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CNN Saturday Morning News

A look at Ahmad Chalabi

Aired May 22, 2004 - 08:00   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.


SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
It is May 22.

Good morning.

I'm Sophia Choi.

ROBERTS: Hi, everybody.

I'm Thomas Roberts.

Thanks for joining us today.

You know, we have a lot to tell you about this morning. Among the stories we're going to be getting into this hour, John Kerry's $75 million question -- will he or won't he accept the nomination come July?

Also ahead, Martha Stewart hopes to pencil in a new trial after the government accuses an expert witness of lying.

And then this -- who says that babies don't come with instructions? We're going to meet a woman who says that her newborn taught her everything that she needed to know about being a new mom.

CHOI: But first, headlines at this hour.

Smoking ruins this morning outside the Baghdad home of Iraq's deputy interior minister. A suicide car bomber killed at least six Iraqis and himself and then wounded 10 others. The defense minister and his wife are among those hurt, but their injuries are not life threatening.

An hour from now, India's new prime minister will be sworn in, ending a week of drama and political instability. Manmohan Singh was designated as prime minister after Sonia Ghandi turned down the job. Congress Party leaders had tried to get her to change her mind, with some going so far as to resign in an effort to pressure her.

Prince Felipe, 35, and Letizia Ortiz, 31, will marry. The wedding took place at noon on the 22nd of May. And there's the bride. You see her there.

ROBERTS: Onto our top story this morning. Eight more investigations are in the works related to possible prisoner abuse. The U.S. military is investigating the deaths of detainees held by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. So far, there are 33 investigations into 37 deaths. Thirty-two of those deaths were in Iraq, five in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, a probe of interrogation procedures is under way in Iraq and CNN has learned that as a result of that investigation, a civilian contractor has been referred to the Justice Department for possible criminal investigation.

CHOI: Well, the five detainee deaths in Afghanistan occurred since August 2002. A brigadier general will lead a top to bottom review of the U.S. detention centers in that country.

We're going to get details from Ryan Chilcote, live from Kabul in just a bit.

But first, a senior U.S. official tells CNN the U.S. military ran or is still running an interrogation facility near the Baghdad Airport, one not previously disclosed. The detainees at the secret facility are described as more senior than average, but not senior enough for the deck of cards status. The official said the detainees there are being treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, but he added, "That's not to say somebody did not get their head dunked in the water," and that's a quote.

Well, scenes of rejoicing in Ba'qubah -- the arrival of busloads of prisoners just released from the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison near Baghdad. Four hundred seventy-five detainees were released yesterday, bringing to 4,500 the number set free from Abu Ghraib since January. The general in charge of the prison plans to release another 500 or so in the coming days.

ROBERTS: Cash and Kerry, that's the focus of today's political news. Two months before he's officially nominated at the Democratic convention, Senator John Kerry considers a rare political ploy that's going to allow him to maximize his money.

CNN's Candy Crowley reports.

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ROBERTS: We're going to cover more political plot lines in about 10 minutes when we talk with Ron Brownstein of the "Los Angeles Times." He's going to discuss the public debate over whether to increase the number of troops in Iraq or to withdraw.

We want to take you back now to our top story, talking about what's happened in Afghanistan in terms of prisoner abuse and detainees there whop have died in custody.

Ryan Chilcote joins us now life from Kabul with more -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (AUDIO GAP) eight (AUDIO GAP).

Let's begin with the war (AUDIO GAP).

ROBERTS: Well, unfortunately we're having some difficulty getting the feed there properly from Ryan Chilcote in Kabul.

Of course, we'll continue to work on that, get the bugs out and bring that story back to you live, right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

CHOI: Could there be a new trial in Martha Stewart's future? Prosecutors say it's doubtful, even though they just filed perjury charges against a government witness from Stewart's first trial.

CNN's Chris Huntington reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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CHOI: Martha Stewart, meantime, appeared in public last night at the Daytime Emmy Awards in New York.

Before the show, she spoke briefly about her case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA STEWART: I'm a true believer in the due process of law and that we have discovered several kind of corrupt problems within the system makes me kind of depressed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Back in the headlines now, so what do you think? Should Martha Stewart be getting a new trial? That's our e-mail question for you this morning. So plug in and write us. The address is wam@cnn.com. We're going to be reading some of your replies coming up later this hour.

CHOI: And time now to check some stories making news across America.

Child welfare authorities have granted visitation rights to a woman who says she's the mother of a 3-year-old girl abandoned in Baltimore. The woman says she hasn't seen her daughter in two years, since the child's father took her and then disappeared. Court records show he was arrested for drug possession just two days after this girl was left with a stranger.

Well, they're cleaning up this morning after a devastating tornado in northwest Iowa. Ninety percent of the homes in the town of Bradgate were damaged by the twister. There were 15 injuries reported. Police have sealed off all roads leading both in and out of that town. ROBERTS: Citing a rise in skin cancer cases, the California state assembly has approved a bill that bans teenagers from using tanning beds. Now, it's the first such legislation in the nation. It does allow teens to get the artificial tans if they get a prescription from a doctor. The bill now goes to the state senate for consideration.

And California's tiny town of Bridgeville has finally been sold. The northern California town gained national attention when it was offered for sale on eBay nearly two years ago. But the winning bidder, well, they never stepped forward to pay up, so it went back on the market. The new owner is a financial adviser from southern California. His bill for this? Seven hundred thousand bucks.

CHOI: If you haven't had time to keep up with the news this week, well, that's what we're here for.

Let's rewind now and look at some of the top stories.

On Monday, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same- sex marriages. Hundreds of couples took advantage of it and tied the knot.

In Iraq on Monday, the president of the Iraqi Governing Council and six others were killed in a suicide bombing. The attack came about six weeks before the June 30 transfer of power.

On Wednesday, the first court-martial in the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. Specialist Jeremy Sivits pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in confinement.

And on Thursday, Iraqi police raided the compound of Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi. Chalabi has been a highly paid and trusted adviser to the U.S. administration. U.S. intelligence officials accuse him now of giving intelligence secrets to Iran.

And tomorrow we will fast forward to the week ahead to tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

ROBERTS: Well, still to come on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, the great divide in this presidential election season time is money. We're going to explain why the gap between the presumed nominees could become a huge gulf by this summer.

CHOI: Also ahead, the public humiliation of Ahmad Chalabi. We'll have a look inside at why the U.S. suddenly pushed aside one of its strongest supporters in Iraq.

And later, forget Dr. Spock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not sure. You're kidding?

(END VIDEO CLIP) COMMERCIAL

CHOI: President Bush will deliver his weekly radio address this morning from his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Yesterday, he spoke at the LSU graduation about the war on terror. In a prime time speech Monday, the president will talk about keeping Iraq on a path toward democracy.

Meantime, presidential hopeful John Kerry will deliver the Democrats' address this morning, where he'll outline his plan to make America less dependent on foreign energy sources. Yesterday, Kerry flew to New York, where he attended a private fundraiser at the home of singer Paul Simon that raised $1 million.

President Bush also delivers his weekly address, as we said, this morning from his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

And two months before he gets his party's official nod at the convention, John Kerry is considering a rare political ploy to help maximize his money.

And for more on that, we turn to Ron Brownstein, CNN political analyst and staff writer at the "L.A. Times."

He's in Washington.

Good morning, Ron.

RON BROWNSTEIN, "LOS ANGELES TIMES," CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Sophia.

CHOI: So, what does Kerry get out of not accepting his party's nomination at the convention?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, this really is another measure of the collapse of the post-Watergate campaign finance reforms. Because up until now, the incentive has always been for candidates to accept the nomination as soon as possible. In the past, candidates who accepted public financing for their primaries had a limit of how much they could spend and they usually hit that limit months before they became the nominee. They were eager to become the nominee so they could get the lifeline of the $75 million or so it would be this year in public financing.

But this year, both John Kerry and George W. Bush have opted out of the system, which means they can raise and spend unlimited amounts until they become the nominee. The incentives have been completely reversed. Once they take the nomination they can't raise any more of their own money. As you saw, John Kerry is raising money hand over fist, like George Bush is, and he wants to delay this as long as possible so he can continue raising money and not have to use that $75 million until the last possible moment.

CHOI: Yes, and he's kind of saying it's unfair because his convention is five weeks before President Bush's, which means he has more time to spend that little bit of money, to stretch it out. BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Right. The $75 million, which is a pretty formidable sum. But, yes, you're right. He has to make it last three months. President Bush has to make it last two months.

The risk in this, though, is that even if he comes up with some maneuver to delay accepting the nomination, that could encourage less attention to the convention itself, which is probably the single most important opportunity a challenger has to introduce himself to the public. And if the price of this kind of a, you know, a strategy is to reduce attention to the convention, it might not be worth it to get another $20 million or so that you can raise to spend on television in August when not that many people are paying attention anyway, because of vacations and the Olympics.

I think they're going to look very, very carefully at this and they're making clear this is only one option that's under consideration. It's one with a lot of down sides.

CHOI: Yes, Ron, you're right, $75 million, a lot to you and me, but not to a campaign, I think, these days.

All right, the Bush campaign already pointing to this as another case of where the rules apply to everybody else, but not Kerry.

Will that argument sell?

BROWNSTEIN: I think it's a little cute. I think they have a case there. Look, John Kerry is a candidate who the Bush people are explaining as this flip-flopper, who, you know, counts how many angels can dance on the head of a pin and is constantly nuancing issues. This does have a little bit of a to be or not to be quality to it, you know, to be the nominee or not to be the nominee.

And that's another reason why I think in the end there are other ways to resolve this problem. Obviously, fundraising for the Democratic National Committee to do advertising. It may be something that in the end they decide has too many down sides, including opening them to the charge from the Republicans that it's simply too cute.

CHOI: All right, let's turn to the war in Iraq, a big issue in this campaign.

What was the most important thing, in your opinion, that came out of the Senate hearings?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think the -- out of the Senate hearings this week, with the senior administration officials, clearly, I think the most important thing was the acknowledgement by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz -- who is one of the architects, as you know, of the war in Iraq, one of the principal sponsors within the administration -- that they underestimated the difficulty in this. And he also acknowledged that it was unlikely that we were going to see any significant commitment of troops from other nations until the violence goes down.

And a very memorable quote, he said, "We and the Iraqis are stuck." And that, he could add to that list at the moment President Bush, because, for better or worse, the war is identified in the public mind as an initiative of the president, something that probably would not have happened without this president in office. And as public confidence in the way the war is going has declined, so has the president's approval rating and he finds himself now trailing John Kerry in most polls.

CHOI: All right, Ron Brownstein, thank you so much for joining us with your insights on this.

Always good to see you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Well, you ever wonder if babies can talk? And if your baby is old enough to walk, but not old enough to drive, you may want to plan a trip to the movies this weekend. We're going to be talking, coming up for you, about stepping into the jury of motherhood, as well as stepping behind the driver's seat and what's hot in the movie theaters.

"Shrek" is pretty hot in the movie theaters. The fairy tale for all ages is back on the big screen, "Shrek 2." We get the scoop for you, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

COMMERCIAL

ROBERTS: A pretty short list of what's new. A relatively quiet weekend at the box office, you know, with one exception, as you saw there. The green guy is back. If you're thinking about checking out the only nationwide release this weekend, here's the scoop for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "SHREK 2")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Abati.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Mexican food, my favorite.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, let's not just sit here with our tummies rumbling. Everybody dig in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't mind if I do, Lillian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I suppose any grandchildren I could expect from you would be...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ogres, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not that there's anything wrong with that, right, Harold?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no. No, of course not. That is, assuming you don't...

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: There's nothing wrong with being an ogre. "Shrek 2" takes you back to the kingdom of far, far away, where the green ogre is up to his greatest challenge -- meeting the in-laws. New fairy tale characters accompany happily married Shrek and Fiona along the way. Pay close attention to the fairy godmother. Her idea of Fiona's happiness does not include Shrek.

Robert Ebert says that "Shrek 2" is "bright, lively and entertaining," but it's no "Shrek."

You know, and, of course, many can give your own reviews, since you've already seen this movie. "Shrek 2" taking in 11.8 million bucks on its opening Wednesday, which is a record for animated features. That's pretty good for a cartoon. But the all time opening on a Wednesday take is $34.5 million by "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King." And I'm sure after this weekend, Shrek will be adding to the coffers. That's for sure.

CHOI: Oh, yes.

I want to see that movie in a big way.

Orelon Sidney is standing by with a look at the weather -- Orelon, you want to see that movie, too?

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what? I do. And it's funny because I don't really go to a lot of movies, but that one I think I'm going to have to see.

ROBERTS: It's a good one.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHOI: Checking our top stories right now, the Pentagon is now looking into more than three dozen deaths of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan. Records show that 37 prisoners have died in U.S. custody since August 2002. Some deaths were from natural causes. But at least six have been listed as homicides or justifiable homicides.

And in Baghdad, a deputy interior minister was the apparent target of a suicide car bombing today. The official and his wife were among those wounded. Not life threatening injuries, though. Seven people were killed, including the attacker.

ROBERTS: OK, everybody, stay with us. We're going to take a short break here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

When we continue, a live report from Tunisia, the site of the first Arab summit since the fall of Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the most highly paid and trusted advisers may have deliberately misled our nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHOI: And did the White House miscalculate in trusting Ahmad Chalabi? CNN's David Ensor probes that murky relationship and why it went sour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New spring shoes giving you a blister? Well, don't get a pedicure until it heals. You could get an infection or give one to somebody else.

Seems simple enough, but there are many common mistakes even smart women make. For instance, if you're taking certain antibiotics, your birth control pills might not be effective.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The hormone pill becomes less effective. And so you want to have a backup method so you don't get pregnant.

FIRFER: Flossing too hard can break the gums and cause nerve damage or infection.

And you should always take your contacts out, no matter how tired you are.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't want to wear them when your eyes are closed, because it sets up a risk of infection and possibly blindness.

FIRFER: And that's just for starters.

Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COMMERCIAL

CHOI: All right, anyone who's ever done some remodeling knows how expensive it really can be. But which remodeling jobs add the most value to a house and which might not really give you your money's worth?

Find out today at 4:30 Eastern. Send your home improvement questions to dollarsigns@cnn.com. Our experts will answer them and take your phone calls. That's "Dollar Signs" at 4:30 Eastern today on CNN.

COMMERCIAL

CHOI: Let's get you caught up now on the latest stories coming to us here at CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

Israeli officials say at least five people have been wounded by a suicide bomber at a West Bank checkpoint. The attack happened a short time ago near a settlement in the Jordan Valley, not far from the city of Nablus. We're just getting that in. I'm sorry I turned my back to you, but we're just getting that in at this point. Also, OPEC oil ministers are meeting today in Amsterdam. They're holding informal talks on a Saudi proposal to boost the cartel's output. Saudi Arabia wants OPEC to raise production quotas by more than two million barrels a day to ease oil prices. A final decision isn't expected until June.

Israeli officials say at least five people have been wounded by a suicide bomber at a West Bank checkpoint. The attack happened a short time ago near a settlement in the Jordan Valley not far from the city of Nablus, as we just reported. A very important story there.

And it's also wedding day in Spain. Take a look at this video. Within the last hour, Spain's Crown Prince Felipe was married in a grand ceremony in Madrid. You're looking at the bride there, Letizia Ortiz, a journalist. Security is extra tight for Spain's first royal wedding in nearly a century. Twenty thousand police are patrolling the city.

ROBERTS: In other news for you this morning, U.S. intelligence officials say there's evidence that Ahmad Chalabi gave U.S. intelligence secrets to Iran. Chalabi is a member of the Iraqi Governing Council and at one time was a favorite of the Bush administration. But on Thursday, Chalabi's home and offices in Baghdad were raided by Iraqi police accompanied by American troops.

We get more on this from our national security correspondent David Ensor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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CHOI: The annual meeting of Arab leaders is under way today in Tunisia. Delegates from the Arab League's 21 countries, along with Palestinian representatives, are focusing on challenges facing the Arab world.

Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is live in Tunisia with more details -- Walter.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sophia, the Arab League summit opened just about an hour ago here, with everyone standing for a moment of silence. The host calling for this moment of silence to commemorate the victims of violence in Israel; of course, the Palestinian victims.

The host, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali said the Israeli-Palestinian issue has to be at the top of the agenda, the top priority of all Arab nations at this point because the fighting, he said, between the Palestinians and Israel destabilizes the entire region.

Broadcasting by remote satellite from Ramallah, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat addressed the Arab League. Of course, he is locked down by the Israelis in Ramallah and could only appear via a closed circuit television hookup.

Arafat again denounced the Israelis, as you would expect, for occupying and deepening, he said, deepening Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. He said there must be an end to terrorism on both sides. He said the Islamic religion prohibits terrorism against civilians. Arafat went on to say that there can yet be a two state solution, Israel living side by side with a Palestinian state, if the Israelis will return to the negotiating table.

As you would expect, Mr. Arafat's speech was a total indictment of the Israelis.

There are other issues on the table here in the Arab League summit, one of them being Iraq, and, of course, almost all of the -- of Arab leaders here are more than a little worried.

One footnote. If there's unity on other issues here, one thing there isn't unity on, Libya's president, Moammar Qaddafi, ever mercurial, stalked out of the Arab League a short while ago. He's been making sounds as if he wants to pull his country, Libya, out of the Arab League -- Sophia.

CHOI: OK, Walter Rodgers in Tunis, Tunisia, thank you so much.

ROBERTS: Well, a lot of developments in the war on terror on this week. Here are a few things that you should be apprised of.

The FBI is warning state and local officials to be on the lookout for suicide bombers here at home. The Bureau cites no specific plans for suicide attacks in the U.S., but it wants to encourage local officials to be on the lookout. Among the things to watch out for -- people wearing bulky jackets on warm days, the smell of chemicals and individuals with tightly clenched fists.

New York City transit officials are also worried. They want to ban unauthorized photography and videotaping on city subways, busses and trains. They say this would prevent terrorists from conducting surveillance of the nation's largest mass transit system.

And a bomb exploded this week outside the McDonald's in Istanbul, Turkey. No one was injured. Meanwhile, in Rome, police diffused two bombs they found outside a McDonald's. The company's president called the overseas franchises "a proud symbol of America which many believe make it a large target for anti-American attacks."

CHOI: Martha Stewart now has new hopes she's headed back to court instead of prison. On the docket this morning, alleged perjury by a key witness for the prosecution. Our legal panel coming up live next hour.

Then at 9:00 Eastern, we pull back the curtain for a rare behind- the-scenes look at the Arab-based, often controversial, Al Jazeera television network. It's a documentary called "The Control Room," and the director joins us live.

Also at 9:30 Eastern, Placido Domingo is called one of the three greatest tenors of his generation. So what's he doing hanging out in the Novak zone?

But first, next -- confused about where you're headed with your newborn? Let the baby drive. Yes, it's the title of a new book detailing that journey called motherhood. The author joins us live right after this short break.

COMMERCIAL

CHOI: Relay For Life, that's what they call one of the largest fundraiser in the world. The event draws more than three million Americans devoted to fight cancer one step at a time.

So where is cancer research today? Find out this morning on House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta at 8:30 Eastern.

COMMERCIAL

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "MAKE ROOM FOR BABY," COURTESY DISCOVERY)

LU HANESSIAN, AUTHOR, "LET THE BABY DRIVE": Any day now, John Deitra (ph) will be heading to the hospital to deliver their third child. While the family is there, our design team will completely take over their house. Our goal is to deliver a new nursery before the family returns the next day.

But this is no ordinary nursery. In less than two days, we have to create an eye-popping, out of this world baby dreamland. It's a tall order in a short time with no room for error.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First of all, I need to know which room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: OK, so your baby is born and you bring him or her home. Well, now what?

Hold on, because your life is about to change 100 percent. Welcome to the uncharted territory of motherhood. And now one mother says there's only one person who can help you find your way, and that's the new baby. She says let the baby drive. And that's the title of her new book, offering insight into navigating the road for new mommies.

The author, Lu Hanessian, joining us now live from New York to talk about this.

Hey, Lu, good morning.

HANESSIAN: Good morning, Thomas.

Thanks for having me.

ROBERTS: And you're very welcome.

So let's talk about this. Do you really literally mean that the baby is supposed to take over the driver's seat and meanwhile, we, the parents, sit in the back seat?

HANESSIAN: That's terrifying, isn't it? Actually, as you can see from the cover, the baby is in the back seat. And it really isn't about who's in control or who's not. It's about building a relationship.

For me, it was really a play on words. Letting the baby drive is really what drives your child. Every child is different and if we can find out that child's nature, we can parent accordingly and build a relationship from there.

ROBERTS: Lu, what I found interesting about this, you being a new mom yourself, you didn't want to put out a book that was really a how to book.

You want this more to be a book about experience and what you've learned?

HANESSIAN: That's a great question. I mean for me as a new mother, there was just -- there were so many advice books out there and I didn't want another advice book. I mean, like all new mothers, I ventured to bookstores and I was looking for that universal play book that apparently applied to all babies everywhere. But I didn't find what I was looking for at the bookstores.

In fact, I found books on expecting and expectations and tips for the overwhelmed and under pampered and I found books on how to survive new motherhood. But I didn't want a book on how to survive. I actually wanted a book on how to thrive as a new mother. And I wanted to read another mother's perspective on her journey, on her choices and her struggles and her lessons.

I mean how did it change her marriage? What happened with preschool? I mean I wanted to know whether she stayed home or she worked. I wanted to know how she struggled and what her aha moments were. And I couldn't find that book anywhere. So I started to write it.

And I wrote it for myself, I wrote it for my kids and I guess I unwittingly wrote it for all mothers in my shoes, who I now realize is the majority. You know, we're all looking for that.

ROBERTS: So, do you think a mother's intuition, though, is really what comes into play here, because you really have to follow your heart and your mind, as opposed to some book that's on the shelf?

HANESSIAN: Absolutely. I mean I think this is about seeing with the heart. I don't think that -- I mean a lot of people get concerned about discipline. Even the moment the baby is born people are thinking about well, is this going to spoil that child.

But I think, for me, one of the biggest lessons has been that effective, to me the most effective discipline is not borne out of our parental righteousness but it's borne out of the relationship that we have with our child.

So I don't know why it is, but somewhere along the road we seem to have lost trust in our own intuition. I think that we imbibe certain messages from society. I think that there are a lot of experts out there and we need experts, to be sure. But I don't think we need to defer our parenting or outsource our parenting to other people. I think that the answers lie within us and our children.

ROBERTS: You know, a lot of new moms out there have to go back to work after the first three or four months. You're a career mom yourself.

So what type of message do you want to send to those parents about trying to juggle both being mommy and also being the executive at the office?

HANESSIAN: Well, you know, one of the things that took me back, Thomas, was how much partisan politicking goes on in motherhood. I mean it's breast versus bottle or work versus home or sleep, you know, cry it out or pick me up. For me, I was a career woman before I had kids and when I had my first son I actually stayed home for the first few years to raise him. And "Make Room For Baby," of course, is the show that I host on Discovery Health channel. I began hosting that last year because it seemed like a terrific show and it was a schedule that made sense for me and my children.

But I think that it is a ferocious debate between working mothers and stay at home mothers, unfortunately because I think that they judge each other very harshly because we're secretly wondering if what we have chosen is right or wrong. And, frankly, there is no wrong or right choice when we're loving our children well.

ROBERTS: Well, the book sounds like a great read. It's called "Let The Baby Drive." I'm sure it's perfect for new moms as well as new dads out there.

They should probably pick it up, too, don't you think?

HANESSIAN: Absolutely. I mean if...

ROBERTS: Absolutely.

HANESSIAN: So far...

ROBERTS: Don't leave...

HANESSIAN: Yes?

ROBERTS: We can't leave out the guys on this.

HANESSIAN: Well, and so far dads that have read it said it was a real eye-opener for them. And, of course, the moms are wildly appreciative because it's a personal story about universal issues.

ROBERTS: Well, Lu, we wish you luck with the book.

Lu Hanessian. Also, luck with your show.

Thanks for joining us today.

HANESSIAN: Thank you, Thomas.

CHOI: Well, once that baby grows up, there will be new challenges to face.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please hold my yearbook.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHOI: In high school, yearbook time is fun, but how do you make sure no one is left out? One girl found a way. Hear her story next, on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

COMMERCIAL

CHOI: For many high schoolers, the end of the school year comes with mixed emotions, a time to kind of look forward to things ahead and a time to look back at memories already made.

And as CNN's Bob Winstead reports, some of those memories truly are precious.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB WINSTEAD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Yearbook time at Winder-Barrow High School Atlanta.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were like 60 books.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I didn't have enough money because of the prom and everything. I wasn't able to buy one.

WINSTEAD: Sophomore Britany McIntyre (ph) thinks everyone should have a yearbook, so she wrote her principal, saying she wanted to raise money to buy yearbooks for those who couldn't afford them.

BRITANY MCINTYRE: They struggled through a year, they need to get a yearbook now to remember their struggles and their triumph.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really didn't know if she would get a lot of response, because many times when you ask for money, you know, you don't get a lot of response. My second response was tears in my eyes. It touched me.

WINSTEAD: It touched the community, as well. Britany says one week after she sent out over 700 letters to local businesses, the donations started pouring in. Like one from Winder business leader Larry Jones, who graduate in 1940.

LARRY JONES: We didn't have a yearbook. And in those 64 intervening years, I have seen what a yearbook means to those that have them.

WINSTEAD: And Dr. David Thompson, a pediatrician whose patients include Winder-Barrow students.

DR. DAVID THOMPSON: I still look at my high school yearbook and I think it's important.

MCINTYRE: And at first my goal was just one yearbook. But then once I saw the response, I wanted to shoot for all the seniors. We ended up taking care of all of the seniors and all of the juniors, offering a reduced lunch, including some sophomores, and ended up running out of yearbooks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You look back and you can always remember the good times you use to have in high school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't think I was going to have a yearbook this year and here I am holding that yearbook.

JONES: It's had an amazing effect among the student body. It's actually brought us together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please hold my yearbook.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you give them opportunities and you listen to them, you will be amazed at the things that they do.

WINSTEAD: Bob Winstead, CNN, Winder, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: All right, so what are you having for breakfast this morning? Maybe an omelet kind of like this one. Well, probably not, because here's why. The one that you're about to see, yes, that costs hundreds of bucks. There's even one that costs a thousand dollars. You're going to find out what makes it so special in our Wows of the Week. That's next.

COMMERCIAL

ROBERTS: Welcome back.

And you're just in time for an eggs-tra special Wow of the Week.

Imagine the size of the chicken that had to lay this egg. Well, you may think it's an ostrich egg, but it's not. It came from a normal, every day chicken. The chicken's owner says he has a very special plan for the fight egg -- breakfast.

Well, that fried egg may be easier to swallow than the price tag on a New York omelet. Look at this. Norma's Restaurant is offering this treat for just 1,000 bucks. Needless to say, it isn't the eggs that make it so pricey. The omelet contains a full lobster and 10 ounces of a very pricey caviar.

CHOI: I'll split one with you. ROBERTS: You can get a smaller one, I think, for like a hundred bucks.

CHOI: No.

ROBERTS: Also, you'd almost think that the thousand dollar omelets were made from these eggs. The $90 million collection of Faberge eggs are on display in Moscow for the first time in some 80 years. The nine eggs were designed by the personal jeweler of the czars of Russia. Just don't try to crack one open, because security will be on you faster than...

CHOI: Yes, yes, yes.

ROBERTS: ... you can imagine.

CHOI: Exactly. Beautiful.

ROBERTS: That omelet, though, that did look good. Someone's probably making an omelet at home right now.

CHOI: Yes, but caviar and...

ROBERTS: Maybe not like that.

CHOI: ... lobster? A full lobster? Sidney, you up for that, Orelon?

SIDNEY: Nah. I'm not into seafood at all, I'll tell you, especially not on an egg. That just doesn't seem like it fits.

ROBERTS: It doesn't seem like it goes together.

SIDNEY: It doesn't.

ROBERTS: Even for a thousand bucks with the price tag? No.

CHOI: You have to have fine

SIDNEY: Can you imagine (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

CHOI: It's an acquired taste, my dear. An acquired taste.

SIDNEY: I won't be able to afford to acquire it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHOI: Let's check the headlines right now.

The Pentagon says the deaths of at least six detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan appear to have been deliberate. Of the 37 people who have died while in U.S. custody in those two countries since August 2002, the Pentagon is now investigating two of them as homicides. Four are listed as justifiable homicides.

And in New York, an expert witness in the Martha Stewart trial has been charged with two counts of perjury. Defense attorneys immediately seized on that new development, saying Stewart should have a new trial.

ROBERTS: That was our e-mail question for you this morning. We wanted to find out what you think about this new information coming to light. Should Martha be getting a new trial?

Our e-mail address, wam@cnn.com.

We're going to go ahead and read those first responses coming in.

CHOI: And Dale Friesen says: "Yes, I'd give Martha Stewart a new trial. The case is about lying and the prosecution has raised questions as to the truthfulness of its own expert witness on a matter that goes straight to the core issue."

ROBERTS: The next one coming into us today: "Ms. Stewart should at the very least receive a new trial. This one seems to have been flawed from the beginning -- unheard of charges, lying jury member and now a senior Secret Service agent committing perjury." That coming to us from L.A. Hemond.

In the next hour and throughout the morning, we're going to continue to read your responses. So if you want to e-mail us, there's the address -- wam@cnn.com.

And the next...

CHOI: So far -- I was going to say, so far both of them saying Martha should get a new trial. So we'll see if we get any diverging comments.

ROBERTS: The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING starts right now.

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


Aired May 22, 2004 - 08:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
It is May 22.

Good morning.

I'm Sophia Choi.

ROBERTS: Hi, everybody.

I'm Thomas Roberts.

Thanks for joining us today.

You know, we have a lot to tell you about this morning. Among the stories we're going to be getting into this hour, John Kerry's $75 million question -- will he or won't he accept the nomination come July?

Also ahead, Martha Stewart hopes to pencil in a new trial after the government accuses an expert witness of lying.

And then this -- who says that babies don't come with instructions? We're going to meet a woman who says that her newborn taught her everything that she needed to know about being a new mom.

CHOI: But first, headlines at this hour.

Smoking ruins this morning outside the Baghdad home of Iraq's deputy interior minister. A suicide car bomber killed at least six Iraqis and himself and then wounded 10 others. The defense minister and his wife are among those hurt, but their injuries are not life threatening.

An hour from now, India's new prime minister will be sworn in, ending a week of drama and political instability. Manmohan Singh was designated as prime minister after Sonia Ghandi turned down the job. Congress Party leaders had tried to get her to change her mind, with some going so far as to resign in an effort to pressure her.

Prince Felipe, 35, and Letizia Ortiz, 31, will marry. The wedding took place at noon on the 22nd of May. And there's the bride. You see her there.

ROBERTS: Onto our top story this morning. Eight more investigations are in the works related to possible prisoner abuse. The U.S. military is investigating the deaths of detainees held by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. So far, there are 33 investigations into 37 deaths. Thirty-two of those deaths were in Iraq, five in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, a probe of interrogation procedures is under way in Iraq and CNN has learned that as a result of that investigation, a civilian contractor has been referred to the Justice Department for possible criminal investigation.

CHOI: Well, the five detainee deaths in Afghanistan occurred since August 2002. A brigadier general will lead a top to bottom review of the U.S. detention centers in that country.

We're going to get details from Ryan Chilcote, live from Kabul in just a bit.

But first, a senior U.S. official tells CNN the U.S. military ran or is still running an interrogation facility near the Baghdad Airport, one not previously disclosed. The detainees at the secret facility are described as more senior than average, but not senior enough for the deck of cards status. The official said the detainees there are being treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, but he added, "That's not to say somebody did not get their head dunked in the water," and that's a quote.

Well, scenes of rejoicing in Ba'qubah -- the arrival of busloads of prisoners just released from the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison near Baghdad. Four hundred seventy-five detainees were released yesterday, bringing to 4,500 the number set free from Abu Ghraib since January. The general in charge of the prison plans to release another 500 or so in the coming days.

ROBERTS: Cash and Kerry, that's the focus of today's political news. Two months before he's officially nominated at the Democratic convention, Senator John Kerry considers a rare political ploy that's going to allow him to maximize his money.

CNN's Candy Crowley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

05210003.v98

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: We're going to cover more political plot lines in about 10 minutes when we talk with Ron Brownstein of the "Los Angeles Times." He's going to discuss the public debate over whether to increase the number of troops in Iraq or to withdraw.

We want to take you back now to our top story, talking about what's happened in Afghanistan in terms of prisoner abuse and detainees there whop have died in custody.

Ryan Chilcote joins us now life from Kabul with more -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (AUDIO GAP) eight (AUDIO GAP).

Let's begin with the war (AUDIO GAP).

ROBERTS: Well, unfortunately we're having some difficulty getting the feed there properly from Ryan Chilcote in Kabul.

Of course, we'll continue to work on that, get the bugs out and bring that story back to you live, right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

CHOI: Could there be a new trial in Martha Stewart's future? Prosecutors say it's doubtful, even though they just filed perjury charges against a government witness from Stewart's first trial.

CNN's Chris Huntington reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

05210003.v84

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHOI: Martha Stewart, meantime, appeared in public last night at the Daytime Emmy Awards in New York.

Before the show, she spoke briefly about her case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA STEWART: I'm a true believer in the due process of law and that we have discovered several kind of corrupt problems within the system makes me kind of depressed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Back in the headlines now, so what do you think? Should Martha Stewart be getting a new trial? That's our e-mail question for you this morning. So plug in and write us. The address is wam@cnn.com. We're going to be reading some of your replies coming up later this hour.

CHOI: And time now to check some stories making news across America.

Child welfare authorities have granted visitation rights to a woman who says she's the mother of a 3-year-old girl abandoned in Baltimore. The woman says she hasn't seen her daughter in two years, since the child's father took her and then disappeared. Court records show he was arrested for drug possession just two days after this girl was left with a stranger.

Well, they're cleaning up this morning after a devastating tornado in northwest Iowa. Ninety percent of the homes in the town of Bradgate were damaged by the twister. There were 15 injuries reported. Police have sealed off all roads leading both in and out of that town. ROBERTS: Citing a rise in skin cancer cases, the California state assembly has approved a bill that bans teenagers from using tanning beds. Now, it's the first such legislation in the nation. It does allow teens to get the artificial tans if they get a prescription from a doctor. The bill now goes to the state senate for consideration.

And California's tiny town of Bridgeville has finally been sold. The northern California town gained national attention when it was offered for sale on eBay nearly two years ago. But the winning bidder, well, they never stepped forward to pay up, so it went back on the market. The new owner is a financial adviser from southern California. His bill for this? Seven hundred thousand bucks.

CHOI: If you haven't had time to keep up with the news this week, well, that's what we're here for.

Let's rewind now and look at some of the top stories.

On Monday, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same- sex marriages. Hundreds of couples took advantage of it and tied the knot.

In Iraq on Monday, the president of the Iraqi Governing Council and six others were killed in a suicide bombing. The attack came about six weeks before the June 30 transfer of power.

On Wednesday, the first court-martial in the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. Specialist Jeremy Sivits pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in confinement.

And on Thursday, Iraqi police raided the compound of Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi. Chalabi has been a highly paid and trusted adviser to the U.S. administration. U.S. intelligence officials accuse him now of giving intelligence secrets to Iran.

And tomorrow we will fast forward to the week ahead to tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

ROBERTS: Well, still to come on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, the great divide in this presidential election season time is money. We're going to explain why the gap between the presumed nominees could become a huge gulf by this summer.

CHOI: Also ahead, the public humiliation of Ahmad Chalabi. We'll have a look inside at why the U.S. suddenly pushed aside one of its strongest supporters in Iraq.

And later, forget Dr. Spock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not sure. You're kidding?

(END VIDEO CLIP) COMMERCIAL

CHOI: President Bush will deliver his weekly radio address this morning from his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Yesterday, he spoke at the LSU graduation about the war on terror. In a prime time speech Monday, the president will talk about keeping Iraq on a path toward democracy.

Meantime, presidential hopeful John Kerry will deliver the Democrats' address this morning, where he'll outline his plan to make America less dependent on foreign energy sources. Yesterday, Kerry flew to New York, where he attended a private fundraiser at the home of singer Paul Simon that raised $1 million.

President Bush also delivers his weekly address, as we said, this morning from his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

And two months before he gets his party's official nod at the convention, John Kerry is considering a rare political ploy to help maximize his money.

And for more on that, we turn to Ron Brownstein, CNN political analyst and staff writer at the "L.A. Times."

He's in Washington.

Good morning, Ron.

RON BROWNSTEIN, "LOS ANGELES TIMES," CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Sophia.

CHOI: So, what does Kerry get out of not accepting his party's nomination at the convention?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, this really is another measure of the collapse of the post-Watergate campaign finance reforms. Because up until now, the incentive has always been for candidates to accept the nomination as soon as possible. In the past, candidates who accepted public financing for their primaries had a limit of how much they could spend and they usually hit that limit months before they became the nominee. They were eager to become the nominee so they could get the lifeline of the $75 million or so it would be this year in public financing.

But this year, both John Kerry and George W. Bush have opted out of the system, which means they can raise and spend unlimited amounts until they become the nominee. The incentives have been completely reversed. Once they take the nomination they can't raise any more of their own money. As you saw, John Kerry is raising money hand over fist, like George Bush is, and he wants to delay this as long as possible so he can continue raising money and not have to use that $75 million until the last possible moment.

CHOI: Yes, and he's kind of saying it's unfair because his convention is five weeks before President Bush's, which means he has more time to spend that little bit of money, to stretch it out. BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Right. The $75 million, which is a pretty formidable sum. But, yes, you're right. He has to make it last three months. President Bush has to make it last two months.

The risk in this, though, is that even if he comes up with some maneuver to delay accepting the nomination, that could encourage less attention to the convention itself, which is probably the single most important opportunity a challenger has to introduce himself to the public. And if the price of this kind of a, you know, a strategy is to reduce attention to the convention, it might not be worth it to get another $20 million or so that you can raise to spend on television in August when not that many people are paying attention anyway, because of vacations and the Olympics.

I think they're going to look very, very carefully at this and they're making clear this is only one option that's under consideration. It's one with a lot of down sides.

CHOI: Yes, Ron, you're right, $75 million, a lot to you and me, but not to a campaign, I think, these days.

All right, the Bush campaign already pointing to this as another case of where the rules apply to everybody else, but not Kerry.

Will that argument sell?

BROWNSTEIN: I think it's a little cute. I think they have a case there. Look, John Kerry is a candidate who the Bush people are explaining as this flip-flopper, who, you know, counts how many angels can dance on the head of a pin and is constantly nuancing issues. This does have a little bit of a to be or not to be quality to it, you know, to be the nominee or not to be the nominee.

And that's another reason why I think in the end there are other ways to resolve this problem. Obviously, fundraising for the Democratic National Committee to do advertising. It may be something that in the end they decide has too many down sides, including opening them to the charge from the Republicans that it's simply too cute.

CHOI: All right, let's turn to the war in Iraq, a big issue in this campaign.

What was the most important thing, in your opinion, that came out of the Senate hearings?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think the -- out of the Senate hearings this week, with the senior administration officials, clearly, I think the most important thing was the acknowledgement by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz -- who is one of the architects, as you know, of the war in Iraq, one of the principal sponsors within the administration -- that they underestimated the difficulty in this. And he also acknowledged that it was unlikely that we were going to see any significant commitment of troops from other nations until the violence goes down.

And a very memorable quote, he said, "We and the Iraqis are stuck." And that, he could add to that list at the moment President Bush, because, for better or worse, the war is identified in the public mind as an initiative of the president, something that probably would not have happened without this president in office. And as public confidence in the way the war is going has declined, so has the president's approval rating and he finds himself now trailing John Kerry in most polls.

CHOI: All right, Ron Brownstein, thank you so much for joining us with your insights on this.

Always good to see you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Well, you ever wonder if babies can talk? And if your baby is old enough to walk, but not old enough to drive, you may want to plan a trip to the movies this weekend. We're going to be talking, coming up for you, about stepping into the jury of motherhood, as well as stepping behind the driver's seat and what's hot in the movie theaters.

"Shrek" is pretty hot in the movie theaters. The fairy tale for all ages is back on the big screen, "Shrek 2." We get the scoop for you, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

COMMERCIAL

ROBERTS: A pretty short list of what's new. A relatively quiet weekend at the box office, you know, with one exception, as you saw there. The green guy is back. If you're thinking about checking out the only nationwide release this weekend, here's the scoop for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "SHREK 2")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Abati.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Mexican food, my favorite.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, let's not just sit here with our tummies rumbling. Everybody dig in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't mind if I do, Lillian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I suppose any grandchildren I could expect from you would be...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ogres, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not that there's anything wrong with that, right, Harold?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no. No, of course not. That is, assuming you don't...

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: There's nothing wrong with being an ogre. "Shrek 2" takes you back to the kingdom of far, far away, where the green ogre is up to his greatest challenge -- meeting the in-laws. New fairy tale characters accompany happily married Shrek and Fiona along the way. Pay close attention to the fairy godmother. Her idea of Fiona's happiness does not include Shrek.

Robert Ebert says that "Shrek 2" is "bright, lively and entertaining," but it's no "Shrek."

You know, and, of course, many can give your own reviews, since you've already seen this movie. "Shrek 2" taking in 11.8 million bucks on its opening Wednesday, which is a record for animated features. That's pretty good for a cartoon. But the all time opening on a Wednesday take is $34.5 million by "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King." And I'm sure after this weekend, Shrek will be adding to the coffers. That's for sure.

CHOI: Oh, yes.

I want to see that movie in a big way.

Orelon Sidney is standing by with a look at the weather -- Orelon, you want to see that movie, too?

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what? I do. And it's funny because I don't really go to a lot of movies, but that one I think I'm going to have to see.

ROBERTS: It's a good one.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHOI: Checking our top stories right now, the Pentagon is now looking into more than three dozen deaths of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan. Records show that 37 prisoners have died in U.S. custody since August 2002. Some deaths were from natural causes. But at least six have been listed as homicides or justifiable homicides.

And in Baghdad, a deputy interior minister was the apparent target of a suicide car bombing today. The official and his wife were among those wounded. Not life threatening injuries, though. Seven people were killed, including the attacker.

ROBERTS: OK, everybody, stay with us. We're going to take a short break here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

When we continue, a live report from Tunisia, the site of the first Arab summit since the fall of Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the most highly paid and trusted advisers may have deliberately misled our nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHOI: And did the White House miscalculate in trusting Ahmad Chalabi? CNN's David Ensor probes that murky relationship and why it went sour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New spring shoes giving you a blister? Well, don't get a pedicure until it heals. You could get an infection or give one to somebody else.

Seems simple enough, but there are many common mistakes even smart women make. For instance, if you're taking certain antibiotics, your birth control pills might not be effective.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The hormone pill becomes less effective. And so you want to have a backup method so you don't get pregnant.

FIRFER: Flossing too hard can break the gums and cause nerve damage or infection.

And you should always take your contacts out, no matter how tired you are.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't want to wear them when your eyes are closed, because it sets up a risk of infection and possibly blindness.

FIRFER: And that's just for starters.

Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COMMERCIAL

CHOI: All right, anyone who's ever done some remodeling knows how expensive it really can be. But which remodeling jobs add the most value to a house and which might not really give you your money's worth?

Find out today at 4:30 Eastern. Send your home improvement questions to dollarsigns@cnn.com. Our experts will answer them and take your phone calls. That's "Dollar Signs" at 4:30 Eastern today on CNN.

COMMERCIAL

CHOI: Let's get you caught up now on the latest stories coming to us here at CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

Israeli officials say at least five people have been wounded by a suicide bomber at a West Bank checkpoint. The attack happened a short time ago near a settlement in the Jordan Valley, not far from the city of Nablus. We're just getting that in. I'm sorry I turned my back to you, but we're just getting that in at this point. Also, OPEC oil ministers are meeting today in Amsterdam. They're holding informal talks on a Saudi proposal to boost the cartel's output. Saudi Arabia wants OPEC to raise production quotas by more than two million barrels a day to ease oil prices. A final decision isn't expected until June.

Israeli officials say at least five people have been wounded by a suicide bomber at a West Bank checkpoint. The attack happened a short time ago near a settlement in the Jordan Valley not far from the city of Nablus, as we just reported. A very important story there.

And it's also wedding day in Spain. Take a look at this video. Within the last hour, Spain's Crown Prince Felipe was married in a grand ceremony in Madrid. You're looking at the bride there, Letizia Ortiz, a journalist. Security is extra tight for Spain's first royal wedding in nearly a century. Twenty thousand police are patrolling the city.

ROBERTS: In other news for you this morning, U.S. intelligence officials say there's evidence that Ahmad Chalabi gave U.S. intelligence secrets to Iran. Chalabi is a member of the Iraqi Governing Council and at one time was a favorite of the Bush administration. But on Thursday, Chalabi's home and offices in Baghdad were raided by Iraqi police accompanied by American troops.

We get more on this from our national security correspondent David Ensor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

05210003.v84

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHOI: The annual meeting of Arab leaders is under way today in Tunisia. Delegates from the Arab League's 21 countries, along with Palestinian representatives, are focusing on challenges facing the Arab world.

Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is live in Tunisia with more details -- Walter.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sophia, the Arab League summit opened just about an hour ago here, with everyone standing for a moment of silence. The host calling for this moment of silence to commemorate the victims of violence in Israel; of course, the Palestinian victims.

The host, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali said the Israeli-Palestinian issue has to be at the top of the agenda, the top priority of all Arab nations at this point because the fighting, he said, between the Palestinians and Israel destabilizes the entire region.

Broadcasting by remote satellite from Ramallah, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat addressed the Arab League. Of course, he is locked down by the Israelis in Ramallah and could only appear via a closed circuit television hookup.

Arafat again denounced the Israelis, as you would expect, for occupying and deepening, he said, deepening Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. He said there must be an end to terrorism on both sides. He said the Islamic religion prohibits terrorism against civilians. Arafat went on to say that there can yet be a two state solution, Israel living side by side with a Palestinian state, if the Israelis will return to the negotiating table.

As you would expect, Mr. Arafat's speech was a total indictment of the Israelis.

There are other issues on the table here in the Arab League summit, one of them being Iraq, and, of course, almost all of the -- of Arab leaders here are more than a little worried.

One footnote. If there's unity on other issues here, one thing there isn't unity on, Libya's president, Moammar Qaddafi, ever mercurial, stalked out of the Arab League a short while ago. He's been making sounds as if he wants to pull his country, Libya, out of the Arab League -- Sophia.

CHOI: OK, Walter Rodgers in Tunis, Tunisia, thank you so much.

ROBERTS: Well, a lot of developments in the war on terror on this week. Here are a few things that you should be apprised of.

The FBI is warning state and local officials to be on the lookout for suicide bombers here at home. The Bureau cites no specific plans for suicide attacks in the U.S., but it wants to encourage local officials to be on the lookout. Among the things to watch out for -- people wearing bulky jackets on warm days, the smell of chemicals and individuals with tightly clenched fists.

New York City transit officials are also worried. They want to ban unauthorized photography and videotaping on city subways, busses and trains. They say this would prevent terrorists from conducting surveillance of the nation's largest mass transit system.

And a bomb exploded this week outside the McDonald's in Istanbul, Turkey. No one was injured. Meanwhile, in Rome, police diffused two bombs they found outside a McDonald's. The company's president called the overseas franchises "a proud symbol of America which many believe make it a large target for anti-American attacks."

CHOI: Martha Stewart now has new hopes she's headed back to court instead of prison. On the docket this morning, alleged perjury by a key witness for the prosecution. Our legal panel coming up live next hour.

Then at 9:00 Eastern, we pull back the curtain for a rare behind- the-scenes look at the Arab-based, often controversial, Al Jazeera television network. It's a documentary called "The Control Room," and the director joins us live.

Also at 9:30 Eastern, Placido Domingo is called one of the three greatest tenors of his generation. So what's he doing hanging out in the Novak zone?

But first, next -- confused about where you're headed with your newborn? Let the baby drive. Yes, it's the title of a new book detailing that journey called motherhood. The author joins us live right after this short break.

COMMERCIAL

CHOI: Relay For Life, that's what they call one of the largest fundraiser in the world. The event draws more than three million Americans devoted to fight cancer one step at a time.

So where is cancer research today? Find out this morning on House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta at 8:30 Eastern.

COMMERCIAL

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "MAKE ROOM FOR BABY," COURTESY DISCOVERY)

LU HANESSIAN, AUTHOR, "LET THE BABY DRIVE": Any day now, John Deitra (ph) will be heading to the hospital to deliver their third child. While the family is there, our design team will completely take over their house. Our goal is to deliver a new nursery before the family returns the next day.

But this is no ordinary nursery. In less than two days, we have to create an eye-popping, out of this world baby dreamland. It's a tall order in a short time with no room for error.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First of all, I need to know which room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: OK, so your baby is born and you bring him or her home. Well, now what?

Hold on, because your life is about to change 100 percent. Welcome to the uncharted territory of motherhood. And now one mother says there's only one person who can help you find your way, and that's the new baby. She says let the baby drive. And that's the title of her new book, offering insight into navigating the road for new mommies.

The author, Lu Hanessian, joining us now live from New York to talk about this.

Hey, Lu, good morning.

HANESSIAN: Good morning, Thomas.

Thanks for having me.

ROBERTS: And you're very welcome.

So let's talk about this. Do you really literally mean that the baby is supposed to take over the driver's seat and meanwhile, we, the parents, sit in the back seat?

HANESSIAN: That's terrifying, isn't it? Actually, as you can see from the cover, the baby is in the back seat. And it really isn't about who's in control or who's not. It's about building a relationship.

For me, it was really a play on words. Letting the baby drive is really what drives your child. Every child is different and if we can find out that child's nature, we can parent accordingly and build a relationship from there.

ROBERTS: Lu, what I found interesting about this, you being a new mom yourself, you didn't want to put out a book that was really a how to book.

You want this more to be a book about experience and what you've learned?

HANESSIAN: That's a great question. I mean for me as a new mother, there was just -- there were so many advice books out there and I didn't want another advice book. I mean, like all new mothers, I ventured to bookstores and I was looking for that universal play book that apparently applied to all babies everywhere. But I didn't find what I was looking for at the bookstores.

In fact, I found books on expecting and expectations and tips for the overwhelmed and under pampered and I found books on how to survive new motherhood. But I didn't want a book on how to survive. I actually wanted a book on how to thrive as a new mother. And I wanted to read another mother's perspective on her journey, on her choices and her struggles and her lessons.

I mean how did it change her marriage? What happened with preschool? I mean I wanted to know whether she stayed home or she worked. I wanted to know how she struggled and what her aha moments were. And I couldn't find that book anywhere. So I started to write it.

And I wrote it for myself, I wrote it for my kids and I guess I unwittingly wrote it for all mothers in my shoes, who I now realize is the majority. You know, we're all looking for that.

ROBERTS: So, do you think a mother's intuition, though, is really what comes into play here, because you really have to follow your heart and your mind, as opposed to some book that's on the shelf?

HANESSIAN: Absolutely. I mean I think this is about seeing with the heart. I don't think that -- I mean a lot of people get concerned about discipline. Even the moment the baby is born people are thinking about well, is this going to spoil that child.

But I think, for me, one of the biggest lessons has been that effective, to me the most effective discipline is not borne out of our parental righteousness but it's borne out of the relationship that we have with our child.

So I don't know why it is, but somewhere along the road we seem to have lost trust in our own intuition. I think that we imbibe certain messages from society. I think that there are a lot of experts out there and we need experts, to be sure. But I don't think we need to defer our parenting or outsource our parenting to other people. I think that the answers lie within us and our children.

ROBERTS: You know, a lot of new moms out there have to go back to work after the first three or four months. You're a career mom yourself.

So what type of message do you want to send to those parents about trying to juggle both being mommy and also being the executive at the office?

HANESSIAN: Well, you know, one of the things that took me back, Thomas, was how much partisan politicking goes on in motherhood. I mean it's breast versus bottle or work versus home or sleep, you know, cry it out or pick me up. For me, I was a career woman before I had kids and when I had my first son I actually stayed home for the first few years to raise him. And "Make Room For Baby," of course, is the show that I host on Discovery Health channel. I began hosting that last year because it seemed like a terrific show and it was a schedule that made sense for me and my children.

But I think that it is a ferocious debate between working mothers and stay at home mothers, unfortunately because I think that they judge each other very harshly because we're secretly wondering if what we have chosen is right or wrong. And, frankly, there is no wrong or right choice when we're loving our children well.

ROBERTS: Well, the book sounds like a great read. It's called "Let The Baby Drive." I'm sure it's perfect for new moms as well as new dads out there.

They should probably pick it up, too, don't you think?

HANESSIAN: Absolutely. I mean if...

ROBERTS: Absolutely.

HANESSIAN: So far...

ROBERTS: Don't leave...

HANESSIAN: Yes?

ROBERTS: We can't leave out the guys on this.

HANESSIAN: Well, and so far dads that have read it said it was a real eye-opener for them. And, of course, the moms are wildly appreciative because it's a personal story about universal issues.

ROBERTS: Well, Lu, we wish you luck with the book.

Lu Hanessian. Also, luck with your show.

Thanks for joining us today.

HANESSIAN: Thank you, Thomas.

CHOI: Well, once that baby grows up, there will be new challenges to face.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please hold my yearbook.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHOI: In high school, yearbook time is fun, but how do you make sure no one is left out? One girl found a way. Hear her story next, on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

COMMERCIAL

CHOI: For many high schoolers, the end of the school year comes with mixed emotions, a time to kind of look forward to things ahead and a time to look back at memories already made.

And as CNN's Bob Winstead reports, some of those memories truly are precious.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB WINSTEAD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Yearbook time at Winder-Barrow High School Atlanta.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were like 60 books.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I didn't have enough money because of the prom and everything. I wasn't able to buy one.

WINSTEAD: Sophomore Britany McIntyre (ph) thinks everyone should have a yearbook, so she wrote her principal, saying she wanted to raise money to buy yearbooks for those who couldn't afford them.

BRITANY MCINTYRE: They struggled through a year, they need to get a yearbook now to remember their struggles and their triumph.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really didn't know if she would get a lot of response, because many times when you ask for money, you know, you don't get a lot of response. My second response was tears in my eyes. It touched me.

WINSTEAD: It touched the community, as well. Britany says one week after she sent out over 700 letters to local businesses, the donations started pouring in. Like one from Winder business leader Larry Jones, who graduate in 1940.

LARRY JONES: We didn't have a yearbook. And in those 64 intervening years, I have seen what a yearbook means to those that have them.

WINSTEAD: And Dr. David Thompson, a pediatrician whose patients include Winder-Barrow students.

DR. DAVID THOMPSON: I still look at my high school yearbook and I think it's important.

MCINTYRE: And at first my goal was just one yearbook. But then once I saw the response, I wanted to shoot for all the seniors. We ended up taking care of all of the seniors and all of the juniors, offering a reduced lunch, including some sophomores, and ended up running out of yearbooks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You look back and you can always remember the good times you use to have in high school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't think I was going to have a yearbook this year and here I am holding that yearbook.

JONES: It's had an amazing effect among the student body. It's actually brought us together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please hold my yearbook.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you give them opportunities and you listen to them, you will be amazed at the things that they do.

WINSTEAD: Bob Winstead, CNN, Winder, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: All right, so what are you having for breakfast this morning? Maybe an omelet kind of like this one. Well, probably not, because here's why. The one that you're about to see, yes, that costs hundreds of bucks. There's even one that costs a thousand dollars. You're going to find out what makes it so special in our Wows of the Week. That's next.

COMMERCIAL

ROBERTS: Welcome back.

And you're just in time for an eggs-tra special Wow of the Week.

Imagine the size of the chicken that had to lay this egg. Well, you may think it's an ostrich egg, but it's not. It came from a normal, every day chicken. The chicken's owner says he has a very special plan for the fight egg -- breakfast.

Well, that fried egg may be easier to swallow than the price tag on a New York omelet. Look at this. Norma's Restaurant is offering this treat for just 1,000 bucks. Needless to say, it isn't the eggs that make it so pricey. The omelet contains a full lobster and 10 ounces of a very pricey caviar.

CHOI: I'll split one with you. ROBERTS: You can get a smaller one, I think, for like a hundred bucks.

CHOI: No.

ROBERTS: Also, you'd almost think that the thousand dollar omelets were made from these eggs. The $90 million collection of Faberge eggs are on display in Moscow for the first time in some 80 years. The nine eggs were designed by the personal jeweler of the czars of Russia. Just don't try to crack one open, because security will be on you faster than...

CHOI: Yes, yes, yes.

ROBERTS: ... you can imagine.

CHOI: Exactly. Beautiful.

ROBERTS: That omelet, though, that did look good. Someone's probably making an omelet at home right now.

CHOI: Yes, but caviar and...

ROBERTS: Maybe not like that.

CHOI: ... lobster? A full lobster? Sidney, you up for that, Orelon?

SIDNEY: Nah. I'm not into seafood at all, I'll tell you, especially not on an egg. That just doesn't seem like it fits.

ROBERTS: It doesn't seem like it goes together.

SIDNEY: It doesn't.

ROBERTS: Even for a thousand bucks with the price tag? No.

CHOI: You have to have fine

SIDNEY: Can you imagine (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

CHOI: It's an acquired taste, my dear. An acquired taste.

SIDNEY: I won't be able to afford to acquire it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHOI: Let's check the headlines right now.

The Pentagon says the deaths of at least six detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan appear to have been deliberate. Of the 37 people who have died while in U.S. custody in those two countries since August 2002, the Pentagon is now investigating two of them as homicides. Four are listed as justifiable homicides.

And in New York, an expert witness in the Martha Stewart trial has been charged with two counts of perjury. Defense attorneys immediately seized on that new development, saying Stewart should have a new trial.

ROBERTS: That was our e-mail question for you this morning. We wanted to find out what you think about this new information coming to light. Should Martha be getting a new trial?

Our e-mail address, wam@cnn.com.

We're going to go ahead and read those first responses coming in.

CHOI: And Dale Friesen says: "Yes, I'd give Martha Stewart a new trial. The case is about lying and the prosecution has raised questions as to the truthfulness of its own expert witness on a matter that goes straight to the core issue."

ROBERTS: The next one coming into us today: "Ms. Stewart should at the very least receive a new trial. This one seems to have been flawed from the beginning -- unheard of charges, lying jury member and now a senior Secret Service agent committing perjury." That coming to us from L.A. Hemond.

In the next hour and throughout the morning, we're going to continue to read your responses. So if you want to e-mail us, there's the address -- wam@cnn.com.

And the next...

CHOI: So far -- I was going to say, so far both of them saying Martha should get a new trial. So we'll see if we get any diverging comments.

ROBERTS: The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING starts right now.

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