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CNN Live Today
Explosions in Iraq; Haiti Crisis; Senate Gun Bill; Bodies Found in Mississippi
Aired March 02, 2004 - 11:00 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at the latest developments at this hour. A Muslim holy day marred by bloodshed and carnage. Explosion in two Iraqi citizens killed 143 people. The attacks came as Iraqi Shi'ites celebrated the Ashura holy day.
Some Iraqis criticized the U.S. military for not providing adequate security. Angry pilgrims threw stones at U.S. troops in Baghdad.
President Bush says the U.S. will not relent in the war on terror and the fight to make the nation safer. Mr. Bush marked the one year anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security during a speech seen live CNN last hour. He said the single vital mission of the agency is to protect the American people.
Revved up over the Red Planet. NASA scientists say they will release significant findings today from the Mars Rover Mission. The robot Opportunity has been studying an out cropping of Martian rock. Opportunity and its twin rover Spirit are searching for signs of water that could have supported life on Mars.
It is coming up on 11 a.m. on the East Coast, 8 a.m. here in the West. Good morning from Los Angeles. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Up first this hour on CNN, a Muslim holy day turns into a massacre. Simultaneous explosions killed scores of people in Iraqi cities today. The blasts went off in Baghdad and Karbala as crowds of worshipers celebrated the holiest day of the year for Shi'ites.
Our Brent Sadler is in Karbala with the latest on the bloodshed -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Daryn.
The streets of the holy city of Karbala were jammed packed full of worshipers at one of the most critical times in the Ashura commemorations here. A series of deadly bomb blasts went off in various parts of the city creating havoc and carnage.
The latest figures we have from the main medical center here in Karbala is that the death toll has risen to around 100 pilgrims killed in these blasts in Karbala alone and more than 280 injured. That is, indeed, a very heavy casualty toll as a result of these attacks.
Now Iraqi investigators on the ground tell CNN that they believe that as many as nine suicide bombers were able to get through the tight security cordons and set off explosive vests. Coalition officials say, however, there may well have been a mixture, not only suicide bombs, but also improvised explosive devices. So still, we're waiting for further clarification on that.
In the hours since the blast, the city became quieter as many thousands of pilgrims moved away from possibly more explosions. But since nightfall, I can see around me here that many, many more thousands of worshipers are back inside the city, continuing with their devotion to the Shi'a sectum of the Islamic faith. So a devastating day in terms of this event.
Back to you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And, Brent, tell us a little bit more about this day that the attackers chose to make their move. It should have been a significant religious opportunity that many of these people have not had in their lifetime in fact.
SADLER: Yes indeed. What we've seen today, many nationalities, but mostly Iraqis and Iranians, and many of the dead and injured do indeed come from Iran. And this religious event, the end of the Ashura festivities marks what Shi'as see as one of the most important points, a turning point in Islamic history.
They come here in the countless hundreds of thousands to Karbala's two great mosques, mainly the imam Hussein mosque (ph). It is imam Hussein that the Shi'a believe in as an important, a potent symbol of their faith. And they come to pay respects to what they say was his martyrdom, not so very far from this place, back in the year 680 A.D.
And you see in the religious presentations, Iraqis and Iranians and other nationality pilgrims beating their breasts and some of them even cutting their foreheads drawing blood. But it was the blood of bombs that really was running in the streets of Karbala today.
And I can tell you from eyewitness reports from the hospital that there are piles of bodies the morgue just can't take with the numbers of dead who have been taken to the hospital. Piles of bodies. And many, many -- hundreds of families now going to see the victims, the Iraqi victims, coming from the other important Shi'a city, Najaf, coming from Baghdad and other cities are families trying to find out what has happened to those that might have been either killed or injured in these devastating blasts -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Brent Sadler with the latest from Karbala. Thank you for that.
Other religious violence to tell you about. Gunmen opening up fire on Shiite worshipers in Pakistan today, killing at least 38 people there. Officials say there is no immediate evidence that suggests the attack is linked to those in Iraq today. Rather, officials say the carnage is an attempt to destabilize the government of President Pervez Musharraf. Shifting our focus now, the Bush administration calls it nonsense, a claim by former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide the he was kidnapped and forced into exile by the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says that Aristide left Haiti of his own free will.
Meanwhile, the rebels who had been pushing to force Aristide out of power remain in Haiti's capital. U.S., French and Canadian troops are in Haiti to serve as an interim peacekeeping force.
And let's talk more about the U.S. military's role in Haiti, as well as the mission in Iraq. For that we are joined by CNN military analyst, retired Brigadier General David Grange. He is with us today from Chicago.
General, good morning, thanks for being with us.
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning.
KAGAN: First, let's talk about the situation in Haiti and the challenge that the peacekeeping troops face there.
GRANGE: Well, the initial forces that are going -- going to go in are going to have to set up some kind of stability and security. That's going to be their primary mission. And it's a very tenuous situation because you don't know what's going to happen with some of the rebel forces. Right now they are cooperating with the international elements that are going in from the United States and France and Canada, but that could change. They don't want to be disarmed. They want to be a part of some type of interim government. And so that's going to be a -- it's a fragile situation that it is going to take quite a lot of expertise from the State Department and military officials that are brokering that situation.
KAGAN: And we are getting word here in to CNN from news service AFP (ph) that heavily armed Marines are seen going into the capital of Haiti, into Port-au-Prince. It looks just like it's total anarchy there.
GRANGE: Well there is some anarchy. I don't think it's total anarchy. It's a wild situation. I don't want to take away from the severity of the situation. But with armed Marines, U.S. Marines and other international forces at the palace, at the airport, some of the key road networks and other -- the port and other places of infrastructure, that's a bit of a deterrence to those that would may want to cause some additional hostile action to anybody in the area. But I don't think it has deteriorated to a point where it is total anarchy.
KAGAN: And, General, I'm sure a lot of Americans are out there thinking we're in Iraq, we're in Afghanistan, the U.S. in so many battlegrounds around the world. Does the military really have the resources then to take on a whole other area of Haiti?
GRANGE: Well, the U.S. military is definitely stretched to the extreme. There's no doubt about that. But you see there's no other forces in the world that can get to some place quick with the robust capability like the United States of America can. And so, actually, a mission like this I personally support it. Because I'd rather see us on a front end of an operation where it requires the capabilities of the United States to get somewhere with speed and strength and do something, and then let others take over after a few months. I'd rather see us do with a front end than a duration of an operation like this.
KAGAN: Retired Brigadier General David Grange from Chicago. General, thank you for your time today.
GRANGE: My pleasure.
KAGAN: We move on now to Capitol Hill. The Senate this hour is taking the first of several votes on a politically charged gun bill. The headcount so close that two presidential candidates jumped off the campaign trail just to vote.
Congressional correspondent Joe Johns is keeping score for us. And we find him on Capitol Hill.
Joe, good morning.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
The political campaign does come to Capitol Hill today. Both John Kerry and John Edwards on the Hill, also, Vice President Dick Cheney. The underlying bill is a bill to limit civil liability for gunmakers and gun sellers. But the main points of contention are gun control amendments, extending the assault weapons ban, closing the so- called gun show loophole. The president and his allies here on Capitol Hill have made it quite clear they want the Senate to pass a clean bill without amendments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LARRY CRAIG (R), IDAHO: Once again we find ourselves in a political season and, once again we find ourselves debating and arguing about gun ownership in America. The Second Amendment is clear. Many of us who are strong advocates of that amendment believe it is extremely clear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: The White House has said it supports the assault weapons ban, it just does not want it attached to the gun liability bill. But gun control supporters say they are running out of time to get the ban passed again. It expires in September.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: The legislation has the support of 77 percent of the American people, 66 percent of gun owners. It has not removed a legal gun owner from his weapon and it has reduced traces of assault weapons to crimes by two-thirds, two- thirds in the last 10 years. (END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: If the supporters of the ban do not get it passed this time, they say they will try again. So we may hear more about gun control later this year, regardless of what happens -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Joe, want to pick up on something that you reported earlier in your report there that the Vice President Dick Cheney coming to Capitol Hill as well. Is that to suggest this is going to come so close to be a tie and the vice president would decide it?
JOHNS: A lot -- right. A lot of people have suggested it could come that close. Of course the question is whether one or two senators will go one way or the other way. Of course, as you know, John Kerry and John Edwards both here on Capitol Hill all underscores how important this is to both parties -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Taking time on the Super Tuesday to jump off the campaign trail and cast their vote.
Joe Johns, tracking the gun vote for us from Capitol Hill, appreciate it.
Kobe Bryant's accuser was expected in court today. Ahead, we'll tell you about a last-minute change of plans and what it might mean for the case.
Also, a missing family's extended relative is officially facing charges. Officials say bodies have been found.
And later, it might all come down to this, 10 states and more than 1,000 delegates up for grabs. We have your complete Super Tuesday coverage when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Closing arguments are set to conclude today in the Martha Stewart trial in New York. The case could be in the jury's hands tomorrow. Stewart and her broker are charged with lying about a 2001 stock sale. A prosecutor told jurors that Stewart's contention that she planned to sell the stock at a floor price was a phony, silly, after-the-fact cover story. That's his words.
A Colorado judge, meanwhile, is delaying testimony by Kobe Bryant's accuser until late March. He wants to reconsider the prosecution's request to limit questions from defense attorneys. Bryant's team is trying to get the woman's sexual past admitted at trial. Without her present today, court will focus on Bryant's interview with police the day after the alleged sexual assault. The defense wants the judge to bar the taped interview.
And in Mississippi, autopsy results are expected soon on three bodies that officials say are members of the Hargon family. A cousin stands charged with those murders. Our Mike Brooks is watching developments. He's in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
Mike, hello.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Daryn.
That cousin, Earnest Lee Hargon, appeared yesterday afternoon here in Yazoo City in Yazoo County court. He was charged with three counts of capital murder and he will -- and he pleaded -- and he will -- they will go after the death penalty prosecutors say.
Now, the bodies were found in an area in Covington, Mississippi, just a short distance from where the officials had been searching all through last weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN STRAIN, MISSISSIPPI DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY: The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations led to not only the charges that were filed this afternoon of capital murder against Earnest Lee Hargon, but also the recovery of these three bodies that could very well prove to be the Hargon family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKS: Two sources close to the investigation yesterday, Daryn, told me that Earnest Lee Hargon was on the scene and did assist investigators in locating these bodies. He was initially supposed to appear early yesterday morning. Officials came out and said they had a break in the case, they had new information. This new information was apparently the information that Earnest Lee had given them of where the bodies were located. But again, they will seek the death penalty against him here in Yazoo County -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Mike Brooks, with the latest from Mississippi, thank you for that.
We want to go live now to the floor of the U.S. Senate. Senator John Kerry, presidential contender, is speaking about the proposed gun bill.
Let's listen in.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... common sense responsibilities. The right to bear arms is a right that should be protected for law-abiding Americans who want to protect themselves and their families.
There is, however, no right to place military-style assault weapons into the hands of terrorists and/or criminals who wish to cause American families harm. There is no right to have access to the weapons of war in the streets of America. And for those who want to wield those weapons, we have a place for them. It's the United States military. And we'd welcome them. If we don't act today to continue the ban on these deadly weapons, then our families in America, our police officers in America are more threatened then they ought to be. For 10 years the assault weapons ban has stopped fugitives and rapists and murderers from purchasing weapons like AK-47s. And for 10 years, for 10 years not one honest, responsible American has had their guns taken away because of this law.
It's interesting that a few months ago I was actually hunting in Iowa. And I was hunting with the sheriff and with some of his deputies. And as we walked through a field with the dogs, hunting pheasant, he pointed to a house in back of me. A house they had raided only a few weeks earlier where meth and crack were being sold. And right beside the bed, in the morning when they went in to arrest this criminal, alleged criminal, there was an assault weapon on the floor lying there beside that individual.
That sheriff and others across this country do not believe we should be selling these weapons or allowing them to be more easily available to criminals in our country. That's why gun owners across America support renewing the assault weapons ban. And they support, also, closing the gun show loophole so that gun shows can continue uninterrupted without being magnets for criminals and/or terrorists who try to get around the law.
If you have a gun show loophole, a terrorist could simply go to one state, go into the gun show, buy a gun without the kind of background check normal in the process, leave that gun show, travel to another state and engage in either criminal or terrorist activity or both.
KAGAN: We've been listening in to the floor of the U.S. Senate. That, of course, is Senator John Kerry, the lead contender for the Democratic nomination for president. Both Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards coming off the campaign trail on this key Super Tuesday to participate in the vote today on this gun bill on the floor of the Senate.
The Democrats trying to attach a couple amendments, one of those amendments dealing with a ban, continuing a ban on assault rifles and that what you heard the senator talking about there. We heard earlier from President Bush who was speaking about the one-year anniversary of the creation of homeland defense. Much more ahead.
Next up, who would actually attempt a remake of "Raiders of the Lost Ark?" Well, a bunch of kids in Mississippi, and it's leading to a big movie deal. We'll take a look at the film, "The Adaptation," and find out how dreams do come true right here in Hollywood.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: "Indiana Jones," of course you remember it was a box office franchise in the 1980s. The film has helped make Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford Hollywood mega stars. Little did they know there were three boys in Mississippi, of all places, who were working in their own backyard and creating their own version of "Indy."
The boys started their home production in 1982. They were 10 and 11 years old. For the next seven years, they recreated "Raiders of the Lost Ark" shot for shot. Now Hollywood is calling in the form of producer Scott Rudin.
One of the boys is now all grown up. He is with me here in Los Angels. He is Chris Strompolos, co-creator of "Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation."
Good morning.
CHRIS STROMPOLOS, "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: THE ADAPTATION": Good morning -- Daryn.
KAGAN: In the -- in the presence of a great filmmaker. Who knew, right?
STROMPOLOS: When I was 12.
KAGAN: Yes, exactly.
STROMPOLOS: Yes.
KAGAN: Well let's go back here. When you were a -- when you were a kid back in Mississippi, so there is you, there is this -- your buddy Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb.
STROMPOLOS: Right.
KAGAN: The three of you get together, you make home movies. Lots of kids did that. You guys, though, a little nutty in how extreme and how detailed you got.
STROMPOLOS: A little obsessive, yes.
KAGAN: Yes.
STROMPOLOS: I mean I got the idea when I saw the movie in July of '81. And then Eric and I sort of traded comic books and I had a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" comic book that I loved and I lent it to him. And then we were both so inspired by the film. I wanted to be Indiana Jones. He was taken with the idea of creating a shot-for-shot remake. And so I said -- we set up like a meeting with each other as an 11, 12...
KAGAN: You did meetings in Mississippi.
STROMPOLOS: Yes, we had meetings. Yes, an 11 and 12-year-old, and we just started from there. I think -- I think both of us had no idea how long it would take. And we just -- we just kept going. We wanted to inhabit that world.
KAGAN: And so you finally -- you finally finished this six or seven years later. Like I say, a little nutty in how close to detail that you did and how you improvised. But then everyone grows up and goes and has their own lives, right?
STROMPOLOS: That is true.
KAGAN: You're here in L.A.
STROMPOLOS: I am here in L.A.
KAGAN: Where are the other guys?
STROMPOLOS: Eric is based around Orlando, Florida. Jayson is up north near Oakland. Eric is working for a video game company. Jayson is an audio/visual technician. And I'm producing DVDs here in town.
KAGAN: So the other part of the story is that somehow this ends up at this small, kind of funky, different, independent film festival in Austin, Texas.
STROMPOLOS: Eli Roth, who did "Cabin Fever" last year, had a tape from person to person to person, and he sort of passed it on through DreamWorks and it got to Spielberg. And he also gave a copy to Harry Knowles who is of the "Ain't It Cool News" fame. And we went down to Austin and had a literally world premiere. It had been sitting on the shelf for 15 years.
KAGAN: And now you have sold your life story, the three guys.
STROMPOLOS: Now...
KAGAN: You guys are going to be a movie.
STROMPOLOS: Yes, it's pretty wild. Mr. Scott Rudin you know was taken with the story. And we struck up a life rights deal with him and Paramount Studios and it's scheduled for -- to be a feature film very soon, so.
KAGAN: Absolutely interesting. Three boys, hanging out, making movies...
STROMPOLOS: Yes.
KAGAN: ... in Mississippi.
STROMPOLOS: Yes indeed.
KAGAN: Small town kids done good. Well good luck with that.
STROMPOLOS: Thank you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And if people want to see it, is it on the Internet, actually?
STROMPOLOS: It's not on the Internet.
KAGAN: OK.
STROMPOLOS: Actually, we're trying to keep it off the Internet because it's...
KAGAN: Yes, well now you're so big time.
STROMPOLOS: It's ours, but it's not ours, you know.
KAGAN: You know.
STROMPOLOS: I mean you know it's "Raiders" and that belongs to some other folks higher out in the surface (ph) Spielberg and Mr. Lucas.
KAGAN: Yes, there's that little thing of copyright infringement.
STROMPOLOS: Yes, those guys you know.
KAGAN: Yes.
STROMPOLOS: Yes, they have...
KAGAN: Funny thing.
STROMPOLOS: Yes, they have a little pull in the industry.
KAGAN: Yes, exactly.
STROMPOLOS: So we're trying to be respectful.
KAGAN: All right, we'll have to wait and pay our 10 bucks and go see the movie.
STROMPOLOS: Indeed.
KAGAN: Very good.
STROMPOLOS: Thank you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Chris Strompolos, good luck and congratulations.
STROMPOLOS: Thank you very much.
KAGAN: Dreams coming true here in Hollywood.
STROMPOLOS: Bye-bye.
KAGAN: Up next, other dreams trying to come true for some politicians out there. It is a big day for the Democrats. When it's all over will there be one last candidate standing? Super Tuesday is here. We have your complete coverage coming up next.
CNN LIVE TODAY is in Los Angeles. We'll be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Found in Mississippi>
Aired March 2, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at the latest developments at this hour. A Muslim holy day marred by bloodshed and carnage. Explosion in two Iraqi citizens killed 143 people. The attacks came as Iraqi Shi'ites celebrated the Ashura holy day.
Some Iraqis criticized the U.S. military for not providing adequate security. Angry pilgrims threw stones at U.S. troops in Baghdad.
President Bush says the U.S. will not relent in the war on terror and the fight to make the nation safer. Mr. Bush marked the one year anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security during a speech seen live CNN last hour. He said the single vital mission of the agency is to protect the American people.
Revved up over the Red Planet. NASA scientists say they will release significant findings today from the Mars Rover Mission. The robot Opportunity has been studying an out cropping of Martian rock. Opportunity and its twin rover Spirit are searching for signs of water that could have supported life on Mars.
It is coming up on 11 a.m. on the East Coast, 8 a.m. here in the West. Good morning from Los Angeles. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Up first this hour on CNN, a Muslim holy day turns into a massacre. Simultaneous explosions killed scores of people in Iraqi cities today. The blasts went off in Baghdad and Karbala as crowds of worshipers celebrated the holiest day of the year for Shi'ites.
Our Brent Sadler is in Karbala with the latest on the bloodshed -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Daryn.
The streets of the holy city of Karbala were jammed packed full of worshipers at one of the most critical times in the Ashura commemorations here. A series of deadly bomb blasts went off in various parts of the city creating havoc and carnage.
The latest figures we have from the main medical center here in Karbala is that the death toll has risen to around 100 pilgrims killed in these blasts in Karbala alone and more than 280 injured. That is, indeed, a very heavy casualty toll as a result of these attacks.
Now Iraqi investigators on the ground tell CNN that they believe that as many as nine suicide bombers were able to get through the tight security cordons and set off explosive vests. Coalition officials say, however, there may well have been a mixture, not only suicide bombs, but also improvised explosive devices. So still, we're waiting for further clarification on that.
In the hours since the blast, the city became quieter as many thousands of pilgrims moved away from possibly more explosions. But since nightfall, I can see around me here that many, many more thousands of worshipers are back inside the city, continuing with their devotion to the Shi'a sectum of the Islamic faith. So a devastating day in terms of this event.
Back to you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And, Brent, tell us a little bit more about this day that the attackers chose to make their move. It should have been a significant religious opportunity that many of these people have not had in their lifetime in fact.
SADLER: Yes indeed. What we've seen today, many nationalities, but mostly Iraqis and Iranians, and many of the dead and injured do indeed come from Iran. And this religious event, the end of the Ashura festivities marks what Shi'as see as one of the most important points, a turning point in Islamic history.
They come here in the countless hundreds of thousands to Karbala's two great mosques, mainly the imam Hussein mosque (ph). It is imam Hussein that the Shi'a believe in as an important, a potent symbol of their faith. And they come to pay respects to what they say was his martyrdom, not so very far from this place, back in the year 680 A.D.
And you see in the religious presentations, Iraqis and Iranians and other nationality pilgrims beating their breasts and some of them even cutting their foreheads drawing blood. But it was the blood of bombs that really was running in the streets of Karbala today.
And I can tell you from eyewitness reports from the hospital that there are piles of bodies the morgue just can't take with the numbers of dead who have been taken to the hospital. Piles of bodies. And many, many -- hundreds of families now going to see the victims, the Iraqi victims, coming from the other important Shi'a city, Najaf, coming from Baghdad and other cities are families trying to find out what has happened to those that might have been either killed or injured in these devastating blasts -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Brent Sadler with the latest from Karbala. Thank you for that.
Other religious violence to tell you about. Gunmen opening up fire on Shiite worshipers in Pakistan today, killing at least 38 people there. Officials say there is no immediate evidence that suggests the attack is linked to those in Iraq today. Rather, officials say the carnage is an attempt to destabilize the government of President Pervez Musharraf. Shifting our focus now, the Bush administration calls it nonsense, a claim by former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide the he was kidnapped and forced into exile by the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says that Aristide left Haiti of his own free will.
Meanwhile, the rebels who had been pushing to force Aristide out of power remain in Haiti's capital. U.S., French and Canadian troops are in Haiti to serve as an interim peacekeeping force.
And let's talk more about the U.S. military's role in Haiti, as well as the mission in Iraq. For that we are joined by CNN military analyst, retired Brigadier General David Grange. He is with us today from Chicago.
General, good morning, thanks for being with us.
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning.
KAGAN: First, let's talk about the situation in Haiti and the challenge that the peacekeeping troops face there.
GRANGE: Well, the initial forces that are going -- going to go in are going to have to set up some kind of stability and security. That's going to be their primary mission. And it's a very tenuous situation because you don't know what's going to happen with some of the rebel forces. Right now they are cooperating with the international elements that are going in from the United States and France and Canada, but that could change. They don't want to be disarmed. They want to be a part of some type of interim government. And so that's going to be a -- it's a fragile situation that it is going to take quite a lot of expertise from the State Department and military officials that are brokering that situation.
KAGAN: And we are getting word here in to CNN from news service AFP (ph) that heavily armed Marines are seen going into the capital of Haiti, into Port-au-Prince. It looks just like it's total anarchy there.
GRANGE: Well there is some anarchy. I don't think it's total anarchy. It's a wild situation. I don't want to take away from the severity of the situation. But with armed Marines, U.S. Marines and other international forces at the palace, at the airport, some of the key road networks and other -- the port and other places of infrastructure, that's a bit of a deterrence to those that would may want to cause some additional hostile action to anybody in the area. But I don't think it has deteriorated to a point where it is total anarchy.
KAGAN: And, General, I'm sure a lot of Americans are out there thinking we're in Iraq, we're in Afghanistan, the U.S. in so many battlegrounds around the world. Does the military really have the resources then to take on a whole other area of Haiti?
GRANGE: Well, the U.S. military is definitely stretched to the extreme. There's no doubt about that. But you see there's no other forces in the world that can get to some place quick with the robust capability like the United States of America can. And so, actually, a mission like this I personally support it. Because I'd rather see us on a front end of an operation where it requires the capabilities of the United States to get somewhere with speed and strength and do something, and then let others take over after a few months. I'd rather see us do with a front end than a duration of an operation like this.
KAGAN: Retired Brigadier General David Grange from Chicago. General, thank you for your time today.
GRANGE: My pleasure.
KAGAN: We move on now to Capitol Hill. The Senate this hour is taking the first of several votes on a politically charged gun bill. The headcount so close that two presidential candidates jumped off the campaign trail just to vote.
Congressional correspondent Joe Johns is keeping score for us. And we find him on Capitol Hill.
Joe, good morning.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
The political campaign does come to Capitol Hill today. Both John Kerry and John Edwards on the Hill, also, Vice President Dick Cheney. The underlying bill is a bill to limit civil liability for gunmakers and gun sellers. But the main points of contention are gun control amendments, extending the assault weapons ban, closing the so- called gun show loophole. The president and his allies here on Capitol Hill have made it quite clear they want the Senate to pass a clean bill without amendments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LARRY CRAIG (R), IDAHO: Once again we find ourselves in a political season and, once again we find ourselves debating and arguing about gun ownership in America. The Second Amendment is clear. Many of us who are strong advocates of that amendment believe it is extremely clear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: The White House has said it supports the assault weapons ban, it just does not want it attached to the gun liability bill. But gun control supporters say they are running out of time to get the ban passed again. It expires in September.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: The legislation has the support of 77 percent of the American people, 66 percent of gun owners. It has not removed a legal gun owner from his weapon and it has reduced traces of assault weapons to crimes by two-thirds, two- thirds in the last 10 years. (END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: If the supporters of the ban do not get it passed this time, they say they will try again. So we may hear more about gun control later this year, regardless of what happens -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Joe, want to pick up on something that you reported earlier in your report there that the Vice President Dick Cheney coming to Capitol Hill as well. Is that to suggest this is going to come so close to be a tie and the vice president would decide it?
JOHNS: A lot -- right. A lot of people have suggested it could come that close. Of course the question is whether one or two senators will go one way or the other way. Of course, as you know, John Kerry and John Edwards both here on Capitol Hill all underscores how important this is to both parties -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Taking time on the Super Tuesday to jump off the campaign trail and cast their vote.
Joe Johns, tracking the gun vote for us from Capitol Hill, appreciate it.
Kobe Bryant's accuser was expected in court today. Ahead, we'll tell you about a last-minute change of plans and what it might mean for the case.
Also, a missing family's extended relative is officially facing charges. Officials say bodies have been found.
And later, it might all come down to this, 10 states and more than 1,000 delegates up for grabs. We have your complete Super Tuesday coverage when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
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KAGAN: Closing arguments are set to conclude today in the Martha Stewart trial in New York. The case could be in the jury's hands tomorrow. Stewart and her broker are charged with lying about a 2001 stock sale. A prosecutor told jurors that Stewart's contention that she planned to sell the stock at a floor price was a phony, silly, after-the-fact cover story. That's his words.
A Colorado judge, meanwhile, is delaying testimony by Kobe Bryant's accuser until late March. He wants to reconsider the prosecution's request to limit questions from defense attorneys. Bryant's team is trying to get the woman's sexual past admitted at trial. Without her present today, court will focus on Bryant's interview with police the day after the alleged sexual assault. The defense wants the judge to bar the taped interview.
And in Mississippi, autopsy results are expected soon on three bodies that officials say are members of the Hargon family. A cousin stands charged with those murders. Our Mike Brooks is watching developments. He's in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
Mike, hello.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Daryn.
That cousin, Earnest Lee Hargon, appeared yesterday afternoon here in Yazoo City in Yazoo County court. He was charged with three counts of capital murder and he will -- and he pleaded -- and he will -- they will go after the death penalty prosecutors say.
Now, the bodies were found in an area in Covington, Mississippi, just a short distance from where the officials had been searching all through last weekend.
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WARREN STRAIN, MISSISSIPPI DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY: The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations led to not only the charges that were filed this afternoon of capital murder against Earnest Lee Hargon, but also the recovery of these three bodies that could very well prove to be the Hargon family.
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BROOKS: Two sources close to the investigation yesterday, Daryn, told me that Earnest Lee Hargon was on the scene and did assist investigators in locating these bodies. He was initially supposed to appear early yesterday morning. Officials came out and said they had a break in the case, they had new information. This new information was apparently the information that Earnest Lee had given them of where the bodies were located. But again, they will seek the death penalty against him here in Yazoo County -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Mike Brooks, with the latest from Mississippi, thank you for that.
We want to go live now to the floor of the U.S. Senate. Senator John Kerry, presidential contender, is speaking about the proposed gun bill.
Let's listen in.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... common sense responsibilities. The right to bear arms is a right that should be protected for law-abiding Americans who want to protect themselves and their families.
There is, however, no right to place military-style assault weapons into the hands of terrorists and/or criminals who wish to cause American families harm. There is no right to have access to the weapons of war in the streets of America. And for those who want to wield those weapons, we have a place for them. It's the United States military. And we'd welcome them. If we don't act today to continue the ban on these deadly weapons, then our families in America, our police officers in America are more threatened then they ought to be. For 10 years the assault weapons ban has stopped fugitives and rapists and murderers from purchasing weapons like AK-47s. And for 10 years, for 10 years not one honest, responsible American has had their guns taken away because of this law.
It's interesting that a few months ago I was actually hunting in Iowa. And I was hunting with the sheriff and with some of his deputies. And as we walked through a field with the dogs, hunting pheasant, he pointed to a house in back of me. A house they had raided only a few weeks earlier where meth and crack were being sold. And right beside the bed, in the morning when they went in to arrest this criminal, alleged criminal, there was an assault weapon on the floor lying there beside that individual.
That sheriff and others across this country do not believe we should be selling these weapons or allowing them to be more easily available to criminals in our country. That's why gun owners across America support renewing the assault weapons ban. And they support, also, closing the gun show loophole so that gun shows can continue uninterrupted without being magnets for criminals and/or terrorists who try to get around the law.
If you have a gun show loophole, a terrorist could simply go to one state, go into the gun show, buy a gun without the kind of background check normal in the process, leave that gun show, travel to another state and engage in either criminal or terrorist activity or both.
KAGAN: We've been listening in to the floor of the U.S. Senate. That, of course, is Senator John Kerry, the lead contender for the Democratic nomination for president. Both Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards coming off the campaign trail on this key Super Tuesday to participate in the vote today on this gun bill on the floor of the Senate.
The Democrats trying to attach a couple amendments, one of those amendments dealing with a ban, continuing a ban on assault rifles and that what you heard the senator talking about there. We heard earlier from President Bush who was speaking about the one-year anniversary of the creation of homeland defense. Much more ahead.
Next up, who would actually attempt a remake of "Raiders of the Lost Ark?" Well, a bunch of kids in Mississippi, and it's leading to a big movie deal. We'll take a look at the film, "The Adaptation," and find out how dreams do come true right here in Hollywood.
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KAGAN: "Indiana Jones," of course you remember it was a box office franchise in the 1980s. The film has helped make Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford Hollywood mega stars. Little did they know there were three boys in Mississippi, of all places, who were working in their own backyard and creating their own version of "Indy."
The boys started their home production in 1982. They were 10 and 11 years old. For the next seven years, they recreated "Raiders of the Lost Ark" shot for shot. Now Hollywood is calling in the form of producer Scott Rudin.
One of the boys is now all grown up. He is with me here in Los Angels. He is Chris Strompolos, co-creator of "Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation."
Good morning.
CHRIS STROMPOLOS, "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: THE ADAPTATION": Good morning -- Daryn.
KAGAN: In the -- in the presence of a great filmmaker. Who knew, right?
STROMPOLOS: When I was 12.
KAGAN: Yes, exactly.
STROMPOLOS: Yes.
KAGAN: Well let's go back here. When you were a -- when you were a kid back in Mississippi, so there is you, there is this -- your buddy Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb.
STROMPOLOS: Right.
KAGAN: The three of you get together, you make home movies. Lots of kids did that. You guys, though, a little nutty in how extreme and how detailed you got.
STROMPOLOS: A little obsessive, yes.
KAGAN: Yes.
STROMPOLOS: I mean I got the idea when I saw the movie in July of '81. And then Eric and I sort of traded comic books and I had a "Raiders of the Lost Ark" comic book that I loved and I lent it to him. And then we were both so inspired by the film. I wanted to be Indiana Jones. He was taken with the idea of creating a shot-for-shot remake. And so I said -- we set up like a meeting with each other as an 11, 12...
KAGAN: You did meetings in Mississippi.
STROMPOLOS: Yes, we had meetings. Yes, an 11 and 12-year-old, and we just started from there. I think -- I think both of us had no idea how long it would take. And we just -- we just kept going. We wanted to inhabit that world.
KAGAN: And so you finally -- you finally finished this six or seven years later. Like I say, a little nutty in how close to detail that you did and how you improvised. But then everyone grows up and goes and has their own lives, right?
STROMPOLOS: That is true.
KAGAN: You're here in L.A.
STROMPOLOS: I am here in L.A.
KAGAN: Where are the other guys?
STROMPOLOS: Eric is based around Orlando, Florida. Jayson is up north near Oakland. Eric is working for a video game company. Jayson is an audio/visual technician. And I'm producing DVDs here in town.
KAGAN: So the other part of the story is that somehow this ends up at this small, kind of funky, different, independent film festival in Austin, Texas.
STROMPOLOS: Eli Roth, who did "Cabin Fever" last year, had a tape from person to person to person, and he sort of passed it on through DreamWorks and it got to Spielberg. And he also gave a copy to Harry Knowles who is of the "Ain't It Cool News" fame. And we went down to Austin and had a literally world premiere. It had been sitting on the shelf for 15 years.
KAGAN: And now you have sold your life story, the three guys.
STROMPOLOS: Now...
KAGAN: You guys are going to be a movie.
STROMPOLOS: Yes, it's pretty wild. Mr. Scott Rudin you know was taken with the story. And we struck up a life rights deal with him and Paramount Studios and it's scheduled for -- to be a feature film very soon, so.
KAGAN: Absolutely interesting. Three boys, hanging out, making movies...
STROMPOLOS: Yes.
KAGAN: ... in Mississippi.
STROMPOLOS: Yes indeed.
KAGAN: Small town kids done good. Well good luck with that.
STROMPOLOS: Thank you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And if people want to see it, is it on the Internet, actually?
STROMPOLOS: It's not on the Internet.
KAGAN: OK.
STROMPOLOS: Actually, we're trying to keep it off the Internet because it's...
KAGAN: Yes, well now you're so big time.
STROMPOLOS: It's ours, but it's not ours, you know.
KAGAN: You know.
STROMPOLOS: I mean you know it's "Raiders" and that belongs to some other folks higher out in the surface (ph) Spielberg and Mr. Lucas.
KAGAN: Yes, there's that little thing of copyright infringement.
STROMPOLOS: Yes, those guys you know.
KAGAN: Yes.
STROMPOLOS: Yes, they have...
KAGAN: Funny thing.
STROMPOLOS: Yes, they have a little pull in the industry.
KAGAN: Yes, exactly.
STROMPOLOS: So we're trying to be respectful.
KAGAN: All right, we'll have to wait and pay our 10 bucks and go see the movie.
STROMPOLOS: Indeed.
KAGAN: Very good.
STROMPOLOS: Thank you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Chris Strompolos, good luck and congratulations.
STROMPOLOS: Thank you very much.
KAGAN: Dreams coming true here in Hollywood.
STROMPOLOS: Bye-bye.
KAGAN: Up next, other dreams trying to come true for some politicians out there. It is a big day for the Democrats. When it's all over will there be one last candidate standing? Super Tuesday is here. We have your complete coverage coming up next.
CNN LIVE TODAY is in Los Angeles. We'll be back in a moment.
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