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CNN Saturday Morning News

16 Dead, 38 Wounded in Twin Baghdad Car Bombing; Musharraf Pays Visit to Bush

Aired December 04, 2004 - 08:00   ET

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

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


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: Good morning, everyone, I'm Tony Harris live from the CNN Center. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's the fourth day of December. 8:00 a.m. here at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks for joining us. On the West Coast, 5:00 a.m., bright and early.

Let's get right to the day's top stories.

At least 16 are dead and 38 wounded after twin bombings in Baghdad this morning. Two car bombs went off near the coalition-run green zone. Police say one bombs contained nearly 900 pounds of explosives. We have a live report from Baghdad coming up.

Pakistan's president might have some explaining to do. Pervez Musharraf meets with President Bush at the White House in about an hour. Mr. Bush is expected to question Musharraf about why Pakistan is scaling back the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

A lot of people are leaving President Bush's Cabinet, but Donald Rumsfeld is not one of them. An administration source tells CNN Rumsfeld has agreed to stay on as Defense secretary. The president urged Rumsfeld to remain in his spot.

Turning now overseas, widespread damage and death in the northern Philippines. Look at this. A series of storms has left more than 600 people dead and nearly 400 others missing. A search is on this morning for more victims. Meantime, though, rescuers are trying to rush aid to starving villagers.

HARRIS: We have a lot more to cover this here. Brace yourself, baseball fans, we'll hear from the head of the company at the center of the steroid scandal and what's in store for two sluggers accused of using steroids. Our legal analysts step up to the plate.

Later, are you sick of being sick during the holidays? We'll tell you how to the fight those winter woes.

NGUYEN: More on our top store, the deadly bombings in Baghdad. They're the latest in a series of insurgent attacks. Our Karl Penhaul is in the Iraqi capital and joins us with the latest details on this.

Good morning to you, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Betty.

A senior health ministry official has told us that the toll from those morning explosions was 16 people killed and at least 38 other people wounded. The explosions took place at about 9:30 local time. And police say, in fact, this was a twin car bomb.

Two car bombs rolled up to a very busy cross roads in the heart of Baghdad. Both car bombs detonated. Now, at that crossroads, on one corner is a major district police station. On two of the other four corners, two of the main checkpoint entry points to the so-called green zone, the headquarters for the coalition administration here and also the headquarters of the Iraqi government.

As soon as those car bombs exploded, we're told, then insurgents opened fire on the checkpoints. We're told by security sources inside the green zone, in fact, that they tried to assault two of the checkpoints.

That said, a member of the U.S. embassy inside the green zone told us that there was no serious attempt by the insurgents to breach the outer perimeter defenses of the green zone. What that embassy official also told us, there were no U.S. or coalition casualties among the wounded. This of course, though, does come after a number of days of a buildup in insurgent attacks in and around Baghdad.

Also, in the course of this morning a few minutes before, in fact, those explosions at our checkpoint, there was a roadside bomb detonated in the eastern sector of Baghdad. One U.S. soldier was killed and five others wounded. Also, north of Baghdad, about 30 miles north of Baghdad, another roadside bomb in which another U.S. serviceman was killed, Betty.

NGUYEN: Another violent day. Karl Penhaul in Baghdad for us this morning. Thank you, Karl.

The navy is investigating a new crop of photos depicting mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners. They appear to show U.S. Navy SEALS abusing prisoners, some of them bloody and some of them handcuffed or hooded. There is no confirmation of that and no indication yet who took these pictures.

They were posted on a web site by a woman who said her husband brought them home from Iraq. Some of these photos bear date stamps indicating they were taken in May of last year, months before prisoner abuse was photographed at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.

Less than an hour to go before a high-level meeting at the White House. President Bush is sitting down with his Pakistani counterpart. To Washington now and White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux with the latest.

Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty. It's expected to be a brief but very packed meeting between President Bush and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf. As you know, Pakistan is a critical ally in the war on terror. But still, the leaders share some concerns.

Most notably, however, of course is the concern for the U.S. that namely Pakistan's role in its hunt for Osama bin Laden. Recently, Pakistan's military saying they were actually going to pull back away from that search, along the border, the Afghan border on the Pakistan side.

The U.S. has been involved in a joint operation there for some time. The president also is expected to address Pakistan's role in supporting A.Q. Khan, he is the Pakistani scientist who sold his country's nuclear secrets to Libya, North Korea and Iran. Also, Musharraf's refusal to give up his military post. This is really seen as somewhat of a backtracking of some of those democratic reforms.

Finally, the tension between Pakistan and its nuclear-armed neighbor, India.

As far as Pakistan is concerned, it, of course, wants the U.S. to clear the way to allow it to buy some of the U.S. F-16s, those surveillance military planes, as well as anti-tank missiles and other weapons really seen as a reward for its cooperation in the war on terror, about a billion dollars worth.

Finally, it wants to see President Bush get more involved in the Israeli/Palestinian peace process to get those negotiations going on. Betty?

NGUYEN: Suzanne, let's talk more about the war on terror. What kind of pressure is the president using this weekend to get that 9/11 intelligence bill passed?

MALVEAUX: Well, actually, Thursday, what he did was called the House leadership as well as the Senate leadership, Republicans, to say we need to have this happen. What's going on this weekend, he's actually drafting a letter, will be sending it to Congress, we expect perhaps as early as Monday.

This is a letter that says look, the chain of command has to be consistent in the Pentagon, but at the same time we've got to get this legislation passed. This is something that he's been working personally very hard on and, Betty, a critical test when it comes to his leadership skills.

NGUYEN: Definitely a critical test. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux at the White House this morning, thank you.

HARRIS: A CNN exclusive this weekend Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf joins "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer". On the agenda, the war on terror, the search for Osama bin Laden, and relations with nuclear neighbor India. Tomorrow at Noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific.

NGUYEN: Now to the Major League Baseball steroid scandal. Victor Conte founded BALCO, the lab that allegedly provided steroids and other banned drugs to elite athletes. He tells ABC's "20/20" the anti-doping rules currently in place, it's pretty easy for athletes to beat those rules.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR CONTE, FOUNDER, BALCO: Let me tell you the biggest joke of all. You know what that is? I would estimate that more than 50 percent of the athletes are taking some form of anabolic steroids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baseball players?

CONTE: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than 50 percent?

CONTE: Without a doubt, more than 50 percent, OK?

But I'll tell you something else they're doing that they've never addressed at all. That's this. My guess is greater than 80 percent are taking some sort of stimulant before each and every game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: "The San Francisco Chronicle" reports Giant's slugger Barry Bonds told a grand jury he used substances supplied to him by his trainer. Barry's bombshell comes a day after a similar report that Yankee slugger Jason Giambi admitted to taking steroids. But Bonds' attorney says his client believed he was taking a nutritional supplement and using a lotion for arthritis.

Victor Conte also tells "20/20" he supplied performance enhancing drugs to track stars Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Kelly White. Jones has never failed a drug test and has denied ever using banned drugs.

All this brings us to our morning e-mail question. Should athletes who have taken steroids be forced to give their records or medals back? Tell us what you think. We're at wam@cnn.com. We'll read your replies throughout the program.

HARRIS: Some other news across America. Facing justice, an alleged drug kingpin from Colombia has been flown to the U.S. Authorities say he led a cartel blamed for smuggling in as much as 80 percent of the U.S. cocaine supply.

Yet another search of the Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Sheriff investigators returned to the singer's California estate, spending more than eight hours there. Authorities gave no reason for the search. Jackson was booked on child molestation charges nearly a year ago.

Two weeks after the on-court brawl comes the in-court brawl. Lawyers for both the league and the players union are battling over appeals for the four suspended players. An arbitrator says, he pass the power to decide whether the suspensions can be appealed to someone other than the NBA Commissioner David Stern. The NBA has filed a lawsuit challenging the arbitrators' authority.

NGUYEN: It's the middle of football season, but baseball captures the headlines this week. The steroid scandal on the docket in this morning's "Legal Briefs." The big question for our panel, should athletes face criminal charges for using illegal drugs?

Live, next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

HARRIS: Then on "HOUSE CALL," the winter woes. Colds, flu, depression it all could be knocking on your door pretty soon. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will tell you what to do about it "HOUSE CALL" at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Good morning and welcome back. Updating our top stories. Another assault on Iraqi police. Two car bombs explode outside Baghdad's heavily fortified green zone; 16 people are dead, including four Iraqi police officers, and 38 others were wounded.

Celebrations in the Ukraine. The parliament meets today to lay the groundwork for a new presidential runoff election. The Ukrainian supreme court annulled the results of last month's balloting after claims of fraud. The court ordered a new runoff for the day after Christmas.

Four deadly storms in the past two weeks have displaced thousands of Filipinos. Nearly 650 people are dead, about 400 missing. The government is appealing for relief supplies.

HARRIS: Tomorrow, right here in our "Faces of Faith", a prominent church puts out an ad that's rejected by the three television networks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No way. Not you. I don't think so. No.

ANNOUNCER: The United Church of Christ. No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: But that's only part of the ad. Too hot to handle for the networks. Reaction from the United Church of Christ live tomorrow morning in "Faces of Faith," 8:00 a.m. Eastern on "CNN Sunday Morning".

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: He instantly became page-one news this week after word leaked out the former baseball MVP confessed to using illegal steroids. Should Jason Giambi and any other athletes who break the law be behind bars? NGUYEN: A hot topic on the docket for this morning's legal panel. There they are.

Good morning, guys.

CNN SATURDAY MORNING will be right back with all of this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: They're the biggest names in baseball, linked to the steroid scandal, Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds. Transcripts of testimony given to a federal grand jury last year say Giambi confessed to the use of illegal steroids, but Bonds is not admitting to using anything illegal.

The men reportedly used drugs that came from BALCO, which is a company at the center of this scandal. The question this morning if there's proof that Bonds, Giambi and any other athlete used illegal steroids should they face federal criminal charges?

Also this morning, emotional testimony from the parents of convicted double murderer Scott Peterson. Will it be enough to convince the same jury calling him guilty to show mercy and spare his life?

Both cases on the docket this morning. So, let's get right to it. Bring in our legal combatants for this weekend, Former Texas Prosecutor Nelda Blair joins us live from Houston. And Defense Attorney Jeffrey Mandel is in our Time Warner Center in New York.

Good morning to you both.

NELDA BLAIR, FMR. TEXAS PROSECUTOR: Good morning.

NGUYEN: Let's start with the Peterson trial. This is a jury that really found him guilty quite quickly. They're expected to possibly get this in their hands for deliberations on Wednesday. Is it going to go quickly, Nelda?

BLAIR: I think it will go quickly. But this jury has not made rash decisions. They've been very meticulous, very analytical. Even though a couple of jurors were tossed off, you know, they did deliberate for a while before they actually came up with the guilty verdict.

I think that they'll be methodical and careful, but I've said from the beginning I think they'll find the death penalty is appropriate.

NGUYEN: You agree, Jeffrey?

JEFFREY MANDEL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I agree with Nelda that this jury has certainly done a very good job. They spent 30 hours considering this case. And while initially I didn't think the death penalty would come about, I do now believe, based on the testimony of Laci Peterson's mother, that Scott may be facing the death penalty. NGUYEN: I was going to ask about that because Scott Peterson's sister-in-law and half brother took the stand. That testimony brought Scott Peterson to tears. Is that going to work with this jury, or did Laci Peterson's mother really seal the deal in this one, as it comes to a verdict on whether he should live or die?

BLAIR: I don't think the jury's going to believe any crocodile tears Scott Peterson weeps. I think that that's happened before. They've been very stoic in the face of his family's testimony. No matter what they said, and no matter what a great little boy he was, he still committed a horrendous crime. And we reserve the death penalty for the most, worst crimes and this is one of them.

NGUYEN: Jeffrey, last word before we move on to the steroid case.

MANDEL: I certainly don't think this necessarily is the worst crime. I do believe that a pregnant person was killed. I don't believe the legislature has passed, per se rule that we put to death those who kill people who are pregnant. But I think the testimony of Laci Peterson's mother did seal the deal on this case.

NGUYEN: Moving on to the steroid case. Nelda, if a grand jury -- if these documents are supposed to be sealed, how did they get out? How are they linked and are we looking at some criminal charges here?

BLAIR: We've talked about this with a lot of case, the Jackson case, the Peterson case, the Kobe Bryant case. It seems like the leaks get worse and worse. Absolutely, it's against the law and there should be charges for -- you are talking about the leakage itself? Absolutely.

But what's even more important, what a vast, vast problem this obviously is in professional sports. And this is something that has got to be addressed. It's gone all the way to President Bush and the State of the Union Address. It's a major, major concern.

NGUYEN: Jeffrey, should the government go after the San Francisco reporters to give up their sources?

MANDEL: I hate to see reporters become the subject of the investigation, but I think the court, the Department of Justice, they need to find out where the source of the leak is, because it really hurts defense attorneys when they can tell their clients that you have immunity, you can testify before a grand jury and this information will remain secret. And then all of a sudden it is splashed on the front page of "The San Francisco Chronicle".

NGUYEN: Leak or no leak, Nelda, how strong is this case?

BLAIR: I think it's going to be quite strong. Ashcroft doesn't usually do anything in that regard unless he feels very strongly about his case. But I'll tell you what. The people that are behind this, the Victor Conte and the whole group that's been indicted, are only the tip of the iceberg in my opinion. I think we'll see a lot more of these allegations come forward and I think it's a very sad situation, but very serious. This is basically cheating in professional sports. And in any other area, it would not be allowed. It's drug abuse and in any other area wouldn't be allowed. We can't allow it here.

NGUYEN: But, Jeffrey, legally, does this come down to whether this evidence was obtained without a search regard want.

MANDEL: I know there's an issue in this case about the execution of the search warrant. I've reviewed papers to lead me to believe that the search warrant was properly executed. I've yet to see anything directly linking any of the found steroids to players such as Barry Bonds. Until we see that direct link, it is not something I think anybody should be commenting on.

I know circumstantially it is wonderful for us to believe that they were under the influence of these steroids at the time. But I have not seen the direct link that I'd like to see.

NGUYEN: And if there is a direct link, Nelda, should they face criminal charges?

BLAIR: Absolutely. It is illegal. It's not allowed in professional sports. In any other world, it would be the subject of criminal charges. And it should be here, too. No question about it.

HUME: What if they say they took it without knowing it. They didn't know.

BLAIR: That's the tough part. That is very, very tough. In reality, what's going to happen to people like Barry Bonds, who says if he took it, he didn't know he was taking it, the really worst thing that is happening to him is his reputation has gone. His credibility is gone. His persona in the public is gone. And that's what really, really hurts him. The criminal charges would just be something else to boot.

NGUYEN: Jeffrey, I'm going to give you the last question here. Is this also going to come down to exactly what is a steroid, because some will argue that these were steroids. Some will say no, they're growth hormones. Is that going to come to play in this case?

MANDEL: I think it will come to play, but I think the real issue here is Major League Baseball must find a way to curb this practice. Major League Baseball cannot run and hide from this. There's something wrong. It appears to be affecting most of the their players from what we hear now. And it is something they should address head so they can at least maintain the integrity of their sport.

BLAIR: That's an understatement.

NGUYEN: All right. Nelda Blair, Jeffrey Mandel, we appreciate your insight this morning. Thank you.

BLAIR: Thank you. NGUYEN: All right, Tony.

HARRIS: That takes us to our e-mail question of the day. Where we've been getting some great responses.

What do you think? Should athletes who have taken steroids be forced to give their records or medals back? There's the address. Let's read a couple before we send it over to "House Call".

"I think that they should be able to keep them because were hard earned." And that is from Antony, in Roanoke.

NGUYEN: And Gabrielle writes, "Of course, all records by drug users calling themselves athletes should be wiped out. It ruins the integrity of the Olympics. The Olympics motto is farther, faster, stronger, not more juiced up."

HARRIS: And we would encourage you to send us more of those e- mails. There is the question again. Should athletes who have taken steroids be forced to give their records or medals back? There is the address at wam@cnn.com.

Is there really such a thing as the winter blues? You bet there is. Up next on "HOUSE CALL" Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to tell you how to deal with it.

NGUYEN: Then, more reaction to the steroid scandal at the top of the hour on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, live 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired December 4, 2004 - 08:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: Good morning, everyone, I'm Tony Harris live from the CNN Center. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's the fourth day of December. 8:00 a.m. here at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks for joining us. On the West Coast, 5:00 a.m., bright and early.

Let's get right to the day's top stories.

At least 16 are dead and 38 wounded after twin bombings in Baghdad this morning. Two car bombs went off near the coalition-run green zone. Police say one bombs contained nearly 900 pounds of explosives. We have a live report from Baghdad coming up.

Pakistan's president might have some explaining to do. Pervez Musharraf meets with President Bush at the White House in about an hour. Mr. Bush is expected to question Musharraf about why Pakistan is scaling back the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

A lot of people are leaving President Bush's Cabinet, but Donald Rumsfeld is not one of them. An administration source tells CNN Rumsfeld has agreed to stay on as Defense secretary. The president urged Rumsfeld to remain in his spot.

Turning now overseas, widespread damage and death in the northern Philippines. Look at this. A series of storms has left more than 600 people dead and nearly 400 others missing. A search is on this morning for more victims. Meantime, though, rescuers are trying to rush aid to starving villagers.

HARRIS: We have a lot more to cover this here. Brace yourself, baseball fans, we'll hear from the head of the company at the center of the steroid scandal and what's in store for two sluggers accused of using steroids. Our legal analysts step up to the plate.

Later, are you sick of being sick during the holidays? We'll tell you how to the fight those winter woes.

NGUYEN: More on our top store, the deadly bombings in Baghdad. They're the latest in a series of insurgent attacks. Our Karl Penhaul is in the Iraqi capital and joins us with the latest details on this.

Good morning to you, Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Betty.

A senior health ministry official has told us that the toll from those morning explosions was 16 people killed and at least 38 other people wounded. The explosions took place at about 9:30 local time. And police say, in fact, this was a twin car bomb.

Two car bombs rolled up to a very busy cross roads in the heart of Baghdad. Both car bombs detonated. Now, at that crossroads, on one corner is a major district police station. On two of the other four corners, two of the main checkpoint entry points to the so-called green zone, the headquarters for the coalition administration here and also the headquarters of the Iraqi government.

As soon as those car bombs exploded, we're told, then insurgents opened fire on the checkpoints. We're told by security sources inside the green zone, in fact, that they tried to assault two of the checkpoints.

That said, a member of the U.S. embassy inside the green zone told us that there was no serious attempt by the insurgents to breach the outer perimeter defenses of the green zone. What that embassy official also told us, there were no U.S. or coalition casualties among the wounded. This of course, though, does come after a number of days of a buildup in insurgent attacks in and around Baghdad.

Also, in the course of this morning a few minutes before, in fact, those explosions at our checkpoint, there was a roadside bomb detonated in the eastern sector of Baghdad. One U.S. soldier was killed and five others wounded. Also, north of Baghdad, about 30 miles north of Baghdad, another roadside bomb in which another U.S. serviceman was killed, Betty.

NGUYEN: Another violent day. Karl Penhaul in Baghdad for us this morning. Thank you, Karl.

The navy is investigating a new crop of photos depicting mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners. They appear to show U.S. Navy SEALS abusing prisoners, some of them bloody and some of them handcuffed or hooded. There is no confirmation of that and no indication yet who took these pictures.

They were posted on a web site by a woman who said her husband brought them home from Iraq. Some of these photos bear date stamps indicating they were taken in May of last year, months before prisoner abuse was photographed at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.

Less than an hour to go before a high-level meeting at the White House. President Bush is sitting down with his Pakistani counterpart. To Washington now and White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux with the latest.

Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty. It's expected to be a brief but very packed meeting between President Bush and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf. As you know, Pakistan is a critical ally in the war on terror. But still, the leaders share some concerns.

Most notably, however, of course is the concern for the U.S. that namely Pakistan's role in its hunt for Osama bin Laden. Recently, Pakistan's military saying they were actually going to pull back away from that search, along the border, the Afghan border on the Pakistan side.

The U.S. has been involved in a joint operation there for some time. The president also is expected to address Pakistan's role in supporting A.Q. Khan, he is the Pakistani scientist who sold his country's nuclear secrets to Libya, North Korea and Iran. Also, Musharraf's refusal to give up his military post. This is really seen as somewhat of a backtracking of some of those democratic reforms.

Finally, the tension between Pakistan and its nuclear-armed neighbor, India.

As far as Pakistan is concerned, it, of course, wants the U.S. to clear the way to allow it to buy some of the U.S. F-16s, those surveillance military planes, as well as anti-tank missiles and other weapons really seen as a reward for its cooperation in the war on terror, about a billion dollars worth.

Finally, it wants to see President Bush get more involved in the Israeli/Palestinian peace process to get those negotiations going on. Betty?

NGUYEN: Suzanne, let's talk more about the war on terror. What kind of pressure is the president using this weekend to get that 9/11 intelligence bill passed?

MALVEAUX: Well, actually, Thursday, what he did was called the House leadership as well as the Senate leadership, Republicans, to say we need to have this happen. What's going on this weekend, he's actually drafting a letter, will be sending it to Congress, we expect perhaps as early as Monday.

This is a letter that says look, the chain of command has to be consistent in the Pentagon, but at the same time we've got to get this legislation passed. This is something that he's been working personally very hard on and, Betty, a critical test when it comes to his leadership skills.

NGUYEN: Definitely a critical test. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux at the White House this morning, thank you.

HARRIS: A CNN exclusive this weekend Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf joins "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer". On the agenda, the war on terror, the search for Osama bin Laden, and relations with nuclear neighbor India. Tomorrow at Noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific.

NGUYEN: Now to the Major League Baseball steroid scandal. Victor Conte founded BALCO, the lab that allegedly provided steroids and other banned drugs to elite athletes. He tells ABC's "20/20" the anti-doping rules currently in place, it's pretty easy for athletes to beat those rules.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR CONTE, FOUNDER, BALCO: Let me tell you the biggest joke of all. You know what that is? I would estimate that more than 50 percent of the athletes are taking some form of anabolic steroids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baseball players?

CONTE: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than 50 percent?

CONTE: Without a doubt, more than 50 percent, OK?

But I'll tell you something else they're doing that they've never addressed at all. That's this. My guess is greater than 80 percent are taking some sort of stimulant before each and every game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: "The San Francisco Chronicle" reports Giant's slugger Barry Bonds told a grand jury he used substances supplied to him by his trainer. Barry's bombshell comes a day after a similar report that Yankee slugger Jason Giambi admitted to taking steroids. But Bonds' attorney says his client believed he was taking a nutritional supplement and using a lotion for arthritis.

Victor Conte also tells "20/20" he supplied performance enhancing drugs to track stars Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Kelly White. Jones has never failed a drug test and has denied ever using banned drugs.

All this brings us to our morning e-mail question. Should athletes who have taken steroids be forced to give their records or medals back? Tell us what you think. We're at wam@cnn.com. We'll read your replies throughout the program.

HARRIS: Some other news across America. Facing justice, an alleged drug kingpin from Colombia has been flown to the U.S. Authorities say he led a cartel blamed for smuggling in as much as 80 percent of the U.S. cocaine supply.

Yet another search of the Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Sheriff investigators returned to the singer's California estate, spending more than eight hours there. Authorities gave no reason for the search. Jackson was booked on child molestation charges nearly a year ago.

Two weeks after the on-court brawl comes the in-court brawl. Lawyers for both the league and the players union are battling over appeals for the four suspended players. An arbitrator says, he pass the power to decide whether the suspensions can be appealed to someone other than the NBA Commissioner David Stern. The NBA has filed a lawsuit challenging the arbitrators' authority.

NGUYEN: It's the middle of football season, but baseball captures the headlines this week. The steroid scandal on the docket in this morning's "Legal Briefs." The big question for our panel, should athletes face criminal charges for using illegal drugs?

Live, next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

HARRIS: Then on "HOUSE CALL," the winter woes. Colds, flu, depression it all could be knocking on your door pretty soon. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will tell you what to do about it "HOUSE CALL" at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Good morning and welcome back. Updating our top stories. Another assault on Iraqi police. Two car bombs explode outside Baghdad's heavily fortified green zone; 16 people are dead, including four Iraqi police officers, and 38 others were wounded.

Celebrations in the Ukraine. The parliament meets today to lay the groundwork for a new presidential runoff election. The Ukrainian supreme court annulled the results of last month's balloting after claims of fraud. The court ordered a new runoff for the day after Christmas.

Four deadly storms in the past two weeks have displaced thousands of Filipinos. Nearly 650 people are dead, about 400 missing. The government is appealing for relief supplies.

HARRIS: Tomorrow, right here in our "Faces of Faith", a prominent church puts out an ad that's rejected by the three television networks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No way. Not you. I don't think so. No.

ANNOUNCER: The United Church of Christ. No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: But that's only part of the ad. Too hot to handle for the networks. Reaction from the United Church of Christ live tomorrow morning in "Faces of Faith," 8:00 a.m. Eastern on "CNN Sunday Morning".

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: He instantly became page-one news this week after word leaked out the former baseball MVP confessed to using illegal steroids. Should Jason Giambi and any other athletes who break the law be behind bars? NGUYEN: A hot topic on the docket for this morning's legal panel. There they are.

Good morning, guys.

CNN SATURDAY MORNING will be right back with all of this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: They're the biggest names in baseball, linked to the steroid scandal, Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds. Transcripts of testimony given to a federal grand jury last year say Giambi confessed to the use of illegal steroids, but Bonds is not admitting to using anything illegal.

The men reportedly used drugs that came from BALCO, which is a company at the center of this scandal. The question this morning if there's proof that Bonds, Giambi and any other athlete used illegal steroids should they face federal criminal charges?

Also this morning, emotional testimony from the parents of convicted double murderer Scott Peterson. Will it be enough to convince the same jury calling him guilty to show mercy and spare his life?

Both cases on the docket this morning. So, let's get right to it. Bring in our legal combatants for this weekend, Former Texas Prosecutor Nelda Blair joins us live from Houston. And Defense Attorney Jeffrey Mandel is in our Time Warner Center in New York.

Good morning to you both.

NELDA BLAIR, FMR. TEXAS PROSECUTOR: Good morning.

NGUYEN: Let's start with the Peterson trial. This is a jury that really found him guilty quite quickly. They're expected to possibly get this in their hands for deliberations on Wednesday. Is it going to go quickly, Nelda?

BLAIR: I think it will go quickly. But this jury has not made rash decisions. They've been very meticulous, very analytical. Even though a couple of jurors were tossed off, you know, they did deliberate for a while before they actually came up with the guilty verdict.

I think that they'll be methodical and careful, but I've said from the beginning I think they'll find the death penalty is appropriate.

NGUYEN: You agree, Jeffrey?

JEFFREY MANDEL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I agree with Nelda that this jury has certainly done a very good job. They spent 30 hours considering this case. And while initially I didn't think the death penalty would come about, I do now believe, based on the testimony of Laci Peterson's mother, that Scott may be facing the death penalty. NGUYEN: I was going to ask about that because Scott Peterson's sister-in-law and half brother took the stand. That testimony brought Scott Peterson to tears. Is that going to work with this jury, or did Laci Peterson's mother really seal the deal in this one, as it comes to a verdict on whether he should live or die?

BLAIR: I don't think the jury's going to believe any crocodile tears Scott Peterson weeps. I think that that's happened before. They've been very stoic in the face of his family's testimony. No matter what they said, and no matter what a great little boy he was, he still committed a horrendous crime. And we reserve the death penalty for the most, worst crimes and this is one of them.

NGUYEN: Jeffrey, last word before we move on to the steroid case.

MANDEL: I certainly don't think this necessarily is the worst crime. I do believe that a pregnant person was killed. I don't believe the legislature has passed, per se rule that we put to death those who kill people who are pregnant. But I think the testimony of Laci Peterson's mother did seal the deal on this case.

NGUYEN: Moving on to the steroid case. Nelda, if a grand jury -- if these documents are supposed to be sealed, how did they get out? How are they linked and are we looking at some criminal charges here?

BLAIR: We've talked about this with a lot of case, the Jackson case, the Peterson case, the Kobe Bryant case. It seems like the leaks get worse and worse. Absolutely, it's against the law and there should be charges for -- you are talking about the leakage itself? Absolutely.

But what's even more important, what a vast, vast problem this obviously is in professional sports. And this is something that has got to be addressed. It's gone all the way to President Bush and the State of the Union Address. It's a major, major concern.

NGUYEN: Jeffrey, should the government go after the San Francisco reporters to give up their sources?

MANDEL: I hate to see reporters become the subject of the investigation, but I think the court, the Department of Justice, they need to find out where the source of the leak is, because it really hurts defense attorneys when they can tell their clients that you have immunity, you can testify before a grand jury and this information will remain secret. And then all of a sudden it is splashed on the front page of "The San Francisco Chronicle".

NGUYEN: Leak or no leak, Nelda, how strong is this case?

BLAIR: I think it's going to be quite strong. Ashcroft doesn't usually do anything in that regard unless he feels very strongly about his case. But I'll tell you what. The people that are behind this, the Victor Conte and the whole group that's been indicted, are only the tip of the iceberg in my opinion. I think we'll see a lot more of these allegations come forward and I think it's a very sad situation, but very serious. This is basically cheating in professional sports. And in any other area, it would not be allowed. It's drug abuse and in any other area wouldn't be allowed. We can't allow it here.

NGUYEN: But, Jeffrey, legally, does this come down to whether this evidence was obtained without a search regard want.

MANDEL: I know there's an issue in this case about the execution of the search warrant. I've reviewed papers to lead me to believe that the search warrant was properly executed. I've yet to see anything directly linking any of the found steroids to players such as Barry Bonds. Until we see that direct link, it is not something I think anybody should be commenting on.

I know circumstantially it is wonderful for us to believe that they were under the influence of these steroids at the time. But I have not seen the direct link that I'd like to see.

NGUYEN: And if there is a direct link, Nelda, should they face criminal charges?

BLAIR: Absolutely. It is illegal. It's not allowed in professional sports. In any other world, it would be the subject of criminal charges. And it should be here, too. No question about it.

HUME: What if they say they took it without knowing it. They didn't know.

BLAIR: That's the tough part. That is very, very tough. In reality, what's going to happen to people like Barry Bonds, who says if he took it, he didn't know he was taking it, the really worst thing that is happening to him is his reputation has gone. His credibility is gone. His persona in the public is gone. And that's what really, really hurts him. The criminal charges would just be something else to boot.

NGUYEN: Jeffrey, I'm going to give you the last question here. Is this also going to come down to exactly what is a steroid, because some will argue that these were steroids. Some will say no, they're growth hormones. Is that going to come to play in this case?

MANDEL: I think it will come to play, but I think the real issue here is Major League Baseball must find a way to curb this practice. Major League Baseball cannot run and hide from this. There's something wrong. It appears to be affecting most of the their players from what we hear now. And it is something they should address head so they can at least maintain the integrity of their sport.

BLAIR: That's an understatement.

NGUYEN: All right. Nelda Blair, Jeffrey Mandel, we appreciate your insight this morning. Thank you.

BLAIR: Thank you. NGUYEN: All right, Tony.

HARRIS: That takes us to our e-mail question of the day. Where we've been getting some great responses.

What do you think? Should athletes who have taken steroids be forced to give their records or medals back? There's the address. Let's read a couple before we send it over to "House Call".

"I think that they should be able to keep them because were hard earned." And that is from Antony, in Roanoke.

NGUYEN: And Gabrielle writes, "Of course, all records by drug users calling themselves athletes should be wiped out. It ruins the integrity of the Olympics. The Olympics motto is farther, faster, stronger, not more juiced up."

HARRIS: And we would encourage you to send us more of those e- mails. There is the question again. Should athletes who have taken steroids be forced to give their records or medals back? There is the address at wam@cnn.com.

Is there really such a thing as the winter blues? You bet there is. Up next on "HOUSE CALL" Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to tell you how to deal with it.

NGUYEN: Then, more reaction to the steroid scandal at the top of the hour on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, live 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

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