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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Media Hammered by White House for Misleading Americans About Iraq

Aired October 14, 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.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's happening right now, national news organizations getting hammered by the White House for supposedly misleading the American public about the real situation on the ground in Iraq. What's going on?
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Baghdad bombing, an ally's embassy targeted. Can the U.S. call on NATO for help? I'll have an exclusive interview with the supreme allied commander.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I do think it's important for people to know that there is a positive thing that's taking place inside Iraq.

BLITZER: Are you getting only the bad news?

The Kobe Bryant case; on the eve of a crucial hearing a look at a superstar in trouble.

Silicone implants, they've been banned for a decade.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My chest just burned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The implants we're trying to get approved today are the new ones.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: It's Tuesday, October 14, 2003. Hello from Washington, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

We begin with what could have been a devastating car bombing in Baghdad, a key United States ally the target, but for the second time this week heavy security measures have paid off.

Let's go live to CNN's John Raedler. He's in the Iraqi capital -- John. JOHN RAEDLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, three or four days ago informants warned authorities here there could be an explosive at the Turkish Embassy. The coalition and Iraqi police beefed up security at the embassy and just as well they did.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAEDLER (voice-over): The coalition military says the bomb was delivered by a car that had exploded near the Turkish Embassy. Thick concrete blast walls absorbed 90 percent of the explosive force the coalition says. A U.S. colonel on the scene confirmed the death of the car's driver, the vehicle blown to pieces.

COL. PETER MANSOOR, U.S. ARMY: Shortly before 2:40 p.m. local time a vehicle passing in front of the Turkish Embassy exploded destroying the exterior wall and causing some slight structural damage to the building. The driver of the vehicle was killed and two staff members inside the building were injured.

RAEDLER: Soon after the explosion, Iraqi police fired shots in the air to break up an odd demonstration right in front of the embassy, about 50 people chanting "with our blood and with our souls we will save you Saddam," presumably a reference to ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. Police arrested and took away the apparent leader of the demonstration.

It's not clear why the Turkish Embassy was targeted or by whom but relations between Turkey and Iraq have been increasingly tense since last week's decision of the Turkish government to sent troops to help the coalition secure and rebuild Iraq.

The Iraqi Governing Council, put in place by the coalition, strongly opposes Turkish troops because Turkey occupied Iraq for hundreds of years up until the end of World War I.

This was the second deadly car bombing in the last three days at a diplomatically sensitive site in Baghdad. Ten Iraqis were killed near the coalition occupied Baghdad hotel on Sunday, all this despite considerably enhanced security in the Iraqi capital.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAEDLER: U.S. Colonel Peter Mansoor, whom you saw in that report, said he is convinced the recent enhancements in security at the embassy prevented a far worse outcome today -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's John Raedler reporting live from Baghdad. John thanks very much.

And while violence, of course, is a fact of life in Iraq and U.S. troops are targeted almost daily, President Bush says the American people are only getting part of the story. As the administration tries to accentuate the positive let's go live to our White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the White House is now on the offensive about its public relations offensive. It was yesterday that President Bush complained that the story about progress in Iraq was not getting out.

He also said that Americans are not getting the truth, the whole story here and this is why the White House bypassed what the president calls the national media filter to give exclusive interviews to five reporters from regional outlets who don't normally cover the White House.

Now this has opened up an active debate and the real question here is whether or not this blame the media part of the strategy is going to be effective. Well today the White House made no apologies about it. White House Spokesman Scott McClellan saying it's absolutely necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So, there's a lot of important progress being made and it's important for the American people to hear that story. There is a part of the story that is not getting the attention that we believe it should receive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And this week all White House members on message here whether divisions between the White House as well as the Department of Defense over who is playing what role when it comes to Iraqi reconstruction, even some Democrats and Republicans calling for the president to take charge.

Today, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in a briefing about the president's Asia trip made it very clear that she's putting this controversy to rest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I want to be very clear. I'm the national security adviser. What I do is coordinate policy. I don't operate. I don't implement. I coordinate policy. It is the secretary of defense who will continue to run the post-war reconstruction as he has done and as he has done well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, Wolf, this is a White House that is making no apologies about its public relations strategy. They insist that Americans are not getting the full story and they will continue to talk about what is happening inside of Iraq. They will also continue to call out the media when they believe that they're not being fair -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, Suzanne thanks very much.

The Commerce Secretary Don Evans is getting a firsthand look at the situation inside Iraq. He says he's seeing good things happening there. The secretary spoke with me earlier today from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON EVANS, COMMERCE SECRETARY: Having watched the news back home for the last number of months, I must tell you that I came over here expecting to see a sense of despair and quite frankly a somewhat frightening area and it's anything but that.

As I drive through the streets of Baghdad, I see commerce is coming back. I see -- I talk to people, talk to the Iraqi people. I see how much they are uplifted with the spirit of freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: They broke ranks when the United States went to war with Iraq and they're not lining up, at least not yet, behind a U.S. drafted resolution on post-war Iraq.

Russia, France, and Germany today offered amendments to the U.S. proposal voicing concerns it does not set a deadline for a speedy handover of power to Iraqis. Russia, though, says the resolution is moving in the right direction.

Can the United States call on its NATO allies to help out in Iraq? Can NATO take on another peacekeeping role? General James Jones rose through the ranks from platoon leader in Vietnam to commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. He's now the first Marine to head the U.S.-European Command and serves as the supreme allied commander of NATO.

General Jones is joining us here in Washington now for this exclusive interview. General Jones welcome back to Washington. Thanks very much for joining us.

GEN. JAMES JONES, NATO SUPREME ALLIED CMDR.: Thank you very much.

BLITZER: Does NATO have a role potentially in Iraq?

JONES: Well, NATO is certainly aware of its capabilities and the decision for NATO to be used will be a political decision. It has not been made by the North Atlantic Council.

But eight months ago we were talking about Afghanistan in fairly imprecise terms and on August the 11th we raised the NATO flag in Kabul and we have an ongoing NATO mission there and so...

BLITZER: This is the first time NATO is operating outside its geographic boundaries, if you will, in a kind of operations as it is in Afghanistan right now.

JONES: Actually, with ground forces that's true but actually the first out of area operations was Article V in the deployment of the AWACS to defend our shores in the United States after 9/11 so -- but it's the first major ground operation for NATO outside of its borders. BLITZER: Well how is NATO doing in Afghanistan because I want to get to Iraq in a second? Afghanistan right now, you're searching, I assume, for al Qaeda, Taliban remnants including Osama bin Laden.

JONES: NATO's mission in Afghanistan is to work in close quarters with the U.S. forces there who are actually doing, along with some other allies notably the French, Special Forces are doing the hunting for al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

The NATO mission is more confined to the capital and has a series of tasks. We have a series of tasks to perform there and, as you have noticed in the press, there are reports that even that NATO mission might expand to include the provincial reconstruction teams in the near future and we're studying that and giving military advice to the North Atlantic Council.

BLITZER: How many NATO troops are involved in Afghanistan right now?

JONES: Just over 5,000.

BLITZER: Is that enough?

JONES: It's enough to do the mission that we're currently tasked with. Any mission expansion we'd have to go back to the drawing board and redesign the mission for an expanded scope, particularly if we get into the provincial reconstruction teams.

BLITZER: NATO operates, of course, as you well know, by consensus, meaning all 19 members of NATO have to agree on it. One member disagreeing and it's not going to happen.

JONES: Yes. Technically one nation could block the way ahead but there's also some leverage for nations to not participate and not block the mission so there's wiggle room there.

BLITZER: So the wiggle room, I'm referring now to Iraq, let's say hypothetically one country and I'll throw out France, it could be another NATO ally but says you know what we don't want to participate in any operation in Iraq under the current circumstances without another U.N. resolution. Could the 18 others get around that?

JONES: There is a process through the Defense Planning Committee, called DPC, which does not include France, to use this example, and members who want to discuss military issues can, in fact, go to 18 since France is not officially part of the integrated military structure.

BLITZER: Are the NATO troops, forget about the U.S. troops, the NATO, the other troops, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Turks, are they based on what you speak solder-to-soldier, Marine-to-Marine, troops-to-troops, are they anxious to get involved in Iraq or would they have to come along sort of kicking and screaming given the attacks as we saw against the Turkish Embassy today?

JONES: My sense among the professional, the very professional militaries that I'm privileged to be associated with is they will all do what the alliance wants with professionalism, dispatch, and a certain amount of enthusiasm for their profession. If they weren't prepared to do this they shouldn't be wearing the uniform.

BLITZER: What would the unique contribution of NATO, as a military organization, be in Iraq potentially, the most important thing that NATO could do if the political decision comes down from up on high?

JONES: Well, NATO has a significant capability, even though we're in the middle of transformation of the alliance in terms of its military capability but it does have a tremendous reservoir of skill sets that can be used anywhere from humanitarian missions to peace enforcing and can bring an awful lot of assistance to any conflict, Iraq or Afghanistan as we're doing there now.

So, it's a question of the political will and the decision by the North Atlantic Council and then the military advice, depending on how they frame the mission. Again, for any missions there are three major NATO missions that are ongoing simultaneously right now, one in the Mediterranean, of course the Balkans has been going on for a number of years and now Afghanistan. So, NATO is showing I think its resourcefulness and its capabilities in three very important parts of the world right now.

BLITZER: A lot of experts think NATO would be the perfect, perfect military organization to help get this situation resolved in Iraq but that's not a decision you as the supreme allied commander will make.

JONES: That's correct.

BLITZER: General Jones welcome back to Washington. We'll continue this conversation.

JONES: A pleasure to talk to you.

BLITZER: Have a safe trip back.

JONES: Thank you very much. Thank you.

BLITZER: This time a year ago, those of us who live here in the Greater Washington D.C. area lived in terror. That's a fair statement. Now it's come down to this, a sniper suspect on trial, details of the first day that's coming up.

Also, a superstar in trouble, the spotlight shining once again on Kobe Bryant, how is he handling the intense pressure and the news media coverage?

And the habits of highly creative people, the award-winning dancer, choreographer and author Twyla Tharp on finding your inner spark, all that.

First today's News Quiz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): "From what school did Twyla Tharp graduate, Pomona College, Barnard College, Sarah Lawrence College, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, the answer coming up"?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have silicone throughout my body because these implants ruptured and the doctor is sure this has caused my condition.

BLITZER: Speaking out against silicone but right now several women are also calling for a lift of the ban. The breast implant debate that has returned and we'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's a case that terrorized millions and captured worldwide attention. Those of us who live here in the Washington, D.C. area lived through that awful period exactly one year ago. Now, the trial is underway for one of the two Washington, D.C. area sniper suspects and today he entered his plea.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve is covering this story for us. She's in Virginia Beach, Virginia where the trial was moved. Tell us what happened today, Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, there are four charges against John Muhammad. Each of them was read off in turn, after each one the clerk asked him how do you plead, guilty or not guilty? In each instance he said not guilty. He said he was prepared for the trial to go forward. His lawyer said in court today that is a daunting prospect but it's good to get going.

So now the process of selecting a jury is in full swing. Court has just adjourned for the day and I can tell you at this point no potential jurors have made the final cut. That's because they are still in the preliminary stages of finding them.

They have filled out biographical questionnaires and in addition to that they've undergone general questioning from the judge, from the prosecution and the defense attorneys.

They've asked them questions about pretrial publicity, about the court system, about law enforcement even about their attitudes towards blacks and Muslims and whether any of those things would affect their ability to be fair and impartial jurors in this case.

We're told that 123 individuals came to court today, responding to the jury summons. Dozens of them have already been excluded. Tomorrow they'll go through that individual questioning and, if necessary, another 140 people will be summoned on Thursday to go through the process all over again. What they're hoping to find, 12 jurors and three alternates to sit through the six weeks of this case -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, CNN's Jeanne Meserve reporting. She'll be covering this trial for us. Thanks very much.

An accused killer captured after a textbook jailbreak that story tops today's Justice Report. Hugo Selenski turned himself in after apparently returning to his own home. He escaped Friday night from a Pennsylvania jail by climbing down a rope made of bed sheets. Selenski is charged with two murders.

In New Jersey, two men were in critical condition after being hit in the head with a baseball bat during a fight near Rutgers University. At least seven people are charged in the off campus brawl. Police say it involved members of the schools wrestling team, a fraternity, and a private social club.

And, the Supreme Court will decide if the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance are constitutional. The justices have agreed to hear the case brought by a California man who says the phrase violates the separation of church and state. "Under God" was added to the pledge in 1954.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this. "Do you think having children recite the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional"? You can vote right now, cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

While you're there, I'd love to hear directly 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.

The battle lines are drawn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe firmly that women should have the option to choose saline or silicone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Between women who want a bigger bust and those who say silicone is not safe, the emotional testimony happening right now.

Kobe Bryant on the eve of his second court appearance, is the pressure taking a physical toll on the basketball superstar?

And an inspiration to all who crave creativity: one celebrity's advice to finding your own innovative approach to life.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. The Food and Drug Administration is wrestling with an issue that could affect women all around the United States. An FDA panel is holding a two-day hearing on whether to lift a ban on silicone breast implants. Years after the ban safety remains, of course, a key concern.

Here's CNN's Christy Feig.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The FDA pulled silicone gel-filled breast implants off the market in 1992 because the administration was concerned it could rupture in a woman's body spreading silicone throughout her tissue possibly causing disease as Carolyn Wolf claims.

CAROLYN WOLF, PUBLIC CITIZEN: I developed dozens of hard burning blister-like growths on my neck and boils on my forehead. I have pain and numbness in my left shoulder, arm, hand and foot.

FEIG: Now, (unintelligible) corporation believes after three years of its own research it has a safe product and are asking the FDA for approval. So, an advisory committee to the FDA is listening to two days of emotionally-charged stories from women who had the original silicone implants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have suffered more than enough and don't want other women to follow in my footsteps.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The decision to choose silicone or saline implants should be left up to the individual patient.

FEIG: Those who believe the implants are dangerous say most problems occur seven to ten years after implantation and want longer studies of the new product.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are many red flag warning signals within the thousands of pages of documents put up on the Internet last week, more than enough to justify a decision to wait at least five more years.

FEIG: But many plastic surgeons believe there have never been serious problems with silicone implants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Science and medicine go together and we have to look and see whether there was a cause and the studies show no connection between systemic illness and silicone.

FEIG: While the committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday evening for those testifying the issue is far from over.

Christy Feig, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: As Christy just said the advisory panel plans to issue its recommendation on the silicone breast implants tomorrow. The FDA will have the final say on the matter.

Updating a battle over life and death in Florida, a vigil goes on in Pinellas Park outside a hospice where a severely brain damaged woman is at the center of a legal tug of war.

Her feeding tube is scheduled to be removed tomorrow at her husband's request but her parents are fighting the move and today they lost a bid before an appeals court to block the removal. The woman who's been in a vegetative state for 13 years is expected to die within two weeks after the tube is removed.

Spotlight and scrutiny, Kobe Bryant heads back to court, find out what he's going to face. We're live in Eagle, Colorado.

And stranded in Los Angeles: commuters struggling to find new methods of transportation.

Big Blue, when I say big I mean big, the story behind these jumbo jeans. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Developing creativity, one celebrity says it has to be a habit. Find out how you can improve your own inner spark. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

News media crush, Kobe Bryant under the microscope, how the superstar is handling the pressure, first a check of the latest headlines.

In New York, a Pakistani national has pleaded not guilty today to terrorism charges. The suspect, a legal U.S. resident, who's been jailed for six months was indicted last week for allegedly helping an al Qaeda operative reenter the United States. His attorneys say their client's defense will hinge on their ability to gain access to top al Qaeda captives in U.S. custody.

Airport security screeners in the United States have a new concern to worry about. The Department of Homeland Security says terrorists have discussed using stuffed animals, pillows, and clothing to smuggle explosives aboard commercial airliners. The agency says protective measures to deal with the possible threat are now in place at the nation's airports.

Doctors in Dallas say two former conjoined twins are making remarkable progress as they recover from separation surgery. The two- year-old Egyptian boys who had been joined at the head since birth are in critical but stable condition. They were separated over the weekend.

A city where cars rule much more -- where cars rule is much more reliant on the automobile. Of course, today hundreds of mechanics with the Los Angeles Transit System are walking the picket lines in a dispute over health care costs. The strike was expected to send half a million commuters scrambling for other ways to get to work.

Kobe Bryant's preliminary hearing resumes tomorrow in Eagle, Colorado, but even between days in court the hot spotlight on this case doesn't cool down at all and it's not just shining on Kobe Bryant alone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Even in L.A., even for this team, these could be uncharted waters, a media crush, journalists practically climbing over themselves to get at a superstar in trouble. This is Kobe Bryant's life now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move guys, move, come on move.

BLITZER: As he heads into the second round of his preliminary hearing and a possible rape trial down the road, Bryant and the Lakers are trying desperately to project business as usual.

At training camp in Hawaii, the team stuck to its rules, practices followed by short media sessions with the players, Kobe Bryant included but this time there were about three times the number of reporters and camera crews. This time exchanges were different.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you scared?

KOBE BRYANT, DEFENDANT: Terrified, terrified, not so much for myself but just for what my family has been going through.

BLITZER: Beat reporters now have some different competition. "Celebrity Justice" and the "National Enquirer" now cover the Lakers but the Lakers PR staff is reportedly not issuing media credentials to reporters from those outlets. Teammates are also circling the wagons around a player not known for being one of the guys.

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, LAKERS CENTER: You're wasting your time if you're asking him about him.

KARL MALONE, LAKERS FORWARD: That's the end of those questions. If you got basketball, we'll answer them. If not, I'm done.

RICK FOX, LAKERS FORWARD: We're going to be his strongest support system.

BLITZER: Coach Phil Jackson has done this before creating a sanctuary on his team to shield a superstar from potentially negative media coverage. Michael Jordan faced questions about gambling but never a criminal charge.

Is the pressure from this kind of coverage taking a physical toll? Bryant's lost a considerable amount of weight since last season partly by design he says, partly not.

BRYANT: I've been under a lot of stress recently so (unintelligible) so I lost weight that way but I'll pick it back up here.

BLITZER: Picking up, carrying on, facing possibly two trials, a long season, and a criminal case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And tomorrow all eyes back on the courthouse in Eagle, Colorado, as the preliminary hearing resumes.

Our National Correspondent Gary Tuchman is already there preparing for a big day tomorrow. What's going on in advance of this hearing tomorrow Gary?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can tell you, Wolf, the preliminary hearing is only supposed to last one day but because of tensions between both sides it spread into tomorrow and Kobe Bryant, his attorneys, the prosecutors and the judge will all be back 11:00 a.m. Eastern time for what's expected to be another rather rambunctious day.

When it begins the defense will continue its cross-examination of the prosecution witness, a sheriff's detective who testified that he talked to this woman and that she was grabbed by the neck, bent over a chair and forced to have sex by Kobe Bryant. That was the detective's explanation of his interview with the woman.

He said that the injuries were not consistent that she had with consensual sex; however, when the defense got its change to start its cross-examination, defense attorney Pamela Mackey said if the injuries were "consistent with someone who had sex with three different men in three days," that sexual inference of her past led the judge clearing the courtroom and announcing that the case would come to an end for the day and continue tomorrow.

Now, the prosecution decided it wanted to close the remainder of the hearing because of that comment and also the comment that the prosecutor made, six comments that is, mentioning her name in open court despite a warning from the judge.

However, we have been told by the court it will be open to reporters when it continues tomorrow. The judge is telling us he expects this to be all complete by tomorrow and that by next week, not tomorrow but by next week he will announce a decision if there is probable cause for Kobe Bryant to go on trial in federal -- not on federal but on sexual assault charges -- Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Gary. We'll be checking back with you tomorrow obviously throughout the day. Thanks Gary. And please stay with CNN tomorrow for complete coverage, including a complete update on this program.

But let's get a little bit more insight now in where this hearing might be heading tomorrow. For that we're joined once again by Craig Silverman, a criminal defense attorney, former Denver prosecutor.

Craig, thanks very much for joining us. You've watched this case as close as anyone. You were there last week for round one. You were inside. You heard the whole thing. What do you expect will happen tomorrow?

CRAIG SILVERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I expect there will be more bombshells, after all the outcome of this preliminary hearing is pretty well predetermined. The prosecution is going to win. Accordingly, the defense is just trying to score points in the court of public opinion from which the prospective jury will be drawn.

BLITZER: Bombshells you say, what does that mean? I mean what else, what further bombshells more than we heard last week could there possibly be tomorrow?

SILVERMAN: Well there could be some significant inconsistencies in the account of the alleged victim. I don't think we're going to hear much more in open court about promiscuity. Just within the past hour the prosecution has filed a motion in that regard. I expect the judge will grant it.

I just don't think the defense would be going forward without some idea that they could create a headline for you to be talking about tomorrow, one that's favorable to Kobe Bryant and hurts the prosecution.

BLITZER: In terms of witnesses testifying tomorrow we saw the detective appear last week but what else do we expect tomorrow?

SILVERMAN: Look for the defense to possibly try to call witnesses. It's very unusual in a preliminary hearing, after all why turn over cards in your hand but here again when we're playing to the court of public opinion don't be surprised if the defense tries to call a witness or two to score some significant points for Team Kobe.

BLITZER: And to undermine the testimony of the detective in other words the version of the alleged victim?

SILVERMAN: Right, exactly. It's not so much the detective they're seeking to undermine it's the accuser and it could be that she's told inconsistent stories to other people.

BLITZER: What about the whole role of the bellhop who was there who saw the alleged victim right afterwards, followed her home supposedly because he was so concerned about her? That could be a very strong prosecution witness.

SILVERMAN: Right. His name is Bobby Petrack (ph). For some reason they won't say his name in court although it's been widely reported and he's only a witness not accused of any wrongdoing.

He is described as an all American boy from Eagle, Colorado. He plays basketball now at Fort Lewis College down in Durango and he is a critical witness in this case. He is the outcry witness that could make the difference one way or the other in this case.

BLITZER: Craig Silverman thanks very much, as always, for your insight. We'll get back to you hopefully tomorrow on this, see what's going on on this hearing, day two of the hearing tomorrow. Of course, once again, stay with CNN for all the details tomorrow.

Moving on now covering the war in Iraq, are the news media portraying an accurate picture? We'll get an assessment from someone who's been inside the White House for many, many years.

And, secrets of success, a show biz legend will tell us how to become more creative, yes, we can become more creative.

First, though, let's take a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Expulsions ordered, as Israel moves ahead with what it says is a war against terrorism the Israeli military has announced plans to expel 15 Palestinian detainees from the West Bank and move them to Gaza.

Israel calls the detainees, who are members of militant groups, terrorists. Palestinian leaders are condemning the order. In southern Gaza, Israeli forces are conducting what's being called Operation Root Canal. Israel says terrorists are operating in the area.

Reaching for the stars, an historic mission for the world's most populous nation may be just hours away. China has started the final countdown in its bid to become the third nation to rocket a human being into orbit around the earth. The launch could come as early as tomorrow. The mission with one astronaut onboard is scheduled to last just one day.

Honoring an icon, Pope John Paul II is getting a special honor in Italy as he approaches the 25th anniversary of his papacy. Italy is issuing one million postcards and a special stamp in honor of the pontiff.

A wife's delight, some women in northern Germany who love to shop now have a place to drop off their husbands instead of dragging them along. They can leave their husbands in a Hamburg bar and for just under $12 the men get a name badge, two beers, a hot meal and televised sports.

Jumbo jeans, Levis is displaying the world's biggest pair of blue jeans at Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea. The garment is almost as tall as a ten story building. The display is part of the company's 150th birthday celebration and that's out look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a sense that people in America aren't getting the truth and that's why it's very important for this administration to encourage congressional delegations, for example, to travel to Iraq and come back and say what they saw. I mean we're making good progress about improving the lives of the people there in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: President Bush in one of the series of interviews he's giving to local and regional news media organizations bypassing the national news organizations. It's part of the administration's public relations offensive aimed at shoring up support for the U.S. occupation in Iraq.

Here to talk about that and more David Gergen, an adviser to four U.S. presidents. He's joining us from Watertown, Massachusetts. David, what do you make of this strategy? We've seen it with other presidents. Reagan did it. Clinton did it. Now the President George W. Bush is doing it. Does it usually work?

DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: It's a time-honored strategy, Wolf. When you're frustrated as this administration is to get your story out to go around the National Press Corps to go to the regional press corps. It works in the short term. It does not work in the long term.

There's nothing new about going around and the president should not be criticized I think for going to the regional press. They deserve a chance to sit down with the president too.

What I do think is new about this administration is how closed it has been to the national press and one of the reasons I think they're running into some trouble now with the press is, in fact, it's payback time for the closed nature to the press for so long.

There have been many fewer press conferences over the course of this presidency than in recent presidencies and more importantly there have been many, the individual one-on-one interviews with major news organizations is much rarer than we've seen in the past.

CNN I believe, I can't remember an interview since John King interviewed the president early on with CNN. I think the "New York Time," "Washington Post," I can't remember any interviews with them and that closing out the National Press Corps I think is something that's been a mistake from the beginning. I think it's having some consequences now.

There is no penalty if you're -- to go after this president to criticize him if you're never going to get in because you say, you know, these guys don't like us. Why should we like them?

BLITZER: Well, are you suggesting that reporters who cover the White House, reporters who cover Washington, might go softer on the president, if you will, if you knew that they could get an interview with the president?

GERGEN: Let me put it this way. I think that you always enjoy better relations with the press and you enjoy more balanced coverage, fairer coverage, if you're open to the press, if you're accountable and you're accessible to the press. That was certainly true in the case of Ronald Reagan. You know during the Reagan years, I was just talking to Mike Deaver (ph) about this a couple of days ago, and during the Reagan years it was not as disciplined as this organization, as this administration is, you know, and there were a lot of stories about some of the infighting that went on all during the administration.

But I think it was enormously advantageous to the president, as well as to the country and the press, that President Reagan did speak to individual news organizations on a pretty frequent basis, much more frequent that we're seeing here and I do think it brings more balanced coverage because people begin to understand what your issues are.

President Bush has a strong case here right now, for example, that there is progress on the ground in Iraq that is not well understood by the country. Our soldiers have built 1,500 schools. Over five million children went back to school about ten days ago with no serious incidents.

The shops are carrying more goods. Incomes are up. All of those are things the president wants to draw attention to even as the facts on the ground also show it is extraordinarily dangerous at the same time.

BLITZER: Let me get your honest assessment. Are we, not necessarily CNN, but all of the national news media, are we simply harping on the negative? Are we not telling the American public the truth about what's really happening on the ground in Iraq?

GERGEN: I think it's been very, very hard for the American public to get a clear picture on Iraq because the coverage has been necessarily ordinarily any time you have explosions and people getting killed that's a bigger story than the fact that a new school has opened up. It just is more graphic. It's more compelling as a story.

But there has been some progress, which I think has been under reported. It deserves more attention by the press. The president is right about that. But I'll have to tell you something, the administration also has to do more on its own to get its story out to be open and accessible, to take the questions which bring that kind of coverage and I don't think the administration can sit here and just take pot shots at the press and then yet say, by the way, we don't want to talk to you.

BLITZER: The administration has also been criticized that it can't even do a good job in projecting its own story to the rest of the world, especially the people in Iraq and the Middle East. They could be doing a better job in terms of what's called public diplomacy.

GERGEN: I think that is certainly true. We have ever since the USIA, the U.S. Information Agency, was folded into the State Department we have just not done the job as a country in public diplomacy that we should have. We should reinvent the USIA.

We had people like Ed Murrow and John Chancellor who used to run that agency. It was just terrific back in the days of the Cold War. We need something like that again.

I'm also struck, Wolf, as they go to this original press strategy, as they go over the heads of the press corps, are they taking a leaf out of the playbook of Arnold Schwarzenegger? You know he conducted the campaign that didn't answer any questions and managed to get his message out to the country. Is the Bush team now using that as a model as a way to reach people on Iraq, interesting question?

BLITZER: All right, David Gergen, as usual we learned something from you. Thanks very much.

GERGEN: Thank you very much.

BLITZER: Inspiring creativity, how you can find the spark you may be missing, one celebrity's advice when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked from what school did Twyla Tharp graduate? The answer, Barnard College, Tharp graduated in 1963 with a B.A. in Art History. There wasn't a dance major at Barnard at the time. Although she attended Pomona she transferred to Barnard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Some of you may not know her name. Many of course do, you of course, at least many of you well known with her work, a legend in the dance world. Twyla Tharp is an influential choreographer and an inspiration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Twyla Tharp, a name chosen by her mother because it would look nice on a marquee. The past three decades the name has graced not only marquees but film credits, book jackets, and a Tony award.

TWYLA THARP, CHOREOGRAPHER: I have always danced as long as I remember whenever there was music I was moving.

BLITZER: Tharp, a graduate of Barnard College says she received her most important education not in the classroom but in the studio with modern dance masters, Martha Graham and Paul Taylor. Eventually she had to choose books or ballet.

THARP: This is not a smart thing to choose; however, it is the thing you do best so make up your mind so I decided I would dance.

BLITZER: In 1965, she founded Twyla Tharp Dance, which later merged with the American Ballet Theater, pushing the boundaries of classical ballet and defining modern dance. In the late '70s, Tharp moved beyond the stage to the silver screen, choreographing for films "Amadeus," "Hair," and "White Nights." Tharp's most widely known for her recent Tony award-winning collaboration with Billy Joel, "Movin Out" and her work with the world's best Mikhail Baryshnikov.

One hundred twenty-five dances, five movies, two Broadway shows, 17 honorary doctorates later, Tharp debuts her second book, this one on the creative process.

THARP: When you pass over probably the age of 40, you suddenly have a sense of how marvelous and how glorious what you have is and you re-approach totally what it is you're presenting and it's no longer so much about taking in. It's much more about reflecting back and giving back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And she's now focused on giving back. Her new book "The Creative Habit" offers lessons that anyone can use to become more creative. Twyla Tharp is joining us now live from New York. Thanks so much for joining us.

In the book you write: "Creativity is not just for artists. It's for business people, engineers, parents." What can they learn from you?

THARP: Well, I think that dancers are very disciplined people and the reason that I gave this book the title that seems to be contradictory, creative, spontaneous, free-flowing habit, rigid, dead, boring, is because to be creative consistently you have to have very good work habits and this book is about practicing, practicing, practicing in order to solve problems and how you can practice to become more spontaneous. I know it sounds like a contradiction. It's not.

BLITZER: A lot of people believe you're either born with it or you're not born with it, the notion of creativity. You have it or you don't but you say you can learn it.

THARP: I think we all have it and then I think that we're encouraged to forget it and this book simply goes back to what you might want best to do and how can you do that?

BLITZER: How do you get started doing it?

THARP: You ask yourself first the question what do I really want to do? And then you say how do I get from A to B? And you, as I say, there are some exercises. There are some in this book. If I had you here I would show them to you.

BLITZER: I guess we're just going to have to read the book. Twyla Tharp we've loved your work for so many years. Thanks so much for joining us and good luck.

THARP: Thank you. BLITZER: The name of the book, "The Creative Habit." I recommend our viewers go out and read it, buy it. They'll become much more creative.

We'll have the results of our hot web question of the day. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The results of our non-scientific poll, take a look.

In the meantime, let's get to your e-mail.

Andy writes: "I didn't support the war before it happened. Now that we bombed it, got Hussein out, to not repair what we destroyed is to invite popular support of terrorism directed at Americans. President Bush went in without knowing the full implications of his action and now, like it or not, we must follow through."

Augustin writes: "Iraq had an opportunity to come clean, to allow inspections, to respond to the U.N. demands, 12 years and nothing. The U.S. under the leadership of our president did what no other country in the world would dare do and today the world is en route to become a bit safer."

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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





About Iraq>


Aired October 14, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's happening right now, national news organizations getting hammered by the White House for supposedly misleading the American public about the real situation on the ground in Iraq. What's going on?
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Baghdad bombing, an ally's embassy targeted. Can the U.S. call on NATO for help? I'll have an exclusive interview with the supreme allied commander.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I do think it's important for people to know that there is a positive thing that's taking place inside Iraq.

BLITZER: Are you getting only the bad news?

The Kobe Bryant case; on the eve of a crucial hearing a look at a superstar in trouble.

Silicone implants, they've been banned for a decade.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My chest just burned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The implants we're trying to get approved today are the new ones.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: It's Tuesday, October 14, 2003. Hello from Washington, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

We begin with what could have been a devastating car bombing in Baghdad, a key United States ally the target, but for the second time this week heavy security measures have paid off.

Let's go live to CNN's John Raedler. He's in the Iraqi capital -- John. JOHN RAEDLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, three or four days ago informants warned authorities here there could be an explosive at the Turkish Embassy. The coalition and Iraqi police beefed up security at the embassy and just as well they did.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAEDLER (voice-over): The coalition military says the bomb was delivered by a car that had exploded near the Turkish Embassy. Thick concrete blast walls absorbed 90 percent of the explosive force the coalition says. A U.S. colonel on the scene confirmed the death of the car's driver, the vehicle blown to pieces.

COL. PETER MANSOOR, U.S. ARMY: Shortly before 2:40 p.m. local time a vehicle passing in front of the Turkish Embassy exploded destroying the exterior wall and causing some slight structural damage to the building. The driver of the vehicle was killed and two staff members inside the building were injured.

RAEDLER: Soon after the explosion, Iraqi police fired shots in the air to break up an odd demonstration right in front of the embassy, about 50 people chanting "with our blood and with our souls we will save you Saddam," presumably a reference to ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. Police arrested and took away the apparent leader of the demonstration.

It's not clear why the Turkish Embassy was targeted or by whom but relations between Turkey and Iraq have been increasingly tense since last week's decision of the Turkish government to sent troops to help the coalition secure and rebuild Iraq.

The Iraqi Governing Council, put in place by the coalition, strongly opposes Turkish troops because Turkey occupied Iraq for hundreds of years up until the end of World War I.

This was the second deadly car bombing in the last three days at a diplomatically sensitive site in Baghdad. Ten Iraqis were killed near the coalition occupied Baghdad hotel on Sunday, all this despite considerably enhanced security in the Iraqi capital.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAEDLER: U.S. Colonel Peter Mansoor, whom you saw in that report, said he is convinced the recent enhancements in security at the embassy prevented a far worse outcome today -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's John Raedler reporting live from Baghdad. John thanks very much.

And while violence, of course, is a fact of life in Iraq and U.S. troops are targeted almost daily, President Bush says the American people are only getting part of the story. As the administration tries to accentuate the positive let's go live to our White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the White House is now on the offensive about its public relations offensive. It was yesterday that President Bush complained that the story about progress in Iraq was not getting out.

He also said that Americans are not getting the truth, the whole story here and this is why the White House bypassed what the president calls the national media filter to give exclusive interviews to five reporters from regional outlets who don't normally cover the White House.

Now this has opened up an active debate and the real question here is whether or not this blame the media part of the strategy is going to be effective. Well today the White House made no apologies about it. White House Spokesman Scott McClellan saying it's absolutely necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So, there's a lot of important progress being made and it's important for the American people to hear that story. There is a part of the story that is not getting the attention that we believe it should receive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And this week all White House members on message here whether divisions between the White House as well as the Department of Defense over who is playing what role when it comes to Iraqi reconstruction, even some Democrats and Republicans calling for the president to take charge.

Today, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in a briefing about the president's Asia trip made it very clear that she's putting this controversy to rest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I want to be very clear. I'm the national security adviser. What I do is coordinate policy. I don't operate. I don't implement. I coordinate policy. It is the secretary of defense who will continue to run the post-war reconstruction as he has done and as he has done well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, Wolf, this is a White House that is making no apologies about its public relations strategy. They insist that Americans are not getting the full story and they will continue to talk about what is happening inside of Iraq. They will also continue to call out the media when they believe that they're not being fair -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, Suzanne thanks very much.

The Commerce Secretary Don Evans is getting a firsthand look at the situation inside Iraq. He says he's seeing good things happening there. The secretary spoke with me earlier today from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON EVANS, COMMERCE SECRETARY: Having watched the news back home for the last number of months, I must tell you that I came over here expecting to see a sense of despair and quite frankly a somewhat frightening area and it's anything but that.

As I drive through the streets of Baghdad, I see commerce is coming back. I see -- I talk to people, talk to the Iraqi people. I see how much they are uplifted with the spirit of freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: They broke ranks when the United States went to war with Iraq and they're not lining up, at least not yet, behind a U.S. drafted resolution on post-war Iraq.

Russia, France, and Germany today offered amendments to the U.S. proposal voicing concerns it does not set a deadline for a speedy handover of power to Iraqis. Russia, though, says the resolution is moving in the right direction.

Can the United States call on its NATO allies to help out in Iraq? Can NATO take on another peacekeeping role? General James Jones rose through the ranks from platoon leader in Vietnam to commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. He's now the first Marine to head the U.S.-European Command and serves as the supreme allied commander of NATO.

General Jones is joining us here in Washington now for this exclusive interview. General Jones welcome back to Washington. Thanks very much for joining us.

GEN. JAMES JONES, NATO SUPREME ALLIED CMDR.: Thank you very much.

BLITZER: Does NATO have a role potentially in Iraq?

JONES: Well, NATO is certainly aware of its capabilities and the decision for NATO to be used will be a political decision. It has not been made by the North Atlantic Council.

But eight months ago we were talking about Afghanistan in fairly imprecise terms and on August the 11th we raised the NATO flag in Kabul and we have an ongoing NATO mission there and so...

BLITZER: This is the first time NATO is operating outside its geographic boundaries, if you will, in a kind of operations as it is in Afghanistan right now.

JONES: Actually, with ground forces that's true but actually the first out of area operations was Article V in the deployment of the AWACS to defend our shores in the United States after 9/11 so -- but it's the first major ground operation for NATO outside of its borders. BLITZER: Well how is NATO doing in Afghanistan because I want to get to Iraq in a second? Afghanistan right now, you're searching, I assume, for al Qaeda, Taliban remnants including Osama bin Laden.

JONES: NATO's mission in Afghanistan is to work in close quarters with the U.S. forces there who are actually doing, along with some other allies notably the French, Special Forces are doing the hunting for al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

The NATO mission is more confined to the capital and has a series of tasks. We have a series of tasks to perform there and, as you have noticed in the press, there are reports that even that NATO mission might expand to include the provincial reconstruction teams in the near future and we're studying that and giving military advice to the North Atlantic Council.

BLITZER: How many NATO troops are involved in Afghanistan right now?

JONES: Just over 5,000.

BLITZER: Is that enough?

JONES: It's enough to do the mission that we're currently tasked with. Any mission expansion we'd have to go back to the drawing board and redesign the mission for an expanded scope, particularly if we get into the provincial reconstruction teams.

BLITZER: NATO operates, of course, as you well know, by consensus, meaning all 19 members of NATO have to agree on it. One member disagreeing and it's not going to happen.

JONES: Yes. Technically one nation could block the way ahead but there's also some leverage for nations to not participate and not block the mission so there's wiggle room there.

BLITZER: So the wiggle room, I'm referring now to Iraq, let's say hypothetically one country and I'll throw out France, it could be another NATO ally but says you know what we don't want to participate in any operation in Iraq under the current circumstances without another U.N. resolution. Could the 18 others get around that?

JONES: There is a process through the Defense Planning Committee, called DPC, which does not include France, to use this example, and members who want to discuss military issues can, in fact, go to 18 since France is not officially part of the integrated military structure.

BLITZER: Are the NATO troops, forget about the U.S. troops, the NATO, the other troops, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Turks, are they based on what you speak solder-to-soldier, Marine-to-Marine, troops-to-troops, are they anxious to get involved in Iraq or would they have to come along sort of kicking and screaming given the attacks as we saw against the Turkish Embassy today?

JONES: My sense among the professional, the very professional militaries that I'm privileged to be associated with is they will all do what the alliance wants with professionalism, dispatch, and a certain amount of enthusiasm for their profession. If they weren't prepared to do this they shouldn't be wearing the uniform.

BLITZER: What would the unique contribution of NATO, as a military organization, be in Iraq potentially, the most important thing that NATO could do if the political decision comes down from up on high?

JONES: Well, NATO has a significant capability, even though we're in the middle of transformation of the alliance in terms of its military capability but it does have a tremendous reservoir of skill sets that can be used anywhere from humanitarian missions to peace enforcing and can bring an awful lot of assistance to any conflict, Iraq or Afghanistan as we're doing there now.

So, it's a question of the political will and the decision by the North Atlantic Council and then the military advice, depending on how they frame the mission. Again, for any missions there are three major NATO missions that are ongoing simultaneously right now, one in the Mediterranean, of course the Balkans has been going on for a number of years and now Afghanistan. So, NATO is showing I think its resourcefulness and its capabilities in three very important parts of the world right now.

BLITZER: A lot of experts think NATO would be the perfect, perfect military organization to help get this situation resolved in Iraq but that's not a decision you as the supreme allied commander will make.

JONES: That's correct.

BLITZER: General Jones welcome back to Washington. We'll continue this conversation.

JONES: A pleasure to talk to you.

BLITZER: Have a safe trip back.

JONES: Thank you very much. Thank you.

BLITZER: This time a year ago, those of us who live here in the Greater Washington D.C. area lived in terror. That's a fair statement. Now it's come down to this, a sniper suspect on trial, details of the first day that's coming up.

Also, a superstar in trouble, the spotlight shining once again on Kobe Bryant, how is he handling the intense pressure and the news media coverage?

And the habits of highly creative people, the award-winning dancer, choreographer and author Twyla Tharp on finding your inner spark, all that.

First today's News Quiz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): "From what school did Twyla Tharp graduate, Pomona College, Barnard College, Sarah Lawrence College, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, the answer coming up"?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have silicone throughout my body because these implants ruptured and the doctor is sure this has caused my condition.

BLITZER: Speaking out against silicone but right now several women are also calling for a lift of the ban. The breast implant debate that has returned and we'll have details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's a case that terrorized millions and captured worldwide attention. Those of us who live here in the Washington, D.C. area lived through that awful period exactly one year ago. Now, the trial is underway for one of the two Washington, D.C. area sniper suspects and today he entered his plea.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve is covering this story for us. She's in Virginia Beach, Virginia where the trial was moved. Tell us what happened today, Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, there are four charges against John Muhammad. Each of them was read off in turn, after each one the clerk asked him how do you plead, guilty or not guilty? In each instance he said not guilty. He said he was prepared for the trial to go forward. His lawyer said in court today that is a daunting prospect but it's good to get going.

So now the process of selecting a jury is in full swing. Court has just adjourned for the day and I can tell you at this point no potential jurors have made the final cut. That's because they are still in the preliminary stages of finding them.

They have filled out biographical questionnaires and in addition to that they've undergone general questioning from the judge, from the prosecution and the defense attorneys.

They've asked them questions about pretrial publicity, about the court system, about law enforcement even about their attitudes towards blacks and Muslims and whether any of those things would affect their ability to be fair and impartial jurors in this case.

We're told that 123 individuals came to court today, responding to the jury summons. Dozens of them have already been excluded. Tomorrow they'll go through that individual questioning and, if necessary, another 140 people will be summoned on Thursday to go through the process all over again. What they're hoping to find, 12 jurors and three alternates to sit through the six weeks of this case -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, CNN's Jeanne Meserve reporting. She'll be covering this trial for us. Thanks very much.

An accused killer captured after a textbook jailbreak that story tops today's Justice Report. Hugo Selenski turned himself in after apparently returning to his own home. He escaped Friday night from a Pennsylvania jail by climbing down a rope made of bed sheets. Selenski is charged with two murders.

In New Jersey, two men were in critical condition after being hit in the head with a baseball bat during a fight near Rutgers University. At least seven people are charged in the off campus brawl. Police say it involved members of the schools wrestling team, a fraternity, and a private social club.

And, the Supreme Court will decide if the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance are constitutional. The justices have agreed to hear the case brought by a California man who says the phrase violates the separation of church and state. "Under God" was added to the pledge in 1954.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this. "Do you think having children recite the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional"? You can vote right now, cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

While you're there, I'd love to hear directly 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.

The battle lines are drawn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe firmly that women should have the option to choose saline or silicone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Between women who want a bigger bust and those who say silicone is not safe, the emotional testimony happening right now.

Kobe Bryant on the eve of his second court appearance, is the pressure taking a physical toll on the basketball superstar?

And an inspiration to all who crave creativity: one celebrity's advice to finding your own innovative approach to life.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. The Food and Drug Administration is wrestling with an issue that could affect women all around the United States. An FDA panel is holding a two-day hearing on whether to lift a ban on silicone breast implants. Years after the ban safety remains, of course, a key concern.

Here's CNN's Christy Feig.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The FDA pulled silicone gel-filled breast implants off the market in 1992 because the administration was concerned it could rupture in a woman's body spreading silicone throughout her tissue possibly causing disease as Carolyn Wolf claims.

CAROLYN WOLF, PUBLIC CITIZEN: I developed dozens of hard burning blister-like growths on my neck and boils on my forehead. I have pain and numbness in my left shoulder, arm, hand and foot.

FEIG: Now, (unintelligible) corporation believes after three years of its own research it has a safe product and are asking the FDA for approval. So, an advisory committee to the FDA is listening to two days of emotionally-charged stories from women who had the original silicone implants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have suffered more than enough and don't want other women to follow in my footsteps.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The decision to choose silicone or saline implants should be left up to the individual patient.

FEIG: Those who believe the implants are dangerous say most problems occur seven to ten years after implantation and want longer studies of the new product.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are many red flag warning signals within the thousands of pages of documents put up on the Internet last week, more than enough to justify a decision to wait at least five more years.

FEIG: But many plastic surgeons believe there have never been serious problems with silicone implants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Science and medicine go together and we have to look and see whether there was a cause and the studies show no connection between systemic illness and silicone.

FEIG: While the committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday evening for those testifying the issue is far from over.

Christy Feig, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: As Christy just said the advisory panel plans to issue its recommendation on the silicone breast implants tomorrow. The FDA will have the final say on the matter.

Updating a battle over life and death in Florida, a vigil goes on in Pinellas Park outside a hospice where a severely brain damaged woman is at the center of a legal tug of war.

Her feeding tube is scheduled to be removed tomorrow at her husband's request but her parents are fighting the move and today they lost a bid before an appeals court to block the removal. The woman who's been in a vegetative state for 13 years is expected to die within two weeks after the tube is removed.

Spotlight and scrutiny, Kobe Bryant heads back to court, find out what he's going to face. We're live in Eagle, Colorado.

And stranded in Los Angeles: commuters struggling to find new methods of transportation.

Big Blue, when I say big I mean big, the story behind these jumbo jeans. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Developing creativity, one celebrity says it has to be a habit. Find out how you can improve your own inner spark. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

News media crush, Kobe Bryant under the microscope, how the superstar is handling the pressure, first a check of the latest headlines.

In New York, a Pakistani national has pleaded not guilty today to terrorism charges. The suspect, a legal U.S. resident, who's been jailed for six months was indicted last week for allegedly helping an al Qaeda operative reenter the United States. His attorneys say their client's defense will hinge on their ability to gain access to top al Qaeda captives in U.S. custody.

Airport security screeners in the United States have a new concern to worry about. The Department of Homeland Security says terrorists have discussed using stuffed animals, pillows, and clothing to smuggle explosives aboard commercial airliners. The agency says protective measures to deal with the possible threat are now in place at the nation's airports.

Doctors in Dallas say two former conjoined twins are making remarkable progress as they recover from separation surgery. The two- year-old Egyptian boys who had been joined at the head since birth are in critical but stable condition. They were separated over the weekend.

A city where cars rule much more -- where cars rule is much more reliant on the automobile. Of course, today hundreds of mechanics with the Los Angeles Transit System are walking the picket lines in a dispute over health care costs. The strike was expected to send half a million commuters scrambling for other ways to get to work.

Kobe Bryant's preliminary hearing resumes tomorrow in Eagle, Colorado, but even between days in court the hot spotlight on this case doesn't cool down at all and it's not just shining on Kobe Bryant alone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Even in L.A., even for this team, these could be uncharted waters, a media crush, journalists practically climbing over themselves to get at a superstar in trouble. This is Kobe Bryant's life now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move guys, move, come on move.

BLITZER: As he heads into the second round of his preliminary hearing and a possible rape trial down the road, Bryant and the Lakers are trying desperately to project business as usual.

At training camp in Hawaii, the team stuck to its rules, practices followed by short media sessions with the players, Kobe Bryant included but this time there were about three times the number of reporters and camera crews. This time exchanges were different.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you scared?

KOBE BRYANT, DEFENDANT: Terrified, terrified, not so much for myself but just for what my family has been going through.

BLITZER: Beat reporters now have some different competition. "Celebrity Justice" and the "National Enquirer" now cover the Lakers but the Lakers PR staff is reportedly not issuing media credentials to reporters from those outlets. Teammates are also circling the wagons around a player not known for being one of the guys.

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, LAKERS CENTER: You're wasting your time if you're asking him about him.

KARL MALONE, LAKERS FORWARD: That's the end of those questions. If you got basketball, we'll answer them. If not, I'm done.

RICK FOX, LAKERS FORWARD: We're going to be his strongest support system.

BLITZER: Coach Phil Jackson has done this before creating a sanctuary on his team to shield a superstar from potentially negative media coverage. Michael Jordan faced questions about gambling but never a criminal charge.

Is the pressure from this kind of coverage taking a physical toll? Bryant's lost a considerable amount of weight since last season partly by design he says, partly not.

BRYANT: I've been under a lot of stress recently so (unintelligible) so I lost weight that way but I'll pick it back up here.

BLITZER: Picking up, carrying on, facing possibly two trials, a long season, and a criminal case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And tomorrow all eyes back on the courthouse in Eagle, Colorado, as the preliminary hearing resumes.

Our National Correspondent Gary Tuchman is already there preparing for a big day tomorrow. What's going on in advance of this hearing tomorrow Gary?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can tell you, Wolf, the preliminary hearing is only supposed to last one day but because of tensions between both sides it spread into tomorrow and Kobe Bryant, his attorneys, the prosecutors and the judge will all be back 11:00 a.m. Eastern time for what's expected to be another rather rambunctious day.

When it begins the defense will continue its cross-examination of the prosecution witness, a sheriff's detective who testified that he talked to this woman and that she was grabbed by the neck, bent over a chair and forced to have sex by Kobe Bryant. That was the detective's explanation of his interview with the woman.

He said that the injuries were not consistent that she had with consensual sex; however, when the defense got its change to start its cross-examination, defense attorney Pamela Mackey said if the injuries were "consistent with someone who had sex with three different men in three days," that sexual inference of her past led the judge clearing the courtroom and announcing that the case would come to an end for the day and continue tomorrow.

Now, the prosecution decided it wanted to close the remainder of the hearing because of that comment and also the comment that the prosecutor made, six comments that is, mentioning her name in open court despite a warning from the judge.

However, we have been told by the court it will be open to reporters when it continues tomorrow. The judge is telling us he expects this to be all complete by tomorrow and that by next week, not tomorrow but by next week he will announce a decision if there is probable cause for Kobe Bryant to go on trial in federal -- not on federal but on sexual assault charges -- Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Gary. We'll be checking back with you tomorrow obviously throughout the day. Thanks Gary. And please stay with CNN tomorrow for complete coverage, including a complete update on this program.

But let's get a little bit more insight now in where this hearing might be heading tomorrow. For that we're joined once again by Craig Silverman, a criminal defense attorney, former Denver prosecutor.

Craig, thanks very much for joining us. You've watched this case as close as anyone. You were there last week for round one. You were inside. You heard the whole thing. What do you expect will happen tomorrow?

CRAIG SILVERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I expect there will be more bombshells, after all the outcome of this preliminary hearing is pretty well predetermined. The prosecution is going to win. Accordingly, the defense is just trying to score points in the court of public opinion from which the prospective jury will be drawn.

BLITZER: Bombshells you say, what does that mean? I mean what else, what further bombshells more than we heard last week could there possibly be tomorrow?

SILVERMAN: Well there could be some significant inconsistencies in the account of the alleged victim. I don't think we're going to hear much more in open court about promiscuity. Just within the past hour the prosecution has filed a motion in that regard. I expect the judge will grant it.

I just don't think the defense would be going forward without some idea that they could create a headline for you to be talking about tomorrow, one that's favorable to Kobe Bryant and hurts the prosecution.

BLITZER: In terms of witnesses testifying tomorrow we saw the detective appear last week but what else do we expect tomorrow?

SILVERMAN: Look for the defense to possibly try to call witnesses. It's very unusual in a preliminary hearing, after all why turn over cards in your hand but here again when we're playing to the court of public opinion don't be surprised if the defense tries to call a witness or two to score some significant points for Team Kobe.

BLITZER: And to undermine the testimony of the detective in other words the version of the alleged victim?

SILVERMAN: Right, exactly. It's not so much the detective they're seeking to undermine it's the accuser and it could be that she's told inconsistent stories to other people.

BLITZER: What about the whole role of the bellhop who was there who saw the alleged victim right afterwards, followed her home supposedly because he was so concerned about her? That could be a very strong prosecution witness.

SILVERMAN: Right. His name is Bobby Petrack (ph). For some reason they won't say his name in court although it's been widely reported and he's only a witness not accused of any wrongdoing.

He is described as an all American boy from Eagle, Colorado. He plays basketball now at Fort Lewis College down in Durango and he is a critical witness in this case. He is the outcry witness that could make the difference one way or the other in this case.

BLITZER: Craig Silverman thanks very much, as always, for your insight. We'll get back to you hopefully tomorrow on this, see what's going on on this hearing, day two of the hearing tomorrow. Of course, once again, stay with CNN for all the details tomorrow.

Moving on now covering the war in Iraq, are the news media portraying an accurate picture? We'll get an assessment from someone who's been inside the White House for many, many years.

And, secrets of success, a show biz legend will tell us how to become more creative, yes, we can become more creative.

First, though, let's take a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Expulsions ordered, as Israel moves ahead with what it says is a war against terrorism the Israeli military has announced plans to expel 15 Palestinian detainees from the West Bank and move them to Gaza.

Israel calls the detainees, who are members of militant groups, terrorists. Palestinian leaders are condemning the order. In southern Gaza, Israeli forces are conducting what's being called Operation Root Canal. Israel says terrorists are operating in the area.

Reaching for the stars, an historic mission for the world's most populous nation may be just hours away. China has started the final countdown in its bid to become the third nation to rocket a human being into orbit around the earth. The launch could come as early as tomorrow. The mission with one astronaut onboard is scheduled to last just one day.

Honoring an icon, Pope John Paul II is getting a special honor in Italy as he approaches the 25th anniversary of his papacy. Italy is issuing one million postcards and a special stamp in honor of the pontiff.

A wife's delight, some women in northern Germany who love to shop now have a place to drop off their husbands instead of dragging them along. They can leave their husbands in a Hamburg bar and for just under $12 the men get a name badge, two beers, a hot meal and televised sports.

Jumbo jeans, Levis is displaying the world's biggest pair of blue jeans at Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea. The garment is almost as tall as a ten story building. The display is part of the company's 150th birthday celebration and that's out look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a sense that people in America aren't getting the truth and that's why it's very important for this administration to encourage congressional delegations, for example, to travel to Iraq and come back and say what they saw. I mean we're making good progress about improving the lives of the people there in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: President Bush in one of the series of interviews he's giving to local and regional news media organizations bypassing the national news organizations. It's part of the administration's public relations offensive aimed at shoring up support for the U.S. occupation in Iraq.

Here to talk about that and more David Gergen, an adviser to four U.S. presidents. He's joining us from Watertown, Massachusetts. David, what do you make of this strategy? We've seen it with other presidents. Reagan did it. Clinton did it. Now the President George W. Bush is doing it. Does it usually work?

DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: It's a time-honored strategy, Wolf. When you're frustrated as this administration is to get your story out to go around the National Press Corps to go to the regional press corps. It works in the short term. It does not work in the long term.

There's nothing new about going around and the president should not be criticized I think for going to the regional press. They deserve a chance to sit down with the president too.

What I do think is new about this administration is how closed it has been to the national press and one of the reasons I think they're running into some trouble now with the press is, in fact, it's payback time for the closed nature to the press for so long.

There have been many fewer press conferences over the course of this presidency than in recent presidencies and more importantly there have been many, the individual one-on-one interviews with major news organizations is much rarer than we've seen in the past.

CNN I believe, I can't remember an interview since John King interviewed the president early on with CNN. I think the "New York Time," "Washington Post," I can't remember any interviews with them and that closing out the National Press Corps I think is something that's been a mistake from the beginning. I think it's having some consequences now.

There is no penalty if you're -- to go after this president to criticize him if you're never going to get in because you say, you know, these guys don't like us. Why should we like them?

BLITZER: Well, are you suggesting that reporters who cover the White House, reporters who cover Washington, might go softer on the president, if you will, if you knew that they could get an interview with the president?

GERGEN: Let me put it this way. I think that you always enjoy better relations with the press and you enjoy more balanced coverage, fairer coverage, if you're open to the press, if you're accountable and you're accessible to the press. That was certainly true in the case of Ronald Reagan. You know during the Reagan years, I was just talking to Mike Deaver (ph) about this a couple of days ago, and during the Reagan years it was not as disciplined as this organization, as this administration is, you know, and there were a lot of stories about some of the infighting that went on all during the administration.

But I think it was enormously advantageous to the president, as well as to the country and the press, that President Reagan did speak to individual news organizations on a pretty frequent basis, much more frequent that we're seeing here and I do think it brings more balanced coverage because people begin to understand what your issues are.

President Bush has a strong case here right now, for example, that there is progress on the ground in Iraq that is not well understood by the country. Our soldiers have built 1,500 schools. Over five million children went back to school about ten days ago with no serious incidents.

The shops are carrying more goods. Incomes are up. All of those are things the president wants to draw attention to even as the facts on the ground also show it is extraordinarily dangerous at the same time.

BLITZER: Let me get your honest assessment. Are we, not necessarily CNN, but all of the national news media, are we simply harping on the negative? Are we not telling the American public the truth about what's really happening on the ground in Iraq?

GERGEN: I think it's been very, very hard for the American public to get a clear picture on Iraq because the coverage has been necessarily ordinarily any time you have explosions and people getting killed that's a bigger story than the fact that a new school has opened up. It just is more graphic. It's more compelling as a story.

But there has been some progress, which I think has been under reported. It deserves more attention by the press. The president is right about that. But I'll have to tell you something, the administration also has to do more on its own to get its story out to be open and accessible, to take the questions which bring that kind of coverage and I don't think the administration can sit here and just take pot shots at the press and then yet say, by the way, we don't want to talk to you.

BLITZER: The administration has also been criticized that it can't even do a good job in projecting its own story to the rest of the world, especially the people in Iraq and the Middle East. They could be doing a better job in terms of what's called public diplomacy.

GERGEN: I think that is certainly true. We have ever since the USIA, the U.S. Information Agency, was folded into the State Department we have just not done the job as a country in public diplomacy that we should have. We should reinvent the USIA.

We had people like Ed Murrow and John Chancellor who used to run that agency. It was just terrific back in the days of the Cold War. We need something like that again.

I'm also struck, Wolf, as they go to this original press strategy, as they go over the heads of the press corps, are they taking a leaf out of the playbook of Arnold Schwarzenegger? You know he conducted the campaign that didn't answer any questions and managed to get his message out to the country. Is the Bush team now using that as a model as a way to reach people on Iraq, interesting question?

BLITZER: All right, David Gergen, as usual we learned something from you. Thanks very much.

GERGEN: Thank you very much.

BLITZER: Inspiring creativity, how you can find the spark you may be missing, one celebrity's advice when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked from what school did Twyla Tharp graduate? The answer, Barnard College, Tharp graduated in 1963 with a B.A. in Art History. There wasn't a dance major at Barnard at the time. Although she attended Pomona she transferred to Barnard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Some of you may not know her name. Many of course do, you of course, at least many of you well known with her work, a legend in the dance world. Twyla Tharp is an influential choreographer and an inspiration.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Twyla Tharp, a name chosen by her mother because it would look nice on a marquee. The past three decades the name has graced not only marquees but film credits, book jackets, and a Tony award.

TWYLA THARP, CHOREOGRAPHER: I have always danced as long as I remember whenever there was music I was moving.

BLITZER: Tharp, a graduate of Barnard College says she received her most important education not in the classroom but in the studio with modern dance masters, Martha Graham and Paul Taylor. Eventually she had to choose books or ballet.

THARP: This is not a smart thing to choose; however, it is the thing you do best so make up your mind so I decided I would dance.

BLITZER: In 1965, she founded Twyla Tharp Dance, which later merged with the American Ballet Theater, pushing the boundaries of classical ballet and defining modern dance. In the late '70s, Tharp moved beyond the stage to the silver screen, choreographing for films "Amadeus," "Hair," and "White Nights." Tharp's most widely known for her recent Tony award-winning collaboration with Billy Joel, "Movin Out" and her work with the world's best Mikhail Baryshnikov.

One hundred twenty-five dances, five movies, two Broadway shows, 17 honorary doctorates later, Tharp debuts her second book, this one on the creative process.

THARP: When you pass over probably the age of 40, you suddenly have a sense of how marvelous and how glorious what you have is and you re-approach totally what it is you're presenting and it's no longer so much about taking in. It's much more about reflecting back and giving back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And she's now focused on giving back. Her new book "The Creative Habit" offers lessons that anyone can use to become more creative. Twyla Tharp is joining us now live from New York. Thanks so much for joining us.

In the book you write: "Creativity is not just for artists. It's for business people, engineers, parents." What can they learn from you?

THARP: Well, I think that dancers are very disciplined people and the reason that I gave this book the title that seems to be contradictory, creative, spontaneous, free-flowing habit, rigid, dead, boring, is because to be creative consistently you have to have very good work habits and this book is about practicing, practicing, practicing in order to solve problems and how you can practice to become more spontaneous. I know it sounds like a contradiction. It's not.

BLITZER: A lot of people believe you're either born with it or you're not born with it, the notion of creativity. You have it or you don't but you say you can learn it.

THARP: I think we all have it and then I think that we're encouraged to forget it and this book simply goes back to what you might want best to do and how can you do that?

BLITZER: How do you get started doing it?

THARP: You ask yourself first the question what do I really want to do? And then you say how do I get from A to B? And you, as I say, there are some exercises. There are some in this book. If I had you here I would show them to you.

BLITZER: I guess we're just going to have to read the book. Twyla Tharp we've loved your work for so many years. Thanks so much for joining us and good luck.

THARP: Thank you. BLITZER: The name of the book, "The Creative Habit." I recommend our viewers go out and read it, buy it. They'll become much more creative.

We'll have the results of our hot web question of the day. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The results of our non-scientific poll, take a look.

In the meantime, let's get to your e-mail.

Andy writes: "I didn't support the war before it happened. Now that we bombed it, got Hussein out, to not repair what we destroyed is to invite popular support of terrorism directed at Americans. President Bush went in without knowing the full implications of his action and now, like it or not, we must follow through."

Augustin writes: "Iraq had an opportunity to come clean, to allow inspections, to respond to the U.N. demands, 12 years and nothing. The U.S. under the leadership of our president did what no other country in the world would dare do and today the world is en route to become a bit safer."

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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