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CNN Saturday Morning News

North Korea Press Urges People to United Against U.S.; 17 Killed in Iraq Insurgent Attack

Aired February 12, 2005 - 09:00   ET

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

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


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is February 12. I am Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. It is 9:00 a.m. in the East, 6:00 a.m. out West. Last time we checked, right, Tony?

HARRIS: Such a pronouncement, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: Let's get right to the headlines right now, shall we?

A suicide car bombing south of Baghdad has killed 17 people and wounded more than two dozen. The bomb went off this morning at a police checkpoint near a hospital. Iraqi police say six officers are among the dead.

Well, dozens of people are dead, as well, in Pakistan after severe weather triggered a string of disasters. Heavy rains and snow caused avalanches, flooding, and a dam to break. More than 180 people have been killed over the last two days.

And you are looking at live pictures now of a Democratic National Committee meeting getting into gear in Washington. The Democrats, they are expected to pick Howard Dean to be their national party chairman today. The former presidential candidate says he plans to rebuild state parties and take the offensive against the Republicans.

HARRIS: You'll want to want to stick around for some amazing stories this hour, including a tale of a pregnancy gone wrong that ends up all right. It involves a mother, a made-up story, and this little miracle named Johnny.

In other news, President Bush once included them on the axis of evil. Now, as North Korea admits it has nuclear weapons, the U.S. says it will not hold direct negotiations on the matter. We'll discuss the pros and cons of the problem with North Korea in minutes.

And whether you call them an exercise in excess or orange and awesome art, these gates in New York City are up and ready for your viewing. We'll explain in about 15 minutes.

NGUYEN: Now, to our top story this hour. It might sound unbelievable, if it weren't so true. Little Johnny is just 2 days old. There he is. And is already feeling the sting of the world he just entered. Police say after a surprise pregnancy, his mother, Patricia Pokriots (ph), didn't want him. So she simply made up a bogus story to get rid of him. Police say Pokriots concocted a tall tale, claiming she found the baby on the side of the road after it was tossed out of a moving car.

Now, Patricia Pokriots has a 10-year-old son. Both of the children are now in the state's care. The boy's father, though, has denied custody due to a previous child-abuse charge. He recently talked about the last time he saw his former wife and son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you seen him recently?

SCOTT HARGRAEVES, FORMER HUSBAND: Two weeks ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you seen her recently?

HARGRAEVES: Two weeks ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did she look pregnant?

HARGRAEVES: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She didn't look pregnant at all.

HARGRAEVES: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did she ever say anything to you at all about being pregnant?

HARGRAEVES: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's, your definite it's not your child.

HARGRAEVES: Definitely not, absolutely not, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And another bizarre tale involving a pregnant woman. Police say a woman who's nine months pregnant fought off and killed a female attacker who was armed with a knife. Now authorities are investigating whether the attack was an attempt to steal the fetus. The incident happened in suburban Cincinnati on Thursday. Police say Sara Brady acted in self-defense, and she won't be charged. Brady wasn't hurt in the attack.

NGUYEN: In other news, police in Oregon are hoping to stop what could be a mass suicide on Valentine's Day. Take a look at this video, exclusively obtained by CNN. Gerald Krien (ph) is led away by investigators. Police say he was using the Internet to organize dozens of people to partake in a mass suicide on the 14th, which is Monday.

Police have issued subpoenas for Internet chat room records. They're also trying to contact others, including parents of children who may still be willing to go ahead with that plan.

HARRIS: And in California, dangling near danger and hanging on for dear life, firefighters plucked this 13-year-old boy from peril in the Los Angeles River. Take a look at this rescue. The boy was swept into the water by severe rain and flash flooding moving across the West. Crews used a manual pulley system to lower rescuers, then raise the boy out. Wow.

NGUYEN: There have been some major developments all around the world this morning.

HARRIS: For a check of what's been happening, let's go to Anand Naidoo at the CNN International desk. Anand?

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN INTERNATIONAL: Hey, good morning from me. We are watching several developments this morning.

First up, Iraq, and there's been no letup in the violence there. A suicide car bombing at a police station kills 17, wounds at least 26. Six Iraqi police officers are among the dead. The exposition went off in the town of Mosaib (ph), south of Baghdad. American troops later cordoned off the blast area. That bombing took place near a hospital, and it followed the assassination of a prominent Shi'ite judge. He was murdered by gunmen on motorcycles. Two bodyguards were seriously wounded. That incident taking place in the southern city of Basra. The dead judge was formerly the chief judge in Basra under Saddam Hussein, but he had since been demoted.

Now, the nuclear standoff with North Korea, and what's rapidly becoming a high-stakes game of chicken. And only days after it claimed it had nuclear weapons, there's more pressure on North Korea. This time, the pressure's coming from Japan. Japan is turning the heat up. It's calling on the North Koreans to get back to the six- party talks on disarmament. But the North Koreans say they want direct, face-to-face talks with the U.S. Washington says no way, won't happen.

The weather turns deadly in Pakistan. Heavy rains causes a dam burst. At least 84 are killed, dozens more missing. Avalanches take the lives of 41 people, mostly in the Pakistani-held section of Kashmir. And 56 deaths, of the deaths are blamed on storms in other parts of the country.

That is a check for now. More developments as we get them. I'm Anand Naidoo. Back now to Tony and Betty.

HARRIS: Anand, thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, state-run newspapers in North Korea are urging the people to rally around leader Kim Jong-il in the country's latest confrontation with the U.S. Now, North Korea wants to talk one on one with the United States about Pyongyang's nuclear weapons. But the U.S. rejects that, saying the North Koreans have violated past agreements between the two countries.

To get more now on this, the military aspects of the nuclear- armed North Korea, we talk to Brigadier General James "Spider" Marks, our CNN military analyst.

Good morning to you. Thanks for being with us.

BRIG. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, why does North Korea want those direct talks with the U.S.? Is it trying to force the U.S. to reward it with economic sanctions for its defiance to really not want to talk with these other nations?

MARKS: Betty, I think at a very fundamental level what that does for North Korea is, it would improve their stature internationally if they could deal one on one with the United States. And they have talked about this before. And so there's always been a hesitance to fully engage in the six-party talks.

NGUYEN: Now, for the first time publicly, North Korea has said that it does have nuclear weapons. And then it went on to say that it will bolster its production of that. That's some tough talk. Does it really think it's going to get somewhere with the U.S. by saying things like that, by trying to force the U.S.'s hand?

MARKS: I think what's most difficult about the North Koreans is that they are such a cloistered and closed society. You never really know what they're trying to achieve. It's very difficult to pulse the leadership in North Korea. And as you know, the only direct contact we've had was with Secretary Albright's visit back in the fall of 2000.

So it's very difficult and very hard to determine what they're really trying to achieve. I can tell you one thing, that walking away from the six-party talks, or at least declaring that they have nuclear weapons, and, frankly, the concern is proliferation, is not going to get them anywhere. And the United States has indicated that.

NGUYEN: Well, some will argue, though, that what right does the U.S. have to say North Korea can't have nuclear weapons? What is your response to that?

MARKS: Well, the difficulty with that is that any nation that has nuclear weapons needs to open itself up to the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, so that we can -- so that the IAEA can ensure compliance. The challenge with nuclear weapons, or any form of nuclear power, is the proliferation, and it gets into the wrong hands, and you've got chaos and potential global disaster.

So I think everybody would agree that if North Korea is moving in this direction, and they declared they are already there, they need to open themselves up.

NGUYEN: All right. North Korea doesn't want to speak with anyone else but the U.S. So what kind of options does the U.S. have? Sanctions are already in place. What is the U.S. going to do next? What can it do next?

MARKS: Well, the real influence broker in that part of the world is China. China has a long-standing relationship with the North Korean Communist regime. And so they need to step up. And they have multiple levels of difficulties with the North Koreans, and refugees being the primary one. North Koreans would routinely come across the border into China.

So the Chinese need to step up. And I anticipate they will to try to get the North Koreans back to a little more reasonable position.

NGUYEN: And quickly, Iran is no doubt watching closely to see how the U.S. is handling this situation, right?

MARKS: Oh, absolutely. Everybody's got their antenna up on this one.

NGUYEN: All right. Brigadier General Spider Marks, as always, very insightful. We thank you.

MARKS: Thanks, Betty.

NGUYEN: Now for our e-mail question of the day. Should the U.S. negotiate directly with North Korea? Send us your thoughts to wam@cnn.com.

And we are watching art in the making this morning.

(LAUGHTER)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I'm Alina Cho, live in New York's Central Park, watching the unfurling of the largest display of public art ever to hit the city. We'll tell you what it looks like coming up.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's a pretty sight, Alina, with some of that fabric flapping in the breeze. We have winds gusting over 20 miles an hour, with temperatures right around 32. So it's not exactly mild. But the sun is shining. Most of the snow is well upstate and through parts of Syracuse (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the Rochester and Buffalo.

Full forecast is coming up in about 10 minutes. Live shot for you right there. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a shocking sideshow, captured by TV crews gathered at the L.A. County courthouse to cover the Robert Blake hearing in 2003. Attorney Gerald Curry was at the courthouse for an unrelated case when William Streier (ph) approached him, asked his name, and opened fire.

Streier then calmly walked away. He was apparently angry that Curry was representing Streier's sister in a dispute over a trust fund. Curry was shot in the neck, both arms, and shoulder, and taken from the scene by paramedics. Curry survived, recovered completely, and still lives and practices law in southern California.

GERALD CURRY, ATTORNEY: When I leave the office, when I go to court, when I go to the parking structure, I tend to, you know, keep my eyes open, look around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has a gun.

COOPER: Curry's shooter, William Streier, was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial and remains in a state hospital. But Curry says he doesn't harbor any bad feelings for Streier.

CURRY: The odds of this happening are probably one in a million. And so therefore I try not to let it affect my life or not having bitterness and try to maintain a positive and optimistic outlook.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen.

We want to check our top stories right now.

A suicide car bombing south of Baghdad has killed 17 people this morning, including six Iraqi security guards. And that blast happened at a police checkpoint, which was near a hospital.

Now, another twist in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. Prosecutors have called former child star Corey Feldman to testify against the pop star. Feldman was part of Jackson's inner circle during the '80s. He tells ABC that Jackson showed him sexually explicit photos when he was just a teenager.

And you are looking at live pictures right now of the Democratic National Committee meeting in Washington. The Democrats are expected to pick Howard Dean as their party chairman today. The former presidential candidate is pledging to go on the offensive against the Republicans.

We are asking you this morning a question. Should the U.S. negotiate directly with North Korea? We'll be reading those e-mails coming up. Send them to wam@CNN.com.

HARRIS: Well, some New Yorkers might not like it, but they certainly won't be able to ignore it. A massive art exhibit is unfolding this morning in Central Park, literally unfolding. Hundreds of people are on hand, including our very own Alina Cho. And Alina, you are in the place to be this morning.

CHO: I am. And it is beautiful weather here in New York today, Tony. It's expected to warm up to about 40 degrees. We shall see. It's a little chilly right now. But I can tell you, this is the largest display of public art ever to hit New York City. The official name is "The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979 to 2005," 1979, because that is the year this idea was conceived by the artists Cristo and Jean-Claude, 2005 because it took them 26 years to make that dream a reality.

Today, the grand finale is under way. Mayor Bloomberg, New York's mayor, was on hand for that along with the artists, Jean-Claude and Cristo, to unfurl that first saffron-colored ribbon on the first gate.

Now, in all, there are 7,500 gates lining 23 miles of paved walkways. The gates are 16 feet high, spaced about 12 feet apart. And the ribbons hang about 7 feet above ground.

Now, the artists say the fabric represents the organic nature of the park, while the rectangular gates symbolize the grid patterns of the city blocks here. Cristo and Jean-Claude chose February because there are no leaves on the trees just yet.

And the project, which could cost as much as $21 million, will not cost the city a dime. The artists are paying for the entire project themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York City seems to be the capital of the -- of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- of hubris and avarice and greed and treachery. And here, this is a work of art for no other reason, no one is making a profit on it. And they are doing it strictly for the sake of art. It's different. But that's what art is all about.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have never seen any of their works before. I only wish our dog was with us, and he -- I think he would enjoy it too.

CHO (voice-over): You think the dog would comprehend what was going on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, he would just enjoy it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably more so than we would.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was here with us for the millennium. He celebrated in the park. And he would he have liked this too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Not everybody will like "The Gates." There is some debate about that. But certainly you do feel like you are witnessing a little piece of history today.

I can tell you that "The Gates" will be on display for 16 days here in Central Park. It's expected to draw an estimated 200,000 visitors. And, you know, a lot of city restaurants are getting into the act, offering saffron-infused menus. Hotels are offering special packages, including binoculars, in park-view rooms.

And the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the east side of the park is opening its rooftop terrace for the event. It is usually closed during this time.

By all accounts, Tony, even by New York standards, this is a very big deal.

HARRIS: Yes, it is. OK. Alina Cho in New York City this morning, the place to be. Alina, thank you. Patrick (ph).

NGUYEN: What are Web surfers picking out as their favorite story on the Web this morning? The answer to that is just ahead.

HARRIS: But first, a CNN extra. Most adults between 18 and 25 years old now see college as a way to earn society's respect and find financial security. This according to a survey by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan public opinion group. And get this. By the age of 33, the typical college graduate has earned enough money to compensate for both going to college and the earnings passed up during the college years. Did you know that?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. So when you're away from the tube and not watching CNN, which we know you all do every single moment of the day, you can stay informed by logging on to our Web site, CNN.com.

Veronica de la Cruz is here to tell us about some of the most popular Web clicks. Good morning.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Now, like you were just saying, people are waking up, they're visiting the Web, and, of course, CNN.com, right?

NGUYEN: Exactly, when they are not watching us, of course.

DE LA CRUZ: Right.

(LAUGHTER)

DE LA CRUZ: And I'm going to go ahead and tell you what seems to be piquing people's interest. But first of all, to find these stories, you want to go to CNN.com and click on the icon Most Popular. That's on the right-hand side of your screen.

Now, this story is coming to us from North Carolina. And it's receiving a huge amount of traffic. Huge. Now, is this man dead or alive? And that seems to be the question. It sounds like a scary movie, right? There's a guy standing in the middle of the street. He gets hit so hard by a car that the paramedics declare him dead at the scene.

NGUYEN: Mmmm. DE LA CRUZ: They put him in a body bag. They take him to the morgue. And then they put him in one of those steel containers. Now...

NGUYEN: OK.

DE LA CRUZ: ... here's the twist. It's two weeks later, and the man is alive.

NGUYEN: Two weeks later?

DE LA CRUZ: Two weeks later. And he was in the morgue, and he was in one of those steel containers, where temperatures are below freezing. And I'm not actually -- I'm not going to ruin it...

NGUYEN: OK.

DE LA CRUZ: ... by giving you the details, because, of course, we want people to log on to CNN.com. But let's just say, it's a miracle.

NGUYEN: No doubt. I'm just, I'm a little shocked by that one.

OK, what else you got?

DE LA CRUZ: Exactly. Another amazing story. This one is coming to us from Georgia. A 64-year-old driver's ed teacher is in the hospital after her student backed up over her.

NGUYEN: Hey, it's driver's ed, you know?

DE LA CRUZ: Exactly.

NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) happening.

(LAUGHTER)

DE LA CRUZ: Exactly, unfortunately. So the woman gets pinned underneath the car. Firefighters had to use the jaws of life...

NGUYEN: My goodness.

DE LA CRUZ: ... to save her. And now she's recovering. Unfortunately, she apparently underwent surgery to repair broken ribs, a broken...

NGUYEN: Oh, no.

DE LA CRUZ: ... leg, and a shoulder injury.

NGUYEN: But she's going to be OK, right?

DE LA CRUZ: Well, yes, she's going to be fine. I guess that's, like you were saying, some of the risks you take with the job, right?

HARRIS: Yes, yes. NGUYEN: Absolutely. My goodness.

All right, lots of interesting clicks today. We thank you, as always, Veronica de la Cruz with CNN.com.

DE LA CRUZ: Thank you.

HARRIS: And all morning long, we've been asking for your thoughts on our e-mail question. Take a look at it. Here it is. Should the U.S. negotiate directly with North Korea?

Let's take this first e-mail from Charles. "I would say yes. Let the U.S. talk one on one with North Korea. The only way to deal with them is not go to a cold war, but is to offer economic incentives. That would be more valuable than to sell weapons to a terrorist."

NGUYEN: Well, Vic from Calgary says, "No." Simply "You do not negotiate with terrorist." Apparently he's viewing North Korea as terrorists.

We appreciate all of your thoughts this morning, sending them in to CNN.com. We will have another one tomorrow.

HARRIS: Mm-hm, absolutely. We'll be right back with your forecast.

NGUYEN: And coming up at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, Gerri Willis will show you how to protect yourself from the latest mortgage scams. That's on CNN's "OPEN HOUSE."

HARRIS: And 10:00 a.m. Eastern, "DOLAN'S UNSCRIPTED" looks at Bush's budget and how it affects you. They'll even, even take calls.

NGUYEN: And if you are looking for "The Novak Zone," it is at a new time, 2:30 p.m. Eastern. And today, Bob Novak talks to newly elected Louisiana congressman Bobby Jindal.

All ahead right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And good morning (UNINTELLIGIBLE), a live look at the city this Saturday morning, where the 2004 NBA champions, the Detroit Pistons, will take on the Washington Wizards.

NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) gray this morning.

Hey, Rob, how's the weather outside? Looks great there.

MARCIANO: It's, it's great. I requested Macy Gray (ph), like, three weeks ago. And Cynthia finally...

(CROSSTALK)

MARCIANO: ... yes, it's going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Hey, guys. Again, mild weather again across the South.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

MARCIANO: Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, guys, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HARRIS: Hey, you too. Rob, thank you. See you tomorrow.

NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), yes, thank you.

HARRIS: And thank you for joining us this morning. We'll see you again tomorrow morning.

NGUYEN: And "OPEN HOUSE," it starts right now.

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


Aired February 12, 2005 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is February 12. I am Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. It is 9:00 a.m. in the East, 6:00 a.m. out West. Last time we checked, right, Tony?

HARRIS: Such a pronouncement, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: Let's get right to the headlines right now, shall we?

A suicide car bombing south of Baghdad has killed 17 people and wounded more than two dozen. The bomb went off this morning at a police checkpoint near a hospital. Iraqi police say six officers are among the dead.

Well, dozens of people are dead, as well, in Pakistan after severe weather triggered a string of disasters. Heavy rains and snow caused avalanches, flooding, and a dam to break. More than 180 people have been killed over the last two days.

And you are looking at live pictures now of a Democratic National Committee meeting getting into gear in Washington. The Democrats, they are expected to pick Howard Dean to be their national party chairman today. The former presidential candidate says he plans to rebuild state parties and take the offensive against the Republicans.

HARRIS: You'll want to want to stick around for some amazing stories this hour, including a tale of a pregnancy gone wrong that ends up all right. It involves a mother, a made-up story, and this little miracle named Johnny.

In other news, President Bush once included them on the axis of evil. Now, as North Korea admits it has nuclear weapons, the U.S. says it will not hold direct negotiations on the matter. We'll discuss the pros and cons of the problem with North Korea in minutes.

And whether you call them an exercise in excess or orange and awesome art, these gates in New York City are up and ready for your viewing. We'll explain in about 15 minutes.

NGUYEN: Now, to our top story this hour. It might sound unbelievable, if it weren't so true. Little Johnny is just 2 days old. There he is. And is already feeling the sting of the world he just entered. Police say after a surprise pregnancy, his mother, Patricia Pokriots (ph), didn't want him. So she simply made up a bogus story to get rid of him. Police say Pokriots concocted a tall tale, claiming she found the baby on the side of the road after it was tossed out of a moving car.

Now, Patricia Pokriots has a 10-year-old son. Both of the children are now in the state's care. The boy's father, though, has denied custody due to a previous child-abuse charge. He recently talked about the last time he saw his former wife and son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you seen him recently?

SCOTT HARGRAEVES, FORMER HUSBAND: Two weeks ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you seen her recently?

HARGRAEVES: Two weeks ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did she look pregnant?

HARGRAEVES: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She didn't look pregnant at all.

HARGRAEVES: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did she ever say anything to you at all about being pregnant?

HARGRAEVES: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's, your definite it's not your child.

HARGRAEVES: Definitely not, absolutely not, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And another bizarre tale involving a pregnant woman. Police say a woman who's nine months pregnant fought off and killed a female attacker who was armed with a knife. Now authorities are investigating whether the attack was an attempt to steal the fetus. The incident happened in suburban Cincinnati on Thursday. Police say Sara Brady acted in self-defense, and she won't be charged. Brady wasn't hurt in the attack.

NGUYEN: In other news, police in Oregon are hoping to stop what could be a mass suicide on Valentine's Day. Take a look at this video, exclusively obtained by CNN. Gerald Krien (ph) is led away by investigators. Police say he was using the Internet to organize dozens of people to partake in a mass suicide on the 14th, which is Monday.

Police have issued subpoenas for Internet chat room records. They're also trying to contact others, including parents of children who may still be willing to go ahead with that plan.

HARRIS: And in California, dangling near danger and hanging on for dear life, firefighters plucked this 13-year-old boy from peril in the Los Angeles River. Take a look at this rescue. The boy was swept into the water by severe rain and flash flooding moving across the West. Crews used a manual pulley system to lower rescuers, then raise the boy out. Wow.

NGUYEN: There have been some major developments all around the world this morning.

HARRIS: For a check of what's been happening, let's go to Anand Naidoo at the CNN International desk. Anand?

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN INTERNATIONAL: Hey, good morning from me. We are watching several developments this morning.

First up, Iraq, and there's been no letup in the violence there. A suicide car bombing at a police station kills 17, wounds at least 26. Six Iraqi police officers are among the dead. The exposition went off in the town of Mosaib (ph), south of Baghdad. American troops later cordoned off the blast area. That bombing took place near a hospital, and it followed the assassination of a prominent Shi'ite judge. He was murdered by gunmen on motorcycles. Two bodyguards were seriously wounded. That incident taking place in the southern city of Basra. The dead judge was formerly the chief judge in Basra under Saddam Hussein, but he had since been demoted.

Now, the nuclear standoff with North Korea, and what's rapidly becoming a high-stakes game of chicken. And only days after it claimed it had nuclear weapons, there's more pressure on North Korea. This time, the pressure's coming from Japan. Japan is turning the heat up. It's calling on the North Koreans to get back to the six- party talks on disarmament. But the North Koreans say they want direct, face-to-face talks with the U.S. Washington says no way, won't happen.

The weather turns deadly in Pakistan. Heavy rains causes a dam burst. At least 84 are killed, dozens more missing. Avalanches take the lives of 41 people, mostly in the Pakistani-held section of Kashmir. And 56 deaths, of the deaths are blamed on storms in other parts of the country.

That is a check for now. More developments as we get them. I'm Anand Naidoo. Back now to Tony and Betty.

HARRIS: Anand, thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, state-run newspapers in North Korea are urging the people to rally around leader Kim Jong-il in the country's latest confrontation with the U.S. Now, North Korea wants to talk one on one with the United States about Pyongyang's nuclear weapons. But the U.S. rejects that, saying the North Koreans have violated past agreements between the two countries.

To get more now on this, the military aspects of the nuclear- armed North Korea, we talk to Brigadier General James "Spider" Marks, our CNN military analyst.

Good morning to you. Thanks for being with us.

BRIG. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, why does North Korea want those direct talks with the U.S.? Is it trying to force the U.S. to reward it with economic sanctions for its defiance to really not want to talk with these other nations?

MARKS: Betty, I think at a very fundamental level what that does for North Korea is, it would improve their stature internationally if they could deal one on one with the United States. And they have talked about this before. And so there's always been a hesitance to fully engage in the six-party talks.

NGUYEN: Now, for the first time publicly, North Korea has said that it does have nuclear weapons. And then it went on to say that it will bolster its production of that. That's some tough talk. Does it really think it's going to get somewhere with the U.S. by saying things like that, by trying to force the U.S.'s hand?

MARKS: I think what's most difficult about the North Koreans is that they are such a cloistered and closed society. You never really know what they're trying to achieve. It's very difficult to pulse the leadership in North Korea. And as you know, the only direct contact we've had was with Secretary Albright's visit back in the fall of 2000.

So it's very difficult and very hard to determine what they're really trying to achieve. I can tell you one thing, that walking away from the six-party talks, or at least declaring that they have nuclear weapons, and, frankly, the concern is proliferation, is not going to get them anywhere. And the United States has indicated that.

NGUYEN: Well, some will argue, though, that what right does the U.S. have to say North Korea can't have nuclear weapons? What is your response to that?

MARKS: Well, the difficulty with that is that any nation that has nuclear weapons needs to open itself up to the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, so that we can -- so that the IAEA can ensure compliance. The challenge with nuclear weapons, or any form of nuclear power, is the proliferation, and it gets into the wrong hands, and you've got chaos and potential global disaster.

So I think everybody would agree that if North Korea is moving in this direction, and they declared they are already there, they need to open themselves up.

NGUYEN: All right. North Korea doesn't want to speak with anyone else but the U.S. So what kind of options does the U.S. have? Sanctions are already in place. What is the U.S. going to do next? What can it do next?

MARKS: Well, the real influence broker in that part of the world is China. China has a long-standing relationship with the North Korean Communist regime. And so they need to step up. And they have multiple levels of difficulties with the North Koreans, and refugees being the primary one. North Koreans would routinely come across the border into China.

So the Chinese need to step up. And I anticipate they will to try to get the North Koreans back to a little more reasonable position.

NGUYEN: And quickly, Iran is no doubt watching closely to see how the U.S. is handling this situation, right?

MARKS: Oh, absolutely. Everybody's got their antenna up on this one.

NGUYEN: All right. Brigadier General Spider Marks, as always, very insightful. We thank you.

MARKS: Thanks, Betty.

NGUYEN: Now for our e-mail question of the day. Should the U.S. negotiate directly with North Korea? Send us your thoughts to wam@cnn.com.

And we are watching art in the making this morning.

(LAUGHTER)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I'm Alina Cho, live in New York's Central Park, watching the unfurling of the largest display of public art ever to hit the city. We'll tell you what it looks like coming up.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's a pretty sight, Alina, with some of that fabric flapping in the breeze. We have winds gusting over 20 miles an hour, with temperatures right around 32. So it's not exactly mild. But the sun is shining. Most of the snow is well upstate and through parts of Syracuse (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the Rochester and Buffalo.

Full forecast is coming up in about 10 minutes. Live shot for you right there. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a shocking sideshow, captured by TV crews gathered at the L.A. County courthouse to cover the Robert Blake hearing in 2003. Attorney Gerald Curry was at the courthouse for an unrelated case when William Streier (ph) approached him, asked his name, and opened fire.

Streier then calmly walked away. He was apparently angry that Curry was representing Streier's sister in a dispute over a trust fund. Curry was shot in the neck, both arms, and shoulder, and taken from the scene by paramedics. Curry survived, recovered completely, and still lives and practices law in southern California.

GERALD CURRY, ATTORNEY: When I leave the office, when I go to court, when I go to the parking structure, I tend to, you know, keep my eyes open, look around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has a gun.

COOPER: Curry's shooter, William Streier, was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial and remains in a state hospital. But Curry says he doesn't harbor any bad feelings for Streier.

CURRY: The odds of this happening are probably one in a million. And so therefore I try not to let it affect my life or not having bitterness and try to maintain a positive and optimistic outlook.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen.

We want to check our top stories right now.

A suicide car bombing south of Baghdad has killed 17 people this morning, including six Iraqi security guards. And that blast happened at a police checkpoint, which was near a hospital.

Now, another twist in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. Prosecutors have called former child star Corey Feldman to testify against the pop star. Feldman was part of Jackson's inner circle during the '80s. He tells ABC that Jackson showed him sexually explicit photos when he was just a teenager.

And you are looking at live pictures right now of the Democratic National Committee meeting in Washington. The Democrats are expected to pick Howard Dean as their party chairman today. The former presidential candidate is pledging to go on the offensive against the Republicans.

We are asking you this morning a question. Should the U.S. negotiate directly with North Korea? We'll be reading those e-mails coming up. Send them to wam@CNN.com.

HARRIS: Well, some New Yorkers might not like it, but they certainly won't be able to ignore it. A massive art exhibit is unfolding this morning in Central Park, literally unfolding. Hundreds of people are on hand, including our very own Alina Cho. And Alina, you are in the place to be this morning.

CHO: I am. And it is beautiful weather here in New York today, Tony. It's expected to warm up to about 40 degrees. We shall see. It's a little chilly right now. But I can tell you, this is the largest display of public art ever to hit New York City. The official name is "The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979 to 2005," 1979, because that is the year this idea was conceived by the artists Cristo and Jean-Claude, 2005 because it took them 26 years to make that dream a reality.

Today, the grand finale is under way. Mayor Bloomberg, New York's mayor, was on hand for that along with the artists, Jean-Claude and Cristo, to unfurl that first saffron-colored ribbon on the first gate.

Now, in all, there are 7,500 gates lining 23 miles of paved walkways. The gates are 16 feet high, spaced about 12 feet apart. And the ribbons hang about 7 feet above ground.

Now, the artists say the fabric represents the organic nature of the park, while the rectangular gates symbolize the grid patterns of the city blocks here. Cristo and Jean-Claude chose February because there are no leaves on the trees just yet.

And the project, which could cost as much as $21 million, will not cost the city a dime. The artists are paying for the entire project themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York City seems to be the capital of the -- of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- of hubris and avarice and greed and treachery. And here, this is a work of art for no other reason, no one is making a profit on it. And they are doing it strictly for the sake of art. It's different. But that's what art is all about.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have never seen any of their works before. I only wish our dog was with us, and he -- I think he would enjoy it too.

CHO (voice-over): You think the dog would comprehend what was going on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, he would just enjoy it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably more so than we would.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was here with us for the millennium. He celebrated in the park. And he would he have liked this too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Not everybody will like "The Gates." There is some debate about that. But certainly you do feel like you are witnessing a little piece of history today.

I can tell you that "The Gates" will be on display for 16 days here in Central Park. It's expected to draw an estimated 200,000 visitors. And, you know, a lot of city restaurants are getting into the act, offering saffron-infused menus. Hotels are offering special packages, including binoculars, in park-view rooms.

And the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the east side of the park is opening its rooftop terrace for the event. It is usually closed during this time.

By all accounts, Tony, even by New York standards, this is a very big deal.

HARRIS: Yes, it is. OK. Alina Cho in New York City this morning, the place to be. Alina, thank you. Patrick (ph).

NGUYEN: What are Web surfers picking out as their favorite story on the Web this morning? The answer to that is just ahead.

HARRIS: But first, a CNN extra. Most adults between 18 and 25 years old now see college as a way to earn society's respect and find financial security. This according to a survey by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan public opinion group. And get this. By the age of 33, the typical college graduate has earned enough money to compensate for both going to college and the earnings passed up during the college years. Did you know that?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. So when you're away from the tube and not watching CNN, which we know you all do every single moment of the day, you can stay informed by logging on to our Web site, CNN.com.

Veronica de la Cruz is here to tell us about some of the most popular Web clicks. Good morning.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Now, like you were just saying, people are waking up, they're visiting the Web, and, of course, CNN.com, right?

NGUYEN: Exactly, when they are not watching us, of course.

DE LA CRUZ: Right.

(LAUGHTER)

DE LA CRUZ: And I'm going to go ahead and tell you what seems to be piquing people's interest. But first of all, to find these stories, you want to go to CNN.com and click on the icon Most Popular. That's on the right-hand side of your screen.

Now, this story is coming to us from North Carolina. And it's receiving a huge amount of traffic. Huge. Now, is this man dead or alive? And that seems to be the question. It sounds like a scary movie, right? There's a guy standing in the middle of the street. He gets hit so hard by a car that the paramedics declare him dead at the scene.

NGUYEN: Mmmm. DE LA CRUZ: They put him in a body bag. They take him to the morgue. And then they put him in one of those steel containers. Now...

NGUYEN: OK.

DE LA CRUZ: ... here's the twist. It's two weeks later, and the man is alive.

NGUYEN: Two weeks later?

DE LA CRUZ: Two weeks later. And he was in the morgue, and he was in one of those steel containers, where temperatures are below freezing. And I'm not actually -- I'm not going to ruin it...

NGUYEN: OK.

DE LA CRUZ: ... by giving you the details, because, of course, we want people to log on to CNN.com. But let's just say, it's a miracle.

NGUYEN: No doubt. I'm just, I'm a little shocked by that one.

OK, what else you got?

DE LA CRUZ: Exactly. Another amazing story. This one is coming to us from Georgia. A 64-year-old driver's ed teacher is in the hospital after her student backed up over her.

NGUYEN: Hey, it's driver's ed, you know?

DE LA CRUZ: Exactly.

NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) happening.

(LAUGHTER)

DE LA CRUZ: Exactly, unfortunately. So the woman gets pinned underneath the car. Firefighters had to use the jaws of life...

NGUYEN: My goodness.

DE LA CRUZ: ... to save her. And now she's recovering. Unfortunately, she apparently underwent surgery to repair broken ribs, a broken...

NGUYEN: Oh, no.

DE LA CRUZ: ... leg, and a shoulder injury.

NGUYEN: But she's going to be OK, right?

DE LA CRUZ: Well, yes, she's going to be fine. I guess that's, like you were saying, some of the risks you take with the job, right?

HARRIS: Yes, yes. NGUYEN: Absolutely. My goodness.

All right, lots of interesting clicks today. We thank you, as always, Veronica de la Cruz with CNN.com.

DE LA CRUZ: Thank you.

HARRIS: And all morning long, we've been asking for your thoughts on our e-mail question. Take a look at it. Here it is. Should the U.S. negotiate directly with North Korea?

Let's take this first e-mail from Charles. "I would say yes. Let the U.S. talk one on one with North Korea. The only way to deal with them is not go to a cold war, but is to offer economic incentives. That would be more valuable than to sell weapons to a terrorist."

NGUYEN: Well, Vic from Calgary says, "No." Simply "You do not negotiate with terrorist." Apparently he's viewing North Korea as terrorists.

We appreciate all of your thoughts this morning, sending them in to CNN.com. We will have another one tomorrow.

HARRIS: Mm-hm, absolutely. We'll be right back with your forecast.

NGUYEN: And coming up at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, Gerri Willis will show you how to protect yourself from the latest mortgage scams. That's on CNN's "OPEN HOUSE."

HARRIS: And 10:00 a.m. Eastern, "DOLAN'S UNSCRIPTED" looks at Bush's budget and how it affects you. They'll even, even take calls.

NGUYEN: And if you are looking for "The Novak Zone," it is at a new time, 2:30 p.m. Eastern. And today, Bob Novak talks to newly elected Louisiana congressman Bobby Jindal.

All ahead right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And good morning (UNINTELLIGIBLE), a live look at the city this Saturday morning, where the 2004 NBA champions, the Detroit Pistons, will take on the Washington Wizards.

NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) gray this morning.

Hey, Rob, how's the weather outside? Looks great there.

MARCIANO: It's, it's great. I requested Macy Gray (ph), like, three weeks ago. And Cynthia finally...

(CROSSTALK)

MARCIANO: ... yes, it's going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Hey, guys. Again, mild weather again across the South.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

MARCIANO: Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, guys, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HARRIS: Hey, you too. Rob, thank you. See you tomorrow.

NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), yes, thank you.

HARRIS: And thank you for joining us this morning. We'll see you again tomorrow morning.

NGUYEN: And "OPEN HOUSE," it starts right now.

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