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CNN Live Sunday

Melios Air Passenger Plane Crashes Outside Athens; Official Gaza Pullout Begins Today; Interview with Michael Ware

Aired August 14, 2005 - 16:00   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 the final round at the PGA Championship. Larry Smith is there. And we'll have a live report for us on all the leader action.
In Miami, it's out with the old.

And later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY MATTLAGE, CRAWFORD RESIDENT: If you had your brother-in- law in your house for five days wouldn't it start to stink for a while? You're ready for him to go home. Five weeks of this is too much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A Crawford, Texas man is fed up with the protesters.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a check of the headlines.

Tense moments in downtown D.C. Today, the historic Mayflower Hotel was evacuated after an employee discovered a suspicious package. The hotel is just blocks from the White House. Authorities say the package was designed to look like a bomb, but it turned out to be a hoax.

Israeli and Palestinian security forces are bracing for possible violence amid Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. In about an hour, security forces will begin sealing off Jewish settlements. Thousands of settlers will be removed from their homes over the next three weeks. And we have a live report coming up in about 10 minutes.

Iraqis are scrambling to meet a deadline to finish their new constitution. Sunni Arabs are objecting on key issues including federalism while the U.S. has been pressuring Iraqi leaders to meet tomorrow's deadline, two lawmakers raise the possibility testified of postponing it.

Shattered plane and shattered lives: One Greek official says it's the worst airline accident the country has ever had. 121 people are dead after a Helios Airways Boeing 737 crashed into a mountain today under mysterious circumstances. It happened northeast of Athens. Despite Greek fighter jets trying to intercept the plane.

Let's get the latest on the investigation from CNN's Chris Burns. And he joins us now on the telephone from Athens -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it does look like these F-16s saw a horrifying sight looking into the plane as they had intercepted it after the control tower had lost any kind of radio contact with the plane, that they saw the pilot was missing from the cabin and the co-pilot was slumped over there.

There were oxygen masks that were hanging from the ceiling there. And what it appears to be and what authorities seem to point to in the cause is a catastrophic loss of cabin pressure. They lost their cabin pressure. There was a decompression. And they tried to get oxygen, and apparently they didn't get oxygen in time.

One expert calls being at 30,000 feet in an airplane with catastrophic loss of cabin pressure like being on top of Mt. Everest, you're not going to last 10 or 15 seconds. And apparently that is what happened, the plane did crash into a hillside not far from Athens where the plane was headed, killing all 121 people aboard. It is said that a third of those 115 passengers were children, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Chris, what were the circumstances as to why the fighter jets were dispatched? Is it merely because the pilots were able to contact a control tower or was it something else?

BURNS: Well Fredricka, the process apparently was that the plane had lost contact with the air traffic control as the plane had been in flight from Larnaca about an hour when it had just crossed into Greek airspace, when the Greeks could not gain control -- could not gain contact with the plane. And for that reason they scrambled the two F- 16s.

WHITFIELD: All right. And the investigation goes where now? That the black boxes are in their possession, now what?

BURNS: Well, it's going to take some time to decode and see what those black boxes would say. At this point, at least up until now, authorities had not rule out completely a terror scenario. But up to now, it does also appear that the evidence the authorities are giving seemed to point to that technical failure, that catastrophic technical failure that cost all the lives of the passengers and crew.

WHITFIELD:: It's nighttime now, what is the scene like at this moment?

BURNS: Well, at this point, authorities are still combing through the wreckage trying to get more evidence. Very, very obviously a chilling scene, and authorities are hoping that they can gain more evidence from what they see. What several witnesses have said they'd seen when they first got to the scene is that they saw the bodies with the oxygen masks on their faces, which, again, does seem to indicate that the plane had problems with the cabin pressure and had dropped those masks down for people to get oxygen. Now, whether they got enough oxygen to survive is another question.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right. Chris Burns on the phone from Athens, thanks so much. Well, experts say it is extremely rare for a plane to lose oxygen. And they ad it's highly unlikely the loss of cabin pressure alone could cause such a crash. So, what could be have happened aboard the Helios Airways flight 522? Joining me now is aviation expert John Wiley. He's a former Airbus pilot.

First off, the black boxes are in their possession. What kind of information will they be able to glean?

JOHN WILEY, FRM. AIRBUS PILOT: We're talking about two different boxes. We're talking about the cockpit voice recorder which is going to have the conversation of the pilots with the cabin crew if there was any and. Plus all communication in the cockpit between the two pilots and will also have recordings of the pilots talking to air traffic control.

WHITFIELD: The plane was in the air some two and-a-half hours for a flight that should have taken an hour-and-a-half. What kind of initial scenarios do you see, knowing that kind of information?

WILEY: We know the airplane was in the 30,000 altitude bracket. So we know their high altitude, that's a relatively hostile environment. There's not very much pressure to push those little oxygen molecules through your lungs so that you can remain conscious. So -- it's also cold, minus 40 degrees Celsius, Fahrenheit whichever -- and that's where the scales meet.

But it's a hostile environment, so if you don't have the pressurization to push those little molecules through your lung, you pass out in a short period of time unless have you supplemental oxygen.

WHITFIELD: Chris painted a graphic picture for us that some of the bodies did have the oxygen mask. So clearly there was some notification from cockpit that there's a problem. Get your oxygen masks. Does this now indicate that there was some sort of problem in the flow of oxygen to those masks to the people?

WILEY: Again, we have a series of problems. Those masks, first off the scenario is, is that normally the cabin is around 7800 feet. This is something that you can experience by maybe climbing in the mountains, going skiing in the wintertime. But, at 10,000 feet, you're going to have an audio warning in the cockpit that the cabin is above normal cabin altitude.

10,000 feet your going to start feel a little bit woozy, your ears are going to be popping. If the cabin continues climbing to 14,000 feet, those yellow masks in the back in the cabin will automatically deploy. If they don't, you can manually deploy them from the cockpit.

WHITFIELD: Is there notification that goes to the control tower as well?

WILEY: No, that will not be on the ground. That is strictly in the cockpit. You will have lights coming on to tell you that you have got problems with the pressurization system. But the cockpit system is a completely different system than that in the cabin.

The cockpit is feeding you oxygen whether you have just a mask over your mouth and nose, which is fairly typical. Or later models are a full face mask which not only feed you oxygen, but provide problems with smoke and fumes.

But you're getting this oxygen under pressure. It's literally forcing the air down into your lungs and creating additional pressure so that you can remain conscious longer.

WHITFIELD: And then based on your explanation here, that also means that time is of the essence. These things are happening in a matter of seconds, and not necessarily minutes. So, you don't have a while lot of time to react.

WILEY: No. You're talking about less than a minute of what's known as TUC or time of useful consciousness. And this is a physiological factor based on how fit you are, whether you've been smoking, whether you've been exercising and are fit, or whether you maybe even have been drinking. All of those affect the ability of the blood to carry oxygen not only to the body, but also to the brain.

When you start become impaired, we're not only talking about brain functions, but also the ability for you just to function period.

WHITFIELD: And you're describing hypoxia. And John Wiley, you're going to be stick around, so in the 5:00 Eastern hour we're going to talk a little bit more about the deep pressurization, symptoms of hypoxia and what training these pilots just might encounter to try to avert a situation like this. All right. Thanks so much.

WILEY: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: Well, down to the deadline: Israel's pullout begins in less than an hour. We'll go live to the settlement in Gaza for an update.

And President Bush's Crawford neighbor speaks out about the protesters, and he actually shoots his gun. What's that all about? We'll tell you.

And one new Web site says it's only for beautiful people. Our Jeanne Moos wanted to find out if she'd make the cut. It's all ahead this hour on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: You're looking at a live picture right now of a checkpoint in Gaza. It will be closing in about 50 minutes. And that's when some 9,000 settlers throughout Gaza are expected to officially begin their pullout, vacating their homes within 48 hours after that before Israeli troops would resort to forcibly removing the people from Gaza.

Well, it's been in the making for years, and in less than an hour, Israel's historic withdraw from Gaza and parts of the West Bank officially begins. In all, 9,000 Jewish settlers are being uprooted. Some are refusing to go without a fight. CNN's Guy Raz joins us now from the Neveh Dekalim settlement in Gaza with a look at what's happening right now -- Guy.

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, good night -- good evening from the Neveh Dekalim settlement here in Gaza. In about an hour's time, the Israeli government will commence an historic process whereby it will remove all of its citizens from this strip of land it first occupied in 1967, the first time Israel is removing its citizens from land on which the Palestinians hope to establish their future estate.

Now the road -- the main road leading into the main Gaza settlements will be closed to all but military traffic. Only those civilians prepared to leave over the next 48 hours will be allowed to do so.

Now, over the coming 24 hours, some 50,000 Israeli soldiers are expected to fan out throughout all of the 21 Gaza settlements. They'll go house-to-house, door-to-door, and notify the residents they've got 48 hours to go. Those who do not will be forcibly removed, and stand to lose up to one-third of their government compensation packages.

Now, just beyond our location in the Gaza settlement, about a mile away on the Palestinian side, Palestinian security forces have started to deploy on the outskirts of the main Gaza settlement. It's designed to thwart any attempts by Palestinian militant groups to launch rocket and mortar attacks on the departing settlers and the soldiers who are coming to remove them over the next three weeks.

Now, the Israeli Army has said it will respond swiftly and harshly to any Palestinian militant attacks during this period of evacuation.

Now meanwhile, here today in the main Gaza settlement, those who have remained here marked the end of a three week period, mourning -- commemorating -- a mourning period commemorating the destruction of two ancient Jewish temples. We spoke to many people here. Many people are comparing those ancient events to the now impending demise of the Gaza settlements.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAZ (voice-over): A funeral pyre for a dying community, burning the things they can not carry away. It's Tisha BeAv, the peak of the Jewish mourning period, marking the destruction of the two ancient Jewish temples and destruction is on the minds of many.

The teary-eyed rabbi of this community, Josef el-Nekeveh (ph), declares himself heart-sick, comparing the demise of the Gaza settlements to the ancient tragedies that befell the Jews.

Inside the settlement synagogue, the men rock back and forth, weary and hungry, fasting to cleanse their souls. Ritual demands they suffer the emotional pain of their ancient ancestors.

Others in this settlement are less gloomy, though. Moti Ohayon is moving out before the Army arrives on Monday.

MOTI OHAYON, DEPARTING SETTLER (through translator): We must begin a new life. It's sad to leave here, but it's possible the new place will be better -- a better life, a happier life. It's all possible.

RAZ: In the settlement cemetery, neighbors gather, final memorial service for those buried here. These graves will soon be reinterred inside Israel where the majority of the country backs the end of the settlement enterprise in Gaza. But the ideological lines between secular and religious Israel are now sharper.

MOSHE HAGER-LAU, SETTLER SUPPORTER: I hope that the Israeli society will think again about this step which we began to do.

RAZ: On a street in Neveh Dekalim, a family pulls out for one last time, the national flag waves from the truck for a moment, right before it falls as well. The end of Israel's presence in the Gaza Strip.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAZ: Fredricka, the Israeli army does say it is prepared for some passive resistance, but at the same time, it is very much prepared for any and all eventualities -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Guy, you mentioned the 50,000 some soldiers and police that are at the checkpoints, at the ready, to start the official process. Now, paint the picture for us. They're going to actually go door-to-door and start knocking on the doors to make sure those properties are vacated or at least inform people inside properties that are not vacated?

RAZ: Absolutely. Over the coming 48 hours -- it's a 48 hour grace period -- some 50,000 to 60,000 Israeli soldiers involved in this process -- I should say one of the largest Israeli military operations in two decades. And they will begin going to all 21 of these settlements, going house-to-house and door-to-door. And they've been instructed to be quite polite. They'll go and introduce themselves and notify the residents they have 48 hours to clear out.

The Army will bring moving equipment. And they will offer help to move out any residents who are prepared to move out over that 48 hour period. But at the same time they will be warning that those who do remain after the 16th of August at midnight will be forcibly removed and at the same time the existing residents could lose up to one-third of their compensation packages, that could be as much as $50,000 to $60,000 -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Guy Raz in Neveh Dekalim, which is one of the largest settlements in Gaza. Thanks so much.

Well, say good-bye to a HoJo in Miami. A Howard Johnson's hotel was imploded this morning. We'll show you how it all went down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTLAGE: And we have a battle of the porta potties. They first started going to the bathroom in a five gallon bucket. Then they moved one porta pottie. Now we got two porta potties. And now we got three. And if this keeps up, they'll be all the way down the road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And this is one rant you don't want to miss. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The final round of the last major of golf championship of the season is under way in New Jersey. Two titans are sweating it out on the sauna-like course vying for the PGA championship title. But they're not the only ones feeling the heat. Our Larry Smith is in Springfield, New Jersey, with the latest. And, Larry, you look awfully cool there, but I know Phil Mickelson and....

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well certainly, Fredricka, it is a universal feeling right now in terms of all of the heat. Another day in the mid 90s here in New Jersey, here at Baltusrol. A 39 minute weather delay due to some thundering and a little bit of rain in the area. But they now have begun.

By the way, Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III, we can tell you, still on the course right now. They are playing on their third hole, still tied at six under as they began today as co-leaders.

Tiger Woods trying to catch them to his 11th major of his career. Not off to a good start. Two over par on his -- is where he started. He currently is one over par on the day, through ten holes. He's got to make up a lot of shots on the back nine, which has scored very well. We should say that.

But Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III, each trying to win their second major of their career. And on Saturday after the third round, they talked about how difficult it is to win a second grand slam title.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS LOVE III, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: We obviously, arrogantly think that if you win one, the rest are easy. The second one is just as hard. And that's why when you see a guy who has three or four, or five of them, you know, he's looked upon a little differently than the rest of the players.

PHIL MICKELSON, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I don't look at it as the biggest day of my career. I mean, it certainly is a big event. And I feel that I'm prepared to play well in the final round.

LOVE: I always thought when I was a kid that I was watching guys win majors in their 40s, you know? Early 40s was when guys won majors. So hopefully now I have the experience to -- even though that's not true anymore, it can still work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: You know, it really isn't true. There hasn't been someone in the 40s win a grand slam title in quite awhile. In fact, really, Tiger Woods has been so dominant since he turned pro in 1996, he is one of only five men who have win multiple grand slam titles during that time. Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III trying to get on that list.

A very hard day for scoring, Fredricka. The best score today so far turned in by Ted Purdie, a 66, 4 under par. So, again, it is going to be very difficult for someone to catch up with Mickelson and Love unless they decide to make some mistakes and come down to the field -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. We know they don't want that to happen. All right. Larry Smith in Springfield, New Jersey, thanks so much.

In news across America, an amazing survival story off the coast of Florida. A small plane crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near Ft. Lauderdale yesterday. All seven people on board survived the crash with one suffering minor some injuries. They were rescued by a fishermen who spotted them and took them to safety.

In Southern California, a five foot alligator is still on the loose. The gator was discovered this week in a park lake. Animal wranglers are trying to catch it. In the meantime, park rangers are warning nearby residents to stay away from the lake. Officials suspect the gator is an abandoned pet.

And in Miami, a place where you are more likely to see alligators, well, instead this eight-story building gone in the blink of an eye. The former Howard Johnson Hotel was imploded this morning. Developers are planning to replace it with a 67-story building that will house a luxury hotel and condominiums.

Well, there were plenty of fireworks outside the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas today. For several days now, people with conflicting opinions about the war in Iraq have been protesting on the road leading to the president's ranch. Well today, one of the president's neighbors who was clearly agitated over their presence fired a gun in the air, not in anger. The man says he was just practicing for dove season, but he did have a lot of words to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTLAGE: In Texas, I can shoot -- I ain't threatening nobody, I'm ain't pointing a gun at nobody. This is Texas.

QUESTION: What do you want them to do, Larry?

MATTLAGE: Well, these people don't know what to do?

QUESTION: What do you want them to do?

MATTLAGE: Look, when they first came out here, I was sympathetic to their cause, all right? They, as American citizens, have a right to march, to protest. But it's like company, if you had your brother- in-law in your house for five days, wouldn't it start stinking for a while? You're ready for them to go home, won't you?

Five weeks of this is too much. We live here. It's our community. Apparently we have no respect over here. And we have no respect over here. Somebody got to get together and figure it out. It's a damn shame, the news media has got to solve this dilemma, but we got a dilemma here.

We got a battle of the porta potties. They first started going to the bathroom in a five gallon bucket. Then they moved one porta pottie in here. Now we got two porta potties. And now we got three. And if this keeps up, they'll be all the way down the road. And they got more porta potties over there. The only one winning here is the person that is cleaning their porta potties.

QUESTION: What is it they're doing that you don't like?

MATTLAGE: Sir, this community is a tight-knit community. This is a German community of farmers and ranchers who settled this land 125 years ago. And we have fought a lot of battles with droughts and everything else. This is a tough group of people. And they want to just mind their own business. There is nobody said that nothing here right now, because they're not that way.

QUESTION: How's your life changed since the president is your neighbor? The president is now your neighbor.

MATTLAGE: Well, you can answer that question yourself, man. Your sitting out there watching. That's the change in my life. Where are you from? You want somebody to put this in your backyard? Huh? Or your front yard. This is our yard right here. We just happen in Texas to have a bigger yard than they do in Maryland.

QUESTION: They said they'd leave if the president came and spoke with Cindy. Do you support?

MATTLAGE: Sir, I've lived here for six years since the president moved here. I don't even know him and he's my neighbor. I love him as a neighbor. And I don't care what he does, that ain't my business. I ain't a politician. All I know is, when he gets through with the presidency, he is our neighbor and all of you all and all of this protest is out of here. And the good Lord says you love your neighbor, so I love George Bush. He will be our neighbor as long as we here and he becomes a part of our community.

QUESTION: What do you say to the fact that these people are just temporary neighbors? Would you love them the same?

MATTLAGE: I loved them for a week. I mean, would you want somebody invading your house for a long time and blocking your view, and blocking your road? I wake up every morning to this crap, I go bed every night, I have got a campground down here on a public road of which I'm paying taxes to the middle of this road.

But the sheriff's people down there says no, I don't have no right, but I am paying taxes. And the man over there paying taxes to here. This is how it is in Texas. So, I can't constitute nobody for trespassing, and the sheriff knows it, so he's allowed them to park on my property, my own damn sheriff is allowing them to park on my property.

QUESTION: What do you want them to do? What do you want these folks to do?

MATTLAGE: It's all about respect. Everything -- where has common courtesy gone in America? Somewhere, your supposed to respect people. And I respect them. And I respect George Bush. I can't do nothing about the world situation, OK?

Somebody has got to settle it. And that's what I'm pleading to you people, so the whole world understand my position. I'm not a negotiator.

QUESTION: Those folks down there, though, they're not used to being out here, like you said. This is not their neighborhood. And then you shoot a shotgun in the air and you scare them. Did you take that into consideration?

LARRY MATTLAGE, CRAWFORD RESIDENT: I shot at a bird, you missed that.

QUESTION: Understood. You can see where they might get scared that you're shooting a gun in the air.

MATTLAGE: Sir, what I'm afraid of if this thing doesn't get settled. These neighbors right here are upset. I don't want nobody getting hurt. I just want them to pack their damn tents and go where they came from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A reaction from Larry Mattlage's neighbor the president of the United States.

Tomorrow marks another important day in Iraq's developing democracy. Can Iraqi leaders hammer out their differences before the deadline for a draft constitution? An update from Baghdad straight ahead.

Is Iran influencing the Iraqi insurgency? "Time" reporter Michael Ware has some new information. He'll be joining us live. In-depth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I couldn't decide if I was a patient or the doctor.

WHITFIELD: He was a leader in the fight against cancer and then this doctor got cancer. His story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Now in the news.

It's not yet clear what caused a Cypriot jet to crash on an island northeast of Athens, Greece today. None 121 people on board survived. The plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered and sent to Athens for analysis.

Some Jewish settlers on the Gaza strip are moving out of their homes just before they're required to do so. The Israeli government is about an half hour away from launching its pullout plan some 8500 settlers and Israeli troops will be withdrawn from Gaza.

And in Iraq today, a massive car bomb explodes near a U.S. convoy killing a civilian and wounding six others. It's unclear if any U.S. troops were wounded. The violence comes as Iraqi political leaders are racing against the clock trying to finish a draft of the country's constitution by tomorrow's deadline.

One of Iraq's neighbors, an old enemy is under scrutiny for its actions in the region. "Time" Magazine reports Iran is trying to gain influence in Iraq with potentially dangerous consequences. The author of that article joins us now on the telephone from the Iraqi capital. Michael Ware is "Time's" Baghdad Bureau Chief. Michael thanks for being with us. No longer is just Jordanian Abu Musab Al Zarqawi being blamed for the insurgency, but now your sources are revealing to you that an Iranian by the name of Abu Musat Al Shebani's (ph) is culpable of the rising insurgency. How culpable?

MICHAEL WARE, "TIME" MAGAZINE (via telephone): What we're seeing is that Shebani's (ph) network is one of many that is being sponsored in a variety of ways by Iran's revolutionary guard. We have British military intelligence document that shows that revolutionary backed militias are linked to the executions of six British military police in 2003. We have a particular type of bomb used by Shebani's network to kill three British soldiers a month ago. What we're seeing is a result of the invasion is that a regional counterbalance to Iran, the Saddam regime was removed and we've seen an extension of Iranian influence by militarily and politically as a result of the invasion.

WHITFIELD: And your sources are also telling you that his network Al Shebani's network is also responsible for sort of a new breed of roadside bomb, what are the characteristics of this bomb? What makes it that much more sophisticated than the type of roadside bombs that people have been seeing and experiencing there in Iraq?

WARE: I can't reveal too many details. This is what is called a shape charge. It focuses the energy of an explosion so that it's like an armor piercing bullet. It can punch through armor like a fist through a wall. This first start appearing eight months ago in southern Iraq in a Shia area. What the U.S. military intelligence has done is track the signature, the particular nature of the manufacturer of this bomb to Lebanese Hezbollah. I have a U.S. Intelligence document that says members of this Iraqi network have been receiving training in Lebanon thanks to Hezbollah and the assistance of Iran.

WHITFIELD: And you write that this group is something like 280 members strong with about 17 bomb-making teams and that they're training in and around Baghdad, in and around Tehran and possibly another country. Are they also recruiting in these places too and do you know anything more about what this other country is?

WARE: Well, the other country is Iran. The other nation list specifically U.S. Intelligence are Lebanon and parts of Baghdad where they're receiving their training. I believe the other country referred to is, in fact, Iran. This is one of a number of groups. British military Intelligence, according to the documents I've seen and the counterintelligence officer that I've spoken to are tracking several active paramilitary units in the south who are responsible for hit and run attacks on U.S. and British forces that have been backed by Iran.

WHITFIELD: Now, Michael, Iraq's Jalal Talabani had when met with the former leader, Khatami in Iran, not long ago. But now you have a new administration Mahmoud Ahmadnejad. In any way is the new administration or even the old administration being linked to this empowerment of Al Shebani?

WARE: Absolutely. I mean one of the adorning questions about Iranian activity here is you can link attacks to particular Iraqi militia groups, and you can see and track how they're being supported by the revolutionary guard. The question that has been plaguing U.S. Intelligence is to what degree is this support sanctioned by the regime in Tehran?

That's always been an open question, however in relation to Shebani's network, one of the most senior U.S. Intelligence officers in the country said to me is that you would have to achieve approval for this kind of activity would have to go very close to the top of the regime.

WHITFIELD: Michael Ware of "Time" Magazine joining us from Baghdad. And in your report you say this kind of relationship, in part, is why some are expecting that the war in Iraq will only worsen before it ever gets better. Thanks so much and be safe in Baghdad.

The clock is ticking in Iraq. The country's draft constitution is due tomorrow, but there is still no agreement on some very key issues. Intense negotiations continue as the deadline looms. CNN's Aneesh Raman is following developments from Baghdad.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With hours to go until Iraq's constitutional deadline, talk under way at virtually every level of Iraq's political leadership as they try to hammer out a compromise what have emerged as the two main stumbling blocks. First is the issue of federalism. How powerful will regional governments in the north where the Kurds have a majority of population and in the south where the Shia have the same being.

Both those areas of course also where the majority of Iraq's oil is. The Sunnis have been very resilient against any decentralized government. Also what the oil revenues in those areas would mean for their populations.

Also at issue is of that Islam. Will it be a source or the source Iraqi law, women's groups for the past few weeks have been very vocal to make sure that their rights are not infringed upon. Iraq's Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari his spokesman Laith Kubba told CNN earlier that was not going to be the case.

LAITH KUBBA, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER'S ADVISER: I think all indications; the women's organization input is very high. They form a very strong movement herein Iraq and the diversity of Iraq will ensure that women's rights will not be marginalized.

RAMAN: Now what we expect to happen is a draft of some sort to be put forward to the national assembly Monday. Virtually everyone is saying that will be the case. We don't know with what specificity the draft will deal with the outstanding controversial issues. The national assembly will take a few days to digest the document and could vote on it as early as this week or perhaps next. So another big milestone for the new Iraq, one laced with the desperate hope of Iraqi people that this will add to the stability in this country, and perhaps incur the sustained violence.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

WHITFIELD: Inside the war on cancer, what happens when a cancer doctor, a star in his field becomes a cancer patient himself? His story when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: There is a brutal war going on. It doesn't have geographic boundaries or a strategic frontline guarded by troops. It's cancer; cancer killed more Americans under the age of 85 than any other illness. Our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to a doctor who's not only trying to tame the beast but he's a cancer survivor as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Ten years ago Dr. Martin Raber was on one side of the war on cancer. As chief of physicians at MD Anderson.

DR. MARTIN RABER, CANCER SURVIVOR: I was arguably at the top of my game, physician and chief at the MD Anderson, I was doing a lot of very interesting studies in ecology.

GUPTA: You were on this upward projector like a rocket it sounds like here at MD Anderson.

RABER: I was doing well.

GUPTA: Then cancer almost killed him. Dr. Raber had lymphoma a rare cancer of the blood, his prognosis, poor. At home, four children, and a frightened wife.

DR. ADELE RABER, DR. MARTIN RABER'S WIFE: It was very scary because, of course, his disease does not have a cure rate. There was a lot of fear in how am I going to make this all work out? How are we going to take care of the kids and take care of Marty?

M. RABER: I can remember being on gurneys a lot, particularly when I was really ill. Your time is spent in waiting rooms; your time is spent with clerks. And I took Interferon for two years, which is not a drug they would particularly wish on people. And I reoriented my career away from patient care. I had big time dr. /patient confusion, I couldn't decide if I was the patient or the doctor. I didn't practice medicine for four, five years, and when I was real sick, I was on the sofa for a year.

GUPTA: His recovery took five years. When he came back to work.

M. RABER: Hi, Erin. How are you? Good to see you.

GUPTA: It was for the patients.

M. RABER: How are you feeling? How is your pain?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is probably about a two or something.

M. RABER: I interacted differently with the patients, and I had a different sense than the other physicians with me about where the patient was, and about what the patient needed to hear. I don't think I have to tell a patient every time I see them. Hey, you know you're going to die of this disease soon, but I have to tell them once, and I have to have that discussion, and you have to lock eye contact, and I have to know that they got it on some level.

GUPTA: How important is it for you as a doctor to give a patient a few more months of life?

M. RABER: It's always the same question. At what price? My patients a couple months ago said to me Dr. Raber, you're just trying to buy time for you? I said of course, that's what I do for living. I buy time for people.

GUPTA: Would it be fair to say that you have done a lot towards improving the quality of life that's left and not as much towards the quantity?

M. RABER: Looking in the population as a whole, the big numbers, that is probably true. Lots of small victories, but we haven't won the war. And for the people who enjoy the small victories like my illness, and me it's really great. But for the vast majority of patients who die of their disease, not a whole lot has changed. When you treat cancer all day, you win a lot. You lose a lot and you're humbled by the disease.

GUPTA: While cancer robs its victims, Dr. Raber found it can also give something back.

M. RABER: After you've had serious illness, you think about life a lot differently, and you appreciate life a lot more, and in many ways, life is better.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: And you can see more of Dr. Sanjay Gupta's inside look at the fight against cancer. CNN presents a special report "Taming the Beast, Inside the War on Cancer." Tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center. Time for a look at your allergy forecast. We're tapering things off just a little bit now in the middle of summer, but central part of the country still having problem with nettle and grasses, ragweeds and sage brush. Still happening out there out west. But much of the eastern third not looking all that bad. Hope you are feeling well today. And enjoy the rest of your weekend.

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WHITFIELD: Beauty is only skin deep, right? Well not everyone subscribes to that philosophy. Take for example an online dating service that allows only beautiful people to participate. What defines a beautiful person, you ask? Well CNN's Jeanne Moos finds out as she ventures into the ultra exclusive world of picture perfect dating.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): All you beautiful people -- you're so vain you probably think this Website is about you. One eye in the mirror. Maybe both eyes if you think you belong on an Internet dating service called Beautifulpeople.net.

Look at that. How am I supposed to compete with that?

Only beautiful people are allowed on chosen by the beautiful people who are already members. Some so perfect. Their washboard abs inspires laughter. Only one in ten get in. We wondered what does it take to join the beautiful people. What we need is a guinea pig, not him, me! In a fit of journalistic excess, I volunteered. First stop the makeup room where they sprayed every pore.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And maybe some false eyelashes?

MOOS: No, we're not going that far. A beautiful photo is a must if you want to be among the beautiful people. Datingheadshots.com specializes in taking pictures that look good on Internet sites. Photo finish, it is time to fill in the application with a little help from my colleagues.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to lie on this one too.

MOOS: We are? Select body type. Slim, average, toned, muscular. Next we had to write a profile.

Outgoing but reclusive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, that's not going to work.

MOOS: We opted for over the top. Basically I'm here because I'm hot. Take my temperature.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No!

MOOS: We then had to choose from dozens of photos.

I'm too sexy for my whatever.

Into cyberspace I went stacked up against cleavage and chiseled bodies and exposed, exposed, exposed flesh, guys vote on female applicants, women vote on men.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it lookers? Yes because our members want it to be. Is it pc? No, it's not but it's honest.

MOOS: And did I mention you have to pick a user name. Mine was feast your eyes for three days they feasted. You can check out your rating in progress on a bar graph. Remember take my temperature? Temperature is plummeting. Nine out of ten are rejects. That doesn't soften the sting of the final e-mail. The members of Beautiful People did not find your profile attractive enough but a producer up in "Show Biz" got in.

AMY SCHILMAN, "CNN SHOWBIZ TONIGHT:" I do think it's mean, it's mean, and I do feel that.

MOOS: Beautiful People have feelings, too. How old are you?

SCHILMAN: I am 27 1/2.

MOOS: She's gotten e-mails from two guys and even a woman who called her absolutely stunning and offered to exchange numbers. What's a rejected guinea pig to do? Maybe start my own Website, Beautifulguineapigs.com. Dark haired beauty with chestnut highlights, soft brown eyes. Loves heavy petting. I am beautiful no matter what they say.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The Israeli disengagement of Gaza will begin in just a few minutes. During our next hour, a live report, also from Ben Wedeman, a visit with a Palestinian family who has lived outside one of the Jewish settlements for years. A lesson in communication with thy neighbor.

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