Amazing. Doesn't have a cup holder, though.
Well, the images brought out emotions and opinions all across the country. And coming up next, we will see what you think about these photos. And we're going to read your e-mail coming up on the topic.
Also, good morning, Los Angeles. Your complete forecast in about five minutes.
But first, take a look at this. A woman -- All right, now, now, that's the wrong photograph. That's space. We'll try to get the right photograph for you in a moment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: All right, take a look at this. NASA made a gem of a find this week, a ring of brilliant blue-star clusters wrapped around the yellowfish nucleus of a former spiral galaxy. But you knew that already.
All right, we tried to show you this earlier, and this photograph popped up. And we wanted to tell you what this one is, because a very interesting X-ray, right?
SAN MIGUEL: People have questions about this, yes.
CALLAWAY: People have questions. A woman in Sydney, Australia, complained of her intense pain in her abdomen. And we know why now.
SAN MIGUEL: Yes.
CALLAWAY: Because she had surgery to remove part of her colon, but this X-ray revealed that a 6 1/2-inch pair of scissors was left in. Now, what -- that could have killed her.
SAN MIGUEL: Sure. CALLAWAY: She says she plans to sue...
SAN MIGUEL: And which is, yes.
CALLAWAY: ... we can understand why. But when we tried to show this one a minute ago to explain what that was, guess what popped up? The space picture again.
So, anyway, now we told you...
SAN MIGUEL: So we hope everybody...
CALLAWAY: ... what they both are.
SAN MIGUEL: That's right.
CALLAWAY: We hope you are happy now that we have given you the explanation of both photographs, and we can move on and go to Rob.
SAN MIGUEL: There will be a test after this.
Rob Marciano has the weather. Rob?
MARCIANO: Hey, guys.
We were talking a little bit about rapping earlier. Let's talk now about the jazz fest in New Orleans, 35th annual. And Jazz and Heritage Festival really kind of a misnomer, because they have 12 stages there, just about any kind of music, maybe even rap.
But the temp -- the humidity is typically there this time of year. Temperatures today, 80 to 85 degrees. And also, in a two- weekend stretch, there is always a day where at least one day it rains. And I think tomorrow you'll probably see some thunderstorms roll through at the fairgrounds. Temperatures tomorrow just a little bit cooler, 75 to 80 degrees.
And today, Macey Gray (ph), Lenny Kravits (ph), Herman Thomas (ph), just a huge lineup.
Boston, New York, and D.C., temps today in the 60s and lower 70s, about 10 degrees cooler tomorrow, but pretty much dry. So the rains of yesterday have pretty much moved on.
Nashville, 75, 75 the next two days. Thunderstorms expected today. Atlanta will probably get out of the thunderstorms, will not see them, really, till late tomorrow and tomorrow night. Miami will remain dry as well, with temperatures pretty pleasant.
Chicago, 59, you stay dry until late today and tonight. Sixty- one, some lingering showers tomorrow. Detroit also dry today but wet tomorrow. St. Louis, on and off rainshowers with some thunderstorms today. One of those Saturdays you may want to make alternative plans indoors.
Seventy-two in Dallas, heavy rain, at least this morning, tapering off in the afternoon, a little bit drier tomorrow. Phoenix, 90 to 95, heating up across the Southwest. And it was hot in Los Angeles yesterday. It will be hot in Los Angeles again today, with a high at about 85. Warming up in Seattle and San Fran, temps there in the 70s.
Live shot from Los Angeles, this morning it's 58 degrees. Record high temperatures yesterday, 90 degrees recorded at USC. KABC is our affiliate. You see the blue sky there. Actually, when it gets this warm, you don't see a lot of fog, because you have the offshore winds. So the sun shines pretty nice.
Good morning, Los Angeles. Coming up on 7:00. And there's the downtown skyline.
Here's what's going on around the rest of the country as far as the radars are concerned. This area has been very active the past couple days. Finally that storm system is on the move. And as it does so, we're going to see severe thunderstorms break out. Still a watch box out for the Houston area as this line stretches well from the Gulf of Mexico almost all the way to St. Louis.
And in some of these areas, still some heavy rain dropping on top of saturated soils. So we are looking at some flood potentials as well, especially across parts of northwest Arkansas in through southern Missouri. And there's St. Louis. So we're looking at rainfall for you folks. And there are the flood watches out. So we could use some of this rain over in Atlanta, guys, but...
You know what would be great, Catherine, is for...
CALLAWAY: What, Rob?
MARCIANO: ... is for Renay's annual CNN barbecue. I think today would be a...
SAN MIGUEL: The annual CNN barbecue?
MARCIANO: Where you have all the employees over at your house.
SAN MIGUEL: At the San Miguel estates.
CALLAWAY: Would it be the first annual, or have you had...
SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), it would have to be, but...
CALLAWAY: Because I haven't invited to any of them.
MARCIANO: Well, let's just show up at about 4:00.
SAN MIGUEL: There you go.
CALLAWAY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARCIANO: Fire up the grille.
SAN MIGUEL: There you go. BYOB. Thanks so much. MARCIANO: OK.
SAN MIGUEL: All right, here's our top stories with the hour.
In Iraq, five American soldiers were killed and six wounded when rockets slammed into their base north of Baghdad. Military officials say the rockets landed inside the 1st Cavalry camp in Taji.
In North Korea, aid workers arrived on the scene of a devastating train explosion. North Korea's official news agency today blamed the blast on carelessness, when a downed power line ignited a cargo of fertilizer. North Korean officials reportedly told the Red Cross the blast killed at least 154 people and injured 1,300.
CALLAWAY: Well, all morning we've been asking you to weigh in on our e-mail question. Do you think photos of U.S. caskets should be shown to the public?
SAN MIGUEL: And here's what Dave from Somerville, South Carolina, said. "I'm a retired 23-year active-duty Korean and Vietnam-era veteran. I believe it is a shame that the media displays our troops' coffins on TV. All governments try to protect the right of dignity, but the media has dishonored the dignity of those families' sons and daughters killed in action when they display the coffins on TV. All veterans are asking you not to do that, and please give the families their dignity."
CALLAWAY: And from Frank, "I'm in Iraq, and I believe that we should show the caskets. I mean, that's why we are here, no, to promote democracy and to have freedom? I thought that freedom of the press was one of the rights in the Constitution."
SAN MIGUEL: Mary from Buffalo writes in, "My family had the heartbreaking experience of having a flag-draped coffin come home to us during the Vietnam War. I disagree with the government's contention that the publication of these photographs somehow invades the privacy of the families. Now as then, the American people need to realize what the ultimate cost of war is."
All of you, thank you for writing in today. We appreciate your opinions.
CALLAWAY: And there is still much more ahead today on CNN. Coming up next, it's "ON THE STORY." At 11:00 Eastern time, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiles the king of pop, Michael Jackson, followed by more "CNN LIVE SATURDAY," with the latest from Iraq on today's deadly violence. It is all ahead.
SAN MIGUEL: But for now, that is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Thanks for joining us.
CALLAWAY: We'll have the headlines after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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