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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

SARS: Should You Wear a Mask?

Aired April 22, 2003 - 17:00   ET

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

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Blood in the streets honoring an ancient martyr amid calls of death to America.

Is this the face of the new Iraq?

From China to Canada, a deadly virus takes growing toll.

There's growing fear at home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been walking around with my ticks shirt over my nose like this.

BLITZER: Can the U.S. Head off the SARS epidemic?

What should you do?

I'll ask the nation's point man on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

And Laci Peterson's husband says he's not guilty of murder. Can he make his case?

Top gun defense attorney Robert Shapiro weighs in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN, live this our, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from the nations capital with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: It's Tuesday, April 22, 2003.

Hello from Washington.

We are following several major developments in Iraq right now. U.S. and British forces fought for a new Iraq, but is this the new Iraq they had in mind? South of Baghdad in Karbala, blood on the faces of protesters. They punish themselves mourning a religious martyr. But they're also speaking out, chanting death to America and death to Israel, at least some of them. And northern Iraq more problems keeping order. Humvees and trucks full of the 101st Airborne troops are moving in on Mosul. A city split between Kurds and Arabs. And in the capital, from restoring order to restoring power and water, U.S. Troops try to put Baghdad back in business.

CNN's Jim Clancy is standing by live in Baghdad, but we begin with CNN's Nic Robertson and those stunning images of religious revival in Karbala.

Nic, tell us what's going on.

NIC ROBERTSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's been a day of freedom for many people here, freedom of religious expression, freedom to give themselves political expression as well. We have seen people gathering on the streets in Karbala, demonstrating in a way that was absolutely forbidden under Saddam Hussein. They've come to the city of Karbala to commemorate the death of one of the most important religious heroes if you will, who died 1,300 years ago. People have been beating themselves showing their religious fervor.

But what we're beginning to hear now is there will be a political meeting tomorrow. This meeting will be held by the supreme council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. This is a group that's been in exile in Iran, we understand. They will be calling for Shi'a unity. They will be calling for a rejection of foreign involvement in Iraq. They will be calling for the involvement and the rebuilding of Iraq on religious lands. They will be calling from intertwining of the religious and the political in Iraq. This is very much a religious celebration, but it will have a very strong political component. The religious leaders who are returning from Iran will be telling the people here that they want essentially a Shi'a leader for Iraq and they want essentially an Islamic state here in Iraq -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic, how much involvement, if any, does the Iranian government play in this ferment, this excitement that we're seeing in southern Iraq?

ROBERTSON: This is very much homegrown in Iraq. This is really pent-up fervor, pent up religious expression. People here, whether they come from the school of thought that wants an Islamic state or they come from a less radical side of Shi'a Islam. This is their opportunity to show and express religious feelings they haven't been able to express, not just under Saddam Hussein's rule, but under pretty much everyone's rule in the last century in Iraq. Shi'a Muslims here have not had a political voice. They are beginning to find their feat. This is them expressing themselves, expressing religious feelings. But beginning to find their way toward a big political voice now -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson, our man on the scene in Karbala, thanks very much. And Nic, with that report and two-thirds of Iraq's population estimated to be Shi'ite Muslims.

You may be wondering why you saw so many people with bloody heads in this pilgrimage. The practice, by the way, is called Takbir (ph), heading the head with a sword to draw blood. Just as the pilgrimage marks the assassination of Mohammed's grandson Hussein. Takbir, commemorates the grief of the sister who was so overcome at seeing his head paraded through the streets that she slammed her head into the carriage, drawing blood. In Baghdad, meanwhile U.S. troops are finally stationed throughout the city guarding banks and museums, while others flipped switches and turn on taps trying to restore power and water. Let's go live to Baghdad.

That's where CNN's Jim Clancy is standing by -- Jim.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a report card so to speak, two weeks after U.S. Marines rattled into Baghdad aboard their armored personnel carriers and tanks. The head of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, General Bufford Blunt (ph), telling reporters he now has 19,000 of his men in the capital of Iraq. He says they are very much in the transition phase.

A transition between the combat role and the role of policing and peacekeeping here in the capital city. As you noted, he's protecting a number of sites. The biggest problem he faces in all of this are the arm's caches that exist all around the city. They're in the streets, they're in abandoned buildings and police stations and other locations, every kind of weaponry imaginable is out there. Easy access, he wants to get them off the streets.

Meantime a former general, Jay Garner is in northern Iraq, he, of course, the post-war administrator that will have to handle getting this country back on track to be rebuilt, get into humanitarian aid and on the road to democracy. He visited with Jalal Talabani and Masoud Barzani, the two Kurdish leaders there. A warm, warm welcome for the general in northern Iraq. A popular man there, to be sure. He says he hopes the sense of democracy that he sees in northern Iraq today can spread to the rest of the country tomorrow.

Meantime, the power coming back on in many parts of the capital city, that is a more important step than many people realize in terms of the public perception in Iraq that the U.S. is able to take control. That they themselves are able to take control in a post Saddam era. Now, the electrical workers are out in the streets. They've been repairing the lines. About 40 percent of the overall electricity restored and we understand the rest of it may come within a matter of days. A grim find on the outskirts of Baghdad. The prison, the cemetery at that prison yielded up some 900 graves. They were found, numbers marked the spots where people were buried. We are told that as many as 10 people a day were being executed by the regime up until one week before it fell.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: CNET's Jim Clancy on the scene for us in Baghdad. Once again, thanks Jim very much.

The United Nations has come full circle back to the issue of weapons inspections. Dr. Hans Blix wants back in. The White House says no way. There are also serious differences in the U.N. Security Council on when to lift sanctions against Iraq. We have two reports.

We'll hear from the senior white house correspondent John King in just a moment. First let's go to the United Nations, that's where Michael Okwu is standing by.

MICHAEL OKWU CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon. For the first time the French ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere today, said that France would be willing to suspend sanctions on Iraq for the first time since the early 1990s, but according to Security council Diplomats, Wolf, who we just spoke to that may be on the condition that U.N. inspectors be allowed back into the country as the chief verifying force on the ground on weapons of mass destruction.

First, the French ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, and then John Negroponte, the U.S. Ambassador.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-MARC DE LA SABLIERE, FRENCH AMB. TO U.N.: We should immediately suspend -- suspend -- immediately suspend the sanction. And about the oil for food program, and we will discuss it this afternoon. There should be some adjustment to the program with is a phasing out of this program.

JOHN NEGROPONTE, U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: Our view is in light of the dramatically changed circumstances in Iraq that sanctions should be lifted as soon as possible. So we now need to work with France and other countries to see how best that can be achieved and how quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: According to at least one U.N. diplomat, the wording here is very essential, very key, Wolf. The fact that the French ambassador used the word suspend which is quite different from the wording that the United States has been using all along. The United States wants to unequivocally lift sanctions all together. At this point there's no specific resolution, of course, that's on the table, no specific wording from the French. But you did hear the French ambassador saying that eventually they'd like to phase out the oil for food program. In the meantime, of course, the chief weapons inspector Hans Blix addressed the Security Council, Wolf, earlier this morning. Essentially saying that he has some 85 inspectors ready to go back into the country should they be decided that they're needed -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Michael Okwu, at the United Nations, thanks very much for that report.

So, should the U.N. Weapons inspectors return to, Iraq? That's a sensitive subject in many quarters -- of course, especially sensitive over at the White House. Let's go to our White House correspondent, our senior White House correspondent, John King. He's going to tell us all about it -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, in the days just before the war, the tensions were evident in the relationship between this Bush White House and Hans Blix, the chief U.N. weapons inspector. Those tensions dusting up again, if you will, in the immediate days after -- at least the major combat phase of the war.

Hans Blix, in an interview with the BBC saying that some of the Intelligence The United States and Great Britain gave him while his inspectors were inside Iraq, was shabby. He said some of the Intelligence, in fact, was actually forgeries, and Hans Blix also making the case that yes, while the coalition, The United States, and its allies have hired some former weapons inspectors to help them search for weapons of mass destruction, Hans Blix says he has no doubt that those men are professionals and will do their jobs honestly. But he says that if The United States and its allies want any international legitimacy, if you will, in the hunt for weapons of mass destruction, that his team -- the U.N. team -- should be sent back in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF INSPECTOR: I'm also convinced that the world and the security council, which has dealt with this issue for over 10 years, that they would like to have the inspection and verification which bear the imprint of that independence and of some institution that is authorized by the whole international community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Thanks, but no thanks was the quick White House response at the briefing here today. Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, saying the United States and its coalition partners won the war and The United States and its coalition partners will now search for the weapons in the disarmament effort ongoing in Iraq. Ari Fleischer also taking issue with what Hans Blix said in that BBC interview. Ari Fleischer saying Hans Blix perhaps should be criticizing Saddam Hussein. He says, any criticism of the Bush White House is grossly misguided.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Hans Blix had a difficult job to do, and he did his level best to do it. I simply say, in regard to the interview that he gave with BBC today, that the blame lies with Saddam Hussein. It's unfortunate if he would instead criticize The United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: So there will be a debate over when and how to lift the sanctions, but when it comes to sending the inspectors back in, the White House position at least for now as long as Dr. Hans Blitz is in charge, is no thank you -- Wolf.

John King at the White House. Thanks, John, very much.

Here's your turn to weigh in on the war in Iraq. Our Web question of the day is this. Should the U.S. support an Islamic government in Iraq if democratically elected?

We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, I'd like to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column -- cnn.com/wolf. Today, I wrote about the military analyst that appeared on television.

Deadly virus, world on alert. So what's being done to stop the spread of SARS to this country? I'll ask Dr. Anthony Fauci, the point man on infectious diseases, when we return.

Plus -- is this really the beginning of World War IV? Find out why a former CIA director thinks it is.

And the Scott Peterson defense. Is it really an open and shut case? Famed attorney, Robert Shapiro, talks defense strategy.

That and much more still to come. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Will the spread of a deadly virus in Canada jump the border? Does the U.S. need to take stronger measures against SARS? You're going to want to hear from our next guest, Dr. Anthony Fauci -- the country's point man on infectious diseases.

That, much more, when WOLF BLITZER REPORTS returns in 75 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Checking some new developments on the SARS front -- in a bid to keep the illness in check in North America, health officials in The United States are stepping in to help Canada battle an outbreak of SARS. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were traveling to Toronto today to offer their assistance.

More than a dozen deaths and at least 135 probable cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome are reported in Canada. And in The United States, there are at least 38 suspected cases but no deaths.

In Singapore, the government is distributing half a million thermometers to students so they'll be able to check themselves for fever, one of the key symptoms of SARS. Sixteen deaths are reported in Singapore. And in Hong Kong, quarantine measures appear to be paying off. The number of new cases is declining and, today, schools reopened after a three-week closure.

Even though there's no epidemic of SARS in The United States, the fear factor is certainly spreading. And it's a particular concern in New York City's Chinatown. Here's CNN's Jason Carroll. .

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In New York's Chinatown, signs of trouble. Afraid of SARS? Don't be. Support Asian restaurants. It's a slogan the owner of Boki (ph) restaurant wishes more would take to heart. Chivy Ngo says fear of SARS nearly cost him his business.

(on camera): But things look pretty good now. I mean business looks like it's good.

CHIVY NGO, RESTAURANT OWNER: So far, so good. They seem like pick up a lot compared with like two weeks ago.

CARROLL (voice-over): But some faces in this neighborhood show there's still the perception something is wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been walking around with my tee shirt over my noise like this.

CARROLL (on camera): Do you walk around with a tee shirt?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I walk around with a handkerchief. I put it over my face.

CARROLL (voice-over): It's not just Chinatown. It's the same on a subway in Queens.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone has to wear these things. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CARROLL: At airports in New York.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Safety's sake. You never know what's going to happen.

CARROLL: Los Angeles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just don't want to take a flight to anywhere around Asia cause of SARS.

CARROLL: And Seattle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I bring the mask and, you know, kind of medication and all kinds of washing things with me.

CARROLL: Doctors say most people in the U.S. don't need such precautions. SARS is still found mostly in China. Most U.S. patients contracted it overseas after having had close contact with an infected person.

Don Lee, a Chinatown activist, says education is the best way to ease fears of SARS.

DON LEE: The lesson learned here is that let's go to get information and news from reliable source.

CARROLL (on camera): Get the facts.

LEE: Get the facts. Simply get the facts and not be fearful of these rumors.

CARROLL (voice-over): A point Ngo hopes more of his former customers will remember.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Dr. Anthony Fauci is now with us. He's the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He is joining me live. Dr. Fauci, thanks so much for joining us.

Our viewers out there are concerned. But how concerned should they be? There's a very tiny number of actual cases in The United States. No deaths.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Yes, well, first of all, there shouldn't be panic.

In The United States, there's 39 cases and no deaths. The issue that we need to take real seriously, though, is that this is an evolving epidemic so we cannot predict right now really how it's going to go -- the direction it's going to go.

Is it going to escalate in a much greater fashion? Is it going to plateau and go down?

And while it's in the evolutionary phase, what we need to do is to listen to the announcements from the CDC about the kinds of precautions that could to be taken.

Right now, essentially, we go on as we normally had with the caveat of restrictions in the sense of only going to China or to Hong Kong unless it's absolutely essential travel. And the CDC, just this afternoon, made an interim travel alert to Canada -- advising you what to do if you go to Canada, particularly Toronto and the Ontario region.

BLITZER: If someone had business in Toronto, should he or she go?

FAUCI: If you have business and it's important business, you could go but if you do, what you should do is listen to the travel alert from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention about being attentive to how you feel. If you get ill, if you get a fever, go to your physician when you come back from Canada. Be alert for at least 10 days for any symptoms that you might have had. Avoid places where there could be communicablity back and forth.

BLITZER: Should you walk around with a mask?

FAUCI: No. No. You don't need to do that.

BLITZER: Will a mask help? Does the mask help at all?

FAUCI: Well, in some respects. For example, with health care worker a properly-fitted mask, when you're taking care of a -- of a SARS patient is -- is an important precaution to take with regard to preventing spread to the healthcare workers.

BLITZER: There are some suggestions from cruiseliners, for example, are preventing Canadians from going or people from Toronto from going.

FAUCI: That's an overreaction, very clear and that's what just what was said on -- on the piece that we have to be careful that we walk the important balance between being cautious, being aware of how things evolve but not overreacting to a situation. The way things are right now in the United States we better be careful not to overreact. We need to be careful and take this seriously, but not overreact.

BLITZER: Should the government prevent people from Singapore, Hong Kong or China from coming into this country?

FAUCI: No. No. But what we're doing and I believe it's been effective is that what the CDC is doing is that at portals of entry into the country from those -- from those nations that are high prevalence nation, they're giving out cards that say if you have any symptoms, report yourself immediately. If several days after you leave the airport and leave the plane you develop symptoms, immediately report yourself to the -- to the health authorities and -- and call ahead to say you might have the possibility of having SARS so they'll be ready to take care of you.

BLITZER: What about people who live in my hometown, along the Canadian border, Buffalo, New York, or Michigan or other states near Canada? Should they be doing anything differently?

FAUCI: No. They should not, Wolf. They should continue as they're doing right now, but make sure that they follow the announcement because I can't emphasize too strongly that this is an evolving epidemic.

Right now, nothing special. But things could change a week or two or three from now.

BLITZER: So what symptoms should people be paying attention to?

FAUCI: Well, the classic symptoms of SARS is a -- is a -- is a fever.

BLITZER: Well, a fever you get with a flu too.

FAUCI: Exactly. A lot of it is non-specific and a lot of it can be seen in other diseases. It's fever, headache, malaise, muscle aches, a cough, some shortness of breath, and in the extreme form you have a severe pneumonia.

BLITZER: But that's -- those symptoms could be associated with a lot of other sicknesses as well.

FAUCI: Exactly. Exactly.

BLITZER: So if you've been to Asia, for example...

FAUCI: And that's the critical issue. What are the circumstances? If someone has been to a high prevalence country and comes back with those symptoms, that's a big red flag, compared to someone who has no contact with anyone who's been there, who develops a fever and some aches.

BLITZER: But there are some cases where people have not had contact, have not traveled, they developed it.

FAUCI: Yes. That is an unusual situation to have that secondary and tertiary spread. Most all -- or most of the cases in this country have been either people who have traveled there, who are close contacts, health workers, individuals who have taken care of people who have SARS.

BLITZER: Dr. Fauci, nobody knows the issue better than you, infectious diseases.

FAUCI: Thank you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much.

FAUCI: Good to be here.

BLITZER: You can find out a lot more about the SARS crisis, the CNN special report hosted by Paula Zahn coming up tonight, 8:30 p.m. Eastern. Please watch it.

Newt Gingrich blasts Colin Powell over Iraq. Whose side is President Bush on? The political fallout. That's coming up.

Plus a gruesome murder and a husband on trial. We'll talk with the noted criminal defense attorney Robert Shapiro and we'll ask him what kind of strategy Scott Peterson might want to pursue.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: If you want to vote on that "Web Question of the Day," go to my Web page, cnn.com/wolf.

Some harsh words from the former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Secretary of State Colin Powell. In a speech to the American Enterprise Institute earlier today, Gingrich blasted the State Department for what he called diplomatic failures before the war in Iraq and he called for dramatic change.

Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, is joining me now live. He's here to fill us in with the details -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, some people in Washington are asking was Newt Gingrich -- was Newt Gingrich speaking for himself or was he perhaps speaking for others as well?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR (voice-over): It was a broadside against Colin Powell and his State Department from a well known conservative with ties to the Pentagon. NEWT GINGRICH, FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER: The State Department remained ineffective and incoherent.

ENSOR: There was sharp criticism on Iraq from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a member of the Pentagon Defense Policy Advisory Board. Powell, he said, should not be planning to reward Syria with a visit.

GINGRICH: The concept of the American Secretary of State going to Damascus to meet with a terrorist-supporting secret police-wielding dictator is ludicrous.

ENSOR: But Powell is going to Damascus, as defenders responded, because the boss told him to.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As you know, Secretary Powell will be going to visit with the Syrians.

GINGRICH: The State Department invention of a quartet for Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations defies everything the United States has learned about France, Russia and the United Nations.

ENSOR: But again, say Powell defenders, you may not like the idea of including Russia, Europe and the U.N. in a quartet on the Middle East with the U.S., but the president does.

ROBERT OAKLEY, FMR. U.S, DIPLOMAT: To accuse Powell of being disloyal to the president and freelancing is just totally outrageous.

ENSOR: Gingrich said the State Department has been dragging its feet on fixing the roads in Afghanistan and should not be trusted to rebuild Iraq.

GINGRICH: As of two weeks ago not one mile of road had been paved in Afghanistan.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: Everybody knows you can't pave roads in Afghanistan. You can't put down asphalt in Afghanistan in the wintertime.

GINGRICH: Is the former speaker speaking for others in the administration? Perhaps for conservatives at the Pentagon with his criticisms of Powell and his department. Not for the president said the spokesman.

FLEISCHER: Secretary Powell is a able, able diplomat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: With Gingrich taking return fire, those who might be expected to agree with him at the Pentagon and elsewhere in this town took cover today,. But with the U.S. facing some tough diplomatic challenges on Iraq and other matters, watch for more policy skirmishes yet to come -- Wolf.

BLITZER: It's a staple of Washington. No one should be surprised about that.

ENSOR: That's for sure.

BLITZER: David Ensor, thanks very much. Very interesting report.

And will religious freedom trigger an American backlash in Iraq? An emotional ritual and an expression of new political power in the streets of Iraq. Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARON ROCHA, LACI PETERSON'S MOTHER: I literally get sick to my stomach when I allow myself to think about what may have happened to them. No parent should ever have to think about the way their child was murdered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: With emotions running high on all sides, can Scott Peterson get a fair trial? Robert Shapiro joins us. He'll talk defense strategy and more.

And was the war in Iraq just the beginning of a worldwide conflict? I'll ask the former CIA Director James Woolsey.

Much more coverage coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN's up-to-the-minute coverage of the new Iraq.

In a moment, religious freedom and bloody ritual in Iraq, has the U.S. unleashed a powerful force beyond its control? Nic Robertson has the story. He'll join me live from Karbala.

But first for the latest headlines, let's go back to CNN's Anderson Cooper in the CNN newsroom in Atlanta. He's joining us now -- Anderson.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Anderson.

For the first time in decades, Iraq's majority Shi'a Muslims are freely making a pilgrimage to their holy city of Karbala. They're also using their new freedom to express disdain for the country that won it for them.

Our Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson is joining us now live once again from Karbala. Nic, how much anger is there towards the United States in these pilgrimage demonstrations?

ROBERTSON: For the majority, most people here are very happy. They're very peaceful here. They say they're very grateful to the United States.

But some of the do express with quite extreme anger because they believe the United States wants to stay here, wants to exploit Iraq in their view. They express quite extreme anger that the United States and the coalition forces should leave Iraq.

The vast majority of people, however, do not talk a lot about that. If you ask them questions about it, yes, they will tell you the United States has done a very good job but it's time to leave.

And what we are hearing now that a returning exile group, called the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, is sending a delegation here from Iran where they've been in exile for several decades, sending a delegation here tomorrow.

That delegation will bring a message of sheer unity. It will bring a message of rebuilding Iraq along Islamic lines. It will bring a message of intertwining politics with Islam and a rejection of international involvement in Iraq -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ahmed Chalabi is a Shiite Iraqi but does he really represent anyone in those demonstrations in the pilgrimage that we're seeing around you right now? He's the leader, of course, of the Iraqi National Congress. He's been abroad for decades but he's now returned to Iraq.

ROBERTSON: Certainly there would be people here who might follow the political leadership of Ahmed Chalabi but it would be a minority. Most here fervently religious and they will follow their religious leaders and that what they say. Whatever their religious leaders give them in terms of guidance politically, then they will follow that, and if their leaders call for an Islamic state, they say they're happy with that -- Wolf.

BLITZER: One final question before I let you go, Nic. Behind you I'm sure a lot of our viewers are interested, that dome, it's a mosque, but tell us what we're seeing.

ROBERTSON: Right behind me is the shrine of Imam Abbas about 100 meters in front of me, 100 yards in front of me is a shrine of Imam Hussein, these two shrines to two senior religious leaders who died 1,300 years ago.

Imam Abbas the grandson of Islam's Prophet Mohammed, a key figure. He died in a battle here. His father died and buried in another city not far from here, very important, very important religious city, not just to Iraqi Shi'as but to Shi'a Muslims all over the world. For many years pilgrims have been coming here from all over the world including Iran -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson doing his usual outstanding job for us. Thanks, Nic, very much.

And, you often hear us talk about Shi'a and Sunni Muslims. For those who aren't familiar they represent, of course, the two main branches of Islam. They split more than 1,000 years ago, a few decades after the death of the founder of Islam, Mohammed, over the issue of who should succeed him.

And, although Shi'a Muslims are the majority in Iraq, perhaps two-thirds of the country, Sunni Muslims have run the country for years and have repressed Shiites often brutally, largely because Saddam Hussein was a Sunni.

Of course we want to hear directly from you, our viewers. Our web question of the day once again is this: "Should the U.S. support an Islamic government in Iraq if democratically elected?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf.

His life could depend on it, what strategy should Scott Peterson's lawyers use to defend him? We'll hear from one of the country's best known defense attorneys Robert Shapiro.

Plus, can the U.S. force democracy on the Middle East? Former CIA Director James Woolsey, he'll weigh in. He'll talk to me just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Coming up, defending Scott Peterson, are there holes in the case against him? I'll ask defense attorney Robert Shapiro.

And later, one-on-one with the former CIA Director James Woolsey, why he believes the situation with Iraq and its neighbors could amount to the beginning of World War IV. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Pretrial proceedings are scheduled to begin next month in the case of Scott Peterson. The 30-year-old Modesto man pleaded not guilty at his arraignment yesterday to charges he murdered his wife, Laci, and their unborn child.

A few hours later, Laci's family made their first public statement since the bodies were found on the shore of San Francisco Bay last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROCHA: Soon after Laci went missing, I made a promise to her, that if she's been harmed we will seek justice for her and Connor and make sure that that person responsible for their deaths will be punished.

I can only hope that the sound of Laci's voice begging for her life and begging for the life of her unborn child is heard over and over and over again in the mind of that person every day for the rest of his life. The person responsible should be held accountable and punished for the tragedy and devastation forced upon so many of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And, joining me now from Los Angeles to talk about a possible defense strategy, the veteran of similar high profile cases, one of the best in the business, the criminal defense attorney Robert Shapiro.

Bob thanks so much for joining us. In that kind of an environment, can he get a fair trial in Modesto?

ROBERT SHAPIRO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It's going to be extremely difficult for him to get a fair trial anywhere, Wolf. Once media trials start people are instantaneously convicted in the mass media, and when it comes time for trial the presumption of innocence that applies to everyone in this country has all but dissipated and we have the assumption of guilt and facing those challenges are going to be extremely difficult for Mr. Peterson or anyone similarly situated.

BLITZER: Because for so many people he's basically already been convicted. If you were defending him what would be the first steps you would immediately take?

SHAPIRO: Immediately, and that is as soon as he was viewed as a suspect, an investigation must begin as to where his alibis may potentially lie, to trace all of his steps to bring on the best experts in the country for every potential type of consequence whether it be a mental defense that may come up down the line or whether it be questioning forensic evidence by bringing in expert criminologists.

BLITZER: They obviously...

SHAPIRO: Preparation is the key.

BLITZER: A lot of our viewers remember Richard Ricci, the handyman, with the Elizabeth Smart case. He was basically convicted. He died in jail. But later it was shown that Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped, taken by someone else. Is that the kind of arguments a criminal defense attorney would raise in this kind of an environment?

SHAPIRO: Well, first what we try to do is level the playing field and that's going to be very, very difficult at this point in time. It's a very horrendous crime. It's emotionally charged. But clearly there have been many cases more than the one you've alluded to.

We had a case in the Olympics in Atlanta where a person was tried and convicted in the media only to be found to have an absolute perfect alibi and was cleared by the FBI months later.

So, it's going to be a case where the unexpected will happen. It always happens in cases like this and we're always going to have a surprise that nobody anticipated.

BLITZER: The fact that they're going for a double murder, the unborn child, eight months pregnant, is there any way his attorney could get the prosecution to back away from that because that provides the so-called special circumstance, the death penalty?

SHAPIRO: Well, first, if the case ever got to a posture where both sides thought it would be in their best interest to settle the case, that becomes a very, very important negotiation tool where you can save someone from the death penalty by eliminating the double murder charge.

Also, it's going to be something that may challenge some jurors because it in some way related to whether somebody is pro-choice or anti-abortion. It's one of those things that somebody would say well it's a fetus and can you murder a fetus? Even though the law is very clear and has been so in California for 30 years that the death of a fetus can constitute murder.

BLITZER: Well, does this case -- is it possible to get some sort of plea bargain, a plea agreement? Let's say that his lawyers and Scott were ready to go ahead and plead guilty to one count of murder and give him life without the possibility of parole as opposed to facing the death penalty. Could the prosecution in a high profile case like this accept that?

SHAPIRO: I think so. First, realistically in California, the number of people who ever get the death penalty imposed is very, very small and then the execution of people in California has not taken place for years.

So, prosecutors are well aware of this. They're also aware of the fact that when people are facing the death penalty that jurors tend to hold the prosecution to a higher standard of proof, and their case becomes much more difficult to convince a jury.

So, therefore, I believe this would be a case where the prosecution would entertain a plea. Whether that's something the defense would want is going to have to remain until the defense can conduct a very thorough investigation and make a determination as to the strength or weaknesses of the prosecution case.

BLITZER: And so far we have not seen virtually any of the evidence the prosecution may have. Bob Shapiro, always good to have you on our program. Thanks very much. We'll have you back.

SHAPIRO: Thank you, Wolf, my pleasure.

BLITZER: Thank you. And, is America involved in another World War? Right now, one prominent American thinks so. Meet the former CIA Director James Woolsey on what America's military is up against, all that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's been suggested by Eliot Cohen (ph) of Johns Hopkins University that we're now facing World War IV. If World War III was the Cold War, this new war would be the fight for democracy around the world.

In Part 2 of my interview with the former CIA Director James Woolsey, I asked him if the United States can force democracy upon nations like Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, and North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES WOOLSEY, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: This war against terrorism and rogue states is going to have a lot of parallels to the Cold War is the right one and we after all, Wolf, during and by the end of the Cold War we had moved the world from, if you go back to 1914, from a dozen or so democracies up to there being over 120, and most of those now came about during and at the end of the Cold War.

BLITZER: What happens if there's election in Iraq and the theocracy, a Shiite-led theocracy, along the lines of the Ayatollah- led theocracy in Iran is democratically elected?

WOOLSEY: Well, one election once is not a democracy. A democracy has to be something that keeps going where the losers aren't afraid of knocks on the door in the middle of the night.

And, the history of the Shi'a tradition, the Shiite tradition, has largely been one of separation between mosque and state, except for the 10th Century in Egypt. Khomeni was a departure from the Shiite tradition and that's one reason his successors, like (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and mullahs around him are so unpopular in Iran today, including unpopular with the grand Ayatollahs.

They are a huge departure from the tradition of mosque and state separation of Shi'as. And so, I think if we resist and help the other Shiites resist these theocrats, I think the theocrats are going to lose. They certainly have made a botch of things in Iraq. That's why they're so unpopular there.

But we have to be resolute on this and help in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East, help democracies be established where people get to vote time and time and time again under a rule of law, not just but once.

BLITZER: The world has clearly changed after the war in Iraq. Should leaders in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, two close allies of the United States, should they be nervous?

WOOLSEY: Well, I think a bit of nervousness is good. For example, any government that lets its religious police, as Saudi Arabia did not too long ago, shove little girls back into a burning building and die by a horrible death because they didn't have their veils on right ought to be a bit nervous.

But I would very much hope that the reform elements within the royal family and within Egypt can help things move in such a way that one begins to get more civil liberties and decent treatment for women, and so forth, in some of these governments in the Arab world without anything violent having to take place. That's what really took place during and after the Cold War.

BLITZER: What you're saying is there can be regime change in these Arab and Muslim countries without necessarily having the U.S. go to war to make that happen?

WOOLSEY: Yes, and we're seeing in the Persian Gulf area, we're seeing in Qatar and Bahrain and the UAE and Kuwait and Morocco, we're seeing the beginnings of protection of civil liberties and rule of law. Iraq itself had a fine civil code and a fine constitution with some guarantees of civil liberties back between World War I and the end of the '50s when the terrorists and the Ba'athists overthrew the Iraqi government. So, Iraq itself, as well as in other parts of the Arab world, there's a tradition of rule of law. After all, the Iraqis invented the rule of law. Hamarabi Code is the oldest one there was.

BLITZER: Well, a final question before I let you go, Director Woolsey. Lieutenant General Jay Garner is in Baghdad now. He's retired U.S. Army. He's the man put in charge of reconstructing, if you will, some sort of interim authority. Are you ready to go over there and help him?

WOOLSEY: Well, some senior people in the U.S. government have asked me if they ask me would I be willing to go and I said sure. In 35 years, any time the U.S. government has asked me to do anything full time or part time I've done it. But it's not clear that they want me to go yet and, if so when, and if so to do what? So, it's all up in the air. I don't know but if they need help, of course, I'd be glad to help.

BLITZER: Director Woolsey thanks for joining us.

WOOLSEY: Good to be with you, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: So, should the United States support an Islamic government in Iraq if democratically elected? The results of our web question of the day, that's coming up next, vote, cnn.com/wolf.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here are the results of our web question 30 no, 70 yes.

Let's turn it over to Lou Dobbs. He's standing by in New York right now -- Lou.

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







Aired April 22, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Blood in the streets honoring an ancient martyr amid calls of death to America.

Is this the face of the new Iraq?

From China to Canada, a deadly virus takes growing toll.

There's growing fear at home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been walking around with my ticks shirt over my nose like this.

BLITZER: Can the U.S. Head off the SARS epidemic?

What should you do?

I'll ask the nation's point man on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

And Laci Peterson's husband says he's not guilty of murder. Can he make his case?

Top gun defense attorney Robert Shapiro weighs in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN, live this our, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from the nations capital with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: It's Tuesday, April 22, 2003.

Hello from Washington.

We are following several major developments in Iraq right now. U.S. and British forces fought for a new Iraq, but is this the new Iraq they had in mind? South of Baghdad in Karbala, blood on the faces of protesters. They punish themselves mourning a religious martyr. But they're also speaking out, chanting death to America and death to Israel, at least some of them. And northern Iraq more problems keeping order. Humvees and trucks full of the 101st Airborne troops are moving in on Mosul. A city split between Kurds and Arabs. And in the capital, from restoring order to restoring power and water, U.S. Troops try to put Baghdad back in business.

CNN's Jim Clancy is standing by live in Baghdad, but we begin with CNN's Nic Robertson and those stunning images of religious revival in Karbala.

Nic, tell us what's going on.

NIC ROBERTSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's been a day of freedom for many people here, freedom of religious expression, freedom to give themselves political expression as well. We have seen people gathering on the streets in Karbala, demonstrating in a way that was absolutely forbidden under Saddam Hussein. They've come to the city of Karbala to commemorate the death of one of the most important religious heroes if you will, who died 1,300 years ago. People have been beating themselves showing their religious fervor.

But what we're beginning to hear now is there will be a political meeting tomorrow. This meeting will be held by the supreme council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. This is a group that's been in exile in Iran, we understand. They will be calling for Shi'a unity. They will be calling for a rejection of foreign involvement in Iraq. They will be calling for the involvement and the rebuilding of Iraq on religious lands. They will be calling from intertwining of the religious and the political in Iraq. This is very much a religious celebration, but it will have a very strong political component. The religious leaders who are returning from Iran will be telling the people here that they want essentially a Shi'a leader for Iraq and they want essentially an Islamic state here in Iraq -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic, how much involvement, if any, does the Iranian government play in this ferment, this excitement that we're seeing in southern Iraq?

ROBERTSON: This is very much homegrown in Iraq. This is really pent-up fervor, pent up religious expression. People here, whether they come from the school of thought that wants an Islamic state or they come from a less radical side of Shi'a Islam. This is their opportunity to show and express religious feelings they haven't been able to express, not just under Saddam Hussein's rule, but under pretty much everyone's rule in the last century in Iraq. Shi'a Muslims here have not had a political voice. They are beginning to find their feat. This is them expressing themselves, expressing religious feelings. But beginning to find their way toward a big political voice now -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson, our man on the scene in Karbala, thanks very much. And Nic, with that report and two-thirds of Iraq's population estimated to be Shi'ite Muslims.

You may be wondering why you saw so many people with bloody heads in this pilgrimage. The practice, by the way, is called Takbir (ph), heading the head with a sword to draw blood. Just as the pilgrimage marks the assassination of Mohammed's grandson Hussein. Takbir, commemorates the grief of the sister who was so overcome at seeing his head paraded through the streets that she slammed her head into the carriage, drawing blood. In Baghdad, meanwhile U.S. troops are finally stationed throughout the city guarding banks and museums, while others flipped switches and turn on taps trying to restore power and water. Let's go live to Baghdad.

That's where CNN's Jim Clancy is standing by -- Jim.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a report card so to speak, two weeks after U.S. Marines rattled into Baghdad aboard their armored personnel carriers and tanks. The head of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, General Bufford Blunt (ph), telling reporters he now has 19,000 of his men in the capital of Iraq. He says they are very much in the transition phase.

A transition between the combat role and the role of policing and peacekeeping here in the capital city. As you noted, he's protecting a number of sites. The biggest problem he faces in all of this are the arm's caches that exist all around the city. They're in the streets, they're in abandoned buildings and police stations and other locations, every kind of weaponry imaginable is out there. Easy access, he wants to get them off the streets.

Meantime a former general, Jay Garner is in northern Iraq, he, of course, the post-war administrator that will have to handle getting this country back on track to be rebuilt, get into humanitarian aid and on the road to democracy. He visited with Jalal Talabani and Masoud Barzani, the two Kurdish leaders there. A warm, warm welcome for the general in northern Iraq. A popular man there, to be sure. He says he hopes the sense of democracy that he sees in northern Iraq today can spread to the rest of the country tomorrow.

Meantime, the power coming back on in many parts of the capital city, that is a more important step than many people realize in terms of the public perception in Iraq that the U.S. is able to take control. That they themselves are able to take control in a post Saddam era. Now, the electrical workers are out in the streets. They've been repairing the lines. About 40 percent of the overall electricity restored and we understand the rest of it may come within a matter of days. A grim find on the outskirts of Baghdad. The prison, the cemetery at that prison yielded up some 900 graves. They were found, numbers marked the spots where people were buried. We are told that as many as 10 people a day were being executed by the regime up until one week before it fell.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: CNET's Jim Clancy on the scene for us in Baghdad. Once again, thanks Jim very much.

The United Nations has come full circle back to the issue of weapons inspections. Dr. Hans Blix wants back in. The White House says no way. There are also serious differences in the U.N. Security Council on when to lift sanctions against Iraq. We have two reports.

We'll hear from the senior white house correspondent John King in just a moment. First let's go to the United Nations, that's where Michael Okwu is standing by.

MICHAEL OKWU CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon. For the first time the French ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere today, said that France would be willing to suspend sanctions on Iraq for the first time since the early 1990s, but according to Security council Diplomats, Wolf, who we just spoke to that may be on the condition that U.N. inspectors be allowed back into the country as the chief verifying force on the ground on weapons of mass destruction.

First, the French ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, and then John Negroponte, the U.S. Ambassador.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-MARC DE LA SABLIERE, FRENCH AMB. TO U.N.: We should immediately suspend -- suspend -- immediately suspend the sanction. And about the oil for food program, and we will discuss it this afternoon. There should be some adjustment to the program with is a phasing out of this program.

JOHN NEGROPONTE, U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: Our view is in light of the dramatically changed circumstances in Iraq that sanctions should be lifted as soon as possible. So we now need to work with France and other countries to see how best that can be achieved and how quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: According to at least one U.N. diplomat, the wording here is very essential, very key, Wolf. The fact that the French ambassador used the word suspend which is quite different from the wording that the United States has been using all along. The United States wants to unequivocally lift sanctions all together. At this point there's no specific resolution, of course, that's on the table, no specific wording from the French. But you did hear the French ambassador saying that eventually they'd like to phase out the oil for food program. In the meantime, of course, the chief weapons inspector Hans Blix addressed the Security Council, Wolf, earlier this morning. Essentially saying that he has some 85 inspectors ready to go back into the country should they be decided that they're needed -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Michael Okwu, at the United Nations, thanks very much for that report.

So, should the U.N. Weapons inspectors return to, Iraq? That's a sensitive subject in many quarters -- of course, especially sensitive over at the White House. Let's go to our White House correspondent, our senior White House correspondent, John King. He's going to tell us all about it -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, in the days just before the war, the tensions were evident in the relationship between this Bush White House and Hans Blix, the chief U.N. weapons inspector. Those tensions dusting up again, if you will, in the immediate days after -- at least the major combat phase of the war.

Hans Blix, in an interview with the BBC saying that some of the Intelligence The United States and Great Britain gave him while his inspectors were inside Iraq, was shabby. He said some of the Intelligence, in fact, was actually forgeries, and Hans Blix also making the case that yes, while the coalition, The United States, and its allies have hired some former weapons inspectors to help them search for weapons of mass destruction, Hans Blix says he has no doubt that those men are professionals and will do their jobs honestly. But he says that if The United States and its allies want any international legitimacy, if you will, in the hunt for weapons of mass destruction, that his team -- the U.N. team -- should be sent back in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF INSPECTOR: I'm also convinced that the world and the security council, which has dealt with this issue for over 10 years, that they would like to have the inspection and verification which bear the imprint of that independence and of some institution that is authorized by the whole international community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Thanks, but no thanks was the quick White House response at the briefing here today. Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, saying the United States and its coalition partners won the war and The United States and its coalition partners will now search for the weapons in the disarmament effort ongoing in Iraq. Ari Fleischer also taking issue with what Hans Blix said in that BBC interview. Ari Fleischer saying Hans Blix perhaps should be criticizing Saddam Hussein. He says, any criticism of the Bush White House is grossly misguided.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Hans Blix had a difficult job to do, and he did his level best to do it. I simply say, in regard to the interview that he gave with BBC today, that the blame lies with Saddam Hussein. It's unfortunate if he would instead criticize The United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: So there will be a debate over when and how to lift the sanctions, but when it comes to sending the inspectors back in, the White House position at least for now as long as Dr. Hans Blitz is in charge, is no thank you -- Wolf.

John King at the White House. Thanks, John, very much.

Here's your turn to weigh in on the war in Iraq. Our Web question of the day is this. Should the U.S. support an Islamic government in Iraq if democratically elected?

We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, I'd like to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column -- cnn.com/wolf. Today, I wrote about the military analyst that appeared on television.

Deadly virus, world on alert. So what's being done to stop the spread of SARS to this country? I'll ask Dr. Anthony Fauci, the point man on infectious diseases, when we return.

Plus -- is this really the beginning of World War IV? Find out why a former CIA director thinks it is.

And the Scott Peterson defense. Is it really an open and shut case? Famed attorney, Robert Shapiro, talks defense strategy.

That and much more still to come. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Will the spread of a deadly virus in Canada jump the border? Does the U.S. need to take stronger measures against SARS? You're going to want to hear from our next guest, Dr. Anthony Fauci -- the country's point man on infectious diseases.

That, much more, when WOLF BLITZER REPORTS returns in 75 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Checking some new developments on the SARS front -- in a bid to keep the illness in check in North America, health officials in The United States are stepping in to help Canada battle an outbreak of SARS. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were traveling to Toronto today to offer their assistance.

More than a dozen deaths and at least 135 probable cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome are reported in Canada. And in The United States, there are at least 38 suspected cases but no deaths.

In Singapore, the government is distributing half a million thermometers to students so they'll be able to check themselves for fever, one of the key symptoms of SARS. Sixteen deaths are reported in Singapore. And in Hong Kong, quarantine measures appear to be paying off. The number of new cases is declining and, today, schools reopened after a three-week closure.

Even though there's no epidemic of SARS in The United States, the fear factor is certainly spreading. And it's a particular concern in New York City's Chinatown. Here's CNN's Jason Carroll. .

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In New York's Chinatown, signs of trouble. Afraid of SARS? Don't be. Support Asian restaurants. It's a slogan the owner of Boki (ph) restaurant wishes more would take to heart. Chivy Ngo says fear of SARS nearly cost him his business.

(on camera): But things look pretty good now. I mean business looks like it's good.

CHIVY NGO, RESTAURANT OWNER: So far, so good. They seem like pick up a lot compared with like two weeks ago.

CARROLL (voice-over): But some faces in this neighborhood show there's still the perception something is wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been walking around with my tee shirt over my noise like this.

CARROLL (on camera): Do you walk around with a tee shirt?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I walk around with a handkerchief. I put it over my face.

CARROLL (voice-over): It's not just Chinatown. It's the same on a subway in Queens.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone has to wear these things. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CARROLL: At airports in New York.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Safety's sake. You never know what's going to happen.

CARROLL: Los Angeles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just don't want to take a flight to anywhere around Asia cause of SARS.

CARROLL: And Seattle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I bring the mask and, you know, kind of medication and all kinds of washing things with me.

CARROLL: Doctors say most people in the U.S. don't need such precautions. SARS is still found mostly in China. Most U.S. patients contracted it overseas after having had close contact with an infected person.

Don Lee, a Chinatown activist, says education is the best way to ease fears of SARS.

DON LEE: The lesson learned here is that let's go to get information and news from reliable source.

CARROLL (on camera): Get the facts.

LEE: Get the facts. Simply get the facts and not be fearful of these rumors.

CARROLL (voice-over): A point Ngo hopes more of his former customers will remember.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Dr. Anthony Fauci is now with us. He's the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He is joining me live. Dr. Fauci, thanks so much for joining us.

Our viewers out there are concerned. But how concerned should they be? There's a very tiny number of actual cases in The United States. No deaths.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Yes, well, first of all, there shouldn't be panic.

In The United States, there's 39 cases and no deaths. The issue that we need to take real seriously, though, is that this is an evolving epidemic so we cannot predict right now really how it's going to go -- the direction it's going to go.

Is it going to escalate in a much greater fashion? Is it going to plateau and go down?

And while it's in the evolutionary phase, what we need to do is to listen to the announcements from the CDC about the kinds of precautions that could to be taken.

Right now, essentially, we go on as we normally had with the caveat of restrictions in the sense of only going to China or to Hong Kong unless it's absolutely essential travel. And the CDC, just this afternoon, made an interim travel alert to Canada -- advising you what to do if you go to Canada, particularly Toronto and the Ontario region.

BLITZER: If someone had business in Toronto, should he or she go?

FAUCI: If you have business and it's important business, you could go but if you do, what you should do is listen to the travel alert from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention about being attentive to how you feel. If you get ill, if you get a fever, go to your physician when you come back from Canada. Be alert for at least 10 days for any symptoms that you might have had. Avoid places where there could be communicablity back and forth.

BLITZER: Should you walk around with a mask?

FAUCI: No. No. You don't need to do that.

BLITZER: Will a mask help? Does the mask help at all?

FAUCI: Well, in some respects. For example, with health care worker a properly-fitted mask, when you're taking care of a -- of a SARS patient is -- is an important precaution to take with regard to preventing spread to the healthcare workers.

BLITZER: There are some suggestions from cruiseliners, for example, are preventing Canadians from going or people from Toronto from going.

FAUCI: That's an overreaction, very clear and that's what just what was said on -- on the piece that we have to be careful that we walk the important balance between being cautious, being aware of how things evolve but not overreacting to a situation. The way things are right now in the United States we better be careful not to overreact. We need to be careful and take this seriously, but not overreact.

BLITZER: Should the government prevent people from Singapore, Hong Kong or China from coming into this country?

FAUCI: No. No. But what we're doing and I believe it's been effective is that what the CDC is doing is that at portals of entry into the country from those -- from those nations that are high prevalence nation, they're giving out cards that say if you have any symptoms, report yourself immediately. If several days after you leave the airport and leave the plane you develop symptoms, immediately report yourself to the -- to the health authorities and -- and call ahead to say you might have the possibility of having SARS so they'll be ready to take care of you.

BLITZER: What about people who live in my hometown, along the Canadian border, Buffalo, New York, or Michigan or other states near Canada? Should they be doing anything differently?

FAUCI: No. They should not, Wolf. They should continue as they're doing right now, but make sure that they follow the announcement because I can't emphasize too strongly that this is an evolving epidemic.

Right now, nothing special. But things could change a week or two or three from now.

BLITZER: So what symptoms should people be paying attention to?

FAUCI: Well, the classic symptoms of SARS is a -- is a -- is a fever.

BLITZER: Well, a fever you get with a flu too.

FAUCI: Exactly. A lot of it is non-specific and a lot of it can be seen in other diseases. It's fever, headache, malaise, muscle aches, a cough, some shortness of breath, and in the extreme form you have a severe pneumonia.

BLITZER: But that's -- those symptoms could be associated with a lot of other sicknesses as well.

FAUCI: Exactly. Exactly.

BLITZER: So if you've been to Asia, for example...

FAUCI: And that's the critical issue. What are the circumstances? If someone has been to a high prevalence country and comes back with those symptoms, that's a big red flag, compared to someone who has no contact with anyone who's been there, who develops a fever and some aches.

BLITZER: But there are some cases where people have not had contact, have not traveled, they developed it.

FAUCI: Yes. That is an unusual situation to have that secondary and tertiary spread. Most all -- or most of the cases in this country have been either people who have traveled there, who are close contacts, health workers, individuals who have taken care of people who have SARS.

BLITZER: Dr. Fauci, nobody knows the issue better than you, infectious diseases.

FAUCI: Thank you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much.

FAUCI: Good to be here.

BLITZER: You can find out a lot more about the SARS crisis, the CNN special report hosted by Paula Zahn coming up tonight, 8:30 p.m. Eastern. Please watch it.

Newt Gingrich blasts Colin Powell over Iraq. Whose side is President Bush on? The political fallout. That's coming up.

Plus a gruesome murder and a husband on trial. We'll talk with the noted criminal defense attorney Robert Shapiro and we'll ask him what kind of strategy Scott Peterson might want to pursue.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: If you want to vote on that "Web Question of the Day," go to my Web page, cnn.com/wolf.

Some harsh words from the former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Secretary of State Colin Powell. In a speech to the American Enterprise Institute earlier today, Gingrich blasted the State Department for what he called diplomatic failures before the war in Iraq and he called for dramatic change.

Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, is joining me now live. He's here to fill us in with the details -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, some people in Washington are asking was Newt Gingrich -- was Newt Gingrich speaking for himself or was he perhaps speaking for others as well?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR (voice-over): It was a broadside against Colin Powell and his State Department from a well known conservative with ties to the Pentagon. NEWT GINGRICH, FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER: The State Department remained ineffective and incoherent.

ENSOR: There was sharp criticism on Iraq from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a member of the Pentagon Defense Policy Advisory Board. Powell, he said, should not be planning to reward Syria with a visit.

GINGRICH: The concept of the American Secretary of State going to Damascus to meet with a terrorist-supporting secret police-wielding dictator is ludicrous.

ENSOR: But Powell is going to Damascus, as defenders responded, because the boss told him to.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As you know, Secretary Powell will be going to visit with the Syrians.

GINGRICH: The State Department invention of a quartet for Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations defies everything the United States has learned about France, Russia and the United Nations.

ENSOR: But again, say Powell defenders, you may not like the idea of including Russia, Europe and the U.N. in a quartet on the Middle East with the U.S., but the president does.

ROBERT OAKLEY, FMR. U.S, DIPLOMAT: To accuse Powell of being disloyal to the president and freelancing is just totally outrageous.

ENSOR: Gingrich said the State Department has been dragging its feet on fixing the roads in Afghanistan and should not be trusted to rebuild Iraq.

GINGRICH: As of two weeks ago not one mile of road had been paved in Afghanistan.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: Everybody knows you can't pave roads in Afghanistan. You can't put down asphalt in Afghanistan in the wintertime.

GINGRICH: Is the former speaker speaking for others in the administration? Perhaps for conservatives at the Pentagon with his criticisms of Powell and his department. Not for the president said the spokesman.

FLEISCHER: Secretary Powell is a able, able diplomat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: With Gingrich taking return fire, those who might be expected to agree with him at the Pentagon and elsewhere in this town took cover today,. But with the U.S. facing some tough diplomatic challenges on Iraq and other matters, watch for more policy skirmishes yet to come -- Wolf.

BLITZER: It's a staple of Washington. No one should be surprised about that.

ENSOR: That's for sure.

BLITZER: David Ensor, thanks very much. Very interesting report.

And will religious freedom trigger an American backlash in Iraq? An emotional ritual and an expression of new political power in the streets of Iraq. Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARON ROCHA, LACI PETERSON'S MOTHER: I literally get sick to my stomach when I allow myself to think about what may have happened to them. No parent should ever have to think about the way their child was murdered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: With emotions running high on all sides, can Scott Peterson get a fair trial? Robert Shapiro joins us. He'll talk defense strategy and more.

And was the war in Iraq just the beginning of a worldwide conflict? I'll ask the former CIA Director James Woolsey.

Much more coverage coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN's up-to-the-minute coverage of the new Iraq.

In a moment, religious freedom and bloody ritual in Iraq, has the U.S. unleashed a powerful force beyond its control? Nic Robertson has the story. He'll join me live from Karbala.

But first for the latest headlines, let's go back to CNN's Anderson Cooper in the CNN newsroom in Atlanta. He's joining us now -- Anderson.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Anderson.

For the first time in decades, Iraq's majority Shi'a Muslims are freely making a pilgrimage to their holy city of Karbala. They're also using their new freedom to express disdain for the country that won it for them.

Our Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson is joining us now live once again from Karbala. Nic, how much anger is there towards the United States in these pilgrimage demonstrations?

ROBERTSON: For the majority, most people here are very happy. They're very peaceful here. They say they're very grateful to the United States.

But some of the do express with quite extreme anger because they believe the United States wants to stay here, wants to exploit Iraq in their view. They express quite extreme anger that the United States and the coalition forces should leave Iraq.

The vast majority of people, however, do not talk a lot about that. If you ask them questions about it, yes, they will tell you the United States has done a very good job but it's time to leave.

And what we are hearing now that a returning exile group, called the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, is sending a delegation here from Iran where they've been in exile for several decades, sending a delegation here tomorrow.

That delegation will bring a message of sheer unity. It will bring a message of rebuilding Iraq along Islamic lines. It will bring a message of intertwining politics with Islam and a rejection of international involvement in Iraq -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ahmed Chalabi is a Shiite Iraqi but does he really represent anyone in those demonstrations in the pilgrimage that we're seeing around you right now? He's the leader, of course, of the Iraqi National Congress. He's been abroad for decades but he's now returned to Iraq.

ROBERTSON: Certainly there would be people here who might follow the political leadership of Ahmed Chalabi but it would be a minority. Most here fervently religious and they will follow their religious leaders and that what they say. Whatever their religious leaders give them in terms of guidance politically, then they will follow that, and if their leaders call for an Islamic state, they say they're happy with that -- Wolf.

BLITZER: One final question before I let you go, Nic. Behind you I'm sure a lot of our viewers are interested, that dome, it's a mosque, but tell us what we're seeing.

ROBERTSON: Right behind me is the shrine of Imam Abbas about 100 meters in front of me, 100 yards in front of me is a shrine of Imam Hussein, these two shrines to two senior religious leaders who died 1,300 years ago.

Imam Abbas the grandson of Islam's Prophet Mohammed, a key figure. He died in a battle here. His father died and buried in another city not far from here, very important, very important religious city, not just to Iraqi Shi'as but to Shi'a Muslims all over the world. For many years pilgrims have been coming here from all over the world including Iran -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson doing his usual outstanding job for us. Thanks, Nic, very much.

And, you often hear us talk about Shi'a and Sunni Muslims. For those who aren't familiar they represent, of course, the two main branches of Islam. They split more than 1,000 years ago, a few decades after the death of the founder of Islam, Mohammed, over the issue of who should succeed him.

And, although Shi'a Muslims are the majority in Iraq, perhaps two-thirds of the country, Sunni Muslims have run the country for years and have repressed Shiites often brutally, largely because Saddam Hussein was a Sunni.

Of course we want to hear directly from you, our viewers. Our web question of the day once again is this: "Should the U.S. support an Islamic government in Iraq if democratically elected?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf.

His life could depend on it, what strategy should Scott Peterson's lawyers use to defend him? We'll hear from one of the country's best known defense attorneys Robert Shapiro.

Plus, can the U.S. force democracy on the Middle East? Former CIA Director James Woolsey, he'll weigh in. He'll talk to me just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Coming up, defending Scott Peterson, are there holes in the case against him? I'll ask defense attorney Robert Shapiro.

And later, one-on-one with the former CIA Director James Woolsey, why he believes the situation with Iraq and its neighbors could amount to the beginning of World War IV. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Pretrial proceedings are scheduled to begin next month in the case of Scott Peterson. The 30-year-old Modesto man pleaded not guilty at his arraignment yesterday to charges he murdered his wife, Laci, and their unborn child.

A few hours later, Laci's family made their first public statement since the bodies were found on the shore of San Francisco Bay last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROCHA: Soon after Laci went missing, I made a promise to her, that if she's been harmed we will seek justice for her and Connor and make sure that that person responsible for their deaths will be punished.

I can only hope that the sound of Laci's voice begging for her life and begging for the life of her unborn child is heard over and over and over again in the mind of that person every day for the rest of his life. The person responsible should be held accountable and punished for the tragedy and devastation forced upon so many of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And, joining me now from Los Angeles to talk about a possible defense strategy, the veteran of similar high profile cases, one of the best in the business, the criminal defense attorney Robert Shapiro.

Bob thanks so much for joining us. In that kind of an environment, can he get a fair trial in Modesto?

ROBERT SHAPIRO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It's going to be extremely difficult for him to get a fair trial anywhere, Wolf. Once media trials start people are instantaneously convicted in the mass media, and when it comes time for trial the presumption of innocence that applies to everyone in this country has all but dissipated and we have the assumption of guilt and facing those challenges are going to be extremely difficult for Mr. Peterson or anyone similarly situated.

BLITZER: Because for so many people he's basically already been convicted. If you were defending him what would be the first steps you would immediately take?

SHAPIRO: Immediately, and that is as soon as he was viewed as a suspect, an investigation must begin as to where his alibis may potentially lie, to trace all of his steps to bring on the best experts in the country for every potential type of consequence whether it be a mental defense that may come up down the line or whether it be questioning forensic evidence by bringing in expert criminologists.

BLITZER: They obviously...

SHAPIRO: Preparation is the key.

BLITZER: A lot of our viewers remember Richard Ricci, the handyman, with the Elizabeth Smart case. He was basically convicted. He died in jail. But later it was shown that Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped, taken by someone else. Is that the kind of arguments a criminal defense attorney would raise in this kind of an environment?

SHAPIRO: Well, first what we try to do is level the playing field and that's going to be very, very difficult at this point in time. It's a very horrendous crime. It's emotionally charged. But clearly there have been many cases more than the one you've alluded to.

We had a case in the Olympics in Atlanta where a person was tried and convicted in the media only to be found to have an absolute perfect alibi and was cleared by the FBI months later.

So, it's going to be a case where the unexpected will happen. It always happens in cases like this and we're always going to have a surprise that nobody anticipated.

BLITZER: The fact that they're going for a double murder, the unborn child, eight months pregnant, is there any way his attorney could get the prosecution to back away from that because that provides the so-called special circumstance, the death penalty?

SHAPIRO: Well, first, if the case ever got to a posture where both sides thought it would be in their best interest to settle the case, that becomes a very, very important negotiation tool where you can save someone from the death penalty by eliminating the double murder charge.

Also, it's going to be something that may challenge some jurors because it in some way related to whether somebody is pro-choice or anti-abortion. It's one of those things that somebody would say well it's a fetus and can you murder a fetus? Even though the law is very clear and has been so in California for 30 years that the death of a fetus can constitute murder.

BLITZER: Well, does this case -- is it possible to get some sort of plea bargain, a plea agreement? Let's say that his lawyers and Scott were ready to go ahead and plead guilty to one count of murder and give him life without the possibility of parole as opposed to facing the death penalty. Could the prosecution in a high profile case like this accept that?

SHAPIRO: I think so. First, realistically in California, the number of people who ever get the death penalty imposed is very, very small and then the execution of people in California has not taken place for years.

So, prosecutors are well aware of this. They're also aware of the fact that when people are facing the death penalty that jurors tend to hold the prosecution to a higher standard of proof, and their case becomes much more difficult to convince a jury.

So, therefore, I believe this would be a case where the prosecution would entertain a plea. Whether that's something the defense would want is going to have to remain until the defense can conduct a very thorough investigation and make a determination as to the strength or weaknesses of the prosecution case.

BLITZER: And so far we have not seen virtually any of the evidence the prosecution may have. Bob Shapiro, always good to have you on our program. Thanks very much. We'll have you back.

SHAPIRO: Thank you, Wolf, my pleasure.

BLITZER: Thank you. And, is America involved in another World War? Right now, one prominent American thinks so. Meet the former CIA Director James Woolsey on what America's military is up against, all that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's been suggested by Eliot Cohen (ph) of Johns Hopkins University that we're now facing World War IV. If World War III was the Cold War, this new war would be the fight for democracy around the world.

In Part 2 of my interview with the former CIA Director James Woolsey, I asked him if the United States can force democracy upon nations like Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, and North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES WOOLSEY, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: This war against terrorism and rogue states is going to have a lot of parallels to the Cold War is the right one and we after all, Wolf, during and by the end of the Cold War we had moved the world from, if you go back to 1914, from a dozen or so democracies up to there being over 120, and most of those now came about during and at the end of the Cold War.

BLITZER: What happens if there's election in Iraq and the theocracy, a Shiite-led theocracy, along the lines of the Ayatollah- led theocracy in Iran is democratically elected?

WOOLSEY: Well, one election once is not a democracy. A democracy has to be something that keeps going where the losers aren't afraid of knocks on the door in the middle of the night.

And, the history of the Shi'a tradition, the Shiite tradition, has largely been one of separation between mosque and state, except for the 10th Century in Egypt. Khomeni was a departure from the Shiite tradition and that's one reason his successors, like (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and mullahs around him are so unpopular in Iran today, including unpopular with the grand Ayatollahs.

They are a huge departure from the tradition of mosque and state separation of Shi'as. And so, I think if we resist and help the other Shiites resist these theocrats, I think the theocrats are going to lose. They certainly have made a botch of things in Iraq. That's why they're so unpopular there.

But we have to be resolute on this and help in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East, help democracies be established where people get to vote time and time and time again under a rule of law, not just but once.

BLITZER: The world has clearly changed after the war in Iraq. Should leaders in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, two close allies of the United States, should they be nervous?

WOOLSEY: Well, I think a bit of nervousness is good. For example, any government that lets its religious police, as Saudi Arabia did not too long ago, shove little girls back into a burning building and die by a horrible death because they didn't have their veils on right ought to be a bit nervous.

But I would very much hope that the reform elements within the royal family and within Egypt can help things move in such a way that one begins to get more civil liberties and decent treatment for women, and so forth, in some of these governments in the Arab world without anything violent having to take place. That's what really took place during and after the Cold War.

BLITZER: What you're saying is there can be regime change in these Arab and Muslim countries without necessarily having the U.S. go to war to make that happen?

WOOLSEY: Yes, and we're seeing in the Persian Gulf area, we're seeing in Qatar and Bahrain and the UAE and Kuwait and Morocco, we're seeing the beginnings of protection of civil liberties and rule of law. Iraq itself had a fine civil code and a fine constitution with some guarantees of civil liberties back between World War I and the end of the '50s when the terrorists and the Ba'athists overthrew the Iraqi government. So, Iraq itself, as well as in other parts of the Arab world, there's a tradition of rule of law. After all, the Iraqis invented the rule of law. Hamarabi Code is the oldest one there was.

BLITZER: Well, a final question before I let you go, Director Woolsey. Lieutenant General Jay Garner is in Baghdad now. He's retired U.S. Army. He's the man put in charge of reconstructing, if you will, some sort of interim authority. Are you ready to go over there and help him?

WOOLSEY: Well, some senior people in the U.S. government have asked me if they ask me would I be willing to go and I said sure. In 35 years, any time the U.S. government has asked me to do anything full time or part time I've done it. But it's not clear that they want me to go yet and, if so when, and if so to do what? So, it's all up in the air. I don't know but if they need help, of course, I'd be glad to help.

BLITZER: Director Woolsey thanks for joining us.

WOOLSEY: Good to be with you, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: So, should the United States support an Islamic government in Iraq if democratically elected? The results of our web question of the day, that's coming up next, vote, cnn.com/wolf.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here are the results of our web question 30 no, 70 yes.

Let's turn it over to Lou Dobbs. He's standing by in New York right now -- Lou.

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