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CNN SATURDAY MORNING NEWS

Al-Zawahiri Dead Or Alive?; Florida Boy Shot By SWAT Officer Remains On Life Support; "A Million Little Pieces" Publisher To Be Sued For Fraud; Iran To Stay Course On Nuclear Program; Randal McCloy Remains In Coma; Coffee Benefits

Aired January 14, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Was al Qaeda's number two man killed or not? It's Saturday, January 14th. Good morning, everyone. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

We also have a new development in that school shooting in Florida yesterday. One of the students held hostage in the stand-off is now talking. We're going to hear his story.

Well, let's get right to it with some of the headlines now in the news.

Wicked weather expected in the Northeast today. Lots of rain and a drop in temperatures in the forecast, as well. This follows a night of powerful storms along the East Coast. You're looking at wreckage from storms in Manning, South Carolina, where nine people were injured and an Alabama woman was killed after a tornado tore through there, causing the chimney of her home to collapse.

And eighth grader is on advanced life support this morning after being shot by police at his school. A SWAT team was called to the Orlando area middle school yesterday after students spotted a gun in the boy's backpack. Now, authorities say police fired on the 15-year- old after he pointed the weapon at them. It turned out to be a pellet gun.

Tests for bird flu in a patient hospitalized in Brussels have come back negative. That's according to a Belgian government official. The patient had been visiting an area in Turkey where 18 people were confirmed infected with the deadly virus. Three of those people died of it.

and Republican sources tell CNN that House Speaker Dennis Hastert has reversed course and is now trying to oust Representative Bob Ney of Ohio from his post as chairman of the House Administration Committee. Hastert is under pressure from within his party to take a strong stand against ethical misconduct and Ney has been linked to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Ney denies any wrongdoing.

HARRIS: The big question this morning, was al Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, killed in a CIA air strike? The latest reports from Pakistan say he is not dead and that the CIA acted on false information. But knowledgeable U.S. sources tell CNN al- Zawahiri may have been killed in yesterday's strike on a village near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, joins us now live with details -- and, Jamie, how difficult has it been to nail this story what with all of official Washington saying very little about this?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, considering we still have no official comment from anyone in the U.S. government, and really, although there's been some official, no definitive statements from the Pakistani government, only that they now believe it's not likely that Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in this strike.

And the biggest indication of that is that the Pakistani government is lodging an official protest with the United States over the strike, which was, according to knowledgeable sources telling CNN's David Ensor, was called in by the CIA, based on intelligence that al Qaeda's number two might have been among some high ranking al Qaeda leaders who were suspected to be gathering in this village in northwest Pakistan.

Also unclear is the manner under which this attack took place. Some of the villagers claim they saw planes coming in to bomb or shoot missiles at the location. In the past, the CIA has used armed predator spy planes, unmanned planes, to conduct attacks.

The U.S. military insists it was not involved in this strike. And now it appears that the primary victims were women and children, along with, perhaps, some other people, as well. So that's part of the reason for the anger on the part of the Pakistani government.

last month, the CIA, in a similar strike, took out or killed a man that they said was an operations chief of al Qaeda. They said that was a success. But in this case, again, pending some definitive word, it's beginning to look like this was not a successful attempt to take out Ayman al-Zawahiri.

HARRIS: CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, for us.

Jamie, thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, many of you have seen Ayman al-Zawahiri on videotapes like this one trying to incite his followers with fiery rhetoric. The Egyptian born doctor is widely considered the brains behind al Qaeda. Terrorism experts believe he helped mastermind the September 11 attacks.

In 1998, al-Zawahiri formed the World Islamic Front for the jihad against Jews and crusaders. The following year, he was sentenced to death in abstentia for an alleged plot against U.S. interests in Albania. And in December 2001, a U.S. air strike on his residence in Afghanistan killed al-Zawahiri's wife and three children.

HARRIS: You can depend on CNN for late breaking developments on this story.

You can also log on to cnn.com for more on al Qaeda's number two man, including information on his latest videotaped message, in which he called on President Bush to admit defeat in Iraq.

NGUYEN: A tragic ending to a stand-off at a middle school near Orlando, Florida. Police say an eighth grade student was shot and critically wounded by a SWAT team officer after police say the boy terrorized classmates and teachers with what appeared to be a .9 millimeter handgun. But that weapon tuned out to be something else entirely.

Bringing us a live update from Longwood, Florida, CNN's J.J. Ramberg -- of course, the main concern here is with the boy.

He is on life support, is that what we understand?

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hi, there, Betty.

Yes, he still is on life support at a local hospital here. He's on assisted life support. We haven't had any reports on his condition yet this morning, but as far as we know, it hasn't changed since yesterday, which they're saying that he was on assisted life support.

Now yesterday, there was some confusion, as you commented, between his -- what turned out to be a pellet gun but yesterday they thought was a real gun. He brought this gun to school. Two students noticed that he had it and alerted a teacher. But some colleagues of ours spoke to one of those students and his mother earlier today and this is what he said happened yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Everyone ran out of the classroom except for me and this one girl. And we were walking. And he said, "You, stay." So the girl, she ran out of the classroom and he told me to get up against the blackboard. And I did. And he put the gun to my back and then we -- then I told him, "Please don't shoot me. Please don't shoot me."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMBERG: Now, eighth grader Christopher Penley, who was holding the gun, then ran out of that classroom. He was followed by the resource officers at this school. And then the SWAT team came. And the SWAT team then cornered him in an alcove.

They tried to, as they say, talk to the boy and get him to put down the weapon. But then Christopher Penley, they say, lifted up the gun and pointed it at one of the SWAT team, who then shot in self- defense. And, as we know, what happened to the story now and we'll keep on following it to see if there are any new developments -- Betty.

NGUYEN: J.J. let's talk about this gun just briefly because we saw some video earlier of this gun next to a real .9 millimeter and they look very similar, especially from a distance. These officers may not have been able to tell the difference.

RAMBERG: Yes, that's what they're saying. Generally, pellet guns and a red tip and that's what distinguishes them from a real gun. This particularly pellet gun had that red tip painted black. So, from a distance, it looked exactly as they saying, like a real gun.

NGUYEN: All right, J.J. Ramberg in Florida this morning.

Thanks for the update on this tragic story.

HARRIS: Weather wreckage in South Carolina. A possible tornado sweeps through a mobile home park in the east-central part of the state. At least nine people have been injured, four of them critically. One woman is unaccounted for, although it's not clear if she was at home at the time the tornado struck last night. Officials say nine mobile homes were destroyed and 18 others just damaged.

A second possible twister damaged homes in North Carolina, but there are no reports of any injuries there.

NGUYEN: In Alabama, the National Weather Service says it was a tornado and not just strong winds that caused extensive damage to homes in one south-central county. Authorities say one woman was killed when a chimney collapsed in Belleville. Fifteen to 20 homes were damaged. Downed trees blocked a section of U.S. Highway 84.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, author James Frey says his memoirs are true, mostly. And Oprah says that's good enough for her. But do readers feel betrayed anyway?

HARRIS: And fiery words from Iran's leader this morning. What did he say? Our Christiane Amanpour was there. She'll join us live from Tehran when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And if you're just joining us, good morning.

Good to see you.

Our top stories this morning, a CIA strike on this man, Ayman al- Zawahiri, may have backfired. Pakistan plans to make a formal protest about the air strike to the U.S. ambassador there. Pakistani officials reportedly say al-Zawahiri is not among the 18 people killed in yesterday's air strike. But knowledgeable U.S. sources tell CNN Al-Zawahiri may have been killed.

Tornado watches were lifted a short time ago in several Southern and Mid-Atlantic states. Now residents are surveying the damage from several overnight storms and tornadoes.

And Belgian authorities say tests for bird flu in a patient hospitalized in Brussels have come back negative. The patient had been visiting an area in Turkey where 18 people were confirmed infected with the deadly virus. Three of those people died of it.

NGUYEN: And now to a best-selling book that is accused of blurring the line between fact and fiction, James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces," a memoir of his life as an alcoholic, drug addict and criminal. Frey is standing by the book's authenticity and he's got one very powerful person on his side.

With that, here's CNN national correspondent Kelly Wallace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A surprise caller towards the end of Larry King's interview with controversial author James Frey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST: Are you there, my friend?

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Hello, Larry.

How are you?

KING: Hello, dear one.

How are you doing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: On the line, Oprah Winfrey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINFREY: Hi, James. Hi, Lynne.

JAMES FREY, AUTHOR: Hi, Oprah.

LYNNE FREY: Hi, Oprah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Her first comments since explosive charges that parts of Frey's memoir of addiction and rehab were more fiction than fact.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINFREY: The underlying message of redemption in James Frey's memoir still resonates with me, and I know that it resonates with millions of other people who have read this book, and will continue to read this book.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Winfrey seemed to stand solidly behind Frey and his book, "A Million Little Pieces," her October pick for her ever so powerful book club, but placed some of the blame on the publishing industry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINFREY: I am disappointed by this controversy surrounding "A Million Little Pieces" because I rely on the publishers to define the category that a book falls within, and also the authenticity of the work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Frey, clearly gratified by Winfrey's support, had one message that he repeated over and over to Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREY: To be honest, I still stand by the book as being the essential truth of my life. I'll stand by that idea until the day I die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Regarding the allegations raised by The Smoking Gun investigative Web site that he fabricated key sections of the book, Frey says he has acknowledged embellishing some details, although there is no such disclaimer in his memoir.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: With the kind of incredible life you've had, why embellish anything?

FREY: I mean, I've acknowledged that there were embellishments in the book, you know, that I've changed things, that in certain cases things were toned up, in certain cases things were toned down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Frey, whose mom joined him at the end of the show, says there is one lesson he's learned after intense scrutiny of his book.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREY: I'll absolutely never write about myself again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE (on camera): And the question now is will this controversy hurt or help book sales?

Kelly Wallace, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And as Kelly Wallace just reported, the allegations against Frey's book were first made on The Smoking Gun investigative Web site. Tony talked to the editor of smokinggun.com a short while ago to get his take on Oprah Winfrey's defense of the book.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BASTONE, WWW.THESMOKINGGUN.COM: She went out on a limb. She supported this book. She's promoted this book. You know, the fact that she chooses to abet a liar, that's her business. I mean I think it's kind of unfortunate.

But the fact is, is he promoted this thing at every turn as the truth and he did it because at the core of that, the reason he did it was that there was a financial motivation. And there are a lot of people -- Oprah can say that it's, you know, a tale of redemption. That's fine. But, you know, you have to ask yourself a question.

If he lied and fabricated the portions of the book for which a contemporaneous paper trail exists, why would you possibly think that the rest of the book, for which you have to rely solely on his word, is true? Why would anyone possibly think that the only fake stuff is the stuff that you have -- there are documents attached to and the real stuff is the stuff that you have to rely on James Frey to be telling you the truth?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: People are asking other questions, as well. Will the controversy cause publishers to change the way they do business? Charlotte Abbott would know. She is the senior editor of "Publishers Weekly" and she joins us now from New York.

Thanks for being with us today.

CHARLOTTE ABBOTT, "PUBLISHERS WEEKLY" SENIOR EDITOR: Thanks so much for having me.

NGUYEN: Sure.

Now, we heard in the piece by Kelly Wallace Oprah Winfrey say she's relying on publishers to do the checks and balances to determine that this, indeed, was a memoir.

So, how does a publisher make that determination?

What is a memoir?

ABBOTT: A memoir is a work based on an author's memory. And, you know, memoirists have come out since this whole case has erupted to say that that does involve reporting the facts, going back and finding factual evidence for the basis of their memories. And there are some that feel very strongly that they have a responsibility to do that.

Publishers, I think, have had a broader range of standards for what's acceptable with memoirs. Typically, a memoir doesn't undergo the same kind of scrutiny that a book that, say, for example, suggests that the president is wiretapping ordinary citizens in their homes without a warrant. That kind of book, current affairs or history, undergo a higher level of scrutiny.

NGUYEN: All right, but for memoirs -- and I know you're talking about recollection in a person's life -- are there checks and balances in place by the publisher to determine that, OK, these facts are pretty much correct?

ABBOTT: There certainly, you know, every reader comes to the book with a common sense point of view and I think that that is -- that's largely the first sort of level of scrutiny that a book undergoes. And if there are questions raised beyond that point, then a book will go under libel review. That's very common for memoirs. And beyond that, it's up to the publisher's discretion.

NGUYEN: Well, when it comes to who's shouldering responsibility in this or any other case, for example, I want to tell you about something that we've learned today. There's a report out that indicates a class action lawsuit ha been filed against the publisher.

And the lawyer, Thomas Pakenas, said this. And this is a quote: "If somebody sells you a cashmere jacket and it turns out to be polyester, you would feel cheated, right? And even if the collar and lapels were cashmere, it still would be consumer fraud to defend the book as telling the "emotional truth" is just crap."

So, what's your response to that?

ABBOTT: I guess my question would be, you know, what is the damage to the reader? I'll be very interested to see how the lawyer presents that case.

NGUYEN: In James Frey's case, he's standing by his memoir. But this also is the story of a man who was going through severe do you addiction, alcoholism.

Is it understandable that some of his recollections, especially in retrospect when he started writing this book, may be a little fuzzy. And, with that being the case, if it was, do the specifics in question really change the essence of his book?

ABBOTT: I think that particularly if he was under the influence of drugs that he, you know, up -- that he had an obligation -- my own feeling is that he had an obligation to go back and make sure of the facts, not just to trust that recollection.

But I think that there's a diversity of opinion on this.

NGUYEN: So do you think, in the end, though, there's a lot of talk about this book.

Is it only going to boost sales?

ABBOTT: Well, it already has boosted sales. And, you know, next week, when the book will have been on sale for a full week we'll have better information about exactly just how much its boosted sales. But anecdotal reports from retailers and booksellers that we've called suggest that the book is selling even better than before. And I bet that the publisher is going to go back to press.

NGUYEN: And quickly, will the publisher or publishers at large change the way they do checks and balances for memoirs?

ABBOTT: I think that is really the interesting question. I mean there are prominent publishers who have already come out and said that they don't think that they can do anything differently than they have done, which is largely rely on the author to satisfy them that the facts in a memoir are true.

But, you know, memoirs, this whole controversy shows that memoirs undergoing -- are being held to a very high standard. The news media, because of the transparency of the Internet, the news media is being held to a very high standard. I think news journalists are now turning to book publishers and saying wait, what are your standards? And I think book publishers are going to take a very hard look at that.

NGUYEN: Charlotte Abbott, senior editor for "Publishers Weekly."

Thank you for your time today.

ABBOTT: Thank you.

NGUYEN: James Frey's exclusive information on "LARRY KING" will replay in its entirety tonight. Hear Frey defend his work and Oprah Winfrey's surprise phone call. That's tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

ABBOTT: An emotional plea from behind bars. Michael Skakel speaks out. We're going "Across America" with the details. That's just ahead.

NGUYEN: Plus, the perks of coffee. Ah, coffee.

HARRIS: Well, Betty.

NGUYEN: No pun intended, of course.

When CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: In "News Across America" now, a fire at a New Orleans scrap yard may be releasing chemicals into the air. The fire began Thursday night in a heap of hurricane debris, a pile that soared 100 feet high and included major kitchen appliances. Officials are going to let the smoldering fire burn itself out. Tests are being conducted on the air quality in the largely abandoned neighborhood.

Three eco-terror suspects are behind bars after being arrested at a shopping center in Auburn, California. The FBI says the suspects are members of the radical environmental group Earth Liberation Front. They're accused of plotting to blow up U.S. Forest Service property, as well as cell phone towers and power generators. The Kennedy cousin convicted of a 31-year-old murder insists he's a victim of injustice. Michael Skakel's conviction for the murder of Martha Moxley was upheld yesterday by the Connecticut Supreme Court. Skakel's lawyer released a note from his client that reads: "I an innocent. I did not murder Martha." Skakel also writes: "The only thing the State of Connecticut has accomplished is putting an innocent father behind bars."

Music in memory of a man whose songs inspired millions. Lou Rawls' funeral was held yesterday in Los Angeles. Hundreds of mourners packed the confirmation hearing, including Stevie Wonder, Jesse Jackson and Little Richard. Lou Rawls died last week of lung cancer.

NGUYEN: Suspicions of nuclear activity in Iran. A new photo has emerged showing suspected new construction at a nuclear site in the country. We're going to show it to you, next.

HARRIS: Plus, think that morning cup of coffee gets you going? Well, it does. And it does a lot more than that. We're going to explain, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

NGUYEN: Apparently it's doing it to you, right, Tony?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tired of washing dishes? Well, what if you could just throw away your dirty plates and make new ones? Leonardo Bonanni invented the Dishmaker to do just that.

LEONARDO BONANNI, MIT MEDIA LAB: It's a machine that makes all the dishes you need to eat with and when you're done eating, you can just throw them away back in the machine, and it recycles the material for the next time that you're ready to eat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The machine uses heat to transform flat acrylic glass disks into dishes. The process of making or recycling a dish takes about 90 seconds.

BONANNI: What's cutting edge about it is really putting a miniature factor inside your home to give you products that you use on a daily basis. The Dishmaker makes it so that you don't need cabinets full of dishes in case of a special occasion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, according to Bonanni, this device doesn't just save space and time, it saves energy, too.

BONANNI: You can recycle a dish three times a day for a whole year without consuming as much energy as you would to make a single use ceramic dish like you have at home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But Bonanni says the Dishmaker is currently just a prototype and his work isn't done yet.

BONANNI: We've tackled the first challenge, which is making a product that can be recycled endlessly. And we're working on adding more faces (ph), more kinds of dishes to it and making the device also include a dishwasher, which it doesn't right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: This morning, Iran's president calls the U.S. and other western countries a bunch of bullies. It's Saturday, January 14th everybody. Good morning from the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Good morning, everyone. Christiane Amanpour was at the Iranian president's news conference. She will join us in just a minute. But first, other headlines now in the news.

Conflicting reports about a CIA strike targeting this man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number two man in al Qaeda. Pakistan plans to make a formal protest about the air strike to the U.S. ambassador in Islamabad. Pakistani officials reportedly say al-Zawahiri was not among the 18 people killed in yesterday's air strike, but knowledgeable U.S. sources tell CNN that he may have been killed.

It's cleanup time for many people in the southeastern section of the country. Powerful storms and tornadoes ripped across the region overnight. Tornado watches and warnings were lifted a short time ago in several southern and mid-Atlantic states.

Doctors say Ariel Sharon's condition remains unchanged. He is showing no signs of waking up from a coma 10 days after suffering a severe stroke. But they say the 77-year-old leader has moved his right leg and both arms. Hospital officials caution it is still too early to draw any conclusions about Mr. Sharon's chances.

NGUYEN: There's more fiery words today from Iran's defiant leader. That country's president is vowing to stay the course over escalating tensions over his country's nuclear program. CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour had a front row seat at today's presidential news conference in Tehran and joins us now live by video phone. Christiane, I understand the term used was bunch of bullies.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was bombastic as usual. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has become known for his very fiery, as you say, bombastic rhetoric in public against the west, against Israel, against anyone who really gets in what he perceives to be Iran's way.

He has said and this of course is all about the nuclear issue which is a growing problem between Iran and the west. He again said that Iran would continue with its nuclear research. He insisted that it would remain within the guidelines and regulations of the UN nuclear watchdog agency, all the relevant treaties.

He refused to deny or confirm the IAEA's suspicions that Iran will, in fact, do some lab scale enrichment as part of its research, restarting the research program. He also said that he accused the west of having double standards, saying that there's so many countries which have nuclear programs and even nuclear weapons, why shouldn't Iran?

And when asked again whether he accepted that his words, for instance, threats against Israel, saying that Israel should be wiped off the map, whether those, whether he accepted that those kinds of words made people nervous about Iran having any kind of nuclear program, he simply said that that should not be the case.

The two are not connected and they are not pursuing nuclear weapons, insisting that their problem is peaceful. Threatening without saying it, that Iran might use its oil wealth and oil exports as leverage or some kind of counter retaliation, if Iran is faced with eventual UN sanctions. Betty?

NGUYEN: Let's talk about those sanctions, possible economic, political sanctions. Is the Iranian president saying anything about those possibilities?

AMANPOUR: Well, that was the possibility that he was referring to. According to U.S. and western diplomats, full scale UN sanctions, if they happen, are still a long way off. We understand that whatever diplomatic process is going to go into effect against Iran, it will be, quote, incremental. But Iran does say and this is what is always said in public that sanctions won't harm it, that it will harm other countries, those who impose the sanctions more, but that's always been Iran's public posture.

NGUYEN: CNN's Christiane Amanpour, thank you.

HARRIS: Let's talk more about this, Iran's nuclear research. Recent satellite images show what appears to be extensive new construction at Iran's nuclear plant. For more on the implications of all this, we turn to David Albright in Washington. He is a physicist and is president of the Institute for Science and International Security and good to see you, because I know we wanted to talk to you yesterday and you were really busy yesterday, but thanks for staying with us.

DAVID ALBRIGHT, INSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE AND INTL SECURITY: I apologize for that.

HARRIS: No, no, no, but thanks for being with us this morning. I have to ask you first of all, David, let's put up the picture and walk us through it. What are we seeing here and what's your assessment of what we're seeing here? Analyze it a bit for us.

ALBRIGHT: The shaded part represents the -- underneath the shaded part are the underground halls that would hold up to 50,000 gas centrifuges, which is a huge number, tremendous capability. And in the statements that the Iranians have made to the IAEA recently, they indicated that they plan to start industrial scale operation, which implies to most people that they're planning to start putting centrifuges and centrifuge-related equipment inside those halls and relatively soon. And so when the president talks about research, there's actually quite a bit more going on. It's -- they do need to do research. They need to do some development, but it's all aimed at being able to build a gas centrifuge plant, and the most likely place for that plant is in those areas that are shaded.

HARRIS: OK and there is underground construction? That's the key here, right?

ALBRIGHT: Very definitely. I mean in the plant, these two places that are shade started out as 75 feet deep holes and have been filled in over the last three or four years and they're basically designed to withstand a military strike and from either the air or the ground.

HARRIS: Do we have any idea? Does intelligence have information that's reliable to suggest to us how much construction like this of the nuclear variety can be found, is in Iraq right now?

ALBRIGHT: There's a lot of uncertainty, in fact, that's one of the issues. I mean Iran says they're doing nothing. Well, they're not cooperating with the IAEA adequately, and they're trying to answer the questions, what else could Iran have? It's lied significantly about its past activities. There is very important outstanding questions and Iran is stonewalling the IAEA on those questions. Plus it's been found in violation of this very important treaty, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

HARRIS: OK, let me stop you there and ask you this. Does the nuclear nonproliferation treaty allow for development by Iran of nuclear power, a nuclear capability for, say, electricity?

ALBRIGHT: Certainly it does and even with what the Europeans are doing, they're saying give up this uranium enrichment activities until confidence is regained in Iran's ability in essence to tell the truth and to conduct purely peaceful nuclear activities.

HARRIS: Iran's never going to go along with that. I mean, you're talking about outside bodies, outside states with a vested interest in what's going on in Iran, basically saying to Iran, we don't trust you, and stop what you're doing until we can trust you. They're not going to go along with that.

ALBRIGHT: Well, they went along with it for two years and they're not going along with it now. But the other countries have done that. There's other countries that have made sacrifices in this type in areas of tension. The Middle East is certainly an area of tension and what the Europeans have said and I think it's very generous, let's revisit this after 10 years.

I mean, Iran can negotiate it down to five and have a temporary deferral of these kinds of activities. But what's happened is Iran just walked away from it. I mean the president's attitude, unfortunately is symptomatic of the way the Iranians are acting and they're walking away from very generous offers. They're refusing to answer questions that they're obligated to answer that are posed by the International Atomic Energy Institute.

HARRIS: Well, let me ask you strategically, if you are sitting in Iran now, would it make a certain amount sense to pursue this technology given the fact that you've got U.S. forces in Afghanistan on one side of you. You've got U.S. forces in Iraq on the other side of you?

ALBRIGHT: No, I don't think so. And I also think it's incumbent upon the Bush administration to clearly say as they've said in North Korea, we don't intend to attack your country. We're not aiming to overthrow your regime. So I think the Iranians certainly can expect...

HARRIS: Has that been said?

ALBRIGHT: No, it hasn't. Not it hasn't and I think the Bush administration should make those kinds of statements. But that being said, the United States isn't threatening Iran right now and I think this is -- this conflict is one of Iran's own making and it knows how to in a sense climb down out of the tree and solve this thing through negotiations and if it's not willing to do that, then the international community has no choice but to start increasing the pressure on Iran to see if that will lead them to change their mind.

HARRIS: And we don't have time, I don't know what that means increasing pressure. I'm not sure I know what that means, but maybe...

ALBRIGHT: Targeted sanctions for one thing.

HARRIS: You think so?

ALBRIGHT: I think it can be tried. We could also think about this as South Africa in the 1970s and 80s, horrible apartheid regime seeking nuclear weapons and the international community started to put on the pressure, in essence, create a tax on the economy.

HARRIS: OK, David Albright, thanks for taking the time. That was good. That was good. Thank you, David.

NGUYEN: Well, nearly two weeks after the Sago mine tragedy, the sole survivor still remains in the hospital. An update on Randal McCloy's condition. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Our top stories now, determining the fate of al Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri. A Pakistani intelligence source tells CNN al-Zawahiri was not killed in a reported CIA air strike in Pakistan.

U.S. sources say Ayman al-Zawahiri was the target of yesterday's strike that left 18 people dead. Pakistan's government says it's lodged an official protest with the U.S. ambassador.

And a Florida teenager is hospitalized on advanced life support after being shot during a standoff with a SWAT team. Police say 15- year-old Christopher David Penley terrorized classmates yesterday with a weapon believed to be a gun. When Penley allegedly pointed the weapon at the SWAT team, an officer fired at the boy. Police then discovered Penley's weapon was a modified pellet gun.

NGUYEN: The 12 miners killed in West Virginia last week will be remembered tomorrow at a memorial service at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Meanwhile, the sole survivor of that tragedy is still fighting for his life. We get an update now on Randy McCloy Jr.'s condition from CNN's Christopher King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Each day since the Sago mine disaster, Anna McCloy has been by her husband' Randal's side as he lies in a coma. Ana and the couple's two children, four- year old Randall III and Isabelle, a year old, are there too, listening to music by his favorite band Metallica. Anna McCloy says even though her husband, her childhood sweetheart remains in a coma, she's trying to keep his daily routine as close to normal as possible.

ANNA MCCLOY, RANDY MCCLOY'S WIFE: Well, I got him a little bear that says hug me today and you put a picture of the kids in the middle of it. So I made that today and I got him some of his own deodorant, and his own soap, so that way, maybe if he smells like himself he may ...

KING: She hopes emerge from his unconscious state. Randal McCloy is the lone survivor of the tragedy that took the lives of 12 other miners. McCloy was trapped inside Sago mine in Tallmansville for more than 42 hours, breathing in enormous amounts of carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.

McCloy is in a moderate coma, in critical but stable condition at Ruby Memorial hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. These days his family is keeping a low profile out of respect to the families of the other victims. They are expecting to attend a memorial on Sunday for those 12 miners and as the McCloy family prays for Randal's recovery, they and the community around Sago mine pray they'll never have to deal with this type of tragedy again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Randy McCloy is being called the miracle miner and that report from CNN's Christopher King.

HARRIS: A lot of weather out there, a lot of situation...

NGUYEN: Severe weather too.

HARRIS: Bad stuff going on. Bonnie Schneider is in the CNN weather center with an update for us. Good morning Bonnie.

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HARRIS: You want to grab a cup of joe for our next report. It might just help you understand the science behind the mysteries of the coffee bean. Just what we need near the end of the show here. We'll explain next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

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HARRIS: I guess I should go. Are you starting your Saturday with a little java jolt? If so, you just might be giving your brain a boost as well. A new article researches the unexpected benefits of a simple cup of coffee. The article appears in "Time" magazine, which is part of the same parent company of CNN. Our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I know coffee can make you more wakeful, maybe even more cheerful. Here's something I didn't know. It could actually make you smarter.

MICHAEL LEMONICK, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Allow you to use what brainpower you have in a much more efficient and focused matter.

GUPTA: Michael Lemonick, A colleague from "Time" magazine has been drinking coffee, lots of coffee for years. He's also been researching its effects on the brain.

LEMONICK: You can give me a latte, skim latte?

GUPTA: Make no mistake, caffeine is a drug and stimulates your brain in sort of a tricky way. Look here, many medications focus on increasing the amount of stimulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Caffeine actually works against other neurotransmitters that would normally make you sleepy. The end result?

LEMONICK: Coffee gave me more energy, more focus, more sharpness and it gave me a better attitude and this mountain suddenly didn't look like such a big mountain.

GUPTA: As far as concerns about increased risk of cancer or high blood pressure, none of that has ever been proven. In fact, there seems to be no major negative side effects to consuming a couple of cups of coffee each day unless your doctor advises otherwise for conditions such as menopause, lumpy breasts, urinary incontinence or rapid heartbeat.

LEMONICK: There seems to be nothing medically dangerous about doing it and in fact, it's protective against things like Alzheimer's disease, we think and Parkinson's. Physically, if you let the caffeine go out of your system, you do go into a slump. You go downhill in the afternoon or late morning, which is why I'm doing this.

GUPTA: Of course your inherent smartness isn't actually changing with what you drink, but you may just be getting a lot better at using what smarts you do have.

JAMES MCGAUGH, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE: Most of the stimulant drugs are memory enhancing drugs. Caffeine as you know, is coffee and tea and so we routinely dose ourselves with mildly memory enhancing drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we see coffee shops on nearly every corner now and so a lot of people rely on high doses of caffeine on a daily base to help support their alertness.

GUPTA: There is a down side, though, Michael has been drinking coffee for so long, he can't even go one day without it.

LEMONICK: Tomorrow morning, I'd wake up with a crushing headache and I would be very lethargic, almost half asleep for the whole day. I just couldn't keep my eyes open.

GUPTA: But hey, some would say why stop in the first place? All this talk about better mental performance just waiting for you in this paper cup made this non-coffee drinker a little curious. The IQ points are adding up. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And that's why you should drink more coffee. I don't drink coffee, maybe I need to start.

HARRIS: But you can overdo anything it seems to me. So in this case, you would be, what, too smart, too smart.

NGUYEN: Who wants to too smart? I mean nobody wants to be too smart.

HARRIS: Well, there you go. See you back here tomorrow beginning at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.

NGUYEN: Unless you're too smart for the show. Coming up next, rebuilding New Orleans, are some residents being left out in the cold. The city's blueprint for rebuilding straight ahead on CNN LIVE SATURDAY with the lovely Fredricka Whitfield.

HARRIS: Fredricka Whitfield.

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