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CNN Saturday Morning News
Martha Stewart Begins House Arrest; Sgrena Back in Rome
Aired March 05, 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: Freed by the enemy, shot by the allies. An Italian journalist is safe from Iraq and now arrival home after an incredible 24 hours. From the CNN center here in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's March 5th. Good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. It is 7:00 a.m. in the east and 1:00 p.m. in Rome. Thanks for being with us. More on the Italian journalist's ordeal in a minute. First, here are more headlines this Saturday morning.
Funeral services will be held today for Michael Lefkow, the husband of federal Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow of Chicago. Judge Lefkow found her husband and her mother shot to death Monday in their Chicago home. The FBI says there are no suspects in the killings. They're offering a $50,000 reward for information.
Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena is back in Rome this morning being treated for shrapnel wounds to her shoulder. Sgrena was released by her kidnappers in Iraq, then wounded by U.S. soldiers in a friendly fire fiasco that took the life of an Italian intelligence officer. We'll go live to Rome a minute from now.
Syrian President Bashar Assad will address his nation's assembly today. There's an expectation he will respond to international pressure, much of it from the United States, to get his troops out of Lebanon. Several Lebanese officials expect Assad to announce a redeployment leading eventually to a withdrawal.
NGUYEN: You'll want to stay with us this entire hour, because coming up, she's home, not exactly free. We'll get some insight into Martha Stewart's incarceration from someone who spent time for a similar offense. Also ahead, an idle Ferris wheel is the perfect metaphor for a country frozen in time. CNN's Barbara Starr sneaks up on North Korea and comes back with revealing images you will only see here on CNN.
And in this week beyond the game, catch our own Rick Horrow as he breaks down the baseball season and whether the steroid scandal will throw it a curve ball.
HARRIS: Our top story this morning, a classic fog of war foul up. Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena freed by her kidnappers in Iraq was heading for the airport when her driver apparently missed or ignored demands by U.S. soldiers to stop. They opened fire. Their Italian officer was killed. Sgrena and two others in the car were wounded. She is now back in Rome where our bureau chief Alessio Vinci picks up the story. Alessio, good morning.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning to you Tony. Let me begin by sharing with you some of the national newspapers' headlines this morning here in Rome, beginning with "La Repubblica," free, then the tragedy. Another national leading newspaper, "Corriere Della Sera," Sgrena wounded, 007 killed, Italy complains with the United States. And the newspaper "Il Manifesto," for which Sgrena is working, was working, is working in Iraq, Giuliana Sgrena, she is free. The Americans shoot, assassinated her liberator, the "Manifesto," the Communist run newspaper, "Il Manifesto" suggesting that the agent who had negotiated her release with her kidnappers in Iraq actually was assassinated. That gives you a little bit of a sense about how some in the public opinion here, Italy, especially those who have long accused the United States and have been against the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq are thinking.
Giuliana Sgrena arrived here in Rome about an hour ago at the Ciampino Airport. What a story she's going to have to tell, an ordeal that began a month ago, when she was first kidnapped, then released, then shot at and the man who actually tried to release her and organize her release, killed trying to shield her with his own body as U.S. fired. Now preliminary investigations released from Baghdad by the U.S. forces suggest that the car approached the checkpoint at a high speed and that despite repeated warnings, that car did not stop. Eventually soldiers fired at the engine and the car stopped, but also the bullet reached not only the agent who was killed, but also Giuliana herself, who was wounded in her shoulder. She's now been admitted at a military hospital here in Rome, Tony.
HARRIS: OK, Alessio Vinci in Rome for us this morning. Alessio, thank you.
NGUYEN: Martha Stewart is waking up in her own bed this morning after being released from prison. It's more freedom than she's had in the past five months, but as CNN's Adaora Udoji reports, the truly restrictive part of Stewart's house arrest, that hasn't started just yet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Martha Stewart, a trend-setting icon, guest at the hottest parties, hanging with the rich and famous. But after her stint in prison, you won't see her as much out on the town.
RON FRISHCHETT, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: House arrest is punishment, there's no question about it and she'll be wearing an ankle bracelet all the time.
UDOJI (on camera): That's not all, no luxury shopping at her favorite designer stores here on Fifth Avenue, no lunching at this exclusive Four Seasons hotel, not unless her probation officer says she can.
(voice-over): Four five months, she's on lockdown at her sprawling Bedford, New York estate, to some not hard time at all. But she can literally not leave her house, not to walk the grounds, not to feed her animals. She is allowed to leave 48 hours a week to work, go grocery shopping, see the doctor and attend church. Anything more, say taking off to Los Angeles, she has to talk to the judge first.
(on camera): She's going to have to be accountable to someone just about every minute of her day.
FRISHCHETT: There's no question about that. I mean, when she leaves assuming she's got to attend a meeting, she has to call her probation officer and say, I'm going to be out from 10:00 to 6:00 and this is where I'll be, so they can turn off the device.
UDOJI: She had such great plans before prison.
MARTHA STEWART: I would like to be back as early in March as possible in order to plant the new spring garden and to truly get things growing again.
UDOJI: Now she knows planting will have to wait. The woman who built an empire will have curfews and weekly schedules approved by Federal officers. But she'll still be making lots of money, free to begin work on a mega-TV deal, two new shows.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I cannot wait until she comes out of jail and we can work together.
UDOJI: ... to have lavish parties, looking good with the help of friends like celebrity hair stylist Frederic Fekkai. She can't leave, but her famous buddies can visit, say Federal officials, party until the wee hours of the night, as long as they don't have criminal records. House arrest brings the domestic diva one step closer to making good on that prediction, fulfilling an all-American come back.
Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Time now for you to weigh in. Here is our e-mail question this morning. What is your opinion of Martha Stewart now? Tell us what you think. As usual, we're at wam@cnn.com.
HARRIS: OK and if you've had a tough time keeping up with the news this week, well, that's what we're here for. Let's rewind through some of the big stories in the past few days. Monday, Lebanon's pro- Syrian government abruptly resigned during a heated parliamentary debate. The government had been under intense pressure since the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri last month. The Syrian president is expected to announce a partial troop withdrawal from Lebanon later today.
Tuesday, a divided Supreme Court ruled the execution of juvenile killers is unconstitutional. That means some 70 death row inmates who were under 18 when they committed their crimes may have their sentences invalidated. Friday was day one of a 60-day blitz by President Bush and other officials to build support for changes to Social Security. Recent polls show few Americans support the president's push for privatized retirement accounts. Also Friday, jury deliberations began in the trial of former WorldCom chief Bernard Ebbers. Ebbers is accused of spearheading an $11 billion accounting scandal that led to the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history. WorldCom employees ended up losing as much as $600 million when the company's stock went boom.
Tomorrow, we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.
NGUYEN: But this morning, a unique journey in the far east and it is only on CNN. We head to China and get a glimpse of North Korea few Americans ever get to see.
HARRIS: A cat's eye view of another journey, but this is a trip no woman would want repeated.
NGUYEN: And we do want to say good morning Detroit. Your forecast coming up around the nation as well. That is just ahead.
HARRIS: But first, here's what's out on DVD coming Tuesday, first a box set of all nine seasons of "Friends," "Ladder 49," a fire fighter action adventure starring John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix. And "Woman Thou Art Loosed," a story of overcoming abuse, addiction and poverty. On the big screen this weekend, John Travolta and Uma Thurman star in the gangster comedy, "Be Cool," drama, romance and thrills mix in "The Jacket," the story of a war vet locked in an asylum who foresees his own death and Vin Diesel trades in danger for day care in "The Pacifier."
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What keeps me up at night these days is the pain that I've caused other people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In one moment, this sexual predator and fugitive of justice changed my entire life forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Emotional testimony at the parole hearing for a rapist who was on the run for eight years before he was convicted of attacking two women. That's on the docket this morning in legal briefs, live next hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hello everyone. I'm Jacqui Jeras in the CNN weather center with today's cold and flu report. The good news is that flu activity has quieted down a little bit. In the last week, we went from 33 states reporting widespread flu activity, down to 30 now. The most concentrated areas here into the northeast, the mid Atlantic states and the Ohio Valley, also quite a bit of activity into the southern plains states. Best news I can tell you, no flu reports right now in the state of Missouri.
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HARRIS: Across America this morning, the Federal government is targeting two prescription drugs that might be in your medicine cabinet. The FDA is seizing the drugs Paxil CR and Avandamet. Both are made by Glaxosmithkline Incorporated. The FDA has quote, ongoing concerns about manufacturing quality. However, the agency says it believes the products do not pose a health hazard to consumers.
After landing on dry land, he is planting one on his - little baby gets a smooch. About 3,000 sailors are back home in Washington state this morning. The U.S.S. Lincoln was gone for five months, some of it to help tsunami relief in southern Asia.
In Florida, officials are fighting to save the lives of dozens of dolphins stranded since Wednesday off the Florida Keys. Nearly 20 dolphins have already died or have been put to sleep. Rescuers plan to move the others to rehab facilities later today.
NGUYEN: And in Idaho, this cat on a hot tin roof might have used up one of his nine lives. Cuddle Bug it's called, clung to the top of his owner's car roof for about 10 miles as his owner drove unaware that the orange tabby was -- check this out -- was up there. The owner says the cat must have hopped on the roof when she left the house. Well, get down from the roof, would you tabby?
And check out these pictures though, Tony, a house with a view is up for sale in Florida. But the view is what makes it kind of hard to sell. This is one you will definitely want to see in our wows of the week, a little bit later this hour.
HARRIS: Well I bet you can get that one for cheap.
NGUYEN: Yeah,
HARRIS: I did see it. I did see it, but and not...
JERAS: I'm the one that did it. I was looking at the CDC site, which has all the information on the cold and flu and it says, stay home from work and school.
NGUYEN: See.
HARRIS: Is that -- what it is...
JERAS: Can you talk in that direction?
HARRIS: See, what had happened.
JERAS: If you have to cough or sneeze, do this. Don't do it if you can.
HARRIS: Oh really?
JERAS: Really, because then you cough and then you shake hands or you touch the paper and it spreads all over the...
HARRIS: I did not know that. That's good information. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Cough like this. Can you just sit like this the rest of the show?
JERAS: We'll get him a mask from the make up room.
HARRIS: You're going to be on the business end of a cough real soon.
NGUYEN:
HARRIS: Well, good to see you Jacqui.
JERAS: Good to see you too
HARRIS: It's a shared experience this morning.
JERAS: It's widespread all across the country Tony, so you're definitely not alone.
HARRIS: Thank you Jacqui.
JERAS: Temperature in Detroit right now, 20 degrees, doesn't look too bad right there, right now, but I just checked the National Weather Service site and it says that there's some freezing fog going on in Detroit, should see some sunshine this afternoon, 39 degrees. But some snow showers will be on the way, we think later on tonight and tomorrow, but no big accumulation, just a little clipper moving on through. So good morning to you in Detroit.
The people of the northeast also waking up to some chilly temperatures, look at that, Portland, 11 above right now, 12 degrees in Toronto, 26 degrees in Pittsburgh and we've got a little bit of wet weather going on across the Ohio Valley and into the mid-Atlantic states here. A little bit of snow coming down, especially in the higher elevations, Snow Shoe, West Virginia reporting six inches of fresh snow overnight.
Some light rain showers into the Virginias and across North Carolina. We may see some thunderstorms developing along this cold front later on this afternoon from Atlantic City and all the way on out to Raleigh, only other really weather note today is across the southwest. We have an upper level area of low pressure that's going to bring some wet weather from San Diego extending all way over to San Antonio today. Everybody else, not a lot to complain about, looking pretty good.
HARRIS: That's not bad.
JERAS: Except for those who have the cold and flu. NGUYEN: Exactly.
HARRIS: And the only point that needs to be made here is that I love this team. I love the show.
NGUYEN: So much that he wants to give it to us.
HARRIS: That I -- regardless, out of six bed (ph) does that make any sense, I am here this morning...
NGUYEN: The number six?
HARRIS: The sick bed.
NGUYEN: I thought you said six
HARRIS: It's all blending together, because I love this team so much, I'm out of the sick bed to be with you this morning and this is what I get from everyone
NGUYEN: We're going to move on right now. Thank you, Jacqui.
JERAS: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: You do need to get well. So, what is your opinion? We're going to get to our e-mail question of the day, what is your opinion of Martha Stewart now? E-mail us at wam@cnn.com. We're reading some of those e-mails all morning long.
Also, the Yankees are stepping up to the plate to help keep major league baseball solvent. We'll have a look at the big league finances when we go beyond the game with this guy right there, Rick Horrow.
HARRIS: What is he wearing today?
NGUYEN: What's he drinking more importantly? CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues in just a moment.
HARRIS: But first, are you pink or are you blue? What we're talking about is your approach to doing business. More often than not, a woman will tend to have it pink and a man blue. But that's not always the case. Here's a little quiz. Question number one: when first meeting someone, I like to know their credentials and things like where they work and their title. Question number two: If I could, I would buy everything online. OK, tune in at 4:00 Eastern to find out which side you fall under and for an explanation of what it all means, the battle of the sexes and who is better when it comes to business.
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HARRIS: The first games of spring training are under way. The players hope they can now talk about runs, hits and contract extensions instead of indictments, injections and rubbing creams. Attendance at last year's games went up from 68 million to 73 million fans. Seven teams broke attendance records. Even so, the average player's salary did drop 2.5 percent. But before you shed any tears, check this out.
Player salaries are averaging $2.3 million a year. Pro baseball's annual revenue, $3.7 billion. That's because of a $2 billion plus TV deal. With all that said, the steroid scandal still stings. Will it stunt the growth of America's pastime, the topic this morning, as we take you beyond the game.
Professional baseball appears healthy right now. The challenge is to keep it that way. The question is how. Let's bring in the man with the answers, the author of "When the Game Is on the Line," CNN sports analyst, our guru Rick Horrow. He joins us live from West Palm Beach, Florida. Rick, good to see -- good morning doctor.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Yeah, you know your singing is marginal anyway. With a cold, it is repugnant.
HARRIS: It is ridiculous, isn't it?
HORROW: So I would stop. Hey and you know what? This is interesting, because you go to baseball games, conjure up great weather here for the weekend of spring training games and three things always on peoples' mind, a little wistful today, the crack of the bat, the smell of hot dogs and the talk of steroids.
HARRIS: That's right. Before we get to that, let's talk about baseball's revenue sharing program. You know, it has the Yankees paying the most in luxury taxes, but I have to ask you, is this luxury tax idea working?
HORROW: Well, let's put it in perspective. Twenty five months ago we were talking about the same dance that hockey's talking about
Then there's the Yankees, $200 million a payroll. Their $25 million in luxury tax by the way is more than the Tampa Bay Devil Rays spent on their entire payroll. But the revenue sharing is there, $200 million goes from the haves to the have nots. That seems to be promoting stability. You talked about the salaries. There's still $1 billion in free agent signings in the off season, including Rogers Clemens, an $18 million one-year contract with the Houston Astros, the most ever paid to a pitcher.
HARRIS: OK, let's move on. You mentioned at the top about the steroid scandal. Attendance is up for the games but there is that scandal, leaving this taint. What does baseball need to do to rejuvenate the game and bring in some new money?
HORROW: Well, the marketing issue is key. They did a deal with XM Satellite radio, $650 million so all the games are broadcast locally. That $3.7 billion goes into marketing, marketing and marketing. Internationally for example, there will be a world cup of baseball next year and maybe even a regular season series in Europe. And as you said, there were seven teams that set attendance records this last year, so they're moving in the right direction.
HARRIS: OK, so cross the T's and dot the I's on this steroid policy for us.
HORROW: Well, it's hard to know, because we haven't given it a chance to work yet. A couple of years ago clearly just lip service, but now mandatory unannounced drug testing and your first offense, you're suspended for 10 games. Now a player making the $2.2 million a year average, that's $120,000. That may be a big deterrent. But what are we talking about? Will Canseco sell a million books? Well Mark McGwire's record stand the test of history? Well Rafael Palmeiro sue Canseco? Will Barry Bonds ever find a friend? There's even Tom Davis, the congressman, wanting to hold hearings on this issue, so it doesn't go away. I would say, we need to give the steroid policy a change to work before we judge.
HARRIS: Yeah, it makes sense. OK, what do you want to start with, fair ball? Let's start with fair ball.
HORROW: Yeah, let's start, because it is heartening. You know, this week President Bush awarded a congressional gold medal to Rachael Robinson on behalf of her late husband Jackie for heroism beyond the game and it is wonderful to note that now in sports and baseball specifically, with all the stuff that's going on, we now have something that emboldens history and tradition and doesn't detract from it. I think that's a real fair ball.
HARRIS: Yeah, yeah. And what's our foul ball of the week, Rick?
HORROW: Well, this one's interesting. You know I talked about free agent signings and the oft injured Troy Glaus was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks to a four-year, $45 million contract and there is a rider so to speak, a $1 million deal went to his wife Anne to pursue her equestrian career directly for her. Hey, it's all about leverage. I don't know if you have as much leverage as he does Tony...
HARRIS: No, no.
HORROW: ... but you need to pursue some equestrian type career or some other sport. That's the deal when you have a lot of leverage in major league baseball.
HARRIS: If you can get it in the deal, why not try, right?
HORROW: It's exactly right my friend. I'll see you next week.
HARRIS: OK, Rick, take care of yourself.
NGUYEN: Inside one part of the access of evil. These are pictures you don't get to see too often, but today, you'll see them only on CNN.
Plus, some advice for Martha Stewart from someone who has walked in her shoes.
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HARRIS: Being this close to North Korea, a unique glimpse through the eyes of an American reporter. It's the story you'll see only on CNN.
Welcome back everyone to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We'll have that story in just a moment, but first here's a look at the headlines this morning. An Italian journalist is back home in Italy this morning after a horrifying ordeal in Iraq. After a month in captivity, Giuliana Sgrena was freed yesterday. Now on the way to the airport, she was hit by shrapnel when U.S. forces fired on her car as it approached a roadblock. Italian intelligence officer who helped negotiate her freedom was killed.
Also in Chicago, funeral services will be held today for the husband of Federal judge John Lefkow. He and the judge's 89-year old mother were shot to death in their home on Monday. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information in that case.
Jury deliberations resume Monday in the Robert Blake murder trial. The actor is accused of shooting his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley to death nearly four years ago. Prosecutors say he tried, but failed to enlist a Hollywood stunt man to do it for him. If convicted, Blake could be sentenced to life in prison.
HARRIS: Now we bring you a unique glimpse into a secretive country in a story you'll only see on CNN. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr traveled to China to report on the recovery of the remains of a missing American pilot. The journey had its share of surprises.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the early morning flight from Beijing, north to the city of Shen Yang (ph), CNN travels with a Pentagon team that has come to thank China for helping find the remains of Captain Troy Coke (ph), shot down 52 years ago during the Korean War. The search for Captain Coke's remains took place along the Yalu, the border between China and North Korea. He was shot down just inside China, but this journey will take an unexpected turn as the day unfolds. We travel one of China's most modern highways.
(on-camera): We are now on a three-hour drive through rural China to the city of Dandong, right on the North Korean Chinese border.
(voice-over): Dandong, a bustling, colorful Chinese port city of one million. We know North Korea is just across the river, but as we entered the city, it is so unexpected. There it is, the hermit kingdom, North Korea in full view. Our voices become hushed. We struggle to make out every detail. The shoreline of buildings and ships looks largely deserted. A lone patrol boat goes by. We board a Chinese boat, sailing past China's border control point at the bridge that joins both countries. The river is neutral territory. But we are stunned when the boat sails within yards of the North Korean shoreline.
The Chinese hosts know we are taking these sensitive pictures of a secretive North Korea. This is the North Korean town of Sineju (ph). As the warehouses, buildings and shore lines go by, we see a country in economic collapse. Smokestacks with no activity. We pass a bridge, destroyed and never repaired, a Ferris wheel that does not move. There is no electricity. At night, all of this is dark.
CNN turns off the video camera when the Chinese ask, but we are allowed to take photos. We said next to North Korean fishing boats, dozens rusting, tied up. There is no money for fuel. A close look at a North Korea few Americans have ever seen and remembering an American who fell here in a war long ago. Barbara Starr, CNN, on the Yalu River between North Korea and China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: We do have some breaking news out of Beirut today. Lebanese army troops have taken up position near the Syrian intelligence headquarters in Beirut. Now this comes as the Syrian president is expected to announce the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. We want to go on the phone now to CNN's Brent Sadler in Beirut with the latest on this. Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, thank you. There are movements, military movements around the Syrian headquarters of military intelligence here at the Lebanese capital. We've just been down to the area and seen armed Lebanese troops taking positions around the Syrian headquarters. We have seen what we believe to be one security, Syrian security intelligence officer, who berated the media and President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac in front of our cameras before telling everybody to clear the area. The Lebanese Army stood by while that exchange took place.
This has to be seen in the context of an expected announcement by Syria's President Bashar al Assad in a few hours from now when he addresses the Syrian parliament in Damascus to announce its widely expected, comprehensive redeployment on partial withdraw of Syrian troops as demanded by President George W. Bush and the United Nations security council, but not, repeat not, reaching the levels of compliance that is demanded, which means a total withdrawal of troops by May parliamentary elections here in Beirut. So this is going to be a crucial day to examine what serious intentions there are going to be in Lebanon and how President Assad is responding to U.S. international and Arab pressure.
NGUYEN: How are people on the streets responding to this? Would you assume that this is stepped up pressure by the Lebanese government to get the Syrian president to go ahead with his plans to remove troops from Lebanon?
SADLER: Well, this response expected from the Syrian leader is really after weeks of mounting pressure on the international level. United stand by the international community backed by Arab leaders and pushed along by popular protest in Beirut. There is gathering now in the downtown part of the city yet another demonstration that people have been urged to come here to watch giant TV screens of the address which may be translated here in the square where Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister is buried and people will see for themselves what action, what orders the Syrian leader is going to give his troops and just as importantly, his military intelligence personnel operating here in Lebanon.
NGUYEN: CNN's Brent Sadler in Beirut for us. Thank you for that. Again, Lebanese Army troops have taken up position outside the Syrian intelligence headquarters in Beirut. We will continue to follow this story, so story so stay right here on CNN. Going to take a quick break right now.
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NGUYEN: Five months in prison, Martha Stewart spent her time pretty wisely. Here are some books she read during her terms. "Chronicles, Volume I" by Bob Dylan, John James Audubon, "The Making of an American," by Richard Rhodes and "The Clearing" by Tim Gautreaux. Stewart's probably doing a bit less reading now that she's back home and focusing more on riding a new future for herself. So what does that future hold? We turn now to a man who can relate to Stewart's ordeal, former "Wall Street Journal" reporter Foster Winans, who's the author of "Trading Secrets" and co-author of "The Great Wall Street Swindle." Winans has also spent some time behind bars for insider trading. He joins us now from New York. Good morning to you.
FOSTER WINANS, FORMER REPORTER: Good morning.
NGUYEN: All right. So like Martha Stewart, you spent some time behind bars. What did you do?
WINANS: Well, prison can be a very transformative experience for someone who hasn't spent a lot of time there and I ended up, I sort of started my ghost writing career in prison. I discovered that a lot of inmates who couldn't really write well had things that they wanted to write to their judges and to their families and I ended up spending a lot of time in the law library, which was a small room with a couple of typewriters in it and inmates would come in and say would you help me write a letter to my judge? My mother's dying of cancer. My sentence was too long. So I ended up doing a lot of writing for other inmates and ending up getting four prisoners out of jail early.
NGUYEN: Interesting. Now I was asking what did you do, like Martha Stewart, what kind of crime did you commit to get there and how are your two crimes similar in your eyes?
WINANS: Well, the similarity is that I was a "Wall Street Journal" columnist. I unfortunately made the very stupid decision to tell a stockbroker what was going to be in my column the day before it appeared and he used that information to try to make some money in the stock market. And it's not exactly the same as what Martha did. What I did was much more of a scheme. It went on for three or four months. What Martha did was really a real tempest in a teaspoon, but in essence they were similar in that the legal theory under which I was prosecuted was kind of unique and a lot of people thought a lot was made of a very small situation.
NGUYEN: So do you think she was unfairly targeted? This is a woman who knows Wall Street.
WINANS: Well, Martha Stewart was a member of the board of the New York Stock Exchange. She had been a stock broker. If in fact she did something wrong with her trade, she knew it or she believed she did, because then she went on to lie about it. Unfortunately, Martha Stewart is one of those people who didn't understand that she was offered three or four opportunities to kind of make this thing go away a lot more quietly than it did and she insisted on fighting all the way. I think she sort of brought this -- it wasn't that they made a target of her is that Martha made herself a target.
NGUYEN: Now she's taken a no shame attitude. Does she need to continue seeking, I don't know, say redemption or has she paid her debt to society? She's done her time. It should be over with.
WINANS: Well, the one thing that's missing in my observations of Martha Stewart is an apology. She may think that she didn't do anything wrong, but nevertheless a jury of 12 people who sat and listened to the evidence and found her guilty of lying and it would be nice just once to hear her say, you know, folks, kids, don't try this at home. I'm sorry. I apologize. I hurt a lot of people.
NGUYEN: But does she think she did anything wrong? Why should she apologize if she doesn't truly think she did anything wrong?
WINANS: I don't know. I mean, if she doesn't think she did anything wrong, then I think she might not be sort of in touch with reality. I mean she did lie and a jury did find her guilty of lying.
NGUYEN: All right. Foster Winans, former "Wall Street Journal" reporter, author of "Trading Secrets." We appreciate your time this morning.
WINANS: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: Thank you. Tony.
HARRIS: Updating our top stories this Saturday morning, Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena has returned to Rome where she will be treated for a wound she received as she made her way to freedom. An Italian security agent was killed and Sgrena was hurt when U.S. troops fired on their car after it failed to stop at a roadblock. Sgrena had just been released after being held for a month by kidnappers.
And this just in to CNN. Lebanese Army troops and armored vehicles have taken up positions around the Syrian intelligence headquarters in Beirut. This as Syria's president Bashar Assad prepares to address the Syrian parliament about three hours from now and there's an expectation that Assad will bow to international pressure and announce a partial withdrawal of Syrian troops out of Lebanon.
The number three has a lot of significance in Christianity. There's the holy trinity, the three wise men, now there's XXX. The founders of a Christian web site, xxxchurch.com are on a crusade. You'll hear from missionaries from a modern world who have declared war on porn. That's CNN SUNDAY MORNING live at 8:00 a.m. Eastern on faces of faith, CNN's weekly look at religious beliefs and issues.
NGUYEN: And don't forget about our e-mail question this morning. What is your opinion of Martha Stewart now? We'll read your replies. That's later this hour. All you have to do is send them to wam@cnn.com.
HARRIS: But first, a CNN extra. A new study this week suggests that 56 percent of players in the NFL would be considered obese by some medical standards. Their height to weight ratio known as the body mass index hit at 30, which doctors consider obese. The NFL says the study is bogus because it doesn't measure muscle. And check this out. The NFL's biggest player is Chicago Bear Aaron Gibson at 6 foot 6, he weighs 370 pounds and wears a size 18 shoe.
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HARRIS: Well, if you've been with us all morning, you know there are quite a few other stories making news around the world this Saturday morning.
NGUYEN: In fact it's been a busy morning, especially in Lebanon today. Let's check what's happening around the world with Anand Naidoo at the international desk. Good morning.
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very good morning to you. Yes, the big story out of Lebanon, but there are other big developments around the world. First to the war in Iraq, more tragedy for U.S. forces there. Military officials telling us that four U.S. troops of the first Marine expeditionary force were killed in Iraq's western al Anbar province. Two other coalition soldiers were also killed in the past 24 hours, one a Bulgarian. The nationality of the other soldier killed near Tikrit was not identified.
Now to China and tough words from Chinese leaders concerning Taiwan. Premier Wen Jiabao makes it clear in an address to the Chinese parliament that China will never permit formal independence for Taiwan. The session of parliament is expected to pass an anti- secession law directly aimed at the island. Wen gave no details of what that law would contain, but there are some Taiwanese leaders who are saying that this could pave the way, could set the stage for an invasion by China, some alarming words coming out of there.
That is all from me for now. Later, we will take a look at Afghanistan, the drug trade over there. There's an alarming new report out by the State Department. We'll be looking at that report. But for now, let's send it back to Tony and Betty.
HARRIS: Anand, thank you. NGUYEN: Now to security watch, where we update you on the week's major developments in the war on terror every Saturday morning. Beginning April 14th, cigarette lighters will no longer be allowed on commercial aircraft in the U.S. or beyond security checkpoints at airports. The lighters are already banned in checked baggage. It is currently up to the airlines to compare passenger names on those -- or to those on government watch list, but Federal transportation officials will begin testing their own prescreening system in August with two airlines that have not been named just yet. The government wants to take over the secure flight system to verify passenger identities.
And the government is promising to appeal a federal judge's ruling that says enemy combatant Jose Padilla must be charged or he is eligible for release. Padilla was arrested in May 2002 on suspicion of plotting with al Qaeda to set off a radioactive bomb in the U.S.
And a Spanish newspaper says Spanish authorities found rough sketches of New York's Grand Central terminal during an investigation into last year's Madrid train bombing. But the U.S. government and New York City officials say there is no evidence to suggest terrorists were planning an attack. You want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
HARRIS: Let's see that live picture, there it is. Good morning New York City. Jacqui Jeras joins us next with the weekend forecast for you and the rest of the nation.
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NGUYEN: All right. Time to talk to Jacqui Jeras this morning. Before we do that Jacqui, you know this man sitting right here to my left is sick. So this is what I've been given for him to make sure he doesn't give us his germs. It wasn't my idea. It was the crew.
JERAS: I know. You came up to the weather center. I thought I'd...
NGUYEN: In fact, Jacqui's getting away from you. I'm the only one stuck next to you.
JERAS: Well, hey, Tony, can I cheer you up?
NGUYEN: Hope you feel better Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, Jacqui please.
JERAS: Let me cheer you up. Take a look at this picture from New York City. If this doesn't make you feel good.
HARRIS: That's wonderful. That really is...
JERAS: Isn't that beautiful?
HARRIS: Yeah. It is beautiful. JERAS: Just makes you want to get up, get out, get going. However, don't be fooled. It's a little on the nippy side here this morning, 29 degrees right now in New York City, partly cloudy skies, some nice music to get you going.
HARRIS: James Taylor for you this morning, "Fire and Rain."
JERAS: Got to love it. No fire, no rain in New York, not that I'm aware of anyway, certainly not rain, maybe some snow however. A few snow flakes are possible by tomorrow though today, picture perfect. Look at that great day in New York City.
All right. You're not waking up to clear skies unfortunately across parts of the south. Look at all this cloud cover beginning to move on in. It's foggy. It's misty in Dallas, also a little bit in the Houston area, down towards Brownsville. We're going to be seeing some occasional showers here for today, subtropical jet getting very active and just looking at maybe a couple of sprinkles here this morning. That's about it, along your ride along I-10.
However we are expecting some thunder storms to develop here later on this afternoon as our upper level area of low pressure begins to push on into the region and we're going to be looking at some wet weather there unfortunately for the next couple of days. Temperature wise, still not too shabby though, 68 in Dallas, 70 degrees in Houston, looking nice in St. Louis with 50 degrees. Check out the Mile High City, pushing 60 this afternoon, 43 in Minneapolis, in New York City, you'll be warming up to 40 degrees, about 41 into Washington, D.C.
A little clipper type system moving across the central Appalachians, exiting off the mid Atlantic coast later on for today. Occasional showers will be kicking up ahead of that with a little bit of snow into the higher elevations of the Appalachian. Beautiful weather, best location in the nation today, I'd have to say Denver or somewhere up into parts of the great basin, looking for some great weather there for today. We'll tell you more about what to expect tomorrow coming up in the next hour.
HARRIS: Sounds great. Jacqui, thank you. I'll do the rest of the show through the SARS mask.
NGUYEN: We're just looking out for everybody else around here. You know how that goes.
HARRIS: We got time to get to our e-mail question before we move into the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Here's the question. What's your opinion of Martha Stewart now?
NGUYEN: Well, Steve in Houston says, "before this, I was not a Martha fan, but have now since gotten to see someone get knocked down and is now moving on and for that I applaud her. You go girl," Steve says.
HARRIS: And this from Steve Spencer (ph). "Martha Stewart has proved the system works if you are a rich white woman, you get off easy." Thank you for the e-mails. Continue to send those e-mails to us. The question, what's your opinion of Martha Stewart now, wam@cnn.com is the address.
NGUYEN: And if you ever care about it now, because a lot of people are saying that, who cares? Some people do apparently. The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.
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Aired March 5, 2005 - 07:00 ET
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BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Freed by the enemy, shot by the allies. An Italian journalist is safe from Iraq and now arrival home after an incredible 24 hours. From the CNN center here in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's March 5th. Good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. It is 7:00 a.m. in the east and 1:00 p.m. in Rome. Thanks for being with us. More on the Italian journalist's ordeal in a minute. First, here are more headlines this Saturday morning.
Funeral services will be held today for Michael Lefkow, the husband of federal Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow of Chicago. Judge Lefkow found her husband and her mother shot to death Monday in their Chicago home. The FBI says there are no suspects in the killings. They're offering a $50,000 reward for information.
Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena is back in Rome this morning being treated for shrapnel wounds to her shoulder. Sgrena was released by her kidnappers in Iraq, then wounded by U.S. soldiers in a friendly fire fiasco that took the life of an Italian intelligence officer. We'll go live to Rome a minute from now.
Syrian President Bashar Assad will address his nation's assembly today. There's an expectation he will respond to international pressure, much of it from the United States, to get his troops out of Lebanon. Several Lebanese officials expect Assad to announce a redeployment leading eventually to a withdrawal.
NGUYEN: You'll want to stay with us this entire hour, because coming up, she's home, not exactly free. We'll get some insight into Martha Stewart's incarceration from someone who spent time for a similar offense. Also ahead, an idle Ferris wheel is the perfect metaphor for a country frozen in time. CNN's Barbara Starr sneaks up on North Korea and comes back with revealing images you will only see here on CNN.
And in this week beyond the game, catch our own Rick Horrow as he breaks down the baseball season and whether the steroid scandal will throw it a curve ball.
HARRIS: Our top story this morning, a classic fog of war foul up. Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena freed by her kidnappers in Iraq was heading for the airport when her driver apparently missed or ignored demands by U.S. soldiers to stop. They opened fire. Their Italian officer was killed. Sgrena and two others in the car were wounded. She is now back in Rome where our bureau chief Alessio Vinci picks up the story. Alessio, good morning.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning to you Tony. Let me begin by sharing with you some of the national newspapers' headlines this morning here in Rome, beginning with "La Repubblica," free, then the tragedy. Another national leading newspaper, "Corriere Della Sera," Sgrena wounded, 007 killed, Italy complains with the United States. And the newspaper "Il Manifesto," for which Sgrena is working, was working, is working in Iraq, Giuliana Sgrena, she is free. The Americans shoot, assassinated her liberator, the "Manifesto," the Communist run newspaper, "Il Manifesto" suggesting that the agent who had negotiated her release with her kidnappers in Iraq actually was assassinated. That gives you a little bit of a sense about how some in the public opinion here, Italy, especially those who have long accused the United States and have been against the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq are thinking.
Giuliana Sgrena arrived here in Rome about an hour ago at the Ciampino Airport. What a story she's going to have to tell, an ordeal that began a month ago, when she was first kidnapped, then released, then shot at and the man who actually tried to release her and organize her release, killed trying to shield her with his own body as U.S. fired. Now preliminary investigations released from Baghdad by the U.S. forces suggest that the car approached the checkpoint at a high speed and that despite repeated warnings, that car did not stop. Eventually soldiers fired at the engine and the car stopped, but also the bullet reached not only the agent who was killed, but also Giuliana herself, who was wounded in her shoulder. She's now been admitted at a military hospital here in Rome, Tony.
HARRIS: OK, Alessio Vinci in Rome for us this morning. Alessio, thank you.
NGUYEN: Martha Stewart is waking up in her own bed this morning after being released from prison. It's more freedom than she's had in the past five months, but as CNN's Adaora Udoji reports, the truly restrictive part of Stewart's house arrest, that hasn't started just yet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Martha Stewart, a trend-setting icon, guest at the hottest parties, hanging with the rich and famous. But after her stint in prison, you won't see her as much out on the town.
RON FRISHCHETT, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: House arrest is punishment, there's no question about it and she'll be wearing an ankle bracelet all the time.
UDOJI (on camera): That's not all, no luxury shopping at her favorite designer stores here on Fifth Avenue, no lunching at this exclusive Four Seasons hotel, not unless her probation officer says she can.
(voice-over): Four five months, she's on lockdown at her sprawling Bedford, New York estate, to some not hard time at all. But she can literally not leave her house, not to walk the grounds, not to feed her animals. She is allowed to leave 48 hours a week to work, go grocery shopping, see the doctor and attend church. Anything more, say taking off to Los Angeles, she has to talk to the judge first.
(on camera): She's going to have to be accountable to someone just about every minute of her day.
FRISHCHETT: There's no question about that. I mean, when she leaves assuming she's got to attend a meeting, she has to call her probation officer and say, I'm going to be out from 10:00 to 6:00 and this is where I'll be, so they can turn off the device.
UDOJI: She had such great plans before prison.
MARTHA STEWART: I would like to be back as early in March as possible in order to plant the new spring garden and to truly get things growing again.
UDOJI: Now she knows planting will have to wait. The woman who built an empire will have curfews and weekly schedules approved by Federal officers. But she'll still be making lots of money, free to begin work on a mega-TV deal, two new shows.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I cannot wait until she comes out of jail and we can work together.
UDOJI: ... to have lavish parties, looking good with the help of friends like celebrity hair stylist Frederic Fekkai. She can't leave, but her famous buddies can visit, say Federal officials, party until the wee hours of the night, as long as they don't have criminal records. House arrest brings the domestic diva one step closer to making good on that prediction, fulfilling an all-American come back.
Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Time now for you to weigh in. Here is our e-mail question this morning. What is your opinion of Martha Stewart now? Tell us what you think. As usual, we're at wam@cnn.com.
HARRIS: OK and if you've had a tough time keeping up with the news this week, well, that's what we're here for. Let's rewind through some of the big stories in the past few days. Monday, Lebanon's pro- Syrian government abruptly resigned during a heated parliamentary debate. The government had been under intense pressure since the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri last month. The Syrian president is expected to announce a partial troop withdrawal from Lebanon later today.
Tuesday, a divided Supreme Court ruled the execution of juvenile killers is unconstitutional. That means some 70 death row inmates who were under 18 when they committed their crimes may have their sentences invalidated. Friday was day one of a 60-day blitz by President Bush and other officials to build support for changes to Social Security. Recent polls show few Americans support the president's push for privatized retirement accounts. Also Friday, jury deliberations began in the trial of former WorldCom chief Bernard Ebbers. Ebbers is accused of spearheading an $11 billion accounting scandal that led to the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history. WorldCom employees ended up losing as much as $600 million when the company's stock went boom.
Tomorrow, we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.
NGUYEN: But this morning, a unique journey in the far east and it is only on CNN. We head to China and get a glimpse of North Korea few Americans ever get to see.
HARRIS: A cat's eye view of another journey, but this is a trip no woman would want repeated.
NGUYEN: And we do want to say good morning Detroit. Your forecast coming up around the nation as well. That is just ahead.
HARRIS: But first, here's what's out on DVD coming Tuesday, first a box set of all nine seasons of "Friends," "Ladder 49," a fire fighter action adventure starring John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix. And "Woman Thou Art Loosed," a story of overcoming abuse, addiction and poverty. On the big screen this weekend, John Travolta and Uma Thurman star in the gangster comedy, "Be Cool," drama, romance and thrills mix in "The Jacket," the story of a war vet locked in an asylum who foresees his own death and Vin Diesel trades in danger for day care in "The Pacifier."
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What keeps me up at night these days is the pain that I've caused other people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In one moment, this sexual predator and fugitive of justice changed my entire life forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Emotional testimony at the parole hearing for a rapist who was on the run for eight years before he was convicted of attacking two women. That's on the docket this morning in legal briefs, live next hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hello everyone. I'm Jacqui Jeras in the CNN weather center with today's cold and flu report. The good news is that flu activity has quieted down a little bit. In the last week, we went from 33 states reporting widespread flu activity, down to 30 now. The most concentrated areas here into the northeast, the mid Atlantic states and the Ohio Valley, also quite a bit of activity into the southern plains states. Best news I can tell you, no flu reports right now in the state of Missouri.
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HARRIS: Across America this morning, the Federal government is targeting two prescription drugs that might be in your medicine cabinet. The FDA is seizing the drugs Paxil CR and Avandamet. Both are made by Glaxosmithkline Incorporated. The FDA has quote, ongoing concerns about manufacturing quality. However, the agency says it believes the products do not pose a health hazard to consumers.
After landing on dry land, he is planting one on his - little baby gets a smooch. About 3,000 sailors are back home in Washington state this morning. The U.S.S. Lincoln was gone for five months, some of it to help tsunami relief in southern Asia.
In Florida, officials are fighting to save the lives of dozens of dolphins stranded since Wednesday off the Florida Keys. Nearly 20 dolphins have already died or have been put to sleep. Rescuers plan to move the others to rehab facilities later today.
NGUYEN: And in Idaho, this cat on a hot tin roof might have used up one of his nine lives. Cuddle Bug it's called, clung to the top of his owner's car roof for about 10 miles as his owner drove unaware that the orange tabby was -- check this out -- was up there. The owner says the cat must have hopped on the roof when she left the house. Well, get down from the roof, would you tabby?
And check out these pictures though, Tony, a house with a view is up for sale in Florida. But the view is what makes it kind of hard to sell. This is one you will definitely want to see in our wows of the week, a little bit later this hour.
HARRIS: Well I bet you can get that one for cheap.
NGUYEN: Yeah,
HARRIS: I did see it. I did see it, but and not...
JERAS: I'm the one that did it. I was looking at the CDC site, which has all the information on the cold and flu and it says, stay home from work and school.
NGUYEN: See.
HARRIS: Is that -- what it is...
JERAS: Can you talk in that direction?
HARRIS: See, what had happened.
JERAS: If you have to cough or sneeze, do this. Don't do it if you can.
HARRIS: Oh really?
JERAS: Really, because then you cough and then you shake hands or you touch the paper and it spreads all over the...
HARRIS: I did not know that. That's good information. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Cough like this. Can you just sit like this the rest of the show?
JERAS: We'll get him a mask from the make up room.
HARRIS: You're going to be on the business end of a cough real soon.
NGUYEN:
HARRIS: Well, good to see you Jacqui.
JERAS: Good to see you too
HARRIS: It's a shared experience this morning.
JERAS: It's widespread all across the country Tony, so you're definitely not alone.
HARRIS: Thank you Jacqui.
JERAS: Temperature in Detroit right now, 20 degrees, doesn't look too bad right there, right now, but I just checked the National Weather Service site and it says that there's some freezing fog going on in Detroit, should see some sunshine this afternoon, 39 degrees. But some snow showers will be on the way, we think later on tonight and tomorrow, but no big accumulation, just a little clipper moving on through. So good morning to you in Detroit.
The people of the northeast also waking up to some chilly temperatures, look at that, Portland, 11 above right now, 12 degrees in Toronto, 26 degrees in Pittsburgh and we've got a little bit of wet weather going on across the Ohio Valley and into the mid-Atlantic states here. A little bit of snow coming down, especially in the higher elevations, Snow Shoe, West Virginia reporting six inches of fresh snow overnight.
Some light rain showers into the Virginias and across North Carolina. We may see some thunderstorms developing along this cold front later on this afternoon from Atlantic City and all the way on out to Raleigh, only other really weather note today is across the southwest. We have an upper level area of low pressure that's going to bring some wet weather from San Diego extending all way over to San Antonio today. Everybody else, not a lot to complain about, looking pretty good.
HARRIS: That's not bad.
JERAS: Except for those who have the cold and flu. NGUYEN: Exactly.
HARRIS: And the only point that needs to be made here is that I love this team. I love the show.
NGUYEN: So much that he wants to give it to us.
HARRIS: That I -- regardless, out of six bed (ph) does that make any sense, I am here this morning...
NGUYEN: The number six?
HARRIS: The sick bed.
NGUYEN: I thought you said six
HARRIS: It's all blending together, because I love this team so much, I'm out of the sick bed to be with you this morning and this is what I get from everyone
NGUYEN: We're going to move on right now. Thank you, Jacqui.
JERAS: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: You do need to get well. So, what is your opinion? We're going to get to our e-mail question of the day, what is your opinion of Martha Stewart now? E-mail us at wam@cnn.com. We're reading some of those e-mails all morning long.
Also, the Yankees are stepping up to the plate to help keep major league baseball solvent. We'll have a look at the big league finances when we go beyond the game with this guy right there, Rick Horrow.
HARRIS: What is he wearing today?
NGUYEN: What's he drinking more importantly? CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues in just a moment.
HARRIS: But first, are you pink or are you blue? What we're talking about is your approach to doing business. More often than not, a woman will tend to have it pink and a man blue. But that's not always the case. Here's a little quiz. Question number one: when first meeting someone, I like to know their credentials and things like where they work and their title. Question number two: If I could, I would buy everything online. OK, tune in at 4:00 Eastern to find out which side you fall under and for an explanation of what it all means, the battle of the sexes and who is better when it comes to business.
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HARRIS: The first games of spring training are under way. The players hope they can now talk about runs, hits and contract extensions instead of indictments, injections and rubbing creams. Attendance at last year's games went up from 68 million to 73 million fans. Seven teams broke attendance records. Even so, the average player's salary did drop 2.5 percent. But before you shed any tears, check this out.
Player salaries are averaging $2.3 million a year. Pro baseball's annual revenue, $3.7 billion. That's because of a $2 billion plus TV deal. With all that said, the steroid scandal still stings. Will it stunt the growth of America's pastime, the topic this morning, as we take you beyond the game.
Professional baseball appears healthy right now. The challenge is to keep it that way. The question is how. Let's bring in the man with the answers, the author of "When the Game Is on the Line," CNN sports analyst, our guru Rick Horrow. He joins us live from West Palm Beach, Florida. Rick, good to see -- good morning doctor.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Yeah, you know your singing is marginal anyway. With a cold, it is repugnant.
HARRIS: It is ridiculous, isn't it?
HORROW: So I would stop. Hey and you know what? This is interesting, because you go to baseball games, conjure up great weather here for the weekend of spring training games and three things always on peoples' mind, a little wistful today, the crack of the bat, the smell of hot dogs and the talk of steroids.
HARRIS: That's right. Before we get to that, let's talk about baseball's revenue sharing program. You know, it has the Yankees paying the most in luxury taxes, but I have to ask you, is this luxury tax idea working?
HORROW: Well, let's put it in perspective. Twenty five months ago we were talking about the same dance that hockey's talking about
Then there's the Yankees, $200 million a payroll. Their $25 million in luxury tax by the way is more than the Tampa Bay Devil Rays spent on their entire payroll. But the revenue sharing is there, $200 million goes from the haves to the have nots. That seems to be promoting stability. You talked about the salaries. There's still $1 billion in free agent signings in the off season, including Rogers Clemens, an $18 million one-year contract with the Houston Astros, the most ever paid to a pitcher.
HARRIS: OK, let's move on. You mentioned at the top about the steroid scandal. Attendance is up for the games but there is that scandal, leaving this taint. What does baseball need to do to rejuvenate the game and bring in some new money?
HORROW: Well, the marketing issue is key. They did a deal with XM Satellite radio, $650 million so all the games are broadcast locally. That $3.7 billion goes into marketing, marketing and marketing. Internationally for example, there will be a world cup of baseball next year and maybe even a regular season series in Europe. And as you said, there were seven teams that set attendance records this last year, so they're moving in the right direction.
HARRIS: OK, so cross the T's and dot the I's on this steroid policy for us.
HORROW: Well, it's hard to know, because we haven't given it a chance to work yet. A couple of years ago clearly just lip service, but now mandatory unannounced drug testing and your first offense, you're suspended for 10 games. Now a player making the $2.2 million a year average, that's $120,000. That may be a big deterrent. But what are we talking about? Will Canseco sell a million books? Well Mark McGwire's record stand the test of history? Well Rafael Palmeiro sue Canseco? Will Barry Bonds ever find a friend? There's even Tom Davis, the congressman, wanting to hold hearings on this issue, so it doesn't go away. I would say, we need to give the steroid policy a change to work before we judge.
HARRIS: Yeah, it makes sense. OK, what do you want to start with, fair ball? Let's start with fair ball.
HORROW: Yeah, let's start, because it is heartening. You know, this week President Bush awarded a congressional gold medal to Rachael Robinson on behalf of her late husband Jackie for heroism beyond the game and it is wonderful to note that now in sports and baseball specifically, with all the stuff that's going on, we now have something that emboldens history and tradition and doesn't detract from it. I think that's a real fair ball.
HARRIS: Yeah, yeah. And what's our foul ball of the week, Rick?
HORROW: Well, this one's interesting. You know I talked about free agent signings and the oft injured Troy Glaus was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks to a four-year, $45 million contract and there is a rider so to speak, a $1 million deal went to his wife Anne to pursue her equestrian career directly for her. Hey, it's all about leverage. I don't know if you have as much leverage as he does Tony...
HARRIS: No, no.
HORROW: ... but you need to pursue some equestrian type career or some other sport. That's the deal when you have a lot of leverage in major league baseball.
HARRIS: If you can get it in the deal, why not try, right?
HORROW: It's exactly right my friend. I'll see you next week.
HARRIS: OK, Rick, take care of yourself.
NGUYEN: Inside one part of the access of evil. These are pictures you don't get to see too often, but today, you'll see them only on CNN.
Plus, some advice for Martha Stewart from someone who has walked in her shoes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Being this close to North Korea, a unique glimpse through the eyes of an American reporter. It's the story you'll see only on CNN.
Welcome back everyone to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We'll have that story in just a moment, but first here's a look at the headlines this morning. An Italian journalist is back home in Italy this morning after a horrifying ordeal in Iraq. After a month in captivity, Giuliana Sgrena was freed yesterday. Now on the way to the airport, she was hit by shrapnel when U.S. forces fired on her car as it approached a roadblock. Italian intelligence officer who helped negotiate her freedom was killed.
Also in Chicago, funeral services will be held today for the husband of Federal judge John Lefkow. He and the judge's 89-year old mother were shot to death in their home on Monday. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information in that case.
Jury deliberations resume Monday in the Robert Blake murder trial. The actor is accused of shooting his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley to death nearly four years ago. Prosecutors say he tried, but failed to enlist a Hollywood stunt man to do it for him. If convicted, Blake could be sentenced to life in prison.
HARRIS: Now we bring you a unique glimpse into a secretive country in a story you'll only see on CNN. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr traveled to China to report on the recovery of the remains of a missing American pilot. The journey had its share of surprises.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the early morning flight from Beijing, north to the city of Shen Yang (ph), CNN travels with a Pentagon team that has come to thank China for helping find the remains of Captain Troy Coke (ph), shot down 52 years ago during the Korean War. The search for Captain Coke's remains took place along the Yalu, the border between China and North Korea. He was shot down just inside China, but this journey will take an unexpected turn as the day unfolds. We travel one of China's most modern highways.
(on-camera): We are now on a three-hour drive through rural China to the city of Dandong, right on the North Korean Chinese border.
(voice-over): Dandong, a bustling, colorful Chinese port city of one million. We know North Korea is just across the river, but as we entered the city, it is so unexpected. There it is, the hermit kingdom, North Korea in full view. Our voices become hushed. We struggle to make out every detail. The shoreline of buildings and ships looks largely deserted. A lone patrol boat goes by. We board a Chinese boat, sailing past China's border control point at the bridge that joins both countries. The river is neutral territory. But we are stunned when the boat sails within yards of the North Korean shoreline.
The Chinese hosts know we are taking these sensitive pictures of a secretive North Korea. This is the North Korean town of Sineju (ph). As the warehouses, buildings and shore lines go by, we see a country in economic collapse. Smokestacks with no activity. We pass a bridge, destroyed and never repaired, a Ferris wheel that does not move. There is no electricity. At night, all of this is dark.
CNN turns off the video camera when the Chinese ask, but we are allowed to take photos. We said next to North Korean fishing boats, dozens rusting, tied up. There is no money for fuel. A close look at a North Korea few Americans have ever seen and remembering an American who fell here in a war long ago. Barbara Starr, CNN, on the Yalu River between North Korea and China.
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NGUYEN: We do have some breaking news out of Beirut today. Lebanese army troops have taken up position near the Syrian intelligence headquarters in Beirut. Now this comes as the Syrian president is expected to announce the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. We want to go on the phone now to CNN's Brent Sadler in Beirut with the latest on this. Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, thank you. There are movements, military movements around the Syrian headquarters of military intelligence here at the Lebanese capital. We've just been down to the area and seen armed Lebanese troops taking positions around the Syrian headquarters. We have seen what we believe to be one security, Syrian security intelligence officer, who berated the media and President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac in front of our cameras before telling everybody to clear the area. The Lebanese Army stood by while that exchange took place.
This has to be seen in the context of an expected announcement by Syria's President Bashar al Assad in a few hours from now when he addresses the Syrian parliament in Damascus to announce its widely expected, comprehensive redeployment on partial withdraw of Syrian troops as demanded by President George W. Bush and the United Nations security council, but not, repeat not, reaching the levels of compliance that is demanded, which means a total withdrawal of troops by May parliamentary elections here in Beirut. So this is going to be a crucial day to examine what serious intentions there are going to be in Lebanon and how President Assad is responding to U.S. international and Arab pressure.
NGUYEN: How are people on the streets responding to this? Would you assume that this is stepped up pressure by the Lebanese government to get the Syrian president to go ahead with his plans to remove troops from Lebanon?
SADLER: Well, this response expected from the Syrian leader is really after weeks of mounting pressure on the international level. United stand by the international community backed by Arab leaders and pushed along by popular protest in Beirut. There is gathering now in the downtown part of the city yet another demonstration that people have been urged to come here to watch giant TV screens of the address which may be translated here in the square where Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister is buried and people will see for themselves what action, what orders the Syrian leader is going to give his troops and just as importantly, his military intelligence personnel operating here in Lebanon.
NGUYEN: CNN's Brent Sadler in Beirut for us. Thank you for that. Again, Lebanese Army troops have taken up position outside the Syrian intelligence headquarters in Beirut. We will continue to follow this story, so story so stay right here on CNN. Going to take a quick break right now.
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NGUYEN: Five months in prison, Martha Stewart spent her time pretty wisely. Here are some books she read during her terms. "Chronicles, Volume I" by Bob Dylan, John James Audubon, "The Making of an American," by Richard Rhodes and "The Clearing" by Tim Gautreaux. Stewart's probably doing a bit less reading now that she's back home and focusing more on riding a new future for herself. So what does that future hold? We turn now to a man who can relate to Stewart's ordeal, former "Wall Street Journal" reporter Foster Winans, who's the author of "Trading Secrets" and co-author of "The Great Wall Street Swindle." Winans has also spent some time behind bars for insider trading. He joins us now from New York. Good morning to you.
FOSTER WINANS, FORMER REPORTER: Good morning.
NGUYEN: All right. So like Martha Stewart, you spent some time behind bars. What did you do?
WINANS: Well, prison can be a very transformative experience for someone who hasn't spent a lot of time there and I ended up, I sort of started my ghost writing career in prison. I discovered that a lot of inmates who couldn't really write well had things that they wanted to write to their judges and to their families and I ended up spending a lot of time in the law library, which was a small room with a couple of typewriters in it and inmates would come in and say would you help me write a letter to my judge? My mother's dying of cancer. My sentence was too long. So I ended up doing a lot of writing for other inmates and ending up getting four prisoners out of jail early.
NGUYEN: Interesting. Now I was asking what did you do, like Martha Stewart, what kind of crime did you commit to get there and how are your two crimes similar in your eyes?
WINANS: Well, the similarity is that I was a "Wall Street Journal" columnist. I unfortunately made the very stupid decision to tell a stockbroker what was going to be in my column the day before it appeared and he used that information to try to make some money in the stock market. And it's not exactly the same as what Martha did. What I did was much more of a scheme. It went on for three or four months. What Martha did was really a real tempest in a teaspoon, but in essence they were similar in that the legal theory under which I was prosecuted was kind of unique and a lot of people thought a lot was made of a very small situation.
NGUYEN: So do you think she was unfairly targeted? This is a woman who knows Wall Street.
WINANS: Well, Martha Stewart was a member of the board of the New York Stock Exchange. She had been a stock broker. If in fact she did something wrong with her trade, she knew it or she believed she did, because then she went on to lie about it. Unfortunately, Martha Stewart is one of those people who didn't understand that she was offered three or four opportunities to kind of make this thing go away a lot more quietly than it did and she insisted on fighting all the way. I think she sort of brought this -- it wasn't that they made a target of her is that Martha made herself a target.
NGUYEN: Now she's taken a no shame attitude. Does she need to continue seeking, I don't know, say redemption or has she paid her debt to society? She's done her time. It should be over with.
WINANS: Well, the one thing that's missing in my observations of Martha Stewart is an apology. She may think that she didn't do anything wrong, but nevertheless a jury of 12 people who sat and listened to the evidence and found her guilty of lying and it would be nice just once to hear her say, you know, folks, kids, don't try this at home. I'm sorry. I apologize. I hurt a lot of people.
NGUYEN: But does she think she did anything wrong? Why should she apologize if she doesn't truly think she did anything wrong?
WINANS: I don't know. I mean, if she doesn't think she did anything wrong, then I think she might not be sort of in touch with reality. I mean she did lie and a jury did find her guilty of lying.
NGUYEN: All right. Foster Winans, former "Wall Street Journal" reporter, author of "Trading Secrets." We appreciate your time this morning.
WINANS: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: Thank you. Tony.
HARRIS: Updating our top stories this Saturday morning, Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena has returned to Rome where she will be treated for a wound she received as she made her way to freedom. An Italian security agent was killed and Sgrena was hurt when U.S. troops fired on their car after it failed to stop at a roadblock. Sgrena had just been released after being held for a month by kidnappers.
And this just in to CNN. Lebanese Army troops and armored vehicles have taken up positions around the Syrian intelligence headquarters in Beirut. This as Syria's president Bashar Assad prepares to address the Syrian parliament about three hours from now and there's an expectation that Assad will bow to international pressure and announce a partial withdrawal of Syrian troops out of Lebanon.
The number three has a lot of significance in Christianity. There's the holy trinity, the three wise men, now there's XXX. The founders of a Christian web site, xxxchurch.com are on a crusade. You'll hear from missionaries from a modern world who have declared war on porn. That's CNN SUNDAY MORNING live at 8:00 a.m. Eastern on faces of faith, CNN's weekly look at religious beliefs and issues.
NGUYEN: And don't forget about our e-mail question this morning. What is your opinion of Martha Stewart now? We'll read your replies. That's later this hour. All you have to do is send them to wam@cnn.com.
HARRIS: But first, a CNN extra. A new study this week suggests that 56 percent of players in the NFL would be considered obese by some medical standards. Their height to weight ratio known as the body mass index hit at 30, which doctors consider obese. The NFL says the study is bogus because it doesn't measure muscle. And check this out. The NFL's biggest player is Chicago Bear Aaron Gibson at 6 foot 6, he weighs 370 pounds and wears a size 18 shoe.
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HARRIS: Well, if you've been with us all morning, you know there are quite a few other stories making news around the world this Saturday morning.
NGUYEN: In fact it's been a busy morning, especially in Lebanon today. Let's check what's happening around the world with Anand Naidoo at the international desk. Good morning.
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very good morning to you. Yes, the big story out of Lebanon, but there are other big developments around the world. First to the war in Iraq, more tragedy for U.S. forces there. Military officials telling us that four U.S. troops of the first Marine expeditionary force were killed in Iraq's western al Anbar province. Two other coalition soldiers were also killed in the past 24 hours, one a Bulgarian. The nationality of the other soldier killed near Tikrit was not identified.
Now to China and tough words from Chinese leaders concerning Taiwan. Premier Wen Jiabao makes it clear in an address to the Chinese parliament that China will never permit formal independence for Taiwan. The session of parliament is expected to pass an anti- secession law directly aimed at the island. Wen gave no details of what that law would contain, but there are some Taiwanese leaders who are saying that this could pave the way, could set the stage for an invasion by China, some alarming words coming out of there.
That is all from me for now. Later, we will take a look at Afghanistan, the drug trade over there. There's an alarming new report out by the State Department. We'll be looking at that report. But for now, let's send it back to Tony and Betty.
HARRIS: Anand, thank you. NGUYEN: Now to security watch, where we update you on the week's major developments in the war on terror every Saturday morning. Beginning April 14th, cigarette lighters will no longer be allowed on commercial aircraft in the U.S. or beyond security checkpoints at airports. The lighters are already banned in checked baggage. It is currently up to the airlines to compare passenger names on those -- or to those on government watch list, but Federal transportation officials will begin testing their own prescreening system in August with two airlines that have not been named just yet. The government wants to take over the secure flight system to verify passenger identities.
And the government is promising to appeal a federal judge's ruling that says enemy combatant Jose Padilla must be charged or he is eligible for release. Padilla was arrested in May 2002 on suspicion of plotting with al Qaeda to set off a radioactive bomb in the U.S.
And a Spanish newspaper says Spanish authorities found rough sketches of New York's Grand Central terminal during an investigation into last year's Madrid train bombing. But the U.S. government and New York City officials say there is no evidence to suggest terrorists were planning an attack. You want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
HARRIS: Let's see that live picture, there it is. Good morning New York City. Jacqui Jeras joins us next with the weekend forecast for you and the rest of the nation.
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NGUYEN: All right. Time to talk to Jacqui Jeras this morning. Before we do that Jacqui, you know this man sitting right here to my left is sick. So this is what I've been given for him to make sure he doesn't give us his germs. It wasn't my idea. It was the crew.
JERAS: I know. You came up to the weather center. I thought I'd...
NGUYEN: In fact, Jacqui's getting away from you. I'm the only one stuck next to you.
JERAS: Well, hey, Tony, can I cheer you up?
NGUYEN: Hope you feel better Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, Jacqui please.
JERAS: Let me cheer you up. Take a look at this picture from New York City. If this doesn't make you feel good.
HARRIS: That's wonderful. That really is...
JERAS: Isn't that beautiful?
HARRIS: Yeah. It is beautiful. JERAS: Just makes you want to get up, get out, get going. However, don't be fooled. It's a little on the nippy side here this morning, 29 degrees right now in New York City, partly cloudy skies, some nice music to get you going.
HARRIS: James Taylor for you this morning, "Fire and Rain."
JERAS: Got to love it. No fire, no rain in New York, not that I'm aware of anyway, certainly not rain, maybe some snow however. A few snow flakes are possible by tomorrow though today, picture perfect. Look at that great day in New York City.
All right. You're not waking up to clear skies unfortunately across parts of the south. Look at all this cloud cover beginning to move on in. It's foggy. It's misty in Dallas, also a little bit in the Houston area, down towards Brownsville. We're going to be seeing some occasional showers here for today, subtropical jet getting very active and just looking at maybe a couple of sprinkles here this morning. That's about it, along your ride along I-10.
However we are expecting some thunder storms to develop here later on this afternoon as our upper level area of low pressure begins to push on into the region and we're going to be looking at some wet weather there unfortunately for the next couple of days. Temperature wise, still not too shabby though, 68 in Dallas, 70 degrees in Houston, looking nice in St. Louis with 50 degrees. Check out the Mile High City, pushing 60 this afternoon, 43 in Minneapolis, in New York City, you'll be warming up to 40 degrees, about 41 into Washington, D.C.
A little clipper type system moving across the central Appalachians, exiting off the mid Atlantic coast later on for today. Occasional showers will be kicking up ahead of that with a little bit of snow into the higher elevations of the Appalachian. Beautiful weather, best location in the nation today, I'd have to say Denver or somewhere up into parts of the great basin, looking for some great weather there for today. We'll tell you more about what to expect tomorrow coming up in the next hour.
HARRIS: Sounds great. Jacqui, thank you. I'll do the rest of the show through the SARS mask.
NGUYEN: We're just looking out for everybody else around here. You know how that goes.
HARRIS: We got time to get to our e-mail question before we move into the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Here's the question. What's your opinion of Martha Stewart now?
NGUYEN: Well, Steve in Houston says, "before this, I was not a Martha fan, but have now since gotten to see someone get knocked down and is now moving on and for that I applaud her. You go girl," Steve says.
HARRIS: And this from Steve Spencer (ph). "Martha Stewart has proved the system works if you are a rich white woman, you get off easy." Thank you for the e-mails. Continue to send those e-mails to us. The question, what's your opinion of Martha Stewart now, wam@cnn.com is the address.
NGUYEN: And if you ever care about it now, because a lot of people are saying that, who cares? Some people do apparently. The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.
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