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CNN Saturday Morning News

Not Much Left Of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi's Safe House; Supreme Court To Decide Who Goes Where To School; Houston Couple Claims They've Been Abducted By Aliens

Aired June 10, 2006 - 07:59   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Tensions escalate in the Middle East. Hamas fires back at Israel -- here's some new video coming into CNN -- but one rocket hits a Palestinian home in northern Gaza. Hamas has vowed to resume its attacks on Israel.
The announcement by Hamas follows an Israeli attack that killed seven civilians at a beachside picnic. More on the violence in a live report from Jerusalem next hour.

We're also getting word this morning that dozens of Taliban insurgents have been killed in Afghanistan. Remnants of the Taliban have escalated attacks in recent months. Coalition officials say more than 40 insurgents were killed during separate operations this week. The fighting was centered in two provinces in southern Afghanistan.

Well, Georgia authorities have issued an Amber Alert for two missing boys, or at least the state's version of the Amber Alert. Their father is suspected of abducting them. Police say Baker Clark (ph) made off with the children seen here after a dispute with their mother and her boyfriend, who was shot. Authorities believe the suspect and the children are in a green sport utility vehicle with Georgia tag number AQE4116.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it started on the Internet and ended overseas, but a 16-year-old Michigan girl is back home safe this morning. Officials say she flew to the Mideast to be with a man she met on MySpace.com.

Yes, she was headed for Jericho. She got as far as Jordan, where officials persuaded her to go home.

They're accused of ignoring a call from a boy trying to save his dying mother. Two Detroit 911 operators plead not guilty to charges of willful neglect of duty. They were arraigned yesterday. In February, the 5-year-old called 911 after his mother collapsed. The operators apparently thought it was a prank. When police arrived three hours later, the boy's mother was dead.

A rally in a World Cup host city turns violent. The extreme right national democratic party staged a demonstration. Anti- globalization activists and others threw rocks and bottles at demonstrators. That triggered clashes with police.

Elsewhere, British fans gear up for action on the field. England goes up against Paraguay next hour. NGUYEN: Uh-oh.

HARRIS: Host country Germany kicked off the competition with a win. More like a rout over Costa Rica -- 4-2 was the final there.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: We'll have a complete World Cup wrap next hour.

NGUYEN: Getting to news "Across America."

CNN's John Vause takes you to what is left of a safe house where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed. We'll get to that in just a moment.

From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is June 10th, 8:00 a.m. here at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, 4:00 p.m. in Iraq.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us.

NGUYEN: We do have new developments this morning in the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. DNA samples from Iraq's al Qaeda leader are in Virginia for testing. Results are expected by Monday.

Now, intelligence gathered immediately after the airstrike on al- Zarqawi has spawned dozens of raids all across Iraq. Numerous suspected insurgents have been taken into custody or killed.

As for who will succeed al-Zarqawi, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian with ties to Osama bin Laden's number two, has been mentioned as a likely possibility. Al-Zarqawi's safe house, though, was located about 43 miles north of Baghdad, near Baquba. It is a rural area tucked in a grove of trees.

CNN's John Vause visited the huge crater where the house had been and filed this report which is new to CNN this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is all that's left of Zarqawi's safe house, a house made of concrete and steel. All of this destruction caused by two 500-pound bombs. The impact from the blast was so powerful, we are told by the U.S. military, that initially this hole in the ground about 35, maybe 40 feet deep.

Now, the day after the airstrike, the rubble around the area was mostly cleared and bulldozed into that crater. It's still more than 10 feet deep as well.

It was an incredibly powerful blast. Rubble is strewn around this area, 600 feet, maybe even a thousand feet away. And signs of the people who once lived in this house. Over here is a towel left behind, thrown clear as part of the debris. Just over here as well, we can see a pillow. And just next to it a blanket as well.

They say this was a safe house in an isolated area. And indeed, it was very isolated. Take a look at the tree, the palm trees and the date trees which surround this area.

At the time of the airstrike, a top-level al Qaeda meeting was under way. Zarqawi and five others, including his spiritual adviser, the man who was traced to this house and ultimately led to Zarqawi's downfall. And after this powerful blast, we're told somehow Zarqawi managed to survive, if only for a few moments.

John Vause, CNN, near the city of Baquba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Be sure to tune in to CNN tonight at 7:00 Eastern as Wolf Blitzer hosts "Iraq: A Week at War." CNN's team of correspondents all around the world bring you an in-depth look at major events in the war on terror, including the strike on al Zarqawi, the new al-Zawahiri tape, and the foiled terror plot in Canada.

Again, that is tonight 7:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.

And for complete coverage of breaking news and today's top stories, you can stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

HARRIS: And other news "Across America" this morning.

Ship-shape for hurricane season. That from Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen. He attended a change of command ceremony at the Port of New Orleans. The commandant says the Coast Guard has never been more ready to respond to a hurricane.

It's a Purple Heart for Aaron (ph). The Oklahoma City police dog gets the award for bravery in action. Aaron was shot last month while chasing down a suspect, but he got his man anyway.

Not your typical patient for a CT scan. A Florida hospital conducts the test on an albino alligator.

NGUYEN: Yes, that isn't the alligator. There's the alligator.

HARRIS: Well, the alligator wasn't sick.

NGUYEN: Well, see, that's odd. Now, why is the alligator...

HARRIS: Well, thank you. Thank you for the question.

NGUYEN: OK.

HARRIS: Scans from the procedure are part of an upcoming documentary for PBS and National Geographic.

NGUYEN: I see.

HARRIS: The work entitled "Super-sized Crocs."

NGUYEN: Sounds good. OK.

Now to that video that we were showing you. A vaccine against cervical cancer may be available later this month. The FDA approved it this week, and here's what it does.

It blocks a virus known as HPV. That causes most cases of cervical cancer. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. The drug maker recommends the shots for girls as young as nine, before they even become sexually active.

HARRIS: Well, this brings us to our e-mail question. What are your thoughts on giving the cancer vaccine to preteen girls?

E-mail us. You know the address by now, weekends@CNN.com. We'll read your responses throughout the morning.

And coming up at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, we will speak with a doctor who worked on the HPV vaccine for the past decade. If you have some questions, please, please, please send them in. Dr. Kevin Ault joins us live, 10:15 Eastern, to answer your concerns.

NGUYEN: So, are we in the year 2006 or 1954? On today's docket, the Supreme Court weighing the scales of justice on the issue of race and education. In about five minutes from now, our legal ladies will crack the gavel.

Plus...

HARRIS: You know they're out there, right? No, we're not talking about the little green guys from Mars. But those people...

NGUYEN: What are those people doing?

HARRIS: But those people -- thank you for the question, Betty.

They're people who really think they've been...

NGUYEN: Ooh, that's not a picture of me, is it?

HARRIS: Betty.

NGUYEN: A little bit of forehead going on there.

HARRIS: These are people, Betty, who believe they've been abducted by aliens and been...

NGUYEN: Get out of here!

HARRIS: Yes, and then returned, OK? More in about 15 minutes.

NGUYEN: All right. Serious business, folks.

Stay tuned to CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As a retired Army paratrooper, 78-year-old Vernon Coffey (ph) knows to stay fit. Even though he suffered a minor stroke 13 years ago, doctors say he bounced back because he was physically active.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like the old saying, you know, if you don't pay now, you pay later.

FEIG: But seniors like Coffey are unusual. A recent study by the American Public Health Association found that almost half of older adults surveyed were aware they needed to make changes in their lifestyles to improve their health, but they say they lacked motivation, money, and time to do it.

JENNIFER HARTIG, FITNESS COORDINATOR: We've got bridge, or a trip to the movies, or just something going all day long every day. And so they'll say they're retired, but they don't have time to do it.

Come on, big guy.

FEIG: Doctors say it takes just a little effort to improve quality of health. People don't need fancy gyms or equipment to stay healthy. Just walking around the block can help. By keeping active and seeing their physicians, many seniors can avoid the early onset of heart disease, hypertension, even Type II Diabetes.

In Washington, I'm Christy Feig.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The writing is on the chalkboard. Today's lesson, diversity in public elementary and secondary schools. Let's throw in high schools, as well, for good measure.

The Supreme Court will once again intervene when it comes to who goes where to school. Which one is it, a positive step forward or backward stumble?

Let's bring in our legal ladies.

You look -- Lida, you look great. You look great. No need to fuss with the hair. You look outstanding.

Lida Rodriguez-Taseff joins us from Philadelphia this morning.

And live from Houston, former prosecutor Nelda Blair.

Nelda, you look outstanding as well.

Good to see you, ladies. Thank you for being with us.

NELDA BLAIR, FMR. PROSECUTOR: Thanks, Tony. Good morning.

LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Good morning, Tony.

HARRIS: All right. We're talking about affirmative action again, and here's the deal. We've got two cases the Supreme Court will take a look at next year.

Parents are upset in Seattle, and again in Kentucky, with a policy. Let's talk about Seattle, a policy there that uses skin color as a tie-breaker, not the only tie-breaker in deciding which students get into schools that have more applicants than openings.

My question is, Lida, why is the Supreme Court taking a look at affirmative action again? Wasn't this -- isn't this settled law from the 2003 decision?

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Actually, it is not settled law from the 2003 decision. That decision dealt with college admissions at the University of Michigan. This is actually a case that arose, and it has -- there's alleged to be over a thousand school districts where this is happening, where race is being considered as a factor in determining allocations.

Why is the court reviewing it? Well, hard to say. Obviously, in December, when the court had an opportunity to review a similar case like this, it chose not to. And oddly, at that time, Justice O'Connor was still on the court.

HARRIS: Right.

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: So maybe it's being done because the composition of the court has changed. I certainly hope it's just being done because the court wants to clarify its position on this issue.

HARRIS: Well, Nelda, the only reason the Supreme Court is taking this case on is because it wants to -- it wants to take on the precedent from 2003, it wants to change law.

BLAIR: I think that's probably right, Tony. You know, Brown versus Board of Education, many, many decades ago, said that we cannot segregate kids based on race. But those 2003 decisions came real close to saying you can integrate kids based on race.

Well, that's wrong, too. Anything based on race is what we want to avoid. And I think what's probably going to happen is the Supreme Court now has two new justices. Those 2003 cases were a very split decision, and they probably need to fine-tune this.

We need to say, are we going go forward in society basing our decisions on race in any school or are we not?

HARRIS: Any system, Lida, as in the case in Seattle and these other districts that you're talking about, that has codified in law a system that limits my ability to move my kids from a less desirable school to a more desirable school is a law, is a system that must be struck down.

What say you?

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Absolutely not. And, in fact, with me on this one is none other than Judge Alex Kozinski from the 9th Circuit, a very, very, very conservative judge, who, in supporting the Seattle plan, basically said that this plan is a good law because what it does is it gives the American melting pot a healthy stir without burdening any group in the United States.

So I don't know. I think that this is not as Nelda says. I think that this is not going to be a slam-dunk reversal. Absolutely not.

HARRIS: Let's get -- let's get to the heart of this. Fifty-two years now after the landmark Brown decision, do we believe that separate means equal or unequal?

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Absolutely not.

BLAIR: No, we don't -- we don't think separate means equal or unequal. And, in fact, what we're trying to avoid is separate.

The whole point is not to teach children or to base their education on what their skin color is. And that's whether we're segregating, integrating, allowing them into college, allowing them into public schools.

HARRIS: Aren't we -- oh, Nelda, Lida, aren't we just playing nice around the issue here? This is -- this is a place, this is a country -- the situation in Seattle points it out -- where 70 percent of that population is white. And what you have in Seattle is that white parents want their white kids to go to school with their white counterparts, and they're angry because the schools in these other neighborhoods just aren't performing up to snuff.

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Well, absolutely. And, you know, Tony, I think you bring up a good, because, look, this wasn't a judicially- imposed plan in Seattle. It was a created plan by the school board.

It was done voluntarily by the majority of the parents in that school board. And what you have is a small minority of local people, supported by some national groups who have an axe to grind, who are coming out opposing a plan that was locally created. Again, I have to quote Justice Kozinski -- Judge Kozinski, who basically said that here what we have is local control of the school system, and this local control has resulted in parents saying diversity is a good thing, let's maintain it.

HARRIS: So...

BLAIR: Now wait just a minute. Let's look at this from a little bit more basic point of view. What these parents have done, like a lot of parents do, they bought a home close to the school that their kids are going to go to, they picked the area, and then they find out their kids are going to be bussed across town and not go the school down the street. It's a lot more basic than is it a diverse population in this school?

They don't want their kids to be mixed only because they are of a different race. They want them to go to school close to home, and they should be able to have them do that.

HARRIS: If you diminish the use of affirmative action in the public school arena, isn't it just the first step until you diminish affirmative action in employment and on down the line?

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Absolutely. You go back to Brown versus Board of Ed. Diversity is a positive thing. We need to start diversity early in the schools. We need to teach kids how to interact with other kids so that when we -- when they grow up to be adults they don't discriminate against each other, absolutely.

HARRIS: Nelda.

BLAIR: But we also have to teach them affirmative action can be a good thing. But diversity, I agree, is a good thing. But you can't teach kids that you get favoritism or you get treated differently because of your skin color.

HARRIS: It's going to heat up. It's going to heat up.

Nelda, Lida, good to see you both. Thank you.

BLAIR: Thank you, Tony.

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Sure, Tony.

NGUYEN: That was good stuff.

All right. We do want to ask you, though, to keep your e-mails coming, because our question today is an important one.

What are your thoughts about giving the cervical cancer vaccine to preteen girls? This vaccine can prevent cancer in the cervix if it's given early enough. So, we're going to read some of those e- mails in about 10 minutes. So you can still get them in, though, if you send it in now, weekends@CNN.com.

HARRIS: Ever been snatched by aliens?

NGUYEN: Not lately.

HARRIS: OK. Well, we'll meet some people who are convinced they were. An outer space experience here on Earth ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: Nice hair.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. You've got to take a listen to this one. A Houston woman drew this sketch that you see right here of her abduction by aliens saying, we are not alone, you know? Or so believes the mutual UFO network. It says about one-third of Americans believe aliens have visited us.

National Correspondent Gary Tuchman has this extraterrestrial experience.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONNA LEE, CLAIMS ABDUCTION BY ALIENS: That's cool. OK.

CLAYTON LEE, CLAIMS ABDUCTION BY ALIENS: Everything's taken care of.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Clayton and Donna Lee consider themselves a happy couple.

(on camera): How long have you guys been married?

D. LEE: Eighteen and a half years. It will be 19 years January 2nd.

TUCHMAN (voice over): But not an ordinary couple.

C. LEE: I want to go home. I want to go home!

TUCHMAN: Under hypnosis...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Relax completely and listen to the sound of my voice.

TUCHMAN: ... it's apparent the Lees are quite out of the ordinary.

DONNA LEE: Oh, no. I just need to go. I just need to go.

TUCHMAN: What's going on here?

Clayton and Donna Lee are trying to retrieve memories about being kidnapped by creatures from another world. Donna has drawn a picture of an alien who she says captured her. Clayton says one of his captors looked similar.

(on camera): How many times have you been abducted by aliens?

C. LEE: More than 10. Yes. More than 20 probably.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL": We have come to visit you in peace.

TUCHMAN (voice over): For most people, visions of alien abductions are limited to the movies and TV. But in a CNN-"TIME" magazine poll in 1997, two percent of respondents said they had been abducted by aliens or knew someone who was. Based on the sample, that correlated to more than five million Americans.

Clayton Lee says he was a child in this Houston park the first time he was abducted, saying he was lifted in the air.

C. LEE: And I remember just floating up, higher and higher, until all that was around me were stars and blackness. And then I blacked out.

TUCHMAN: The hypnotist tries to retrieve further memories of that day.

C. LEE: Quit touching me. Quit touching me. Ah!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is that, Clayton?

C. LEE: Oh!

DERREL SIMS, INVESTIGATOR, HYPNOTIST: What's the reason for all this?

C. LEE: They gave me something.

SIMS: What was it they gave you?

C. LEE: They gave me something.

TUCHMAN: The hypnotist, who's a private investigator, also claims to have been an abductee.

(on camera): You can understand how a lot of people would think, this is really far out.

SIMS: Well I think it's far out. I think it's bizarre. And I wish it had never happened to me. My life would be a lot better.

TUCHMAN (voice over): Susan Clancy is a Harvard psychiatrist who decided to do research on people's abduction claims.

DR. SUSAN CLANCY, HARVARD PSYCHIATRIST: When I ran the first ad looking for people who thought they had been abducted by aliens, I thought we'd get very few calls. But we were inundated with calls for a month after we ran one ad.

TUCHMAN: The ads were for subjects who wanted to be included in her new book about people who believed they were kidnapped by aliens. But Clancy is determined she is not a believer.

CLANCY: So people have symptoms like psychological distress, anxiety, sexual problems, nightmares. And for better or for worse, today being abducted by aliens is a culturally available explanation for why you might have some of these symptoms.

TUCHMAN (on camera): With all the reported alien abductions, you might think there would be one high-quality photograph or videotape that would indisputably show aliens in action. Until that happens, most people will have their doubts. But not all people. C. LEE: And I said, "I don't know what you're talking about.

TUCHMAN (voice over): Clayton remains convinced this scar is a remnant of an experimental operation to collect his DNA. Donna believes a fetus was taken from her body.

(on camera): Is it possible -- possible that you just have a vivid imagination and that this really didn't happen?

D. LEE: No. I mean, I have a vivid imagination, but I know it happened.

TUCHMAN (voice over): And they both say they expect to be abducted again at any time.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Houston.

C. LEE: We need to get the bungee situation...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Did he say bungee situation? Does that have to do with the abduction?

HARRIS: I'm sorry, I checked out after the guy started rolling around saying, "Ah!"

NGUYEN: I know. I think I'm going to reserve comment on that one.

HARRIS: I kind of checked out.

Here's our e-mail "Question of the Day." Appreciate the e-mails you've sent us so far. Keep them coming.

What are your thoughts on giving the cancer vaccine to preteen girls?

And Melissa says, "I think it's a great idea. I have two daughters 9 and 14, and if I were given the choice to give it to them at birth, I would."

NGUYEN: Yes, C.J. agrees, too, saying, "I would have been thrilled to give my daughter this shot. She is 23 and has been diagnosed with HPV. Before anyone starts talking about promiscuity, let me tell you, my daughter has only had two sexual partners. It can happen to anyone."

HARRIS: And this from Marguerite, who writes, "As the mother of a 14-year-old girl, I am delighted to hear that this vaccine is available. However, because it is so new, I will be hesitant to obtain it for her any time soon. I would like to see more information about how long it has been tested and what any possible side-effects are. Too many questions unanswered at this point for me to feel comfortable."

Aren't we going to talk to a doctor?

NGUYEN: We are going to talk to -- and that's a -- that's a very good question...

HARRIS: You want to hang on to this one?

NGUYEN: ... that I want to pose to the doctor.

HARRIS: OK.

NGUYEN: Because this is very new, and a lot of parents are worried that, you know, our children are going to be guinea pigs in this since it's just come out.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: But there has been extensive research that has gone into this. So we'll talk to the doctor and find out, is it too early, is it too soon.

HARRIS: And maybe you can ask -- well, Marguerite, maybe we can get an answer to your question.

Still ahead, growing tensions in the last 24 hours in the Middle East. Death and despair at a beach in northern Gaza, while more Palestinian rockets are launched against Israel.

A live report from Jerusalem, 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

But first...

NGUYEN: Time for your "HOUSE CALL." The topic today, what some call brain attacks or stroke. More than 700,000 Americans will experience one this year. You know the signs? How to react?

"HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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