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CNN Saturday Morning News

Wichita Authorities will make a Major Announcement in BTK Killings; The latest on Missing Florida Girl

Aired February 26, 2005 - 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: Four hours from now we may learn if police have caught the BTK killer.
Good morning from the CNN Center here in Atlanta.

This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It's February 26.

We want to welcome you.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris.

7:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 6:00 a.m. in Wichita, Kansas.

Thank you for being with us.

Now more on this and other headlines now in the news.

Police in Wichita, Kansas have questioned someone they call a person of interest in connection with the BTK serial killings. It's unclear what the officers learned, but they may tell us when they meet with reporters later this morning. There were at least eight BTK killings from 1974 through 1986. BTK stands for bind, torture, kill.

Palestinian police have arrested two West Bank men in Friday's suicide bombing at a Tel Aviv nightclub. The blast killed four people and wounded 65. The Palestinian prime minister had vowed to track down those response.

Pope John Paul II will offer his traditional Sunday blessing address from his hospital room in Rome. An aide will read the address and bless the crowd in St. Peter's Square. But the Vatican doctors have asked the pope not to try to speak following throat surgery at Gemelli Hospital last Thursday.

NGUYEN: Here's why you need to stay with us this hour.

Just ahead, a live report from Florida on the desperate search for 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. She was last seen three nights ago.

Also ahead, an Olympic hopeful named Gotham. CNN Sports business analyst Rick Horrow discusses the pluses and the minuses of New York's quest to host the 2012 Games. And later, gold medalist skater Scott Hamilton speaks candidly about his wife and son, about beating cancer and his ongoing battle with a new medical crisis.

HARRIS: Our top story is not what we know but what we may learn this morning about the BTK serial killings in Wichita, Kansas. BTK stands for bind, torture, kill. And it's the signature of the killer in at least eight deaths in Wichita during a 12-year rampage.

Is there a break now in this case?

CNN correspondent Jonathan Freed is live in Wichita -- Jonathan, good morning.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

We're standing at the city complex here in downtown Wichita. This is a city, Tony, that has been holding its breath for the last three decades, hoping and praying that one day this serial killer that has been terrorizing this community would one day finally be caught.

Now, the answer to that question is we just don't know yet. Everybody is playing it quite cautiously. The "Wichita Eagle," which is a newspaper that has found itself at the center of this story over the years, the killer has been known for taunting the police and the public by sending notes to the media, including the "Eagle." What they are reporting in today's paper is police to talk about BTK today.

The reason that people are being so cautious is that back in December, there was an arrest of an individual and many people in the media leapt to the conclusion that this was a BTK arrest and that perhaps police finally had their man. It didn't turn out to be the case and that person is actually suing some media outlets because he was named and his house was shown and so on.

But this is looking somewhat different, Tony.

Now, that is because at a news conference at 10:00 here, Wichita time, we're going to see the mayor, the district attorney, the police chief and a host of other people from law enforcement, Tony. And we are also told, local media is also reporting that some members, family members of some of this killer's victims will also be present.

That is ratcheting up the expectation as to the nature of the announcement, because yesterday in the community of Park City, which is a neighborhood north of Wichita here, police moved in on a home with a large array of equipment, including a bomb squad. They even evacuated the immediate area. They spent many, many hours inside an individual's home and they took what they called a person of interest into custody for questioning.

Now, there are also reports that we -- that they were waiting for a DNA analysis to come back. All of this raising expectations about the nature of today's announcement. People here, Tony, holding their breath, hoping that perhaps, after 30 years, they may finally be able to exhale. And we should know the results of this in about four hours -- Tony.

HARRIS: Jonathan, just a quick question. You may not know the answer to this, but I'm wondering what the direct link was, what the probable cause was that led to the search.

Do we have any idea what that direct linkage to this person of interest was?

FREED: Well, we know, we know what it is. But it's at the point where we're not prepared to comment on it yet.

HARRIS: OK.

FREED: We have been told what we think has led police to this. There have been some reports about it. But until CNN independently confirms it...

HARRIS: Got you.

FREED: ... we are, at least at this point, waiting before we get into that.

HARRIS: Jonathan Freed, appreciate it.

Thank you.

FREED: Thank you.

HARRIS: A woman named Cheryl believes she was an intended victim of the BTK killer 28 years ago. Cheryl says she was not home at the time, so BTK went to a neighbor's home and killed another woman.

Since then, Cheryl says she's lived in constant fear, sometimes not being able to sleep in her own bed.

CNN's Paula Zahn spoke to Cheryl.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Describe to our audience what it

was like to go for periods, where you would actually sleep in public

places. That was the only place you felt safe to sleep.

"CHERYL": Yes. For several months after the murder, I would sleep

on my floor, in my office, during my lunch hour. I would sleep, if I

had a doctor's appointment, I would sleep in the office until I saw

the doctor. And then I would grab naps. If people came over to visit

me, I would sleep then, but I couldn't sleep at night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, now, 28 years later, perhaps a break in the BTK case. That news conference, again, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern live on CNN.

NGUYEN: It's been an emotional roller coaster for the family of a missing 9-year-old girl in Florida. They wanted nervously as a body was found in a lake yesterday. Then they breathed a sigh of relief after it turned out not to be their little girl.

Reporter Ferdinand Zogbaum of our affiliate, Bay-9 News, joins us now with more.

Any leads on who might have taken her?

FERDINAND ZOGBAUM, BAY NEWS-9 CORRESPONDENT: As of right now, investigators have no information. They have no leads on anybody who might have taken Jessica from her room Thursday morning at about 6:00 a.m., is when she was found missing. The search continues here in Citrus County, Florida.

Investigators have not gotten the big break they want. They haven't gotten that little bit of information or those clues that will help steer them toward Jessica. But they're hoping they'll find that today.

NGUYEN: Ferdinand, let me ask you this. Yesterday police had reported that they found the little girl's mother in, I believe it was Ohio.

What do we know about that? Is she connected to the disappearance?

ZOGBAUM: Well, they did try to track her down. The FBI finally located her, thinking that she might know something about Jessica's whereabouts. Evidently the FBI did interview her and they are not calling her a suspect in this case. She is divorced from Jessica's father, Mark. She has remarried, apparently, and has a 5-year-old son.

But as of right now, she is not a suspect and she has no idea where her daughter is. But if she, she is, of course, worried about her.

NGUYEN: And there's one other piece of information that we learned from police in that news conference, it was that a doll or some kind of toy was missing from the little girl's room. That has since been found.

What's the information there? What's the connection? What does that tell us?

ZOGBAUM: Well, we haven't heard much about that doll. We did hear something yesterday, that it was missing, or family members said that it was missing. Police did not confirm that here and they haven't commented on what that would mean or the implications of that, if it has been found, or, in fact, if it has been taken from the room. So we're still pretty much in the dark concerning that doll right now.

NGUYEN: Yes, very little information is known in this case, as they search for that missing 9-year-old girl.

Ferdinand Zogbaum with our News-9, Bay News-9 affiliate.

Thank you for that report -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, now a heartwarming story from California. A Glendale man has been reunited with his children four years after they were allegedly abducted by their mother and taken to Mexico. Police say 9-year-old Jeannie and 5-year-old Christian apparently dug under a fence to cross into the United States. They were spotted Thursday walking along Imperial Beach.

Dad says both kids are glad to be home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM TERRANOVA, FATHER: She's the same old Jeannie. I mean she remembers. When she got in the house and saw the pictures and the things she'd made for me when she was in school, it all started to click. And she remembered me right off the bat. Christian was only 1 1/2 so, you know, he didn't, but he's like right in there now. He's an amazing kid. And she plays the big sister and takes care of her brother. And I'm sure that's what she was doing, you know, for the past four years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Look at that picture. Loving daddy. Police say in a note pinned to one of the children's clothing, the mother apologized for taking them.

NGUYEN: OK, in case you didn't get your fill of headlines this week, let's "Rewind" for some of the big stories of the past few days.

Tuesday, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a widespread outbreak of avian flu among humans is not likely to happen any time soon. But while the chances of a bird flu pandemic are low, the government does have a contingency plan in place to stem an outbreak if it occurs.

Also Tuesday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 struck south- central Iran. More than 600 people died and hundreds more injured. Officials fear the death toll could go much higher once more bodies are recovered.

Wednesday, the New York City medical examiner said all work to identify human remains from the September 11th attack has stopped. The examiner's office says it has exhausted all DNA technology, but that the process could resume if new technology is developed. And finally, President Bush returned home Thursday from a five day fence mending tour in Europe. Before heading back, Mr. Bush met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss U.S. concerns over democratic restrictions in Russia. President Bush also secured help from NATO to train the Iraqi military.

And tomorrow, we will "Fast Forward" to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

HARRIS: Talk about taking a grand tour around the globe, New York City isn't the only place hoping to land the Olympics. Just ahead, we go "Beyond The Game" to see what it takes to get the bid.

NGUYEN: Also, you might think cows could handle getting dirty, right? Yes. But rain in California has cattle mired in muck.

HARRIS: Oh.

NGUYEN: Ew, look at that. And putting a squeeze on milk production.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They're looking a little bit more like pigs in that video. The good news is, though, that California drying out today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: The complete forecast coming up in a few minutes.

Tony -- back to you.

HARRIS: Thank you, Rob.

And here is our E-Mail Question this morning. Are you willing to forgive the steroid scandal? It's track and field, it's baseball. E- mail us at wam@cnn.com. We'll read your replies throughout the program.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Lawyers for accused terrorist Eric Rudolph say hiding in the North Carolina wilderness for more than five years has nothing, zip, to do with their client's guilt or innocence. They say it's a lifestyle issue. On the topic in "Legal Briefs," that's live next hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

MARCIANO: Time now for your cold and flu report.

The latest from the CDC. Blue and red on the map again. We're peaking out now into the cold and flu season. The red meaning widespread activity, places like Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York. The blue is no bargain either. That's regional activity in Alaska all the way down to Hawaii and places as mild as the West Coast.

Hope you're feeling well today and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Other stories across America this morning.

Bank of America has lost computer tapes containing personal records of dozens of U.S. senators and more than a million government employees. That's sparking fears of identity theft. Social Security numbers, addresses and account numbers are on the tapes. The records were lost back in December.

Michael Jackson's attorney gives the court a preview of his opening statement to the jury. It looks like an all out assault on the mother of the boy who is accusing Jackson of molesting him. Attorney Thomas Mesereau alleges the woman collected money from a similar lawsuit and from other alleged fraud. Opening statements in Jackson's trial begin on Monday.

California dairy cattle mired in mud for weeks are dying. Torrents of rain this month have soaked into piles of manure.

NGUYEN: Oh, that's nasty.

HARRIS: Slogging through the muck has left the cows exhausted, sick, losing weight. Dairy farmers estimate it will cost them about $40 million this month in lost cows and milk production.

NGUYEN: I mean, who wants to drink that milk? These cows have lost weight, they're tired, they're sick. Get them out of there.

MARCIANO: You know, it's not a story you think of here, but we've done everything else in California, it seems like, in the past week and a half.

NGUYEN: It's true.

MARCIANO: So at some point the dairy industry is going to take a little bit of a hit. But it's dry now.

NGUYEN: Good news.

HARRIS: Finally.

NGUYEN: Finally.

MARCIANO: You guys know what the radar looks like, right?

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: It's something we like to show, right?

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

MARCIANO: Yes? The blues, the greens.

HARRIS: Come on, come on. Show us. MARCIANO: There it is.

HARRIS: Finally, after all this time.

MARCIANO: It's pretty quiet, huh?

NGUYEN: Haven't seen that in how long, Rob?

HARRIS: But that -- but wait a minute. Here's the point that's important here to make.

MARCIANO: Right.

HARRIS: That doesn't mean -- you've got to dry out. You've got to really dry out, OK?

MARCIANO: Right.

HARRIS: And that means that there's at least, what, weeks, maybe a month here...

MARCIANO: Well, it depends. Like if you hang...

HARRIS: before the soil and...

MARCIANO: If you hang out here, Tony...

HARRIS: Right?

MARCIANO: ... it could take several weeks. But if you go out there and just start talking like you are, blowing that hot air around...

HARRIS: Right.

MARCIANO: ... you know, it could be done in like a couple of hours.

HARRIS: Good morning, Rob.

MARCIANO: You know?

HARRIS: Good to see you, as always.

MARCIANO: Always, Tony.

Always.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: A pretty dry winter across much of Florida and...

HARRIS: A little (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

NGUYEN: Yes, but their winter consists of, what? What are the temperatures? MARCIANO: The temps there are in the 60s and 70s.

NGUYEN: Yes.

MARCIANO: It's pretty nice. But not nearly the rain...

NGUYEN: That's a nice winter.

MARCIANO: So they -- but they typically get some rain in the wintertime, as does Oregon and Washington. And both of those states have seen an incredibly dry winter. Obviously, most of the rain going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

NGUYEN: But it's dry there now, though.

MARCIANO: It is dry.

NGUYEN: Good news.

HARRIS: Hey, look, let me give you a pound on it. That was a good shot.

MARCIANO: All right.

HARRIS: That was good. That was good. Love you.

NGUYEN: You've got to encourage that, right?

HARRIS: That was good.

NGUYEN: All right.

MARCIANO: See you guys.

NGUYEN: Thanks, Rob.

Well, it reads like a who's who of the world's greatest cities. Straight ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, we will run through the list of contenders to host the 2012 Olympic Games. And we'll talk about who's most likely to walk away with the big prize. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (voice-over): New York is trying to make a big impression this week as the International Olympic Committee searches for a home for the 2012 Summer Games.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York City is a special city in this country, probably in the world. It's the sports capital of the United States and it may be the sports capital of the world. It's the communications capital of the world.

NGUYEN: The 2012 Games are expected to have the largest economic impact of any sporting event in history. That's $12 billion. Also on the short list, Moscow, Paris, London and Madrid.

What are the Big Apple's chances against the glamour of the other contenders? New York in the hunt -- the topic this morning as we take you "Beyond The Game."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And, no doubt, the economic impact for the city that gets the Olympic Games is huge.

So, let's break down New York's chance of landing the big one.

And for that, we turn to author of "When the Game Is On the Line," CNN Sports business analyst Rick Horrow.

He joins us from West Palm Beach, Florida -- good morning to you, Rick.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Good morning, Betty.

And it's really refreshing and positive to talk to you. And I'm glad Rob gave Tony the hard time he so richly deserves all the time.

NGUYEN: Oh, we've got to change it up every now and then, keep this show rolling.

I know you enjoy Tony, but this time you got me. So let's go to it.

The pluses and the minuses. Let's see what New York has in its favor for getting these Games.

HORROW: Well, clearly, they have pulled out all the stops and New York is able to do that. The big dinner, Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg, Mayor Bloomberg, Paul Simon private concert. The stakes are high. Here's the New York advantage. It's all about money -- $12 billion in economic impact, but for the IOC, the Committee, they'll get 25 percent more revenue, it is claimed, than those other four candidate cities. Why? About nine million tickets to be projected to be sold, as compared to a little over three millions in Athens. So that's a big deal for that Committee.

For the...

NGUYEN: It's a huge deal, yes.

HORROW: It's a huge deal. And for New York itself, that economic impact you talked about, assuming the stadium is approved, which is a big if, $7 billion in capital projects, 600,000 billboards just to promote the Games during that event. It is the biggest sporting event economic impact, as you said, in world history, which would be staggering.

NGUYEN: OK, so what does New York have working against it?

HORROW: Well, the stadium issue is a big one. It hasn't been approved yet. It's final fours and Super Bowls and NFL. But there's a lot of controversy. They have until July to approve that. But the biggest issue, as you know, the way the IOC selects it is a political mine field. The lowest voter gets eliminated. There are 52 European bloc voters out of the 117 IOC members.

Now, when cities get eliminated, are they going to embrace their European fellows and give them the Games for 2012 or are they going to try to jettison the Games across the pond and take their own chances in 2016?

Only time will tell. But I will say this. July 6 will be one of the most dramatic days in sports history, and maybe, people can really argue, even world history.

NGUYEN: Yes, and, you know, there's a little rumor out there, just a little rumor, Rick, that Paris has the edge when it comes to getting these Games.

Is that right?

HORROW: Well, I think, if you talk to the press corps in five cities, you're going to hear that five cities have a slam dunk edge to get the Games. And one of the issues is the guarantee. New York is willing to guarantee up to $500 million or so in expenses. The other four cities say it's unlimited. It's probably not going to get to that.

Paris is prepared to pull out all the stops. But at the end of the day, New York and others may, as well. It will, as I said, be incredibly dramatic.

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

All right, let's go to your fair ball, foul ball.

Let's start with fair ball.

HORROW: Well, here's the fair ball. We finished the NBA All Star Game last week.

NGUYEN: Yes?

HORROW: And we've got Richard Hamilton, who plays for the Detroit Pistons, he wanted a little bit of controversy and some endorsement controversy. So he signed a deal with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company to have the cornrow design of their triple tread assurance tires on his head. Yes. You know...

NGUYEN: It's all about marketing, Rick. It's all about the money.

HORROW: Hey, hey, it's all about the marketing. We don't know how much money he got, but I think he probably got a set of free tires out of the deal.

NGUYEN: At least. At least some tires. All right, and your foul ball?

HORROW: Well, the foul ball is kind of negative because it's steroids, steroids and more steroids. And here's the real problem. For baseball, they had a great policy in the off season they put together, which is a new random drug testing policy. And, by the way, if you're caught, a 10-day suspension for the first offense. A $2.2 million minor league or baseball salary, the average player. That's $120,000. A pretty significant deterrent. But, it's now all about Barry Bonds and his controversy.

Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARRY BONDS, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: I'm an adult and I take responsibilities for what I do. But, you know what? I'm not going to allow you guys to ruin my joy.

This is the only business that allows you guys in our office to begin with. You can't just go to Bank of America and walk in the office and start interviewing employees. This is the sports world. What for?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HORROW: And, you know, we have a great solution to the steroids issue. Now we have Barry Bonds talking about how great he is and how we've got to leave him alone.

So, I think that's kind of unfortunate.

NGUYEN: All right, we appreciate it, as always, Rick.

Thank you so much.

HORROW: Next week...

NGUYEN: Yes, absolutely. Same time, same channel.

HORROW: All right.

NGUYEN: All right.

And there is more on the Barry Bonds news conference and the steroid controversy. That is later this morning. "USA Today" sports writer Mel Antonen joins us live to answer this question. Here it is. Are the fans ready to forgive and forget? That's later, right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

HARRIS: And when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues, a bomb tears apart an Israeli nightclub and threatens a fragile peace in the Middle East. Ahead, the diplomatic efforts to contain the fallout.

Also, an Olympic hero uses optimism and humor to find a brain tumor. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, this man has won everything a skater can dream of. Now he has to win a challenge of a far different nature.

Welcome back, everyone, to CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.

We'll talk to Scott Hamilton later this hour.

First, though, a look at the morning headlines.

There's a developing story out of Kansas this morning. In just a few hours, we expect to learn if police have cracked the case of the BTK serial killer in Wichita. A "person of interest" was taken into custody yesterday and DNA tests are now underway. City officials have scheduled a news conference at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. CNN will carry that live when it happens.

In central Florida's Gulf Coast, search parties will fan out again this morning to look for Jessica Lunsford. The third grader was last seen when her grandmother put her to bed Wednesday night at their home. Police say a doll is also gone from little girl's room.

And today is a remembrance, day of remembrance in New York City. The mayor and other officials will attend a church service on the 12th anniversary of the first World Trade Center bombing. That bomb exploded in a parking garage. It killed six people and wounded more than 1,000.

HARRIS: After the first deadly attack by militants in three weeks, Palestinian leaders are making sure their actions speak as loud as their words today. Two people have been arrested in connection with the suicide bombing of a Tel Aviv nightclub. Four people died in the attack and at least 50 people are still in a hospital. There has been no claim of responsibility so far, but Israeli and Palestinian leaders suspect Hezbollah forces are behind the bombing.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has also called for swift action. She's traveling to London Monday for a meeting on the Middle East.

NGUYEN: All right, you know what that music means, right?

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

NGUYEN: Time now to check out some of the other international stories making news this morning.

HARRIS: I'm here with you every week. I know what that means.

NGUYEN: Right there.

HARRIS: Let's turn things over now to Anand Naidoo at the international desk -- Anand, good morning.

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, and a very good morning to you.

A busy day at the international desk.

First, a check on the pope. He's spending a third day in a Rome hospital after undergoing throat surgery. The latest reports say he continues to breathe by himself. No infection reported. The Vatican says he will follow Sunday's Angelus blessing from the hospital. But an aide will read the message in St. Peter's Square.

Some Catholics around the world are holding prayer vigils for the pope. He's led that church for more than a quarter of a century.

Moving now to Iraq, three British soldiers will be spending time behind bars for abusing Iraqi detainees. They were sentenced by a British military court in Germany. The prison terms range from five months to two years. The men will serve the time at a civilian prison in Britain.

Now an issue that is stirring up tensions between Moscow and Washington. Russia is set to sign a deal to supply nuclear fuel to Iran for its reactor. The latest we have is that a last minute snag has postponed the signing to tomorrow. Negotiations are dragging on, as one official put it.

Under the deal, Russia will supply nuclear fuel for Iran's reactor at Beshir and then take back the spent fuel road to make sure that it's not used for any other purpose, like making weapons.

I'm Anand Naidoo.

I'll be back with more.

NGUYEN: Now to "Security Watch," where we update you on the week's major developments in the war on terror every Saturday morning.

A former screener at San Francisco International Airport is suing. His lawsuit alleges the company he worked for cheated during government inspections. Among other things, Gene Bencomo says Covenant Aviation Security alerted staffers when federal decoys were approaching checkpoints. Federal transportation officials are looking into his claims.

Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tops a new U.S. list of most wanted supporters of the Iraq insurgency. The government is offering big cash rewards for the 29 people on that list.

Scientists at a top U.S. defense research center say they've come up with a way to prevent trucks from being used as rolling bombs. A new device allows police to apply the brakes by remote control. Now, legislation would be needed to require trucks to carry those. And federal prosecutors say an American citizen accused of plotting to kill President Bush should remain in custody. The man was sent back to the U.S. this week after serving 20 months in a Saudi Arabian jail. A detention hearing is set for Tuesday.

You'll want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

HARRIS: You know, news on Social Security seems pretty bleak. But don't spend your Saturday morning worrying about it.

NGUYEN: Oh, no.

HARRIS: Ahead, where you can find tips for living the good life and still have enough left over to retire well.

NGUYEN: And speaking of the good life, good morning Washington.

Look at this live shot right there. Well, a little foggy, a little cloudy. Weekend weather for you in the rest of the country. That's coming up in about 15 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG DETRINCO, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "SKI" MAGAZINE: Ski trips or winter vacations don't have to be expensive. Here are a few tips to help you bring the costs of winter travel downhill.

Book early. Even if you're traveling later in the season, the resorts want to lock you in as soon as possible. Travel during the off season. This means staying away from the high holiday periods. Often the best skiing is in March and April and the resorts will offer you great price discounts to go during that time period.

Get off the main drag. You'll pay a premium for staying in the middle of town or on the slopes. Move a few blocks away and the price goes down. Bundle, bundle, bundle. Never buy the components of a ski vacation or winter trip separately, such as lodging, air fare, rental car, lift tickets. Buy them as a package deal and you'll receive great discounts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, do your thoughts of retirement have you sitting on a beach somewhere? That sounds so good.

HARRIS: You've got that right. Yes, yes.

NGUYEN: Or are you biting your nails trying to figure out your next move?

Well, the dot-com desk takes a look at some things that you can do to make those dreams come true.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wondering if the proposed changes in Social Security are a gamble or a fair bet for your retirement? You can crunch the numbers and cut through the jargon at cnnmoney.com/socialsecurity.

Social Security is a hot topic in Washington. But what do proposed changes mean for you? Myths, half-truths and exaggerations aside, it's important to get your facts straight. For instance, is Social Security going bankrupt? In a recent "USA Today"/CNN/Gallup poll, 50 percent of workers polled said they didn't think Social Security would be able to pay them a benefit when they retire. According to the government, that's not true.

Now, the ultimate guide to retiring. If you've got a decade to go until your golden years, there are three words that can help: save, diversify and clarify. But even if you are living in retirement, there's no need to worry. Learn to monitor your finances and make the most of what you've got.

Ever considered becoming a millionaire? Punch in your numbers online and figure out what you need to live the good life. Guiding you on the road to retirement from the dot-com news desk in Atlanta, I'm Veronica de la Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: More than 20 years after he won gold in Sarajevo, now figure skater Scott Hamilton takes on a new, much tougher opponent. We'll hear from him next.

NGUYEN: First, though, a CNN extra. Some marginal improvements to their computer security system last year. A new congressional review still gave the largest U.S. government agencies a D plus grade. The Departments of Transportation, Justice and the Interior are the only ones who scored significant improvements from last year. But seven out of the 24 largest agencies, including the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, got failing, failing grades.

Ironically, the Department of Homeland Security oversees the national cyber security division and is responsible for making the country's computer networks secure.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning, New York City. Look at this shot of the skyline. Later today, things will heat up at Madison Square Garden when the Knicks host the Indiana Pacers. Other than that, it's going to be a chilly day in the Big Apple.

Remember that song? I know you do, Tony. So does Rob. He'll have the rest of the forecast in just a few minutes.

But now, Kansas police are questioning what they call a person of interest in the decades old BTK murder case. The killer, known as BTK for bind, torture, kill, has been linked to eight unsolved killings from 1974 through 1986. A news conference is planned for 11:00 Eastern time and CNN will carry that when it happens.

Meanwhile, a Florida man is pleading for help in finding his missing 9-year-old daughter. Jessica Lunsford vanished from her bedroom Wednesday. Police and volunteers will resume that search this morning.

And the judge gives the go ahead for Terri Schiavo's husband to have her feeding tube removed in three weeks. But the fight over whether the brain damaged woman lives or dies may not be over. Her parents plan more legal action to keep her alive.

Well, the Terri Schiavo case was just one of several legal dramas to play out in the last week. And coming up at 8:00, we'll talk about the Michael Jackson jury and the Eric Rudolph, that run from the law. And you'll want to make sure that you stick around for all those legal cases -- Tony.

HARRIS: He is a living legend, a role model and an incredible success story. We are talking about Olympic champion, four time world champion and four time national champion in figure skating, Scott Hamilton.

His story of cancer survival back in 1997 inspired so many. Now this man is facing another challenge -- a brain tumor.

Earlier this week, I talked to Scott Hamilton about his health.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Just a few months ago, you were diagnosed with something I can't even pronounce.

What is this? This is cranio...

SCOTT HAMILTON, OLYMPIC CHAMPION: Craniopharyngioma. It's a brain tumor.

HARRIS: And so, and it's a benign brain tumor.

HAMILTON: Yes, that was the great news. They didn't know what it was for about a week, so we were pretty scared. But once they did the biopsy, they were hoping they'd know in a few days what it was after the biopsy, which was a really difficult and kind of dangerous procedure. We were really scared.

But the doctor came in the recovery room and he said we know what it is and we have to discuss how we're going to treat it. But it's good news is that we know what it is. It's benign. It's slow growing. But it's causing you some problems because of where it's attached. And so we just had to go from there.

And the course of treatment was radiation, a special kind of radiation called Gamma Knife, which is basically 201 points of radiation, low dose, all culminating on the tumor to give it a high dose of radiation.

HARRIS: Oh, man.

HAMILTON: So they did that a couple of months ago and the results came back, you know, the initial results two months later are that it changed the tumor from being mostly solid to mostly liquid and it shrank it just a little bit. So it's responding to radiation. So that's good news. And now we just have to stay vigilant and see, you know, where it goes.

HARRIS: So here's the question. When you were first diagnosed with cancer, that was, I believe, '97?

HAMILTON: Yes.

HARRIS: Was it '97?

How did you react to that news and how has it changed, how has your outlook changed and how did you react to this most recent diagnosis?

HAMILTON: Well, my life was completely different back then than it is now.

HARRIS: Yes.

HAMILTON: You know, I mean when I was diagnosed with testicular cancer, the main thing was there was a treatment through chemotherapy and surgery that was proven to be extremely effective and they said that I'd get right back to normal life with a little hard work. It might take a year or two, but I should be OK. The only issues were fatality. And at that point, you know, I wasn't even thinking family.

This issue is different because it's completely unrelated to the other one...

HARRIS: Yes.

HAMILTON: ... which makes me, you know, kind of -- it freaks you out a little bit. But I was scared because I have a family now. You know, I have a wife and a son and, you know, I just don't want to miss any of that. It took me a long time to get there and now that I'm there, I just, you know, really wanted to hang onto it.

So not knowing what the tumor was or knowing that it was affecting me but not really knowing where it was going or how it would affect me in the future was really scary. So we spent a week there where we just, you know, held onto each other and we just prayed and cried and wondered. And it was very frightening because the stakes were so much different.

HARRIS: Scott, talk to us about your family, your wife and your son.

HAMILTON: Well, you know, it's funny, when you're up against something and you don't really know what it is and it's frightening, you see a side of yourself and you see a side to your family that you never would have known existed had it not been for that event. And the fact that I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, she was the first one I told. And it was hard because my son was standing right there. And he's only 17 months old, so he doesn't know what we're talking about, but...

HARRIS: Right.

HAMILTON: ... he knew that something was going on. But to see what came out of Tracy, my wife, was just extraordinary, to see how she handled it, to see how she supported me and her family has supported me and our church family in L.A. supported me, it's something that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. It just, it was extraordinary and it changed my life for the better.

So, you know, you have a choice in a situation like this of adapting or evolving. And I'm really working toward evolving through this experience.

HARRIS: And, you know, you made another choice. You made the choice to take your experience and use it to help others. Scott CARES is a foundation that you're working with in addition to the Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, which is just a fabulous hospital, having lived in that city for a number of years.

HAMILTON: Unbelievable.

HARRIS: That's just a fabulous hospital. And you've gone through much of your care through that hospital, is that correct?

HAMILTON: Well, that's where I was treated for my testicular cancer and I stayed in touch, obviously, you have to do five years of, you know, all your checkups to make sure that, you know...

HARRIS: Yes?

HAMILTON: They call it remission. I hate that word. But, yes, after five years, I'd go in every year after that for a physical and that was my primary care facility and my physicians are all there. So -- and I stayed in touch because built CARES, the Cancer Alliance for Research, Education and Survivorship. And we've been -- it's been phenomenal. We've got some really good friends and supporters. The Miller family in Cleveland has really, you know, adopted us and taken us under their wing to really make sure that we're successful. And we've started a lot of research programs. We've launched chemocare.com. And chemocare.com is a one stop Web site for anything you need to know about chemotherapy, its side effects, how to deal with it, insurance, message boards, chat rooms, the whole deal. It's an amazing, amazing accomplishment, this chemocare.com.

HARRIS: Yes.

HAMILTON: And the Fourth Angel Mentoring Program, where we put diag -- newly diagnosed patients with coaches, who are people that have gone through what they're about to go through and then can help them with the issues that no one else can help them with. So Fourth Angel is up and running. It's doing extremely well. We're hoping that one day it'll be a national entity. But CARES is growing and we're making, hopefully, a significant difference in the cancer community.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Find out if Scott plans to return to the ice and get a glimpse of the current tour of Smuckers Stars On Ice, produced by Scott Hamilton tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We'll bring you the conclusion of the interview at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time.

NGUYEN: Boy, he is a fighter, I'll tell you that.

Well, some dos and, OK, just some dont's, for all those prospective bank robbers out there, next in our "Wows of the Week."

And you don't want to forget to weigh in on our E-Mail Question. Are you willing to forgive the steroid scandal? Send us your thoughts, to wam@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: OK, take a look at our eye-opener "Wows of the Week," which takes us to Japan, where commuters can look forward to having the bullet train on speed dial. Cell phones will eventually have microchips to pay for train fares. So easy. It's a logical progression, of course. Many of these so-called wallet phones in Japan already work as debit cards.

Next, we head to Palm Beach and a real life episode of cops and robbers captured by a TV crew. Check this out. Stashing the getaway car in a parking garage was this alleged bank robber's first mistake. Police easily blocked his escape and, of course, they then arrested him.

Here's another fine point for bank robbers -- don't brag about the heist. One fellow in Chicago was so proud of his $81,000 score that he blabbed about it to a call-in radio show, of all things. Very dumb move. That robber revealed enough clues that the FBI was able to track him down.

HARRIS: It's a good thing...

NGUYEN: Duh!

HARRIS: It's a good thing they are so dumb sometimes.

NGUYEN: Yes. Thank goodness for dumb robbers, you know?

HARRIS: It helps out law enforcement, right?

Let's get you to Rob Marciano now over in the Weather Center to take a look at the nation's forecast -- good to see you, Rob.

Good morning, sir. MARCIANO: Hi, Tony.

Hi, Betty.

NGUYEN: Good morning.

MARCIANO: Yes, just don't rob a bank. I mean that would be the smartest thing to do.

HARRIS: Yes, for starters.

NGUYEN: Exactly.

MARCIANO: Although that money looked awfully good.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: One hour down, two to go.

Tony and Betty -- back to you.

HARRIS: That's right.

NGUYEN: All right...

MARCIANO: One and a half to go.

NGUYEN: Yes, yes.

HARRIS: Just muttering through it. Just get through it.

NGUYEN: Yes, getting through it. That's the way we do it here.

Thank you, Rob.

MARCIANO: You guys are so (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

NGUYEN: Hey, let's get to our E-Mail Question of the day, speaking of getting through it. Are you willing to forgive the steroid scandal?

We're getting lots of good responses today.

Marty says: "No. I don't forgive the steroid abuse. Not only is it cheating, but it also sets a bad example for young sports fans."

HARRIS: Yes, and this from Rich: "I would forgive athletes for steroid use when they apologize to the fans of the game."

OK, a lot of e-mails coming in. We'll continue to read those to you.

Here's the question again -- are you willing to forgive the steroid scandal? The address: wam@cnn.com.

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 February 26, 2005 - 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: Four hours from now we may learn if police have caught the BTK killer.
Good morning from the CNN Center here in Atlanta.

This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It's February 26.

We want to welcome you.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris.

7:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 6:00 a.m. in Wichita, Kansas.

Thank you for being with us.

Now more on this and other headlines now in the news.

Police in Wichita, Kansas have questioned someone they call a person of interest in connection with the BTK serial killings. It's unclear what the officers learned, but they may tell us when they meet with reporters later this morning. There were at least eight BTK killings from 1974 through 1986. BTK stands for bind, torture, kill.

Palestinian police have arrested two West Bank men in Friday's suicide bombing at a Tel Aviv nightclub. The blast killed four people and wounded 65. The Palestinian prime minister had vowed to track down those response.

Pope John Paul II will offer his traditional Sunday blessing address from his hospital room in Rome. An aide will read the address and bless the crowd in St. Peter's Square. But the Vatican doctors have asked the pope not to try to speak following throat surgery at Gemelli Hospital last Thursday.

NGUYEN: Here's why you need to stay with us this hour.

Just ahead, a live report from Florida on the desperate search for 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. She was last seen three nights ago.

Also ahead, an Olympic hopeful named Gotham. CNN Sports business analyst Rick Horrow discusses the pluses and the minuses of New York's quest to host the 2012 Games. And later, gold medalist skater Scott Hamilton speaks candidly about his wife and son, about beating cancer and his ongoing battle with a new medical crisis.

HARRIS: Our top story is not what we know but what we may learn this morning about the BTK serial killings in Wichita, Kansas. BTK stands for bind, torture, kill. And it's the signature of the killer in at least eight deaths in Wichita during a 12-year rampage.

Is there a break now in this case?

CNN correspondent Jonathan Freed is live in Wichita -- Jonathan, good morning.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

We're standing at the city complex here in downtown Wichita. This is a city, Tony, that has been holding its breath for the last three decades, hoping and praying that one day this serial killer that has been terrorizing this community would one day finally be caught.

Now, the answer to that question is we just don't know yet. Everybody is playing it quite cautiously. The "Wichita Eagle," which is a newspaper that has found itself at the center of this story over the years, the killer has been known for taunting the police and the public by sending notes to the media, including the "Eagle." What they are reporting in today's paper is police to talk about BTK today.

The reason that people are being so cautious is that back in December, there was an arrest of an individual and many people in the media leapt to the conclusion that this was a BTK arrest and that perhaps police finally had their man. It didn't turn out to be the case and that person is actually suing some media outlets because he was named and his house was shown and so on.

But this is looking somewhat different, Tony.

Now, that is because at a news conference at 10:00 here, Wichita time, we're going to see the mayor, the district attorney, the police chief and a host of other people from law enforcement, Tony. And we are also told, local media is also reporting that some members, family members of some of this killer's victims will also be present.

That is ratcheting up the expectation as to the nature of the announcement, because yesterday in the community of Park City, which is a neighborhood north of Wichita here, police moved in on a home with a large array of equipment, including a bomb squad. They even evacuated the immediate area. They spent many, many hours inside an individual's home and they took what they called a person of interest into custody for questioning.

Now, there are also reports that we -- that they were waiting for a DNA analysis to come back. All of this raising expectations about the nature of today's announcement. People here, Tony, holding their breath, hoping that perhaps, after 30 years, they may finally be able to exhale. And we should know the results of this in about four hours -- Tony.

HARRIS: Jonathan, just a quick question. You may not know the answer to this, but I'm wondering what the direct link was, what the probable cause was that led to the search.

Do we have any idea what that direct linkage to this person of interest was?

FREED: Well, we know, we know what it is. But it's at the point where we're not prepared to comment on it yet.

HARRIS: OK.

FREED: We have been told what we think has led police to this. There have been some reports about it. But until CNN independently confirms it...

HARRIS: Got you.

FREED: ... we are, at least at this point, waiting before we get into that.

HARRIS: Jonathan Freed, appreciate it.

Thank you.

FREED: Thank you.

HARRIS: A woman named Cheryl believes she was an intended victim of the BTK killer 28 years ago. Cheryl says she was not home at the time, so BTK went to a neighbor's home and killed another woman.

Since then, Cheryl says she's lived in constant fear, sometimes not being able to sleep in her own bed.

CNN's Paula Zahn spoke to Cheryl.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Describe to our audience what it

was like to go for periods, where you would actually sleep in public

places. That was the only place you felt safe to sleep.

"CHERYL": Yes. For several months after the murder, I would sleep

on my floor, in my office, during my lunch hour. I would sleep, if I

had a doctor's appointment, I would sleep in the office until I saw

the doctor. And then I would grab naps. If people came over to visit

me, I would sleep then, but I couldn't sleep at night.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, now, 28 years later, perhaps a break in the BTK case. That news conference, again, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern live on CNN.

NGUYEN: It's been an emotional roller coaster for the family of a missing 9-year-old girl in Florida. They wanted nervously as a body was found in a lake yesterday. Then they breathed a sigh of relief after it turned out not to be their little girl.

Reporter Ferdinand Zogbaum of our affiliate, Bay-9 News, joins us now with more.

Any leads on who might have taken her?

FERDINAND ZOGBAUM, BAY NEWS-9 CORRESPONDENT: As of right now, investigators have no information. They have no leads on anybody who might have taken Jessica from her room Thursday morning at about 6:00 a.m., is when she was found missing. The search continues here in Citrus County, Florida.

Investigators have not gotten the big break they want. They haven't gotten that little bit of information or those clues that will help steer them toward Jessica. But they're hoping they'll find that today.

NGUYEN: Ferdinand, let me ask you this. Yesterday police had reported that they found the little girl's mother in, I believe it was Ohio.

What do we know about that? Is she connected to the disappearance?

ZOGBAUM: Well, they did try to track her down. The FBI finally located her, thinking that she might know something about Jessica's whereabouts. Evidently the FBI did interview her and they are not calling her a suspect in this case. She is divorced from Jessica's father, Mark. She has remarried, apparently, and has a 5-year-old son.

But as of right now, she is not a suspect and she has no idea where her daughter is. But if she, she is, of course, worried about her.

NGUYEN: And there's one other piece of information that we learned from police in that news conference, it was that a doll or some kind of toy was missing from the little girl's room. That has since been found.

What's the information there? What's the connection? What does that tell us?

ZOGBAUM: Well, we haven't heard much about that doll. We did hear something yesterday, that it was missing, or family members said that it was missing. Police did not confirm that here and they haven't commented on what that would mean or the implications of that, if it has been found, or, in fact, if it has been taken from the room. So we're still pretty much in the dark concerning that doll right now.

NGUYEN: Yes, very little information is known in this case, as they search for that missing 9-year-old girl.

Ferdinand Zogbaum with our News-9, Bay News-9 affiliate.

Thank you for that report -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, now a heartwarming story from California. A Glendale man has been reunited with his children four years after they were allegedly abducted by their mother and taken to Mexico. Police say 9-year-old Jeannie and 5-year-old Christian apparently dug under a fence to cross into the United States. They were spotted Thursday walking along Imperial Beach.

Dad says both kids are glad to be home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM TERRANOVA, FATHER: She's the same old Jeannie. I mean she remembers. When she got in the house and saw the pictures and the things she'd made for me when she was in school, it all started to click. And she remembered me right off the bat. Christian was only 1 1/2 so, you know, he didn't, but he's like right in there now. He's an amazing kid. And she plays the big sister and takes care of her brother. And I'm sure that's what she was doing, you know, for the past four years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Look at that picture. Loving daddy. Police say in a note pinned to one of the children's clothing, the mother apologized for taking them.

NGUYEN: OK, in case you didn't get your fill of headlines this week, let's "Rewind" for some of the big stories of the past few days.

Tuesday, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a widespread outbreak of avian flu among humans is not likely to happen any time soon. But while the chances of a bird flu pandemic are low, the government does have a contingency plan in place to stem an outbreak if it occurs.

Also Tuesday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 struck south- central Iran. More than 600 people died and hundreds more injured. Officials fear the death toll could go much higher once more bodies are recovered.

Wednesday, the New York City medical examiner said all work to identify human remains from the September 11th attack has stopped. The examiner's office says it has exhausted all DNA technology, but that the process could resume if new technology is developed. And finally, President Bush returned home Thursday from a five day fence mending tour in Europe. Before heading back, Mr. Bush met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss U.S. concerns over democratic restrictions in Russia. President Bush also secured help from NATO to train the Iraqi military.

And tomorrow, we will "Fast Forward" to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

HARRIS: Talk about taking a grand tour around the globe, New York City isn't the only place hoping to land the Olympics. Just ahead, we go "Beyond The Game" to see what it takes to get the bid.

NGUYEN: Also, you might think cows could handle getting dirty, right? Yes. But rain in California has cattle mired in muck.

HARRIS: Oh.

NGUYEN: Ew, look at that. And putting a squeeze on milk production.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They're looking a little bit more like pigs in that video. The good news is, though, that California drying out today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: The complete forecast coming up in a few minutes.

Tony -- back to you.

HARRIS: Thank you, Rob.

And here is our E-Mail Question this morning. Are you willing to forgive the steroid scandal? It's track and field, it's baseball. E- mail us at wam@cnn.com. We'll read your replies throughout the program.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Lawyers for accused terrorist Eric Rudolph say hiding in the North Carolina wilderness for more than five years has nothing, zip, to do with their client's guilt or innocence. They say it's a lifestyle issue. On the topic in "Legal Briefs," that's live next hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

MARCIANO: Time now for your cold and flu report.

The latest from the CDC. Blue and red on the map again. We're peaking out now into the cold and flu season. The red meaning widespread activity, places like Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York. The blue is no bargain either. That's regional activity in Alaska all the way down to Hawaii and places as mild as the West Coast.

Hope you're feeling well today and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Other stories across America this morning.

Bank of America has lost computer tapes containing personal records of dozens of U.S. senators and more than a million government employees. That's sparking fears of identity theft. Social Security numbers, addresses and account numbers are on the tapes. The records were lost back in December.

Michael Jackson's attorney gives the court a preview of his opening statement to the jury. It looks like an all out assault on the mother of the boy who is accusing Jackson of molesting him. Attorney Thomas Mesereau alleges the woman collected money from a similar lawsuit and from other alleged fraud. Opening statements in Jackson's trial begin on Monday.

California dairy cattle mired in mud for weeks are dying. Torrents of rain this month have soaked into piles of manure.

NGUYEN: Oh, that's nasty.

HARRIS: Slogging through the muck has left the cows exhausted, sick, losing weight. Dairy farmers estimate it will cost them about $40 million this month in lost cows and milk production.

NGUYEN: I mean, who wants to drink that milk? These cows have lost weight, they're tired, they're sick. Get them out of there.

MARCIANO: You know, it's not a story you think of here, but we've done everything else in California, it seems like, in the past week and a half.

NGUYEN: It's true.

MARCIANO: So at some point the dairy industry is going to take a little bit of a hit. But it's dry now.

NGUYEN: Good news.

HARRIS: Finally.

NGUYEN: Finally.

MARCIANO: You guys know what the radar looks like, right?

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: It's something we like to show, right?

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

MARCIANO: Yes? The blues, the greens.

HARRIS: Come on, come on. Show us. MARCIANO: There it is.

HARRIS: Finally, after all this time.

MARCIANO: It's pretty quiet, huh?

NGUYEN: Haven't seen that in how long, Rob?

HARRIS: But that -- but wait a minute. Here's the point that's important here to make.

MARCIANO: Right.

HARRIS: That doesn't mean -- you've got to dry out. You've got to really dry out, OK?

MARCIANO: Right.

HARRIS: And that means that there's at least, what, weeks, maybe a month here...

MARCIANO: Well, it depends. Like if you hang...

HARRIS: before the soil and...

MARCIANO: If you hang out here, Tony...

HARRIS: Right?

MARCIANO: ... it could take several weeks. But if you go out there and just start talking like you are, blowing that hot air around...

HARRIS: Right.

MARCIANO: ... you know, it could be done in like a couple of hours.

HARRIS: Good morning, Rob.

MARCIANO: You know?

HARRIS: Good to see you, as always.

MARCIANO: Always, Tony.

Always.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: A pretty dry winter across much of Florida and...

HARRIS: A little (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

NGUYEN: Yes, but their winter consists of, what? What are the temperatures? MARCIANO: The temps there are in the 60s and 70s.

NGUYEN: Yes.

MARCIANO: It's pretty nice. But not nearly the rain...

NGUYEN: That's a nice winter.

MARCIANO: So they -- but they typically get some rain in the wintertime, as does Oregon and Washington. And both of those states have seen an incredibly dry winter. Obviously, most of the rain going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

NGUYEN: But it's dry there now, though.

MARCIANO: It is dry.

NGUYEN: Good news.

HARRIS: Hey, look, let me give you a pound on it. That was a good shot.

MARCIANO: All right.

HARRIS: That was good. That was good. Love you.

NGUYEN: You've got to encourage that, right?

HARRIS: That was good.

NGUYEN: All right.

MARCIANO: See you guys.

NGUYEN: Thanks, Rob.

Well, it reads like a who's who of the world's greatest cities. Straight ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, we will run through the list of contenders to host the 2012 Olympic Games. And we'll talk about who's most likely to walk away with the big prize. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (voice-over): New York is trying to make a big impression this week as the International Olympic Committee searches for a home for the 2012 Summer Games.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York City is a special city in this country, probably in the world. It's the sports capital of the United States and it may be the sports capital of the world. It's the communications capital of the world.

NGUYEN: The 2012 Games are expected to have the largest economic impact of any sporting event in history. That's $12 billion. Also on the short list, Moscow, Paris, London and Madrid.

What are the Big Apple's chances against the glamour of the other contenders? New York in the hunt -- the topic this morning as we take you "Beyond The Game."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And, no doubt, the economic impact for the city that gets the Olympic Games is huge.

So, let's break down New York's chance of landing the big one.

And for that, we turn to author of "When the Game Is On the Line," CNN Sports business analyst Rick Horrow.

He joins us from West Palm Beach, Florida -- good morning to you, Rick.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Good morning, Betty.

And it's really refreshing and positive to talk to you. And I'm glad Rob gave Tony the hard time he so richly deserves all the time.

NGUYEN: Oh, we've got to change it up every now and then, keep this show rolling.

I know you enjoy Tony, but this time you got me. So let's go to it.

The pluses and the minuses. Let's see what New York has in its favor for getting these Games.

HORROW: Well, clearly, they have pulled out all the stops and New York is able to do that. The big dinner, Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg, Mayor Bloomberg, Paul Simon private concert. The stakes are high. Here's the New York advantage. It's all about money -- $12 billion in economic impact, but for the IOC, the Committee, they'll get 25 percent more revenue, it is claimed, than those other four candidate cities. Why? About nine million tickets to be projected to be sold, as compared to a little over three millions in Athens. So that's a big deal for that Committee.

For the...

NGUYEN: It's a huge deal, yes.

HORROW: It's a huge deal. And for New York itself, that economic impact you talked about, assuming the stadium is approved, which is a big if, $7 billion in capital projects, 600,000 billboards just to promote the Games during that event. It is the biggest sporting event economic impact, as you said, in world history, which would be staggering.

NGUYEN: OK, so what does New York have working against it?

HORROW: Well, the stadium issue is a big one. It hasn't been approved yet. It's final fours and Super Bowls and NFL. But there's a lot of controversy. They have until July to approve that. But the biggest issue, as you know, the way the IOC selects it is a political mine field. The lowest voter gets eliminated. There are 52 European bloc voters out of the 117 IOC members.

Now, when cities get eliminated, are they going to embrace their European fellows and give them the Games for 2012 or are they going to try to jettison the Games across the pond and take their own chances in 2016?

Only time will tell. But I will say this. July 6 will be one of the most dramatic days in sports history, and maybe, people can really argue, even world history.

NGUYEN: Yes, and, you know, there's a little rumor out there, just a little rumor, Rick, that Paris has the edge when it comes to getting these Games.

Is that right?

HORROW: Well, I think, if you talk to the press corps in five cities, you're going to hear that five cities have a slam dunk edge to get the Games. And one of the issues is the guarantee. New York is willing to guarantee up to $500 million or so in expenses. The other four cities say it's unlimited. It's probably not going to get to that.

Paris is prepared to pull out all the stops. But at the end of the day, New York and others may, as well. It will, as I said, be incredibly dramatic.

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

All right, let's go to your fair ball, foul ball.

Let's start with fair ball.

HORROW: Well, here's the fair ball. We finished the NBA All Star Game last week.

NGUYEN: Yes?

HORROW: And we've got Richard Hamilton, who plays for the Detroit Pistons, he wanted a little bit of controversy and some endorsement controversy. So he signed a deal with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company to have the cornrow design of their triple tread assurance tires on his head. Yes. You know...

NGUYEN: It's all about marketing, Rick. It's all about the money.

HORROW: Hey, hey, it's all about the marketing. We don't know how much money he got, but I think he probably got a set of free tires out of the deal.

NGUYEN: At least. At least some tires. All right, and your foul ball?

HORROW: Well, the foul ball is kind of negative because it's steroids, steroids and more steroids. And here's the real problem. For baseball, they had a great policy in the off season they put together, which is a new random drug testing policy. And, by the way, if you're caught, a 10-day suspension for the first offense. A $2.2 million minor league or baseball salary, the average player. That's $120,000. A pretty significant deterrent. But, it's now all about Barry Bonds and his controversy.

Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARRY BONDS, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: I'm an adult and I take responsibilities for what I do. But, you know what? I'm not going to allow you guys to ruin my joy.

This is the only business that allows you guys in our office to begin with. You can't just go to Bank of America and walk in the office and start interviewing employees. This is the sports world. What for?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HORROW: And, you know, we have a great solution to the steroids issue. Now we have Barry Bonds talking about how great he is and how we've got to leave him alone.

So, I think that's kind of unfortunate.

NGUYEN: All right, we appreciate it, as always, Rick.

Thank you so much.

HORROW: Next week...

NGUYEN: Yes, absolutely. Same time, same channel.

HORROW: All right.

NGUYEN: All right.

And there is more on the Barry Bonds news conference and the steroid controversy. That is later this morning. "USA Today" sports writer Mel Antonen joins us live to answer this question. Here it is. Are the fans ready to forgive and forget? That's later, right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

HARRIS: And when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues, a bomb tears apart an Israeli nightclub and threatens a fragile peace in the Middle East. Ahead, the diplomatic efforts to contain the fallout.

Also, an Olympic hero uses optimism and humor to find a brain tumor. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, this man has won everything a skater can dream of. Now he has to win a challenge of a far different nature.

Welcome back, everyone, to CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.

We'll talk to Scott Hamilton later this hour.

First, though, a look at the morning headlines.

There's a developing story out of Kansas this morning. In just a few hours, we expect to learn if police have cracked the case of the BTK serial killer in Wichita. A "person of interest" was taken into custody yesterday and DNA tests are now underway. City officials have scheduled a news conference at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. CNN will carry that live when it happens.

In central Florida's Gulf Coast, search parties will fan out again this morning to look for Jessica Lunsford. The third grader was last seen when her grandmother put her to bed Wednesday night at their home. Police say a doll is also gone from little girl's room.

And today is a remembrance, day of remembrance in New York City. The mayor and other officials will attend a church service on the 12th anniversary of the first World Trade Center bombing. That bomb exploded in a parking garage. It killed six people and wounded more than 1,000.

HARRIS: After the first deadly attack by militants in three weeks, Palestinian leaders are making sure their actions speak as loud as their words today. Two people have been arrested in connection with the suicide bombing of a Tel Aviv nightclub. Four people died in the attack and at least 50 people are still in a hospital. There has been no claim of responsibility so far, but Israeli and Palestinian leaders suspect Hezbollah forces are behind the bombing.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has also called for swift action. She's traveling to London Monday for a meeting on the Middle East.

NGUYEN: All right, you know what that music means, right?

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

NGUYEN: Time now to check out some of the other international stories making news this morning.

HARRIS: I'm here with you every week. I know what that means.

NGUYEN: Right there.

HARRIS: Let's turn things over now to Anand Naidoo at the international desk -- Anand, good morning.

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, and a very good morning to you.

A busy day at the international desk.

First, a check on the pope. He's spending a third day in a Rome hospital after undergoing throat surgery. The latest reports say he continues to breathe by himself. No infection reported. The Vatican says he will follow Sunday's Angelus blessing from the hospital. But an aide will read the message in St. Peter's Square.

Some Catholics around the world are holding prayer vigils for the pope. He's led that church for more than a quarter of a century.

Moving now to Iraq, three British soldiers will be spending time behind bars for abusing Iraqi detainees. They were sentenced by a British military court in Germany. The prison terms range from five months to two years. The men will serve the time at a civilian prison in Britain.

Now an issue that is stirring up tensions between Moscow and Washington. Russia is set to sign a deal to supply nuclear fuel to Iran for its reactor. The latest we have is that a last minute snag has postponed the signing to tomorrow. Negotiations are dragging on, as one official put it.

Under the deal, Russia will supply nuclear fuel for Iran's reactor at Beshir and then take back the spent fuel road to make sure that it's not used for any other purpose, like making weapons.

I'm Anand Naidoo.

I'll be back with more.

NGUYEN: Now to "Security Watch," where we update you on the week's major developments in the war on terror every Saturday morning.

A former screener at San Francisco International Airport is suing. His lawsuit alleges the company he worked for cheated during government inspections. Among other things, Gene Bencomo says Covenant Aviation Security alerted staffers when federal decoys were approaching checkpoints. Federal transportation officials are looking into his claims.

Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tops a new U.S. list of most wanted supporters of the Iraq insurgency. The government is offering big cash rewards for the 29 people on that list.

Scientists at a top U.S. defense research center say they've come up with a way to prevent trucks from being used as rolling bombs. A new device allows police to apply the brakes by remote control. Now, legislation would be needed to require trucks to carry those. And federal prosecutors say an American citizen accused of plotting to kill President Bush should remain in custody. The man was sent back to the U.S. this week after serving 20 months in a Saudi Arabian jail. A detention hearing is set for Tuesday.

You'll want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

HARRIS: You know, news on Social Security seems pretty bleak. But don't spend your Saturday morning worrying about it.

NGUYEN: Oh, no.

HARRIS: Ahead, where you can find tips for living the good life and still have enough left over to retire well.

NGUYEN: And speaking of the good life, good morning Washington.

Look at this live shot right there. Well, a little foggy, a little cloudy. Weekend weather for you in the rest of the country. That's coming up in about 15 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG DETRINCO, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "SKI" MAGAZINE: Ski trips or winter vacations don't have to be expensive. Here are a few tips to help you bring the costs of winter travel downhill.

Book early. Even if you're traveling later in the season, the resorts want to lock you in as soon as possible. Travel during the off season. This means staying away from the high holiday periods. Often the best skiing is in March and April and the resorts will offer you great price discounts to go during that time period.

Get off the main drag. You'll pay a premium for staying in the middle of town or on the slopes. Move a few blocks away and the price goes down. Bundle, bundle, bundle. Never buy the components of a ski vacation or winter trip separately, such as lodging, air fare, rental car, lift tickets. Buy them as a package deal and you'll receive great discounts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, do your thoughts of retirement have you sitting on a beach somewhere? That sounds so good.

HARRIS: You've got that right. Yes, yes.

NGUYEN: Or are you biting your nails trying to figure out your next move?

Well, the dot-com desk takes a look at some things that you can do to make those dreams come true.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wondering if the proposed changes in Social Security are a gamble or a fair bet for your retirement? You can crunch the numbers and cut through the jargon at cnnmoney.com/socialsecurity.

Social Security is a hot topic in Washington. But what do proposed changes mean for you? Myths, half-truths and exaggerations aside, it's important to get your facts straight. For instance, is Social Security going bankrupt? In a recent "USA Today"/CNN/Gallup poll, 50 percent of workers polled said they didn't think Social Security would be able to pay them a benefit when they retire. According to the government, that's not true.

Now, the ultimate guide to retiring. If you've got a decade to go until your golden years, there are three words that can help: save, diversify and clarify. But even if you are living in retirement, there's no need to worry. Learn to monitor your finances and make the most of what you've got.

Ever considered becoming a millionaire? Punch in your numbers online and figure out what you need to live the good life. Guiding you on the road to retirement from the dot-com news desk in Atlanta, I'm Veronica de la Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: More than 20 years after he won gold in Sarajevo, now figure skater Scott Hamilton takes on a new, much tougher opponent. We'll hear from him next.

NGUYEN: First, though, a CNN extra. Some marginal improvements to their computer security system last year. A new congressional review still gave the largest U.S. government agencies a D plus grade. The Departments of Transportation, Justice and the Interior are the only ones who scored significant improvements from last year. But seven out of the 24 largest agencies, including the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, got failing, failing grades.

Ironically, the Department of Homeland Security oversees the national cyber security division and is responsible for making the country's computer networks secure.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning, New York City. Look at this shot of the skyline. Later today, things will heat up at Madison Square Garden when the Knicks host the Indiana Pacers. Other than that, it's going to be a chilly day in the Big Apple.

Remember that song? I know you do, Tony. So does Rob. He'll have the rest of the forecast in just a few minutes.

But now, Kansas police are questioning what they call a person of interest in the decades old BTK murder case. The killer, known as BTK for bind, torture, kill, has been linked to eight unsolved killings from 1974 through 1986. A news conference is planned for 11:00 Eastern time and CNN will carry that when it happens.

Meanwhile, a Florida man is pleading for help in finding his missing 9-year-old daughter. Jessica Lunsford vanished from her bedroom Wednesday. Police and volunteers will resume that search this morning.

And the judge gives the go ahead for Terri Schiavo's husband to have her feeding tube removed in three weeks. But the fight over whether the brain damaged woman lives or dies may not be over. Her parents plan more legal action to keep her alive.

Well, the Terri Schiavo case was just one of several legal dramas to play out in the last week. And coming up at 8:00, we'll talk about the Michael Jackson jury and the Eric Rudolph, that run from the law. And you'll want to make sure that you stick around for all those legal cases -- Tony.

HARRIS: He is a living legend, a role model and an incredible success story. We are talking about Olympic champion, four time world champion and four time national champion in figure skating, Scott Hamilton.

His story of cancer survival back in 1997 inspired so many. Now this man is facing another challenge -- a brain tumor.

Earlier this week, I talked to Scott Hamilton about his health.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Just a few months ago, you were diagnosed with something I can't even pronounce.

What is this? This is cranio...

SCOTT HAMILTON, OLYMPIC CHAMPION: Craniopharyngioma. It's a brain tumor.

HARRIS: And so, and it's a benign brain tumor.

HAMILTON: Yes, that was the great news. They didn't know what it was for about a week, so we were pretty scared. But once they did the biopsy, they were hoping they'd know in a few days what it was after the biopsy, which was a really difficult and kind of dangerous procedure. We were really scared.

But the doctor came in the recovery room and he said we know what it is and we have to discuss how we're going to treat it. But it's good news is that we know what it is. It's benign. It's slow growing. But it's causing you some problems because of where it's attached. And so we just had to go from there.

And the course of treatment was radiation, a special kind of radiation called Gamma Knife, which is basically 201 points of radiation, low dose, all culminating on the tumor to give it a high dose of radiation.

HARRIS: Oh, man.

HAMILTON: So they did that a couple of months ago and the results came back, you know, the initial results two months later are that it changed the tumor from being mostly solid to mostly liquid and it shrank it just a little bit. So it's responding to radiation. So that's good news. And now we just have to stay vigilant and see, you know, where it goes.

HARRIS: So here's the question. When you were first diagnosed with cancer, that was, I believe, '97?

HAMILTON: Yes.

HARRIS: Was it '97?

How did you react to that news and how has it changed, how has your outlook changed and how did you react to this most recent diagnosis?

HAMILTON: Well, my life was completely different back then than it is now.

HARRIS: Yes.

HAMILTON: You know, I mean when I was diagnosed with testicular cancer, the main thing was there was a treatment through chemotherapy and surgery that was proven to be extremely effective and they said that I'd get right back to normal life with a little hard work. It might take a year or two, but I should be OK. The only issues were fatality. And at that point, you know, I wasn't even thinking family.

This issue is different because it's completely unrelated to the other one...

HARRIS: Yes.

HAMILTON: ... which makes me, you know, kind of -- it freaks you out a little bit. But I was scared because I have a family now. You know, I have a wife and a son and, you know, I just don't want to miss any of that. It took me a long time to get there and now that I'm there, I just, you know, really wanted to hang onto it.

So not knowing what the tumor was or knowing that it was affecting me but not really knowing where it was going or how it would affect me in the future was really scary. So we spent a week there where we just, you know, held onto each other and we just prayed and cried and wondered. And it was very frightening because the stakes were so much different.

HARRIS: Scott, talk to us about your family, your wife and your son.

HAMILTON: Well, you know, it's funny, when you're up against something and you don't really know what it is and it's frightening, you see a side of yourself and you see a side to your family that you never would have known existed had it not been for that event. And the fact that I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, she was the first one I told. And it was hard because my son was standing right there. And he's only 17 months old, so he doesn't know what we're talking about, but...

HARRIS: Right.

HAMILTON: ... he knew that something was going on. But to see what came out of Tracy, my wife, was just extraordinary, to see how she handled it, to see how she supported me and her family has supported me and our church family in L.A. supported me, it's something that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. It just, it was extraordinary and it changed my life for the better.

So, you know, you have a choice in a situation like this of adapting or evolving. And I'm really working toward evolving through this experience.

HARRIS: And, you know, you made another choice. You made the choice to take your experience and use it to help others. Scott CARES is a foundation that you're working with in addition to the Cleveland Clinic Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, which is just a fabulous hospital, having lived in that city for a number of years.

HAMILTON: Unbelievable.

HARRIS: That's just a fabulous hospital. And you've gone through much of your care through that hospital, is that correct?

HAMILTON: Well, that's where I was treated for my testicular cancer and I stayed in touch, obviously, you have to do five years of, you know, all your checkups to make sure that, you know...

HARRIS: Yes?

HAMILTON: They call it remission. I hate that word. But, yes, after five years, I'd go in every year after that for a physical and that was my primary care facility and my physicians are all there. So -- and I stayed in touch because built CARES, the Cancer Alliance for Research, Education and Survivorship. And we've been -- it's been phenomenal. We've got some really good friends and supporters. The Miller family in Cleveland has really, you know, adopted us and taken us under their wing to really make sure that we're successful. And we've started a lot of research programs. We've launched chemocare.com. And chemocare.com is a one stop Web site for anything you need to know about chemotherapy, its side effects, how to deal with it, insurance, message boards, chat rooms, the whole deal. It's an amazing, amazing accomplishment, this chemocare.com.

HARRIS: Yes.

HAMILTON: And the Fourth Angel Mentoring Program, where we put diag -- newly diagnosed patients with coaches, who are people that have gone through what they're about to go through and then can help them with the issues that no one else can help them with. So Fourth Angel is up and running. It's doing extremely well. We're hoping that one day it'll be a national entity. But CARES is growing and we're making, hopefully, a significant difference in the cancer community.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Find out if Scott plans to return to the ice and get a glimpse of the current tour of Smuckers Stars On Ice, produced by Scott Hamilton tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We'll bring you the conclusion of the interview at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time.

NGUYEN: Boy, he is a fighter, I'll tell you that.

Well, some dos and, OK, just some dont's, for all those prospective bank robbers out there, next in our "Wows of the Week."

And you don't want to forget to weigh in on our E-Mail Question. Are you willing to forgive the steroid scandal? Send us your thoughts, to wam@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: OK, take a look at our eye-opener "Wows of the Week," which takes us to Japan, where commuters can look forward to having the bullet train on speed dial. Cell phones will eventually have microchips to pay for train fares. So easy. It's a logical progression, of course. Many of these so-called wallet phones in Japan already work as debit cards.

Next, we head to Palm Beach and a real life episode of cops and robbers captured by a TV crew. Check this out. Stashing the getaway car in a parking garage was this alleged bank robber's first mistake. Police easily blocked his escape and, of course, they then arrested him.

Here's another fine point for bank robbers -- don't brag about the heist. One fellow in Chicago was so proud of his $81,000 score that he blabbed about it to a call-in radio show, of all things. Very dumb move. That robber revealed enough clues that the FBI was able to track him down.

HARRIS: It's a good thing...

NGUYEN: Duh!

HARRIS: It's a good thing they are so dumb sometimes.

NGUYEN: Yes. Thank goodness for dumb robbers, you know?

HARRIS: It helps out law enforcement, right?

Let's get you to Rob Marciano now over in the Weather Center to take a look at the nation's forecast -- good to see you, Rob.

Good morning, sir. MARCIANO: Hi, Tony.

Hi, Betty.

NGUYEN: Good morning.

MARCIANO: Yes, just don't rob a bank. I mean that would be the smartest thing to do.

HARRIS: Yes, for starters.

NGUYEN: Exactly.

MARCIANO: Although that money looked awfully good.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: One hour down, two to go.

Tony and Betty -- back to you.

HARRIS: That's right.

NGUYEN: All right...

MARCIANO: One and a half to go.

NGUYEN: Yes, yes.

HARRIS: Just muttering through it. Just get through it.

NGUYEN: Yes, getting through it. That's the way we do it here.

Thank you, Rob.

MARCIANO: You guys are so (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

NGUYEN: Hey, let's get to our E-Mail Question of the day, speaking of getting through it. Are you willing to forgive the steroid scandal?

We're getting lots of good responses today.

Marty says: "No. I don't forgive the steroid abuse. Not only is it cheating, but it also sets a bad example for young sports fans."

HARRIS: Yes, and this from Rich: "I would forgive athletes for steroid use when they apologize to the fans of the game."

OK, a lot of e-mails coming in. We'll continue to read those to you.

Here's the question again -- are you willing to forgive the steroid scandal? The address: wam@cnn.com.

NGUYEN: And the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.

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