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CNN Saturday Morning News

U.S. Iraqi Forces Engaged In Urban Combat with Insurgents; Bush Wraps Up Summit Of Americas In Argentina Amid Violent Protests; France Issues Warnings To American Tourists Due To Riots; Two New Bird Flu Cases In Indonesia; Pakistani Rape Victim Speaks Out And Is Honored;

Aired November 05, 2005 - 11:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is Saturday, November 5th. Good morning, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: How are you?

HARRIS: Not too bad. I'm Tony Harris.

Thank you for starting your day with us live on CNN SATURDAY. Our top story in a moment, but first, headlines "Now in the News": Cleanup continues across parts of France after rioters spark a ninth consecutive night of arson and violence in nearly 20 communities. French media report more than 900 vehicles -- 900 -- torched last night alone. The U.S. embassy in Paris is urging Americans traveling between the Charles de Gaulle Airport and downtown Paris to use taxis or airport buses and to avoid area of disturbances.

In Iraq, "Operation Steel Curtain" enters its 12th hour. The U.S.-Iraqi offensive targets the city of Husayba, considered an insurgent stronghold near the Syrian border. The military already reports dozens of insurgents killed in firefights. At least three Marines have been wounded. Forces also have found several improvised explosive devices rigged to houses and roads.

Indonesian health officials report two more cases of people contracting bird flu. In one instance, a female patient died. The other case involved an eight-year-old relative of the deceased woman. That brings Indonesia's total of human bird flu cases to nine since July, five of them have been fatal.

A cruise ship successfully escapes an attack of modern-day pirates off Somalia. A spokesperson for Seabourn Cruise Line says two boatloads of pirates shot and fired rockets at the "Spirit". The cruise ship captain reports only minor damage. The United Nations World Food Program has recorded two accounts of pirates hijacking relief vessels in that same area.

As we mentioned a moment ago, U.S. and Iraqi forces are fighting a major offensive against insurgents in a part of Iraq the military calls the command and control center for insurgents. "Operation Steel Curtain" aims to clear out the insurgency along the Euphrates River Valley. On the phone now is Lieutenant Colonel Dale Alford, with the Third Battalion 6th Marines, in Husayba. Colonel, give us a sense of what you're up against right now. What's the very latest from your vantage point, please?

LT. COL. DALE ALFORD, U.S. MARINES, IRAQ: We (INAUDIBLE) successful (INAUDIBLE) set forth. We (INAUDIBLE) of the city, along with the Iraqi army, they are fighting alongside us. And we're -- it's dark now here so we've continued to move and been successful up to this point.

HARRIS: Colonel, would you describe the action for us from earlier in the day? Are we talking about urban fighting, house-to- house fighting, how would you describe it?

ALFORD: It's been 100 percent urban fighting. We're in a (INAUDIBLE) residentially -- city with lots of buildings, the streets are very narrow. The Marines are moving from house to house.

HARRIS: Give us a sense of what you've been up against. We understand that you've been able to locate and disarm a lot of those improvised explosive devices?

ALFORD: Yes, we've IEDs, a few vehicle-borne IEDs that we've destroyed. We've had insurgents that were held up in both schools and mosques that we had to clean out. (INAUDIBLE) And the groups are from say, 10 to 12 in their size.

HARRIS: Colonel Alford, we appreciate your time. We understand that you are in the thick of it. We wish you the very best.

ALFORD: Thank you.

HARRIS: Thank you, sir.

NGUYEN: Shifting gears now, as the Summit of the Americas concludes today in Argentina, analysts say it may be hard to quantify how much President Bush was able to accomplish diplomatically. The president's visit was marred by angry demonstrators who broke windows, tossed Molotov cocktails and set fires protesting the proposed free trade agreement. CNN's White House Correspondent Dana Bash is traveling with Mr. Bush and joins us live from Mar Del Plata, Argentina.

Dana, did the summit end peacefully despite yesterday's violence?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: So far the answer to that today is yes. But the summit is actually still going on. As we speak the president and the other 33 leaders who are gathered here in Mar Del Plata are discussing the final communique. That is the final language that they will agree on. And what -- from the U.S. perspective -- what they hope they can at least get language on, is a promise to restart some trade talks that have been stalled for quite a long time.

A free trade agreement that was proposed back in 1994 that was supposed to be implemented this year, but really has sort of fallen off the table because of opposition from many Latin American countries, saying that that actually would hurt their economies. One of the biggest, most vocal opponents of that agreement is the Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

He is somebody who has become President Bush's Latin American nemesis. Really his antagonist, saying that he wants to start a social revolution. And he's -- one of the storylines of the summit was whether or not he was going to have any kind of confrontation with the president because he's one of the attendees of this conference. So far we understand that has not happened.

But the cameras did get a shot of Chavez standing at the entrance to the plenary session this morning while President Bush actually walked behind him, but the two did not have any kind of encounter as far as we know.

Now, President Chavez was part of some peaceful demonstrations yesterday, but as you mentioned, Betty, those demonstrations at least in the small area did become violent, they became rioters. They stormed a security barrier, even broke some glass of store fronts, burned a bank and threw some Molotov cocktails. But this morning, we understand from our producer, who is on the ground, Alex Moran, it is very, very quiet, Betty.

NGUYEN: Dana, I'm looking right now at a memo from the White House. I know you have a copy of it, as well. Talk to us about what's being done by the White House to take steps in this CIA leak investigation.

BASH: You know, it's really interesting. The president even yesterday, as he is trying to focus on this summit, would not talk at all about this investigation because he said it is an ongoing investigation.

But from this memo, which I'll read to you, it was clear that they are taking steps to address classified information, and how members of the senior staff inside the White House deal with that. This is a memo that went out to staff last week from the White House counsel saying, that they're going to offer refresher lecture on ground rules regarding ethics.

I'll read part of the memo, it says: "The president has made clear his expectation that each member of his executive office of the president staff adhere to the spirit as well as the letter of the rules governing ethical conduct for EOP staff."

Now it went on to say, that if you possess a security clearance of any level, your attendance at one of these sessions is mandatory.

What's interesting about this is that they're clearly sure from the president on down that even if anybody doesn't think that they're intentionally breaking the law, they must make sure that if anybody has a security clearance, it they're handling classified information, nobody talks about it with anybody they shouldn't, especially the press.

NGUYEN: Refresher courses. OK. Dana Bash, thank you. HARRIS: In our "Security Watch", authorities are still trying to determine if three terror suspects in British custody had any plans for attacking the U.S. Investigators at Scotland Yard say the alleged Jihadists had several terror-related items when they were picked up last month on terror related charges. Those include a variety of pictures of locations in the District of Columbia. So what of this? CNN's Gary Nurenberg has been following the story and he joins us live from our Washington bureau with more.

Gary?

GARY NURENBERG, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

That computer had pictures and on the same computer, instructions for how to build a car bomb. The search of another suspect's home turned up a paper with the phrase in Arabic, Welcome to Jihad. And a piece of paper with words "hospital equals attack." The three men, ranging in age from 19 to 22, were in a London court yesterday charged with conspiracy and violations of Britain's terrorism act.

Charging documents allege one of the defendants had a DVD entitled "Martyrdom Operations." And a recipe for, quote, "rocket propellant and guidance on causing an explosion". Another suspect, allegedly had pictures of Washington sites on the hard drive of his computer including, according to an FBI official, locations near the United States Capitol Building.

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer says, "I don't think anyone should be worried about this. We are neither frightened nor concerned. We have vigorous capability to assess the threat." FBI Assistant Director John Miller says, "The FBI is working with our partners overseas on the investigation. We have shared the relevant information with local law enforcement agencies concerned. There is no credible indication of any imminent threat."

One U.S. counterterrorism official tells CNN, it is hard to know if this was a terrorist bravado or a real threat. And other law enforcement personnel are not exactly pushing the panic button. They are, in fact, downplaying the threat. The capitol police chief, Tony and Betty, says he won't be losing any sleep over this threat.

HARRIS: Wow. Quite a statement. CNN's Gary Nurenberg. Gary, thank you.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

NGUYEN: To Houston now, an escaped death row inmate is still at large. Authorities are looking for this man; 35-year-old Charles Victor Thompson. He walked out of the Harris County Jail Thursday in civilian clothes. Now, it is unclear how he got out of a locked room and fooled four jail employees.

Now jurors and relatives of his victims fear for their lives and hope that this very dangerous and violent man will be captured soon. CNN's Keith Oppenheim is live in Houston with the latest.

Keith, are they any closer to catching Thompson?

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We just got off the phone, Betty, with the Lt. John Martin, who is a spokesperson for the Harris County Sheriff's office. He said they now have credible leads and possible sightings of Charles Victor Thompson. They'll keep us informed if anything happens and certainly we hope they do.

Remember, that there is a $10,000 reward from police for anyone who gives information which leads to the capture of this escapee.

It was on Thursday afternoon that Charles Victor Thompson had a meeting with his -- with an attorney in a booth. These booths are places where inmates and attorneys can have talk sessions. And in that booth, police say he brought civilian clothes, that he smuggled from his jail cell.

There he takes off his orange jumpsuit, they say, he goes to a security checkpoint inside the jail and passes himself off as an investigator for the attorney general's office, at which point he's allowed into the lobby of the building. While they're still checking on his story, that's when he gets out and gets his freedom.

It was back in 1998 that he was convicted of the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Dennise Hayslip, and her boyfriend Darren Cain. The mother of the ex-girlfriend, the murder victim, talked to us, and she told us why she has considerable reason now to be afraid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WYNONA DONAGHY, VICTIM'S MOTHER: Safety for myself, and my family, and anyone he gets near. Anybody. He's very capable of killing, and he will. And the faster they can pick him up, the less chance of anybody else getting hurt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OPPENHEIM: One of the interesting things about speaking to Harris County officials is the degree to which they fully acknowledge that these were a series of mistakes. Perhaps there's nothing else that they can do.

In fact, quoting the Harris County Sheriff's Department in the "The Houston Chronicle," has the headline "Escape -- 100% Human Error." And referring to what you were just speaking about, Betty, there is an article under the fold, entitled "Jurors Who Resentence Him to Death Now Watching Their Backs."

So clearly it's not just family members who are associated with the crimes or had relatives who died because of Charles Victor Thompson's actions years ago. It is also jurors who convicted him, or resentenced him, that have cause to be worried today. This guy is a dangerous character and everyone knows it.

NGUYEN: Clearly it is a tense situation until he's recaptured. Keith, thank you.

We do want to talk to a warning to American travelers now. As France sees its worst violence in years, we'll go live there for the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fire burning inside me that just made me do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Anger at the men who raped her. One woman fights back. And the world listens. Her story and more still ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: In our top stories now, President Bush and other Western Hemisphere leaders are wrapping up talks in a summit in Argentina overshadowed by violence and protests. Mr. Bush is backing a free trade area of the Americas that has sparked opposition from Venezuela, Brazil and other countries.

Rioting in France has spread from suburban Paris to more than 20 communities among largely Muslim immigrant populations. The violence began October 27, when two teens died while fleeing police. Clashes and car fires are now reported in other parts of the country. French media reported 900 cars were burned last night alone and early this morning.

In Texas police are searching for a death row inmate who walked out of a Houston jail on Thursday. The U.S. Marshals service announced a $10,000 reward for information leading directly to the arrest of Charles Victor Thompson. He was convicted in 1999 for the murders of his former girlfriend and her boyfriend.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

NGUYEN: Americans along the Gulf Coast have been weathering a record breaking hurricane season. Many have lost their homes are struggling to survive. Jonathan Freed introduce us to a Florida family who shows how they came back on top after devastating losses.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): September 2004, Hurricane Frances had the Gault house in its grip.

MIKE GAULT, HURRICANE VICTIM: Close to 10 o'clock, she went to sleep.

FREED: While the family huddled in a closet, Mike Gault captured the moment the ceiling fell in. Right over the spot where his daughter Allysa (ph) would normally have been sleeping.

M. GAULT: There was a half an inch of water in there.

FREED: The Orlando family was hit by three of the four hurricanes that struck Florida last year.

M. GAULT: Charley did the destruction, Frances furthered it, and Jean with all the rain just kind of saturated everything.

FREED: Their house was declared unlivable and they abandoned it.

M. GAULT: This is the room where the ceiling fell in. This is my daughter's room.

FREED: More than a year later, the Gault's house has finally been rebuilt.

M. GAULT: Pretty much all of this corner here just dropped.

FREED: The family can hardly believe they're home now. But while the house has been rebuilt, patching over last year's raw nerves will take time.

JODY GAULT, HURRICANE VICTIM: I don't think I'd be this strong if I didn't have three kids. I'd definitely be bawling my eyes out, probably.

It was very stressful, to say the least. But in a way, I feel we're pretty fortunate that we ended up where we're at right now.

FREED: The family spent weeks living on top of each other in a hotel room and months in a rented house dealing with things like insurance. They struggled with financial problems that almost sank their two businesses. Mike's is lawn care, Jody own a women's gym.

J. GAULT: Both of our lines of work are for people that have expendable incomes.

FREED: Their customers were hit by the storms, too.

M. GAULT: The chimney and what-not has always been replaced. That tore off with Charley.

FREED: Names like Katrina, Rita, and Wilma are on the family's mind now. Their thoughts are for the latest storm victims.

J. GAULT: If you can remain positive through the bad stuff, then there's something good ahead, eventually. Maybe not right away, but eventually.

FREED: Home again. Jonathan Freed, CNN, Orlando.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Fears are spreading but how serious is the threat of bird flu? Take on some common myths straight ahead.

NGUYEN: Plus a record low approval rating, can President Bush bounce back or will Democrats gain some ground? Some insight right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Take a look at stories making news "Across America" right now.

An AIDS awareness campaign is getting under way in Washington. It's called "Four Days of Action". And hopes to get the attention of lawmaker. The group is pushing for full funding for treatment and support services for people living with HIV and AIDS.

In Upstate New York, 16 people were arrested last night on drug related charges at a Gloversville funeral home. Police say the owner and his girlfriend ran an extensive drug ring out of the facility. Neighbors cheered and sang the theme song from the television show "Cops" as officers raided the business.

And in Las Vegas, Nevada's Mayor Oscar Goodman offers a drastic solution for graffiti artists. Listen to this, he wants to cut off their thumbs and televise it on television. Goodman isn't backing away from that candid comment he made earlier this week. Mayor Goodman also suggests canings or whippings for children who get into trouble. Ouch.

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are in the City by the Bay this morning. Today's royal itinerary includes a stop at a Bay Area farmer's market and lunch with farmers in the coastal town of Valinas (ph). It is the couple's first official trip since their marriage in April.

HARRIS: Well, Betty, President Bush's approval rating remains weak. But it is unclear whether Democrats can take advantage of it. The latest "Washington Post/ABC News" poll finds only 39 percent of the Americans approve of the way the president is handling his job; 60 percent disapprove. CNN Political Contributor Amy Walter joins us live from Washington.

Amy, good to see you.

AMY WALTER, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.

HARRIS: I'll tell you what, you say 60 percent disapprove, it sounds pretty daunting there. We'll get to that in a moment.

But Amy, we've got some elections on Tuesday. And which races are you keeping your eyes on? I know we've got governors races in Virginia and New Jersey.

WALTER: That's right. Those are two races that everybody is keeping an eye on. Probably Virginia is the more interesting because here is a, quote/unquote, red state that has a Democratic governor. He's term limited but his lieutenant governor is running with the Republican Jerry Kilgore.

The question now becomes, you know, if Democrats win in Virginia, will that give Democrats a shot in the arm nationally to go out and say, we can win in red states. Bush's unpopularity is taking a real toll on Republicans around the country. I'd be careful about making that statement if I were democrats.

First of all, Tim Kaine, came into the race already pretty strong thanks in part to the fact that his predecessor, the current governor, very, very popular. The second thing is, in seven elections in Virginia, the party that's in the White House has lost the governor's race there.

HARRIS: Oh!

WALTER: Yes. So this is -- historically the Democrats have an advantage here. But look, the point is if Democrats win in New Jersey and in Virginia, it certainly helps keep this sort of momentum going that they feel right now about making gains in 2006. If there's a split decision, that gives Republicans some hope, too, that the president's sinking popularity isn't going to sink them in 2006.

HARRIS: Let's talk about that, the poll number, not good for the president.

WALTER: Not fun.

HARRIS: Below 40 percent. But here's the thing. Does this mean that Democrats can take advantage in some way next year?

WALTER: Well, you're right. We're still a year out from the 2006 election. So we have to be careful about extrapolating all the way out to next year. Anything can change.

Here's what's very important about the president's popularity right now, for Democrats it's an opportunity to go and get candidates to run for office to be in position in 2006. If the environment stays the same, maybe they pick up some seats.

For Republicans, this is a critical time because they have to convince their incumbents to stay in office, not to retire, not to be sort of dispirited about potentially having losses in 2006.

HARRIS: Sure.

WALTER: So both have to use this time very wisely. In 2006, we have no idea what it is going to look like, but you have to be able to take the opportunity now.

HARRIS: And Amy, I have to ask you, is it enough for Democrats, looking to take advantage of this situation now, to sit back and watch the Republicans slip slide or whatever? They can always regain strength. It is not enough to say, hey, this is what you voted for, is the sense that they've got to come up with some ideas, a plan?

WALTER: There is criticism on both sides, even from within Democratic circles that we can't just expect to come out and say, just vote for us because we're not them. An that's enough.

HARRIS: Right. WALTER: And that voters, too are very frustrated. Look, they're frustrated with the direction of the economy, with Iraq, the president's handling of those issues. At the same time, it is not as if they think that Democrats are doing a better job. They just left -- they view Democrats less negatively than Republicans, not more positively.

HARRIS: Right.

WALTER: Now, the fact that Republicans control the House, the Senate, the White House, that is important to remember. So running an anti-Republican message can get you some ground. The question is will it be enough to bring you into the majority.

HARRIS: Amy Walter with us this morning. Amy, good to see you.

WALTER: Thank you. Good to see you.

HARRIS: All right. Take care.

NGUYEN: Fires raged and violence spread to nearly 20 French communities. Can the country regain control? We'll have a live report.

HARRIS: Plus bird flu fears. Is the U.S. really at risk? We'll get some answers from Dr. Marc Siegel ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Take a look at this. The violence continues as rioters torch vehicles and warehouses in Paris. It is Saturday, November 5th. We're going to say good morning to everybody out there. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for starting your day with us. We'll have a live report from Paris straight ahead. But first, headlines that are now in the news.

NGUYEN: As leaders of the western hemisphere leave their summit in Argentina, five countries remain opposed to the free trade area of the Americas championed by President Bush. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is the most outspoken opponent. President Bush is leaving Argentina to spend the rest of today and Sunday in Brazil before heading on to Panama.

American and Iraqi forces are sweeping into an insurgent stronghold in an offensive called "Operation Steel Curtain." They're engaging the enemy in firefights in and around Husayba, a city on the Syrian border of Iraq. Now the U.S. military reports dozens of insurgents killed in this firefight so far and adds at least three Marines received minor wounds.

Three alleged Jihadists arrested in Britain are keeping investigators on both sides of the Atlantic very busy. One suspect had photographs of sites in Washington on his computer along with instructions for making a car bomb. Authorities in Washington say there is no direct threat to the capital.

And hundreds of American and European tourists on a holiday cruise that had a frightening encounter off the coast of Somalia. Pirates, yes, modern-day pirates in speed boats opened fire on luxury liners today, that luxury liner. The captain of the Seabourn Cruise Lines "Spirit" ship changed course and headed away. A spokesperson said the ship had some minor damage and one person did suffer minor injuries.

Parts of France burned for a ninth consecutive night after rioting youth. Well, the young people took to the streets setting fires to express their discontent on several fronts. And what began as an isolated incident in a Paris suburb has now spread to as many as 20 other locations. CNN's Chris Burns is on the phone with us with more on the rioting and Chris, I understand the U.S. embassy in Paris has issued a travel advisory for American tourists.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Tony. The embassy is suggesting that Americans try to avoid these areas where the violence has been going on in Paris. It is actually the suburbs of northeast and Paris where we were today actually talking to youths on the ground there. These attacks have been going on for more than a week. Cars have been torched.

Actually last night was the largest number of cars torched yet, some 900, according to police, not only in the Paris area but also in other cities across France. Lille, Guegon, Toulouse, Nice, Rennes, Tausbol (ph) -- I could keep on, Bordeaux and so forth and officials are dealing with it in two ways.

One, they're increasing the arrests. They say they arrested some 250 people just yesterday and they're also increasing their efforts to try to look at the long term, trying to create jobs, trying to step up urban renewal as officials said after their emergency meeting today with Prime Minister (INAUDIBLE). Tony.

HARRIS: And Chris, just a couple quick questions. Anyone talking about bringing in the French military to put this down?

BURNS: Well, it doesn't seem to be talked about too seriously the last couple of days. It seems that more police were put on the line there and that that seems to be what they're sticking with right now. There was a meeting that included the defense minister early in the week and so they were considering it. But so far there is no indication that they'll go ahead with that for the moment.

HARRIS: OK, CNN's Chris Burns for us in Paris. Chris, thank you.

NGUYEN: Indonesia is confirming two new human cases of bird flu. Officials say a 19-year-old woman who died last month suffered from the H5N1 strain of the virus. And they say an eight-year-old relative of the woman has also tested positive for the strain. As bird flu continues to spread, our Brian Todd looks at who would be most at risk if a pandemic breaks out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If the deadly avian flu has the potential to be as dangerous as President Bush says, then who is most likely to get burned? Officials from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control tell CNN it's very difficult to tell who would be most vulnerable to bird flu until a pandemic strain actually emerges.

There are what one official calls traditional risk groups. The elderly, people with significant health problems like AIDS or heart disease and very young children who, experts say, might also be at greater risk of getting avian flu. But they mirror the president's cautious approach when describing the more than 120 human cases reported in Asia.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Most of the people in southeast Asia who got sick were handling infected birds. As of now unless people come into direct sustained contact with infected birds, it is unlikely they will come down with avian flu.

TODD: But one health official points out in the 1918 flu pandemic which killed at least 20 million people worldwide, the young and healthy were especially susceptible to the disease. He says that was due to the fact that many of them were crowded together in places like troop ships and trenches during World War I. Public health experts tell us certain strains of flu at pandemic stage can attack young to middle aged people with ...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Sorry. I'm sorry.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Tony, messing with me. OK, let's talk a little bit more about the bird flu. As some people are wondering, is it OK to eat chicken? Here's some questions that we've received. Should I stock up on Tamiflu? Dr. Marc Siegel is the author of "False Alarm, the Truth about the Epidemic of Fear." And he is also an associate professor of medicine at the New York University.

He joins us now from New York to talk about just how worried we should be. And Doctor, I think it's important to remind people exactly where we are with the bird flu. Has it spread to the point where it's found in birds and humans? Are they coming in contact with it here in the U.S.?

DR. MARC SIEGEL, NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Well, Betty, good afternoon. The issue with bird flu that people need to remember is that it hasn't come to North America at all. It's only present in birds. As the president was saying in the setup piece, it only occasionally has gone to a human being. And that's with close contact with birds. So people here in the U.S. need to know their birds are safe.

No birds have had it. Eating chicken is totally safe because it kills the virus. So even if you were in Asia and you were concerned about it, it would be OK to eat chicken. The Centers for Disease Control have received a lot of calls about bird feeders. Bird feeders are safe. You can keep your bird feeder. We need to track this thing and really keep an eye on it because there's reason to be concerned, but right now there's no risk for anyone here in the United States.

NGUYEN: You mentioned something very important. I just got back from a trip to Vietnam where there are several cases of bird flu and there weren't any warnings not to eat chicken in the areas where I traveled in the south, so a point well taken. But I have to tell you that at least one of Britain's poultry suppliers, I'm reading here, has seen a decrease of their orders by 30 percent. So is that just simply fear. Is it uneducated fear?

SIEGEL: I think it's fear Betty. And one of the things I'm really concerned about is how fear spreads as a virus itself. If we actually do end up with a bird getting it here in the United States, which could happen, people need to keep in mind that until this bug mutates which it may not, this particular virus may not mutate to a form that can routinely infect humans. We have to learn the difference between being concerned and being alarmed because there's no reason to be alarmed.

NGUYEN: So to be very clear, it has not mutated to the point where there is human to human transmission.

SIEGEL: Exactly. When public health officials say that a pandemic is inevitable, they're not necessarily talking about this virus. This virus may never mutate to that form. Also, if the worst case scenario occurred and it did mutate to that form, we don't really know whether it would still be as much aggressive and as much a killer virus as it is now.

NGUYEN: All right. What about the vaccine? There's a lot of talk about a vaccine. Where is this vaccine in the stages?

SIEGEL: Well, the vaccine already is made. But it's in the process of being tested with people. So it's not commercially available. What I think is really interesting is that the president's plan put $2.7 billion towards upgrading how we make vaccines.

And actually if we had flu vaccine using genetic engineering, then we could turn around the vaccine pool in only a month which would be much more helpful than stockpiling a vaccine we may not end up needing. We don't have it right now, but we're in the process of making it. So the bird flu vaccine will be available, but there again, I wouldn't advise people to be taking it for something that's not currently here.

NGUYEN: We're also looking at video at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen of Tamiflu. Explain to us exactly how Tamiflu works and what it does to prevent or help in case of bird flu.

SIEGEL: Betty, that's really important because I think a lot of people thing that Tamiflu is a vaccine and it's really not. Tamiflu is an antiviral drug which decreases the symptoms of flu if you have it. It works on one of the major enzymes. We haven't really tested it against bird flu in humans, but there's reason to believe it would work.

But again, right now there's no use for it. I'm against personal stockpiles in any case because that takes the physician out of the loop. Physicians should really decide when and if somebody needs a medication and also, we may be breeding resistance to this drug.

NGUYEN: Yes, you don't want to build up a tolerance if necessary.

SIEGEL: Exactly and that's happened to older ones of those medications. It is not a great idea to be stockpiling this.

NGUYEN: OK, so in the absence of a vaccine, what should people do to help protect themselves?

SIEGEL: I think information is the biggest protection. We're giving that out today. The other thing is that there's common ways of protecting against all viruses that people have to remember. If someone gets sick, they have to be isolated.

You don't go back to school or work if you have any kind of a flu. Simple hand washing is the best way to protect and not sneezing in crowds, this is a very important matter and will remain the most important. The most important thing for people out there to know is that there's nothing to worry about right now and no reason to obsess on the bird flu because it hasn't happened.

NGUYEN: All right. And wash those hands. Dr. Marc Siegel with the New York University School of Medicine. Thank you so much.

SIEGEL: My pleasure.

HARRIS: One woman's courage inspired others around the world. Her story of survival straight ahead.

NGUYEN: Coming up at noon Eastern, from rubble to restoration. Why it's important to include minority business owners in the hurricane rebuilding effort. CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues in just a moment.

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NGUYEN: Checking top stories for you now. The U.S. military says American and Iraqi troops have been killing dozens of insurgents in "Operation Steel Curtain." Today's offensive in a city near the Syrian border is designed to take out a command and control center for the insurgency in Iraq. At least 30 explosive devices and two suicide car bombs have been found.

Federal marshals are offering $10,000 for information leading to the capture of an escaped death row inmate. Convicted killer Charles Victor Thompson somehow escaped from a locked room and simply walked out of a Houston jail on Thursday.

And Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are touring the United States. They're scheduled to visit a farmers market in the San Francisco bay area this morning. Earlier they stopped in New Orleans to meet survivors of hurricane Katrina.

HARRIS: Well, sure hope you're ready for an amazing story. A Pakistani woman who stood up to her attackers and the cultural barriers in her country is being honored for her courage. The soft spoken 36-year-old has sparked a movement to make sure women in Pakistan and around the world are treated with dignity and respect. CNN's Andrea Koppel has her story.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some call Mukhtar Mai the Rosa Parks of Pakistan, a poor soft spoken woman, courageous enough to speak out against social injustice.

MUKHTAR MAI, PAKISTANI ACTIVIST (through translator): There's a fire burning inside me that just made me do it.

KOPPEL: By fire, does she mean anger?

MAI (through translator): Yes, anger.

KOPPEL: Mai's anger directed at the men who gang raped her and at the tribal council of elders in her village which ordered the rape three years ago to restore her family's honor following trumped up charges against her younger brother.

MAI (through translator): I kept thinking with what I should or shouldn't do. First I thought about killing myself. And God saved me from that, that thought.

KOPPEL: Instead, the now 36-year-old Mai did the unthinkable in a country whose laws make it almost impossible to prove a rape. She pressed charges and testified against her attackers, taking her case all the way to Pakistan's highest court. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says over the last five years, an estimated 5,000 women reported being raped, over 2,000 of them gang raped.

Mai's story of survival has inspired women in Pakistan and around the world. Pakistani-American Dr. Amna Buttar founded an Asian-American human rights group and communicated with Mai by phone for the last several years, eventually bringing her message to the international stage.

AMNA BUTTAR, ANAA: She has started a revolution for women's rights in Pakistan. Mukhtar Mai is the first working class, first poor feminist woman. Mukhtar Mai doesn't even call herself a feminist or a human rights activist. She's just doing it.

KOPPEL: After Pakistani courts found her attackers guilty, Mai used the $2500 she received from the government in compensation for the rape, to build the first schools in her village. Now 200 girls and 160 boys are getting an education.

MAI (through translator): In my village, I want the women to be free. I don't want them to face any violence.

KOPPEL: Her story's so powerful and potentially embarrassing, Pakistan's president tried to block her from traveling abroad last spring, but international outrage and pressure from the U.S. government finally prevailed. This week, Mai traveled to Washington, D.C. and testified before Congress and visited New York City where she was honored by "Glamour" magazine as a woman of the year.

MAI (through translator): My motto is, end oppression with education.

KOPPEL: Mai, herself illiterate, hopes the classroom can teach the next generation to respect one another. Her goal, she says, to do everything she can to make sure that what happened to her should never happen to another woman in Pakistan. Andrea Koppel, CNN, New York.

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NGUYEN: That is powerful, courageous woman.

HARRIS: Just living it, just in the moment totally it seems. Just feels so authentic.

NGUYEN: Proves that one person can bring about great change.

HARRIS: You said it.

NGUYEN: Well, we do want to show you a live look now ...

HARRIS: look at this!

NGUYEN: Beautiful. This is San Francisco as they are waking up today, also, where Prince Charles and Camilla are starting a four-day visit there. San Francisco, we are going to have your weekend forecast right after this short break.

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HARRIS: Look that shot. Love it of San Francisco as we toss to CNN meteorologist Brad Huffines upstairs in the CNN weather center. That's like a post card.

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HARRIS: Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, we want to thank you for watching today, Tony. That's it for us.

HARRIS: We will see you back here tomorrow morning 7:00 Eastern. CNN LIVE SATURDAY is next with Fredricka Whitfield. Have a great day.

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