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CNN Saturday Morning News
A look at Search for Osama bin Laden in the Northwest Frontier Provinces of Pakistan; An Update on Latest News from Kiev, Where Protests Rage Against What Many Consider a Fraudulent Election
Aired November 27, 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: Well, good morning, everybody.
From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
It is November 27, 7:00 a.m. in the East, 4:00 a.m. out West, very early.
Thank you for watching.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris.
Thank you for being with us.
Now in the news, Osama bin Laden is not there. That's the conclusion of Pakistan's government. It is ending its two year military operation and its search for the al Qaeda leader in a province bordering Afghanistan. A Pakistani official says every inch of the province has been searched and no sign of bin Laden has been found.
They are still trying to end the political crisis in Ukraine with a violence -- with demonstrators in the streets of Kiev again this morning. Parliament has wrapped up a special session to help resolve the argument over the presidential election. Supporters of the opposition candidate hope to meet again today with his opponent.
People living in Baghdad are once again awakened by bomb explosions. Police say one blast near the central bank killed two Iraqis and wounded 15 others. The other bomb exploded beside a road in southern Baghdad, killing three Iraqi police officers.
It was the longest running desertion case in U.S. history and it ended this morning when U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins was released from a military jail in Japan. Jenkins defected to North Korea nearly 40 years ago. He served only 25 days in jail before his release.
NGUYEN: Well, here's what we've got coming up for you this morning.
A journalist is just back from the front lines in Iraq and he did not like what he saw. Now a reporter gives us his take on the war in Iraq.
But first, the Pentagon goes where no one has gone before, and critics say it is all too out of this world. We'll explain.
And later, from one kind of court to another, a basket brawl on the court could turn into a legal battle. We will go "Beyond The Game" to explain all of this.
HARRIS: Now more on our top story, the hunt for Osama bin Laden. He's the wanted mastermind of the September 11th attacks. Bin Laden has eluded an intense U.S. military search for three years. Now, after a two year hunt, Pakistan's military is ending its search for him and other al Qaeda members in a tribal area along the Afghan border.
Iftikhar Shah, a northwest frontier province governor, joins us on the phone from Pakistan to talk about it.
Mr. Shah, good morning.
GOV. IFTIKHAR SHAH, NORTHWEST FRONTIER PROVINCE: Good morning.
HARRIS: Governor, are you there?
Good morning.
Good to talk to you.
IFTIKHAR: Good to talk to you, also.
HARRIS: Well, give us a sense of this deal. We understand it was a long brokered and tough negotiating session that led to this deal, that there were, at points, 400 tribal elders involved in a negotiation that ultimately brings to an end the search for Osama bin Laden.
Can you give us more details on that session?
IFTIKHAR: I think this statement is not correct that we have put an end to the search for Osama or, for that matter, militants or insurgents. That is not a correct statement to make.
What has actually happened is that in South Waziristan we are looking for militants suspected to be hiding, or who were suspected to be hiding. There (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the demographic pattern (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that about 45 percent of the area belongs to Waziris, one of the tribes, and about 25 percent of the area belongs to the Masouds.
Now, initially the problem was in the Wazir area and the army was hunting these foreign militants and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) them and there were attacks that were taking place on the security forces and there were three or four very notorious gang leaders who are supporting and harboring these foreign militants.
So after the army's pressure and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the political pressure, finally, you know, they have come to an understanding, these local tribesmen who (UNINTELLIGIBLE) who were supporting four of them, were supporting foreign militants, they have agreed to come on terms with the government and they have given us a pledge that they are not going to harbor or support the foreign militants.
HARRIS: OK.
IFTIKHAR: That's not an (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Now, the hunt for foreign militants in the Massoud area, which constitutes 55 percent of the area, will continue and the army is very much there.
HARRIS: Well, Governor, we want to thank you for taking the time. We apologize that the audio on that wasn't as clear as we would have liked for it to be. We, of course, will be covering this story all morning long -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Meanwhile, crowds of protesters fill the streets of Kiev for the sixth consecutive day. But Ukraine's political crisis has been peaceful so far. And officials are working around the clock to keep it that way.
Our Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, is live in Kiev with the latest on all of this -- good morning to you, Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.
Actually, here in Kiev it's the afternoon. And as you said, it's the sixth day, six days in a row of these street protests and demonstrations.
The biggest one is certainly downtown, but a very large one is growing outside the parliament. And the parliament is really the scene of the action today because that is where they are trying to have some type of debate, trying to get some type of resolution of the stand-off in which you have two men claiming that they have the right to be president of Ukraine.
Inside that chamber you have a debate going on, both sides. But a lot of the opposition leaders trying to convince that they should bring this to an end. Outside, you have the demonstrators, thousands of them now, and they're watching it on television screens, actually, and listening to that debate that's going on inside.
Then you also have another side of this, which is now the two parties are sitting down for talks. They have four people on each side, the government-backed candidate's people and the opposition candidate's people. And they are also trying to find a way to get out of this.
There, it's unclear where they may go. But one of the ideas might be to redo these elections. You know, the runoff took place almost a week ago, Sunday of last week. And the idea is, that the opposition certainly would like, annul it. Just say it was so flawed with irregularities that you should redo it. That's the proposal on the table. We don't know how far it's going to go. But in the meantime, you have these demonstrations, again, people on the streets for the sixth day.
NGUYEN: Jill, if they do redo these elections, let me ask you this, though, because the problem here is voter fraud, widespread corruption.
How do you remedy that problem in order to have these elections once again and how long is that going to take?
DOUGHERTY: That is an excellent question and that is really the gist of all of this, because just a few minutes ago, this past hour, I was talking with an election observer who was describing the myriad ways that they were able to rig the election in certain places. So if they redo this, they have to go -- they have to start with the media. The media has to give more attention to the opposition candidate. They have to try to get rid of stuffing ballots, ballot stuffing and also absentee ballots. Remember in the United States that became an issue. Here it's a huge issue of people who got absentee ballots and then went around and voted in numerous places. So they have to figure out a way to deal with that.
NGUYEN: It sounds like it could be a lengthy process.
All right, CNN's Jill Dougherty in Kiev this morning.
Thank you, Jill.
President Bush says the world is watching very carefully as officials try to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's just a lot of allegations of vote fraud that placed their elections, the validity of their elections in doubt. The international community is watching very carefully. People are paying very close attention to this and hopefully it'll be resolved in a way that brings credit and confidence to the Ukrainian government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That was the president there speaking to reporters outside a restaurant near his Texas ranch. A handful of pro-democracy demonstrators gathered outside to support Mr. Bush's position on the Ukrainian elections.
And there is still some fallout from our own presidential election. A lawsuit filed in Ohio is challenging the rejection of thousands of provisional ballots in Cuyahoga County. Those are votes by people who don't show up on the registration lists on Election Day but were allowed to vote anyways. People For The American Way say when those votes were later matched to electronic voter lists, thousands were wrongly invalidated. The group wants about 8,000 votes hand checked against actual registration cards.
HARRIS: Time now to rewind for a look at some of the big stories of the past week. As we just mentioned in our live report, it's been a week of angry protests and fears of civil war in Ukraine after allegations the country's presidential election was rigged. Incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych was declared the winner. His opponent says he has proof of voting fraud.
One week after a massive assault in Falluja, U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a new offensive against insurgents south of Baghdad. Operation Plymouth Rock in the crime intensified province of Babil involves more than 5,000 U.S., Iraqi and British forces.
Tuesday, the joint U.N. program on HIV and AIDS said nearly five million people became infected with HIV in 2004. That's the most in a single year since the epidemic began. Globally, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS rose three million, from 35 million in 2001.
After 24 years anchoring the CBS Evening News, Dan Rather announced Tuesday he will be leaving his post on March 9. Rather will continue with CBS as a correspondent for "60 Minutes."
And tomorrow, we will fast forward to the week ahead and we will tell you which stories will be making headlines.
NGUYEN: But in the meantime, we are working on a lot more for you this Saturday.
Just ahead, a chilling tale from a reporter just back from Iraq after seeing the battles firsthand.
HARRIS: Also, want to get to it really, really fast? The Pentagon is working on an experiment that just may transport you.
NGUYEN: Very interesting.
And also ahead, an incredible tale of survival. We will meet a very young girl who beat the odds to make it home by Thanksgiving.
HARRIS: And here is our e-mail question this morning. Are you spending more or less on holiday gifts this year? Where's that other option, nothing? Drop us a line at wam@cnn.com. We will be reading your replies throughout the program.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: He did everything right, this gentleman, a 73-year-old man, prepared a living will just in case he were ever terminally ill. So why did a judge have to step in when the Florida man was put on life support? A question for our legal panel. That is next hour, right here live on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It happens at 8:00 a.m. Eastern.
And we want to say good morning to Jacksonville, Florida this morning. Look at that. This is from our affiliate WJKT. I believe or XT. And it looks like it's a nice morning there. We'll have the weather forecast in just a moment.
Stay with us.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN Weather Center.
Here's a look at your cold and flu report for this Saturday. Some green states beginning to show up on the weather map, be getting more widespread and even in Alaska, some heavy reports of seeing some flu. Only a few yellow states on the map now, so we're getting into the flu season, where more and more states are beginning to report more activity.
Hope you're feeling well on this Saturday and enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In news across America, if America's seven million Muslims want their MTV, they will soon have it. Well, we're not talking about the popular music television. But Muslim TV, a new Muslim oriented cable network, will begin broadcasting from Buffalo, New York on Tuesday. Bridges TV will mix news with TV shows like a Muslim oriented soap opera and a comedy called "Allah Made Me Funny." Right now, the channel will only be available in Michigan and northern Ohio.
Have you seen this man? Fifty-four-year-old Glenn Sherridan was on a five day cruise to the Bahamas with his wife, but when the boat docked Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida, he wasn't on it. Sheridan's wife reported him missing and said he could have gone overboard. But searchers are finding no sign of him after looking for almost two days. The Coast Guard has now called off its search.
Near Philadelphia, the U.S. Coast Guard is trying to clean up an oil spill in the Delaware River. An undocked oil tanker began leaking crude oil overnight. Part of the river between the Walt Whitman Bridge and the Commodore Barry Bridge is closed. No word yet on just how much oil leaked out or what caused the accident. Of course, we'll bring you more information on this story as it develops.
NGUYEN: And you want to forget about the pounds, because when this newborn arrived four months ago in New Jersey, she weighed, get this, just 12 ounces. Born four months premature and weighing four ounces shy of a pound, the baby is now safely home with mom. She was released from the hospital on Wednesday, just in time for Thanksgiving. Now that's something to give thanks for.
Well, don't forget to e-mail us this morning. We are asking if you're planning to spend more or less on gifts this holiday season. You can find us at wam@cnn.com.
HARRIS: If you decide to stop by a movie theatre between all your shopping this weekend, here are some new openings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ALEXANDER," COURTESY WARNER BROTHERS)
COLLIN FARRELL, ACTOR: Hold on to this, Jeopardy. Ben Jager (ph), write to Farnicus (ph) and tell him return to the center at once.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
FARRELL: Lucas, find a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at the river bank and bring all the calvary to the center.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, my king.
FARRELL: We must reach Carterus (ph) before it's too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: What is he saying? Collin Farrell is Alexander The Great in the big budget epic from Oliver Stone. The movie chronicles the legendary life of the Greek conqueror. The critics are offering mixed reviews. Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" calls "Alexander" "an ambitious and sincere film that fails to find a focus for its elusive subject."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS," COURTESY COLUMBIA PICTURES)
JAMIE LEE CURTIS, ACTOR: We skip Christmas.
TIM ALLEN, ACTOR: No way.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Isn't that against the law?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Mr. Krank?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, that's right, the Krank family decides to skip Christmas just this once. After all, their daughter won't be home for the holidays this year. But when she changes her plans and decides to surprise her parents, things get, well, a little hectic. Critics don't find "Christmas With The Kranks" too amusing. The "Hollywood Reporter" says laughs and even Christmas joy are in short supply.
NGUYEN: I have to agree. I admit, I saw the movie.
HARRIS: You did?
NGUYEN: It was, ah, it was all right.
HARRIS: You weren't feeling it? OK.
NGUYEN: Not really feeling it.
All right, you'll never guess what the Pentagon is spending thousands of dollars on these days -- transporting people or objects across space. I'm not joking here. Beam me up, Scotty is what we're talking about. Find out if teleportation has a chance when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: All right, if you happen to be in Jacksonville this morning, head to the St. John's River for the annual Light Parade Boat Show and spectacular fireworks. Bring in the holiday cheer along with this music this morning.
Good morning, Jacksonville.
Rob Marciano will have your forecast in just two minutes.
But first, you can almost hear that all too familiar intro music and Rod Sterling saying -- help me here, Tony.
HARRIS: You have now entered the twilight zone.
NGUYEN: Very nice.
Spaceships beaming up bodies and the search for UFOs, it's not strange stuff from an old TV show. It is what some government sponsored studies are looking into. I'm not joking here.
CNN's Barbara Starr will explain.
But first, here's a look back at an old television favorite that may have started it all.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
(VIDEO CLIP FROM "STAR TREK," COURTESY PARAMOUNT STUDIOS)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the starship Enterprise, all Captain Kirk and his "Star Trek" crew have to do is signal Scotty the engineer to beam them up with the pull of a lever.
LEONARD NIMOY, ACTOR: Energize.
STARR: Instantly, they are transported to distant planets.
Could the rest of us ever do that? The U.S. military wants to know. The Air Force, home of the most high tech fighters and center of UFO speculation, is exploring strange new worlds and going where the Pentagon has not gone before. The Air Force gave Warp Drive Metrics of Las Vegas, Nevada $25,000 to study the physics of teleportation tags -- yes, the transport of persons or inanimate objects across space.
But the Air Force isn't snickering and even insists in a statement, "We don't do science fiction. We do science." Adding that, "many current weapons started as ideas perceived to be science fiction, such as airplanes, lasers and stealth technology." And although the Air Force says it's not going to spend any more money on the project, some physicists are already rolling their eyes.
IVAN OELRICH, FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS: There are some things that really are silly ideas. And just because one idea that everybody thought was silly turns out to be right, that doesn't mean all the other silly ideas might be right.
STARR: Light beams do exist in our lives already -- the laser scanner at grocery checkout, at voting machines, at Customs checkpoints. There is even promising research to see if airborne lasers could shoot down incoming enemy ballistic missiles.
But this government funded study looks at very advanced ideas -- disembodied transport, psychic transport through mental power and movement by altering time and space dimensions. The Warp Drive Metrics report looks impressive -- lots of calculations, discussions of black holes, wormholes and quantum physics. It even questions whether your soul can be transported across the galaxies with your body.
(on camera): Intergalactic transport would be very handy stuff for future space explorers and soldiers trying to get from one place to another in a big hurry. But for now, most of us will be staying in this galaxy.
Barbara Starr, CNN, firmly on planet earth.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, apparently all they had to do is ask Barbara Starr. She knows how to teleport.
MARCIANO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HARRIS: I am a father of two children. I need that technology.
NGUYEN: And now.
HARRIS: And now.
Good to see you -- Rob.
NGUYEN: I want to be teleported, too.
MARCIANO: If you had a choice, what would you do? Would you transport yourself or transport your kids somewhere?
HARRIS: I would transport myself...
NGUYEN: To a beach resort somewhere.
MARCIANO: To Tony's happy place.
NGUYEN: Exactly.
HARRIS: And my wife says you fool, you fool, take me with you. Yes.
MARCIANO: That sounds like a great idea.
HARRIS: Yes.
MARCIANO: We'll see.
NGUYEN: We'll see what happens.
MARCIANO: I'd hate to be transported and then come back as somebody else.
HARRIS: Oh, really? Really?
MARCIANO: You know, and...
HARRIS: Well, we've got plans for you.
MARCIANO: We do?
HARRIS: We have plans for you.
NGUYEN: Yes, we do.
MARCIANO: All right, I'm going to do a little weather and then you can do with me whatever you wish.
NGUYEN: Be very afraid, Rob.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: If that teleporter is ready...
HARRIS: Are you ready?
MARCIANO: What? Are you going to try...
NGUYEN: There you go.
MARCIANO: No, wait!
NGUYEN: Rob, where'd you go?
MARCIANO: No, no, don't...
HARRIS: Good knowing you, Rob. Good knowing you.
MARCIANO: See you.
NGUYEN: Uh-oh.
HARRIS: And there he is.
NGUYEN: Has he become Santa?
HARRIS: He's now Santa.
NGUYEN: In that case, we want our gifts, Rob.
HARRIS: So where have we dropped you off? Where are you there? MARCIANO: Apparently I'm in the Macy's Day -- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I don't know. HARRIS: Is that it? Is that it?
MARCIANO: I don't know. No, it's just a...
NGUYEN: He's in New York, we're being told.
HARRIS: No, it's present day. It's not Thursday. It's present day. You've been dropped into New York City.
MARCIANO: New York. That's a fine town...
NGUYEN: Sidewalk Santas.
MARCIANO: Hi, Santa.
Hi, Santa.
Hi, Santa.
How many Santas could there possibly be? I was told there's only one.
HARRIS: Yes, very nice.
NGUYEN: We hate to break it to you, Rob, there's more than just one.
MARCIANO: I'm done.
Bye.
See you.
NGUYEN: All right, thanks, Rob.
HARRIS: Did we get him back?
NGUYEN: I think he's back.
HARRIS: Oh, is he? OK.
NGUYEN: In one piece, hopefully.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: Well, you're looking at what has already become a dark shadow over the NBA. Roll the tape. There we go. How much more fallout should you expect from this brawl? Find out when we go "Beyond The Game" later this hour.
HARRIS: And one journalist just back from Iraq shares his thoughts on where things stand for Americans over there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Pakistan says it is done hunting for the world's most wanted terrorist. The question is how can you be done?
Welcome back, everyone.
I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.
That story in just a minute.
But first, here's a look at this morning's headlines.
Halliburton is back in the news. Government auditors say the company has lost laptop computers, electric generators, trucks and even SUVs in Iraq. An audit shows a third of the property a company subsidiary was paid to manage has gone missing. Halliburton, which had been headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, is already being investigated for alleged price gouging and possible favoritism.
Ukraine's parliament meets to help resolve the election crisis, as protesters fill the streets for the sixth straight day. Now, yesterday opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko told supporters that negotiations include the possibility of a new round of elections after allegations of voting fraud. The nation's supreme court meets Monday to consider Yushchenko's appeal to the election results.
The State Department says Americans traveling in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza might not be safe. An updated travel warning says the recent death of Yasser Arafat and upcoming elections to choose his successor may create additional instability.
HARRIS: Well, it looks like the hunt for Osama bin Laden is losing some critical manpower. After a two year hunt, Pakistan says it is withdrawing its troops from the south Afghan border region, where it's believed bin Laden was hiding. A Pakistan military commander says the army has repeatedly searched every inch of the region for bin Laden and he is just not there. Bin Laden, of course, is the accused mastermind behind the September 11th attacks. He's eluded the U.S. military for the past three years.
NGUYEN: Turning now to Iraq, is the nation ready to hold elections at the end of January? Well, some Iraqi politicians do not think so. Meantime, insurgents show no signs of slowing down.
Our Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad and joins us now live with the latest -- hi there, Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty.
Well, there's been a meeting of 15 of Iraq's major political parties. And leaders have signed a document in which they're calling for a postponement of the elections which, as you know, are scheduled for January the 30th.
The leaders of the political parties, they represent both secular, religious and regional movements, they're calling for a postponement of up to six months. Among them, probably one of the more significant figures, certainly for the Western world, is Adnan Pachachi. He was a very well respected ally of the coalition authorities here in Iraq and he was also one of the presidents of the Iraqi Governing Council.
Basically their position is that it's too soon to hold elections at the end of January because of the situation of violence around the country, because political parties need time to develop and because voters need more time to register.
The government, over the last few moments, has held a press conference out in the green zone and they have said that they really don't see the need for a postponement. They also say that legally it could be very tricky to call such a postponement because, at the end of the day, it's the U.N. -- the United Nations Security Council resolution which is, in part, responsible for this kind of deadline being set, as well as pressure from other leaders among the Shia Muslim majority here -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Karl Penhaul in Baghdad for us.
Thank you, Karl.
HARRIS: Next, al Qaeda. One journalist just back from Iraq shares his view on the current situation on the ground. Hear what he had to say, next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
And good morning Beantown. Boston looking good this morning. Rob is working on the forecast for you, and points west and south.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We want to give you a snapshot from the past week.
A soldier uses a satellite phone to call home from Mosul on Thanksgiving Day.
HARRIS: And this one, a happy welcome from a three-month-old grand baby girl. Her granddaddy made it back home to Philadelphia on Wednesday after more than a year in Iraq.
NGUYEN: Well, for a reporter, covering the war in Iraq can be treacherous -- dodging bullets, seeing death, smelling death, and, yes, fearing death. Dangerous, but necessary to get the truth.
"Time" magazine's Michael Ware has embedded, or was embedded, with an Army unit in the fight for Falluja. He's back home now and he talked with our Aaron Brown about his very compelling impressions and opinions.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
AARON BROWN, HOST: You've been in and out of there for two years. You'll be back in there probably sooner than you want. Do you have a sense that, on the military side, progress is being made? MICHAEL WARE, "TIME" CORRESPONDENT: To put it simply, no. No, I don't. I mean, I don't have any sense of victory or a sense that the coalition, that the West is winning right now. I mean, it seems to me we're losing ground, figuratively and literally. Just from my own example, six -- nine months ago, I could travel the breadth of Iraq. Sure, it was dangerous, it was risky, but it was calculated. Then that ceased and I was restricted to Baghdad itself. And the only way I could leave Baghdad was if the insurgents took me and guaranteed my safety.
Now I can't leave my compound. Kidnap teams circle my house. And even in my compound, they mortar, drop bombs on our house. And in parts of Baghdad itself, the U.S. military has lost control. The terrorists of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi control entire quarters or suburbs. One of them, Haifa Street, the most famous, is within mortar range of the U.S. Embassy itself.
And every day, we're creating more recruits for the insurgents. And every day more young men from outside Iraq, from the Muslim world agree, the disenfranchised, they're rising up and coming to join the fight, to blood themselves.
Right now, we are the midwives of the next generation of jihad, of the next al Qaeda. So the very thing that the administration says it went there to prevent, it is creating. And despite the honor and the bravery and the uncommon valor that I see among the American boys there in uniform who are fighting this grinding war day to day, when I see them dying in front of me, I can't help but think that perhaps they're dying in vain, because we're making the nightmare that we're trying to prevent.
BROWN: It's good to see you. Have a good holiday.
WARE: Thank you very much. It's my pleasure.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: And that was "Time" magazine reporter Michael Ware.
HARRIS: Well, that was compelling.
It happened more than a week ago, but it's still what so many people are talking about. The fallout from the infamous brawl. We'll spell it out next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Our sports wizard, Rick Horrow, will shed some light on the brawl -- is he wearing an Augusta hat?
NGUYEN: I believe so.
HARRIS: Augusta?
Rick Horrow up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, the turkey has just gotten cold and already the Christmas decorations are up. More than 200 Christmas tubas will be blasting over Faneuil Hall Marketplace today. Now, if you have happen to be in Boston, where we're getting this live picture from this morning, it's a great place to find some holiday spirit. We'll have your weather forecast, Boston, in about 10 minutes.
But first, Ukraine's parliament gathering today in an emergency session designed to defuse a stand-off over a disputed presidential election. Accusations of voter fraud triggered opposition protests. One option on the table is to redo the election entirely.
A major blow in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Pakistan says it is withdrawing soldiers from a key tribal area along the Afghan border where bin Laden is believed to be hiding. The military commander says they've repeatedly combed the area and the al Qaeda leader just is not there.
Iran rejects the latest draft proposal put forward by European leaders to curb its nuclear program. Iran suggests the country may not completely freeze nuclear technology that could make weapons grade uranium.
And don't forget to e-mail us this morning. We are asking you if you're budgeting more or less for gifts this holiday season. We're at wam@cnn.com and we'll read those responses in just a few minutes.
HARRIS: Well, this is one of those infamous moments that will be talked about decades from now. So far, the worst disturbance in NBA history. With it came basketball's stiffest fines ever. The full effect of the incident has yet to be felt -- possible lawsuits, maybe criminal charges. The brawl was even mentioned after a fight on the football field the next evening between Clemson and South Carolina. It also threatened to overshadow this week's annual Thanksgiving Day NFL football games.
What the brawl won't do is stop us from going "Beyond The Game" this morning.
Time to bring in the author of "When the Game Is On the Line," CNN sports analyst Rick Horrow.
Rick is also the author of the book, "Sports Violence: The Interaction Between Private Lawmaking and Criminal Law."
Rick is in West Palm Beach, Florida -- Rick, good to see you.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: My friend, how are you? I dressed down a little bit in honor of our pal Rob there, although he couldn't do anything about the weather. As you know, I was at Augusta last week and the rain did hold off for a few minutes. But now so for our round last week. We did nine holes. He guaranteed 18. But I guess he talks a lot, doesn't he?
HARRIS: Yes...
MARCIANO: Hold it. Hang on. I knew you guys couldn't let this fly. HARRIS: Uh-oh.
HORROW: All right...
HARRIS: Is he chiming in there? Is that Rob chiming in there?
MARCIANO: Quit blaming me for this, Tony and Horrow.
First of all, the reason it rained on you in Augusta is because Tony and I weren't invited.
HARRIS: There you go. There you go.
MARCIANO: And second of all...
HARRIS: Set the record straight.
MARCIANO: ... I didn't guarantee a rain-free 18 holes, I guaranteed victory in 18 holes, not quitting after nine, like you two.
HARRIS: For a little context here, may I provide just a little bit of context...
HORROW: Hey, I've got just one quick comment.
HARRIS: Yes?
HORROW: Then we've got to get to substance.
HARRIS: Yes?
HORROW: I thought I just walked in for taping. I thought he was beamed up or he was made to disappear like 20 minutes ago. What's he doing back?
HARRIS: Yes, we couldn't anything about it.
HORROW: What did you beam him back for?
HARRIS: We had to get him back.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: We have the weather to do all day here, you know, 24 hours.
MARCIANO: Oh, come on.
HORROW: For his weather forecasts?
HARRIS: Yes.
HORROW: You can let him go, man.
MARCIANO: Hey, I enjoyed our game, guys.
Get back to work.
HORROW: OK.
All right.
HARRIS: OK. Well, Rick...
HORROW: What do you want?
HARRIS: You know, with the NBA's image a little tarnished now, how is the NFL's image after kind of a big Thanksgiving throwback weekend?
HORROW: Well, you know, we all understand what Thanksgiving is about. It's a boatload of relatives, it's premature Christmas lights, it's turkey leftovers and it's the NFL. And the NFL is fighting really hard to make sure that they're not tarnished with the same issues that the NBA has been.
Look at what happened on Thanksgiving Day. We saw Joe Namath and Tony Dorset on a float honoring Thanksgiving weekend. We saw some exciting, even though not really close, games.
HARRIS: Right.
HORROW: You see Payton Manning and Marvin Harrison on a Wheaties box, by the way, which is a major image push for the NFL, especially since Payton Manning is pretty darned close to beating Dan Merino's 48 touchdown record.
So they're trying to improve the image as much as they can.
Now, on the other hand, remember two weeks ago, we were talking about Terrell Owens and the "Desperate Housewives" NFL skit.
HARRIS: That's right.
HORROW: And TV ratings, by the way, are pretty good. But the new TV contract is up about 30 percent from the old one. So the NFL really is trying hard to protect and preserve its image.
HARRIS: OK, so on the business side, the NFL is trying to broaden its appeal. Now as -- we're watching Nicollette Sheridan. How is that going?
HORROW: Yes, well, how is Nicollette Sheridan going?
HARRIS: Yes.
HORROW: She's, I assume she's going pretty well.
HARRIS: Gang busted, yes, yes.
HORROW: Yes. We should probably show a little bit more of that, don't you think? That certainly created a big, big firestorm. But, you know, as far as the NFL is concerned about that and other demographics, they are the gold standard of pro sports. You know, 44 percent of Americans feel that they're loyal NFL fans and over 60 percent have gone to college and over 30 percent make more than 75K a year.
And the most important stat I could find, over 14 percent of NFL fans are lawyers, which, you know, of course, I am, and it's a big deal.
They've got work to do, though, to improve. They've got to reach out to women even more. You know, 13 million women, more women watched the NFL's Super Bowl two years ago than they watched the as Academy Awards. So it is doing pretty well.
And then the kids. You know, the hearts and minds of the next generation is always important. They've got flag football clinics. They've got contributions to high schools and junior high schools. And as long as the NFL continues to do that, they're a $6 billion a year business and it's only getting stronger.
HARRIS: Wow.
OK, Rick, the NBA has had a week to sort of digest the brawl and the fallout.
How bad is it?
HORROW: Well, you know, it's a shameless plug, but I spent 20 years researching the whole issue of sports violence. I did the book at Harvard on it and it has changed a little bit, but not as much as you thought it might have. David Stern acted quickly and comprehensively, the commissioner of the NBA. He suspended players 140 games total. He's also said this ain't going to happen again under my watch.
The problem is the union has appealed it. They say these players ought to come back and that's caused an issue. Now we've got prosecutors all over Detroit thinking about how to do that, how to search for the fans. It's like "America's Most Wanted" now and it's really blown up into an issue that's gone way beyond just the court itself.
You have issues of alcohol consumption. You have arena security. You have facility design. It is the worst sports violence incident in history. Let's just hope that we learn from it and use it as a springboard to move forward.
HARRIS: Very good. well said.
All right, let's get to your foul ball of the week.
HORROW: Well, the foul ball is a segue back to the NBA. You know, a couple weeks ago, the biggest issue the NBA had was that Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors was told to take off his iPod before the game because it violated the NBA uniform standard, even though Apple advertises a lot during NBA games. Unfortunately, within the last couple of weeks, as we know, the NBA has gone from that and a $100 million a year business under David Stern's first watch into a $3 billion a year business with some major image issues.
HARRIS: Wow.
HORROW: And the Vince Carter issue is a very small one of this whole issue.
HARRIS: OK. All right, and quickly, let's get to your fair ball of the week.
HORROW: Well, I know it's quick. It's a golf issue. Five hundred million people played golf this year in rounds. Greg Norman just signed a deal with McGregor. He didn't have to change the name on his clubs, because he's using the Greg on the McGregor clubs, by the way, he claims.
HARRIS: I see.
HORROW: And more important, this is the Skins game weekend, this Thanksgiving holiday. I wanted to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving, even though, as you know, we have some major competitive issues.
HARRIS: Oh, very nice. Yes.
HORROW: And, you know, I guess we ought to bring Rob along for the next one.
HARRIS: Yes, I think...
HORROW: But you and I will go at it toe to toe. And you know what the result is going to be, pal.
HARRIS: What's that?
HORROW: What's that? Hey, it's pretty obvious. You're, you know, you're OK on camera. I'm not sure how good you are on the golf course. Let's attempt (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HARRIS: You know, just for the record on all of this, we played last week, as I think we mentioned last Saturday that we would. And we played. And just for the record...
HORROW: Yes, all right.
HARRIS: I don't...
HORROW: Yes, yes. All right, you -- hey, but it's not a complete. It's like three innings in baseball, if you don't finish it, it doesn't count. You did just one more skin than I did.
HARRIS: He's saying all that to say...
HORROW: But one more skin than your crack weatherman, by the way.
HARRIS: Rick, good to see you. HORROW: Enough.
Next week.
HARRIS: Thanks.
Bye.
NGUYEN: I'm going to separate you two.
And, by the way, tell Rick that Nicollette Sheridan called.
HARRIS: Yes?
NGUYEN: And she has a few choice words for him.
HARRIS: All right.
NGUYEN: And she's still looking for that towel, by the way.
All right, check out these pictures this morning. Ouch! But don't worry, no one was injured. We'll tell you how this happened in our "Wows of the Week." That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: In the spirit of the holidays, we have a Thanksgiving weekend treat for you in the morning. See what I'm talking about? One of the pioneers of contemporary jazz joins us live here at the CNN Center. Grammy nominated saxophonist Naji performing live on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. That's at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
I'm looking forward to that.
HARRIS: How good is that going to be?
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: Boy. They're the kind of stories that make you say wow, and maybe some other choice words.
Let's take a look at some of the more unusual happenings from the past week.
Holy sandwich! In Florida, an online casino forks over $28,000 to the owner of a decade old, partially eaten grilled cheese sandwich. The sandwich is said to contain the image of the Virgin Mary. The casino plans to put the sandwich on a world tour.
In New Zealand, Flipper has nothing on these Dolphins. Listen to this. They took action when a great white shark approached some swimmers. The Dolphins actually herded the swimmers into a tight group and circled them for 40 minutes.
NGUYEN: Wow! HARRIS: You might want to brace yourself for this video. A car crashing through a convenience store in Salem, Oregon plowing into a beer delivery guy. Jeez.
NGUYEN: That's got to hurt.
HARRIS: Believe it or not, the man suffered only minor bumps and bruises.
NGUYEN: That's all?
HARRIS: Ow.
NGUYEN: Pretty good.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about some weather this morning.
Rob -- I see you're back from, what, Santa's workshop there in New York?
HARRIS: And from his defeat on the golf course.
MARCIANO: A defeat.
NGUYEN: Oh, they're still talking about that one.
MARCIANO: Yes.
HARRIS: There was just so much chatter, chatter, chatter and we never got to the point that they lost.
NGUYEN: That Tony was the big winner. That's all he wants to say.
HARRIS: Thank you.
MARCIANO: No, no, no. Tony was not the big winner. And we quit after nine, although I'll say Tony, he, one, never stops talking on the golf course, as you can imagine. But when he does pause to stop talking, he has a very graceful, athletic swing.
HARRIS: Thank you. That was very kind.
NGUYEN: Well, maybe all the talking is part of his strategy.
HARRIS: I'm going to zip it up now.
MARCIANO: Yes, well, it worked.
HARRIS: All right, right now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Tony and Betty, back to you in the studio. NGUYEN: Is that Christmas music?
HARRIS: No, no, that's...
NGUYEN: It sounds a little eerie.
HARRIS: No. It's the music...
NGUYEN: What is that?
HARRIS: ... from "The Exorcist."
NGUYEN: No.
MARCIANO: No, it's not.
NGUYEN: Not...
MARCIANO: Anyway, why would we play that?
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: Wasn't it -- was the movie done in Boston? Was it set in Boston?
Well, all right, we'll get an e-mail...
NGUYEN: All I know is it scares me to death.
HARRIS: We're going to -- I'm telling you, because that movie, I had nightmares about that movie.
NGUYEN: We'll check on that one for you.
HARRIS: Our E-mail Question of the Day. We're asking you if you're going to spend more or less this holiday season on your gifts.
NGUYEN: Well, Jill and Ben say they are spending much less. "We're both employed, but at considerably reduced incomes."
That's a good reason to spend less.
HARRIS: Yes. And this one, "Gaining a better understanding of the meaning of Christmas, I have decided to spend less money on the holidays this year." Kijuana.
NGUYEN: I'm spending less, just on your gift, though.
HARRIS: Are you?
NGUYEN: Everybody else, I'm splurging.
HARRIS: Well, I will be happy for the gift. It's the thought that counts.
NGUYEN: That's all. HARRIS: Send us an e-mail at wam@cnn.com and we will be sharing your responses throughout the program this morning.
NGUYEN: And 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 November 27, 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: Well, good morning, everybody.
From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
It is November 27, 7:00 a.m. in the East, 4:00 a.m. out West, very early.
Thank you for watching.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris.
Thank you for being with us.
Now in the news, Osama bin Laden is not there. That's the conclusion of Pakistan's government. It is ending its two year military operation and its search for the al Qaeda leader in a province bordering Afghanistan. A Pakistani official says every inch of the province has been searched and no sign of bin Laden has been found.
They are still trying to end the political crisis in Ukraine with a violence -- with demonstrators in the streets of Kiev again this morning. Parliament has wrapped up a special session to help resolve the argument over the presidential election. Supporters of the opposition candidate hope to meet again today with his opponent.
People living in Baghdad are once again awakened by bomb explosions. Police say one blast near the central bank killed two Iraqis and wounded 15 others. The other bomb exploded beside a road in southern Baghdad, killing three Iraqi police officers.
It was the longest running desertion case in U.S. history and it ended this morning when U.S. Army deserter Charles Jenkins was released from a military jail in Japan. Jenkins defected to North Korea nearly 40 years ago. He served only 25 days in jail before his release.
NGUYEN: Well, here's what we've got coming up for you this morning.
A journalist is just back from the front lines in Iraq and he did not like what he saw. Now a reporter gives us his take on the war in Iraq.
But first, the Pentagon goes where no one has gone before, and critics say it is all too out of this world. We'll explain.
And later, from one kind of court to another, a basket brawl on the court could turn into a legal battle. We will go "Beyond The Game" to explain all of this.
HARRIS: Now more on our top story, the hunt for Osama bin Laden. He's the wanted mastermind of the September 11th attacks. Bin Laden has eluded an intense U.S. military search for three years. Now, after a two year hunt, Pakistan's military is ending its search for him and other al Qaeda members in a tribal area along the Afghan border.
Iftikhar Shah, a northwest frontier province governor, joins us on the phone from Pakistan to talk about it.
Mr. Shah, good morning.
GOV. IFTIKHAR SHAH, NORTHWEST FRONTIER PROVINCE: Good morning.
HARRIS: Governor, are you there?
Good morning.
Good to talk to you.
IFTIKHAR: Good to talk to you, also.
HARRIS: Well, give us a sense of this deal. We understand it was a long brokered and tough negotiating session that led to this deal, that there were, at points, 400 tribal elders involved in a negotiation that ultimately brings to an end the search for Osama bin Laden.
Can you give us more details on that session?
IFTIKHAR: I think this statement is not correct that we have put an end to the search for Osama or, for that matter, militants or insurgents. That is not a correct statement to make.
What has actually happened is that in South Waziristan we are looking for militants suspected to be hiding, or who were suspected to be hiding. There (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the demographic pattern (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that about 45 percent of the area belongs to Waziris, one of the tribes, and about 25 percent of the area belongs to the Masouds.
Now, initially the problem was in the Wazir area and the army was hunting these foreign militants and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) them and there were attacks that were taking place on the security forces and there were three or four very notorious gang leaders who are supporting and harboring these foreign militants.
So after the army's pressure and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the political pressure, finally, you know, they have come to an understanding, these local tribesmen who (UNINTELLIGIBLE) who were supporting four of them, were supporting foreign militants, they have agreed to come on terms with the government and they have given us a pledge that they are not going to harbor or support the foreign militants.
HARRIS: OK.
IFTIKHAR: That's not an (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Now, the hunt for foreign militants in the Massoud area, which constitutes 55 percent of the area, will continue and the army is very much there.
HARRIS: Well, Governor, we want to thank you for taking the time. We apologize that the audio on that wasn't as clear as we would have liked for it to be. We, of course, will be covering this story all morning long -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Meanwhile, crowds of protesters fill the streets of Kiev for the sixth consecutive day. But Ukraine's political crisis has been peaceful so far. And officials are working around the clock to keep it that way.
Our Moscow bureau chief, Jill Dougherty, is live in Kiev with the latest on all of this -- good morning to you, Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.
Actually, here in Kiev it's the afternoon. And as you said, it's the sixth day, six days in a row of these street protests and demonstrations.
The biggest one is certainly downtown, but a very large one is growing outside the parliament. And the parliament is really the scene of the action today because that is where they are trying to have some type of debate, trying to get some type of resolution of the stand-off in which you have two men claiming that they have the right to be president of Ukraine.
Inside that chamber you have a debate going on, both sides. But a lot of the opposition leaders trying to convince that they should bring this to an end. Outside, you have the demonstrators, thousands of them now, and they're watching it on television screens, actually, and listening to that debate that's going on inside.
Then you also have another side of this, which is now the two parties are sitting down for talks. They have four people on each side, the government-backed candidate's people and the opposition candidate's people. And they are also trying to find a way to get out of this.
There, it's unclear where they may go. But one of the ideas might be to redo these elections. You know, the runoff took place almost a week ago, Sunday of last week. And the idea is, that the opposition certainly would like, annul it. Just say it was so flawed with irregularities that you should redo it. That's the proposal on the table. We don't know how far it's going to go. But in the meantime, you have these demonstrations, again, people on the streets for the sixth day.
NGUYEN: Jill, if they do redo these elections, let me ask you this, though, because the problem here is voter fraud, widespread corruption.
How do you remedy that problem in order to have these elections once again and how long is that going to take?
DOUGHERTY: That is an excellent question and that is really the gist of all of this, because just a few minutes ago, this past hour, I was talking with an election observer who was describing the myriad ways that they were able to rig the election in certain places. So if they redo this, they have to go -- they have to start with the media. The media has to give more attention to the opposition candidate. They have to try to get rid of stuffing ballots, ballot stuffing and also absentee ballots. Remember in the United States that became an issue. Here it's a huge issue of people who got absentee ballots and then went around and voted in numerous places. So they have to figure out a way to deal with that.
NGUYEN: It sounds like it could be a lengthy process.
All right, CNN's Jill Dougherty in Kiev this morning.
Thank you, Jill.
President Bush says the world is watching very carefully as officials try to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's just a lot of allegations of vote fraud that placed their elections, the validity of their elections in doubt. The international community is watching very carefully. People are paying very close attention to this and hopefully it'll be resolved in a way that brings credit and confidence to the Ukrainian government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That was the president there speaking to reporters outside a restaurant near his Texas ranch. A handful of pro-democracy demonstrators gathered outside to support Mr. Bush's position on the Ukrainian elections.
And there is still some fallout from our own presidential election. A lawsuit filed in Ohio is challenging the rejection of thousands of provisional ballots in Cuyahoga County. Those are votes by people who don't show up on the registration lists on Election Day but were allowed to vote anyways. People For The American Way say when those votes were later matched to electronic voter lists, thousands were wrongly invalidated. The group wants about 8,000 votes hand checked against actual registration cards.
HARRIS: Time now to rewind for a look at some of the big stories of the past week. As we just mentioned in our live report, it's been a week of angry protests and fears of civil war in Ukraine after allegations the country's presidential election was rigged. Incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych was declared the winner. His opponent says he has proof of voting fraud.
One week after a massive assault in Falluja, U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a new offensive against insurgents south of Baghdad. Operation Plymouth Rock in the crime intensified province of Babil involves more than 5,000 U.S., Iraqi and British forces.
Tuesday, the joint U.N. program on HIV and AIDS said nearly five million people became infected with HIV in 2004. That's the most in a single year since the epidemic began. Globally, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS rose three million, from 35 million in 2001.
After 24 years anchoring the CBS Evening News, Dan Rather announced Tuesday he will be leaving his post on March 9. Rather will continue with CBS as a correspondent for "60 Minutes."
And tomorrow, we will fast forward to the week ahead and we will tell you which stories will be making headlines.
NGUYEN: But in the meantime, we are working on a lot more for you this Saturday.
Just ahead, a chilling tale from a reporter just back from Iraq after seeing the battles firsthand.
HARRIS: Also, want to get to it really, really fast? The Pentagon is working on an experiment that just may transport you.
NGUYEN: Very interesting.
And also ahead, an incredible tale of survival. We will meet a very young girl who beat the odds to make it home by Thanksgiving.
HARRIS: And here is our e-mail question this morning. Are you spending more or less on holiday gifts this year? Where's that other option, nothing? Drop us a line at wam@cnn.com. We will be reading your replies throughout the program.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: He did everything right, this gentleman, a 73-year-old man, prepared a living will just in case he were ever terminally ill. So why did a judge have to step in when the Florida man was put on life support? A question for our legal panel. That is next hour, right here live on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It happens at 8:00 a.m. Eastern.
And we want to say good morning to Jacksonville, Florida this morning. Look at that. This is from our affiliate WJKT. I believe or XT. And it looks like it's a nice morning there. We'll have the weather forecast in just a moment.
Stay with us.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN Weather Center.
Here's a look at your cold and flu report for this Saturday. Some green states beginning to show up on the weather map, be getting more widespread and even in Alaska, some heavy reports of seeing some flu. Only a few yellow states on the map now, so we're getting into the flu season, where more and more states are beginning to report more activity.
Hope you're feeling well on this Saturday and enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In news across America, if America's seven million Muslims want their MTV, they will soon have it. Well, we're not talking about the popular music television. But Muslim TV, a new Muslim oriented cable network, will begin broadcasting from Buffalo, New York on Tuesday. Bridges TV will mix news with TV shows like a Muslim oriented soap opera and a comedy called "Allah Made Me Funny." Right now, the channel will only be available in Michigan and northern Ohio.
Have you seen this man? Fifty-four-year-old Glenn Sherridan was on a five day cruise to the Bahamas with his wife, but when the boat docked Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida, he wasn't on it. Sheridan's wife reported him missing and said he could have gone overboard. But searchers are finding no sign of him after looking for almost two days. The Coast Guard has now called off its search.
Near Philadelphia, the U.S. Coast Guard is trying to clean up an oil spill in the Delaware River. An undocked oil tanker began leaking crude oil overnight. Part of the river between the Walt Whitman Bridge and the Commodore Barry Bridge is closed. No word yet on just how much oil leaked out or what caused the accident. Of course, we'll bring you more information on this story as it develops.
NGUYEN: And you want to forget about the pounds, because when this newborn arrived four months ago in New Jersey, she weighed, get this, just 12 ounces. Born four months premature and weighing four ounces shy of a pound, the baby is now safely home with mom. She was released from the hospital on Wednesday, just in time for Thanksgiving. Now that's something to give thanks for.
Well, don't forget to e-mail us this morning. We are asking if you're planning to spend more or less on gifts this holiday season. You can find us at wam@cnn.com.
HARRIS: If you decide to stop by a movie theatre between all your shopping this weekend, here are some new openings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ALEXANDER," COURTESY WARNER BROTHERS)
COLLIN FARRELL, ACTOR: Hold on to this, Jeopardy. Ben Jager (ph), write to Farnicus (ph) and tell him return to the center at once.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
FARRELL: Lucas, find a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at the river bank and bring all the calvary to the center.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, my king.
FARRELL: We must reach Carterus (ph) before it's too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: What is he saying? Collin Farrell is Alexander The Great in the big budget epic from Oliver Stone. The movie chronicles the legendary life of the Greek conqueror. The critics are offering mixed reviews. Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" calls "Alexander" "an ambitious and sincere film that fails to find a focus for its elusive subject."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS," COURTESY COLUMBIA PICTURES)
JAMIE LEE CURTIS, ACTOR: We skip Christmas.
TIM ALLEN, ACTOR: No way.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Isn't that against the law?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Mr. Krank?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, that's right, the Krank family decides to skip Christmas just this once. After all, their daughter won't be home for the holidays this year. But when she changes her plans and decides to surprise her parents, things get, well, a little hectic. Critics don't find "Christmas With The Kranks" too amusing. The "Hollywood Reporter" says laughs and even Christmas joy are in short supply.
NGUYEN: I have to agree. I admit, I saw the movie.
HARRIS: You did?
NGUYEN: It was, ah, it was all right.
HARRIS: You weren't feeling it? OK.
NGUYEN: Not really feeling it.
All right, you'll never guess what the Pentagon is spending thousands of dollars on these days -- transporting people or objects across space. I'm not joking here. Beam me up, Scotty is what we're talking about. Find out if teleportation has a chance when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: All right, if you happen to be in Jacksonville this morning, head to the St. John's River for the annual Light Parade Boat Show and spectacular fireworks. Bring in the holiday cheer along with this music this morning.
Good morning, Jacksonville.
Rob Marciano will have your forecast in just two minutes.
But first, you can almost hear that all too familiar intro music and Rod Sterling saying -- help me here, Tony.
HARRIS: You have now entered the twilight zone.
NGUYEN: Very nice.
Spaceships beaming up bodies and the search for UFOs, it's not strange stuff from an old TV show. It is what some government sponsored studies are looking into. I'm not joking here.
CNN's Barbara Starr will explain.
But first, here's a look back at an old television favorite that may have started it all.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
(VIDEO CLIP FROM "STAR TREK," COURTESY PARAMOUNT STUDIOS)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the starship Enterprise, all Captain Kirk and his "Star Trek" crew have to do is signal Scotty the engineer to beam them up with the pull of a lever.
LEONARD NIMOY, ACTOR: Energize.
STARR: Instantly, they are transported to distant planets.
Could the rest of us ever do that? The U.S. military wants to know. The Air Force, home of the most high tech fighters and center of UFO speculation, is exploring strange new worlds and going where the Pentagon has not gone before. The Air Force gave Warp Drive Metrics of Las Vegas, Nevada $25,000 to study the physics of teleportation tags -- yes, the transport of persons or inanimate objects across space.
But the Air Force isn't snickering and even insists in a statement, "We don't do science fiction. We do science." Adding that, "many current weapons started as ideas perceived to be science fiction, such as airplanes, lasers and stealth technology." And although the Air Force says it's not going to spend any more money on the project, some physicists are already rolling their eyes.
IVAN OELRICH, FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS: There are some things that really are silly ideas. And just because one idea that everybody thought was silly turns out to be right, that doesn't mean all the other silly ideas might be right.
STARR: Light beams do exist in our lives already -- the laser scanner at grocery checkout, at voting machines, at Customs checkpoints. There is even promising research to see if airborne lasers could shoot down incoming enemy ballistic missiles.
But this government funded study looks at very advanced ideas -- disembodied transport, psychic transport through mental power and movement by altering time and space dimensions. The Warp Drive Metrics report looks impressive -- lots of calculations, discussions of black holes, wormholes and quantum physics. It even questions whether your soul can be transported across the galaxies with your body.
(on camera): Intergalactic transport would be very handy stuff for future space explorers and soldiers trying to get from one place to another in a big hurry. But for now, most of us will be staying in this galaxy.
Barbara Starr, CNN, firmly on planet earth.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, apparently all they had to do is ask Barbara Starr. She knows how to teleport.
MARCIANO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HARRIS: I am a father of two children. I need that technology.
NGUYEN: And now.
HARRIS: And now.
Good to see you -- Rob.
NGUYEN: I want to be teleported, too.
MARCIANO: If you had a choice, what would you do? Would you transport yourself or transport your kids somewhere?
HARRIS: I would transport myself...
NGUYEN: To a beach resort somewhere.
MARCIANO: To Tony's happy place.
NGUYEN: Exactly.
HARRIS: And my wife says you fool, you fool, take me with you. Yes.
MARCIANO: That sounds like a great idea.
HARRIS: Yes.
MARCIANO: We'll see.
NGUYEN: We'll see what happens.
MARCIANO: I'd hate to be transported and then come back as somebody else.
HARRIS: Oh, really? Really?
MARCIANO: You know, and...
HARRIS: Well, we've got plans for you.
MARCIANO: We do?
HARRIS: We have plans for you.
NGUYEN: Yes, we do.
MARCIANO: All right, I'm going to do a little weather and then you can do with me whatever you wish.
NGUYEN: Be very afraid, Rob.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: If that teleporter is ready...
HARRIS: Are you ready?
MARCIANO: What? Are you going to try...
NGUYEN: There you go.
MARCIANO: No, wait!
NGUYEN: Rob, where'd you go?
MARCIANO: No, no, don't...
HARRIS: Good knowing you, Rob. Good knowing you.
MARCIANO: See you.
NGUYEN: Uh-oh.
HARRIS: And there he is.
NGUYEN: Has he become Santa?
HARRIS: He's now Santa.
NGUYEN: In that case, we want our gifts, Rob.
HARRIS: So where have we dropped you off? Where are you there? MARCIANO: Apparently I'm in the Macy's Day -- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I don't know. HARRIS: Is that it? Is that it?
MARCIANO: I don't know. No, it's just a...
NGUYEN: He's in New York, we're being told.
HARRIS: No, it's present day. It's not Thursday. It's present day. You've been dropped into New York City.
MARCIANO: New York. That's a fine town...
NGUYEN: Sidewalk Santas.
MARCIANO: Hi, Santa.
Hi, Santa.
Hi, Santa.
How many Santas could there possibly be? I was told there's only one.
HARRIS: Yes, very nice.
NGUYEN: We hate to break it to you, Rob, there's more than just one.
MARCIANO: I'm done.
Bye.
See you.
NGUYEN: All right, thanks, Rob.
HARRIS: Did we get him back?
NGUYEN: I think he's back.
HARRIS: Oh, is he? OK.
NGUYEN: In one piece, hopefully.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: Well, you're looking at what has already become a dark shadow over the NBA. Roll the tape. There we go. How much more fallout should you expect from this brawl? Find out when we go "Beyond The Game" later this hour.
HARRIS: And one journalist just back from Iraq shares his thoughts on where things stand for Americans over there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Pakistan says it is done hunting for the world's most wanted terrorist. The question is how can you be done?
Welcome back, everyone.
I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.
That story in just a minute.
But first, here's a look at this morning's headlines.
Halliburton is back in the news. Government auditors say the company has lost laptop computers, electric generators, trucks and even SUVs in Iraq. An audit shows a third of the property a company subsidiary was paid to manage has gone missing. Halliburton, which had been headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, is already being investigated for alleged price gouging and possible favoritism.
Ukraine's parliament meets to help resolve the election crisis, as protesters fill the streets for the sixth straight day. Now, yesterday opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko told supporters that negotiations include the possibility of a new round of elections after allegations of voting fraud. The nation's supreme court meets Monday to consider Yushchenko's appeal to the election results.
The State Department says Americans traveling in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza might not be safe. An updated travel warning says the recent death of Yasser Arafat and upcoming elections to choose his successor may create additional instability.
HARRIS: Well, it looks like the hunt for Osama bin Laden is losing some critical manpower. After a two year hunt, Pakistan says it is withdrawing its troops from the south Afghan border region, where it's believed bin Laden was hiding. A Pakistan military commander says the army has repeatedly searched every inch of the region for bin Laden and he is just not there. Bin Laden, of course, is the accused mastermind behind the September 11th attacks. He's eluded the U.S. military for the past three years.
NGUYEN: Turning now to Iraq, is the nation ready to hold elections at the end of January? Well, some Iraqi politicians do not think so. Meantime, insurgents show no signs of slowing down.
Our Karl Penhaul is in Baghdad and joins us now live with the latest -- hi there, Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty.
Well, there's been a meeting of 15 of Iraq's major political parties. And leaders have signed a document in which they're calling for a postponement of the elections which, as you know, are scheduled for January the 30th.
The leaders of the political parties, they represent both secular, religious and regional movements, they're calling for a postponement of up to six months. Among them, probably one of the more significant figures, certainly for the Western world, is Adnan Pachachi. He was a very well respected ally of the coalition authorities here in Iraq and he was also one of the presidents of the Iraqi Governing Council.
Basically their position is that it's too soon to hold elections at the end of January because of the situation of violence around the country, because political parties need time to develop and because voters need more time to register.
The government, over the last few moments, has held a press conference out in the green zone and they have said that they really don't see the need for a postponement. They also say that legally it could be very tricky to call such a postponement because, at the end of the day, it's the U.N. -- the United Nations Security Council resolution which is, in part, responsible for this kind of deadline being set, as well as pressure from other leaders among the Shia Muslim majority here -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Karl Penhaul in Baghdad for us.
Thank you, Karl.
HARRIS: Next, al Qaeda. One journalist just back from Iraq shares his view on the current situation on the ground. Hear what he had to say, next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
And good morning Beantown. Boston looking good this morning. Rob is working on the forecast for you, and points west and south.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We want to give you a snapshot from the past week.
A soldier uses a satellite phone to call home from Mosul on Thanksgiving Day.
HARRIS: And this one, a happy welcome from a three-month-old grand baby girl. Her granddaddy made it back home to Philadelphia on Wednesday after more than a year in Iraq.
NGUYEN: Well, for a reporter, covering the war in Iraq can be treacherous -- dodging bullets, seeing death, smelling death, and, yes, fearing death. Dangerous, but necessary to get the truth.
"Time" magazine's Michael Ware has embedded, or was embedded, with an Army unit in the fight for Falluja. He's back home now and he talked with our Aaron Brown about his very compelling impressions and opinions.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
AARON BROWN, HOST: You've been in and out of there for two years. You'll be back in there probably sooner than you want. Do you have a sense that, on the military side, progress is being made? MICHAEL WARE, "TIME" CORRESPONDENT: To put it simply, no. No, I don't. I mean, I don't have any sense of victory or a sense that the coalition, that the West is winning right now. I mean, it seems to me we're losing ground, figuratively and literally. Just from my own example, six -- nine months ago, I could travel the breadth of Iraq. Sure, it was dangerous, it was risky, but it was calculated. Then that ceased and I was restricted to Baghdad itself. And the only way I could leave Baghdad was if the insurgents took me and guaranteed my safety.
Now I can't leave my compound. Kidnap teams circle my house. And even in my compound, they mortar, drop bombs on our house. And in parts of Baghdad itself, the U.S. military has lost control. The terrorists of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi control entire quarters or suburbs. One of them, Haifa Street, the most famous, is within mortar range of the U.S. Embassy itself.
And every day, we're creating more recruits for the insurgents. And every day more young men from outside Iraq, from the Muslim world agree, the disenfranchised, they're rising up and coming to join the fight, to blood themselves.
Right now, we are the midwives of the next generation of jihad, of the next al Qaeda. So the very thing that the administration says it went there to prevent, it is creating. And despite the honor and the bravery and the uncommon valor that I see among the American boys there in uniform who are fighting this grinding war day to day, when I see them dying in front of me, I can't help but think that perhaps they're dying in vain, because we're making the nightmare that we're trying to prevent.
BROWN: It's good to see you. Have a good holiday.
WARE: Thank you very much. It's my pleasure.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: And that was "Time" magazine reporter Michael Ware.
HARRIS: Well, that was compelling.
It happened more than a week ago, but it's still what so many people are talking about. The fallout from the infamous brawl. We'll spell it out next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Our sports wizard, Rick Horrow, will shed some light on the brawl -- is he wearing an Augusta hat?
NGUYEN: I believe so.
HARRIS: Augusta?
Rick Horrow up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, the turkey has just gotten cold and already the Christmas decorations are up. More than 200 Christmas tubas will be blasting over Faneuil Hall Marketplace today. Now, if you have happen to be in Boston, where we're getting this live picture from this morning, it's a great place to find some holiday spirit. We'll have your weather forecast, Boston, in about 10 minutes.
But first, Ukraine's parliament gathering today in an emergency session designed to defuse a stand-off over a disputed presidential election. Accusations of voter fraud triggered opposition protests. One option on the table is to redo the election entirely.
A major blow in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Pakistan says it is withdrawing soldiers from a key tribal area along the Afghan border where bin Laden is believed to be hiding. The military commander says they've repeatedly combed the area and the al Qaeda leader just is not there.
Iran rejects the latest draft proposal put forward by European leaders to curb its nuclear program. Iran suggests the country may not completely freeze nuclear technology that could make weapons grade uranium.
And don't forget to e-mail us this morning. We are asking you if you're budgeting more or less for gifts this holiday season. We're at wam@cnn.com and we'll read those responses in just a few minutes.
HARRIS: Well, this is one of those infamous moments that will be talked about decades from now. So far, the worst disturbance in NBA history. With it came basketball's stiffest fines ever. The full effect of the incident has yet to be felt -- possible lawsuits, maybe criminal charges. The brawl was even mentioned after a fight on the football field the next evening between Clemson and South Carolina. It also threatened to overshadow this week's annual Thanksgiving Day NFL football games.
What the brawl won't do is stop us from going "Beyond The Game" this morning.
Time to bring in the author of "When the Game Is On the Line," CNN sports analyst Rick Horrow.
Rick is also the author of the book, "Sports Violence: The Interaction Between Private Lawmaking and Criminal Law."
Rick is in West Palm Beach, Florida -- Rick, good to see you.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: My friend, how are you? I dressed down a little bit in honor of our pal Rob there, although he couldn't do anything about the weather. As you know, I was at Augusta last week and the rain did hold off for a few minutes. But now so for our round last week. We did nine holes. He guaranteed 18. But I guess he talks a lot, doesn't he?
HARRIS: Yes...
MARCIANO: Hold it. Hang on. I knew you guys couldn't let this fly. HARRIS: Uh-oh.
HORROW: All right...
HARRIS: Is he chiming in there? Is that Rob chiming in there?
MARCIANO: Quit blaming me for this, Tony and Horrow.
First of all, the reason it rained on you in Augusta is because Tony and I weren't invited.
HARRIS: There you go. There you go.
MARCIANO: And second of all...
HARRIS: Set the record straight.
MARCIANO: ... I didn't guarantee a rain-free 18 holes, I guaranteed victory in 18 holes, not quitting after nine, like you two.
HARRIS: For a little context here, may I provide just a little bit of context...
HORROW: Hey, I've got just one quick comment.
HARRIS: Yes?
HORROW: Then we've got to get to substance.
HARRIS: Yes?
HORROW: I thought I just walked in for taping. I thought he was beamed up or he was made to disappear like 20 minutes ago. What's he doing back?
HARRIS: Yes, we couldn't anything about it.
HORROW: What did you beam him back for?
HARRIS: We had to get him back.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: We have the weather to do all day here, you know, 24 hours.
MARCIANO: Oh, come on.
HORROW: For his weather forecasts?
HARRIS: Yes.
HORROW: You can let him go, man.
MARCIANO: Hey, I enjoyed our game, guys.
Get back to work.
HORROW: OK.
All right.
HARRIS: OK. Well, Rick...
HORROW: What do you want?
HARRIS: You know, with the NBA's image a little tarnished now, how is the NFL's image after kind of a big Thanksgiving throwback weekend?
HORROW: Well, you know, we all understand what Thanksgiving is about. It's a boatload of relatives, it's premature Christmas lights, it's turkey leftovers and it's the NFL. And the NFL is fighting really hard to make sure that they're not tarnished with the same issues that the NBA has been.
Look at what happened on Thanksgiving Day. We saw Joe Namath and Tony Dorset on a float honoring Thanksgiving weekend. We saw some exciting, even though not really close, games.
HARRIS: Right.
HORROW: You see Payton Manning and Marvin Harrison on a Wheaties box, by the way, which is a major image push for the NFL, especially since Payton Manning is pretty darned close to beating Dan Merino's 48 touchdown record.
So they're trying to improve the image as much as they can.
Now, on the other hand, remember two weeks ago, we were talking about Terrell Owens and the "Desperate Housewives" NFL skit.
HARRIS: That's right.
HORROW: And TV ratings, by the way, are pretty good. But the new TV contract is up about 30 percent from the old one. So the NFL really is trying hard to protect and preserve its image.
HARRIS: OK, so on the business side, the NFL is trying to broaden its appeal. Now as -- we're watching Nicollette Sheridan. How is that going?
HORROW: Yes, well, how is Nicollette Sheridan going?
HARRIS: Yes.
HORROW: She's, I assume she's going pretty well.
HARRIS: Gang busted, yes, yes.
HORROW: Yes. We should probably show a little bit more of that, don't you think? That certainly created a big, big firestorm. But, you know, as far as the NFL is concerned about that and other demographics, they are the gold standard of pro sports. You know, 44 percent of Americans feel that they're loyal NFL fans and over 60 percent have gone to college and over 30 percent make more than 75K a year.
And the most important stat I could find, over 14 percent of NFL fans are lawyers, which, you know, of course, I am, and it's a big deal.
They've got work to do, though, to improve. They've got to reach out to women even more. You know, 13 million women, more women watched the NFL's Super Bowl two years ago than they watched the as Academy Awards. So it is doing pretty well.
And then the kids. You know, the hearts and minds of the next generation is always important. They've got flag football clinics. They've got contributions to high schools and junior high schools. And as long as the NFL continues to do that, they're a $6 billion a year business and it's only getting stronger.
HARRIS: Wow.
OK, Rick, the NBA has had a week to sort of digest the brawl and the fallout.
How bad is it?
HORROW: Well, you know, it's a shameless plug, but I spent 20 years researching the whole issue of sports violence. I did the book at Harvard on it and it has changed a little bit, but not as much as you thought it might have. David Stern acted quickly and comprehensively, the commissioner of the NBA. He suspended players 140 games total. He's also said this ain't going to happen again under my watch.
The problem is the union has appealed it. They say these players ought to come back and that's caused an issue. Now we've got prosecutors all over Detroit thinking about how to do that, how to search for the fans. It's like "America's Most Wanted" now and it's really blown up into an issue that's gone way beyond just the court itself.
You have issues of alcohol consumption. You have arena security. You have facility design. It is the worst sports violence incident in history. Let's just hope that we learn from it and use it as a springboard to move forward.
HARRIS: Very good. well said.
All right, let's get to your foul ball of the week.
HORROW: Well, the foul ball is a segue back to the NBA. You know, a couple weeks ago, the biggest issue the NBA had was that Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors was told to take off his iPod before the game because it violated the NBA uniform standard, even though Apple advertises a lot during NBA games. Unfortunately, within the last couple of weeks, as we know, the NBA has gone from that and a $100 million a year business under David Stern's first watch into a $3 billion a year business with some major image issues.
HARRIS: Wow.
HORROW: And the Vince Carter issue is a very small one of this whole issue.
HARRIS: OK. All right, and quickly, let's get to your fair ball of the week.
HORROW: Well, I know it's quick. It's a golf issue. Five hundred million people played golf this year in rounds. Greg Norman just signed a deal with McGregor. He didn't have to change the name on his clubs, because he's using the Greg on the McGregor clubs, by the way, he claims.
HARRIS: I see.
HORROW: And more important, this is the Skins game weekend, this Thanksgiving holiday. I wanted to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving, even though, as you know, we have some major competitive issues.
HARRIS: Oh, very nice. Yes.
HORROW: And, you know, I guess we ought to bring Rob along for the next one.
HARRIS: Yes, I think...
HORROW: But you and I will go at it toe to toe. And you know what the result is going to be, pal.
HARRIS: What's that?
HORROW: What's that? Hey, it's pretty obvious. You're, you know, you're OK on camera. I'm not sure how good you are on the golf course. Let's attempt (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HARRIS: You know, just for the record on all of this, we played last week, as I think we mentioned last Saturday that we would. And we played. And just for the record...
HORROW: Yes, all right.
HARRIS: I don't...
HORROW: Yes, yes. All right, you -- hey, but it's not a complete. It's like three innings in baseball, if you don't finish it, it doesn't count. You did just one more skin than I did.
HARRIS: He's saying all that to say...
HORROW: But one more skin than your crack weatherman, by the way.
HARRIS: Rick, good to see you. HORROW: Enough.
Next week.
HARRIS: Thanks.
Bye.
NGUYEN: I'm going to separate you two.
And, by the way, tell Rick that Nicollette Sheridan called.
HARRIS: Yes?
NGUYEN: And she has a few choice words for him.
HARRIS: All right.
NGUYEN: And she's still looking for that towel, by the way.
All right, check out these pictures this morning. Ouch! But don't worry, no one was injured. We'll tell you how this happened in our "Wows of the Week." That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: In the spirit of the holidays, we have a Thanksgiving weekend treat for you in the morning. See what I'm talking about? One of the pioneers of contemporary jazz joins us live here at the CNN Center. Grammy nominated saxophonist Naji performing live on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. That's at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
I'm looking forward to that.
HARRIS: How good is that going to be?
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: Boy. They're the kind of stories that make you say wow, and maybe some other choice words.
Let's take a look at some of the more unusual happenings from the past week.
Holy sandwich! In Florida, an online casino forks over $28,000 to the owner of a decade old, partially eaten grilled cheese sandwich. The sandwich is said to contain the image of the Virgin Mary. The casino plans to put the sandwich on a world tour.
In New Zealand, Flipper has nothing on these Dolphins. Listen to this. They took action when a great white shark approached some swimmers. The Dolphins actually herded the swimmers into a tight group and circled them for 40 minutes.
NGUYEN: Wow! HARRIS: You might want to brace yourself for this video. A car crashing through a convenience store in Salem, Oregon plowing into a beer delivery guy. Jeez.
NGUYEN: That's got to hurt.
HARRIS: Believe it or not, the man suffered only minor bumps and bruises.
NGUYEN: That's all?
HARRIS: Ow.
NGUYEN: Pretty good.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: Well, let's talk about some weather this morning.
Rob -- I see you're back from, what, Santa's workshop there in New York?
HARRIS: And from his defeat on the golf course.
MARCIANO: A defeat.
NGUYEN: Oh, they're still talking about that one.
MARCIANO: Yes.
HARRIS: There was just so much chatter, chatter, chatter and we never got to the point that they lost.
NGUYEN: That Tony was the big winner. That's all he wants to say.
HARRIS: Thank you.
MARCIANO: No, no, no. Tony was not the big winner. And we quit after nine, although I'll say Tony, he, one, never stops talking on the golf course, as you can imagine. But when he does pause to stop talking, he has a very graceful, athletic swing.
HARRIS: Thank you. That was very kind.
NGUYEN: Well, maybe all the talking is part of his strategy.
HARRIS: I'm going to zip it up now.
MARCIANO: Yes, well, it worked.
HARRIS: All right, right now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Tony and Betty, back to you in the studio. NGUYEN: Is that Christmas music?
HARRIS: No, no, that's...
NGUYEN: It sounds a little eerie.
HARRIS: No. It's the music...
NGUYEN: What is that?
HARRIS: ... from "The Exorcist."
NGUYEN: No.
MARCIANO: No, it's not.
NGUYEN: Not...
MARCIANO: Anyway, why would we play that?
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: Wasn't it -- was the movie done in Boston? Was it set in Boston?
Well, all right, we'll get an e-mail...
NGUYEN: All I know is it scares me to death.
HARRIS: We're going to -- I'm telling you, because that movie, I had nightmares about that movie.
NGUYEN: We'll check on that one for you.
HARRIS: Our E-mail Question of the Day. We're asking you if you're going to spend more or less this holiday season on your gifts.
NGUYEN: Well, Jill and Ben say they are spending much less. "We're both employed, but at considerably reduced incomes."
That's a good reason to spend less.
HARRIS: Yes. And this one, "Gaining a better understanding of the meaning of Christmas, I have decided to spend less money on the holidays this year." Kijuana.
NGUYEN: I'm spending less, just on your gift, though.
HARRIS: Are you?
NGUYEN: Everybody else, I'm splurging.
HARRIS: Well, I will be happy for the gift. It's the thought that counts.
NGUYEN: That's all. HARRIS: Send us an e-mail at wam@cnn.com and we will be sharing your responses throughout the program this morning.
NGUYEN: And the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.
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