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CNN Saturday Morning News

Wildfires Ravage Carson City, Nevada; Martha Speaks Out About Her Jail Sentence

Aired July 17, 2004 - 07:00   ET

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

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


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
Good morning to everyone.

It is July 17.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Drew Griffin.

Thanks for being with us on this Saturday.

Here's what we have for you this hour.

This could be Martha Stewart's home away from home in the near future, and it's no country club. We're going to show you the inside of Danbury Prison and explain what Stewart can expect if she eventually lands up on one of those cots.

Also, will the Olympic flame ignite an economic fire in Athens? Our CNN sports business analyst Rick Horrow is going to begin a weekly look Beyond the Games as we count down to the opening ceremonies in Greece.

And later, tired of hearing the "B" word from your children this summer? The editor of "National Geographic Kids" magazine will join us with some easy, inexpensive ways to banish boredom from their vocabulary.

First, this news update.

NGUYEN: Two car bomb attacks this morning in and near Baghdad. At least six Iraqis are dead and dozens more wounded. One of the blasts hit the justice minister's convoy, killing four of his guards. Another exploded near an Iraqi National Guard base, killing two Iraqi Guardsmen.

Firefighters in Nevada are getting help from the wind. It's blowing the destructive Waterfall Fire away from the outskirts of Carson City, where it has burned down at least 14 houses. In southern California, thousands of people are fleeing the Pine Wildfire there, which has destroyed three homes near Lake Hughes and charred 14, 000 acres.

In Salt Lake City, Utah, firemen worked through the night to keep a six alarm blaze from reaching a nearby warehouse full of fireworks. That fire severely damaged a warehouse owned by a paper board and packing company. But no injuries were reported.

A state of emergency has been declared in Gaza this morning and the Palestinian prime minister calls the situation catastrophic. The crisis stems from a series of abductions in which kidnappers are demanding reforms within the Palestinian Authority. So far, all of the kidnap victims, four French citizens among them, have been released unharmed.

GRIFFIN: It was the minimum sentence. Still, Martha Stewart is disappointed by her jail term. She does feel the judge was fair. She says it could have been worse.

More on the Stewart sentence and her reaction. But first, our top story.

NGUYEN: What Nevada's governor calls the meanest, ugliest wildfire he has seen is still burning near Carson City, the state capital. There's been a shift in the wind, one that could limit the destruction of 14 homes. But the so-called Waterfall Wildfire is still volatile, at one point burning right through the fire retardant dropped by air tankers.

Now, Ted Rowlands is at the scene in Carson City and has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Firefighters spent another day attacking flames mainly from the air. Helicopters and planes dropped water and retardant as the wind shifted the blaze away from Carson City towards the Sierra peaks leading to Tahoe.

Meanwhile, some of the people who were evacuated were allowed to come home, seeing for the first time the devastation left behind from the fire. Some found their home completely destroyed.

GLORIA GOODNIGHT, CARSON CITY RESIDENT: It's pretty amazing to have nothing, just to all of a sudden, you know, you realize, you know, friends are calling saying, well you know I can give you some of my clothes and you picture yourself wearing somebody else's clothes and sleeping in somebody else's home and it's that you have nowhere to go. It's pretty amazing.

ROWLANDS: Fourteen homes have burned down but many more have been saved. In fact, dozens of people came home to find that the fire had burned to their front door only to be turned away by firefighters.

LYNN ANDERSON, CARSON CITY RESIDENT: I don't know why it was us that was spared and they lost theirs. I don't know why.

ROWLANDS: At an afternoon news conference, the governor of Nevada, Kenny Guinn, who can see the fire from his Carson City capital office, said this is one of the worst fires in his state's history. GOV. KENNY GUINN, NEVADA: I've lived in the state for almost 40 years and I've never seen anything like it. The firefighters that I've talked to have never seen anything like it. I think we describe it as the meanest, ugliest and kind of an uncooperative fire.

ROWLANDS: The latest word from the firelines is that this fire may now be cooperating. Firefighters say the wind gust late in the day has pushed the fire back into an area that already burned, giving them an opportunity to knock it down significantly.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Carson City, Nevada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, good news there. But with dawn still hours away in Nevada, we want to get the latest on this treacherous wildfire.

Dawn Andone, a fire information officer in Nevada, joins us by telephone this morning from Carson City.

Good morning to you.

DAWN ANDONE, CARSON CITY, NEVADA: Good morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, give us an update on the situation.

How has it been playing out overnight?

ANDONE: Actually, it's much better than it has been. We have it up to 50 percent contained at this point and the winds have cooperated with us. During the evening, they'd stay calm.

NGUYEN: The winds have cooperated, which is good news.

But what about today? Are you expecting more cooperation from Mother Nature?

ANDONE: Well, we always hope so, but the winds that we get in the afternoon are the ones that we always worry about. And those winds actually end up coming down canyon toward the later afternoon because as the mountains start to cool in the morning and the valley is hot, it sends the wind down the canyon. And the area that we're really focusing in this morning is in the northeast -- I mean I'm sorry, the northwest, because there is a canyon area there and if it did whip down in there, we could have some problems.

NGUYEN: Are we looking at houses that are in danger?

ANDONE: Right now no. But if for some reason the fire did jump the containment line that we have there and go down the canyon, there's a possibility.

NGUYEN: Give us an indication as to the crew working this fire. You've been dealing with it for a little time now. Obviously it's taking its toll on the folks who are having to fight it.

Do you have enough backup? Are they getting enough rest and are they getting injured in fighting this fire?

ANDONE: Well, obviously everybody's pretty tired. But we do have restrictions. They can only work 16 hours a day and then they have to rest for eight hours. And that really reduces the amount of injuries, which -- because people are more aware. And we have only had five injuries, so it's actually been -- and they've all been very minor. So everybody's been very safe on this fire.

NGUYEN: And you say it's 50 percent contained as of right now.

Any indication as to when you're going to get this thing completely put out?

ANDONE: They are hopefully crossing their fingers for Tuesday.

NGUYEN: On Tuesday. All right, well, that's a little bit of good news. And maybe Mother Nature will help you out between now and then.

ANDONE: We hope so.

NGUYEN: Dawn Andone, information officer there in Carson City.

We want to thank you for that report -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: Well, fighting those fires out West is all about the wind.

We want to check in with Rob Marciano to see what the forecast is for the West and for the rest of the country -- good morning, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Drew.

There are -- there's a chance of seeing some showers and thunderstorms in that area, probably not enough to actually help. And a lot of those thunderstorms often will kick up the winds in a direction that maybe they're not expecting. So what we have to deal with is really what the prevailing winds or what the forecast winds are for today.

And it looks like at least until the afternoon they'll be somewhat helpful. Ten mile an hour winds today, 20 mile an hour winds tomorrow and then again on Monday, and we could see higher gusts than that.

How these fires generally work is they do roll uphill with the wind and often they can -- when they get to some fuel, they'll spread even more and then actually jump downhill. And that's one of the things that they're worried about especially as they get closer to communities and to roadways. That's when a fire, when they talk about a fire jumping, that's what we mean.

And this is what they're concerned about in the afternoon, because during the morning and mid-afternoon, we get those winds blowing uphill into the mountains, away from communities. But then as the air cools later in the evening, the winds begin to shift and go down slope and that's when we get some of these jumping situations.

So we've had good news the past 12 hours. Hopefully we'll get more good news weather-wise in the next 12 to 24 hours -- back to you guys in the studio.

GRIFFIN: Thank you, Rob.

Other news across America now.

Three suspects have been arrested in New Haven, Connecticut. They're in connection with a series of random shootings there. Police believe they have the weapon they used. Five people wounded in this spree. Two juveniles also being sought in this case.

In the dry West, Joshua Tree National Park, California, the Mohave Desert, search dogs called into look for 17-year-old Eric Sears. A friend reported this teenager missing Thursday in a rugged area known as Jumbo Rocks. Sears said to be an experienced hiker.

And along the Gulf Coast, red flags have been posted along the beaches, warning of an unusually large number of these little critters in the water -- sharks -- especially around Gulf Shores, Alabama. Marine officials say warmer waters and abundant bait fish have swelled the shark population to about twice what they normally see.

NGUYEN: Look at that thing.

GRIFFIN: Martha Stewart vows she'll be back, but first, she may have to go away for a while. Anyone who thinks Danbury Prison is a Club Fed needs a reality check.

NGUYEN: Also coming up, the Olympics have changed a lot since the last time they were held in Athens. Now it's a huge business and an even bigger security headache.

GRIFFIN: And, Betty, it is mid-July and those whining kids are talking about having nothing to do.

NGUYEN: I'm bored.

GRIFFIN: Well, stay tuned for some timely tips on how to keep your children busy, not bored, and happy during summer break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Breaking news in Israel today, actually out of the Palestinian Authority. The prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, may have submitted his resignation to President Arafat.

We want to go live to Alessio Vinci, who is in Israel right now.

What is the latest on the status of the shakeup there in the Palestinian Authority, Alessio?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Drew, we do understand that Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has tendered his resignations to Chairman Arafat, who has right away rejected those resignations. We do not know why the prime minister has offered to resign. But this move comes at the end of an emergency session of the Palestinian cabinet that was called by the prime minister to address a series of kidnappings that took place in Gaza within the last 24 hours, kidnappings which involved both Palestinian officials, as well as Westerners.

Those militants, we understand, kidnappings that were not related one with the other, but all the militants were asking for the same thing -- reforms within the Palestinian Authority and an end to corruption. And we do understand, as well, that at the end of this cabinet session, Chairman Arafat has agreed to reform the Palestinian Authority security services by consolidating them into three main branches, which has been a long demand from the international community, requesting Chairman Arafat to overhaul it, if you want, and to reform the Palestinian Authority and especially the security services.

Now, all this happening at a time when there was some fear that Gaza could enter into chaos. The prime minister entering that emergency session of the Palestinian cabinet calling the situation catastrophic, saying that there was absolutely no control of the security services there and therefore he called for that emergency session, at the end of which he offered his resignations, despite the fact that Chairman Arafat has agreed to somewhat reform the security services. But we do not have the details neither of why the prime minister has resigned nor exactly what those security services reforms are all about -- back to you, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Alessio, tell me, the security situation in the Palestinian Territories seems to be chaotic at best. I read a report this week where there are literally no police on the streets and there's gang rule in most of the towns.

VINCI: That is correct. As a matter of fact, the reasons why all this is happening, according to the Palestinians, is because they are under Israeli occupation. As you know, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has promised or has vowed to withdraw from Gaza both settlers as well as the presence of the military there. And there is a lot of concerns about who would rule Gaza once the Israelis leave. And some see in this vacuum, power vacuum, the possibility that not the Palestinian Authority, not the policemen, but that those militant groups could take over and therefore there is a lot of concern among the international community, as well, of course, as the Palestinians in Gaza that they will not really know who will rule Gaza once the Israelis withdraw. And therefore all these incidents somehow can be related to the fact that there is a lot of concern within the Palestinian society to find out exactly who will be in charge once the Israelis leave.

GRIFFIN: And Prime Minister Qureia, he's been on the job for less than a year. He replaced another person who didn't get along with President Arafat.

What is his relationship with Arafat and does he have any power to wield in those security situations? VINCI: He doesn't have all the powers that he wants, that he wanted to, the same way the first, the previous prime minister, didn't have the same powers. All these prime ministers, all they want, really, at the beginning is an empowered prime minister. They want to be able to have authority -- the authority to reign in in those security services, because they believe that one of the biggest problems in the Territories right now are those militants who anytime, anywhere, can kidnap the chief of police, can kidnap Westerners and demand specific things. And therefore the Palestinian prime minister, this prime minister has asked, like the previous one, more power to control the security services, something that so far Chairman Arafat has refused to do.

Now, we do understand, again, that at the end of this emergency cabinet session, that the prime -- that the president of the Palestinian Authority, Chairman Arafat, has agreed to begin the overhaul of the security services. But we do not have enough details about what exactly this overhaul is all about to actually describe it as a complete overhaul of all the security services the same way the Palestinian prime minister is asking, as well as the international community.

GRIFFIN: All right, Alessio Vinci reporting on a shakeup in the government of the Palestinian Authority. The prime minister offering his resignation but apparently that not being accepted this morning.

We thank you for that report and we'll be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Unfairly prosecuted and unduly persecuted -- that is how Martha Stewart is describing her legal problems over the past two years. A New York judge has sentenced her to five months in prison, five months of home detention and fined her $30, 000 for lying about a stock sale. Now, as she vows to appeal, the domestic diva says she's ready to face another episode in what she calls a frightening dream.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA STEWART: Resolution, getting rid of this bad, bad nightmare is, to me, more important now, after two and a half years of a very Kafkaesque situation. This was -- this has been a nightmare because, if it looming ahead of me, I'm going to have to face it and take it and do it and get it over with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: When asked how she would handle prison life, Stewart said she's tough enough to handle it, as others have, saying, "Look at Nelson Mandela."

And Martha Stewart will give her first and only live post- sentencing interview on "LARRY KING LIVE" this Monday. You can even call in and ask a question during the hour. She will take those calls. It's an interview you won't want to miss. And that happens Monday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. NGUYEN: Well, as we all know, Martha Stewart built her name and fortune showcasing her skills as a food server, painter and groundskeeper. Now, barring a successful appeal of her sentence, she could be doing those jobs in a federal prison.

Here's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): All jokes aside about thread count and color scheme, prison life for Martha Stewart has a range of possibilities.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every room you walk into in a federal institution is a fearful place.

TODD: Some more fearful than others. If Stewart actually goes to prison, the judge has agreed to recommend she be sent to the Federal Correctional Institute at Danbury, Connecticut. Part of that complex is a camp for nonviolent first offenders, now housing about 200 women.

PAUL CALLAN, FMR. NYC PROSECUTOR: Most of these prisons, and Danbury is an example of it, I guess you could compare them to an elementary school that was built maybe in the 1960s, surrounded by barbed wire. They tend to be sort of Spartan surroundings. A lot of cinderblock. Prisoners put two to a cubicle frequently. You know, there are some, you know, you can watch television and there are some facilities. There's gardening and cooking and things like that you can do. But it's a very Spartan existence.

Still in some places at Danbury, there are already Martha Stewart-like touches. Interior pictures are hard to come by but an official at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons tells us these camps are generally like open dormitories with rows of bunks, community bathrooms with banks of showers and commodes.

A typical day. At most camps, inmates are up by about 6:00 a.m. Breakfast shortly thereafter. Just after 7:30 a.m., it's off to work.

STEWART: I am used to all kinds of hard work, as you know, and I am not afraid. I am not afraid whatsoever.

TODD: It's a good thing because a prison official tells us at Danbury and camps like it, work is mandatory.

FOSTER WYNANS, FMR. DANBURY INMATE: My advice to Martha would to be get herself a mop. There are jobs in the kitchen, there are jobs at -- some of these facilities have factories that produce things for the federal government.

TODD: Picture Martha Stewart as an orderly, food server, plumber, painter, groundskeeper or general sanitation worker. The workday ends at about 3:30. Head count at 4:00. Dinner at 5:00. Some recreation time until 8:30, lights out by 9:00 on weeknights, 11:30 p.m. on weekends. (on camera): Prison officials tell us there is no golf or tennis at this camps. And people who serve time either at the camps or the low-to-medium security women's prisons say overall the term Club Fed is a myth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For heaven's sakes, learn to not speak your mind when you get to prison, if you end up there.

SUSAN MCDOUGAL, WHITEWATER CONVICT: When she gets there, there will be people waiting to help her and there will be people waiting to give her a very hard time.

TODD: A hard time for a household name.

STEWART: Whatever I do in the next few months, I hope the months go by quickly.

TODD: Brain Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And Stewart's former stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, is also planning an appeal of his sentence. Bacanovic was similarly sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home detention for his role in the stock sale. Judge Miriam Cedarbaum fined him $4, 000, as opposed to Martha Stewart's $30, 000, and ordered him to serve two additional years of supervised probation. And just before the sentencing, Bacanovic said: "I deeply regret the pain I've caused. This has been a horrible ordeal for my family."

GRIFFIN: Too lenient, too harsh? We want you to really be the judge this morning. What sentence would you give to Martha Stewart? That is our morning e-mail question here at CNN. And we would like your response at W-A-M, Weekend A.M., @cnn.com. And later on, we will read what some of you would be judges have given to Martha Stewart this morning.

NGUYEN: I'm sure we'll get some spirited replies to this one.

GRIFFIN: It should be interesting.

Are your children getting on your last nerve? Tired of hearing your kids complain about being, you know, bored? Well, you're in luck. We have some suggestions for fun summer activities that will make you the coolest parent ever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "CINDERELLA")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? Dare I commend the right choice, Maid Miriam?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: For example, you and your kids can escape to an air conditioned theater -- boy, that sounds good -- to take in -- get this -- the new Hillary Duff movie. I know Drew's heading out to one today. We'll tell you about it and some other new releases when we come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "CINDERELLA")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, do you have movie plans this weekend? We want to give you a sneak peek at what's on the big screen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "A CINDERELLA STORY")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's 2:00 a.m. We've been at this for five hours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think we broke our record.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We should turn in. Sweet dreams.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: It's a Cinderella story with a 21st century twist, of course. A high school senior living with her cosmetic surgery obsessed stepmother finds her Prince Charming -- where else -- but online? And speaking of the Prince Charming, he turns out to be a star quarterback at her high school. And then they meet, she leaves behind her cell phone rather than a glass slipper. Filmcritic.com says "Cinderella" has "enough humor to get a smirk about every five minutes, but also has enough cheesiness and stupidity."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "I, ROBOT")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no way my luck is that bad. Oh, hell no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now onto a future far, far away, where humans can't do much without the help from robots. Robots have become more and more advanced and programmed to obey humans under any circumstances. But suddenly a scientist turns up dead and the main suspect -- yup, it's a robot. A Chicago cop, played by Will Smith, is on the case and a film critic with the "New York Times" gives it a C plus, calling it -- get this, Drew -- one of the smarter dumb movies I've seen in a while. One of the smarter dumb movies.

GRIFFIN: Well, Rob Marciano, I hope the weather is good because we're going to have to get out and not go to the movies apparently. Yes. I want to get out and exercise and play golf. (WEATHER REPORT)

GRIFFIN: We're going to check the headlines now this morning.

Two car bombs exploding around Baghdad this morning. Iraqi police say at least six people are dead. Four of them were bodyguards for the Iraqi justice minister. He, however, was not hurt. A second blast killed two Iraqi National Guardsmen.

Drought conditions, erratic winds feeding those wildfires in the West. In Nevada, a wildfire is threatening a number of homes in the state's capital of Carson City. And in California, a fire in the Angeles National Forest has burned 15,000 acres.

NGUYEN: Is there an al Qaeda connection with one of Iraq's neighbors? The 9/11 Commission reportedly has some thoughts on that and we have the details next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A new discovery reportedly suggests a connection between al Qaeda and Iran.

Welcome back.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

GRIFFIN: And I'm Drew Griffin.

That story in a minute.

First, headlines at this hour.

Crews are watching the winds near one southern California wildfire. Hundreds of residents in Lake Hughes in northern Los Angeles County have been forced to leave their homes. A fire there has charred 15,000 acres, destroying three homes. It's 43 percent contained. Dozens of other places are burning in that region.

Overseas, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has offered his resignation during an emergency session of the Palestinian cabinet. But Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat has refused to accept it. This move comes after an emergency cabinet session called by the prime minister in response to a series of kidnappings in Gaza. Following that meeting, Mr. Arafat did agree to overhaul the Palestinian leadership, including the security services.

The Philippine government says it has now withdrawn the head of its peacekeeping troops in Iraq, along with 10 other soldiers. The government in Manila says the other members of the force will leave that country soon. Kidnappers holding a Filipino truck driver in Iraq have demanded the troops be removed from Iraq.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

NGUYEN: New evidence to be revealed by the 9/11 Commission next week suggests the Iranian government may have helped facilitate the terror attacks. In a report in "Newsweek" magazine, it says al Qaeda members were provided safe passage and "clean passports" as they traveled through Iran. The article says, "Citing a recently discovered December 2001 memo buried in the files of the National Security Agency, the Commission report states that Iranian border inspectors were instructed not to place stamps in the passports of Al Qaeda fighters from Saudi Arabia that were traveling from bin Laden's camps through Iran...." The Commission's report emphasizes that no evidence was found to suggest the Iranian government had advanced knowledge of the 9/11 attacks.

And you, of course, can hear more from "Newsweek" magazine's Michael Isikoff at noon Eastern, right here on CNN.

And one more note about the Commission's report. Government officials who've seen it say the panel will recommend a creation of a cabinet level post to oversee U.S. intelligence agencies. That means the CIA, FBI, Pentagon and other agencies heavily criticized in the aftermath of the attacks will lose some of their power. The White House has said it is willing to consider an overhaul of the intelligence community.

GRIFFIN: More violence this morning in Iraq. There were two car bomb attacks in and near Baghdad. At least six Iraqis are dead. Dozens more have been wounded.

For the latest on these attacks, we check in with Michael Holmes.

He's standing by in Baghdad -- good morning, Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Drew.

Yes, it's the end of a bloody week and the bloodshed continues. As you said, there were two bombs this day, big ones, too. The first one I want to tell you about was an attempted assassination on the Iraqi justice minister, the new justice minister. What apparently happened, he was leaving his house with an entourage of security men. Both security men turned onto a road, blocked it off so his car could come out. But another car was driving down the other side of the road. The guards waved at that car to stop. It did not stop. They opened fire and the car blew up.

What we've been able to ascertain so far is that four security guards who were working, or bodyguards working with the justice minister were killed. Seven other people were wounded. The minister himself, Malik Dohan al-Hassan, survived unscathed and I OK, apparently.

This, of course, the latest in a number of assassinations and assassination attempts on Iraqi officials.

The second blast was south of the capital, a place called Mahmudiyah, which is a familiar name to people here because a lot of incidents happen down there. It's about 20 miles south of where we are right now. This was at the Iraqi National Guard headquarters. Young men we're lining up to the join the National Guard when a vehicle drove toward the first security checkpoint, would not slow down. Again, guards opened fire on that vehicle and it blew up. On this occasion, we know of at least two Iraqi National Guards who were killed and 25 people were wounded. Many of them were those recruits lining up.

Now, this is July 17. It is the anniversary of the Ba'ath Party's rise to power in a coup. That happened back in 1968. Saddam Hussein then was the deputy president. He became president, of course, in 1979 -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: All right, Michael Holmes reporting from Baghdad this morning.

Thank you for that report, Michael.

NGUYEN: Martha Stewart, Kobe Bryant, Scott Peterson all in the news this week and all subjects of next hour's Legal Briefs. At 8:30, it's House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. This weekend he reports from the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. And at 9:00, a look at unprecedented security preparations in Boston ahead of the Democratic National Convention.

And still ahead, CNN sports business analyst Rick Horrow joins us to handicap the economics of the Summer Olympics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: We are in the midst of the dog days of summer and kids are usually climbing the walls looking for something to do and asking you what they can do. Obvious options, of course, are those expensive amusement parks, a trip to the beach or bowling, spending the day at the pool. Those are obvious suggestions. But there are countless other ideas that you may not be thinking about. Get a pen and a piece of paper ready because coming up later in this show, we're going to talk to an expert about getting your kids not to say "I'm bored."

We'll be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: All right, I'm ready to write down these ideas to keep my kids from being bored this summer. We're going to have an expert with us now for some helpful tips. Enlisting the help of "National Geographic For Kids" magazine.

And Melina Bellow is the editor-in-chief.

She joins us live from Washington.

Good morning.

MELINA BELLOW, "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS": Good morning.

GRIFFIN: Tell me, what am I going to do for my 9-year-old? He's already whining. BELLOW: Oh, well, if you have a 9-year-old, we definitely have some good ideas for you. We polled our readers, 400 of them between the ages of seven and 14. And we wanted to know what do kids like best and worst about summer. And if your 9-year-old is whining, then he's right in there with that demographic, because what kids hate most about summer is being bored.

So we've come up with six ideas that will please both parents and kids alike.

GRIFFIN: All right, well, let us hear them, without any further ado. BELLOW: Well, the first thing we found from our survey is that kids, what they love best about summer is family vacations and traveling with the family. And it was also surprising that they -- really where they wanted to go were big cities -- New York and Los Angeles topped the list. But that doesn't mean that you can't go anywhere. I think kids will be happy if you take them to any city in your area and take them to a museum or an ethnic restaurant. There's lots to do in cities and kids definitely want to go there.

GRIFFIN: Number two? BELLOW: The second thing kids really like to do is. Let's say your kids aren't going to a campo. There's no reason you can't do arts and crafts at home. Go to a local crafts store and there's many very low cost things you can do that will keep the whole family happy. We recommend getting inexpensive white T- shirts and tie-dying them in your kitchen or starting a spice garden in your windowsill. Arts and crafts at home is a really good thing to do with the kids.

GRIFFIN: And think -- I mean to do it with kids is the key element. The parent has to be involved in some of this stuff and actually come up with these ideas on their own, which I think a lot of parents find hard. BELLOW: Well, I think it's just a matter of talking to your kids and, you know, again, there's a lot of things to do. You just have to think about them. For example, another great thing to do with your kids is volunteer as a family. And there's different Web sites you can go to, like Points of Light, to give you suggestions about how to do this. Or just look around in your neighborhood and do a neighborhood cleanup. Or talk to other families in your neighborhood and get ideas from them.

So it's really just a matter of keeping an open mind and talking to your kids and seeing what their interests are, too.

GRIFFIN: What about, do you have anything for the younger kids, the kids who may need a lot more direction? BELLOW: Well, something that, you know, works really well in our magazine and I think is fun for the whole family, youngers and olders, is taking kids to the movies and using it as a jumping off point. For example, you know, "Spiderman 2" is the big summer movie this summer. Take your kids to "Spiderman 2" but then take them to the library so that they can learn about real spiders. Or take them to the zoo. So you're teaching something -- teaching your kids something about the natural world, but you're going in through that door of which you know they already like, which is entertainment.

Harry Potter is another example. You know, take them to Harry Potter and then take out some books from the library and teach your kids how to do magic tricks. GRIFFIN: What else was interesting that you learned from the kids in your survey? BELLOW: Well, I thought it was interesting, you know, when we talked to kids about what they really want, what's on the top of the priority list for them, it's spending more time with their families. And I found that interesting because you'd think kids want to hang out with their friends a lot, and they do. But there's nothing to them like spending time with mom and dad. And I think that should almost take the pressure off parents this summer. So it's not so much what you're doing, it's just that you're spending quality time with your kids.

GRIFFIN: And how about giving them chores? Does that come up anywhere on their number one list? BELLOW: Well, we wanted to know what they wanted to do for fun over the summer, so chores didn't come up. But I think, you know, if you're having a good time with your kids, there's nothing wrong with then making them earn it, too.

GRIFFIN: All right, Melinda Bellow, thank you so much.

And that is all outlined in the magazine? BELLOW: Yes, it is.

GRIFFIN: How to follow along and not keep your kids from getting bored this summer, I guess. BELLOW: You'll find lots of fun things in "National Geographic Kids."

GRIFFIN: Thanks for joining us. BELLOW: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Chores? Maybe you can help your kids with that. You know, you need the parental involvement there, Drew.

Well, it's not exactly Olympic caliber sports, but it's a heck of a lot of fun to watch. The so-called Farmer Olympics is one of the Wows of the Week. And that is just ahead.

Wow!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Checking the headlines this morning, two car bombs exploded at nearly the same time around Baghdad. At least six people are dead, including four bodyguards for the Iraqi justice minister, who police say was the target. He was not hurt. Now a second blast south of Baghdad killed two Iraqi National Guardsmen.

In Nevada, an explosive blaze has destroyed over a dozen homes in Carson City. Firefighters are concerned erratic wind and drought conditions will continue to feed the fire over the weekend.

And a fire in the Angeles National Forest has burned over 15,000 acres in California. Hundreds of people have been forced out of their homes north of Los Angeles.

GRIFFIN: Dry and hot in the West, wet in the East.

Let's go to Rob Marciano for a look at the national forecast today. (WEATHER REPORT)

GRIFFIN: All right, you guys -- video that deserves a second look, which we call Wows of the Week. And here they are.

In New York, New York, the Rockettes they are certainly not, but this could be a world record. The Guinness people are going to verify this in a few weeks. The unofficial tally, though, 1,278 people showing up on 42nd Street to form the longest choreographed dance line. And that's their story and they/'re sticking to it.

In a small village in Germany, this one, well, they're kicking up their heels there, too, apparently. No, it was a wrong video, but we're going to tell you a roll of the hay just one of the featured events at this year's Farmer Olympics. It's the ninth time they had those games. It grew out of an annual village festival in Germany. They have a lot of fun rolling those big wheels of hay.

And if you think that was wacky, check out -- this is called the bog -- that guy's on a bike, OK? This is in Wales. This is pretty darned hard. This is what they do. They weigh down the bikes with lead, fill the wheels with water to keep them on the bottom and then with a snorkel there, they try to get to the other side. Why do they do it?

NGUYEN: In that type of water?

GRIFFIN: Well, they say because it's there.

NGUYEN: Yes. Well, I don't know about all that.

But, a lot of folks do know what they think about the Martha Stewart sentence.

And we want to read some of those responses. The e-mail Question of the Day is what sentence would you give to Martha Stewart?

And Claire from Clifton, New Jersey says: "Martha should not be sent to jail. A fine and community service would have been more appropriate. Martha may have had poor judgment in what she did, but the prosecution was on a witch-hunt."

GRIFFIN: Martha, if you're listening, you're glad Kenny was not the judge, from Missouri. He says: "I think I would have given her 10 years for what she's done. She's no better than anybody else. If it would have been one of us, that's what we would have got."

NGUYEN: And Joyce writes: "I think she has appeared arrogant and seemed to think the rules did not apply to her. The really stupid thing to me is she did not actually save that much money when she sold the stocks."

In fact, ImClone, I believe, on Friday was somewhere up at the $80 point. So she may have made some money had she held onto it.

And we want to invite you to continue sending your response in, the e-mail Question of the Day. Just send that to us at wam@cnn.com.

The sentencing of Martha Stewart unleashed a media frenzy, perhaps not unprecedented, but a spectacle all the same.

CNN's Jeanne Moos was there and files this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a woman as buttoned up as Martha Stewart, she sure has some colorful fans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Free Martha. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Free Martha! Free Martha!

MOOS: The choppers were circling, ready for the obligatory O.J.- esque car chase when Martha departed. Members of the press were jumping, ducking and dodging traffic to get the story, while the "Save Martha!" Web site daily alert was at its highest level, fuchsia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why should Martha Stewart be in jail, then? Why? Jail? Bail, no jail for Martha.

MOOS: But jail it was, despite dozens of e-mailed prayers to the Save Martha web site: "Please, dear God, give this merciless judge a heart for one day of her life."

(on camera) Is this the end of the save Martha web site?

JOHN SMALL, FOUNDER, SAVEMARTHA.COM: Oh, my God. Well, it's not the end of Martha.

STEWART: I will be back.

MOOS (voice-over): Back from a fate described by the press in gruesome detail. Martha can expect to get the cell's bottom bunk, because women older than 50 do not sleep in upper beds.

SMALL: Five months in jail is five months too many. Five months house arrest might not be such a bad thing. Imagine what that house is going to look like when she gets out of it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Save Martha!

MOOS: Save Martha may change to Pardon Martha. Fourteen thousand signatures have been collected asking for a presidential pardon.

Martha thanked supporters.

STEWART: Like these lovely people over here.

MOOS: Lovely people like Linda Smith, upset over what she called the double standard Martha faced, for instance, when the press focused on the $6,500 Hermes bag Martha once carried into court.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did your media tell me what suit Ken Lay had? Was it an Armani or a Calvin Klein? I didn't hear that! You helped nail Martha!

MOOS: The press itself got nailed for using frantic signals to beat the competition back when the guilty verdict came down four months ago. Red meant guilty.

JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Look at me I'd Edward R. Murrow.

MOOS: Well, despite taunts from comedians, guess what?

(on camera) You did do a signal? Well, no, I think we got it.

(voice-over) The red scarf was waving once again. This time, red meant prison. And though Martha wouldn't wear this scarf in the wrong season, it worked for Fox News.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Martha Stewart is going to prison for five months.

MOOS: Journalists struggled to convey the emotion Martha displayed in a courtroom without a camera.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was crying pretty much the whole time. She was sniffling.

MOOS: Martha might approve of the earring entrepreneurs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are our Free Martha earrings.

MOOS: But we think she'd draw the line at the ball and chain handbag.

(on camera) May I?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's a ball and chain. It looks well on your ankles or over your shoulders.

MOOS (voice-over): An artist who calls himself Itsy-Bitsy is auctioning several on eBay, starting at $150 each. If you want one, don't drag your feet!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It really should be worn on the ankle anyway.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: He said it really should be worn on the ankles.

GRIFFIN: A ball and chain, that's the only way to wear one.

NGUYEN: People will sell just about anything.

All right, well, the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.

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


Aired July 17, 2004 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
Good morning to everyone.

It is July 17.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Drew Griffin.

Thanks for being with us on this Saturday.

Here's what we have for you this hour.

This could be Martha Stewart's home away from home in the near future, and it's no country club. We're going to show you the inside of Danbury Prison and explain what Stewart can expect if she eventually lands up on one of those cots.

Also, will the Olympic flame ignite an economic fire in Athens? Our CNN sports business analyst Rick Horrow is going to begin a weekly look Beyond the Games as we count down to the opening ceremonies in Greece.

And later, tired of hearing the "B" word from your children this summer? The editor of "National Geographic Kids" magazine will join us with some easy, inexpensive ways to banish boredom from their vocabulary.

First, this news update.

NGUYEN: Two car bomb attacks this morning in and near Baghdad. At least six Iraqis are dead and dozens more wounded. One of the blasts hit the justice minister's convoy, killing four of his guards. Another exploded near an Iraqi National Guard base, killing two Iraqi Guardsmen.

Firefighters in Nevada are getting help from the wind. It's blowing the destructive Waterfall Fire away from the outskirts of Carson City, where it has burned down at least 14 houses. In southern California, thousands of people are fleeing the Pine Wildfire there, which has destroyed three homes near Lake Hughes and charred 14, 000 acres.

In Salt Lake City, Utah, firemen worked through the night to keep a six alarm blaze from reaching a nearby warehouse full of fireworks. That fire severely damaged a warehouse owned by a paper board and packing company. But no injuries were reported.

A state of emergency has been declared in Gaza this morning and the Palestinian prime minister calls the situation catastrophic. The crisis stems from a series of abductions in which kidnappers are demanding reforms within the Palestinian Authority. So far, all of the kidnap victims, four French citizens among them, have been released unharmed.

GRIFFIN: It was the minimum sentence. Still, Martha Stewart is disappointed by her jail term. She does feel the judge was fair. She says it could have been worse.

More on the Stewart sentence and her reaction. But first, our top story.

NGUYEN: What Nevada's governor calls the meanest, ugliest wildfire he has seen is still burning near Carson City, the state capital. There's been a shift in the wind, one that could limit the destruction of 14 homes. But the so-called Waterfall Wildfire is still volatile, at one point burning right through the fire retardant dropped by air tankers.

Now, Ted Rowlands is at the scene in Carson City and has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Firefighters spent another day attacking flames mainly from the air. Helicopters and planes dropped water and retardant as the wind shifted the blaze away from Carson City towards the Sierra peaks leading to Tahoe.

Meanwhile, some of the people who were evacuated were allowed to come home, seeing for the first time the devastation left behind from the fire. Some found their home completely destroyed.

GLORIA GOODNIGHT, CARSON CITY RESIDENT: It's pretty amazing to have nothing, just to all of a sudden, you know, you realize, you know, friends are calling saying, well you know I can give you some of my clothes and you picture yourself wearing somebody else's clothes and sleeping in somebody else's home and it's that you have nowhere to go. It's pretty amazing.

ROWLANDS: Fourteen homes have burned down but many more have been saved. In fact, dozens of people came home to find that the fire had burned to their front door only to be turned away by firefighters.

LYNN ANDERSON, CARSON CITY RESIDENT: I don't know why it was us that was spared and they lost theirs. I don't know why.

ROWLANDS: At an afternoon news conference, the governor of Nevada, Kenny Guinn, who can see the fire from his Carson City capital office, said this is one of the worst fires in his state's history. GOV. KENNY GUINN, NEVADA: I've lived in the state for almost 40 years and I've never seen anything like it. The firefighters that I've talked to have never seen anything like it. I think we describe it as the meanest, ugliest and kind of an uncooperative fire.

ROWLANDS: The latest word from the firelines is that this fire may now be cooperating. Firefighters say the wind gust late in the day has pushed the fire back into an area that already burned, giving them an opportunity to knock it down significantly.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Carson City, Nevada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, good news there. But with dawn still hours away in Nevada, we want to get the latest on this treacherous wildfire.

Dawn Andone, a fire information officer in Nevada, joins us by telephone this morning from Carson City.

Good morning to you.

DAWN ANDONE, CARSON CITY, NEVADA: Good morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, give us an update on the situation.

How has it been playing out overnight?

ANDONE: Actually, it's much better than it has been. We have it up to 50 percent contained at this point and the winds have cooperated with us. During the evening, they'd stay calm.

NGUYEN: The winds have cooperated, which is good news.

But what about today? Are you expecting more cooperation from Mother Nature?

ANDONE: Well, we always hope so, but the winds that we get in the afternoon are the ones that we always worry about. And those winds actually end up coming down canyon toward the later afternoon because as the mountains start to cool in the morning and the valley is hot, it sends the wind down the canyon. And the area that we're really focusing in this morning is in the northeast -- I mean I'm sorry, the northwest, because there is a canyon area there and if it did whip down in there, we could have some problems.

NGUYEN: Are we looking at houses that are in danger?

ANDONE: Right now no. But if for some reason the fire did jump the containment line that we have there and go down the canyon, there's a possibility.

NGUYEN: Give us an indication as to the crew working this fire. You've been dealing with it for a little time now. Obviously it's taking its toll on the folks who are having to fight it.

Do you have enough backup? Are they getting enough rest and are they getting injured in fighting this fire?

ANDONE: Well, obviously everybody's pretty tired. But we do have restrictions. They can only work 16 hours a day and then they have to rest for eight hours. And that really reduces the amount of injuries, which -- because people are more aware. And we have only had five injuries, so it's actually been -- and they've all been very minor. So everybody's been very safe on this fire.

NGUYEN: And you say it's 50 percent contained as of right now.

Any indication as to when you're going to get this thing completely put out?

ANDONE: They are hopefully crossing their fingers for Tuesday.

NGUYEN: On Tuesday. All right, well, that's a little bit of good news. And maybe Mother Nature will help you out between now and then.

ANDONE: We hope so.

NGUYEN: Dawn Andone, information officer there in Carson City.

We want to thank you for that report -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: Well, fighting those fires out West is all about the wind.

We want to check in with Rob Marciano to see what the forecast is for the West and for the rest of the country -- good morning, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Drew.

There are -- there's a chance of seeing some showers and thunderstorms in that area, probably not enough to actually help. And a lot of those thunderstorms often will kick up the winds in a direction that maybe they're not expecting. So what we have to deal with is really what the prevailing winds or what the forecast winds are for today.

And it looks like at least until the afternoon they'll be somewhat helpful. Ten mile an hour winds today, 20 mile an hour winds tomorrow and then again on Monday, and we could see higher gusts than that.

How these fires generally work is they do roll uphill with the wind and often they can -- when they get to some fuel, they'll spread even more and then actually jump downhill. And that's one of the things that they're worried about especially as they get closer to communities and to roadways. That's when a fire, when they talk about a fire jumping, that's what we mean.

And this is what they're concerned about in the afternoon, because during the morning and mid-afternoon, we get those winds blowing uphill into the mountains, away from communities. But then as the air cools later in the evening, the winds begin to shift and go down slope and that's when we get some of these jumping situations.

So we've had good news the past 12 hours. Hopefully we'll get more good news weather-wise in the next 12 to 24 hours -- back to you guys in the studio.

GRIFFIN: Thank you, Rob.

Other news across America now.

Three suspects have been arrested in New Haven, Connecticut. They're in connection with a series of random shootings there. Police believe they have the weapon they used. Five people wounded in this spree. Two juveniles also being sought in this case.

In the dry West, Joshua Tree National Park, California, the Mohave Desert, search dogs called into look for 17-year-old Eric Sears. A friend reported this teenager missing Thursday in a rugged area known as Jumbo Rocks. Sears said to be an experienced hiker.

And along the Gulf Coast, red flags have been posted along the beaches, warning of an unusually large number of these little critters in the water -- sharks -- especially around Gulf Shores, Alabama. Marine officials say warmer waters and abundant bait fish have swelled the shark population to about twice what they normally see.

NGUYEN: Look at that thing.

GRIFFIN: Martha Stewart vows she'll be back, but first, she may have to go away for a while. Anyone who thinks Danbury Prison is a Club Fed needs a reality check.

NGUYEN: Also coming up, the Olympics have changed a lot since the last time they were held in Athens. Now it's a huge business and an even bigger security headache.

GRIFFIN: And, Betty, it is mid-July and those whining kids are talking about having nothing to do.

NGUYEN: I'm bored.

GRIFFIN: Well, stay tuned for some timely tips on how to keep your children busy, not bored, and happy during summer break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Breaking news in Israel today, actually out of the Palestinian Authority. The prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, may have submitted his resignation to President Arafat.

We want to go live to Alessio Vinci, who is in Israel right now.

What is the latest on the status of the shakeup there in the Palestinian Authority, Alessio?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Drew, we do understand that Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has tendered his resignations to Chairman Arafat, who has right away rejected those resignations. We do not know why the prime minister has offered to resign. But this move comes at the end of an emergency session of the Palestinian cabinet that was called by the prime minister to address a series of kidnappings that took place in Gaza within the last 24 hours, kidnappings which involved both Palestinian officials, as well as Westerners.

Those militants, we understand, kidnappings that were not related one with the other, but all the militants were asking for the same thing -- reforms within the Palestinian Authority and an end to corruption. And we do understand, as well, that at the end of this cabinet session, Chairman Arafat has agreed to reform the Palestinian Authority security services by consolidating them into three main branches, which has been a long demand from the international community, requesting Chairman Arafat to overhaul it, if you want, and to reform the Palestinian Authority and especially the security services.

Now, all this happening at a time when there was some fear that Gaza could enter into chaos. The prime minister entering that emergency session of the Palestinian cabinet calling the situation catastrophic, saying that there was absolutely no control of the security services there and therefore he called for that emergency session, at the end of which he offered his resignations, despite the fact that Chairman Arafat has agreed to somewhat reform the security services. But we do not have the details neither of why the prime minister has resigned nor exactly what those security services reforms are all about -- back to you, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Alessio, tell me, the security situation in the Palestinian Territories seems to be chaotic at best. I read a report this week where there are literally no police on the streets and there's gang rule in most of the towns.

VINCI: That is correct. As a matter of fact, the reasons why all this is happening, according to the Palestinians, is because they are under Israeli occupation. As you know, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has promised or has vowed to withdraw from Gaza both settlers as well as the presence of the military there. And there is a lot of concerns about who would rule Gaza once the Israelis leave. And some see in this vacuum, power vacuum, the possibility that not the Palestinian Authority, not the policemen, but that those militant groups could take over and therefore there is a lot of concern among the international community, as well, of course, as the Palestinians in Gaza that they will not really know who will rule Gaza once the Israelis withdraw. And therefore all these incidents somehow can be related to the fact that there is a lot of concern within the Palestinian society to find out exactly who will be in charge once the Israelis leave.

GRIFFIN: And Prime Minister Qureia, he's been on the job for less than a year. He replaced another person who didn't get along with President Arafat.

What is his relationship with Arafat and does he have any power to wield in those security situations? VINCI: He doesn't have all the powers that he wants, that he wanted to, the same way the first, the previous prime minister, didn't have the same powers. All these prime ministers, all they want, really, at the beginning is an empowered prime minister. They want to be able to have authority -- the authority to reign in in those security services, because they believe that one of the biggest problems in the Territories right now are those militants who anytime, anywhere, can kidnap the chief of police, can kidnap Westerners and demand specific things. And therefore the Palestinian prime minister, this prime minister has asked, like the previous one, more power to control the security services, something that so far Chairman Arafat has refused to do.

Now, we do understand, again, that at the end of this emergency cabinet session, that the prime -- that the president of the Palestinian Authority, Chairman Arafat, has agreed to begin the overhaul of the security services. But we do not have enough details about what exactly this overhaul is all about to actually describe it as a complete overhaul of all the security services the same way the Palestinian prime minister is asking, as well as the international community.

GRIFFIN: All right, Alessio Vinci reporting on a shakeup in the government of the Palestinian Authority. The prime minister offering his resignation but apparently that not being accepted this morning.

We thank you for that report and we'll be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Unfairly prosecuted and unduly persecuted -- that is how Martha Stewart is describing her legal problems over the past two years. A New York judge has sentenced her to five months in prison, five months of home detention and fined her $30, 000 for lying about a stock sale. Now, as she vows to appeal, the domestic diva says she's ready to face another episode in what she calls a frightening dream.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA STEWART: Resolution, getting rid of this bad, bad nightmare is, to me, more important now, after two and a half years of a very Kafkaesque situation. This was -- this has been a nightmare because, if it looming ahead of me, I'm going to have to face it and take it and do it and get it over with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: When asked how she would handle prison life, Stewart said she's tough enough to handle it, as others have, saying, "Look at Nelson Mandela."

And Martha Stewart will give her first and only live post- sentencing interview on "LARRY KING LIVE" this Monday. You can even call in and ask a question during the hour. She will take those calls. It's an interview you won't want to miss. And that happens Monday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. NGUYEN: Well, as we all know, Martha Stewart built her name and fortune showcasing her skills as a food server, painter and groundskeeper. Now, barring a successful appeal of her sentence, she could be doing those jobs in a federal prison.

Here's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): All jokes aside about thread count and color scheme, prison life for Martha Stewart has a range of possibilities.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every room you walk into in a federal institution is a fearful place.

TODD: Some more fearful than others. If Stewart actually goes to prison, the judge has agreed to recommend she be sent to the Federal Correctional Institute at Danbury, Connecticut. Part of that complex is a camp for nonviolent first offenders, now housing about 200 women.

PAUL CALLAN, FMR. NYC PROSECUTOR: Most of these prisons, and Danbury is an example of it, I guess you could compare them to an elementary school that was built maybe in the 1960s, surrounded by barbed wire. They tend to be sort of Spartan surroundings. A lot of cinderblock. Prisoners put two to a cubicle frequently. You know, there are some, you know, you can watch television and there are some facilities. There's gardening and cooking and things like that you can do. But it's a very Spartan existence.

Still in some places at Danbury, there are already Martha Stewart-like touches. Interior pictures are hard to come by but an official at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons tells us these camps are generally like open dormitories with rows of bunks, community bathrooms with banks of showers and commodes.

A typical day. At most camps, inmates are up by about 6:00 a.m. Breakfast shortly thereafter. Just after 7:30 a.m., it's off to work.

STEWART: I am used to all kinds of hard work, as you know, and I am not afraid. I am not afraid whatsoever.

TODD: It's a good thing because a prison official tells us at Danbury and camps like it, work is mandatory.

FOSTER WYNANS, FMR. DANBURY INMATE: My advice to Martha would to be get herself a mop. There are jobs in the kitchen, there are jobs at -- some of these facilities have factories that produce things for the federal government.

TODD: Picture Martha Stewart as an orderly, food server, plumber, painter, groundskeeper or general sanitation worker. The workday ends at about 3:30. Head count at 4:00. Dinner at 5:00. Some recreation time until 8:30, lights out by 9:00 on weeknights, 11:30 p.m. on weekends. (on camera): Prison officials tell us there is no golf or tennis at this camps. And people who serve time either at the camps or the low-to-medium security women's prisons say overall the term Club Fed is a myth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For heaven's sakes, learn to not speak your mind when you get to prison, if you end up there.

SUSAN MCDOUGAL, WHITEWATER CONVICT: When she gets there, there will be people waiting to help her and there will be people waiting to give her a very hard time.

TODD: A hard time for a household name.

STEWART: Whatever I do in the next few months, I hope the months go by quickly.

TODD: Brain Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And Stewart's former stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, is also planning an appeal of his sentence. Bacanovic was similarly sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home detention for his role in the stock sale. Judge Miriam Cedarbaum fined him $4, 000, as opposed to Martha Stewart's $30, 000, and ordered him to serve two additional years of supervised probation. And just before the sentencing, Bacanovic said: "I deeply regret the pain I've caused. This has been a horrible ordeal for my family."

GRIFFIN: Too lenient, too harsh? We want you to really be the judge this morning. What sentence would you give to Martha Stewart? That is our morning e-mail question here at CNN. And we would like your response at W-A-M, Weekend A.M., @cnn.com. And later on, we will read what some of you would be judges have given to Martha Stewart this morning.

NGUYEN: I'm sure we'll get some spirited replies to this one.

GRIFFIN: It should be interesting.

Are your children getting on your last nerve? Tired of hearing your kids complain about being, you know, bored? Well, you're in luck. We have some suggestions for fun summer activities that will make you the coolest parent ever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "CINDERELLA")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? Dare I commend the right choice, Maid Miriam?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: For example, you and your kids can escape to an air conditioned theater -- boy, that sounds good -- to take in -- get this -- the new Hillary Duff movie. I know Drew's heading out to one today. We'll tell you about it and some other new releases when we come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "CINDERELLA")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, do you have movie plans this weekend? We want to give you a sneak peek at what's on the big screen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "A CINDERELLA STORY")

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's 2:00 a.m. We've been at this for five hours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think we broke our record.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We should turn in. Sweet dreams.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: It's a Cinderella story with a 21st century twist, of course. A high school senior living with her cosmetic surgery obsessed stepmother finds her Prince Charming -- where else -- but online? And speaking of the Prince Charming, he turns out to be a star quarterback at her high school. And then they meet, she leaves behind her cell phone rather than a glass slipper. Filmcritic.com says "Cinderella" has "enough humor to get a smirk about every five minutes, but also has enough cheesiness and stupidity."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "I, ROBOT")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no way my luck is that bad. Oh, hell no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now onto a future far, far away, where humans can't do much without the help from robots. Robots have become more and more advanced and programmed to obey humans under any circumstances. But suddenly a scientist turns up dead and the main suspect -- yup, it's a robot. A Chicago cop, played by Will Smith, is on the case and a film critic with the "New York Times" gives it a C plus, calling it -- get this, Drew -- one of the smarter dumb movies I've seen in a while. One of the smarter dumb movies.

GRIFFIN: Well, Rob Marciano, I hope the weather is good because we're going to have to get out and not go to the movies apparently. Yes. I want to get out and exercise and play golf. (WEATHER REPORT)

GRIFFIN: We're going to check the headlines now this morning.

Two car bombs exploding around Baghdad this morning. Iraqi police say at least six people are dead. Four of them were bodyguards for the Iraqi justice minister. He, however, was not hurt. A second blast killed two Iraqi National Guardsmen.

Drought conditions, erratic winds feeding those wildfires in the West. In Nevada, a wildfire is threatening a number of homes in the state's capital of Carson City. And in California, a fire in the Angeles National Forest has burned 15,000 acres.

NGUYEN: Is there an al Qaeda connection with one of Iraq's neighbors? The 9/11 Commission reportedly has some thoughts on that and we have the details next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A new discovery reportedly suggests a connection between al Qaeda and Iran.

Welcome back.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

GRIFFIN: And I'm Drew Griffin.

That story in a minute.

First, headlines at this hour.

Crews are watching the winds near one southern California wildfire. Hundreds of residents in Lake Hughes in northern Los Angeles County have been forced to leave their homes. A fire there has charred 15,000 acres, destroying three homes. It's 43 percent contained. Dozens of other places are burning in that region.

Overseas, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has offered his resignation during an emergency session of the Palestinian cabinet. But Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat has refused to accept it. This move comes after an emergency cabinet session called by the prime minister in response to a series of kidnappings in Gaza. Following that meeting, Mr. Arafat did agree to overhaul the Palestinian leadership, including the security services.

The Philippine government says it has now withdrawn the head of its peacekeeping troops in Iraq, along with 10 other soldiers. The government in Manila says the other members of the force will leave that country soon. Kidnappers holding a Filipino truck driver in Iraq have demanded the troops be removed from Iraq.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

NGUYEN: New evidence to be revealed by the 9/11 Commission next week suggests the Iranian government may have helped facilitate the terror attacks. In a report in "Newsweek" magazine, it says al Qaeda members were provided safe passage and "clean passports" as they traveled through Iran. The article says, "Citing a recently discovered December 2001 memo buried in the files of the National Security Agency, the Commission report states that Iranian border inspectors were instructed not to place stamps in the passports of Al Qaeda fighters from Saudi Arabia that were traveling from bin Laden's camps through Iran...." The Commission's report emphasizes that no evidence was found to suggest the Iranian government had advanced knowledge of the 9/11 attacks.

And you, of course, can hear more from "Newsweek" magazine's Michael Isikoff at noon Eastern, right here on CNN.

And one more note about the Commission's report. Government officials who've seen it say the panel will recommend a creation of a cabinet level post to oversee U.S. intelligence agencies. That means the CIA, FBI, Pentagon and other agencies heavily criticized in the aftermath of the attacks will lose some of their power. The White House has said it is willing to consider an overhaul of the intelligence community.

GRIFFIN: More violence this morning in Iraq. There were two car bomb attacks in and near Baghdad. At least six Iraqis are dead. Dozens more have been wounded.

For the latest on these attacks, we check in with Michael Holmes.

He's standing by in Baghdad -- good morning, Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Drew.

Yes, it's the end of a bloody week and the bloodshed continues. As you said, there were two bombs this day, big ones, too. The first one I want to tell you about was an attempted assassination on the Iraqi justice minister, the new justice minister. What apparently happened, he was leaving his house with an entourage of security men. Both security men turned onto a road, blocked it off so his car could come out. But another car was driving down the other side of the road. The guards waved at that car to stop. It did not stop. They opened fire and the car blew up.

What we've been able to ascertain so far is that four security guards who were working, or bodyguards working with the justice minister were killed. Seven other people were wounded. The minister himself, Malik Dohan al-Hassan, survived unscathed and I OK, apparently.

This, of course, the latest in a number of assassinations and assassination attempts on Iraqi officials.

The second blast was south of the capital, a place called Mahmudiyah, which is a familiar name to people here because a lot of incidents happen down there. It's about 20 miles south of where we are right now. This was at the Iraqi National Guard headquarters. Young men we're lining up to the join the National Guard when a vehicle drove toward the first security checkpoint, would not slow down. Again, guards opened fire on that vehicle and it blew up. On this occasion, we know of at least two Iraqi National Guards who were killed and 25 people were wounded. Many of them were those recruits lining up.

Now, this is July 17. It is the anniversary of the Ba'ath Party's rise to power in a coup. That happened back in 1968. Saddam Hussein then was the deputy president. He became president, of course, in 1979 -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: All right, Michael Holmes reporting from Baghdad this morning.

Thank you for that report, Michael.

NGUYEN: Martha Stewart, Kobe Bryant, Scott Peterson all in the news this week and all subjects of next hour's Legal Briefs. At 8:30, it's House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. This weekend he reports from the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok. And at 9:00, a look at unprecedented security preparations in Boston ahead of the Democratic National Convention.

And still ahead, CNN sports business analyst Rick Horrow joins us to handicap the economics of the Summer Olympics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: We are in the midst of the dog days of summer and kids are usually climbing the walls looking for something to do and asking you what they can do. Obvious options, of course, are those expensive amusement parks, a trip to the beach or bowling, spending the day at the pool. Those are obvious suggestions. But there are countless other ideas that you may not be thinking about. Get a pen and a piece of paper ready because coming up later in this show, we're going to talk to an expert about getting your kids not to say "I'm bored."

We'll be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: All right, I'm ready to write down these ideas to keep my kids from being bored this summer. We're going to have an expert with us now for some helpful tips. Enlisting the help of "National Geographic For Kids" magazine.

And Melina Bellow is the editor-in-chief.

She joins us live from Washington.

Good morning.

MELINA BELLOW, "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS": Good morning.

GRIFFIN: Tell me, what am I going to do for my 9-year-old? He's already whining. BELLOW: Oh, well, if you have a 9-year-old, we definitely have some good ideas for you. We polled our readers, 400 of them between the ages of seven and 14. And we wanted to know what do kids like best and worst about summer. And if your 9-year-old is whining, then he's right in there with that demographic, because what kids hate most about summer is being bored.

So we've come up with six ideas that will please both parents and kids alike.

GRIFFIN: All right, well, let us hear them, without any further ado. BELLOW: Well, the first thing we found from our survey is that kids, what they love best about summer is family vacations and traveling with the family. And it was also surprising that they -- really where they wanted to go were big cities -- New York and Los Angeles topped the list. But that doesn't mean that you can't go anywhere. I think kids will be happy if you take them to any city in your area and take them to a museum or an ethnic restaurant. There's lots to do in cities and kids definitely want to go there.

GRIFFIN: Number two? BELLOW: The second thing kids really like to do is. Let's say your kids aren't going to a campo. There's no reason you can't do arts and crafts at home. Go to a local crafts store and there's many very low cost things you can do that will keep the whole family happy. We recommend getting inexpensive white T- shirts and tie-dying them in your kitchen or starting a spice garden in your windowsill. Arts and crafts at home is a really good thing to do with the kids.

GRIFFIN: And think -- I mean to do it with kids is the key element. The parent has to be involved in some of this stuff and actually come up with these ideas on their own, which I think a lot of parents find hard. BELLOW: Well, I think it's just a matter of talking to your kids and, you know, again, there's a lot of things to do. You just have to think about them. For example, another great thing to do with your kids is volunteer as a family. And there's different Web sites you can go to, like Points of Light, to give you suggestions about how to do this. Or just look around in your neighborhood and do a neighborhood cleanup. Or talk to other families in your neighborhood and get ideas from them.

So it's really just a matter of keeping an open mind and talking to your kids and seeing what their interests are, too.

GRIFFIN: What about, do you have anything for the younger kids, the kids who may need a lot more direction? BELLOW: Well, something that, you know, works really well in our magazine and I think is fun for the whole family, youngers and olders, is taking kids to the movies and using it as a jumping off point. For example, you know, "Spiderman 2" is the big summer movie this summer. Take your kids to "Spiderman 2" but then take them to the library so that they can learn about real spiders. Or take them to the zoo. So you're teaching something -- teaching your kids something about the natural world, but you're going in through that door of which you know they already like, which is entertainment.

Harry Potter is another example. You know, take them to Harry Potter and then take out some books from the library and teach your kids how to do magic tricks. GRIFFIN: What else was interesting that you learned from the kids in your survey? BELLOW: Well, I thought it was interesting, you know, when we talked to kids about what they really want, what's on the top of the priority list for them, it's spending more time with their families. And I found that interesting because you'd think kids want to hang out with their friends a lot, and they do. But there's nothing to them like spending time with mom and dad. And I think that should almost take the pressure off parents this summer. So it's not so much what you're doing, it's just that you're spending quality time with your kids.

GRIFFIN: And how about giving them chores? Does that come up anywhere on their number one list? BELLOW: Well, we wanted to know what they wanted to do for fun over the summer, so chores didn't come up. But I think, you know, if you're having a good time with your kids, there's nothing wrong with then making them earn it, too.

GRIFFIN: All right, Melinda Bellow, thank you so much.

And that is all outlined in the magazine? BELLOW: Yes, it is.

GRIFFIN: How to follow along and not keep your kids from getting bored this summer, I guess. BELLOW: You'll find lots of fun things in "National Geographic Kids."

GRIFFIN: Thanks for joining us. BELLOW: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Chores? Maybe you can help your kids with that. You know, you need the parental involvement there, Drew.

Well, it's not exactly Olympic caliber sports, but it's a heck of a lot of fun to watch. The so-called Farmer Olympics is one of the Wows of the Week. And that is just ahead.

Wow!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Checking the headlines this morning, two car bombs exploded at nearly the same time around Baghdad. At least six people are dead, including four bodyguards for the Iraqi justice minister, who police say was the target. He was not hurt. Now a second blast south of Baghdad killed two Iraqi National Guardsmen.

In Nevada, an explosive blaze has destroyed over a dozen homes in Carson City. Firefighters are concerned erratic wind and drought conditions will continue to feed the fire over the weekend.

And a fire in the Angeles National Forest has burned over 15,000 acres in California. Hundreds of people have been forced out of their homes north of Los Angeles.

GRIFFIN: Dry and hot in the West, wet in the East.

Let's go to Rob Marciano for a look at the national forecast today. (WEATHER REPORT)

GRIFFIN: All right, you guys -- video that deserves a second look, which we call Wows of the Week. And here they are.

In New York, New York, the Rockettes they are certainly not, but this could be a world record. The Guinness people are going to verify this in a few weeks. The unofficial tally, though, 1,278 people showing up on 42nd Street to form the longest choreographed dance line. And that's their story and they/'re sticking to it.

In a small village in Germany, this one, well, they're kicking up their heels there, too, apparently. No, it was a wrong video, but we're going to tell you a roll of the hay just one of the featured events at this year's Farmer Olympics. It's the ninth time they had those games. It grew out of an annual village festival in Germany. They have a lot of fun rolling those big wheels of hay.

And if you think that was wacky, check out -- this is called the bog -- that guy's on a bike, OK? This is in Wales. This is pretty darned hard. This is what they do. They weigh down the bikes with lead, fill the wheels with water to keep them on the bottom and then with a snorkel there, they try to get to the other side. Why do they do it?

NGUYEN: In that type of water?

GRIFFIN: Well, they say because it's there.

NGUYEN: Yes. Well, I don't know about all that.

But, a lot of folks do know what they think about the Martha Stewart sentence.

And we want to read some of those responses. The e-mail Question of the Day is what sentence would you give to Martha Stewart?

And Claire from Clifton, New Jersey says: "Martha should not be sent to jail. A fine and community service would have been more appropriate. Martha may have had poor judgment in what she did, but the prosecution was on a witch-hunt."

GRIFFIN: Martha, if you're listening, you're glad Kenny was not the judge, from Missouri. He says: "I think I would have given her 10 years for what she's done. She's no better than anybody else. If it would have been one of us, that's what we would have got."

NGUYEN: And Joyce writes: "I think she has appeared arrogant and seemed to think the rules did not apply to her. The really stupid thing to me is she did not actually save that much money when she sold the stocks."

In fact, ImClone, I believe, on Friday was somewhere up at the $80 point. So she may have made some money had she held onto it.

And we want to invite you to continue sending your response in, the e-mail Question of the Day. Just send that to us at wam@cnn.com.

The sentencing of Martha Stewart unleashed a media frenzy, perhaps not unprecedented, but a spectacle all the same.

CNN's Jeanne Moos was there and files this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a woman as buttoned up as Martha Stewart, she sure has some colorful fans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Free Martha. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Free Martha! Free Martha!

MOOS: The choppers were circling, ready for the obligatory O.J.- esque car chase when Martha departed. Members of the press were jumping, ducking and dodging traffic to get the story, while the "Save Martha!" Web site daily alert was at its highest level, fuchsia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why should Martha Stewart be in jail, then? Why? Jail? Bail, no jail for Martha.

MOOS: But jail it was, despite dozens of e-mailed prayers to the Save Martha web site: "Please, dear God, give this merciless judge a heart for one day of her life."

(on camera) Is this the end of the save Martha web site?

JOHN SMALL, FOUNDER, SAVEMARTHA.COM: Oh, my God. Well, it's not the end of Martha.

STEWART: I will be back.

MOOS (voice-over): Back from a fate described by the press in gruesome detail. Martha can expect to get the cell's bottom bunk, because women older than 50 do not sleep in upper beds.

SMALL: Five months in jail is five months too many. Five months house arrest might not be such a bad thing. Imagine what that house is going to look like when she gets out of it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Save Martha!

MOOS: Save Martha may change to Pardon Martha. Fourteen thousand signatures have been collected asking for a presidential pardon.

Martha thanked supporters.

STEWART: Like these lovely people over here.

MOOS: Lovely people like Linda Smith, upset over what she called the double standard Martha faced, for instance, when the press focused on the $6,500 Hermes bag Martha once carried into court.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did your media tell me what suit Ken Lay had? Was it an Armani or a Calvin Klein? I didn't hear that! You helped nail Martha!

MOOS: The press itself got nailed for using frantic signals to beat the competition back when the guilty verdict came down four months ago. Red meant guilty.

JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Look at me I'd Edward R. Murrow.

MOOS: Well, despite taunts from comedians, guess what?

(on camera) You did do a signal? Well, no, I think we got it.

(voice-over) The red scarf was waving once again. This time, red meant prison. And though Martha wouldn't wear this scarf in the wrong season, it worked for Fox News.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Martha Stewart is going to prison for five months.

MOOS: Journalists struggled to convey the emotion Martha displayed in a courtroom without a camera.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was crying pretty much the whole time. She was sniffling.

MOOS: Martha might approve of the earring entrepreneurs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are our Free Martha earrings.

MOOS: But we think she'd draw the line at the ball and chain handbag.

(on camera) May I?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's a ball and chain. It looks well on your ankles or over your shoulders.

MOOS (voice-over): An artist who calls himself Itsy-Bitsy is auctioning several on eBay, starting at $150 each. If you want one, don't drag your feet!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It really should be worn on the ankle anyway.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: He said it really should be worn on the ankles.

GRIFFIN: A ball and chain, that's the only way to wear one.

NGUYEN: People will sell just about anything.

All right, well, the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.

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