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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Peter Biskind; Analysis Of Haiti With David Grange; Can Edwards Win Georgia?

Aired February 29, 2004 - 18:00   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.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN SUNDAY is just ahead, but first these headlines. Hope is dwindling now for 18 tanker crew members missing in frigid waters off the coast of Virginia. Their ship exploded and sank yesterday. The Coast Guard rescued six other crew memebers and found three dead.
Iraq's oil out put is reported to be running at prewar levels. The coalition provisional authority says Production has reached 2.5 million barrels a day.

And the last debate before super Tuesday between Democratic presidential candidates is over. John Kerry and John Edwards criticize the White House over Haiti and sparred over trade issues in New York today.

It is 6:00 p.m. in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 3:00 PM in Los Angeles, good evening. I'm Carol Lin at CNN global headquarters. Ahead this hour, chaos in the Caribbean. Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide steps down leaving questions about the country's future.

Another day, another debate for the Democratic presidential candidates. We'll find out who has the edge heading into super Tuesday.

And lights, camera, action, the stars are out in Hollywood tonight for the Academy Awards and as you can see, we are live on location.

But first the crisis in Haiti has taken a dramatic turn today. U.S. Marines are en route to help restore order. Former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has fled.

We have correspondents on every angle of the story. Our Richard Roth is at the United Nations, Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House. Right now we begin with our Lucia Newman. She joins us by videophone from Port-au-Prince. Lucia give us a big picture of the day and what is happening right now?

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it's nightfall as you can see right now, and the new government of Haiti has declared a curfew. No one can go out on the street except for police, and incredibly journalists.

Now, it was a day of upheaval when the news began to spread that President Aristide had indeed stepped down and left the country, hundreds of his armed supporters began again roaming the streets, terrorizing, in fact, the population.

But then, people came out and started cheering, supporting the new government, the new president, the interim president is the exchief justice of the Supreme Court, as stipulated by Haiti's constitution. He made an appeal for calm for what he called the rule of civilization in this country.

In the meantime, the armed rebels, who have been on the outskirts of the city, have made an appearance finally in the capital. They are at this hour, Carol, patrolling the streets they say to give support to the police, to help bring back security to troubled areas, but they are also going into houses of suspected armed loyalists, Aristide loyalists and there is fear that there could be revenge killings and more violence as the country awaits the arrival of the first peacekeepers of the U.S. Marines who's could be arriving here at any moment, Carol.

LIN: Lucia, how are the American peacekeepers likely to be received by the Haitians there, especially the gangs roaming the streets?

NEWMAN: The armed rebels, the people who now control more than half the country and who had actually threatened to attack the city today, if President Aristide didn't resign, have said and their leader said so to CNN earlier on in the day, that they will welcome the marines and foreign peacekeeping forces. That they are happy they are coming.

Many Haitians as well will be rereceived to see order reestablished in this country. But it is expected also that some of the armed supporters of President Aristide will not be quite so welcoming.

LIN: The former chief justice who is now leading the country, how long is he likely to stay in that position? Will there be new elections? What politically may happen next?

NEWMAN: Exactly. Well the plan is for new elections as soon as possible. That will have to be arranged. There is supposed to be a new prime minister named, as well.

What has been called for is a government of transition, of national unity which would take into account all parties, including President Aristide's la Valast (ph) party. How long it will take to set up a system that could lead to new elections has not been determined yet though, Carol.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much. Lucia Newman reporting live in Port-au-Prince with the very latest from that scene.

In the meantime, the U.N. Security Council is meeting right now about the Haitian crisis. The council is expected to discuss sending multinational forces to the country. Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth is standing by at the United Nations with more on that -- Richard. RICHARD ROTH, SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're trickling in, the ambassadors, here at the U.N. These things take time to organize. But considering the urgent nature of the crisis, some diplomats expect there may be passage of a resolution tonight. A resolution which would in effect authorize the sending of military or civilian police to Haiti.

Of course, we've been down this road before, more than ten years ago with Haiti, an international peacekeeping force being sent. A short time ago, I asked the Chinese Ambassador, the current president of the Security Council, he said, well, we prefer to look forward. We're goign to look forward. He thinks there's a good chance for passage of a resolution tonight.

The U.S. and France asking for the authorization, the international legitimacy for the sending of their military troops. This meeting also requested by the interim leader, however long that lasts in Haiti. Carol, back to you.

LIN: All right, thank you very much. Richard Roth who is going to be covering that important meeting at the United Nations. That meeting about to take place.

In the meantime, at the White House, well, the administration is welcoming Aristide's departure.

Critics say the U.S. is acting too late. Did the administration contribute to the crisis by standing silently? CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is standing by live at the White House with a look how that went down.

Suzanne, obviously going to be an election campaign issue for the Democrats, criticizing the president too little too late is what they're saying.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. A very controversial issue and a great deal of scrutiny in terms of how President Bush is going to be handling the whole Haiti issue. Very interestingly enough, we're getting new details from a senior State Department official how this unfolded.

We are told Secretary Powell found out about 9:00 last night that Aristide was going to decide he was going to leave the country. And at that point, Secretary Powell as well as a number of other officials have been working the phones trying to find a host country for Aristide. We are told that they have yet to do so, that final arrangements are still being made. They said that Aristide is still on an airplane as we speak. But of course, that's still up in the air.

But all eyes on Haiti. The big question is just how that country is going to rejuvenate and come together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): U.S. officials say the deal for Aristide to leave was brokered overnight, but secretary of State Colin Powell making could yous to the U.S. ambassador, cabinet members and his counterparts in Canada, France, and the Caribbean. By the end of the day, President Bush was sending U.S. forces to Haiti to clear the way for peace.

BUSH: This is the beginning of a new chapter in the country's history.

MALVEAUX: Aristide capitulated. And asked the U.S. to facilitate his departure. Mr. Bush signed the executive order to send in U.S. troops.

BUSH: I have ordered the deployment of Marines as the leading element of an interim international force. To help bring order and stability to Haiti.

MALVEAUX: Several hundred U.S. Marines are charged with securing key facilities in Haiti to lay the ground for an international stabilization force. U.S. officials, sensitive to the perception that the U.S. might be invading Haiti, were quick to say the troops were welcomed and invited. In fact, Haitian rebel leader, Guy Phillippe, told CNN he would fully cooperate with U.S. forces.

GUY PHILLIPPE, (via telephone): We don't intend to fight anymore. Time is not for fighting anymore.

MALVEAUX: On the diplomatic front, U.S. officials say they will work with the international community to support the so-called Caribbean Community Plan, which would allow opposition groups to share power with the new Haitian government.

RICHARD HAASS, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Haiti is close to our shores and the consequences of what happens there, the consequences for the United States, for Americans are enormous.

WALLACE: And with that, like Mr. Bush's policy regarding Afghanistan and Iraq, now his handling of Haiti is under close scrutiny by those who want his job and his critics.

JOHN KERRY, (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've allowed it to get out of control the way it did. This administration empowered the insurgents.

JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He neglected Haiti, he neglected, actually, most of the countries in this hemisphere.

REP. CHARLES RANGEl (D) NEW YORK: We are just as much a part of this coup d'etta as the rebels, as the looters or anyone else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now unlike the conflict of the war with Iraq, the United States is working alongside the French to try to stabilize Haiti. The big hope here from the Bush administration is they're able this time around to garner more international support.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux live at the White House.

Let's talk about the risks and responsibilities in a peacekeeping mission for American troops. I want to talk about all of this with our CNN military analyst, retired Brigadiere General David Grange. He joins us from Chicago. General, thank you very much for being here.

GEN. DAVID GRANGE, (RET) MILITARY ANALYST: Thank you.

LIN: You heard the numbers, several hundred, don't have anything more specific than that. Given what you've seen of the scene right now on the streets of Port-au-Prince, is that going to be enough.

GRANGE: Well, I think there's about 2,200 marines on alert. There's several hundred advance party Marines and some other State Department personnel in the area. The primary task right now is to make sure that the American embassy is secure and then to -- the concern about 20,000 American citizens in Haiti to make sure they're secure. Keeping the airport open and then from there, you would take on other tasks working with the U.N..

LIN: What do you think the risks are going to be for these Marines who are going to be out there right now?

GRANGE: Well, I think many people remember U.S. involvement before in 1994. And then when they come in, the marines are going to obviously appear to be a powerful force, which they are. So many of these gangs, many people that may not agree, I don't think will mess with the marines. But there's always a few that are not going to work out with the new government, whatever comes to power, and so they could cause some threat, but I think the they're the's minimal.

LIN: Do you think, though, that they are likely targets because they represent a government, the United States, which supported Aristide, in fact, was instrumental in those elections that put him into power to begin with?

GRANGE: That's true. And that's one reason we have a responsibility to do something now. But I think that some of the rebel leaders know that the deal was brokered with U.S. influence to have Aristide leave. And those rebel leaders will pass that on to their -- the members of their organizations. And so it's not going to be -- they're going to work that out, I think, so it's not going to be a big threat.

LIN: How long, General, do you think these marines are going to have to stay there? Is there the possibility that this mission could get bogged down?

GRANGE: Well, I don't know if it's, you could say bogged down. You know, we always try to go into a country, stabilize it, work with the improvement of the infrastructure, hopefully with other coalition members, in this case, Canadians, French and some others, which is a good thing, but sometimes we depart too quick and these things aren't fast fixes. It takes some time. So I would think we wouldn't want to rush it. We would want to be a part of something that lasts longer than before.

LIN: In your experience, how long do you think this mission might take?

GRANGE: It could take years. It could take years, even though we may not be the lead force. I would expect that the U.S. would be involved to ensure that chaos, anarchy and other things that could happen don't go wrong as this transition to a peaceful nation takes place.

LIN: Thank you very much. Obviously, the military stretched as it is, and one more mission on its plate. Thank you very much. David Grange.

Well, it's been a very emotional day for Haitians living in the U.S. later this hour, CNN's John Zarrella. And what Haitians in South Florida have to say about these historic events.

And you can keep up with the crisis in Haiti on your computer. CNN.com has the latest news as well as background about Haiti's politics and its history.

In the meantime, the stars are lining up for a big night at the Oscars. Hi there Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, hello from the red carpet. We are standing by. The stars are just starting to arrive. The latest right after this.

LIN: All right.

And also, stem cells take center stage in a controversial new research program at Harvard University. We've got details ahead.

And since it's Oscar night, we've compiled a list of some major award winners from the campaign trail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Top stories this hour, U.S. Marines arrive in Haiti this evening.

The search continues for crewmen missing in last night's tanker explosion off the Virginia coast.

And "The Passion of the Christ" earned more than $117 million in its first five days.

Hollywood is getting all dolled up for its biggest night of the year. The Oscars, of course, we're talking about. And our Daryn Kagan is pretty dolled up too. She's out there on the red carpet in Los Angeles, the dress getting rave reviews, Daryn.

KAGAN: Oh, thank you, Carol! Thank you so much. This is so exciting, the stars have just started to arrive, right before you came to me live. Keisha Castle-Hughes, our first nominee to arrive. She, of course, is the youngest woman ever nominated for a best actress category. We'll see if we can get her to stop by.

Also, Jamie Lee Curtis, she's a presenter tonight. She's just arriving on the red carpet.

We are in full position to bring you the latest as all the stars here in Hollywood on the red carpet. We have our cameras as they arrive in their limousines. We have our cameras all above the red carpet.

The stars are making their way slowly down the red carpet. While they do, let's talk about the awards we expect to see tonight.

It should be the big night for "Lord of the Rings," the third chapter in this trilogy. "Return of the King" nominated for best picture, best director and nine other nominations, as well.

Also in the best actor category, we're looking at Sean Penn, Bill Murray and Johnny Depp perhaps to be a surprise winner for best actor.

And in terms of best actress, even though we're trying to get Keisha to come on over, it is probably going to be Charlize Theron. She is the woman of the night, not just in terms of what she is wearing, but she swooped up all the other major awards in Hollywood so far this season. She has yet to arrive. But as stars do arrive, we'll be coming back live to us on the red carpet. For now Carol, why don't we toss it back to you.

LIN: All right. Daryn, I just want to get an idea of what your logistics are tonight. I know we can't get to you because you're going to be behind the scenes in our primetime show at 10:00 watching the winners as they go back stage. So how is security out there and how are you able to move around?

KAGAN: Well, security is incredibly tight. Here is a little dity for you. I talked with Elvis Costello, earlier. He is performing tonight as well as Sting. He said, he and Sting tried to get in and they didn't have the right credentials. They didn't let them in. So, he eventually did get in to rehearse. And will see him report tonight.

I have three credentials tonight. I'll be here on the red carpet, also back stage where the winners go after they receive their Oscars and then there's a new thing they've set up for a few networks, one-on-one huts I think they're calling them, stalls, between where the auditorium is and the governor's ball. The first big party of the night.

So I'll be able to stop the winners and get some one-on-one interviews before they head out into a night of parties. Basically, it's pulling an all-nighter, Carol.

LIN: There you go. All right. Well, have a great time. We're looking forward to your coverage and your big special.

KAGAN: Thank you. LIN: All right. Daryn Kagan out there on the red carpet. n fact, Daryn's going to be talking with all of your favorite actors and actresses as they dazzle down the red carpet. CNN's special coverage of the Hollywood gold rush starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4 Pacific.

Fixing a legal loophole. Coming up, details on a proposal that could dramatically change how police handle interrogations.

Also, new details tonight in the case of a family gone missing in the southeast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: FBI statistics show nearly 14 million people were arrested in the U.S. in the year 2002 alone. Many in fact, were taken into custody and questioned.

Well, now there are calls for those interrogations to be put on tape. And that move follows New York's high profile Central Park jogger rape case. Five New York men were exonerated after it was learned their confessions had been coerced. As Adora Udoji reports it isn't the only case of coercion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some who back new proposals for law enforcement to record criminal interrogation say consider the case of Michael Crowe. In 1998, police believed the 14- year-old had stabbed his younger sister Stephanie to death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure you know.

MICHAEL CROWE, ACCUSED OF STABBING SISTER: Why? God, no, I don't know. I didn't do it. I'll swear to that.

UDOJI: It's not clear what evidence police had, but Court TV reports they were bluffing. After a controversial four-hour interrogation, Crowe confessed. He was charged, but later cleared after DNA tests implicated someone else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most telling part...

UDOJI: Criminal Attorney, Norman Reamer says, it's a classic example of a growing problem, coerced confessions. According to the New York County Lawyers Association, such confessions contribute to 25 percent of wrong wrongful convictions. Now the group backed by the American Bar Association, proposes requiring police to record interrogations.

NORMAN REIMER, N.Y. COUNTY LAWYERS ASSN.: So that the triar of fact, the jury can see what led ultimately to whatever statements the accused makes, enables the system to better judge whether in fact these can be relied upon.

UDOJI: Queens County District Attorney, Richard Brown argues says these cases are rare, saying the current system of checks and balances works.

RICHARD BROWN, QUEENS D.A: I handle about 60,000 arrest cases a year. If I were in a position where I had to go ahead and videotape every custodial arrest, I would be spending all of my time doing that. The cost would be prohibitive.

UDOJI: But it's a growing trend. Last year, Illinois became the third state, after Alaska and Minnesota, to require taping interrogations.

(on camera): Experts say the debate is just beginning. Fueled in part by new and inexpensive technology, technology that some argue will help separate the innocent from the get. Adora Udoji, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And now some other stories from across America. Honors in Washington today for the more than 400 Americans who gave their lives in the first Gulf War. The White House Commission on Remembrance, the government of Kuwait and the group No Greater Love held a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Tailsersville, Mississippi a suspect in a family's disappearance faces a court date tomorrow. Earnest Lee Hargon, a relative, is in custody on drug and firearms counts. More charges are expected. Investigators believe an inheritance dispute may be at the bottom of the case. Still no sign of Michael Hargon, his wife or their 4 year old son.

Harvard plans to build a multimillion dollar center for growing and studying human embryonic stem cells. The White House has limited federal funding for such research. Anti-abortion groups and the Catholic Church oppose it.

Now reaction is strong tonight after the departure of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm John Zarrella in Miami. South Florida is home to some 200,000 Haitians, but surprisingly reaction to Aristide's departure is muted.

LIN: Also, the Democratic candidates fought over the issues in a debate today. We've got the highlights as they head into super Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Here are the headlines at this half hour. Embattled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has steped down and left Haiti. Members of the United Nations Security Council are meeting at this hour to discuss the crisis. They are considering whether to authorize a multinational force for the Caribbean nation.

A new Lundberg Survey says the average price of gas has jumped about 7 cents a gallon over the past two weeks. California experienced the biggest rise with a 28 cent increase in Los Angeles.

And Mel Gibson's controversial new film "The Passion of the Christ appears blessed at the box office, weekend ticket sales topped $76 million. Since opening on Ash Wendesday, the movie has banked more than $117 million.

The fast-moving developments in Haiti have grabbed the attention of people across the country, but especially in Miami, home to the nation's largest Haitian American community. CNN's John Zarrella joins us live from Miami with reaction. John, you teased your report and it was fascinating -- you said the reaction was muted. I'm wondering why?

ZARRELLA: It was quite interesting. Back in 1991, when President Aristide was overthrown by General Raoul Cedras, the first time he left office, there was a tremendous amount of reaction. There was some violence on the streets of Miami's little Haiti, where we are this evening, and a tremendousdous outpouring of emotion in support of President Aristide.

This time what little emotion we saw on the streets came primarily from those who supported him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Haitians in Miami who supported President John Bertrand Aristide were not happy. And showed it. They smashed the window of a car belonging to someone who was glad to see Aristide go. The confrontation was quickly calmed by Miami police. A bit surprisingly in Miami's little Haiti, the nation's largest Haitian community, there wasn't a major outpouring of happiness or disgust.

Aristide's supporters gathered on a main street. About 40 people spent much of Sunday bemoaning the fact that in their opinions, Aristide had been their homeland's best hope at democracy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what President Aristide was doing. That's what we were doing. That was what was stopped today. You cannot tell us that we are the poorest nation. We tried to do something and you stopped us today!

ZARRELLA: Haitians living in the United States have been somewhat divided over what's best for their country. A survey taken a couple of weeks ago, of 600 U.S. Haitians found 52 percent wanted Aristide to finish his term, 35 percent thought he should resign, and another 13 percent weren't sure.

With Aristide now gone, there is concern here that those in Haiti who backed the President face an uncertain future.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to remember that Aristide was democratically elected, and there are a lot of people who support him there. These people are not going to be happy with his resignation, and they can -- they can't -- anything can happen. I think the Haitian civilians still will need protection.

ZARRELLA: For Haiti and Haitians everywhere, Aristide's departure is another sad chapter in the book.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (on-camera): But unlike past coos and the successions of dictators that Haiti has seen, this time is different. It's the second time President Aristide, the country's first democratically elected president has been unable to serve a complete term.

LIN: Thank you very much, John Zarella reporting live in Miami.

In the meantime, we have some developments out of the United Nations. This hour, the U.N. is debating whether to send a multinational force to secure the situation on the ground in Haiti, and our senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth has some late breaking news here. Richard, what are you learning?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The council is now in full discussion of this resolution to authorize officially an international peacekeeping force. The notes we've now been handed from this resolution, it calls on member states to support the constitutional succession and political process now underway.

It calls for two months of some type of multinational peacekeeping force, at which point there would be another U.N. mandated force, a stabilization force, in the preface to this resolution, which has not been approved yet. It says that the council "takes note of the resignation of John Bertrand Aristide as president of Haiti."

The current President of the counsel, the Ambassador from China told me a short time ago; he thought there would be approval tonight considering the urgency of the crisis. And the council already last week took note of the need for an international peacekeeping force once there was a political settlement. That of course, has not really happened.

LIN: Thank you very much. Late breaking news out of the United Nations. Richard Roth.

We've been talking a lot about the next big story here in the United States too, the election. And the Democrats running on Super Tuesday. More than 1100 delegates up for grabs in ten different states. Let's check the pulse with some of the folks who are actually watching this very closely.

Brian Layer hosts a show on New York public radio station, WNYC, and Moni Bassou (ph) is a political reporter with the "Atlanta Constitution Journal." She joins me right here in the studio. Good afternoon, both of you.

Let me explore how it is that the race for Super Tuesday is playing out in your regions. Moni(ph), here in the South, obviously John Edwards is going to try very hard to prove that the South is going to count this time around. What is the word that you're hearing on whether you can break out? Because John Kerry looks like he's unstoppable at this point. MONI BASSOU (ph), ATLANTA CONSTITUION JOURNAL: Well, obviously, Georgia is a crucial state for John Edwards. He has molded himself as a candidate who can win in the South, and he's especially -- especially said that he can win among white voters in the South. But our polls -- the newspapers polls have been showing that John Edwards is trailing John Kerry by almost 20 points, and I think it's going to be awfully hard for him to close the gap between now and Tuesday.

LIN: Just for our viewers sake, Bryan Layer is -- we're trying to resolve some technical problems. You might hear his voice there as they were trying to resolve this in the control room. In the meantime, Moni (ph), I'm going to continue with you here.

How critical do you think the African American vote here in the South is going to be, and what does that mean in terms of Al Sharpton still being in the race?

BASSOU (ph): Well, as you know, in Georgia almost 29 percent of all registered voters are African American. So the black vote here is crucial and both John Kerry and John Edwards know that. Al Sharpton, we thought, might be somewhat of a spoiler in this race, but our tracking poll shows that his numbers are steadily going down.

LIN: Why is that?

BASSOU (ph): You know, I've been talking to black voters here in the state -- who some of them have told me that their heart lies with al Sharpton. They believe in the man, think he's terrific but ultimately, they want to vote for somebody who they think can win at the polls. And that man is John Kerry.

I think it's also important for black voters here to vote for a man who has a proven record on issues that matter to them. Issues of civil rights, the economy, health care, and they tell me that John Kerry is the man that they will be supporting on Tuesday.

LIN: It's probably presumptive to really say that just because there is an African American candidate, that automatically the African American vote goes to that person.

BASSOU (ph): That's right.

LIN: In the meantime, how does a John Kerry, John Edwards ticket spark the imagination of voters here in the South?

BASSOU (ph): A lot of people here have told me that they would like to see that ticket, especially in the South, I think Southerners would like to see a Southern man on the ticket, and I think a lot of people are hoping that if Edwards can't pull it out on Tuesday, that the Democrats will eventually end up with a Kerry/Edwards ticket in November.

LIN: Do you think the South is really going to be a critical factor when it comes to general election?

BASSOU (ph): Yes, I think that if the Democrats write off the South, they're going to have an awfully hard time winning in November. They will have to win 70 percent of the votes everywhere else, and I don't think that's a strategy that will pay off for the Democratic Party.

LIN: Moni Bassou (ph), thank you very much for joining us with the Southern perspective. Our hearts go out to Bryan Layer up in New York as we struggled to get his audio. Moni Bassou with the Atlantic Constitution Journal.

You can keep up who's in front, and who is getting speed online. Direct your web browser to cnn.com/all politics and there you can find out about all of the candidates still in the running and where they stand on the issues.

In the meantime, the action is heating up on the red carpet. Up next, we're going to find out how the stars hit the campaign trail hoping to land that coveted academy award.

And talk about role reversal, we've put together our own list of Oscars from some of the top political names in the news. Figure that one out when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Jury selection starts tomorrow in the state trial that could result in the death penalty for convicted Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols. Cnn National Correspondent, Susan Candiotti is fighting mixed feelings among Oklahomans about revisiting the horror of 1995.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Victim's families are divided over a second effort to get a death sentence for Terry Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing. Roy Sills (ph) lost his wife Lee (ph).

ROY SILLS: I think he deserves nothing less than the death penalty.

CANDIOTTI: But Welch lost his daughter Julie. He says another trial is an expensive waste of time.

WELCH: You go through all of these emotions. It's been nine years now, and it's just scraping the scabs off all over again.

CANDIOTTI: When Nichols and Timothy McVeigh were tried separately in federal court, McVeigh was sentenced to death. Nichols was convicted only of being part of the bomb plot, and got life in prison without parole. Now the state is putting Nichols on trial on 161 murder counts that were not part of the federal indictment. A recent Oklahoma newspaper poll show 70 percent opposed to this trial estimated to cost at least $4 million.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a waste. Waste of money to try him again. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not going to bring anybody back and it's not going to change anything.

CANDIOTTI: In a last minute twist, the FBI has begun an investigation into whether its own agents failed to look hard enough into possible links between white supremacist bank robbers and McVeigh.

One of the robbers is ready to testify for the defense that another gang member said they were involved with McVeigh. And this intriguing note. When first arrested, Nichols said, a few days before the bombing McVeigh told him, something big is going to happen. Nichols' reply, are you going to rob a bank?

CANDIOTTI (on-camera): The judge set an early morning hearing on the bank robbery issues, only two hours before the start of jury selection. But has remained firm in his insistence the trial will begin on time. It could last as long as six months. Susan Candiotti, CNN, McAlister (ph), Oklahoma.

LIN: And we have more from Hollywood. We're going to be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Hollywood loves a winner. Tonight, there could be a number of new ones when the Oscars are handed out. A sign from the obvious accolades for being the best, there are -- there's a lot at stake behind the scenes. Peter Biskind knows all about it, he's the author of "Down and Dirty Pictures." It's an insider's look at the movies. He joins us from New York.

Peter? I'm wondering, there's a whole campaign scene behind every single nomination. Can you give me an idea of what that dogfight or catfight is like?

PETER BISKIND, AUTHOR: Well, there's always a lot of maneuvering- on-among the various studios. Sometimes some studios, for example, Miramax has been accused of negative campaigning, although not -- that came up during "A Beautiful Mind" year where they were accused of directing journalists to the fact that the movie had ignored John Nash's (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE) homosexuality and anti-Semitism.

LIN: Was there any proof that Miramax planted that on a web site?

BISKIND: Well, there was never any real proof. Miramax always denied it and there never was a smoking gun. Last year, there were suggestions that Miramax bad-mouthed Roma Polanski (ph), that they drew attention to the fact that, he was convictions (ph) of rape.

Again, there was never any proof. They always denied it. These things are always hard to pin down. This year, it's been kind of quiet because one big difference is the fact that the Oscar campaign season is a month shorter. The Oscars were moved up a month.

And secondly, Miramax does not have a nominee among the best picture categories. So one of their incentives is missing. Although Miramax did do very well in the other categories and still has managed to wrack up more nominations than any other company.

LIN: In general, when a studio does campaign for a film or star, how is it usually done?

BISKIND: Well, usually it's done through massive advertising campaigns, both in the trades and in mass-market newspapers and magazines. Also, there's an effort to have people prominent in Hollywood hold parties and entertain the people that the companies are putting forth for nominees.

It used to be that you could actually -- studios could actually call -- and Miramax did this a lot, they would call people directly, members of the Academy and campaign for -- lobby for their particular nominees. They're not allowed to do that anymore and some of the companies hire a publicist to do it for them as a surrogate.

LIN: What's the most blatant attempt to sell a movie or a star that you've seen so far this year?

BISKIND: Well, there was an ad that Dream Works put in supporting the female lead or the woman who played, who's name I can't pronounce, played Ben Kinsley's wife in "House of Smoke and Fog" and compared her -- made an invidious comparison between her and Renee Zellweger. Apparently Jeffrey Katzenberg (ph) head of Dream Works had apologized for that rather profusely and defused a delicate situation. But that I think has been the most (UNINTELLIGIBLE) example this year.

LIN: And is there a payoff? I mean, is there any proof that this sort of thing works?

BISKIND: Well, the rule of thumb is the company that spends the most money gets the most Oscar wins. I mean that has proved true in the past.

LIN: And how much money are we talking about?

BISKIND: Well, again, it's really hard to pin down. Studios don't like to say how much money they're spending on these campaigns. It can range anywhere from a couple million dollars to four, five, six. It's hard to say.

LIN: And if a film or a star wins an Oscar, how much gold does that translate into?

BISKIND: Well, apparently about a 25 percent between the nomination and the actual winning of an Oscar, there's about 25 percent escalation in the gross of a picture.

LIN: Wow.

BISKIND: That's the rule of thumb. So there's a lot of money at stake. LIN: That's a pretty good investment. That's a pretty good return, better than Wall Street these days.

BISKIND: That's absolutely right.

BISKIND: We're looking at live pictures right now Peter of the red carpet scene. It is just amazing. A totally different feeling out there this year than last year when the country was on the brink of war.

BISKIND: Yes, I think it's much more relaxed and it should be an interesting race this year because although, as you probably know, "The Lord of the Rings, Return of the King" seems to be everybody's favorite to win best picture.

(AUDIO GAP)

BISKIND: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) seem to be cut and dry.

LIN: We'll see what happens. I'm rooting for Diane Keaton.

BISKIND: She was great in that move. No question about it. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

LIN: Thanks Peter, Peter Biskind. We just improvised with the audio there on his telephone. We are going to see how successful those Oscar campaigns are tonight. Daryn Kagan (ph) will bring you a special look at all the Oscars, what we like to call Hollywood's gold rush, that begins in a few minutes. And you can also keep up online. Click on cnn.com and play "Inside the Envelope," if you can guess which movie gets to the top nod, could you take home a prize for yourself.

Hollywood is center stage this evening as we approach the Oscars. We've been talking about it. But should it be the only place we honor colorful characters and dramatic performances? Our Bill Schneider says no, and is passing out awards to those in the political arena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The academy of political arts and sciences is proud to bestow the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role to, the envelope please, reverend Al Sharpton. What a performer. Sharpton could be dramatic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL SHARPTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think you're a bigot, but I think that is insensitive and I think you ought to apologize.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: And could he be funny.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHARPTON: Well, I plan the first thing going through my head would be to make sure that Bush has all of his stuff out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: The award for best sound effects, no contest here, goes to Howard Dean.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Take back the white house! Yea!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: While we're on that picture, let's give the award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role to Dr. Judith Steinberg Dean. Notice how believable she is when discussing her husband's over the top performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JUDITH STEINBERG DEAN: I thought it looked kind of silly. But I thought it looked OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Best costume design? Can't beat President Bush landing on the aircraft carrier in his flight suit. Best cinematography, the capture of Saddam Hussein, they got him on camera in this memorable moment in cinematography.

And now for the big awards. Best performance by an actress. The award goes to Kathleen Blanco (ph) who won the runoff for governor of Louisiana. After Democrats lost control of state houses in Kentucky and Mississippi, a woman saved the Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHLEEN BLANCO (ph): It's our time, ladies.

SCHNEIDER: Best performance by an actor, the award goes to Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Running Man. What drama, like this heart stopping moment on the "Tonight Show."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: I'm going to run for governor of the state of California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: What line readings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHWARZENEGGER: Asta la vista, baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: And what a finish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SWARZENEGGER: You given me your trust for voting for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: And now for the big prize, the best picture of the year. And the award goes to -- Howard's End. It was a stunning saga that went from triumph to tragedy. Big endorsements, big money, big press conference. But all too soon, there were big mistakes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: White folks in the South who drive pickup trucks with confederate flag decals on the back ought to be voting with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Bad timing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Americans are no safer today from these serious threats than they were the day before Saddam Hussein was captured.

SCHNEIDER: And overwrought wrought ambitions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And Oregon and Michigan!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: A sad ending, but what an exciting picture it was, a triumph of political drama.

SCHNEIDER (on-camera): They say politics is show business for ugly people. I say, what could be more glamorous than winning the New Hampshire primary? So eat your heart out, Hollywood. We know who the real winners are. Bill Schneider, CNN, Hollywood.

LIN: And that's it for us. Coming up at 7:00 Eastern, Hollywood gold rush, a preview of the big night at the Oscars with Daryn Kagan (ph) live from the red carpet. At 8:00, "CNN PRESENTS," 80 days that changed the world. At 9:00, Larry King Weekend. Larry's guest tonight is Sarah Jessica Parker.

And at 10:00 Eastern, don't forget on tap for tonight, separating fact from fiction, what do scholars actually know about the crucifixion of Jesus? Headlines when we come back and then Hollywood gold rush. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Grange; Can Edwards Win Georgia?>


Aired February 29, 2004 - 18:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN SUNDAY is just ahead, but first these headlines. Hope is dwindling now for 18 tanker crew members missing in frigid waters off the coast of Virginia. Their ship exploded and sank yesterday. The Coast Guard rescued six other crew memebers and found three dead.
Iraq's oil out put is reported to be running at prewar levels. The coalition provisional authority says Production has reached 2.5 million barrels a day.

And the last debate before super Tuesday between Democratic presidential candidates is over. John Kerry and John Edwards criticize the White House over Haiti and sparred over trade issues in New York today.

It is 6:00 p.m. in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 3:00 PM in Los Angeles, good evening. I'm Carol Lin at CNN global headquarters. Ahead this hour, chaos in the Caribbean. Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide steps down leaving questions about the country's future.

Another day, another debate for the Democratic presidential candidates. We'll find out who has the edge heading into super Tuesday.

And lights, camera, action, the stars are out in Hollywood tonight for the Academy Awards and as you can see, we are live on location.

But first the crisis in Haiti has taken a dramatic turn today. U.S. Marines are en route to help restore order. Former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has fled.

We have correspondents on every angle of the story. Our Richard Roth is at the United Nations, Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House. Right now we begin with our Lucia Newman. She joins us by videophone from Port-au-Prince. Lucia give us a big picture of the day and what is happening right now?

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it's nightfall as you can see right now, and the new government of Haiti has declared a curfew. No one can go out on the street except for police, and incredibly journalists.

Now, it was a day of upheaval when the news began to spread that President Aristide had indeed stepped down and left the country, hundreds of his armed supporters began again roaming the streets, terrorizing, in fact, the population.

But then, people came out and started cheering, supporting the new government, the new president, the interim president is the exchief justice of the Supreme Court, as stipulated by Haiti's constitution. He made an appeal for calm for what he called the rule of civilization in this country.

In the meantime, the armed rebels, who have been on the outskirts of the city, have made an appearance finally in the capital. They are at this hour, Carol, patrolling the streets they say to give support to the police, to help bring back security to troubled areas, but they are also going into houses of suspected armed loyalists, Aristide loyalists and there is fear that there could be revenge killings and more violence as the country awaits the arrival of the first peacekeepers of the U.S. Marines who's could be arriving here at any moment, Carol.

LIN: Lucia, how are the American peacekeepers likely to be received by the Haitians there, especially the gangs roaming the streets?

NEWMAN: The armed rebels, the people who now control more than half the country and who had actually threatened to attack the city today, if President Aristide didn't resign, have said and their leader said so to CNN earlier on in the day, that they will welcome the marines and foreign peacekeeping forces. That they are happy they are coming.

Many Haitians as well will be rereceived to see order reestablished in this country. But it is expected also that some of the armed supporters of President Aristide will not be quite so welcoming.

LIN: The former chief justice who is now leading the country, how long is he likely to stay in that position? Will there be new elections? What politically may happen next?

NEWMAN: Exactly. Well the plan is for new elections as soon as possible. That will have to be arranged. There is supposed to be a new prime minister named, as well.

What has been called for is a government of transition, of national unity which would take into account all parties, including President Aristide's la Valast (ph) party. How long it will take to set up a system that could lead to new elections has not been determined yet though, Carol.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much. Lucia Newman reporting live in Port-au-Prince with the very latest from that scene.

In the meantime, the U.N. Security Council is meeting right now about the Haitian crisis. The council is expected to discuss sending multinational forces to the country. Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth is standing by at the United Nations with more on that -- Richard. RICHARD ROTH, SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're trickling in, the ambassadors, here at the U.N. These things take time to organize. But considering the urgent nature of the crisis, some diplomats expect there may be passage of a resolution tonight. A resolution which would in effect authorize the sending of military or civilian police to Haiti.

Of course, we've been down this road before, more than ten years ago with Haiti, an international peacekeeping force being sent. A short time ago, I asked the Chinese Ambassador, the current president of the Security Council, he said, well, we prefer to look forward. We're goign to look forward. He thinks there's a good chance for passage of a resolution tonight.

The U.S. and France asking for the authorization, the international legitimacy for the sending of their military troops. This meeting also requested by the interim leader, however long that lasts in Haiti. Carol, back to you.

LIN: All right, thank you very much. Richard Roth who is going to be covering that important meeting at the United Nations. That meeting about to take place.

In the meantime, at the White House, well, the administration is welcoming Aristide's departure.

Critics say the U.S. is acting too late. Did the administration contribute to the crisis by standing silently? CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is standing by live at the White House with a look how that went down.

Suzanne, obviously going to be an election campaign issue for the Democrats, criticizing the president too little too late is what they're saying.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. A very controversial issue and a great deal of scrutiny in terms of how President Bush is going to be handling the whole Haiti issue. Very interestingly enough, we're getting new details from a senior State Department official how this unfolded.

We are told Secretary Powell found out about 9:00 last night that Aristide was going to decide he was going to leave the country. And at that point, Secretary Powell as well as a number of other officials have been working the phones trying to find a host country for Aristide. We are told that they have yet to do so, that final arrangements are still being made. They said that Aristide is still on an airplane as we speak. But of course, that's still up in the air.

But all eyes on Haiti. The big question is just how that country is going to rejuvenate and come together.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): U.S. officials say the deal for Aristide to leave was brokered overnight, but secretary of State Colin Powell making could yous to the U.S. ambassador, cabinet members and his counterparts in Canada, France, and the Caribbean. By the end of the day, President Bush was sending U.S. forces to Haiti to clear the way for peace.

BUSH: This is the beginning of a new chapter in the country's history.

MALVEAUX: Aristide capitulated. And asked the U.S. to facilitate his departure. Mr. Bush signed the executive order to send in U.S. troops.

BUSH: I have ordered the deployment of Marines as the leading element of an interim international force. To help bring order and stability to Haiti.

MALVEAUX: Several hundred U.S. Marines are charged with securing key facilities in Haiti to lay the ground for an international stabilization force. U.S. officials, sensitive to the perception that the U.S. might be invading Haiti, were quick to say the troops were welcomed and invited. In fact, Haitian rebel leader, Guy Phillippe, told CNN he would fully cooperate with U.S. forces.

GUY PHILLIPPE, (via telephone): We don't intend to fight anymore. Time is not for fighting anymore.

MALVEAUX: On the diplomatic front, U.S. officials say they will work with the international community to support the so-called Caribbean Community Plan, which would allow opposition groups to share power with the new Haitian government.

RICHARD HAASS, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Haiti is close to our shores and the consequences of what happens there, the consequences for the United States, for Americans are enormous.

WALLACE: And with that, like Mr. Bush's policy regarding Afghanistan and Iraq, now his handling of Haiti is under close scrutiny by those who want his job and his critics.

JOHN KERRY, (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've allowed it to get out of control the way it did. This administration empowered the insurgents.

JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He neglected Haiti, he neglected, actually, most of the countries in this hemisphere.

REP. CHARLES RANGEl (D) NEW YORK: We are just as much a part of this coup d'etta as the rebels, as the looters or anyone else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now unlike the conflict of the war with Iraq, the United States is working alongside the French to try to stabilize Haiti. The big hope here from the Bush administration is they're able this time around to garner more international support.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux live at the White House.

Let's talk about the risks and responsibilities in a peacekeeping mission for American troops. I want to talk about all of this with our CNN military analyst, retired Brigadiere General David Grange. He joins us from Chicago. General, thank you very much for being here.

GEN. DAVID GRANGE, (RET) MILITARY ANALYST: Thank you.

LIN: You heard the numbers, several hundred, don't have anything more specific than that. Given what you've seen of the scene right now on the streets of Port-au-Prince, is that going to be enough.

GRANGE: Well, I think there's about 2,200 marines on alert. There's several hundred advance party Marines and some other State Department personnel in the area. The primary task right now is to make sure that the American embassy is secure and then to -- the concern about 20,000 American citizens in Haiti to make sure they're secure. Keeping the airport open and then from there, you would take on other tasks working with the U.N..

LIN: What do you think the risks are going to be for these Marines who are going to be out there right now?

GRANGE: Well, I think many people remember U.S. involvement before in 1994. And then when they come in, the marines are going to obviously appear to be a powerful force, which they are. So many of these gangs, many people that may not agree, I don't think will mess with the marines. But there's always a few that are not going to work out with the new government, whatever comes to power, and so they could cause some threat, but I think the they're the's minimal.

LIN: Do you think, though, that they are likely targets because they represent a government, the United States, which supported Aristide, in fact, was instrumental in those elections that put him into power to begin with?

GRANGE: That's true. And that's one reason we have a responsibility to do something now. But I think that some of the rebel leaders know that the deal was brokered with U.S. influence to have Aristide leave. And those rebel leaders will pass that on to their -- the members of their organizations. And so it's not going to be -- they're going to work that out, I think, so it's not going to be a big threat.

LIN: How long, General, do you think these marines are going to have to stay there? Is there the possibility that this mission could get bogged down?

GRANGE: Well, I don't know if it's, you could say bogged down. You know, we always try to go into a country, stabilize it, work with the improvement of the infrastructure, hopefully with other coalition members, in this case, Canadians, French and some others, which is a good thing, but sometimes we depart too quick and these things aren't fast fixes. It takes some time. So I would think we wouldn't want to rush it. We would want to be a part of something that lasts longer than before.

LIN: In your experience, how long do you think this mission might take?

GRANGE: It could take years. It could take years, even though we may not be the lead force. I would expect that the U.S. would be involved to ensure that chaos, anarchy and other things that could happen don't go wrong as this transition to a peaceful nation takes place.

LIN: Thank you very much. Obviously, the military stretched as it is, and one more mission on its plate. Thank you very much. David Grange.

Well, it's been a very emotional day for Haitians living in the U.S. later this hour, CNN's John Zarrella. And what Haitians in South Florida have to say about these historic events.

And you can keep up with the crisis in Haiti on your computer. CNN.com has the latest news as well as background about Haiti's politics and its history.

In the meantime, the stars are lining up for a big night at the Oscars. Hi there Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, hello from the red carpet. We are standing by. The stars are just starting to arrive. The latest right after this.

LIN: All right.

And also, stem cells take center stage in a controversial new research program at Harvard University. We've got details ahead.

And since it's Oscar night, we've compiled a list of some major award winners from the campaign trail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Top stories this hour, U.S. Marines arrive in Haiti this evening.

The search continues for crewmen missing in last night's tanker explosion off the Virginia coast.

And "The Passion of the Christ" earned more than $117 million in its first five days.

Hollywood is getting all dolled up for its biggest night of the year. The Oscars, of course, we're talking about. And our Daryn Kagan is pretty dolled up too. She's out there on the red carpet in Los Angeles, the dress getting rave reviews, Daryn.

KAGAN: Oh, thank you, Carol! Thank you so much. This is so exciting, the stars have just started to arrive, right before you came to me live. Keisha Castle-Hughes, our first nominee to arrive. She, of course, is the youngest woman ever nominated for a best actress category. We'll see if we can get her to stop by.

Also, Jamie Lee Curtis, she's a presenter tonight. She's just arriving on the red carpet.

We are in full position to bring you the latest as all the stars here in Hollywood on the red carpet. We have our cameras as they arrive in their limousines. We have our cameras all above the red carpet.

The stars are making their way slowly down the red carpet. While they do, let's talk about the awards we expect to see tonight.

It should be the big night for "Lord of the Rings," the third chapter in this trilogy. "Return of the King" nominated for best picture, best director and nine other nominations, as well.

Also in the best actor category, we're looking at Sean Penn, Bill Murray and Johnny Depp perhaps to be a surprise winner for best actor.

And in terms of best actress, even though we're trying to get Keisha to come on over, it is probably going to be Charlize Theron. She is the woman of the night, not just in terms of what she is wearing, but she swooped up all the other major awards in Hollywood so far this season. She has yet to arrive. But as stars do arrive, we'll be coming back live to us on the red carpet. For now Carol, why don't we toss it back to you.

LIN: All right. Daryn, I just want to get an idea of what your logistics are tonight. I know we can't get to you because you're going to be behind the scenes in our primetime show at 10:00 watching the winners as they go back stage. So how is security out there and how are you able to move around?

KAGAN: Well, security is incredibly tight. Here is a little dity for you. I talked with Elvis Costello, earlier. He is performing tonight as well as Sting. He said, he and Sting tried to get in and they didn't have the right credentials. They didn't let them in. So, he eventually did get in to rehearse. And will see him report tonight.

I have three credentials tonight. I'll be here on the red carpet, also back stage where the winners go after they receive their Oscars and then there's a new thing they've set up for a few networks, one-on-one huts I think they're calling them, stalls, between where the auditorium is and the governor's ball. The first big party of the night.

So I'll be able to stop the winners and get some one-on-one interviews before they head out into a night of parties. Basically, it's pulling an all-nighter, Carol.

LIN: There you go. All right. Well, have a great time. We're looking forward to your coverage and your big special.

KAGAN: Thank you. LIN: All right. Daryn Kagan out there on the red carpet. n fact, Daryn's going to be talking with all of your favorite actors and actresses as they dazzle down the red carpet. CNN's special coverage of the Hollywood gold rush starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4 Pacific.

Fixing a legal loophole. Coming up, details on a proposal that could dramatically change how police handle interrogations.

Also, new details tonight in the case of a family gone missing in the southeast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: FBI statistics show nearly 14 million people were arrested in the U.S. in the year 2002 alone. Many in fact, were taken into custody and questioned.

Well, now there are calls for those interrogations to be put on tape. And that move follows New York's high profile Central Park jogger rape case. Five New York men were exonerated after it was learned their confessions had been coerced. As Adora Udoji reports it isn't the only case of coercion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some who back new proposals for law enforcement to record criminal interrogation say consider the case of Michael Crowe. In 1998, police believed the 14- year-old had stabbed his younger sister Stephanie to death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure you know.

MICHAEL CROWE, ACCUSED OF STABBING SISTER: Why? God, no, I don't know. I didn't do it. I'll swear to that.

UDOJI: It's not clear what evidence police had, but Court TV reports they were bluffing. After a controversial four-hour interrogation, Crowe confessed. He was charged, but later cleared after DNA tests implicated someone else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most telling part...

UDOJI: Criminal Attorney, Norman Reamer says, it's a classic example of a growing problem, coerced confessions. According to the New York County Lawyers Association, such confessions contribute to 25 percent of wrong wrongful convictions. Now the group backed by the American Bar Association, proposes requiring police to record interrogations.

NORMAN REIMER, N.Y. COUNTY LAWYERS ASSN.: So that the triar of fact, the jury can see what led ultimately to whatever statements the accused makes, enables the system to better judge whether in fact these can be relied upon.

UDOJI: Queens County District Attorney, Richard Brown argues says these cases are rare, saying the current system of checks and balances works.

RICHARD BROWN, QUEENS D.A: I handle about 60,000 arrest cases a year. If I were in a position where I had to go ahead and videotape every custodial arrest, I would be spending all of my time doing that. The cost would be prohibitive.

UDOJI: But it's a growing trend. Last year, Illinois became the third state, after Alaska and Minnesota, to require taping interrogations.

(on camera): Experts say the debate is just beginning. Fueled in part by new and inexpensive technology, technology that some argue will help separate the innocent from the get. Adora Udoji, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And now some other stories from across America. Honors in Washington today for the more than 400 Americans who gave their lives in the first Gulf War. The White House Commission on Remembrance, the government of Kuwait and the group No Greater Love held a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Tailsersville, Mississippi a suspect in a family's disappearance faces a court date tomorrow. Earnest Lee Hargon, a relative, is in custody on drug and firearms counts. More charges are expected. Investigators believe an inheritance dispute may be at the bottom of the case. Still no sign of Michael Hargon, his wife or their 4 year old son.

Harvard plans to build a multimillion dollar center for growing and studying human embryonic stem cells. The White House has limited federal funding for such research. Anti-abortion groups and the Catholic Church oppose it.

Now reaction is strong tonight after the departure of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm John Zarrella in Miami. South Florida is home to some 200,000 Haitians, but surprisingly reaction to Aristide's departure is muted.

LIN: Also, the Democratic candidates fought over the issues in a debate today. We've got the highlights as they head into super Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Here are the headlines at this half hour. Embattled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has steped down and left Haiti. Members of the United Nations Security Council are meeting at this hour to discuss the crisis. They are considering whether to authorize a multinational force for the Caribbean nation.

A new Lundberg Survey says the average price of gas has jumped about 7 cents a gallon over the past two weeks. California experienced the biggest rise with a 28 cent increase in Los Angeles.

And Mel Gibson's controversial new film "The Passion of the Christ appears blessed at the box office, weekend ticket sales topped $76 million. Since opening on Ash Wendesday, the movie has banked more than $117 million.

The fast-moving developments in Haiti have grabbed the attention of people across the country, but especially in Miami, home to the nation's largest Haitian American community. CNN's John Zarrella joins us live from Miami with reaction. John, you teased your report and it was fascinating -- you said the reaction was muted. I'm wondering why?

ZARRELLA: It was quite interesting. Back in 1991, when President Aristide was overthrown by General Raoul Cedras, the first time he left office, there was a tremendous amount of reaction. There was some violence on the streets of Miami's little Haiti, where we are this evening, and a tremendousdous outpouring of emotion in support of President Aristide.

This time what little emotion we saw on the streets came primarily from those who supported him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Haitians in Miami who supported President John Bertrand Aristide were not happy. And showed it. They smashed the window of a car belonging to someone who was glad to see Aristide go. The confrontation was quickly calmed by Miami police. A bit surprisingly in Miami's little Haiti, the nation's largest Haitian community, there wasn't a major outpouring of happiness or disgust.

Aristide's supporters gathered on a main street. About 40 people spent much of Sunday bemoaning the fact that in their opinions, Aristide had been their homeland's best hope at democracy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what President Aristide was doing. That's what we were doing. That was what was stopped today. You cannot tell us that we are the poorest nation. We tried to do something and you stopped us today!

ZARRELLA: Haitians living in the United States have been somewhat divided over what's best for their country. A survey taken a couple of weeks ago, of 600 U.S. Haitians found 52 percent wanted Aristide to finish his term, 35 percent thought he should resign, and another 13 percent weren't sure.

With Aristide now gone, there is concern here that those in Haiti who backed the President face an uncertain future.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to remember that Aristide was democratically elected, and there are a lot of people who support him there. These people are not going to be happy with his resignation, and they can -- they can't -- anything can happen. I think the Haitian civilians still will need protection.

ZARRELLA: For Haiti and Haitians everywhere, Aristide's departure is another sad chapter in the book.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (on-camera): But unlike past coos and the successions of dictators that Haiti has seen, this time is different. It's the second time President Aristide, the country's first democratically elected president has been unable to serve a complete term.

LIN: Thank you very much, John Zarella reporting live in Miami.

In the meantime, we have some developments out of the United Nations. This hour, the U.N. is debating whether to send a multinational force to secure the situation on the ground in Haiti, and our senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth has some late breaking news here. Richard, what are you learning?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The council is now in full discussion of this resolution to authorize officially an international peacekeeping force. The notes we've now been handed from this resolution, it calls on member states to support the constitutional succession and political process now underway.

It calls for two months of some type of multinational peacekeeping force, at which point there would be another U.N. mandated force, a stabilization force, in the preface to this resolution, which has not been approved yet. It says that the council "takes note of the resignation of John Bertrand Aristide as president of Haiti."

The current President of the counsel, the Ambassador from China told me a short time ago; he thought there would be approval tonight considering the urgency of the crisis. And the council already last week took note of the need for an international peacekeeping force once there was a political settlement. That of course, has not really happened.

LIN: Thank you very much. Late breaking news out of the United Nations. Richard Roth.

We've been talking a lot about the next big story here in the United States too, the election. And the Democrats running on Super Tuesday. More than 1100 delegates up for grabs in ten different states. Let's check the pulse with some of the folks who are actually watching this very closely.

Brian Layer hosts a show on New York public radio station, WNYC, and Moni Bassou (ph) is a political reporter with the "Atlanta Constitution Journal." She joins me right here in the studio. Good afternoon, both of you.

Let me explore how it is that the race for Super Tuesday is playing out in your regions. Moni(ph), here in the South, obviously John Edwards is going to try very hard to prove that the South is going to count this time around. What is the word that you're hearing on whether you can break out? Because John Kerry looks like he's unstoppable at this point. MONI BASSOU (ph), ATLANTA CONSTITUION JOURNAL: Well, obviously, Georgia is a crucial state for John Edwards. He has molded himself as a candidate who can win in the South, and he's especially -- especially said that he can win among white voters in the South. But our polls -- the newspapers polls have been showing that John Edwards is trailing John Kerry by almost 20 points, and I think it's going to be awfully hard for him to close the gap between now and Tuesday.

LIN: Just for our viewers sake, Bryan Layer is -- we're trying to resolve some technical problems. You might hear his voice there as they were trying to resolve this in the control room. In the meantime, Moni (ph), I'm going to continue with you here.

How critical do you think the African American vote here in the South is going to be, and what does that mean in terms of Al Sharpton still being in the race?

BASSOU (ph): Well, as you know, in Georgia almost 29 percent of all registered voters are African American. So the black vote here is crucial and both John Kerry and John Edwards know that. Al Sharpton, we thought, might be somewhat of a spoiler in this race, but our tracking poll shows that his numbers are steadily going down.

LIN: Why is that?

BASSOU (ph): You know, I've been talking to black voters here in the state -- who some of them have told me that their heart lies with al Sharpton. They believe in the man, think he's terrific but ultimately, they want to vote for somebody who they think can win at the polls. And that man is John Kerry.

I think it's also important for black voters here to vote for a man who has a proven record on issues that matter to them. Issues of civil rights, the economy, health care, and they tell me that John Kerry is the man that they will be supporting on Tuesday.

LIN: It's probably presumptive to really say that just because there is an African American candidate, that automatically the African American vote goes to that person.

BASSOU (ph): That's right.

LIN: In the meantime, how does a John Kerry, John Edwards ticket spark the imagination of voters here in the South?

BASSOU (ph): A lot of people here have told me that they would like to see that ticket, especially in the South, I think Southerners would like to see a Southern man on the ticket, and I think a lot of people are hoping that if Edwards can't pull it out on Tuesday, that the Democrats will eventually end up with a Kerry/Edwards ticket in November.

LIN: Do you think the South is really going to be a critical factor when it comes to general election?

BASSOU (ph): Yes, I think that if the Democrats write off the South, they're going to have an awfully hard time winning in November. They will have to win 70 percent of the votes everywhere else, and I don't think that's a strategy that will pay off for the Democratic Party.

LIN: Moni Bassou (ph), thank you very much for joining us with the Southern perspective. Our hearts go out to Bryan Layer up in New York as we struggled to get his audio. Moni Bassou with the Atlantic Constitution Journal.

You can keep up who's in front, and who is getting speed online. Direct your web browser to cnn.com/all politics and there you can find out about all of the candidates still in the running and where they stand on the issues.

In the meantime, the action is heating up on the red carpet. Up next, we're going to find out how the stars hit the campaign trail hoping to land that coveted academy award.

And talk about role reversal, we've put together our own list of Oscars from some of the top political names in the news. Figure that one out when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Jury selection starts tomorrow in the state trial that could result in the death penalty for convicted Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols. Cnn National Correspondent, Susan Candiotti is fighting mixed feelings among Oklahomans about revisiting the horror of 1995.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Victim's families are divided over a second effort to get a death sentence for Terry Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing. Roy Sills (ph) lost his wife Lee (ph).

ROY SILLS: I think he deserves nothing less than the death penalty.

CANDIOTTI: But Welch lost his daughter Julie. He says another trial is an expensive waste of time.

WELCH: You go through all of these emotions. It's been nine years now, and it's just scraping the scabs off all over again.

CANDIOTTI: When Nichols and Timothy McVeigh were tried separately in federal court, McVeigh was sentenced to death. Nichols was convicted only of being part of the bomb plot, and got life in prison without parole. Now the state is putting Nichols on trial on 161 murder counts that were not part of the federal indictment. A recent Oklahoma newspaper poll show 70 percent opposed to this trial estimated to cost at least $4 million.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a waste. Waste of money to try him again. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not going to bring anybody back and it's not going to change anything.

CANDIOTTI: In a last minute twist, the FBI has begun an investigation into whether its own agents failed to look hard enough into possible links between white supremacist bank robbers and McVeigh.

One of the robbers is ready to testify for the defense that another gang member said they were involved with McVeigh. And this intriguing note. When first arrested, Nichols said, a few days before the bombing McVeigh told him, something big is going to happen. Nichols' reply, are you going to rob a bank?

CANDIOTTI (on-camera): The judge set an early morning hearing on the bank robbery issues, only two hours before the start of jury selection. But has remained firm in his insistence the trial will begin on time. It could last as long as six months. Susan Candiotti, CNN, McAlister (ph), Oklahoma.

LIN: And we have more from Hollywood. We're going to be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Hollywood loves a winner. Tonight, there could be a number of new ones when the Oscars are handed out. A sign from the obvious accolades for being the best, there are -- there's a lot at stake behind the scenes. Peter Biskind knows all about it, he's the author of "Down and Dirty Pictures." It's an insider's look at the movies. He joins us from New York.

Peter? I'm wondering, there's a whole campaign scene behind every single nomination. Can you give me an idea of what that dogfight or catfight is like?

PETER BISKIND, AUTHOR: Well, there's always a lot of maneuvering- on-among the various studios. Sometimes some studios, for example, Miramax has been accused of negative campaigning, although not -- that came up during "A Beautiful Mind" year where they were accused of directing journalists to the fact that the movie had ignored John Nash's (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE) homosexuality and anti-Semitism.

LIN: Was there any proof that Miramax planted that on a web site?

BISKIND: Well, there was never any real proof. Miramax always denied it and there never was a smoking gun. Last year, there were suggestions that Miramax bad-mouthed Roma Polanski (ph), that they drew attention to the fact that, he was convictions (ph) of rape.

Again, there was never any proof. They always denied it. These things are always hard to pin down. This year, it's been kind of quiet because one big difference is the fact that the Oscar campaign season is a month shorter. The Oscars were moved up a month.

And secondly, Miramax does not have a nominee among the best picture categories. So one of their incentives is missing. Although Miramax did do very well in the other categories and still has managed to wrack up more nominations than any other company.

LIN: In general, when a studio does campaign for a film or star, how is it usually done?

BISKIND: Well, usually it's done through massive advertising campaigns, both in the trades and in mass-market newspapers and magazines. Also, there's an effort to have people prominent in Hollywood hold parties and entertain the people that the companies are putting forth for nominees.

It used to be that you could actually -- studios could actually call -- and Miramax did this a lot, they would call people directly, members of the Academy and campaign for -- lobby for their particular nominees. They're not allowed to do that anymore and some of the companies hire a publicist to do it for them as a surrogate.

LIN: What's the most blatant attempt to sell a movie or a star that you've seen so far this year?

BISKIND: Well, there was an ad that Dream Works put in supporting the female lead or the woman who played, who's name I can't pronounce, played Ben Kinsley's wife in "House of Smoke and Fog" and compared her -- made an invidious comparison between her and Renee Zellweger. Apparently Jeffrey Katzenberg (ph) head of Dream Works had apologized for that rather profusely and defused a delicate situation. But that I think has been the most (UNINTELLIGIBLE) example this year.

LIN: And is there a payoff? I mean, is there any proof that this sort of thing works?

BISKIND: Well, the rule of thumb is the company that spends the most money gets the most Oscar wins. I mean that has proved true in the past.

LIN: And how much money are we talking about?

BISKIND: Well, again, it's really hard to pin down. Studios don't like to say how much money they're spending on these campaigns. It can range anywhere from a couple million dollars to four, five, six. It's hard to say.

LIN: And if a film or a star wins an Oscar, how much gold does that translate into?

BISKIND: Well, apparently about a 25 percent between the nomination and the actual winning of an Oscar, there's about 25 percent escalation in the gross of a picture.

LIN: Wow.

BISKIND: That's the rule of thumb. So there's a lot of money at stake. LIN: That's a pretty good investment. That's a pretty good return, better than Wall Street these days.

BISKIND: That's absolutely right.

BISKIND: We're looking at live pictures right now Peter of the red carpet scene. It is just amazing. A totally different feeling out there this year than last year when the country was on the brink of war.

BISKIND: Yes, I think it's much more relaxed and it should be an interesting race this year because although, as you probably know, "The Lord of the Rings, Return of the King" seems to be everybody's favorite to win best picture.

(AUDIO GAP)

BISKIND: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) seem to be cut and dry.

LIN: We'll see what happens. I'm rooting for Diane Keaton.

BISKIND: She was great in that move. No question about it. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

LIN: Thanks Peter, Peter Biskind. We just improvised with the audio there on his telephone. We are going to see how successful those Oscar campaigns are tonight. Daryn Kagan (ph) will bring you a special look at all the Oscars, what we like to call Hollywood's gold rush, that begins in a few minutes. And you can also keep up online. Click on cnn.com and play "Inside the Envelope," if you can guess which movie gets to the top nod, could you take home a prize for yourself.

Hollywood is center stage this evening as we approach the Oscars. We've been talking about it. But should it be the only place we honor colorful characters and dramatic performances? Our Bill Schneider says no, and is passing out awards to those in the political arena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The academy of political arts and sciences is proud to bestow the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role to, the envelope please, reverend Al Sharpton. What a performer. Sharpton could be dramatic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL SHARPTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think you're a bigot, but I think that is insensitive and I think you ought to apologize.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: And could he be funny.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHARPTON: Well, I plan the first thing going through my head would be to make sure that Bush has all of his stuff out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: The award for best sound effects, no contest here, goes to Howard Dean.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Take back the white house! Yea!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: While we're on that picture, let's give the award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role to Dr. Judith Steinberg Dean. Notice how believable she is when discussing her husband's over the top performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JUDITH STEINBERG DEAN: I thought it looked kind of silly. But I thought it looked OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Best costume design? Can't beat President Bush landing on the aircraft carrier in his flight suit. Best cinematography, the capture of Saddam Hussein, they got him on camera in this memorable moment in cinematography.

And now for the big awards. Best performance by an actress. The award goes to Kathleen Blanco (ph) who won the runoff for governor of Louisiana. After Democrats lost control of state houses in Kentucky and Mississippi, a woman saved the Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHLEEN BLANCO (ph): It's our time, ladies.

SCHNEIDER: Best performance by an actor, the award goes to Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Running Man. What drama, like this heart stopping moment on the "Tonight Show."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: I'm going to run for governor of the state of California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: What line readings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHWARZENEGGER: Asta la vista, baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: And what a finish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SWARZENEGGER: You given me your trust for voting for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: And now for the big prize, the best picture of the year. And the award goes to -- Howard's End. It was a stunning saga that went from triumph to tragedy. Big endorsements, big money, big press conference. But all too soon, there were big mistakes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: White folks in the South who drive pickup trucks with confederate flag decals on the back ought to be voting with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: Bad timing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Americans are no safer today from these serious threats than they were the day before Saddam Hussein was captured.

SCHNEIDER: And overwrought wrought ambitions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And Oregon and Michigan!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: A sad ending, but what an exciting picture it was, a triumph of political drama.

SCHNEIDER (on-camera): They say politics is show business for ugly people. I say, what could be more glamorous than winning the New Hampshire primary? So eat your heart out, Hollywood. We know who the real winners are. Bill Schneider, CNN, Hollywood.

LIN: And that's it for us. Coming up at 7:00 Eastern, Hollywood gold rush, a preview of the big night at the Oscars with Daryn Kagan (ph) live from the red carpet. At 8:00, "CNN PRESENTS," 80 days that changed the world. At 9:00, Larry King Weekend. Larry's guest tonight is Sarah Jessica Parker.

And at 10:00 Eastern, don't forget on tap for tonight, separating fact from fiction, what do scholars actually know about the crucifixion of Jesus? Headlines when we come back and then Hollywood gold rush. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





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