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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

USS Cole Attack Mastermind Captured; Jackson's Lawyer Expected to Respond to Reports of Secret Videotape

Aired November 25, 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.


MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now captured, the al Qaeda leader suspected of masterminding the attack on the USS Cole.
Also, good news for your pocketbook is one reason this is a great day for President Bush.

And, Michael Jackson's lawyer expected to respond to reports of a secret videotape. We'll bring you his news conference live.

Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Baghdad blasts.

PAUL BREMER, U.S. CIVILIAN ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: The security situation has changed.

SAVIDGE: For better or worse?

Missing, a phone call ends suddenly and a college student vanishes.

Michael Jackson case, what court documents say about the accuser and his family?

Tyco tape, a $6,000 shower curtain, a jury gets a look inside a tycoon's apartment and so will you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, November 25, 2003.

SAVIDGE: Hello, thanks for joining us. I'm Martin Savidge in for Wolf Blitzer. It is great to be with you.

Sirens wailed as a powerful set of blasts rocked the heart of Baghdad tonight just hours after U.S. officials said guerrillas are shifting their tactics or at least their targets.

CNN's Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers reports from the Iraqi capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The warning sirens in Baghdad sounded only after two booming explosions here. In Arabic, loudspeakers blared, "This is an attack not a test."

At least one person was injured as those two shells fell several hours after dark. Not much earlier, this American general said the attacks on his soldiers have been reduced.

GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, COMMANDER, CENTCOM: I hate to give you a metric but I would say the attacks are down by about half over the past two weeks.

RODGERS: Increasingly, U.S. soldiers now protect Iraqi civilians as more and more civilians find themselves becoming targets of guerrilla intimidation.

BREMER: If Saddam taught them nothing else he taught Iraqis how to endure the depredation of thugs. Saddam and his trained killers had no future in Iraq.

RODGERS: Tough talk but Ambassador Bremer acknowledged these attacks will get worse as insurgents try to undermine the new government here.

(on camera): Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein himself remains at large and the U.S. Army has yet to put those Iraqi guerrillas out of business.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Last Saturday a civilian cargo jet was hit by a missile near Baghdad. An amateur videotape has surfaced which appears to show that attack. What it does show is a matter of interpretation.

And to help us with that task, let's go to CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor at the Pentagon -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martin, as you say this tape has surfaced. It was, in fact, dropped off at the hotel room of a French journalist and what it shows at the beginning is a group of what look like armed insurgents in a field.

They have shoulder-launched missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. They walk across a little ways and then one of them fires a shoulder-launched missile. In the background before that we see an American helicopter.

There's the shot fired. Now we do not see it actually hitting an aircraft but later after a video edit we do see an aircraft in flight and that is believed to be the DHL cargo plane that was hit and was forced to land but did so safely at Baghdad Airport last Saturday. Now we can't tell for sure because there are edits in this and there's not much context to it so it's hard to tell really whether this is what it purports to be but that is what it looks like and this is all apparently part of a media campaign now by the insurgents to try to perhaps gain recruits, propaganda value, perhaps even more money for their cause -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Interesting. David, I understand there's been a major arrest involving al Qaeda, is that true?

ENSOR: Yes, there has. In Yemen, Yemeni authorities yesterday, according to U.S. intelligence officials rounded up a senior man in the Yemeni al Qaeda structure.

He is Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal. He's considered to have been involved in the attack on the USS Cole back in Aden Harbor which many still remember was one of the early attacks by al Qaeda that presaged the big 9/11 attack.

So, this is an important get according to U.S. intelligence officials. They're looking forward to hearing what the Yemeni authorities are able to get out of this man and it might stop future terrorism -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: David Ensor, thank you very much for that report.

Well, in the span of a week now Turkey suffered two sets of twin suicide bombings. The toll rose today when a Turkish woman died of her wounds. In all, dozens were killed and hundreds hurt in the attacks on Jewish synagogues, the British Consulate, and a British bank.

Is there an al Qaeda connection? CNN National Correspondent Mike Boettcher is following the leads in Istanbul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Turkish Islamic fighters seen here with al Qaeda units in Chechnya. The Turkish journalist whose team shot these pictures, Vedat Yenerer is one of the few people in the world who has had numerous close encounters with radical Turks fighting in Chechnya and Bosnia.

VEDAT YENERER, TURKISH JOURNALIST: I met Turks there. There were two Turks and they were not talking to us. In the end they talked to us but when I showed my Turkish passport they throw passport to my face.

BOETTCHER: Now, these extremist Turks have brought their fight home. Investigators say the trail of the Istanbul suicide bombers starts in Turkey, leads through Chechnya and Bosnia along with Afghanistan and Iran before ending back home but were the Turkish bombers lone actors or were they manipulated by larger terrorist groups such as al Qaeda?

CNN has learned that a coalition of Arab, Israeli and European investigators working the case strongly suspect that this man, Abu Masab al-Zarqawi helped organize the Turkish attacks. He is a close associate of Osama bin Laden but he directs his own network of terrorist groups.

Zarqawi, a Jordanian, is the leading suspect in the suicide bombing of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad and is a leader of the Iraqi terror group known as Ansar al-Islam. Intelligence sources believe Zarqawi is now hiding in neighboring Iran and he plays a lead role for two radical Islamic groups who operate in southeast Turkey near the Iraqi border, Turkish Hezbollah and an equally dangerous and reclusive group called Beyyeat al-Imam or allegiance to the imam.

According to Middle Eastern intelligence agencies members of all three groups trained in Zarqawi's Afghanistan camp from the late 1990s until 2001. They may not be al Qaeda by name but certainly by inspiration.

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Al Qaeda the organization attacked the United States on 9/11 but al Qaeda is also morphing into an ideology that has been signed on by local groups around the world.

BOETTCHER: Certainly Turkey had already been in al Qaeda's crosshairs. Richard Reid sentenced to life in U.S. Federal Prison for plotting to blow up an American airliner with a shoe bomb reported back to Osama bin Laden on a scouting mission he undertook in 2001 to identify future targets. According to court documents one of those countries he visited Turkey.

And from ranking anti-terror coalition intelligence sources CNN has learned that this man, Abu Zubaida, a top al Qaeda organizer now in custody established a network of al Qaeda safe houses in Turkey beginning in 1998.

(on camera): And a new development in the Turkish investigation, authorities here are tracing one more link to al Qaeda leading to fundamentalist mosques in Germany and the heart of the expatriate Turkish community there, the same radical Islamic community that for a time nurtured many of the 9/11 hijackers.

Mike Boettcher, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Nine people are jailed in connection with the Istanbul bombings. They were charged today with belonging to and aiding an illegal organization. The court order does not name that organization. Seven others have been released from custody.

Well, we're minutes away from a news conference by Michael Jackson's attorney. CNN will have it live.

Also ahead a missing student.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her boyfriend called and was worried about her because they got disconnected on a cell phone call and her last words were, no, no, no, OK, OK, OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: A phone conversation cut short and today the search for this 22-year-old intensifies.

Luxurious living in alleged spoils of corporate fraud caught on tape, an inside tour of a Tyco executive's pricey home.

And, dangerous toys, the top ten list of gifts you don't want to give to a child this holiday season but first today's News Quiz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Which company is the nation's largest toy retailer, FAO Schwarz, Wal-Mart, Toys "R" Us, KB Toys," the answer coming up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just hope we find her. We pray that we find her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Without a trace a college student missing, hundreds of volunteers joining the search. I'll speak with an investigator involved in the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: As a reminder we're standing by for a news conference expected to come in live any moment from Mark Geragos. He is the defense attorney for Michael Jackson. We'll find out what he has to say.

In the meantime, it is a case that has very few clues and now police in Grand Forks, North Dakota have turned to the community for help as they search for a missing college student. Hundreds of volunteers showed up this morning to help with that search but so far there's no word of any breakthrough.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoever has her I'm sure they don't know what kind of a person she is and they don't know how strong she is.

SAVIDGE: Friends and family are baffled after 22-year-old college student Dru Sjodin vanished Saturday afternoon. She was last seen as she left her job at the mall in Grand Forks, North Dakota but her car never left the parking lot. Friends alerted police after Sjodin failed to show up at her second job at a bar later that night and after an alarming phone call with her boyfriend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her boyfriend called and was worried about her because they got disconnected on his cell phone call and her last words were no, no, no, OK, OK, OK.

SAVIDGE: Authorities are concentrating their search on a rest area just seven miles from the mall where police traced a call from Sjodin's cell phone to her boyfriend at nine o'clock Saturday night.

SVEN SJODIN, BROTHER: No conversation took place during that telephone call but through the assistance of Sprint Telephone Company we were able to determine that that call was placed within three or four mile radius of a cellular phone tower.

SAVIDGE: Police are also investigating calls to Sjodin at the Victoria Secret store where she worked. They say she received at least one call from a man she didn't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been several guys I guess that have been interested in her more than she was interested in them. She's kind a kind-hearted, you know, loving girl that befriended everyone and, you know, I guess these gentlemen, you know, wanted more than she was willing to give.

SAVIDGE: Extra busses were called in today as hundreds of volunteers lined up to search through the snow for clues to the missing University of North Dakota student.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just hard to know that this could happen to her. She's just such a really nice sweet person. I just hope we find her. We pray that we find her.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: We'll get back to this story in just a moment.

As we promised Mark Geragos the attorney for Michael Jackson getting ready to speak, let's listen.

MARK GERAGOS, MICHAEL JACKSON'S ATTORNEY: I have with me Matthew Geragos and Brian Kabotec (ph). We called this press conference today. Yesterday it came out or was publicly reported that there had been some video cameras that were installed on the jet that was chartered by my client Michael Jackson's company and that took us back and forth from another location to Santa Barbara.

It was disclosed that those two video cameras, which also apparently had audio on them, were surreptitiously placed in there, were recording attorney/client conversations and then somebody had the unmitigated gall to shop those tapes around to media outlets in order to sell them to the highest bidder.

In response to that this morning, Mr. Kabotec and Matthew went into a Los Angeles courtroom downtown, Judge David Yaffey's (ph) courtroom and obtained a temporary restraining order against that company, Extra Jet. That temporary restraining order prohibits them from doing anything with that tape, with that confidential attorney/client communication and they cannot show it to anybody. They cannot duplicate it. They cannot sell it.

That also they have been restrained from doing anything with that airplane at this point until we have a chance to inspect it and get to the bottom of exactly who did what we believe is not only a violation of federal criminal law, state, the state penal code and an assortment of California causes of action.

We've also filed suit this morning against the airline company and we reserve the right to file suit against anyone and everyone who's remotely connected with this what I think is one of the most outrageous acts that I've ever seen in my 20 years of practicing criminal law.

The press conference today is not going to be question and answer. I have besides that in announcing that because we've been inundated with inquiries about this tape at the office, I also want to make one other statement and make it unequivocally clear.

Michael Jackson is not going to be abused. Michael Jackson is not going to be slammed is not going to be a pinata for every person who has financial motives, for every person who thinks that they can get, as the lawyer for the charter company said today, we had a lottery ticket and we thought we were going to do something with it.

This is not the lottery. This is this man's life. This is his family's life. These are scurrilous accusations. We are going to, and I've been given full authority, we will land on you like a ton of bricks.

We will land on you like a hammer if you do anything to besmirch this man's reputation, anything to intrude on his privacy in any way that's actionable. WE will unleash a legal torrent like you've never seen.

We, I believe, will put Extra Jet out of business for this outrageous act. Anybody who is connected with it we will put and seek to do everything else to put them out of business.

Michael Jackson is no longer going to be somebody who is on the receiving end of every scurrilous accusation known to man. There are people out there speaking who claim to know Michael Jackson, who claim to have worked for Michael Jackson who have never laid eyes on him.

The press puts them on without -- unblinkingly. That is not going to go on anymore. We will demand that any outlet, that any person who comes out shows their bona fides before they're allowed to just repeat these scurrilous actions and we will meet any accusation that's made with every legal avenue and we will not sit back and allow him to be abused and that's what's actually going on here.

If anybody doesn't think based upon what's happened so far that the true motivation of these charges and these allegations is anything but money and the seeking of money then they're living in their own Neverland. Thank you.

SAVIDGE: And you've been listening to Mark Geragos who is the attorney for Michael Jackson, obviously very heated talking about a purported videotape, a tape that was made on the executive jet that flew Michael Jackson and Mark Geragos from Las Vegas into Los Angeles on the day that Michael Jackson turned himself in. You also heard him quite clearly say that Michael Jackson is not going to be a pinata and that this case, as he puts it, is based solely upon money.

Let's get back to the other important story we were talking about and that is the disappearance of Dru Sjodin. This is a young lady who has now been missing for a number of days and there's a great deal of concern.

We want to bring in Sergeant Mike Hedlund. He's with the Grand Forks Police Department. Sorry for the intrusion sir. Thanks very much for being with us.

SGT. MIKE HEDLUND, GRAND FORKS POLICE: That's no problem.

SAVIDGE: Where does the investigation stand right now?

HEDLUND: The search continues as we speak today. As you mentioned earlier the outpouring of civilian volunteers was absolutely amazing. The last count I heard was approximately 1,300 volunteers that have come out to assist us and that's just phenomenal and we greatly appreciate the assistance of all those people.

The search has conducted both by the volunteers as well as law enforcement officials throughout the day today. The last I'd heard there had not been any items of material importance that had been found at least as of the time that I left the police department to come to this interview.

SAVIDGE: Is the weather hampering you in any way up there? It's been snowing.

HEDLUND: Yes, it has been snowing. It is a light snow but it certainly does cause us some problems. We did have relatively bare grounds for the most part prior to the snow beginning last night and there's no question it could conceivably cover up some especially smaller items.

SAVIDGE: Have you been able to glean anything from this phone call between the boyfriend and now the missing girl whether there was any other detail you got out of that?

HEDLUND: Not that I'm aware of at this point in time. The biggest thing from the way that phone call ended and the way we did discover her vehicle and some items that she definitely had upon her person while she was still in the mall at work and while doing some shopping most definitely lead us to believe that she was abducted.

The second phone call later that evening was located in the vicinity of a cell phone tower near the Fisher's Landing rest area and that's the reason that the search has been ongoing in that particular area.

SAVIDGE: And have you been investigating these, I guess, unwanted phone calls she received at her place of work in the mall?

HEDLUND: Yes. We've been looking into that and a wide variety of other tips. There are law enforcement officials from a vast number of agencies from throughout northwestern Minnesota, North Dakota, both state officials, local officials, county officials and even federal officials are also assisting from a wide variety of agencies and I believe it's at least 25 or 30 investigators that are following up every tip that we get. We do have a tip line available if I'd be able to give that number.

SAVIDGE: Sure, please.

HEDLUND: That's 701-780-8213 if anyone has any information on this case at all we would greatly appreciate hearing from them and we are following up on all tips.

SAVIDGE: Right. Sergeant Mike Hedlund, thank you very much. We wish you well in your search. We hope that it does turn out well. Thank you for joining us this evening.

HEDLUND: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Well, a roaring economy, we'll tell you about that.

And, Medicare a makeover is President Bush on a roll?

Michael Jackson's defense you've heard speaking out. Now new information about his accuser. We'll have a live report.

A $6,000 shower curtain, we all have them, a $15,000 umbrella stand maybe not. We have the new Tyco tape. See the riches for yourself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: On the road for campaign fund-raisers, President Bush may feel like he has the wind in his sails. He scored a big political victory today when the Senate passed a major overhaul of Medicare even as news came in that the U.S. economy was roaring back to life.

Let's go live to our Senior White House Correspondent John King. John, good day for the president wasn't it?

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Pretty good day, Marty.

The White House believes the president might be thinking why can't we have the election next Tuesday as opposed to almost one year from now, the president out in Nevada today when final passage of that Medicare bill came through.

The president has been seeking this, of course, since the last campaign and he believes this now gives him an advantage on an issue that the Democrats have long claimed as their own.

President Clinton tried to get a new prescription drug benefit, could not get it through the Congress. Many Democrats fiercely oppose this bill, the president today making the case that Congress acted on a bipartisan basis to do the right thing for elderly Americans but the president also making crystal clear that he believes that he himself might have some political gain here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They used to call Medicare, Medi-scare for people in the political process. Some said Medicare reform could never be done. For the sake of our seniors we've got something done. We're acting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, Democrats for months also have said this president is weak on the issue of the economy another key domestic issue of course in presidential politics.

Today the government putting out revised growth figures for the third quarter showing the economy grew at 8.2 percent in the last quarter. That is much higher than expected a full point higher than previously estimated by the government and the best number in almost 20 years in terms of the strength of the economy over a three-month period.

The White House believes now that the economy is in full recovery that it is beginning to create jobs. That, of course, is one of the key big issues. Democrats are saying it is not enough that the economy has still lost well over two million jobs during the Bush administration but the White House believes that fundamentals are now in place for a strong holiday season, another round of tax cuts kicking in early next year.

Marty, the administration is hoping now that the one lagging number in terms of the politics of the economy, the unemployment rate, begins to drop sometime early next year -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: John King at the White thanks very much.

KING: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Here's your turn to weigh in on this story, our web question of the day on this important development. "Do you credit the Bush administration for the recent economic surge"? You can vote right now at cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

And while you're there we'd like to hear directly from you, our viewers. Send us your comments anytime and we might read some of them at the end of this program.

The case for and against Michael Jackson have the media gone too far in their coverage? We'll hear from both sides. Airport arrests, 25 baggage and cargo handlers taken into custody.

And making a list, checking it twice, the toys you don't want to give or receive this holiday season. We have the list you need.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Michael Jackson's attorney has just finished speaking to reporters about the child molestation charges against his client. Also, according to court documents, Jackson's accuser came from a home where domestic violence allegedly occurred daily. It is just one of several new developments in the case.

CNN national correspondent, Frank Buckley, is in Los Angeles with more -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And Marty, just a few moments ago, attorney Mark Geragos -- an angry attorney, Mark Geragos -- came out to talk about news reports today regarding an alleged secret taping of Mark Geragos and Michael Jackson when they were on that private jet ride from the Las Vegas area to Santa Barbara last week, when Michael Jackson was coming in to Santa Barbara to turn himself in.

The "Los Angeles Times" reporting today that the company called Extra Jet, officials found videotapes on that plane and attempted to shop those tapes around to media outlets. One corporate officer quote in that article as saying, "We explored the opportunity as any businessperson would."

Geragos said here in a news conference that he was going to do his best to put Extra Jet out of business. He believes that the company has violated federal law, and they also intend to sue. For the moment, they have obtained a temporary restraining order, prohibiting release of the tapes. Also, with altering the jet plane in any way, he has also filed suit. Geragos also putting anyone on notice who might seek to benefit financially from Michael Jackson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GERAGOS, ATTORNEY: This is not the lottery. This is this man's life. This is his family's life. These are scurrilous accusations.

We are going to -- and I've been given full authority -- we will land on you like a ton of bricks. We will land on you like a hammer if you do anything to besmirch this man's representation, anything to intrude on his privacy in any way that's actionable. We will unleash a legal torrent like you've never seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: And we can tell you that already this lawsuit has been filed against Extra Jet. It seeks seven separate complaints, including invasion of privacy, public disclosure of private facts, et cetera. So already, Mark Geragos and Michael Jackson taking some legal action against Extra Jet -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Just when you thought it couldn't get more strange. All right. Thank you very much, Frank Buckley.

Well, as with numerous previous criminal stories, the Michael Jackson case is receiving a huge amount of media attention. And once again, media organizations are being criticized for what some denounce as sensational and even excessive coverage of the Jackson case. Are they right?

Joining us in New York to talk about that, Deborah Norville, the host of "Inside Edition." And in Washington, Brent Bozell, who is the president of the Media Research Center, which bills itself as the leader in exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.

Thank you both for being with us.

DEBORAH NORVILLE, HOST, "INSIDE EDITION": Sure.

BRENT BOZELL, PRESIDENT, MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER: You're welcome.

SAVIDGE: All right. Debra, let me start by asking you, are we making too much of this? Have we gone too far already in this?

NORVILLE: Well, I don't think so. And I would maybe suggest that Mark Geragos just 15 minutes ago upped the level of this debate. He said, and I quote from his press conference -- he said, "The true motivation for these charges is anything but money."

Mr. Geragos just went on national television and said that these charges were motivated, charges brought by a district attorney in Santa Barbara, by money. I don't think you can make that charge and not expect the media to look into the basis for which he's making that charge.

I'm very troubled about this videotape we hear about having been recorded on the airplane. And we introduced our story today on "Inside Edition" by saying the private jet ride Michael Jackson had to Santa Barbara was anything but private. That, to me, goes absolutely beyond the pale.

But that doesn't reflect on the coverage. The coverage, I think, reflects on the fact that Michael Jackson has been a person in the public eye for a number of years, who has made choices to stand out from the crowd. And when that individual is charged in a court of law, with some extremely serious charges, we, in all of the branches of the media, have a responsibility to investigate the charges and report on them thoroughly.

SAVIDGE: All right. Brent Bozell, let me ask you this: did it warrant, though, cable news networks -- I won't say which ones -- hanging out at the airport for hours, watching airplanes land, watching motorcades move toward a police station? Was it really worth that?

BOZELL: This is the nature of news today. Did it warrant us -- the entire country watching a white Ford Bronco do 45 miles an hour for three or four hours on the L.A. freeways? Did it warrant us spending two years learning nothing about JonBenet Ramsey?

This is the most popular pop artist in the entire world. These accusations are serious. It is a big story. And whether or not the Jackson family like it or not, this is going to be covered. Now, having said that, it is to be covered, I know by the end of it we will all be mighty sick and tired of it.

NORVILLE: And look, people can vote with their channel selector, too. If the channel networks opt to stay on the Jackson plane ride for the entire 45 minutes or whatever it took to get from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara, there is that thing called the remote control. You can push it.

The fact is, CNN's ratings went up 44 percent, according to the paper today. MSNBC went up 51 percent last week. And Fox enjoyed a 20-something percent increase. So people did watch.

SAVIDGE: Yes, there's no question about that, Deborah. And Brent, what do you make of that? I mean, are we supposed to be paternalistic in news gathering and say, you know what, folks, we should shut it off now, you've had enough of this?

BOZELL: It is the question of the ages. If the news media are meant to report what is the real news, that's all well and good, but I understand the reality is that they also have to feed a market appetite.

The year before the O.J. trial, CNN lost 25 percent of its audience. When O.J. became the -- CNN became the "O.J. network," its ratings went up 400 percent. So it was responding to a market demand, whether we like it or not.

SAVIDGE: But Deborah, was this videotape -- the suggested videotape from the aircraft -- also responding to that demand? In other words, that they thought they were going to have a market.

NORVILLE: But that's another thing, Martin. That's another thing. That really speaks to the incredible competition for, "the get."

Now, when "the get" is an individual and it's a person who has a direct relationship to the story, I think that's fair game. When people are creating apparatus that can be purchased for what would appear to have been a profit motive, I think all of us in the media need to stand up and say, hold on. Wait a cotton picking second.

And the fact of the matter is, no one bought the videotape. The "Los Angeles Times" was offered it, ABC News was offered it. Very respectable news organizations said, no. Thank you very much. So I think the good news there is there are breaks, there are ethics, there are considerations going on to try to make decisions on the right side of the ethical line.

SAVIDGE: But we do get carried away with the moment, though? In other words, we have the vehicles on the move. You had Michael Jackson. Did the news media get carried away with not so much the specific event -- that was traditional news coverage -- but how we covered it?

BOZELL: But look who you're covering. I mean, if television is a circus, then Michael Jackson is the freak show. I mean, look at what he's done the last 10 years. He's just invited himself to have this kind of scrutiny performed on him. It only stands to reason that the media would do what they've done.

NORVILLE: And I think Mark Geragos is absolutely within his right to hold a press conference he had a few minutes ago and say, we will come like a hammer on anyone who besmirches Michael Jackson's representation. Fair game.

You would do that anyway as a good attorney and as a public figure. There is a certain different standard that has to be brought into the equation, as opposed to reporting things about someone who is a private citizen known to no one watching television right now. But as Brent says, Michael Jackson has chosen the celebrity. Michael Jackson has made some amazing choices.

Michael Jackson -- that's a great line. He's the freak show at the circus. And regrettably, the circus has been put into play by the legal action that's been taken in Santa Barbara. We are reporting based on the official judicial proceedings.

SAVIDGE: Brent, you get the last word.

BOZELL: Well, the question becomes now, what happens when the details come out and we learn allegedly salacious details that are really repulsive? How are the media going to cover them? I hope they'll show some restraint, because you're going to have millions of children watching.

SAVIDGE: OK. Thank you both.

NORVILLE: Absolutely. And that's what we do. We let you know if it's going to be ugly, and we just don't go there.

SAVIDGE: Got to end it there. Deborah Norville, thanks very much.

NORVILLE: All right.

SAVIDGE: Brent Bozell, thank you very much for joining us.

And Michael Jackson -- this reminder, Michael Jackson's civil co- counsel, Matthew Geragos and Brian Kabotec (ph) will join "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight for an exclusive interview. That's tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

Well, the Tyco tycoon and his lavish living. Up next, an inside tour of the former executive's alleged spoils and high-priced goodies. All in living color.

Plus, Glen Campbell in jail. Find out why this country star is singing the blues today.

And treacherous toys. Before you start your holiday shopping, find out which toys the government says should not be on your list.

But first, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Cease-fire in Kashmir. There is new hope for peace in a troubled land. India and Pakistan have agreed to a cease-fire in their decades-long dispute over Kashmir. Pakistan proposed the deal over the weekend. And, today, India gave its approval.

A new era for Georgia. Voters in the former Soviet republic will ring in the new year with the opportunity to choose a new president. Lawmakers there have scheduled the presidential election on January 4. Eduard Shevardnadze resigned over the weekend under intense pressure from protesters who stormed the parliament.

They accused Mr. Shevardnadze of rigging the recent parliamentary elections. An opposition leader is now acting president.

Breaking of the fast. For Muslims, the holy month of Ramadan has drawn to a close and celebrations are under way marking (UNINTELLIGIBLE). The three-day holiday marks the end of the dawn to dusk fast of Ramadan.

History on Tasmania. Experts are trying to figure out why dozens of pilot whales and dolphins beach themselves off the coast of the Australian island state. More than 100 died. Scientists think they may have panicked when chased by a predator.

And heroes return home. England's rugby team returned to London today to a hero's welcome. The team won their sport's World Cup Saturday by beating Australia.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: By the time he got to Phoenix, well, he was in trouble. It appears that he may have been drunk. And we are talking about Glen Campbell.

Singer Glen Campbell was arrested after a series of mishaps that started with a hit and run incident near his Phoenix home. When he was booked, authorities say he managed to assault one of the officers, which led to further charges. Later, though, he apparently serenaded the jailhouse. Campbell was released on bond and will have to appear in court next month.

Well, the jurors in the larceny and corruption trial of former Tyco chairman Dennis Kozlowski got a view tour of his luxurious Fifth Avenue apartment. CNN's Allan Chernoff is in New York with that story -- Alan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNNFN CORRESPONDENT: Marty, Dennis Kozlowski's lavish spending was on display for the jury today. The apartment on Fifth Avenue, a duplex, was packed with French baroque interiors: a Monet, a Renoir, painting after painting, chandelier after chandelier, the famous $6,000 shower curtain on display right over there, and bedrooms with carved four-poster beds, packed through the apartment overlooking Central Park. And as well, the $15,000 umbrella stand in the shape of a dog.

This all was shown during the testimony of the housekeeper, Mariola Tarnichovitz (ph). But she testified that, in fact, that shower curtain was in a staff bathroom. In fact, there was a plastic pail, a garbage pail right next to that expensive shower curtain. And she said Dennis Kozlowski probably never even saw that shower curtain.

She also testified that Mr. Kozlowski had not picked out the umbrella stand, and she said he was in the apartment only occasionally, perhaps twice a week, sometimes coming to merely to change his shirt. And she said there was periods when he wasn't even there for two months at a stretch. She said the designer actually spent more time in the apartment. Mr. Kozlowski's lawyer said her testimony supported his defense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN KAUFMAN, KOZLOWSKI'S ATTORNEY: I think she explained that the apartment was -- belonged to the company. It was an asset of the company, and he just used it for business purposes. And his wife was there once or twice.

It doesn't seem to be a place where you're living. It is a place where you're staying for business purposes, which is what it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: The jury has been exposed to Mr. Kozlowski's spending. But the prosecution is still making its case that Kozlowski was spending Tyco's money for his own personal benefit. Marty, the case is due to begin once again next Monday.

Back to you.

SAVIDGE: All right. We'll look for more revelations. Thanks very much. CNN's Allan Chernoff.

Well, no one wants to be on Santa's naughty list. But some toys just aren't safe enough to send down the chimney this year. We will fill you in on the recalls you may not know about.

And rolling on the river. A final trip for this Concorde makes our picture of the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Earlier we asked, which company is the nation's largest toy retailer? The answer, Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart overtook Toys R Us in 1998 as the nation's largest toy retailer. Toys R Us, however, holds the world record with more than 1,500 stores in 27 countries worldwide.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: How about that?

Well, the weather has turned cold. And for many of us, that means it is time to head for the malls and holiday shopping. But as CNN's Julie Vallese reports, you might want to check and see if the toy that you're planning to buy is subject to a government recall.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Santa is not the only one making a list and checking it twice. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has a list of its own: it's top-ten toy recalls.

HAL STRATTON, CHAIRMAN, CPSC: The United States Consumer Products Safety Commission is alerting consumers that they may have bought children's items that have since been recalled.

VALLESE: Over the past year, 80 children's products have been voluntarily pulled off the shelves for defects. The commission's list includes one brand of Spray Foam (ph), the Little People Animal Farm (ph), certain drums and some powered scooters.

Some products have now been fixed. But the CPSC announced a new voluntary recall, chalk from Toys R Us. The product contains lead.

(on camera): Information on these, as well as other products, such as food, medicine and cars, can be found at a one-stop Web site, recalls.gov.

(voice-over): Although not deemed effective by the CPSC, one consumer group is highlighting some other products they claim could be hazardous to children.

ALISON CASSADY, U.S. PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP: Researchers found several toys on store shelves this holiday shopping season that may pose hidden hazards, such as choking hazards, strangulation hazards or excessive loudness.

VALLESE: But the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association says, if that's the case, the group should bring the items to the attention of the government. As for noise levels, the toy industry says it has developed a voluntary standard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The new standard will apply to newly introduced toys, toys that are manufactured at the date and following the date of the standard put in place. VALLESE: Still, the government and the toy industry say the most important toy safety advice may be, make sure the toy is age appropriate.

Julie Vallese, CNN, Bethesda, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Starting at 6:00 Eastern tomorrow morning, you can look to us for the latest holiday and travel weather updates. They'll be here on CNN every half hour.

Well, from top speed to a slow float. A well-known aircraft trades in the runway for a waterway.

Plus, the results of our hot Web Question of the Day when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web Question of the Day. Remember we've been asking you, do you credit the Bush administration for the recent economic surge? Look at this. Forty- three percent of you said, yes, 57 percent of you said no. As we always tell you, this is not a scientific poll.

And a reminder. You can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at this time, 5:00 Eastern. I'll see you again tomorrow. Until then, thanks for joining us.

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





Expected to Respond to Reports of Secret Videotape>


Aired November 25, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now captured, the al Qaeda leader suspected of masterminding the attack on the USS Cole.
Also, good news for your pocketbook is one reason this is a great day for President Bush.

And, Michael Jackson's lawyer expected to respond to reports of a secret videotape. We'll bring you his news conference live.

Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Baghdad blasts.

PAUL BREMER, U.S. CIVILIAN ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: The security situation has changed.

SAVIDGE: For better or worse?

Missing, a phone call ends suddenly and a college student vanishes.

Michael Jackson case, what court documents say about the accuser and his family?

Tyco tape, a $6,000 shower curtain, a jury gets a look inside a tycoon's apartment and so will you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, November 25, 2003.

SAVIDGE: Hello, thanks for joining us. I'm Martin Savidge in for Wolf Blitzer. It is great to be with you.

Sirens wailed as a powerful set of blasts rocked the heart of Baghdad tonight just hours after U.S. officials said guerrillas are shifting their tactics or at least their targets.

CNN's Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers reports from the Iraqi capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The warning sirens in Baghdad sounded only after two booming explosions here. In Arabic, loudspeakers blared, "This is an attack not a test."

At least one person was injured as those two shells fell several hours after dark. Not much earlier, this American general said the attacks on his soldiers have been reduced.

GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, COMMANDER, CENTCOM: I hate to give you a metric but I would say the attacks are down by about half over the past two weeks.

RODGERS: Increasingly, U.S. soldiers now protect Iraqi civilians as more and more civilians find themselves becoming targets of guerrilla intimidation.

BREMER: If Saddam taught them nothing else he taught Iraqis how to endure the depredation of thugs. Saddam and his trained killers had no future in Iraq.

RODGERS: Tough talk but Ambassador Bremer acknowledged these attacks will get worse as insurgents try to undermine the new government here.

(on camera): Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein himself remains at large and the U.S. Army has yet to put those Iraqi guerrillas out of business.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Last Saturday a civilian cargo jet was hit by a missile near Baghdad. An amateur videotape has surfaced which appears to show that attack. What it does show is a matter of interpretation.

And to help us with that task, let's go to CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor at the Pentagon -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martin, as you say this tape has surfaced. It was, in fact, dropped off at the hotel room of a French journalist and what it shows at the beginning is a group of what look like armed insurgents in a field.

They have shoulder-launched missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. They walk across a little ways and then one of them fires a shoulder-launched missile. In the background before that we see an American helicopter.

There's the shot fired. Now we do not see it actually hitting an aircraft but later after a video edit we do see an aircraft in flight and that is believed to be the DHL cargo plane that was hit and was forced to land but did so safely at Baghdad Airport last Saturday. Now we can't tell for sure because there are edits in this and there's not much context to it so it's hard to tell really whether this is what it purports to be but that is what it looks like and this is all apparently part of a media campaign now by the insurgents to try to perhaps gain recruits, propaganda value, perhaps even more money for their cause -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Interesting. David, I understand there's been a major arrest involving al Qaeda, is that true?

ENSOR: Yes, there has. In Yemen, Yemeni authorities yesterday, according to U.S. intelligence officials rounded up a senior man in the Yemeni al Qaeda structure.

He is Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal. He's considered to have been involved in the attack on the USS Cole back in Aden Harbor which many still remember was one of the early attacks by al Qaeda that presaged the big 9/11 attack.

So, this is an important get according to U.S. intelligence officials. They're looking forward to hearing what the Yemeni authorities are able to get out of this man and it might stop future terrorism -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: David Ensor, thank you very much for that report.

Well, in the span of a week now Turkey suffered two sets of twin suicide bombings. The toll rose today when a Turkish woman died of her wounds. In all, dozens were killed and hundreds hurt in the attacks on Jewish synagogues, the British Consulate, and a British bank.

Is there an al Qaeda connection? CNN National Correspondent Mike Boettcher is following the leads in Istanbul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Turkish Islamic fighters seen here with al Qaeda units in Chechnya. The Turkish journalist whose team shot these pictures, Vedat Yenerer is one of the few people in the world who has had numerous close encounters with radical Turks fighting in Chechnya and Bosnia.

VEDAT YENERER, TURKISH JOURNALIST: I met Turks there. There were two Turks and they were not talking to us. In the end they talked to us but when I showed my Turkish passport they throw passport to my face.

BOETTCHER: Now, these extremist Turks have brought their fight home. Investigators say the trail of the Istanbul suicide bombers starts in Turkey, leads through Chechnya and Bosnia along with Afghanistan and Iran before ending back home but were the Turkish bombers lone actors or were they manipulated by larger terrorist groups such as al Qaeda?

CNN has learned that a coalition of Arab, Israeli and European investigators working the case strongly suspect that this man, Abu Masab al-Zarqawi helped organize the Turkish attacks. He is a close associate of Osama bin Laden but he directs his own network of terrorist groups.

Zarqawi, a Jordanian, is the leading suspect in the suicide bombing of the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad and is a leader of the Iraqi terror group known as Ansar al-Islam. Intelligence sources believe Zarqawi is now hiding in neighboring Iran and he plays a lead role for two radical Islamic groups who operate in southeast Turkey near the Iraqi border, Turkish Hezbollah and an equally dangerous and reclusive group called Beyyeat al-Imam or allegiance to the imam.

According to Middle Eastern intelligence agencies members of all three groups trained in Zarqawi's Afghanistan camp from the late 1990s until 2001. They may not be al Qaeda by name but certainly by inspiration.

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Al Qaeda the organization attacked the United States on 9/11 but al Qaeda is also morphing into an ideology that has been signed on by local groups around the world.

BOETTCHER: Certainly Turkey had already been in al Qaeda's crosshairs. Richard Reid sentenced to life in U.S. Federal Prison for plotting to blow up an American airliner with a shoe bomb reported back to Osama bin Laden on a scouting mission he undertook in 2001 to identify future targets. According to court documents one of those countries he visited Turkey.

And from ranking anti-terror coalition intelligence sources CNN has learned that this man, Abu Zubaida, a top al Qaeda organizer now in custody established a network of al Qaeda safe houses in Turkey beginning in 1998.

(on camera): And a new development in the Turkish investigation, authorities here are tracing one more link to al Qaeda leading to fundamentalist mosques in Germany and the heart of the expatriate Turkish community there, the same radical Islamic community that for a time nurtured many of the 9/11 hijackers.

Mike Boettcher, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Nine people are jailed in connection with the Istanbul bombings. They were charged today with belonging to and aiding an illegal organization. The court order does not name that organization. Seven others have been released from custody.

Well, we're minutes away from a news conference by Michael Jackson's attorney. CNN will have it live.

Also ahead a missing student.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her boyfriend called and was worried about her because they got disconnected on a cell phone call and her last words were, no, no, no, OK, OK, OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: A phone conversation cut short and today the search for this 22-year-old intensifies.

Luxurious living in alleged spoils of corporate fraud caught on tape, an inside tour of a Tyco executive's pricey home.

And, dangerous toys, the top ten list of gifts you don't want to give to a child this holiday season but first today's News Quiz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Which company is the nation's largest toy retailer, FAO Schwarz, Wal-Mart, Toys "R" Us, KB Toys," the answer coming up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just hope we find her. We pray that we find her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Without a trace a college student missing, hundreds of volunteers joining the search. I'll speak with an investigator involved in the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: As a reminder we're standing by for a news conference expected to come in live any moment from Mark Geragos. He is the defense attorney for Michael Jackson. We'll find out what he has to say.

In the meantime, it is a case that has very few clues and now police in Grand Forks, North Dakota have turned to the community for help as they search for a missing college student. Hundreds of volunteers showed up this morning to help with that search but so far there's no word of any breakthrough.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoever has her I'm sure they don't know what kind of a person she is and they don't know how strong she is.

SAVIDGE: Friends and family are baffled after 22-year-old college student Dru Sjodin vanished Saturday afternoon. She was last seen as she left her job at the mall in Grand Forks, North Dakota but her car never left the parking lot. Friends alerted police after Sjodin failed to show up at her second job at a bar later that night and after an alarming phone call with her boyfriend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her boyfriend called and was worried about her because they got disconnected on his cell phone call and her last words were no, no, no, OK, OK, OK.

SAVIDGE: Authorities are concentrating their search on a rest area just seven miles from the mall where police traced a call from Sjodin's cell phone to her boyfriend at nine o'clock Saturday night.

SVEN SJODIN, BROTHER: No conversation took place during that telephone call but through the assistance of Sprint Telephone Company we were able to determine that that call was placed within three or four mile radius of a cellular phone tower.

SAVIDGE: Police are also investigating calls to Sjodin at the Victoria Secret store where she worked. They say she received at least one call from a man she didn't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been several guys I guess that have been interested in her more than she was interested in them. She's kind a kind-hearted, you know, loving girl that befriended everyone and, you know, I guess these gentlemen, you know, wanted more than she was willing to give.

SAVIDGE: Extra busses were called in today as hundreds of volunteers lined up to search through the snow for clues to the missing University of North Dakota student.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just hard to know that this could happen to her. She's just such a really nice sweet person. I just hope we find her. We pray that we find her.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: We'll get back to this story in just a moment.

As we promised Mark Geragos the attorney for Michael Jackson getting ready to speak, let's listen.

MARK GERAGOS, MICHAEL JACKSON'S ATTORNEY: I have with me Matthew Geragos and Brian Kabotec (ph). We called this press conference today. Yesterday it came out or was publicly reported that there had been some video cameras that were installed on the jet that was chartered by my client Michael Jackson's company and that took us back and forth from another location to Santa Barbara.

It was disclosed that those two video cameras, which also apparently had audio on them, were surreptitiously placed in there, were recording attorney/client conversations and then somebody had the unmitigated gall to shop those tapes around to media outlets in order to sell them to the highest bidder.

In response to that this morning, Mr. Kabotec and Matthew went into a Los Angeles courtroom downtown, Judge David Yaffey's (ph) courtroom and obtained a temporary restraining order against that company, Extra Jet. That temporary restraining order prohibits them from doing anything with that tape, with that confidential attorney/client communication and they cannot show it to anybody. They cannot duplicate it. They cannot sell it.

That also they have been restrained from doing anything with that airplane at this point until we have a chance to inspect it and get to the bottom of exactly who did what we believe is not only a violation of federal criminal law, state, the state penal code and an assortment of California causes of action.

We've also filed suit this morning against the airline company and we reserve the right to file suit against anyone and everyone who's remotely connected with this what I think is one of the most outrageous acts that I've ever seen in my 20 years of practicing criminal law.

The press conference today is not going to be question and answer. I have besides that in announcing that because we've been inundated with inquiries about this tape at the office, I also want to make one other statement and make it unequivocally clear.

Michael Jackson is not going to be abused. Michael Jackson is not going to be slammed is not going to be a pinata for every person who has financial motives, for every person who thinks that they can get, as the lawyer for the charter company said today, we had a lottery ticket and we thought we were going to do something with it.

This is not the lottery. This is this man's life. This is his family's life. These are scurrilous accusations. We are going to, and I've been given full authority, we will land on you like a ton of bricks.

We will land on you like a hammer if you do anything to besmirch this man's reputation, anything to intrude on his privacy in any way that's actionable. WE will unleash a legal torrent like you've never seen.

We, I believe, will put Extra Jet out of business for this outrageous act. Anybody who is connected with it we will put and seek to do everything else to put them out of business.

Michael Jackson is no longer going to be somebody who is on the receiving end of every scurrilous accusation known to man. There are people out there speaking who claim to know Michael Jackson, who claim to have worked for Michael Jackson who have never laid eyes on him.

The press puts them on without -- unblinkingly. That is not going to go on anymore. We will demand that any outlet, that any person who comes out shows their bona fides before they're allowed to just repeat these scurrilous actions and we will meet any accusation that's made with every legal avenue and we will not sit back and allow him to be abused and that's what's actually going on here.

If anybody doesn't think based upon what's happened so far that the true motivation of these charges and these allegations is anything but money and the seeking of money then they're living in their own Neverland. Thank you.

SAVIDGE: And you've been listening to Mark Geragos who is the attorney for Michael Jackson, obviously very heated talking about a purported videotape, a tape that was made on the executive jet that flew Michael Jackson and Mark Geragos from Las Vegas into Los Angeles on the day that Michael Jackson turned himself in. You also heard him quite clearly say that Michael Jackson is not going to be a pinata and that this case, as he puts it, is based solely upon money.

Let's get back to the other important story we were talking about and that is the disappearance of Dru Sjodin. This is a young lady who has now been missing for a number of days and there's a great deal of concern.

We want to bring in Sergeant Mike Hedlund. He's with the Grand Forks Police Department. Sorry for the intrusion sir. Thanks very much for being with us.

SGT. MIKE HEDLUND, GRAND FORKS POLICE: That's no problem.

SAVIDGE: Where does the investigation stand right now?

HEDLUND: The search continues as we speak today. As you mentioned earlier the outpouring of civilian volunteers was absolutely amazing. The last count I heard was approximately 1,300 volunteers that have come out to assist us and that's just phenomenal and we greatly appreciate the assistance of all those people.

The search has conducted both by the volunteers as well as law enforcement officials throughout the day today. The last I'd heard there had not been any items of material importance that had been found at least as of the time that I left the police department to come to this interview.

SAVIDGE: Is the weather hampering you in any way up there? It's been snowing.

HEDLUND: Yes, it has been snowing. It is a light snow but it certainly does cause us some problems. We did have relatively bare grounds for the most part prior to the snow beginning last night and there's no question it could conceivably cover up some especially smaller items.

SAVIDGE: Have you been able to glean anything from this phone call between the boyfriend and now the missing girl whether there was any other detail you got out of that?

HEDLUND: Not that I'm aware of at this point in time. The biggest thing from the way that phone call ended and the way we did discover her vehicle and some items that she definitely had upon her person while she was still in the mall at work and while doing some shopping most definitely lead us to believe that she was abducted.

The second phone call later that evening was located in the vicinity of a cell phone tower near the Fisher's Landing rest area and that's the reason that the search has been ongoing in that particular area.

SAVIDGE: And have you been investigating these, I guess, unwanted phone calls she received at her place of work in the mall?

HEDLUND: Yes. We've been looking into that and a wide variety of other tips. There are law enforcement officials from a vast number of agencies from throughout northwestern Minnesota, North Dakota, both state officials, local officials, county officials and even federal officials are also assisting from a wide variety of agencies and I believe it's at least 25 or 30 investigators that are following up every tip that we get. We do have a tip line available if I'd be able to give that number.

SAVIDGE: Sure, please.

HEDLUND: That's 701-780-8213 if anyone has any information on this case at all we would greatly appreciate hearing from them and we are following up on all tips.

SAVIDGE: Right. Sergeant Mike Hedlund, thank you very much. We wish you well in your search. We hope that it does turn out well. Thank you for joining us this evening.

HEDLUND: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Well, a roaring economy, we'll tell you about that.

And, Medicare a makeover is President Bush on a roll?

Michael Jackson's defense you've heard speaking out. Now new information about his accuser. We'll have a live report.

A $6,000 shower curtain, we all have them, a $15,000 umbrella stand maybe not. We have the new Tyco tape. See the riches for yourself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: On the road for campaign fund-raisers, President Bush may feel like he has the wind in his sails. He scored a big political victory today when the Senate passed a major overhaul of Medicare even as news came in that the U.S. economy was roaring back to life.

Let's go live to our Senior White House Correspondent John King. John, good day for the president wasn't it?

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Pretty good day, Marty.

The White House believes the president might be thinking why can't we have the election next Tuesday as opposed to almost one year from now, the president out in Nevada today when final passage of that Medicare bill came through.

The president has been seeking this, of course, since the last campaign and he believes this now gives him an advantage on an issue that the Democrats have long claimed as their own.

President Clinton tried to get a new prescription drug benefit, could not get it through the Congress. Many Democrats fiercely oppose this bill, the president today making the case that Congress acted on a bipartisan basis to do the right thing for elderly Americans but the president also making crystal clear that he believes that he himself might have some political gain here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They used to call Medicare, Medi-scare for people in the political process. Some said Medicare reform could never be done. For the sake of our seniors we've got something done. We're acting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, Democrats for months also have said this president is weak on the issue of the economy another key domestic issue of course in presidential politics.

Today the government putting out revised growth figures for the third quarter showing the economy grew at 8.2 percent in the last quarter. That is much higher than expected a full point higher than previously estimated by the government and the best number in almost 20 years in terms of the strength of the economy over a three-month period.

The White House believes now that the economy is in full recovery that it is beginning to create jobs. That, of course, is one of the key big issues. Democrats are saying it is not enough that the economy has still lost well over two million jobs during the Bush administration but the White House believes that fundamentals are now in place for a strong holiday season, another round of tax cuts kicking in early next year.

Marty, the administration is hoping now that the one lagging number in terms of the politics of the economy, the unemployment rate, begins to drop sometime early next year -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: John King at the White thanks very much.

KING: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Here's your turn to weigh in on this story, our web question of the day on this important development. "Do you credit the Bush administration for the recent economic surge"? You can vote right now at cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results later in this broadcast.

And while you're there we'd like to hear directly from you, our viewers. Send us your comments anytime and we might read some of them at the end of this program.

The case for and against Michael Jackson have the media gone too far in their coverage? We'll hear from both sides. Airport arrests, 25 baggage and cargo handlers taken into custody.

And making a list, checking it twice, the toys you don't want to give or receive this holiday season. We have the list you need.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Michael Jackson's attorney has just finished speaking to reporters about the child molestation charges against his client. Also, according to court documents, Jackson's accuser came from a home where domestic violence allegedly occurred daily. It is just one of several new developments in the case.

CNN national correspondent, Frank Buckley, is in Los Angeles with more -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And Marty, just a few moments ago, attorney Mark Geragos -- an angry attorney, Mark Geragos -- came out to talk about news reports today regarding an alleged secret taping of Mark Geragos and Michael Jackson when they were on that private jet ride from the Las Vegas area to Santa Barbara last week, when Michael Jackson was coming in to Santa Barbara to turn himself in.

The "Los Angeles Times" reporting today that the company called Extra Jet, officials found videotapes on that plane and attempted to shop those tapes around to media outlets. One corporate officer quote in that article as saying, "We explored the opportunity as any businessperson would."

Geragos said here in a news conference that he was going to do his best to put Extra Jet out of business. He believes that the company has violated federal law, and they also intend to sue. For the moment, they have obtained a temporary restraining order, prohibiting release of the tapes. Also, with altering the jet plane in any way, he has also filed suit. Geragos also putting anyone on notice who might seek to benefit financially from Michael Jackson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GERAGOS, ATTORNEY: This is not the lottery. This is this man's life. This is his family's life. These are scurrilous accusations.

We are going to -- and I've been given full authority -- we will land on you like a ton of bricks. We will land on you like a hammer if you do anything to besmirch this man's representation, anything to intrude on his privacy in any way that's actionable. We will unleash a legal torrent like you've never seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: And we can tell you that already this lawsuit has been filed against Extra Jet. It seeks seven separate complaints, including invasion of privacy, public disclosure of private facts, et cetera. So already, Mark Geragos and Michael Jackson taking some legal action against Extra Jet -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Just when you thought it couldn't get more strange. All right. Thank you very much, Frank Buckley.

Well, as with numerous previous criminal stories, the Michael Jackson case is receiving a huge amount of media attention. And once again, media organizations are being criticized for what some denounce as sensational and even excessive coverage of the Jackson case. Are they right?

Joining us in New York to talk about that, Deborah Norville, the host of "Inside Edition." And in Washington, Brent Bozell, who is the president of the Media Research Center, which bills itself as the leader in exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.

Thank you both for being with us.

DEBORAH NORVILLE, HOST, "INSIDE EDITION": Sure.

BRENT BOZELL, PRESIDENT, MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER: You're welcome.

SAVIDGE: All right. Debra, let me start by asking you, are we making too much of this? Have we gone too far already in this?

NORVILLE: Well, I don't think so. And I would maybe suggest that Mark Geragos just 15 minutes ago upped the level of this debate. He said, and I quote from his press conference -- he said, "The true motivation for these charges is anything but money."

Mr. Geragos just went on national television and said that these charges were motivated, charges brought by a district attorney in Santa Barbara, by money. I don't think you can make that charge and not expect the media to look into the basis for which he's making that charge.

I'm very troubled about this videotape we hear about having been recorded on the airplane. And we introduced our story today on "Inside Edition" by saying the private jet ride Michael Jackson had to Santa Barbara was anything but private. That, to me, goes absolutely beyond the pale.

But that doesn't reflect on the coverage. The coverage, I think, reflects on the fact that Michael Jackson has been a person in the public eye for a number of years, who has made choices to stand out from the crowd. And when that individual is charged in a court of law, with some extremely serious charges, we, in all of the branches of the media, have a responsibility to investigate the charges and report on them thoroughly.

SAVIDGE: All right. Brent Bozell, let me ask you this: did it warrant, though, cable news networks -- I won't say which ones -- hanging out at the airport for hours, watching airplanes land, watching motorcades move toward a police station? Was it really worth that?

BOZELL: This is the nature of news today. Did it warrant us -- the entire country watching a white Ford Bronco do 45 miles an hour for three or four hours on the L.A. freeways? Did it warrant us spending two years learning nothing about JonBenet Ramsey?

This is the most popular pop artist in the entire world. These accusations are serious. It is a big story. And whether or not the Jackson family like it or not, this is going to be covered. Now, having said that, it is to be covered, I know by the end of it we will all be mighty sick and tired of it.

NORVILLE: And look, people can vote with their channel selector, too. If the channel networks opt to stay on the Jackson plane ride for the entire 45 minutes or whatever it took to get from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara, there is that thing called the remote control. You can push it.

The fact is, CNN's ratings went up 44 percent, according to the paper today. MSNBC went up 51 percent last week. And Fox enjoyed a 20-something percent increase. So people did watch.

SAVIDGE: Yes, there's no question about that, Deborah. And Brent, what do you make of that? I mean, are we supposed to be paternalistic in news gathering and say, you know what, folks, we should shut it off now, you've had enough of this?

BOZELL: It is the question of the ages. If the news media are meant to report what is the real news, that's all well and good, but I understand the reality is that they also have to feed a market appetite.

The year before the O.J. trial, CNN lost 25 percent of its audience. When O.J. became the -- CNN became the "O.J. network," its ratings went up 400 percent. So it was responding to a market demand, whether we like it or not.

SAVIDGE: But Deborah, was this videotape -- the suggested videotape from the aircraft -- also responding to that demand? In other words, that they thought they were going to have a market.

NORVILLE: But that's another thing, Martin. That's another thing. That really speaks to the incredible competition for, "the get."

Now, when "the get" is an individual and it's a person who has a direct relationship to the story, I think that's fair game. When people are creating apparatus that can be purchased for what would appear to have been a profit motive, I think all of us in the media need to stand up and say, hold on. Wait a cotton picking second.

And the fact of the matter is, no one bought the videotape. The "Los Angeles Times" was offered it, ABC News was offered it. Very respectable news organizations said, no. Thank you very much. So I think the good news there is there are breaks, there are ethics, there are considerations going on to try to make decisions on the right side of the ethical line.

SAVIDGE: But we do get carried away with the moment, though? In other words, we have the vehicles on the move. You had Michael Jackson. Did the news media get carried away with not so much the specific event -- that was traditional news coverage -- but how we covered it?

BOZELL: But look who you're covering. I mean, if television is a circus, then Michael Jackson is the freak show. I mean, look at what he's done the last 10 years. He's just invited himself to have this kind of scrutiny performed on him. It only stands to reason that the media would do what they've done.

NORVILLE: And I think Mark Geragos is absolutely within his right to hold a press conference he had a few minutes ago and say, we will come like a hammer on anyone who besmirches Michael Jackson's representation. Fair game.

You would do that anyway as a good attorney and as a public figure. There is a certain different standard that has to be brought into the equation, as opposed to reporting things about someone who is a private citizen known to no one watching television right now. But as Brent says, Michael Jackson has chosen the celebrity. Michael Jackson has made some amazing choices.

Michael Jackson -- that's a great line. He's the freak show at the circus. And regrettably, the circus has been put into play by the legal action that's been taken in Santa Barbara. We are reporting based on the official judicial proceedings.

SAVIDGE: Brent, you get the last word.

BOZELL: Well, the question becomes now, what happens when the details come out and we learn allegedly salacious details that are really repulsive? How are the media going to cover them? I hope they'll show some restraint, because you're going to have millions of children watching.

SAVIDGE: OK. Thank you both.

NORVILLE: Absolutely. And that's what we do. We let you know if it's going to be ugly, and we just don't go there.

SAVIDGE: Got to end it there. Deborah Norville, thanks very much.

NORVILLE: All right.

SAVIDGE: Brent Bozell, thank you very much for joining us.

And Michael Jackson -- this reminder, Michael Jackson's civil co- counsel, Matthew Geragos and Brian Kabotec (ph) will join "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight for an exclusive interview. That's tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

Well, the Tyco tycoon and his lavish living. Up next, an inside tour of the former executive's alleged spoils and high-priced goodies. All in living color.

Plus, Glen Campbell in jail. Find out why this country star is singing the blues today.

And treacherous toys. Before you start your holiday shopping, find out which toys the government says should not be on your list.

But first, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Cease-fire in Kashmir. There is new hope for peace in a troubled land. India and Pakistan have agreed to a cease-fire in their decades-long dispute over Kashmir. Pakistan proposed the deal over the weekend. And, today, India gave its approval.

A new era for Georgia. Voters in the former Soviet republic will ring in the new year with the opportunity to choose a new president. Lawmakers there have scheduled the presidential election on January 4. Eduard Shevardnadze resigned over the weekend under intense pressure from protesters who stormed the parliament.

They accused Mr. Shevardnadze of rigging the recent parliamentary elections. An opposition leader is now acting president.

Breaking of the fast. For Muslims, the holy month of Ramadan has drawn to a close and celebrations are under way marking (UNINTELLIGIBLE). The three-day holiday marks the end of the dawn to dusk fast of Ramadan.

History on Tasmania. Experts are trying to figure out why dozens of pilot whales and dolphins beach themselves off the coast of the Australian island state. More than 100 died. Scientists think they may have panicked when chased by a predator.

And heroes return home. England's rugby team returned to London today to a hero's welcome. The team won their sport's World Cup Saturday by beating Australia.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: By the time he got to Phoenix, well, he was in trouble. It appears that he may have been drunk. And we are talking about Glen Campbell.

Singer Glen Campbell was arrested after a series of mishaps that started with a hit and run incident near his Phoenix home. When he was booked, authorities say he managed to assault one of the officers, which led to further charges. Later, though, he apparently serenaded the jailhouse. Campbell was released on bond and will have to appear in court next month.

Well, the jurors in the larceny and corruption trial of former Tyco chairman Dennis Kozlowski got a view tour of his luxurious Fifth Avenue apartment. CNN's Allan Chernoff is in New York with that story -- Alan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNNFN CORRESPONDENT: Marty, Dennis Kozlowski's lavish spending was on display for the jury today. The apartment on Fifth Avenue, a duplex, was packed with French baroque interiors: a Monet, a Renoir, painting after painting, chandelier after chandelier, the famous $6,000 shower curtain on display right over there, and bedrooms with carved four-poster beds, packed through the apartment overlooking Central Park. And as well, the $15,000 umbrella stand in the shape of a dog.

This all was shown during the testimony of the housekeeper, Mariola Tarnichovitz (ph). But she testified that, in fact, that shower curtain was in a staff bathroom. In fact, there was a plastic pail, a garbage pail right next to that expensive shower curtain. And she said Dennis Kozlowski probably never even saw that shower curtain.

She also testified that Mr. Kozlowski had not picked out the umbrella stand, and she said he was in the apartment only occasionally, perhaps twice a week, sometimes coming to merely to change his shirt. And she said there was periods when he wasn't even there for two months at a stretch. She said the designer actually spent more time in the apartment. Mr. Kozlowski's lawyer said her testimony supported his defense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN KAUFMAN, KOZLOWSKI'S ATTORNEY: I think she explained that the apartment was -- belonged to the company. It was an asset of the company, and he just used it for business purposes. And his wife was there once or twice.

It doesn't seem to be a place where you're living. It is a place where you're staying for business purposes, which is what it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: The jury has been exposed to Mr. Kozlowski's spending. But the prosecution is still making its case that Kozlowski was spending Tyco's money for his own personal benefit. Marty, the case is due to begin once again next Monday.

Back to you.

SAVIDGE: All right. We'll look for more revelations. Thanks very much. CNN's Allan Chernoff.

Well, no one wants to be on Santa's naughty list. But some toys just aren't safe enough to send down the chimney this year. We will fill you in on the recalls you may not know about.

And rolling on the river. A final trip for this Concorde makes our picture of the day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Earlier we asked, which company is the nation's largest toy retailer? The answer, Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart overtook Toys R Us in 1998 as the nation's largest toy retailer. Toys R Us, however, holds the world record with more than 1,500 stores in 27 countries worldwide.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: How about that?

Well, the weather has turned cold. And for many of us, that means it is time to head for the malls and holiday shopping. But as CNN's Julie Vallese reports, you might want to check and see if the toy that you're planning to buy is subject to a government recall.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Santa is not the only one making a list and checking it twice. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has a list of its own: it's top-ten toy recalls.

HAL STRATTON, CHAIRMAN, CPSC: The United States Consumer Products Safety Commission is alerting consumers that they may have bought children's items that have since been recalled.

VALLESE: Over the past year, 80 children's products have been voluntarily pulled off the shelves for defects. The commission's list includes one brand of Spray Foam (ph), the Little People Animal Farm (ph), certain drums and some powered scooters.

Some products have now been fixed. But the CPSC announced a new voluntary recall, chalk from Toys R Us. The product contains lead.

(on camera): Information on these, as well as other products, such as food, medicine and cars, can be found at a one-stop Web site, recalls.gov.

(voice-over): Although not deemed effective by the CPSC, one consumer group is highlighting some other products they claim could be hazardous to children.

ALISON CASSADY, U.S. PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP: Researchers found several toys on store shelves this holiday shopping season that may pose hidden hazards, such as choking hazards, strangulation hazards or excessive loudness.

VALLESE: But the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association says, if that's the case, the group should bring the items to the attention of the government. As for noise levels, the toy industry says it has developed a voluntary standard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The new standard will apply to newly introduced toys, toys that are manufactured at the date and following the date of the standard put in place. VALLESE: Still, the government and the toy industry say the most important toy safety advice may be, make sure the toy is age appropriate.

Julie Vallese, CNN, Bethesda, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Starting at 6:00 Eastern tomorrow morning, you can look to us for the latest holiday and travel weather updates. They'll be here on CNN every half hour.

Well, from top speed to a slow float. A well-known aircraft trades in the runway for a waterway.

Plus, the results of our hot Web Question of the Day when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Here's how you're weighing in on our Web Question of the Day. Remember we've been asking you, do you credit the Bush administration for the recent economic surge? Look at this. Forty- three percent of you said, yes, 57 percent of you said no. As we always tell you, this is not a scientific poll.

And a reminder. You can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at this time, 5:00 Eastern. I'll see you again tomorrow. Until then, thanks for joining us.

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





Expected to Respond to Reports of Secret Videotape>