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CNN Live Sunday

Fighting Continues in Falluja; Large Explosion in Central Baghdad

Aired November 14, 2004 - 11:00   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It's 11:00 a.m. in Washington, 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
Ahead this hour...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Unpredictably, and seemingly out of nowhere, they take fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Inside Falluja with Charley company, the latest from CNN's Nic Robertson.

Plus, Vice President Dick Cheney and the latest on his most recent trip to the hospital.

And then, the chilling effect within Muslim communities and why many fear a religious calling to give to charities might connect them to terrorists. But first, here's some other stories now in the news.

This story just in, reports now of a large explosion taking place near a hotel in central Baghdad where many foreigners stay. When we get more information on that explosion, we'll be bringing that to you.

Meantime, more on the battle report from Iraq. Top U.S. military officials say insurgents no longer have a base of operations in Falluja. At least 1,000 insurgents are reported dead and 31 U.S. and six Iraqi forces have died in the week-long assault. However, there are more reports of ongoing fighting in the northern city of Mosul. We'll have a full report from embedded correspondent Jane Arraf coming up in one minute.

Elections to choose a successor to Yasser Arafat are to take place January 9th. Interim Palestinian President Rawhi Fattouh announced the date shortly after a meeting between the Fatah movement and the Palestine Liberation Organization. However, officials insist Israel must pull back from the occupied areas to guarantee free elections.

And Vice President Dick Cheney is home today. Problems with his heart and lungs appear to be unfounded. Cheney underwent tests yesterday at George Washington University Medical Center after experiencing shortness of breath, but the doctor there says it appears Cheney may have only an upper respiratory infection. We'll have a full report on Cheney's health coming up this hour.

The week-long battle for Falluja appears to be winding down. The last remaining insurgent forces are fractured into small bands. Coalition officials say it's only a matter of time before they are routed out of their hiding places. One major question remains -- what has become of terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. JOHN F. SATTLER, 1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE: Don't know where he is right now. Maybe he's dead. I don't know. But right now, we're not really -- we never really focused on him. We focused on breaking the backbone of the insurgency, reinstating the rule of law which we're in the process of doing, giving Falluja back to the Fallujan people which will come fairly soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Jane Arraf is embedded with U.S. troops and brings us the very latest in this report from Falluja.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Military commanders on the ground in Falluja tell us that they have defeated the last of the organized insurgency. Overnight, we were with an army unit, task force 22 of the first infantry division, that rolled into the last part of their sector in southeast Falluja, thought to be an insurgent stronghold. And what they found there a series of immense underground bunkers, storage facilities and tunnels leading to them. In fact, one of the tanks we were with actually fell through into a tunnel. It was recovered and no one was hurt. Overnight they dropped four 2,000 pound bombs on that complex and they say there was 45 minutes of secondary explosions indicating that there had been weapons or explosives stored there. One of the Marine officials, Major General Richard Natonski tells us that even though there are insurgents active in other cities, primarily right now Mosul and other parts of Iraq, the fact that they have defeated the insurgency in a formal sense in Falluja certainly lessens their ability to operate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think having taken down Falluja, they no longer have a base of operations. This was their sanctuary, the location they could rearm, refit, rest and then operate anywhere around the Sunni triangle out west, up north. They no longer have that luxury. So if they do go into plays like Mosul or Ramadi, we're waiting for them. We're going to chase them down and now they no longer have a place to run to.

ARRAF: As for civilians in Falluja, they are just starting to come out of their homes. A Marine colonel tells us they are tentatively leaving their homes and approaching Iraqi forces who are going deeper into the city. In the center of Falluja, he says that they are approaching in small groups and saying they need food, water and medicine. Aid is slowly getting through to them but many civilians in Falluja still inside their homes and many parts of the city have been empty of civilians for weeks. Jane Arraf, CNN reporting from Falluja.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Reports say U.S. Marines discovered a woman's mutilated body in central Falluja and it appears it may be that have a westerner. The Associated Press reports the body was lying in the middle of the street wrapped in a cloth. Two western women are known to have been kidnapped in Iraq, one of them Margaret Hassan who headed the Care international in Iraq but again, no positive ID on the body that was found which appears to be that of a woman.

Our Nic Robertson has a different take on the fighting in Falluja. He's embedded with Charley company and files a report from the frontlines. We'll have that a little bit later on in this newscast.

Meantime, dozens of U.S. casualties from the fighting in Falluja are being treated for their wounds at Landstuhl regional medical center in Germany. Our Walter Rodgers is also there and joins us now live. Hi, Walter.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka. As you would expect with the intense fight fighting this past week in the Falluja area, there has been an upsurge in military casualties evacuated to the Landstuhl regional military hospital here in Germany. What we're seeing is that the army has suffered the greatest numbers of casualties at least in terms of those being medevac'd here to Landstuhl. Fifty three percent of the casualties in the Falluja area are coming -- are from the army. The numbers of Marines are about 42 percent. The natures -- the nature of the injuries tend to be three kinds, bullet wounds, that is to say gunshot wounds. Then there are what they call blast wounds. This involves shrapnel and concussions and the then the other and the third kind of wound that they're seeing on soldiers and Marines being evacuated are called burns. Colonel Rhonda Cornum is the military hospital commander here. She read the grim statistics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. RHONDA CORNUM, LANDSTUHL REG. MEDICAL CENTER: Since November 8th, Landstuhl has received 419 patients as of the end of today. Of those, more than half have been battle injuries and more than half have been in patients. That is higher than we usually have. About 95 percent have been from Iraq. About 5 percent as usual are from Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODGERS: The casualties coming in here, there is one bit of good news. No one has died. That is none of the incoming patients from either Iraq or Afghanistan have died in the course of this past week. There is another bit of good news. That is to say, as soon as the soldiers and Marines get here, they're generally handed a cell phone if they can make a phone call and allowed to call friends and family back in the United States. Additionally, there are Internet hookups here, as well, if a soldier or Marine is not well enough to make a call home to the United States, then in that case, the military makes the phone call and let's the loved ones at least know that the soldiers and Marines have arrived safely here at Landstuhl.

There will, even though the fighting has diminished in Falluja, there will still be a steady influx of injured soldiers and Marines here because there are still many in the military pipeline being medevac'd here to this military base. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Walter Rodgers, thanks very much for that update from Landstuhl, Germany.

I feel fine, the words of Vice President Dick Cheney following a series of hospital tests after Mr. Cheney reported shortness of breath. CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now with the latest on all of that. Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you Fredricka. No word on any change this morning, but yesterday Vice President Dick Cheney was complaining of shortness of breath, also a cough so on the advice of his doctor, he went to George Washington University Hospital for some precautionary tests because of his history of heart trouble. He's had four heart attacks in the past. Doctors say that those tests ruled out any heart problems and they think it's an upper respiratory infection. Mr. Cheney has been keeping or had been keeping a hectic schedule especially leading up to the election. Mostly recently, aides say that the vice president had been suffering from a cold ever since he returned from his annual hunting trip in South Dakota.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY MATALIN, CHENEY SPOKESPERSON: He's absolutely fine. He had a cold but when you have a history as he does and you have to get everything checked out. He has a lot of cautious people around him, not the least of which is his wife. He's absolutely fine and he had a grueling schedule. He's a remarkable asset to the ticket and he got a cold.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: So again, doctors saying that they suspect an upper respiratory infection. Meantime, as for President Bush, he attended church services across the street at St. John's Episcopal Church along with the first lady today. He is going to be heading out to Arkansas later this week for the dedication of the Clinton presidential library but he will also Fredricka be making his first international trip. He'll be heading to Chile to attend the annual APEC meeting of Asian Pacific leaders to discuss economic issues. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Busy schedule up ahead. Thanks so much Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Well, this programming note. The vice president's wife, Lynne is Wolf Blitzer's special guest on LATE EDITION today, that's a noon Eastern right here on CNN. Palestinian officials continue making plans for their leadership without Yasser Arafat. An election to fill the job of Palestinian authority president is set for January 9th. Mahmoud Abbas, the new chief of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, traveled to the Gaza strip today to meet with rival factions including Islamic jihad and Hamas. Also today, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei was chosen to take Arafat's place on the Palestinian national security council.

The war against terrorism has led to fallout that's having a major impact on a long-standing Muslim tradition. Some people of that faith are worried that giving to charity could be seen as a link to terror. Alina Cho examines this mixed blessing that may protect some while hurting others.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims pray, fast and give money to the poor.

AMANEY JAMAL, MUSLIM EXPERT: One of the major pillars of Islam is to give to charity and especially during this holy month of Ramadan.

CHO: The Muslim faithful typically donate 2.5 percent of their wealth every year but post-September 11th, the FBI has cracked down on Islamic charities suspected of having terrorist ties and that's left many Muslims too scared to donate.

ADAM CARROLL, ICNA RELIEF: I think a lot of the community does feel very alienated now.

CHO: Adam Carroll works for the Islamic Circle of North America. The relief arm of that group collects food for the needy, helps families of detainees and orphans overseas, causes Muslims care deeply about. But since the crackdowns, donations have dropped 50 percent.

MUHAMMAD RAYMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ICNA RELIEF: If we had 2,000 or 3,000 orphans now we've got 2,000 orphans.

CHO: Muslim experts say when it comes to the issue of supporting orphans, the children can sometimes be linked to what their parents may have done.

JAMAL: Giving money to these orphans is seen as supporting terrorism because you're basically telling a would be, for example, a would be suicide bomber, don't worry if you kill yourself, your family or your children will be taken care of.

CHO: Some Muslims say they are so fearful about leaving a money trail that charities say when they do give, they give smaller amounts in cash. Mohamed Younes is an elder in Paterson, New Jersey's Muslim community.

MOHAMED YOUNES, AMERICAN MUSLIM UNION: The people have been more careful and they've been more aware of this, not just to donate. Now they're asking where does the donation go and why. How are you going to spend it?

CHO: The FBI says despite the crackdown, law abiding Muslims have nothing to fear and should give as they please.

JAMAL: It's a feeling that I'm trying to be a good citizen and I'm trying to be a good human being and yet, I'm also being thought of as a terrorist or supporting terrorism.

CHO: Making charity, giving to others a mixed blessing for Muslim Americans during this holy month of Ramadan. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Coming up next, we go right into the heart of the battle for Falluja. It's a story you will only see right here on CNN coming up next.

And I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN weather center. It's a chilly morning for a lot of folks across the U.S. and it's snowing in other parts. Winter is on the way. Complete weather forecast come up in just a few minutes. CNN LIVE SUNDAY will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Back to the battle of Falluja, even though officials believe the city is close to being contained, the fighting has been fierce at times. There are various threats to the troops on the ground. Our Nic Robertson is embedded with Charley company and shows us a little of what they've faced.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: For this Marine gunner, re-supplying Charley company was never going to be easy. A high-speed dash through Falluja's dangerous streets, headlong into a fire fight, re-supplying Charley company abruptly switching to reinforce Bravo company, their foot patrol pinned down by insurgent gunfire. Incoming rounds whistle and snap overhead. Bullets ricochet off the armored supply vehicle. Suddenly, a call. Marines injured. Reinforcement turns into medevac. A race back to base, re-supplying Charley company no longer the objective. Better luck on the next run. Charley company Marines rush to get their water, food and ammunition out of harm's way. For their commander, the focus now on insurgents bypassed in the initial phase of the assault.

LT. COL. TRAVIS FULLER, U.S. MARINES: The threat that they pose right now is that they hold the ground. We don't know where they are. They can continue to snipe at us and fire RPGs and maybe even improvised explosive devices.

ROBERTSON: Re-supplied, Captain Tenents (ph) Marines race for cover en route to the next objective, plans worked out as they go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we do enough clearing rooms, if we have to take over and clear rooms, you guys are throwing a frag in every room we come to.

ROBERTSON: Explosives to clear the way. Two of Charley company killed by insurgents lying in wait in a house just a few days before. Past the body of a man believed to be an insurgent, progress is cautious, holding up in a house along the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to scope up top. Anderson's got us covered back here. We're good.

ROBERTSON: The strains of battle etching their wearying patterns on the face of Charley company. No flagging, though, on the final push for their objective, an Iraqi school. As promised, no risks taken. Marines rush forward. No insurgents found.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of our biggest concerns right now actually is not enemy being in the building. It's a building being booby trapped.

ROBERTSON: Later under cover of darkness, detainees being sent back to base for questioning and a call for much need supplies. As day breaks, relative quiet after a night of sporadic explosions, time to repair, refresh, and reflect on their first taste of battle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never gone through anything like this with one of my friends before. And I definitely know that we're all a lot closer now.

ROBERTSON: Unpredictably and seemingly out of nowhere, they take fire, a day to be like the one before maybe. More objectives to be taken, more time for Charley company and the firing line, their losses so far cutting deep and not hindering their mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Broken hearted, disappointed but with the mission at hand, you can't grieve too much now. You just save it and you grieve when we get out of here safely.

ROBERTSON: For Charley company Falluja was never going to be painless. Nic Robertson, CNN with Charley company in Falluja, Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Breaking story we're following for you out of Gaza, west bank near a mourning tent set up for the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Apparently Palestinian militants burst in, gunfire erupted and reportedly two people have been killed. All of this taking place apparently just before the Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas was to visit that mourning tent. More on that when we get it. Until then, let's look at the weather now with Rob Marciano. Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fredricka. Cool nights and cool morning now warming up as the sun comes up across the eastern third of the country but tonight's lows in Chicago, St. Louis, even as far as south as Atlanta and a lot of the states across Dixie we'll see temperatures well into the 30s. We do have a storm system that is slow to pull out of the four corners region. It's causing some showers, the storms around Corpus Christi maybe up towards San Antonio later on today, but the bulk of the main action continues to be snow in through the mountains of New Mexico. We could see over six to 12 inches in spots.

The other side of the system or at least out in front of it, cool, dry air from Atlanta across the Carolinas and a pretty tight pressure gradient. So winds will be whipping it across the I-95 corridor today and across the Pacific Northwest. You've got another little system that will bring some rain to Seattle, to Portland. But San Francisco down to Los Angeles, we're looking pretty good today with partly to mostly sunny skies.

As far as what you can expect for a forecast, Boston, New York and Philly all windy today. Wind chills will be down around freezing. So it's going to be a little nippy out there. Atlanta, 58 degrees, that's kind of cool for this time of year. Charlotte will be in the 50s, as well. Great lakes looking good, a little bit warmer, not quite as much wind as the northeast, a good Sunday for you. Dallas will see a couple of showers, Houston a couple of showers, Denver a couple of snowflakes and a couple of showers expected in Seattle, as well. That's the latest from the weather department. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Fredricka, back over to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot Rob.

In the big apple, they're sending in the clowns. They are clowns in training when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, if you've ever wondered how clowns pick up all those skills they use to make you laugh, it's all training and a lot of hard work. It still looks like a lot of fun for these clowns to be in New York. They're undergoing the training they'll need for Macy's annual Thanksgiving Day parade. So when you're laughing at their antics in a few weeks, you know how they got to this point.

Well, there is much more ahead on CNN SUNDAY. In a few moments, at the bottom of the hour, RELIABLE SOURCE has today an exclusive interview with Tom Brokaw of NBC news. At noon, it's LATE EDITION with Wolf Blitzer. He'll talk with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat about life after Arafat.

And at 2:00 Eastern, it's PEOPLE IN THE NEWS. Today's profile, Scott and Laci Peterson and Yasser Arafat, but first here are our top stories.

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


Aired November 14, 2004 - 11:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It's 11:00 a.m. in Washington, 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
Ahead this hour...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Unpredictably, and seemingly out of nowhere, they take fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Inside Falluja with Charley company, the latest from CNN's Nic Robertson.

Plus, Vice President Dick Cheney and the latest on his most recent trip to the hospital.

And then, the chilling effect within Muslim communities and why many fear a religious calling to give to charities might connect them to terrorists. But first, here's some other stories now in the news.

This story just in, reports now of a large explosion taking place near a hotel in central Baghdad where many foreigners stay. When we get more information on that explosion, we'll be bringing that to you.

Meantime, more on the battle report from Iraq. Top U.S. military officials say insurgents no longer have a base of operations in Falluja. At least 1,000 insurgents are reported dead and 31 U.S. and six Iraqi forces have died in the week-long assault. However, there are more reports of ongoing fighting in the northern city of Mosul. We'll have a full report from embedded correspondent Jane Arraf coming up in one minute.

Elections to choose a successor to Yasser Arafat are to take place January 9th. Interim Palestinian President Rawhi Fattouh announced the date shortly after a meeting between the Fatah movement and the Palestine Liberation Organization. However, officials insist Israel must pull back from the occupied areas to guarantee free elections.

And Vice President Dick Cheney is home today. Problems with his heart and lungs appear to be unfounded. Cheney underwent tests yesterday at George Washington University Medical Center after experiencing shortness of breath, but the doctor there says it appears Cheney may have only an upper respiratory infection. We'll have a full report on Cheney's health coming up this hour.

The week-long battle for Falluja appears to be winding down. The last remaining insurgent forces are fractured into small bands. Coalition officials say it's only a matter of time before they are routed out of their hiding places. One major question remains -- what has become of terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. JOHN F. SATTLER, 1ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE: Don't know where he is right now. Maybe he's dead. I don't know. But right now, we're not really -- we never really focused on him. We focused on breaking the backbone of the insurgency, reinstating the rule of law which we're in the process of doing, giving Falluja back to the Fallujan people which will come fairly soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Jane Arraf is embedded with U.S. troops and brings us the very latest in this report from Falluja.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Military commanders on the ground in Falluja tell us that they have defeated the last of the organized insurgency. Overnight, we were with an army unit, task force 22 of the first infantry division, that rolled into the last part of their sector in southeast Falluja, thought to be an insurgent stronghold. And what they found there a series of immense underground bunkers, storage facilities and tunnels leading to them. In fact, one of the tanks we were with actually fell through into a tunnel. It was recovered and no one was hurt. Overnight they dropped four 2,000 pound bombs on that complex and they say there was 45 minutes of secondary explosions indicating that there had been weapons or explosives stored there. One of the Marine officials, Major General Richard Natonski tells us that even though there are insurgents active in other cities, primarily right now Mosul and other parts of Iraq, the fact that they have defeated the insurgency in a formal sense in Falluja certainly lessens their ability to operate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think having taken down Falluja, they no longer have a base of operations. This was their sanctuary, the location they could rearm, refit, rest and then operate anywhere around the Sunni triangle out west, up north. They no longer have that luxury. So if they do go into plays like Mosul or Ramadi, we're waiting for them. We're going to chase them down and now they no longer have a place to run to.

ARRAF: As for civilians in Falluja, they are just starting to come out of their homes. A Marine colonel tells us they are tentatively leaving their homes and approaching Iraqi forces who are going deeper into the city. In the center of Falluja, he says that they are approaching in small groups and saying they need food, water and medicine. Aid is slowly getting through to them but many civilians in Falluja still inside their homes and many parts of the city have been empty of civilians for weeks. Jane Arraf, CNN reporting from Falluja.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Reports say U.S. Marines discovered a woman's mutilated body in central Falluja and it appears it may be that have a westerner. The Associated Press reports the body was lying in the middle of the street wrapped in a cloth. Two western women are known to have been kidnapped in Iraq, one of them Margaret Hassan who headed the Care international in Iraq but again, no positive ID on the body that was found which appears to be that of a woman.

Our Nic Robertson has a different take on the fighting in Falluja. He's embedded with Charley company and files a report from the frontlines. We'll have that a little bit later on in this newscast.

Meantime, dozens of U.S. casualties from the fighting in Falluja are being treated for their wounds at Landstuhl regional medical center in Germany. Our Walter Rodgers is also there and joins us now live. Hi, Walter.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka. As you would expect with the intense fight fighting this past week in the Falluja area, there has been an upsurge in military casualties evacuated to the Landstuhl regional military hospital here in Germany. What we're seeing is that the army has suffered the greatest numbers of casualties at least in terms of those being medevac'd here to Landstuhl. Fifty three percent of the casualties in the Falluja area are coming -- are from the army. The numbers of Marines are about 42 percent. The natures -- the nature of the injuries tend to be three kinds, bullet wounds, that is to say gunshot wounds. Then there are what they call blast wounds. This involves shrapnel and concussions and the then the other and the third kind of wound that they're seeing on soldiers and Marines being evacuated are called burns. Colonel Rhonda Cornum is the military hospital commander here. She read the grim statistics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. RHONDA CORNUM, LANDSTUHL REG. MEDICAL CENTER: Since November 8th, Landstuhl has received 419 patients as of the end of today. Of those, more than half have been battle injuries and more than half have been in patients. That is higher than we usually have. About 95 percent have been from Iraq. About 5 percent as usual are from Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODGERS: The casualties coming in here, there is one bit of good news. No one has died. That is none of the incoming patients from either Iraq or Afghanistan have died in the course of this past week. There is another bit of good news. That is to say, as soon as the soldiers and Marines get here, they're generally handed a cell phone if they can make a phone call and allowed to call friends and family back in the United States. Additionally, there are Internet hookups here, as well, if a soldier or Marine is not well enough to make a call home to the United States, then in that case, the military makes the phone call and let's the loved ones at least know that the soldiers and Marines have arrived safely here at Landstuhl.

There will, even though the fighting has diminished in Falluja, there will still be a steady influx of injured soldiers and Marines here because there are still many in the military pipeline being medevac'd here to this military base. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Walter Rodgers, thanks very much for that update from Landstuhl, Germany.

I feel fine, the words of Vice President Dick Cheney following a series of hospital tests after Mr. Cheney reported shortness of breath. CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now with the latest on all of that. Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you Fredricka. No word on any change this morning, but yesterday Vice President Dick Cheney was complaining of shortness of breath, also a cough so on the advice of his doctor, he went to George Washington University Hospital for some precautionary tests because of his history of heart trouble. He's had four heart attacks in the past. Doctors say that those tests ruled out any heart problems and they think it's an upper respiratory infection. Mr. Cheney has been keeping or had been keeping a hectic schedule especially leading up to the election. Mostly recently, aides say that the vice president had been suffering from a cold ever since he returned from his annual hunting trip in South Dakota.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY MATALIN, CHENEY SPOKESPERSON: He's absolutely fine. He had a cold but when you have a history as he does and you have to get everything checked out. He has a lot of cautious people around him, not the least of which is his wife. He's absolutely fine and he had a grueling schedule. He's a remarkable asset to the ticket and he got a cold.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: So again, doctors saying that they suspect an upper respiratory infection. Meantime, as for President Bush, he attended church services across the street at St. John's Episcopal Church along with the first lady today. He is going to be heading out to Arkansas later this week for the dedication of the Clinton presidential library but he will also Fredricka be making his first international trip. He'll be heading to Chile to attend the annual APEC meeting of Asian Pacific leaders to discuss economic issues. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Busy schedule up ahead. Thanks so much Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Well, this programming note. The vice president's wife, Lynne is Wolf Blitzer's special guest on LATE EDITION today, that's a noon Eastern right here on CNN. Palestinian officials continue making plans for their leadership without Yasser Arafat. An election to fill the job of Palestinian authority president is set for January 9th. Mahmoud Abbas, the new chief of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, traveled to the Gaza strip today to meet with rival factions including Islamic jihad and Hamas. Also today, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei was chosen to take Arafat's place on the Palestinian national security council.

The war against terrorism has led to fallout that's having a major impact on a long-standing Muslim tradition. Some people of that faith are worried that giving to charity could be seen as a link to terror. Alina Cho examines this mixed blessing that may protect some while hurting others.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims pray, fast and give money to the poor.

AMANEY JAMAL, MUSLIM EXPERT: One of the major pillars of Islam is to give to charity and especially during this holy month of Ramadan.

CHO: The Muslim faithful typically donate 2.5 percent of their wealth every year but post-September 11th, the FBI has cracked down on Islamic charities suspected of having terrorist ties and that's left many Muslims too scared to donate.

ADAM CARROLL, ICNA RELIEF: I think a lot of the community does feel very alienated now.

CHO: Adam Carroll works for the Islamic Circle of North America. The relief arm of that group collects food for the needy, helps families of detainees and orphans overseas, causes Muslims care deeply about. But since the crackdowns, donations have dropped 50 percent.

MUHAMMAD RAYMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ICNA RELIEF: If we had 2,000 or 3,000 orphans now we've got 2,000 orphans.

CHO: Muslim experts say when it comes to the issue of supporting orphans, the children can sometimes be linked to what their parents may have done.

JAMAL: Giving money to these orphans is seen as supporting terrorism because you're basically telling a would be, for example, a would be suicide bomber, don't worry if you kill yourself, your family or your children will be taken care of.

CHO: Some Muslims say they are so fearful about leaving a money trail that charities say when they do give, they give smaller amounts in cash. Mohamed Younes is an elder in Paterson, New Jersey's Muslim community.

MOHAMED YOUNES, AMERICAN MUSLIM UNION: The people have been more careful and they've been more aware of this, not just to donate. Now they're asking where does the donation go and why. How are you going to spend it?

CHO: The FBI says despite the crackdown, law abiding Muslims have nothing to fear and should give as they please.

JAMAL: It's a feeling that I'm trying to be a good citizen and I'm trying to be a good human being and yet, I'm also being thought of as a terrorist or supporting terrorism.

CHO: Making charity, giving to others a mixed blessing for Muslim Americans during this holy month of Ramadan. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Coming up next, we go right into the heart of the battle for Falluja. It's a story you will only see right here on CNN coming up next.

And I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN weather center. It's a chilly morning for a lot of folks across the U.S. and it's snowing in other parts. Winter is on the way. Complete weather forecast come up in just a few minutes. CNN LIVE SUNDAY will be right back.

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WHITFIELD: Back to the battle of Falluja, even though officials believe the city is close to being contained, the fighting has been fierce at times. There are various threats to the troops on the ground. Our Nic Robertson is embedded with Charley company and shows us a little of what they've faced.

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ROBERTSON: For this Marine gunner, re-supplying Charley company was never going to be easy. A high-speed dash through Falluja's dangerous streets, headlong into a fire fight, re-supplying Charley company abruptly switching to reinforce Bravo company, their foot patrol pinned down by insurgent gunfire. Incoming rounds whistle and snap overhead. Bullets ricochet off the armored supply vehicle. Suddenly, a call. Marines injured. Reinforcement turns into medevac. A race back to base, re-supplying Charley company no longer the objective. Better luck on the next run. Charley company Marines rush to get their water, food and ammunition out of harm's way. For their commander, the focus now on insurgents bypassed in the initial phase of the assault.

LT. COL. TRAVIS FULLER, U.S. MARINES: The threat that they pose right now is that they hold the ground. We don't know where they are. They can continue to snipe at us and fire RPGs and maybe even improvised explosive devices.

ROBERTSON: Re-supplied, Captain Tenents (ph) Marines race for cover en route to the next objective, plans worked out as they go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we do enough clearing rooms, if we have to take over and clear rooms, you guys are throwing a frag in every room we come to.

ROBERTSON: Explosives to clear the way. Two of Charley company killed by insurgents lying in wait in a house just a few days before. Past the body of a man believed to be an insurgent, progress is cautious, holding up in a house along the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to scope up top. Anderson's got us covered back here. We're good.

ROBERTSON: The strains of battle etching their wearying patterns on the face of Charley company. No flagging, though, on the final push for their objective, an Iraqi school. As promised, no risks taken. Marines rush forward. No insurgents found.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of our biggest concerns right now actually is not enemy being in the building. It's a building being booby trapped.

ROBERTSON: Later under cover of darkness, detainees being sent back to base for questioning and a call for much need supplies. As day breaks, relative quiet after a night of sporadic explosions, time to repair, refresh, and reflect on their first taste of battle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never gone through anything like this with one of my friends before. And I definitely know that we're all a lot closer now.

ROBERTSON: Unpredictably and seemingly out of nowhere, they take fire, a day to be like the one before maybe. More objectives to be taken, more time for Charley company and the firing line, their losses so far cutting deep and not hindering their mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Broken hearted, disappointed but with the mission at hand, you can't grieve too much now. You just save it and you grieve when we get out of here safely.

ROBERTSON: For Charley company Falluja was never going to be painless. Nic Robertson, CNN with Charley company in Falluja, Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Breaking story we're following for you out of Gaza, west bank near a mourning tent set up for the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Apparently Palestinian militants burst in, gunfire erupted and reportedly two people have been killed. All of this taking place apparently just before the Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas was to visit that mourning tent. More on that when we get it. Until then, let's look at the weather now with Rob Marciano. Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fredricka. Cool nights and cool morning now warming up as the sun comes up across the eastern third of the country but tonight's lows in Chicago, St. Louis, even as far as south as Atlanta and a lot of the states across Dixie we'll see temperatures well into the 30s. We do have a storm system that is slow to pull out of the four corners region. It's causing some showers, the storms around Corpus Christi maybe up towards San Antonio later on today, but the bulk of the main action continues to be snow in through the mountains of New Mexico. We could see over six to 12 inches in spots.

The other side of the system or at least out in front of it, cool, dry air from Atlanta across the Carolinas and a pretty tight pressure gradient. So winds will be whipping it across the I-95 corridor today and across the Pacific Northwest. You've got another little system that will bring some rain to Seattle, to Portland. But San Francisco down to Los Angeles, we're looking pretty good today with partly to mostly sunny skies.

As far as what you can expect for a forecast, Boston, New York and Philly all windy today. Wind chills will be down around freezing. So it's going to be a little nippy out there. Atlanta, 58 degrees, that's kind of cool for this time of year. Charlotte will be in the 50s, as well. Great lakes looking good, a little bit warmer, not quite as much wind as the northeast, a good Sunday for you. Dallas will see a couple of showers, Houston a couple of showers, Denver a couple of snowflakes and a couple of showers expected in Seattle, as well. That's the latest from the weather department. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Fredricka, back over to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot Rob.

In the big apple, they're sending in the clowns. They are clowns in training when we come right back.

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WHITFIELD: Well, if you've ever wondered how clowns pick up all those skills they use to make you laugh, it's all training and a lot of hard work. It still looks like a lot of fun for these clowns to be in New York. They're undergoing the training they'll need for Macy's annual Thanksgiving Day parade. So when you're laughing at their antics in a few weeks, you know how they got to this point.

Well, there is much more ahead on CNN SUNDAY. In a few moments, at the bottom of the hour, RELIABLE SOURCE has today an exclusive interview with Tom Brokaw of NBC news. At noon, it's LATE EDITION with Wolf Blitzer. He'll talk with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat about life after Arafat.

And at 2:00 Eastern, it's PEOPLE IN THE NEWS. Today's profile, Scott and Laci Peterson and Yasser Arafat, but first here are our top stories.

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