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CNN SATURDAY MORNING NEWS
Novak Zone: NCAA Tournament Analyst; Pakistani Troops Keep Pressure up Along it's Border with Afghanistan
Aired March 20, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm the freshly caffeinated Renay San Miguel.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're just glowing with the caffeinated buzz.
SAN MIGUEL: Yes, ready to go.
KAGAN: And good morning. I've been doing the caffeine all morning long. I'm Daryn Kagan. Thanks to all of you for being with us to start your Saturday.
Let's take a look at what we have coming up in the next hour.
Pakistan's troops clash with possible al Qaeda members and search for the terrorist group's number two man. We'll have a live report and take a closer look at Ayman al-Zawahiri and the al Qaeda network.
SAN MIGUEL: On a much lighter note, a trip to The Novak Zone usually introduces us to a major player in the world of politics or world affairs. Today, Robert Novak talks about players of a different sort.
KAGAN: He's a Maryland basketball freak...
SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), yes.
KAGAN: ... their biggest fan. He's on the road with them. We're going to track him down.
And we really rally for the cause. Sprucing up your yard on a budget can be tough. Not when you have the help of this crew. We will talk with one of the members of Rally Round the House and that gang later this hour.
First, though, Renay has a look at what is happening at this hour.
SAN MIGUEL: Pakistani forces are keeping up their assault on al Qaeda fighters in a rugged area near the Afghan border. There's a question today as to whether al Qaeda number two man Ayman al-Zawahiri is holed up with the fighters. Pakistani military officials suggest the fighters may be protecting a local gangster instead. This photograph, provided by the Pakistani military, shows the compound where the military action is focusing. The Pakistanis say they have captured about 100 fighters, but government sources tell CNN their forces have sustained significant casualties.
In Taiwan, President Chen Shui-bain has been reelected one day after surviving an assassination attempt, but the loser is calling for a recount. The Taiwanese also voted on referendums on defense and negotiations with China. We'll have the results on these votes affecting the region in a live report from Taipei in just 30 minutes.
Six U.S. soldiers are expected to face criminal charges for alleged abuse of detainees in Iraq. Sources say the allegations involve soldiers taking photographs of several prisoners. Under terms of the Geneva Conventions, POWs may not be held up to public ridicule. Taking pictures could be considered criminal activity.
And the U.S. Army drops charges against a chaplain originally accused of spying. The government later said James Yee had mishandled classified information at Guantanamo Bay. But military officials decided to pursue the case, citing national security concerns from the release of evidence. Yee's lawyer calls the decision "a long-overdue vindication."
KAGAN: Our top story at this hour, the wild region of rugged western Pakistan is half a world away, but fighting going on there now for significant -- it is significant for Americans. Pakistani troops are battling an estimated 400 suspected al Qaeda fighters. Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, Ayman al-Zawahiri may or may not be in southern Waziristan near the Afghan border.
Here is what a Pakistani general says about the fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. SHAUKAT SULTAN, PAKISTANI ARMY: For the past two days that the area, where we feel that there is a hardened den of the terrorists and also their local supporters, that has been effectively sanitized. It has been cordoned and the army should not take long to flush it out. And maybe I can't give the exact plans, but it should be very soon that we would like to clear it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Our Ash-har Quraishi is in Islamabad, Pakistan. He has been speaking with officials about the fighting. It is early evening there now, and he joins us now with the latest. Ash-har using our videophone technology. Hello.
ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Well, Pakistani forces have been holding their position here in South Waziristan. They have been pounding this area with artillery using helicopter gunships as well to soften this target. They've moved into the fifth day of battle, fierce battles with some 400 suspected al Qaeda fighters and tribes who have been harboring them in this area.
Now, security officials tell us today that they had intercepted radio communications in the area that indicated that this high-value target may have been a Chechen or an Uzbeck militant leader, although when asked whether or not Ayman al-Zawahiri was in the area, they could not rule it out.
So still a lot uncertain at this point. They have not cleared this area. Although they have been able to make some progress, they've cleared about eight compounds and captured 100 suspects who are being interrogated at this time. Now, this is a part of an ongoing operation that the Pakistani military has been using in the tribal areas to root out some hundreds of suspected al Qaeda fighters that are hiding there in the area.
Now, this has been fierce fighting. They say they don't know how long this is going to go on. But they say that they will hold their positions and will continue to pound it until they can get to the center of it, Daryn.
KAGAN: And Ash-har, can you explain to us why it is so important within Pakistan that people believe it is the Pakistani military running this operation with little or no involvement from the United States military?
QURAISHI: Absolutely, Daryn. First of all, it's been very, very difficult for the army to even go into these tribal areas as they have, and using this kind of force is a very delicate situation. Now, the tribals are very, very independent. They've not allowed anyone to go in their areas for more than a century.
Now, the -- even the suggestion that U.S. soldiers could be operating in this area is very, very frightening to people here. It's something that they say threatens their sovereignty, and it's something that the Pakistani officials say is not happening, although they do acknowledge that some one dozen or so American officials are helping them in surveillance and intelligence gathering at this time, Daryn.
KAGAN: Ash-har Quraishi, joining us with the latest from Islamabad. Thank you for that.
SAN MIGUEL: Well, one year after the war in Iraq began, protests are going on around the globe. Among the cities where antiwar demonstrations have been going on, London, Madrid, Tokyo, Bangkok, Seoul, and Manila.
This is in India, where some demonstrators called for President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to be tried for war crimes.
At London's Parliament Building, two protesters scaled the landmark Big Ben clock tower. The environmental group Greenpeace says it organized the stunt to protest policies regarding Iraq. Thousands took part in an antiwar rally at Hyde Park.
In Rome, Italian left-wing political parties, as well as several unions and other groups, called for protests. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is a supporter of the U.S.-led war. A contingent of Italian troops is serving in Iraq.
In Washington, a State Department official says the administration is looking at ways to keep Spain in the coalition of troops in Iraq. The incoming prime minister, elected last week, says he wants to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq. U.S. officials are considering several scenarios, including a separate United Nations command to oversee troops other than U.S. troops.
Even if Spanish troops leave, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says other nations are staying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: After the prime minister- elect made his statement about thinking the Spanish forces should come out, that country after country in -- of the 34 countries that are in Iraq with their forces has stood up and said, Not us, we're going to stay, we're going to stick, we're not going to take a step that suggests that it's not important work, because we do believe it's important.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And we head out on the campaign trail in this country. President Bush heads to Florida today. He's going to a rally in Orlando. Florida, of course, will be a key battleground state, where both parties will likely spend plenty of time and money.
More from the White House and our correspondent Dana Bash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: After a week-long focus on national security and the year anniversary of the war in Iraq, the president is getting back on the campaign trail. Mr. Bush will have the first official campaign rally of his reelection campaign today. Where? Where else, Florida, the state he won by only 537 votes in 2000 after a recount no one will forget.
Campaign aides say they expect several thousand people in the Orlando crowd, and they're using the event not just to rally supporters but also to build their grassroots efforts. They plan to give supporters hundreds of cell phones in order to phone bank. They're sending volunteers out in advance to knock on doors.
But the sight of the president with an introduction by the first lady today, all in full candidate mode, will likely be the sight of the day. Aides say we can also expect to hear some new lines of attack against Democratic candidate Senator John Kerry.
The campaign spent last week in speeches and in TV ads hitting their opponent on national security. This week, they will pivot to domestic issues. It's all part of an effort to chip away at Senator Kerry's approval ratings and his lead in the polls as early as possible.
Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry still taking his break from the campaign trail. He's been hitting the ski slopes, or the snowboard slopes, you might say, while vacationing in Idaho. Kerry returns to Washington next week to attend a Democratic Party fundraising gala.
Think he's trying to appeal to the hipsters by going snowboarding rather than skiing?
SAN MIGUEL: I think so. Probably so.
KAGAN: Yes.
Well, all eyes have been on Pakistan the last two days as troops try to capture al Qaeda's number two man. Coming up, we'll talk with an expert in Middle Eastern affairs about Ayman al-Zawahiri and the state of al Qaeda.
SAN MIGUEL: And Friday's failed assassination attempt couldn't keep Taiwan's president from today's election. The outcome, and what today's vote means, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues just in a moment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAN MIGUEL: You're in the middle of CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
We will have the latest weather forecast for you and also talk more about that hunt for al Qaeda suspects in Pakistan coming up in just a couple of minutes. So please, keep it right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: President Bush has called Iraq the front line in the war on terror. It's not just rhetoric.
Our Kelli Arena has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is no better place than Iraq to illustrate the new multidimensional terror threat.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The al Qaeda are coming into Iraq already. Al Qaeda affiliates are coming into Iraq because they know that Iraq is a central front in the war on terrorism...
ARENA: Officials say Islamist fighters have crossed into Iraq from Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Most are affiliated with a variety of autonomous terrorist groups, but all are bound by a common goal -- to disrupt the transfer of power to the new Iraqi government.
The situation in Iraq serves as a microcosm for what is going on globally on the terror front, which experts define as a growing jihad movement.
BRUCE HOFFMAN, RAND CORPORATION: This is a constellation of like-minded terrorists and violently inclined individuals there that, depending on the circumstances, cooperate with one another, share information, share weapons, share intelligence.
ARENA: Investigators are seeing new alliances and new tactics as evidenced by last week's train attacks in Madrid.
MATT LEVITT, FORMER FBI ANALYST: A lot of people thought the Madrid attacks were not al Qaeda because they were not suicide bombs. That's just shift in target, a shift in tactic.
ARENA: Officials say attacks this past year in Riyadh, Istanbul, and most recently Madrid show continued resolve and an ability to recruit. They say there are related cells all over the world in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe.
GEORGE TENET, CIA DIRECTOR: The steady spread of Osama bin Laden's anti-American sentiment through the wider Sunni extremist movement and through the broad dissemination of al Qaeda's destructive expertise ensures that a serious threat will remain for the foreseeable future with or without al Qaeda in the picture.
ARENA: And for every terror leader that is eliminated, there is another in the wings. Take, for instance, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Officials say he is one of the masterminds behind the attacks in Iraq and believe he may have been connected to attacks in Europe as well.
HOFFMAN: He's become a leading figure in the jihadist movement. Like bin Laden in that respect, because of his own self-promotion.
ARENA: Experts say the terror movement is a movement of ideas, not individuals, and the evolving nature of that movement makes it even harder to measure success.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bottom line is, terrorism has always existed, and in some form, it will always exist. The question is, can we constrict the operating environment enough so that terrorism is squished back down into some type of tolerable level, where it is not the highest issue on our national security priorities?
ARENA (on camera): Those on the front lines of this war say that is possible if the United States, like the terrorists, constantly changes tactics and strategies.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAN MIGUEL: Coming up next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, economics at the pump. Gas prices continue to creep up with no end in sight. And it seems like there is no end in sight for winter. A late blast of snow has people in the Northeast digging out. Orelon's in with a complete forecast next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAN MIGUEL: Your mission this weekend, should you decide to accept it, fill up with gas before it gets more expensive. Record gasoline prices seem inevitable. That's according to projections released by the Department of Energy this week. The blame, rising oil prices.
Several lawmakers want the government to step in and drive down the cost of petroleum. California gas pumps are showing the highest prices right now, averaging $2.15 for a gallon of regular. You can find the lowest prices in the nation in Oklahoma and Georgia, where prices drop as low as $1.58 a gallon. The national average right now, $1.73, two cents lower than the all-time record of $1.75 a gallon.
The Department of Energy says the record will be shattered next month when the average price of a gallon of gas will hit $1.83.
KAGAN: Oh, joy. And if that wasn't enough to bum you out, calendar says spring, but sure doesn't look for feel like it in many parts of the country. The folks in New Jersey are hoping this will be the last blast of winter. Parts of that state got hit with nearly eight inches of snow yesterday. And then check out Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Renay. Parts of northern and eastern Pennsylvania had up to six inches...
SAN MIGUEL: Looks like November.
KAGAN: ... of snow. They need to come on, come on down, y'all, here to Hotlanta!
SAN MIGUEL: That's right. That's the March madness going on up there in Bucks County.
Orelon Sidney telling us more about what's going on in the forecast.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I mean, think about it. We've got temperatures in the 60s and 70s, and cheap gas. Hey, where else do you want to live? Think about that when you're taking a look at this.
This is the storm system now that moved out of the Northeast yesterday. Don't look now, but another storm system is approaching from the west. This one is mostly a rainmaker.
A little bit of snow in that stretching back towards Toronto, Buffalo, got a little bit of snowfall, but as you get to Detroit, Cincinnati, most of it is rain, even a few thunderstorms heard in that today.
Don't look for much accumulation from this. This is not going to be anything like the last one, which dropped eight inches of snow at Boyerstown, Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, 7.6 inches, Marcella, New Jersey, even got seven inches of snow out of this whole thing.
So that was a pretty fast-moving storm, and that was a whole lot of snow to drop in a very short period of time.
Cold temperatures remain here, but a ridge of high pressure is in place across a lot of the eastern and central portions of the nation. Look at the current temperature in St. Louis, 68 degrees. Dallas right now is at 70. It's in the 60s for New Orleans and Houston. And you can see, again, another little area of cold air stretched across parts of the west.
The big problem in the Plains states today is going to be the cold temperatures and the wind. Very windy with a new Arctic cold front that's slipping to the south. These are the current wind chill temperatures. Duluth and Bismarck feels like 14, feels like 5 degrees above zero in Fargo. And these may be some of the warmer readings. As that cold air continues to funnel its way to the south, you may find your wind chills dropping to near zero in in some areas.
Skies will start off partly cloudy across the southern Plains. You'll continue to see these thunderstorms and snow move on eastward again, not dropping very much, maybe inch accumulation at most as far as snow goes.
The record warmth continues out to the west. You're going to see readings again in the 90s to near 100 across the southwestern deserts. But, again, as that cold front slips to the south, you'll start to generate a few thunderstorms. That's eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, right up through the Mississippi Valley into the Appalachians. Slight risk of severe thunderstorms today, mainly looking at large hail and gusty winds.
Here are your afternoon temperatures, 57 in Chicago today, you'll be in the 60s for St. Louis. Still warm, again, across much of the west. Look at Denver, 63, Salt Lake City at 75. Not too bad in D.C. either. You're not going to make it to the 60s, you'll probably be about 59 degrees. Had a little mist in the air early this morning, and your current temperatures are in the 30s -- Renay, Daryn.
SAN MIGUEL: Yes, well, some parts of the country got the spring memo.
SIDNEY: That's true, that's right.
SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), that'll work. Thanks a lot. We appreciate it.
SIDNEY: You're welcome.
SAN MIGUEL: Checking our top stories now, Pakistan still locked in battle with al Qaeda fighters along the Pakistan-Afghan border, but it's unclear whether the mystery leader that the rebels are protecting is indeed al Qaeda's number-two man. Pakistan admits he may not be. Around the world today, hundreds of thousands of antiwar protesters are holding rallies. It comes on the first anniversary of the U.S.-led Iraq war.
KAGAN: And now to Taiwan. There are mounting political tension has given away to charges of election stealing. The president narrowly winning reelection one day after he and the vice president were shot and slightly wounded.
Let's go straight to Taipei where senior Asia correspondent Mike Chinoy brings us the latest. Mike, hello.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN SENIOR ASIA CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
Well, a virtually deadlocked elections, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- election. Allegations of questionable behavior, recourse to the courts to sort it out. No, it's not Al Gore versus George Bush four years ago, but it's Taiwan this weekend.
President Chen Shui-bain barely squeaked by a very narrow victory over challenger Lien Chan, but the challenger is refusing to accept the outcome of the elections. He says there are too many questions about the gun attack on the president and vice president yesterday in which Chen and his vice president were both wounded, and that the result is simply too close to be comfortable that the entire process was fair.
So he's demanded the whole thing be invalidated, that there be a recount. For his part, President Chen has just gone on television, acted as if none of this controversy existed, saying that he's won fair and square, and that it's a vindication of what he wants to do.
So Taiwan is in for rough political times ahead, Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, and there were two important issues on the ballot, not just the presidential election, but this referendum. What's the status of that?
CHINOY: Well, Chen called the referendum to try and mobilize sentiment against mainland China, but neither of the questions on there got enough votes to pass.
Still, this whole issue is very complicated for the United States, because Chen has been pushing an agenda of trying to make Taiwan more and more separate from the mainland China, and the government in Beijing has been saying that if Taiwan becomes independent, it will use force to prevent that from happening.
And the United States is pledged to defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack.
So if Chen Shui-bain can hold onto power, if he pursues that agenda, it could embroil the United States in a conflict between Taiwan and China. So the Bush administration is very worried about it. Now what you have is political paralysis in Taiwan, making a complicated situation even more muddled, Daryn. KAGAN: Mike Chinoy, thanks for seeing us through that. Appreciate that in Taipei.
SAN MIGUEL: Well, looks can be deceiving, and authorities say the driver of this van you're about to see was trying to deceive. Details when we check some of the stories around America.
KAGAN: And The Novak Zone switches to full-court press this week, Bob talking about his other passion. Not just college basketball. Let's be honest, it's Maryland and basketball. But I'm going to spread it out. We're going to look at some other teams in the brackets and talk about some other issues around college sports when CNN SATURDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The biggest college basketball fan on the planet is coming up live next. You might not believe who it is.
SAN MIGUEL: Welcome back.
That story is coming up. But first, here is what's happening at this hour.
KAGAN: And for that, we begin with President Bush, who's headed to Florida today. He will try to rally supporters in Orlando just a few hours from now. In a sign of how important Florida is to the president's reelection bid, Republican campaign workers will fan out across the state for a massive voter registration drive. This is President Bush's 20th state, actually 20th visit to the state since he took office.
In Texas, a ship channel which was shut down after a collision between a tanker and tugboat is expected to reopen today. A fuel leak after the collision caused the channel to close near Texas City. Heavy fog prevented the Coast Guard from determining the extent of that spill.
An Indian-controlled Kashmir, a roadside bomb today ripped through a bus carrying army troops. Three soldiers were killed, 39 wounded, including seven critically. Police say the bomb was planted in a scooter parked along the road. The bus was part of an army convoy headed to an area of the region's summer capital.
SAN MIGUEL: And now for some stories from across America. From Ohio to Las Vegas and back, Charles A. McCoy, accused of two dozen shootings along the interstate highway near Columbus, is expected to travel back to Ohio later today. Prosecutors say McCoy will make his first court appearance on Monday. On yesterday, McCoy waived extradition in a Nevada court.
Police in California also believe they have caught an elusive sniper. Keith Tomlinson is in police custody suspected of hitting five cars while shooting at traffic on Highway 101 this past week. Police say a rifle was found in Tomlinson's home. A message to any delivery men, do not try this at home. When authorities saw this truck with "FedEx" poorly painted on the side, they got suspicious and found an illegal immigrant and several bags of food and bottles of water. The man's intentions are not yet clear.
If your are into college basketball, and much of America is into college basketball, and you are in The Novak Zone.
All right. I guess that means we're going to talk to Bob Novak. There he is. We tracked him down. Hey, Bob, a little glitch there. But, you know, you really need no introduction. Of course, people know you as a political commentator. But really, you know your number one role in life is to be a Maryland fan.
ROBERT NOVAK, HOST, THE NOVAK ZONE: Well, I am a big basketball fan, and I came all the way out here to Denver to see the troops play late this afternoon against Syracuse in the NCAA. But it's a great passion of mine.
KAGAN: For the uninitiated, this isn't just any basketball game. This is probably the most anticipated game of the tournament so far. You have last year's champion, Syracuse, taking on two years ago champion, which would be, of course?
NOVAK: Maryland, but...
KAGAN: Oh, yes.
NOVAK: Of course, these are not the same players, all our...
KAGAN: No.
NOVAK: ... all our boys are playing in the NBA now, and the great Carmelo Anthony (ph) of Syracuse is playing in the NBA. That's one thing about college basketball is it's a renewal process. You got to keep moving, bring in new talent. And it's great fun.
KAGAN: Well, and the game has changed so much. Because you're seeing players not just leave early, but players completely skip college basketball and head to the NBA. Do you think that that's hurting the sport?
NOVAK: I don't think it's hurting the sport. I think it's hurting those young men. I think some of them are going into the pros much too early. I think they're missing a great learning experience, a great experience in dealing with college basketball fans.
But who can pass up $10 million a year if you're 18 years old, Daryn?
KAGAN: Kind of tough. I also wanted to ask you, as a free market guy here, Bob, when you look at the billions of dollars surrounding this tournament and you see what CBS pays out, you see what the colleges make, and yet the guys, the players, zilch. Do you think that's a fair economic model? NOVAK: Yes, I do, because I think part of life is deferring fulfillment, deferring total enjoyment, not having immediacy, and it's a sort of a sacrifice, and sacrifice is good, isn't it?
KAGAN: It depends. And I would like to challenge you on that, but my time with you is so short. So I just want to actually have people look a little bit look farther down the brackets here. You know, Bob, if your team, Maryland, wins today, and my team, Stanford, wins, they will be playing at the exact same time, Stanford taking on Alabama. You know it's a matchup, the next game.
NOVAK: Well, that's, we can all hope for that. You know, Stanford is so good, and they got all these experienced players. And poor Maryland is mostly sophomores and freshmen.
KAGAN: Oh!
NOVAK: But just, but as I remember, this, Stanford was a number one rated team about three years ago, and Maryland whopped them pretty good. So to go to the final four, so I just would love to see the poor little Maryland boys playing those rich, smart kids from Stanford.
KAGAN: Please. Bob, you know, I believe you're doing two things at one time. You're lowering expectations, a classic spin move. I think you're calling me out here. I think we might have to have a little wager going if that game actually happens.
NOVAK: Might have to be.
KAGAN: OK. Ultimately, if you take your Maryland bias out of this, who do you think is going to win the tournament?
NOVAK: My pick would be Oklahoma State. I think they're a just a wonderful team. Eddie Sutton is just a great coach. He's one of the great figures in college basketball. And their point guard is John Lucas III, a son of my friend, John Lucas, who was a Maryland point guard, all-American many years ago. Fun team to watch. That's my pick. No, no, there's not, they're not on number one rated team, but number one rated team often doesn't win.
KAGAN: Well, for the record, I do have Oklahoma State in my final four.
NOVAK: Well, good for you.
KAGAN: Yes. Did you fill out a whole bracket? Do you do that?
NOVAK: No, I don't, I don't, I don't do that. I got too many conflicts and prejudices. But I really do think it is the greatest time of the year, and it's gotten more and more people who don't even understand basketball are into it, and it's exciting time.
KAGAN: All right. Well, we know where you'll be at 5:40 p.m. Eastern today.
NOVAK: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: You'll be watching. Good luck to your Terps, and we're going to have to talk if there is that Stanford-Maryland matchup, all right?
NOVAK: I can't wait.
KAGAN: All right, there's is a wager in the making. Bob Novak, we tracked him down in Denver, for The Novak Zone. Thank you so much.
SAN MIGUEL: All right, all trash talking aside here, if you haven't had time to keep up with the news this week, this what we're here for. Let's rewind for you now, look at some of the top stories.
In Spain, the incoming leader says he wants to withdraw his country's troops from Iraq. This follows the Madrid train bombings, which could be al Qaeda retaliating for Spain's support for the war.
U.S. and Iraqi troops launch a sweep of Baghdad searching for weapons and insurgents. It is called Operation Iron Promise.
In Baghdad, a car bomb explodes at a hotel. Seven people are killed.
And in Las Vegas, police arrest Charles McCoy, Jr., the suspect in two dozen highway shootings in the Columbus, Ohio, area.
Tomorrow, we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.
KAGAN: And it's your last chance to voice your opinion in today's e-mail question. Do you think the Iraqi people are better off today one year later after the award? We'll read some of your responses about 20 minutes from right now.
Right now, though, a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Big question this morning, did he get away, or was al Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, never in the rugged area near the Afghan border? Pakistani forces say they have captured about 100 fighters, but still no al-Zawahiri. The battle remains intense at this hour.
So who is Ayman al-Zawahiri, and how important is his capture in the war on terrorism? A great place to start for a search for some answers, a man who once went to school with the al Qaeda leader. Joining us from our CNN bureau in London, our foremost expert on Arab affairs, Mamoun Fandy. He is senior fellow at the U.S. Institute for Peace.
Welcome back. Thanks for being with us this morning.
MAMOUN FANDY, SENIOR FELLOW, U.S. INSTITUTE FOR PEACE: Thank you, Daryn. KAGAN: So you grew up with Ayman al-Zawahiri?
FANDY: No, he was -- just I saw him during school days, nothing more.
KAGAN: So that means, I'm just assuming a common Egyptian background, then?
FANDY: That's correct.
KAGAN: And then from your research, what else can you tell us about this man, and why he is so important in the war on terror?
FANDY: Well, Ayman al-Zawahiri is really number one, not number two in al Qaeda. I mean, when al Qaeda was formed in 1998, when al- Zawahiri joined with bin Laden, it was actually bin Laden purchased with his own money the jihad movement that al-Zawahiri ran, and that led to the assassination of President Sadat in 1981.
So al-Zawahiri is very important. Actually Zawahiri also during the assassination of the Sadat, he is the one who contemplated using airplanes to crash into the reviewing stand to get Sadat and his -- the rest of his commanders during the whole parade to celebrate, October celebrations in Egypt.
So when people think of September 11 and the use of planes to crash into buildings, it wasn't born in Kandahar, it was born in the minds of Zawahiri in Cairo in 1981...
KAGAN: So this is...
FANDY: ... so Zawahiri is the main man.
KAGAN: So, of course, he would be a huge get if the Pakistani military or the U.S. could catch up with him. But it's not so simple, is it, as just capturing this man or Osama bin Laden? That's not going to make al Qaeda and this war on terror go away.
FANDY: Well, you know, this is the modus operandi of Ayman al- Zawahiri. When he was basically in prison in Egypt after the assassination of Sadat, '81 up to '85, he went instead of a corporate structure that he used to have, he went to a franchise, so the jihad went into franchise, small groups in Egypt that gave the Egyptian government a very difficult time up to 1995.
So probably I would assume that this is what's happening today, that al Qaeda also went -- moved from that structure with bin Laden as a chairman and Zawahiri as the CEO to a more franchise movement that's working in Jordan, Zarqawi working in Iraq, and also other groups working in Morocco and Spain and Algeria.
KAGAN: And because it's been able to work that way, you're not giving full credit to al Qaeda. You say actually much of the blame that it's been able to develop like this goes to Western powers.
FANDY: Well, it's a great deal, absolutely. I think most Western powers, I mean, when the Egyptians chased the jihad movement out of Egypt, practically, most Western governments kept these people and gave them political asylum, especially here in London, where I'm staying. Most of the jihad movements were killing people in Egypt, giving orders to kill people in Egypt, and President Mubarak asked the British and the Germans to send these boys back, but they never did.
So Western powers gave refuge to all these guys, and they made them what they are. I mean, Ayman al-Zawahiri was fund raising in California and Pittsburgh, as well as in Britain.
KAGAN: And so at this point, what do you think needs to be done? Top two points.
FANDY: Well, at this point, I mean, you need to really go hard. You don't have just to capture al-Zawahiri only, but you have to -- not just the corporate structure of al Qaeda, but you have to go also the franchise, small places in Morocco and in Spain and other places, and even knock off shops on the side that exist in the rest of the Arab world. You have to really go for cleaning up rather than just focusing on the Pakistan element of it.
KAGAN: Well, and you talk about, and you give credit to how the Egyptians handled that problem. But Mamoun, you know the kind of tactics that they used that would not be tolerated...
FANDY: Absolutely.
KAGAN: ... in a place like the U.S. and most Western democracies.
FANDY: Absolutely. I think, I mean, the balance of security and freedom was very big. The human rights costs were very big. Most human rights organization criticized Egypt for how it handled it. But I think the rest of the Egyptians were happy that, you know, they managed to get rid of this menace. So...
KAGAN: It is not (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
FANDY: ... at some point, you know, you have to make a decision.
KAGAN: It is not an even balancing act as the world tries to fight the war on terror. Mamoun Fandy, thank you so much for your insight today, this morning, appreciate it.
FANDY: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: And a programming reminder. We take a closer look at Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden, that is today on "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS," coming up at 11:00 a.m., again at 5:00 p.m.
SAN MIGUEL: Well, it has been a year since coalition forces entered Iraq, and that's many years since the Iraqi people have been dealing with the aftermath of war in their homeland. Are they better off today than last year? We will get your thoughts on that question, up next. KAGAN: And we have a final check on the weather. Good morning, Las Vegas. We'll have your complete weather forecast in about five minutes. CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Live picture from Andrews Air Force Base, Air Force One getting ready to take off. President Bush heading to Florida today, trying to rally the troops, the voting troops. Florida will be a key battleground in the election in 2004 later this year.
Top of the hour, one of the coolest shows on CNN coming up, it's called "ON THE STORY." Dana Bash standing by to tell us more about what we can expect. Hi, Dana.
BASH: Hi, Daryn. And we're "ON THE STORY" from here in Washington to London to Atlanta. Barbara Starr has the latest on the battle in Pakistan that may be the last-ditch defense of al Qaeda's number-two man. Rym Brahimi is covering demonstrations in London and across Europe today against the war in Iraq. And Daryn Kagan is "ON THE STORY" of college basketball, the fans, the gambling, and new concern about beer ads.
We're on all those stories just ahead.
KAGAN: Barbara Starr messaged me. She said she doesn't, she didn't fill out her bracket. She doesn't know it. Thank you, Dana.
SAN MIGUEL: Uh-oh.
KAGAN: Thank you for that.
SAN MIGUEL: You will catch her on that one.
KAGAN: I know. But you know what? I mean, come on. But we're going to -- there's some really key issues, a lot of people out there who think they don't know about this, but there's some key issues about college sports that we're going to talk about.
SAN MIGUEL: All right. We'll look forward...
KAGAN: It's a great show.
SAN MIGUEL: ... we'll look forward to that.
KAGAN: OK.
SAN MIGUEL: We need to apologize here, because we were expecting to bring you a live interview with one of the co-hosts of the Discovery Channel's "Rally Round the House," very popular show on cable. But technical problems got in the way. We apologize.
Mr. William Moss has agreed, though, to join us next Saturday instead, so this has turned into a tease. Moss is going to show you low-cost ways to beautify your yard and other parts of the outside of your home on a budget. That'll be live right here next Saturday morning.
And when you think about it, if you're going to have somebody work on your yard, they need to be named Moss.
KAGAN: Well, I was going to say, a plant guy named Moss?
SAN MIGUEL: Yes, better. Or maybe his nickname's Pete, I don't know.
KAGAN: Yes, Pete Moss.
SAN MIGUEL: But please, tune in for that. We apologize we couldn't get him on today.
Orelon Sidney will tell us if it's going to be a good weather for getting out in your garden or your front yard.
KAGAN: Orelon?
SIDNEY: I think, you know what, I think a lot of locations, you can do just that. It's going to be a little bit chilly in the Northeast, and of course the ground is still frozen, especially across some parts of northern Minnesota. Very cold temperatures and windy for the Plains. Down to the South, though, a great day.
But here, you're going to have a problem throughout the Virginias, continuing on into New England later, as these showers and thunderstorms start to move eastward. Starting to build up a few thunderstorms now right along the central Appalachians and the southern Appalachians as that cool air starts to rise over the mountains.
Looking for warm conditions to continue in the Southwest. It will continue to be chilly across parts of the Northeast today. High temperatures in Boston only 43, almost 60 degrees, though, in D.C. And Chicago's not doing too bad, high of about 57.
But here is the warm, very springlike air. In fact, summerlike air in some locations as we're looking for continued record temperatures out West.
Here's your Sunday forecast. That cold front pushes all the way to the Gulf Coast. You're not going to notice really strong cooling during the day in the South. Your high will be in the 60s. Overnight, though, you'll drop back down into the 30s, where you have been in the 40s in places like Georgia and Mississippi on through northern Louisiana.
To the north, that's where it's going to be very cold under that strong ridge of high pressure and very windy as well. The good news is, not a lot of precipitation. You're going to find windy conditions with snow in the Great Lakes and New England tomorrow. Small accumulations, maybe an inch or so.
Down South, maybe a few scattered thunderstorms in Texas, southern Arizona, and southern New Mexico. Back to work on Monday, and that, the Four Corners, at least the southern portion, is where you'll find most of the rain. North of that, you have a chance for snow. Rainfall along the northwest coast, with some snow, of course, in the higher elevations. Parts of Minnesota all the way into northern Missouri could see some early spring snow, and it will continue to be at least snow shower chances for the Northeast with that cold air settled in on Monday.
Enjoy your temperatures in the South, you'll be 97 in Phoenix. Can you really enjoy that? Cold across much of the North. Temperatures will be in the 30s. Want to find some warm temperatures? Head to Las Vegas, high temperatures today will be in the upper 70s and lower 80s across much of the region.
Renay, Daryn?
SAN MIGUEL: Phoenix decided just to go ahead and skip spring altogether.
SIDNEY: No, I don't think they have one.
KAGAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) defend Phoenix here, because I lived there for five and half years. They value the sun. Actually, 97 this time of year...
SAN MIGUEL: That's right.
KAGAN: ... it's not -- Well, you're from east Texas. You know. It's a dry heat.
SAN MIGUEL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), it is a dry heat, and the humidity is gone, so...
KAGAN: It doesn't feel like it does here in the Southeast in the summertime.
SAN MIGUEL: Exactly.
SIDNEY: That's true.
KAGAN: This is actually a very nice time of year.
SIDNEY: That's very true.
SAN MIGUEL: You can actually breathe in the air sometimes around here in the...
Thank you so much. We appreciate it.
Well, if your weekend plans include a trip to the movie theater, you're in the right place. To help you decide which new flick to go to, here is our now showing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "DAWN OF THE DEAD")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on! (END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: Those zombies are back. They got their own ideas about strange eating habits. Zombies are taking over the earth, the United States in particular, in "Dawn of the Dead." A small group of survivors is trying to escape by hiding in a mall. A brilliant idea, right? Well, it turns out that zombies, like teenagers, love shopping. They're still consumers. The only hope is to make a flight to a zombie-free island. Could be the setup for the next reality show, who knows?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here at Lacuna (ph), we have a safe technique for the focused erasure of troubling memories.
JIM CARREY, ACTOR: Is there any risk of brain damage?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Technically, the procedure is brain damage. But it's on a par with a night of heavy drinking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: After the "Dawn" comes the "Sunshine." This one gets a qualified thumbs-up from Daryn Kagan. Jim Carrey stars in the romantic comedy as a man who decides to do what his ex-girlfriend did, undergo an experimental procedure erasing all memories of their time together from his brain. But somewhere down the road, he realizes that these, those are the memories he wants to keep. The film takes place mostly in his mind, going backward in time as each memory is being replaced.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "TAKING LIVES")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of these men have something in common. Simply a life different from his own.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He knows that I'm cooperating with the police? The bait always does.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is our best shot at catching this guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My son is a very dangerous man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: And there is a killer on the loose. In this week's woman-in-jeopardy movie, he's hard to catch because he takes lives and identities of his victims. Things get easier when an FBI profiler, played by Angelina Jolie, gets on the case, but then a love affair gets in the way -- what a shocker -- to complicate an already twisted plot.
KAGAN: No!
SAN MIGUEL: Can you believe it? KAGAN: All right.
Updating our top stories this morning, Pakistani military officials are expressing doubt that Osama bin Laden's top aide is actually hiding in a mountain stronghold along the Afghan border. About 100 suspected al Qaeda fighters have been captured in days of fierce fighting, but the Pakistanis say intercepted radio communications suggest that Ayman al-Zawahiri is not the man the fighters are trying to protect.
President Bush campaigns today in Florida. We saw Air Force One getting ready for takeoff just a couple minutes ago. Up to 15,000 people are expected at a noon rally at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. You no doubt recall that Florida played a pivotal role in the 2000 presidential election.
SAN MIGUEL: Oh, yeah, that Florida thing.
KAGAN: Oh, yeah.
SAN MIGUEL: I do remember that.
We take one last look at your e-mail responses to our question of the day, are Iraqis better off now than they were a year ago?
KAGAN: All right. From Jim in North Carolina, he writes that "While the capture of Saddam Hussein was a victorious moment, Iraqis and the rest of the world are no safer or better off than one year ago."
SAN MIGUEL: Tom from Des Moines, Iowa, "The people of Iraq are definitely better off today than they were a year ago. Hussein is out of power, and the foundation of democracy is under construction. Although I think it will be awhile until all of the benefits of our involvement will be fully realized, I believe we have done the right thing."
We do appreciate your writing in today.
KAGAN: Thank you so much.
There is still a lot more ahead on CNN today. Up next, it's "ON THE STORY," followed by "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS," today a closer look at al Qaeda's top two terrorists, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. And at noon, more of "CNN LIVE SATURDAY."
SAN MIGUEL: But for now, that is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Thanks for joining us.
KAGAN: I'll see you in just a moment on "ON THE STORY."
Thank you, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Thank you.
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