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CNN Live Today

Ohio Highway Sniper Suspect; Murder in Fresno; Hunt For Osama Bin Laden; A Year in Iraq; Iditarod

Aired March 17, 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: It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. on the West Coast. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again, I'm Daryn Kagan.
The arrest of the highway sniper suspect is up first on CNN. Police taking Charles McCoy Jr. into custody at a Las Vegas motel this morning. He'll face charges in the two dozen shootings that have terrorized motorists in and around the Columbus area.

And that is where we find our correspondent Sean Callebs this morning in Columbus with the latest.

Sean, good morning.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

We can tell you the last word we had, McCoy was being interviewed in an FBI field office in Las Vegas. This, about five-and-a-half hours after he was arrested there. And let's remember this is someone the task force here in Columbus portrayed as someone who was armed and should be considered very dangerous, someone with suicidal, perhaps homicidal, tendencies.

There was a lot of concern about just how he would react if he was confronted. Las Vegas authorities got a tip that McCoy was out there in his green 1999 Geo Metro. They staked out the hotel where he was expected to be. He showed up. And in the end, he was arrested without incidence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE MONTOYA, LAS VEGAS POLICE: Twenty minutes later, after the surveillance began, the green Geo Metro vehicle with the Ohio plates pulls up to the apartment where we believe McCoy was staying at. A gentleman exits the vehicle, matches the description of McCoy.

Our fugitive detectives approach him, identify themselves as police officers, take him into custody without any incident. He didn't put up a fight, no resistance whatsoever. After they took him into custody, they asked him for his name. He said his name was Charles McCoy. He did have identification to that same name.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: And this is the picture of McCoy that has been circulated widely over the past 36 hours from a missing person's report his mother filed. We know that he looks somewhat different now. He reportedly now is sporting a goatee.

The task force members here in Columbus have been very tight lipped, but they are going to be holding a news conference in about four-and-a-half hours at 3:30 Eastern Time. They say they will provide additional information.

They also say that the arrest of McCoy in no way brings this investigation to a conclusion. In their words, much work needs to be done to bring this to what they call a successful conclusion.

Now, at that news conference at 3:30 Eastern Time, Tim Knisley will be there. He is the son of the one fatal -- one victim who was shot and fatally killed here November 25 of the 24 shootings that simply terrorized this capital city over the past 10 months.

This city is feeling a certain sense of relief, but also anxiety. They want more information as to how police believe -- were led to McCoy. Also, the task force did have McCoy under surveillance and apparently lost him on Friday. That is when he simply disappeared. And the following Monday, his mother put out the missing person's report. In the past 36 hours, his face, name have been plastered from one end of the country to the other. And that, authorities say, also helped in apprehending the suspect about five-and-a-half hours ago.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Sean Callebs, with the latest from Columbus, thank you.

Now we move on to California. That is where mass murder suspect Marcus Wesson will be arraigned today on nine counts of murder.

Here is CNN's Miguel Marquez from Fresno.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Marcus Wesson is now headed to court, his first appearance, to be formally charged with nine counts of murder. The killings in one night quadrupled Fresno's murder rate.

Mary Campo lives nearby.

MARY CAMPO, FRESNO RESIDENT: I find it terribly disturbing and upsetting for somebody in my community to do something like that.

MARQUEZ: Marcus Wesson is accused of killing six females and three males, most of them under 8 years old, and most, if not all of those, his own children. Investigators say because of a polygamist and possibly incestuous family relationship, identifying who was related to who is a complicated task.

LORI CERVANTES, FRESNO COUNTY CORONER: We believe we've identified six mothers for all the victims. MARQUEZ: By all accounts, the Wesson's lived a non-conventional life. His children, no one can say how many, were home schooled. The women he consorted with, six, maybe more, were rarely seen in public.

MICHAEL VARIN, FAMILY FRIEND: He was a little bit of what I might call a religious fanatic and you know, but it wasn't necessarily like any organized religion.

MARQUEZ (on camera): Investigators say all the deaths occurred on Friday when two women came to this home to take their children back from Wesson. One of Wesson's sons said his father did not want to return custody of the children to women he considered to be runaways and drug addicts. Prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Fresno, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And now to news from overseas. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the U.S. will stay committed to rebuilding Afghanistan and ridding the country of Taliban remnants. Powell met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai today discussing reconstruction and the war on terror.

From Afghanistan, Powell traveled to Pakistan. That's the latest stop in his Asia trip. Pakistani forces have carried out a series of recent operations targeting Islamic militants along the Afghan border. Powell plans to discuss the stepped-up search for al Qaeda holdouts and for Osama bin Laden.

And speaking of Osama bin Laden, was he actually caught on tape by a U.S. surveillance aircraft back in 2000? Videotape taken from a Predator drone shows a group of men, if you watch the white spot on your screen, which includes a taller man dressed in white. A senior intelligence official says analysts believe the figure is bin Laden. The tape was first shown by NBC News.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us with more on what the tape could mean -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, analysts do believe it was bin Laden on this tape. But now you have to ask yourself, so what? What could the U.S. military, the U.S. intelligence community have done about all of this when this tape was first taken back in 2000? And the answer is, when you look at it, maybe not much. It may not have really been a missed opportunity to get bin Laden. It may have been very tough to actually get him.

Look at what the military options might have been. That Predator unmanned drone was unarmed. No ability to attack that target on the ground. Manned bombers, a pilot in a plane, would have taken hours to get to that exact site. Tomahawk missiles, those hit a very precise point on the ground. And in all of these cases, the U.S. military knew for years bin Laden was always a target on the move.

So if he had moved around the slightest bit from where you see him on that video, any of those military options, any of those weapons probably would have missed the target. It makes it very difficult to come to the military conclusion, analysts say, that this was a missed opportunity to get bin Laden. What it underscores is just how tough a target he is to get.

KAGAN: A couple of questions here -- a couple of questions here for you, Barbara. First of all, with the Predator, do they fly high enough so that the person on the ground, who is being spied on, would they be able to see the aircraft above them?

STARR: That's a very good question. The Predator flies at about 25,000 feet or so. Now that -- and of course, as you can see from the cameras from that video, there is pretty good resolution, but is it good enough? You know there is a tall man in a white robe. You see him surrounded by security. You can come to the analytical conclusion that it's bin Laden, but do you know for sure? You don't see a face, a nose, a beard, eyes.

In the past, the U.S. in Afghanistan did hit a target that they believed was a tall man in a white robe after the war began, and it turned out it wasn't bin Laden, it was a local man, by all accounts. So very tough to come to the conclusion. Even if that Predator had weapons back then, which it did not, would that have been enough information to launch a strike?

And of course, remember back when that video was taken, that was hostile territory. The Taliban controlled Afghanistan. The U.S. had no access to the ground or the air. It would have been very tough to get in there -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And of course it being 2000, it was a whole -- a whole different time. It seems like a lifetime ago.

STARR: Exactly.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr, thank you so much for that report from the Pentagon.

It's being called "Operation Iron Promise," and the U.S. military says it will aim to crack down on Iraqi insurgents and seize illegal weapons. We are going to Baghdad up next.

Also, the dangerous work of missionaries and how it is getting even more dangerous for them inside of Iraq.

And later, the president makes an appeal to allies to stay the course, but are they listening?

CNN LIVE TODAY is back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: CNN's LIVE TODAY will be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: U.S. soldiers found out across Baghdad today they are there to root out insurgents. It's an operation called Iron Promise.

Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is in the capital with details on that -- Walter.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Well the U.S. Army did, indeed, swing out and sweep through the Iraqi capital of Baghdad today in an exercise that's supposed to last two to three days. It is called "Operation Iron Promise." And the mere fact that it is occurring a year after this war began attests to the fact that the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, is a very dangerous and murderous place. So far this week, insurgents have murdered four Baptist missionaries around the city of Mosul. And two European workers, who were trying to help the Iraqis get purer water, were killed down around Hillah (ph).

What makes this Army exercise unique is that it is being conducted on a large scale with the new Iraqi Civil Defense Force. It was a kind of community policing exercise, except that the Americans and the Iraqis were looking for safe houses used by the extremists, as well as the extremists themselves. Looking for extremists, we're looking for men that are bombing mosques and mullahs (ph), the holy men who cooperate with the Americans here.

Looking for weapons markets is also part of what this "Operation Iron Promise" is about, weapons markets that sell guns to insurgents. The Iraqis and the Americans talk to the locals, and at least with a camera present and the soldiers there, as well, with guns, the locals were reasonably friendly, especially in these Iraqi neighborhoods.

U.S. soldiers from the 1st Armored Division led the sweep, going through a neighborhood first. And then the Iraqi Civil Defense Forces would follow afterwards. One U.S. officer, a senior officer who was involved in this "Operation Iron Promise" was asked how it was and how the Iraqi Civil Defense Forces performed. And he replied somewhat mechanically "it's a little like hurting cats" -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Walter, I'd like to get your personal insight. We're coming up on a year since your embedded experience, when the world watched you as you were with the U.S. military as it made its way across Iraq into Baghdad. Here you are a year later back in the Iraqi capital. A lot of changes I would imagine.

RODGERS: Yes. But the instability, which the Army encountered when it first invaded this country, is still there. The import of this "Operation Iron Promise" is that the United States has not quelled the insurgents. The coalition forces still face guerrillas who want them killed and who are bombing and killing soldiers regularly. I think six U.S. soldiers were killed over the weekend and, as I say, six more civilians. And by the way, it's civilians who are being targeted now. So despite all the talk we hear about democracy germinating in Iraq, this is a very unstable and very dangerous place. And in some respects, it is more dangerous than it was immediately after the war -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Walter Rodgers bringing us the latest from Baghdad. Walter, thank you.

It is one of the most grueling races on the planet and there can only be one winner. We're going to talk to the top dog of this year's Iditarod coming up next. And later, we are literally trying to get to the bottom of a scientific mystery just in time for St. Paddy's Day. Why do the bubbles in Guinness sink? A pressing question. We'll get to that in just minutes.

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KAGAN: We move on now to Alaska. The annual Iditarod trail sled dog race ended late last night in Nome with an Alaskan mushing first across the finish line. And for a winner, Mitch Seavey of Seward, it was a bigger thrill than usual, he's been trying to win this race for a very long time.

And we have the winner, Mitch Seavey, with us on the phone right now.

Mitch, congratulations.

MITCH SEAVEY, IDITAROD WINNER: Well thank you very much.

KAGAN: Eleventh time was the charm for you. You've done this 10 times before. What was the difference this time?

SEAVEY: Well there is a lot of things I think that go into making the difference of winning or not. But I think my dogs were a lot stronger this time. We had trained them a little bit differently and some different genetics. But also, I just really decided mentally to just put it all together this time. I think we redoubled our efforts in a lot of ways and it came together for us.

KAGAN: Yes, a big difference. Your best previous finish, 4th place in 1998, 42nd in 2001. You mentioned the dogs, I have to ask you about the dogs, because many people have concerns about this race and believe it is a strict form of abuse to run dogs like this across Alaska. What do you say to those critics?

SEAVEY: Well I think it's not really a worthwhile discussion in the context of the Iditarod Race, so it hardly bears comment. But I think those people should get...

KAGAN: How can you say that when dogs were dying on this race? And, in fact, you took over the -- took over the lead from one of the mushers whose dog died just moments before you came into that checkpoint?

SEAVEY: People should just get... KAGAN: I think it's a -- I think it's a valid -- I think it's a valid conversation.

SEAVEY: Well, then why don't you hold the conversation?

KAGAN: Well, I was just wondering what do you have to say? You don't see it as a form of abuse for your dogs?

SEAVEY: I think people -- OK, you've interrupted me three times now.

KAGAN: Go ahead.

SEAVEY: I think people should get some education about these things and decide for themselves what they think. But when we discuss the Iditarod Race, there's a whole lot of other things to discuss besides that the first thing out of the box. So I'm really not interested in going there.

KAGAN: OK, so you don't want to discuss the dogs. How about this being a...

SEAVEY: I'll discuss the dogs. I have -- I have a lead dog named Tread who is 8 years old. He just finished his seventh Iditarod Race. He's just like a buddy to me, and he's run this race with me seven times, and he's done a lot of other races. And he's run thousands of miles in the harness with our team and he loves his life. I'll tell you, I'd rather have Tread's life than commuting in a Japanese car on I-95 every day.

So there's a lot of things that people need to understand about sled dogs and Alaska and the Iditarod Race. And if they bothered to find out some information, I think people could form their own intelligent opinions, which, of course, people are entitled to do.

KAGAN: That they are. This is a family affair for you, is it not? Your whole family is in the -- in the dog business and in the sled business?

SEAVEY: Well, I have a kennel and my dad has raced the Iditarod Race in years past. And my sons have also run the race with dogs from our kennel, so there have been quite a few of us involved, yes.

KAGAN: And so this is the 11th time, you finally win. Is that it, or are you going to -- does it make you hungry to want to go back for more?

SEAVEY: Well, winning or not, I race sled dogs. I drive dogs and I do it because I love the dogs and I love doing what I do. So the win doesn't really change my future plans at all. I intend to keep doing what I do because I love it. And I'm a very, very lucky guy to be able to do what I do. And to be able to win is just icing on the cake.

KAGAN: So you'll run -- you'll race again?

SEAVEY: Absolutely.

KAGAN: All right. We wish you well, though, and to the dogs as well. Mitch Seavey, the winner, first time winner of this year's Iditarod Race, joining us from Nome, Alaska, for a very interesting discussion on the race.

John Kerry has said that some world leaders want him in and Mr. Bush out. The White House says prove it, name names. The battle over a controversial comment is up next. That, plus the morning's most complete political wrap up. We are coming back in just a moment.

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KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta. Let's check the headlines 'At This Hour.'

Las Vegas police are holding highway sniper suspect Charles McCoy Jr. this morning. McCoy is facing charges related to 24 shootings on and around I-270 in Columbus, Ohio since last May. One woman died when she was hit by a bullet in November.

Federal agents are stepping up security along Arizona's border with Mexico. Officials announce that they'll use two drones and several new helicopters and humvees to crack down on illegal immigrants.

Congress wants answers today about the federal program to screen airline passengers. Critics argue that screening violates privacy rights. But at a House hearing, proponents say that giving your address, your phone number and birth date can help keep terrorists off of airplanes.

And a second county in Oregon will issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples starting on March 24. Experts say the move by Benton County commissioners will press Oregon's Supreme Court to step in and settle legal issues surrounding same-sex unions.

Dueling speeches about national security and America's troops are center stage on the presidential campaign trail today.

Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley has the latest from Washington.

Candy, good morning.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn. About a half hour from now, John Kerry will deliver what his campaign has billed as a major address on protecting military families in times of war. The Democratic presidential candidate's remarks here in Washington will serve as a counterpoint to a big national security speech by Vice President Dick Cheney in California.

Kerry will outline his so-called Military Families Bill of Rights and pick up the endorsement of former Joint Chiefs Chairman, retired General John Shalikasvili. In his speech, Kerry will accuse President Bush of failing to live up to his 200 campaign promise to troops that help is on the way. Here is an excerpt from that speech, quote, "George Bush can't have it both ways. He can't decry the military's readiness in 2000 and then take credit for its success in 2001 before he even passed his first defense budget.

"Now in 2004 our armed forces are more extended than at anytime in a generation, and at this time, they are still waiting for help," end quote.

Amid the back and forth over wartime policy, what does the public think? In a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 55 percent of Americans said it was worth going to war in Iraq, down from a year ago when 68 percent said the war was worth it, 50 percent say the world is safer from terrorism, 37 percent say it's made the U.S. less safe. Last April that number was 58 percent who believed it was safer, 33 percent said it was not.

The Bush campaign wants John Kerry to repudiate comments by former Democratic hopeful Howard Dean. Speaking on a conference call arranged by Kerry's campaign, Dean referred to the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq, which he said, quote, "apparently has been a factor in the death of 200 Spaniards over the weekend."

In a statement, Bush campaign chairman Mark Racicot said Senator Kerry should, quote, "should immediately repudiate these troubling comments and stop all efforts on behalf of his surrogates to blame America for these attacks."

When asked this morning about the Dean comments, Kerry said, quote, "It's not our position." Howard Dean later he simply was repeating what those who claimed responsibility for the bombings said was the reason for their attacks.

A balloon and confetti drop at a Kerry rally last night in Charleston, West Virginia didn't quite work out as planned. The whole bag of balloons came down and had to be torn open.

After an easy win in yesterday's Illinois primary, the Kerry campaign is saying its man has locked up enough delegates to win the nomination.

This afternoon, on INSIDE POLITICS, we'll dig into the poll and see how attitudes have changed as we approach this week's first anniversary of the Iraq war.

We will also observe the obligatory political rituals of St. Patrick's day when we go INSIDE POLITICS at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

But now we want to go right back to Daryn in Atlanta.

KAGAN: All right, Candy thank you for that.

More politics now. The Bush campaign mixing international policy and election year politics, in a speech by Vice president Cheney today. You heard Candy talk about that a little bit. Let's bring in our White House correspondent Dana Bash for more on Mr. Cheney's speech. Good morning, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. And Vice President Cheney will have those two clear audiences in mind, the American voter and American allies around the world.

But first and foremost is the American voter. Look for some stepped up attacks against Senator John Kerry from the vice president as the Bush campaign spends this week, the year anniversary of the war in Iraq, trying to show what they call a contrast between President Bush and Senator John Kerry, painting the senator as somebody they say is weak on defense, not yet ready to be commander in chief.

And with the Reagan Library as the backdrop, the vice president will start to draw a comparison. He'll say, quote, "The American people will have a clear choice in the election of 2004, at least as clear as any since the election of 1984."

Now, that comparison, comparing the president's election to President Reagan's against Walter Mondale, suggest the fight against communism was not unlike President Bush's against terrorism. And they're putting that into context of the current situation.

Essentially the suggestion is that president Reagan's policies weren't always popular but they feel they certainly succeeded in toppling communism. Mr. Cheney making the point that the president is also making tough choices Senator Kerry, they say, might not be willing to do so.

KAGAN: Well speaking of Senator Kerry, the prime minister elect in Spain, Zapatero, mentioning Kerry as he's making comments about the socialist government about to take over in Spain. Let's listen into those comments for just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER ELECT (through translator): Regarding the American elections in November, I say to the Spanish people this is our opportunity to do things before the Americans. Let's change our government here and then see how Kerry does in the elections over there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Kind of an unspoken endorsement there of the senator. Any reaction from the White House on those comments from the prime minister-elect, Dana?

BASH: I asked about that in the morning briefing this morning and Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, to be fair, had not seen the comments.

But he did say that, obviously, there is a time for elections and there is a time for focus on working together. He said the president still wants to try to work with the prime minister-elect in fighting terrorism. That has been their focus since the president made a phone call to him on Monday following his election.

But, certainly this comes at a time, we should note, where the two camps, the Bush camp and Kerry camp are fighting over whether or not there are foreign leaders out there, as Kerry has suggested, that want President Bush to be defeated. Now at least we know of a new one that is not seeming to make a secret of it.

KAGAN: Dana Bash at the White House. Dana, thank you for that.

CNN will dip into live coverage of the vice president's speech. Also that speech today by John Kerry. The vice president's address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is scheduled to get underway at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

And then Senator Kerry will be speaking at George Washington University. That begins at noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific.

Little bit more now on -- actually we'll get back to the prime minister in just a moment. The U.S. military is also reacting to word that Spanish troops will be pulled out of Iraq. There are 1,300 in the coalition. Today military authorities called it a manageable loss and predicted other nations would send in replacements.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: We will be saddened by their departure, but it will be a well managed departure and we'll be able to pick up the loss, either through the use of other troops, repositioning, or through, perhaps, some new contributions by either exist organize new nations coming forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: More than 200 people were killed in a terror attack in Spain last week. That prompted voters in Spain to toss out the ruling conservative conservatives who allied themselves with President Bush on Iraq.

In the U.S., you wouldn't know it by those of us who forgot to wear green, but it is St. Patrick's Day. And as such we decide it's a perfect time to solve one of life's great mysteries. Daniel Sieberg just the man to do that. Live with the preview. Hopefully have not started drinking quite yet, Daniel.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECH CORRESPONDENT: Still a bit early. I'm not sure why I'm the person perfect for this job but in our continuing thirst for knowledge, we'll going to you why some beers seem to defy the laws of physics with the bubbles inside them.

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KAGAN: Well, Who knows how to do St. Patrick's Day better than the Irish? About a half million people took advantage today of clear skies to watch this year's huge annual parade through Dublin. St. Patrick is revered for bringing Christianity to the Emerald Isle in the fifth century. Speaking of St. Patty's Day, any beer maker knows that a good head of foam is an excellent sign. It means that carbonation has taken place, which generally occurs after the beer has been bottled, but there is foam, and then there is Guinness, which seems to have qualities all of its own. Apparently, the overachievers at Stanford after several pints became so intrigued, they just had to do a scientific study to find out more about it.

Our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg join us with more from just downstairs, Jack and Jill's, downstairs at CNN Center.

SIEBERG: Yes, I'm the resident barfly today, Daryn, that's right. So, basically, we're talking about this research, a couple of Stanford researchers had decided to do. They had seen this happen with some beers, namely Guinness and Boddington's (ph) in the past. They wondered if maybe they had a few too many when they saw this phenomenon happen.

Now the whole idea behind it is that these bubbles are actually coming down inside the glass.

Chris -- thank you -- has just poured us a glass here.

If you can see the bubbles seem to be going down. Now this seems to defy the laws of physics. Bubbles being lighter than the liquid, they should be going up. So why is this happening? The researchers looked into this, this very heavy subject. They decided that there's so much pressure in this very heavily carbonated beer, that it's forcing the bubbles to go up in the middle and then come down on the outside, because of this extra pressure. You can see we've got a close-up of this right now, illustrating what this looks like. Essentially, it's because of this pressure building up on the inside, this really heavy carbonated beer. They found it doesn't happen with every beer, more with Guinness and Boddington's, one's that are very heavily carbonated, and it's this pressure on them, as well as this drag on the inside of the glass, it's stopping the bubbles from going up. In other words, it's forcing them to sort of do this fountain shape, where they come down. Whatever comes up, must come down, and that's sort of the whole philosophy behind this study.

We should point out, you can also do this at home with just a simple Alka Seltzer tablet in some water. That's what we're seeing right here. The same phenomenon, the bubbles seem to sort of cascade down the inside of the glass. But it's a little more fun to try with beer, it being St. Patrick's Day, and these researchers are well aware that their findings, if we could put it that way, were going to come out on St. Patrick's Day. They also wanted to point out that they used their own money to fund this, their own time, so none of the Stanford money that they used. And they got no sponsorship or no money from any brewery like Guinness or anything like that. So they tried to make this a little bit of fun, so people will get interested in science. So that even when you look at a glass of beer, you're looking at a little bit of science in action, and we should say, it does stop after a while, and then of course, you can drink it after you've observed it -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Good to know as a Stanford alum who sent in a check, that that's not exactly where the check went. SIEBERG: Exactly, right. They did, you know, spend a little bit of their own time doing this, you know. It's I guess legitimate science, some research, some extracurricular research if you want to put it that way.

KAGAN: Science you can use. And you know, the Alka Seltzer, a lot of people who will be out later today, enjoying the Guinness and the beer.

SIEBERG: You might need that later.

KAGAN: There you go.

SIEBERG: Because you could do both at the same time.

KAGAN: News you can use.

Daniel Sieberg, don't partake too much. Not too much reporter involvement down there.

SIEBERG: No, no, no, we'll be giving this to somebody else.

KAGAN: Either that or the live shots later today will be very interesting.

KAGAN: Thank you, Daniel.

SIEBERG: All right.

KAGAN: It contains images that America will always remember, images that one photographer can't forget. It's a new book that give us an incredible view of 2 1/2 years of war. You're going meet the people behind the lens, coming up next.

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KAGAN: One way to recall the war that began a year ago this week in Iraq is through the lens of the camera. There's a new book out. It's simply called "War." It contains haunting images from a dozen photographers, and include shots from Ground Zero to Afghanistan to the fall of Saddam.

And one of the feature photographers is Christopher Morris. He's covered the Iraq war for "Time" magazine. Christopher joins us from Tampa, Florida this morning.

And as you can see from some of the first photos we've showed you, many of the pictures are rather graphic, as is the business of war.

Christopher, good morning, thank you for being with us.

CHRISTOPHER MORRIS, WAR PHOTOJOURNALIST: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you for having me.

KAGAN: You've been in this business 20 years. You've covered any number of conflicts. What about this one and this experience stands out to you?

MORRIS: Oh. To me, just the historic importance of it. It's -- a lot of the stories I've covered over the years dealt with, you know, smaller, be it Chechnya, or Panama invasion. Just the grand scale of this war. The controversy over the war, the fact that support in Europe wasn't there for the war.

KAGAN: We're putting up some of your images now. If you could tell us what we're seeing.

MORRIS: This is -- I think it's the 7th of April, maybe the 6th of April. I'm not exactly sure, because my mind slips me here, but it's in Baghdad, the northern outskirts of Baghdad. This is a tank, a secondary explosion of an Iraqi tank that was exploding. And I was with Charlie Company, the 1st of the 30th and the 3rd ID. And it's in one of the northern suburbs of Baghdad.

KAGAN: All right, let's put another image.

Were you embedded?

MORRIS: I was embedded, but I wasn't an official embed.

KAGAN: Now here's a very graphic image. This is clearly two men who have lost their lives. Where was this, and...

MORRIS: This is also in Baghdad, just in -- it's like a suburb of -- on the northwest sector of Baghdad. Not sure if they were soldiers or civilians, but they were definitely caught up in the...

KAGAN: In the fighting?

MORRIS: Yes, in the fighting. When the 3rd ID moved into the city.

KAGAN: All right. And this is an interesting image coming up next. Man at gunpoint.

MORRIS: Yes, this is -- we were doing what was called route protection. This is where we're trying to protect the convoys, and it was during the big sandstorm that happened, lasted for a couple days. And they were looking for what's called an RPG team that was ambushing convoys and this vehicle came up the road, and they removed a farmer and his son, and I'm not sure -- another relative, out of a vehicle.

KAGAN: Christopher, when do you know when you've seen too much? Do you ever get numb to seeing the dead bodies, the terror, like on this you see a scared child here?

MORRIS: Yes, it's not when you're there. It usually comes back much later if you're having to edit your photos a month later and you're thinking about what you've seen.

And the important role of a photographer, at least a photojournalist, you're trying to make an historic document. It's -- I shoot for "Time" magazine, but it's not necessarily I'm looking for that week to illustrate. I'm trying to make an historic document that will last, you know, the test of time. You know, 40 years from now, 50 years from now, I want people to be able to look back at the images and just have a record of it.

KAGAN: Well, it is an important and dangerous work. And we thank you for your contribution to the book. It's called "War." It's a huge, heavy, almost-coffee table book. And thanks for your time and for sharing your images. Christopher Morris.

MORRIS: Thank you.

KAGAN: Thank you so much.

Martha Stewart's daughter is speaking out in the wake of the guilty verdict in her mother's obstruction of justice trial. It's an exclusive interview. Alexis Stewart talks only to our Larry King and says she thinks it would be incredibly wrong if her mother went to jail. She also talks about her personal relationship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: What's her biggest fault?

ALEXIS STEWART, DAUGHTER OF MARTHA STEWART: She's too, ironically, forgiving and kind and -- I know people don't know that, but she was incredibly generous and she gives too much, I think.

KING: So, would that be ...

STEWART: Too trusting.

KING: Would that be the thing that most people don't know about your mother?

STEWART: I think so.

KING: So, in other words, you don't think she harbors grudges.

STEWART: No, not at all. I always encourage her. I try to encourage her to harbor...

KING: You're a grudge harborer?

STEWART: Yes.

KING: She will not come out of this bitter?

STEWART: No.

KING: That's surprising, because most people who feel they didn't do anything wrong ...

STEWART: Well, I don't think she's going to give up. I think she's incredibly saddened, incredibly saddened.

KING: But sad more than angry? STEWART: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: You can see the rest of Larry's exclusive interview with Alexis Stewart tonight right here on CNN beginning at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

(MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Want to show you some live picture from New York City, St. Patrick's Day parade. Mother Nature didn't cooperate today, a lot of snow and kind of blustery weather there. But not going to stop them. This is the 243rd annual parade of Irish Pride through the streets of New York City. So happy St. Patrick's day.

From that we have to pull something from our "nobody can really be that ditsy" department. Jessica Simpson, you know her, on a White House tour apparently bumped into Interior Secretary Gale Norton. She reportedly told Norton, "You know, you've done a really good job decorating the White House."

Simpson was in Washington to tape a fund raiser for Ford's Theater. You know, it worked for

(WEATHER UPDATE)

KAGAN: Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. And that's going to do it for me, Daryn Kagan. I'll see you right here tomorrow morning.

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






Osama Bin Laden; A Year in Iraq; Iditarod>


Aired March 17, 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: It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. on the West Coast. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again, I'm Daryn Kagan.
The arrest of the highway sniper suspect is up first on CNN. Police taking Charles McCoy Jr. into custody at a Las Vegas motel this morning. He'll face charges in the two dozen shootings that have terrorized motorists in and around the Columbus area.

And that is where we find our correspondent Sean Callebs this morning in Columbus with the latest.

Sean, good morning.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

We can tell you the last word we had, McCoy was being interviewed in an FBI field office in Las Vegas. This, about five-and-a-half hours after he was arrested there. And let's remember this is someone the task force here in Columbus portrayed as someone who was armed and should be considered very dangerous, someone with suicidal, perhaps homicidal, tendencies.

There was a lot of concern about just how he would react if he was confronted. Las Vegas authorities got a tip that McCoy was out there in his green 1999 Geo Metro. They staked out the hotel where he was expected to be. He showed up. And in the end, he was arrested without incidence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE MONTOYA, LAS VEGAS POLICE: Twenty minutes later, after the surveillance began, the green Geo Metro vehicle with the Ohio plates pulls up to the apartment where we believe McCoy was staying at. A gentleman exits the vehicle, matches the description of McCoy.

Our fugitive detectives approach him, identify themselves as police officers, take him into custody without any incident. He didn't put up a fight, no resistance whatsoever. After they took him into custody, they asked him for his name. He said his name was Charles McCoy. He did have identification to that same name.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: And this is the picture of McCoy that has been circulated widely over the past 36 hours from a missing person's report his mother filed. We know that he looks somewhat different now. He reportedly now is sporting a goatee.

The task force members here in Columbus have been very tight lipped, but they are going to be holding a news conference in about four-and-a-half hours at 3:30 Eastern Time. They say they will provide additional information.

They also say that the arrest of McCoy in no way brings this investigation to a conclusion. In their words, much work needs to be done to bring this to what they call a successful conclusion.

Now, at that news conference at 3:30 Eastern Time, Tim Knisley will be there. He is the son of the one fatal -- one victim who was shot and fatally killed here November 25 of the 24 shootings that simply terrorized this capital city over the past 10 months.

This city is feeling a certain sense of relief, but also anxiety. They want more information as to how police believe -- were led to McCoy. Also, the task force did have McCoy under surveillance and apparently lost him on Friday. That is when he simply disappeared. And the following Monday, his mother put out the missing person's report. In the past 36 hours, his face, name have been plastered from one end of the country to the other. And that, authorities say, also helped in apprehending the suspect about five-and-a-half hours ago.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Sean Callebs, with the latest from Columbus, thank you.

Now we move on to California. That is where mass murder suspect Marcus Wesson will be arraigned today on nine counts of murder.

Here is CNN's Miguel Marquez from Fresno.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Marcus Wesson is now headed to court, his first appearance, to be formally charged with nine counts of murder. The killings in one night quadrupled Fresno's murder rate.

Mary Campo lives nearby.

MARY CAMPO, FRESNO RESIDENT: I find it terribly disturbing and upsetting for somebody in my community to do something like that.

MARQUEZ: Marcus Wesson is accused of killing six females and three males, most of them under 8 years old, and most, if not all of those, his own children. Investigators say because of a polygamist and possibly incestuous family relationship, identifying who was related to who is a complicated task.

LORI CERVANTES, FRESNO COUNTY CORONER: We believe we've identified six mothers for all the victims. MARQUEZ: By all accounts, the Wesson's lived a non-conventional life. His children, no one can say how many, were home schooled. The women he consorted with, six, maybe more, were rarely seen in public.

MICHAEL VARIN, FAMILY FRIEND: He was a little bit of what I might call a religious fanatic and you know, but it wasn't necessarily like any organized religion.

MARQUEZ (on camera): Investigators say all the deaths occurred on Friday when two women came to this home to take their children back from Wesson. One of Wesson's sons said his father did not want to return custody of the children to women he considered to be runaways and drug addicts. Prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Fresno, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And now to news from overseas. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the U.S. will stay committed to rebuilding Afghanistan and ridding the country of Taliban remnants. Powell met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai today discussing reconstruction and the war on terror.

From Afghanistan, Powell traveled to Pakistan. That's the latest stop in his Asia trip. Pakistani forces have carried out a series of recent operations targeting Islamic militants along the Afghan border. Powell plans to discuss the stepped-up search for al Qaeda holdouts and for Osama bin Laden.

And speaking of Osama bin Laden, was he actually caught on tape by a U.S. surveillance aircraft back in 2000? Videotape taken from a Predator drone shows a group of men, if you watch the white spot on your screen, which includes a taller man dressed in white. A senior intelligence official says analysts believe the figure is bin Laden. The tape was first shown by NBC News.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us with more on what the tape could mean -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, analysts do believe it was bin Laden on this tape. But now you have to ask yourself, so what? What could the U.S. military, the U.S. intelligence community have done about all of this when this tape was first taken back in 2000? And the answer is, when you look at it, maybe not much. It may not have really been a missed opportunity to get bin Laden. It may have been very tough to actually get him.

Look at what the military options might have been. That Predator unmanned drone was unarmed. No ability to attack that target on the ground. Manned bombers, a pilot in a plane, would have taken hours to get to that exact site. Tomahawk missiles, those hit a very precise point on the ground. And in all of these cases, the U.S. military knew for years bin Laden was always a target on the move.

So if he had moved around the slightest bit from where you see him on that video, any of those military options, any of those weapons probably would have missed the target. It makes it very difficult to come to the military conclusion, analysts say, that this was a missed opportunity to get bin Laden. What it underscores is just how tough a target he is to get.

KAGAN: A couple of questions here -- a couple of questions here for you, Barbara. First of all, with the Predator, do they fly high enough so that the person on the ground, who is being spied on, would they be able to see the aircraft above them?

STARR: That's a very good question. The Predator flies at about 25,000 feet or so. Now that -- and of course, as you can see from the cameras from that video, there is pretty good resolution, but is it good enough? You know there is a tall man in a white robe. You see him surrounded by security. You can come to the analytical conclusion that it's bin Laden, but do you know for sure? You don't see a face, a nose, a beard, eyes.

In the past, the U.S. in Afghanistan did hit a target that they believed was a tall man in a white robe after the war began, and it turned out it wasn't bin Laden, it was a local man, by all accounts. So very tough to come to the conclusion. Even if that Predator had weapons back then, which it did not, would that have been enough information to launch a strike?

And of course, remember back when that video was taken, that was hostile territory. The Taliban controlled Afghanistan. The U.S. had no access to the ground or the air. It would have been very tough to get in there -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And of course it being 2000, it was a whole -- a whole different time. It seems like a lifetime ago.

STARR: Exactly.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr, thank you so much for that report from the Pentagon.

It's being called "Operation Iron Promise," and the U.S. military says it will aim to crack down on Iraqi insurgents and seize illegal weapons. We are going to Baghdad up next.

Also, the dangerous work of missionaries and how it is getting even more dangerous for them inside of Iraq.

And later, the president makes an appeal to allies to stay the course, but are they listening?

CNN LIVE TODAY is back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: CNN's LIVE TODAY will be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: U.S. soldiers found out across Baghdad today they are there to root out insurgents. It's an operation called Iron Promise.

Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is in the capital with details on that -- Walter.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Well the U.S. Army did, indeed, swing out and sweep through the Iraqi capital of Baghdad today in an exercise that's supposed to last two to three days. It is called "Operation Iron Promise." And the mere fact that it is occurring a year after this war began attests to the fact that the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, is a very dangerous and murderous place. So far this week, insurgents have murdered four Baptist missionaries around the city of Mosul. And two European workers, who were trying to help the Iraqis get purer water, were killed down around Hillah (ph).

What makes this Army exercise unique is that it is being conducted on a large scale with the new Iraqi Civil Defense Force. It was a kind of community policing exercise, except that the Americans and the Iraqis were looking for safe houses used by the extremists, as well as the extremists themselves. Looking for extremists, we're looking for men that are bombing mosques and mullahs (ph), the holy men who cooperate with the Americans here.

Looking for weapons markets is also part of what this "Operation Iron Promise" is about, weapons markets that sell guns to insurgents. The Iraqis and the Americans talk to the locals, and at least with a camera present and the soldiers there, as well, with guns, the locals were reasonably friendly, especially in these Iraqi neighborhoods.

U.S. soldiers from the 1st Armored Division led the sweep, going through a neighborhood first. And then the Iraqi Civil Defense Forces would follow afterwards. One U.S. officer, a senior officer who was involved in this "Operation Iron Promise" was asked how it was and how the Iraqi Civil Defense Forces performed. And he replied somewhat mechanically "it's a little like hurting cats" -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Walter, I'd like to get your personal insight. We're coming up on a year since your embedded experience, when the world watched you as you were with the U.S. military as it made its way across Iraq into Baghdad. Here you are a year later back in the Iraqi capital. A lot of changes I would imagine.

RODGERS: Yes. But the instability, which the Army encountered when it first invaded this country, is still there. The import of this "Operation Iron Promise" is that the United States has not quelled the insurgents. The coalition forces still face guerrillas who want them killed and who are bombing and killing soldiers regularly. I think six U.S. soldiers were killed over the weekend and, as I say, six more civilians. And by the way, it's civilians who are being targeted now. So despite all the talk we hear about democracy germinating in Iraq, this is a very unstable and very dangerous place. And in some respects, it is more dangerous than it was immediately after the war -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Walter Rodgers bringing us the latest from Baghdad. Walter, thank you.

It is one of the most grueling races on the planet and there can only be one winner. We're going to talk to the top dog of this year's Iditarod coming up next. And later, we are literally trying to get to the bottom of a scientific mystery just in time for St. Paddy's Day. Why do the bubbles in Guinness sink? A pressing question. We'll get to that in just minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We move on now to Alaska. The annual Iditarod trail sled dog race ended late last night in Nome with an Alaskan mushing first across the finish line. And for a winner, Mitch Seavey of Seward, it was a bigger thrill than usual, he's been trying to win this race for a very long time.

And we have the winner, Mitch Seavey, with us on the phone right now.

Mitch, congratulations.

MITCH SEAVEY, IDITAROD WINNER: Well thank you very much.

KAGAN: Eleventh time was the charm for you. You've done this 10 times before. What was the difference this time?

SEAVEY: Well there is a lot of things I think that go into making the difference of winning or not. But I think my dogs were a lot stronger this time. We had trained them a little bit differently and some different genetics. But also, I just really decided mentally to just put it all together this time. I think we redoubled our efforts in a lot of ways and it came together for us.

KAGAN: Yes, a big difference. Your best previous finish, 4th place in 1998, 42nd in 2001. You mentioned the dogs, I have to ask you about the dogs, because many people have concerns about this race and believe it is a strict form of abuse to run dogs like this across Alaska. What do you say to those critics?

SEAVEY: Well I think it's not really a worthwhile discussion in the context of the Iditarod Race, so it hardly bears comment. But I think those people should get...

KAGAN: How can you say that when dogs were dying on this race? And, in fact, you took over the -- took over the lead from one of the mushers whose dog died just moments before you came into that checkpoint?

SEAVEY: People should just get... KAGAN: I think it's a -- I think it's a valid -- I think it's a valid conversation.

SEAVEY: Well, then why don't you hold the conversation?

KAGAN: Well, I was just wondering what do you have to say? You don't see it as a form of abuse for your dogs?

SEAVEY: I think people -- OK, you've interrupted me three times now.

KAGAN: Go ahead.

SEAVEY: I think people should get some education about these things and decide for themselves what they think. But when we discuss the Iditarod Race, there's a whole lot of other things to discuss besides that the first thing out of the box. So I'm really not interested in going there.

KAGAN: OK, so you don't want to discuss the dogs. How about this being a...

SEAVEY: I'll discuss the dogs. I have -- I have a lead dog named Tread who is 8 years old. He just finished his seventh Iditarod Race. He's just like a buddy to me, and he's run this race with me seven times, and he's done a lot of other races. And he's run thousands of miles in the harness with our team and he loves his life. I'll tell you, I'd rather have Tread's life than commuting in a Japanese car on I-95 every day.

So there's a lot of things that people need to understand about sled dogs and Alaska and the Iditarod Race. And if they bothered to find out some information, I think people could form their own intelligent opinions, which, of course, people are entitled to do.

KAGAN: That they are. This is a family affair for you, is it not? Your whole family is in the -- in the dog business and in the sled business?

SEAVEY: Well, I have a kennel and my dad has raced the Iditarod Race in years past. And my sons have also run the race with dogs from our kennel, so there have been quite a few of us involved, yes.

KAGAN: And so this is the 11th time, you finally win. Is that it, or are you going to -- does it make you hungry to want to go back for more?

SEAVEY: Well, winning or not, I race sled dogs. I drive dogs and I do it because I love the dogs and I love doing what I do. So the win doesn't really change my future plans at all. I intend to keep doing what I do because I love it. And I'm a very, very lucky guy to be able to do what I do. And to be able to win is just icing on the cake.

KAGAN: So you'll run -- you'll race again?

SEAVEY: Absolutely.

KAGAN: All right. We wish you well, though, and to the dogs as well. Mitch Seavey, the winner, first time winner of this year's Iditarod Race, joining us from Nome, Alaska, for a very interesting discussion on the race.

John Kerry has said that some world leaders want him in and Mr. Bush out. The White House says prove it, name names. The battle over a controversial comment is up next. That, plus the morning's most complete political wrap up. We are coming back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta. Let's check the headlines 'At This Hour.'

Las Vegas police are holding highway sniper suspect Charles McCoy Jr. this morning. McCoy is facing charges related to 24 shootings on and around I-270 in Columbus, Ohio since last May. One woman died when she was hit by a bullet in November.

Federal agents are stepping up security along Arizona's border with Mexico. Officials announce that they'll use two drones and several new helicopters and humvees to crack down on illegal immigrants.

Congress wants answers today about the federal program to screen airline passengers. Critics argue that screening violates privacy rights. But at a House hearing, proponents say that giving your address, your phone number and birth date can help keep terrorists off of airplanes.

And a second county in Oregon will issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples starting on March 24. Experts say the move by Benton County commissioners will press Oregon's Supreme Court to step in and settle legal issues surrounding same-sex unions.

Dueling speeches about national security and America's troops are center stage on the presidential campaign trail today.

Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley has the latest from Washington.

Candy, good morning.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn. About a half hour from now, John Kerry will deliver what his campaign has billed as a major address on protecting military families in times of war. The Democratic presidential candidate's remarks here in Washington will serve as a counterpoint to a big national security speech by Vice President Dick Cheney in California.

Kerry will outline his so-called Military Families Bill of Rights and pick up the endorsement of former Joint Chiefs Chairman, retired General John Shalikasvili. In his speech, Kerry will accuse President Bush of failing to live up to his 200 campaign promise to troops that help is on the way. Here is an excerpt from that speech, quote, "George Bush can't have it both ways. He can't decry the military's readiness in 2000 and then take credit for its success in 2001 before he even passed his first defense budget.

"Now in 2004 our armed forces are more extended than at anytime in a generation, and at this time, they are still waiting for help," end quote.

Amid the back and forth over wartime policy, what does the public think? In a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 55 percent of Americans said it was worth going to war in Iraq, down from a year ago when 68 percent said the war was worth it, 50 percent say the world is safer from terrorism, 37 percent say it's made the U.S. less safe. Last April that number was 58 percent who believed it was safer, 33 percent said it was not.

The Bush campaign wants John Kerry to repudiate comments by former Democratic hopeful Howard Dean. Speaking on a conference call arranged by Kerry's campaign, Dean referred to the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq, which he said, quote, "apparently has been a factor in the death of 200 Spaniards over the weekend."

In a statement, Bush campaign chairman Mark Racicot said Senator Kerry should, quote, "should immediately repudiate these troubling comments and stop all efforts on behalf of his surrogates to blame America for these attacks."

When asked this morning about the Dean comments, Kerry said, quote, "It's not our position." Howard Dean later he simply was repeating what those who claimed responsibility for the bombings said was the reason for their attacks.

A balloon and confetti drop at a Kerry rally last night in Charleston, West Virginia didn't quite work out as planned. The whole bag of balloons came down and had to be torn open.

After an easy win in yesterday's Illinois primary, the Kerry campaign is saying its man has locked up enough delegates to win the nomination.

This afternoon, on INSIDE POLITICS, we'll dig into the poll and see how attitudes have changed as we approach this week's first anniversary of the Iraq war.

We will also observe the obligatory political rituals of St. Patrick's day when we go INSIDE POLITICS at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

But now we want to go right back to Daryn in Atlanta.

KAGAN: All right, Candy thank you for that.

More politics now. The Bush campaign mixing international policy and election year politics, in a speech by Vice president Cheney today. You heard Candy talk about that a little bit. Let's bring in our White House correspondent Dana Bash for more on Mr. Cheney's speech. Good morning, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. And Vice President Cheney will have those two clear audiences in mind, the American voter and American allies around the world.

But first and foremost is the American voter. Look for some stepped up attacks against Senator John Kerry from the vice president as the Bush campaign spends this week, the year anniversary of the war in Iraq, trying to show what they call a contrast between President Bush and Senator John Kerry, painting the senator as somebody they say is weak on defense, not yet ready to be commander in chief.

And with the Reagan Library as the backdrop, the vice president will start to draw a comparison. He'll say, quote, "The American people will have a clear choice in the election of 2004, at least as clear as any since the election of 1984."

Now, that comparison, comparing the president's election to President Reagan's against Walter Mondale, suggest the fight against communism was not unlike President Bush's against terrorism. And they're putting that into context of the current situation.

Essentially the suggestion is that president Reagan's policies weren't always popular but they feel they certainly succeeded in toppling communism. Mr. Cheney making the point that the president is also making tough choices Senator Kerry, they say, might not be willing to do so.

KAGAN: Well speaking of Senator Kerry, the prime minister elect in Spain, Zapatero, mentioning Kerry as he's making comments about the socialist government about to take over in Spain. Let's listen into those comments for just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER ELECT (through translator): Regarding the American elections in November, I say to the Spanish people this is our opportunity to do things before the Americans. Let's change our government here and then see how Kerry does in the elections over there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Kind of an unspoken endorsement there of the senator. Any reaction from the White House on those comments from the prime minister-elect, Dana?

BASH: I asked about that in the morning briefing this morning and Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, to be fair, had not seen the comments.

But he did say that, obviously, there is a time for elections and there is a time for focus on working together. He said the president still wants to try to work with the prime minister-elect in fighting terrorism. That has been their focus since the president made a phone call to him on Monday following his election.

But, certainly this comes at a time, we should note, where the two camps, the Bush camp and Kerry camp are fighting over whether or not there are foreign leaders out there, as Kerry has suggested, that want President Bush to be defeated. Now at least we know of a new one that is not seeming to make a secret of it.

KAGAN: Dana Bash at the White House. Dana, thank you for that.

CNN will dip into live coverage of the vice president's speech. Also that speech today by John Kerry. The vice president's address at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is scheduled to get underway at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

And then Senator Kerry will be speaking at George Washington University. That begins at noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific.

Little bit more now on -- actually we'll get back to the prime minister in just a moment. The U.S. military is also reacting to word that Spanish troops will be pulled out of Iraq. There are 1,300 in the coalition. Today military authorities called it a manageable loss and predicted other nations would send in replacements.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: We will be saddened by their departure, but it will be a well managed departure and we'll be able to pick up the loss, either through the use of other troops, repositioning, or through, perhaps, some new contributions by either exist organize new nations coming forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: More than 200 people were killed in a terror attack in Spain last week. That prompted voters in Spain to toss out the ruling conservative conservatives who allied themselves with President Bush on Iraq.

In the U.S., you wouldn't know it by those of us who forgot to wear green, but it is St. Patrick's Day. And as such we decide it's a perfect time to solve one of life's great mysteries. Daniel Sieberg just the man to do that. Live with the preview. Hopefully have not started drinking quite yet, Daniel.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECH CORRESPONDENT: Still a bit early. I'm not sure why I'm the person perfect for this job but in our continuing thirst for knowledge, we'll going to you why some beers seem to defy the laws of physics with the bubbles inside them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Well, Who knows how to do St. Patrick's Day better than the Irish? About a half million people took advantage today of clear skies to watch this year's huge annual parade through Dublin. St. Patrick is revered for bringing Christianity to the Emerald Isle in the fifth century. Speaking of St. Patty's Day, any beer maker knows that a good head of foam is an excellent sign. It means that carbonation has taken place, which generally occurs after the beer has been bottled, but there is foam, and then there is Guinness, which seems to have qualities all of its own. Apparently, the overachievers at Stanford after several pints became so intrigued, they just had to do a scientific study to find out more about it.

Our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg join us with more from just downstairs, Jack and Jill's, downstairs at CNN Center.

SIEBERG: Yes, I'm the resident barfly today, Daryn, that's right. So, basically, we're talking about this research, a couple of Stanford researchers had decided to do. They had seen this happen with some beers, namely Guinness and Boddington's (ph) in the past. They wondered if maybe they had a few too many when they saw this phenomenon happen.

Now the whole idea behind it is that these bubbles are actually coming down inside the glass.

Chris -- thank you -- has just poured us a glass here.

If you can see the bubbles seem to be going down. Now this seems to defy the laws of physics. Bubbles being lighter than the liquid, they should be going up. So why is this happening? The researchers looked into this, this very heavy subject. They decided that there's so much pressure in this very heavily carbonated beer, that it's forcing the bubbles to go up in the middle and then come down on the outside, because of this extra pressure. You can see we've got a close-up of this right now, illustrating what this looks like. Essentially, it's because of this pressure building up on the inside, this really heavy carbonated beer. They found it doesn't happen with every beer, more with Guinness and Boddington's, one's that are very heavily carbonated, and it's this pressure on them, as well as this drag on the inside of the glass, it's stopping the bubbles from going up. In other words, it's forcing them to sort of do this fountain shape, where they come down. Whatever comes up, must come down, and that's sort of the whole philosophy behind this study.

We should point out, you can also do this at home with just a simple Alka Seltzer tablet in some water. That's what we're seeing right here. The same phenomenon, the bubbles seem to sort of cascade down the inside of the glass. But it's a little more fun to try with beer, it being St. Patrick's Day, and these researchers are well aware that their findings, if we could put it that way, were going to come out on St. Patrick's Day. They also wanted to point out that they used their own money to fund this, their own time, so none of the Stanford money that they used. And they got no sponsorship or no money from any brewery like Guinness or anything like that. So they tried to make this a little bit of fun, so people will get interested in science. So that even when you look at a glass of beer, you're looking at a little bit of science in action, and we should say, it does stop after a while, and then of course, you can drink it after you've observed it -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Good to know as a Stanford alum who sent in a check, that that's not exactly where the check went. SIEBERG: Exactly, right. They did, you know, spend a little bit of their own time doing this, you know. It's I guess legitimate science, some research, some extracurricular research if you want to put it that way.

KAGAN: Science you can use. And you know, the Alka Seltzer, a lot of people who will be out later today, enjoying the Guinness and the beer.

SIEBERG: You might need that later.

KAGAN: There you go.

SIEBERG: Because you could do both at the same time.

KAGAN: News you can use.

Daniel Sieberg, don't partake too much. Not too much reporter involvement down there.

SIEBERG: No, no, no, we'll be giving this to somebody else.

KAGAN: Either that or the live shots later today will be very interesting.

KAGAN: Thank you, Daniel.

SIEBERG: All right.

KAGAN: It contains images that America will always remember, images that one photographer can't forget. It's a new book that give us an incredible view of 2 1/2 years of war. You're going meet the people behind the lens, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: One way to recall the war that began a year ago this week in Iraq is through the lens of the camera. There's a new book out. It's simply called "War." It contains haunting images from a dozen photographers, and include shots from Ground Zero to Afghanistan to the fall of Saddam.

And one of the feature photographers is Christopher Morris. He's covered the Iraq war for "Time" magazine. Christopher joins us from Tampa, Florida this morning.

And as you can see from some of the first photos we've showed you, many of the pictures are rather graphic, as is the business of war.

Christopher, good morning, thank you for being with us.

CHRISTOPHER MORRIS, WAR PHOTOJOURNALIST: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you for having me.

KAGAN: You've been in this business 20 years. You've covered any number of conflicts. What about this one and this experience stands out to you?

MORRIS: Oh. To me, just the historic importance of it. It's -- a lot of the stories I've covered over the years dealt with, you know, smaller, be it Chechnya, or Panama invasion. Just the grand scale of this war. The controversy over the war, the fact that support in Europe wasn't there for the war.

KAGAN: We're putting up some of your images now. If you could tell us what we're seeing.

MORRIS: This is -- I think it's the 7th of April, maybe the 6th of April. I'm not exactly sure, because my mind slips me here, but it's in Baghdad, the northern outskirts of Baghdad. This is a tank, a secondary explosion of an Iraqi tank that was exploding. And I was with Charlie Company, the 1st of the 30th and the 3rd ID. And it's in one of the northern suburbs of Baghdad.

KAGAN: All right, let's put another image.

Were you embedded?

MORRIS: I was embedded, but I wasn't an official embed.

KAGAN: Now here's a very graphic image. This is clearly two men who have lost their lives. Where was this, and...

MORRIS: This is also in Baghdad, just in -- it's like a suburb of -- on the northwest sector of Baghdad. Not sure if they were soldiers or civilians, but they were definitely caught up in the...

KAGAN: In the fighting?

MORRIS: Yes, in the fighting. When the 3rd ID moved into the city.

KAGAN: All right. And this is an interesting image coming up next. Man at gunpoint.

MORRIS: Yes, this is -- we were doing what was called route protection. This is where we're trying to protect the convoys, and it was during the big sandstorm that happened, lasted for a couple days. And they were looking for what's called an RPG team that was ambushing convoys and this vehicle came up the road, and they removed a farmer and his son, and I'm not sure -- another relative, out of a vehicle.

KAGAN: Christopher, when do you know when you've seen too much? Do you ever get numb to seeing the dead bodies, the terror, like on this you see a scared child here?

MORRIS: Yes, it's not when you're there. It usually comes back much later if you're having to edit your photos a month later and you're thinking about what you've seen.

And the important role of a photographer, at least a photojournalist, you're trying to make an historic document. It's -- I shoot for "Time" magazine, but it's not necessarily I'm looking for that week to illustrate. I'm trying to make an historic document that will last, you know, the test of time. You know, 40 years from now, 50 years from now, I want people to be able to look back at the images and just have a record of it.

KAGAN: Well, it is an important and dangerous work. And we thank you for your contribution to the book. It's called "War." It's a huge, heavy, almost-coffee table book. And thanks for your time and for sharing your images. Christopher Morris.

MORRIS: Thank you.

KAGAN: Thank you so much.

Martha Stewart's daughter is speaking out in the wake of the guilty verdict in her mother's obstruction of justice trial. It's an exclusive interview. Alexis Stewart talks only to our Larry King and says she thinks it would be incredibly wrong if her mother went to jail. She also talks about her personal relationship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: What's her biggest fault?

ALEXIS STEWART, DAUGHTER OF MARTHA STEWART: She's too, ironically, forgiving and kind and -- I know people don't know that, but she was incredibly generous and she gives too much, I think.

KING: So, would that be ...

STEWART: Too trusting.

KING: Would that be the thing that most people don't know about your mother?

STEWART: I think so.

KING: So, in other words, you don't think she harbors grudges.

STEWART: No, not at all. I always encourage her. I try to encourage her to harbor...

KING: You're a grudge harborer?

STEWART: Yes.

KING: She will not come out of this bitter?

STEWART: No.

KING: That's surprising, because most people who feel they didn't do anything wrong ...

STEWART: Well, I don't think she's going to give up. I think she's incredibly saddened, incredibly saddened.

KING: But sad more than angry? STEWART: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: You can see the rest of Larry's exclusive interview with Alexis Stewart tonight right here on CNN beginning at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

(MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Want to show you some live picture from New York City, St. Patrick's Day parade. Mother Nature didn't cooperate today, a lot of snow and kind of blustery weather there. But not going to stop them. This is the 243rd annual parade of Irish Pride through the streets of New York City. So happy St. Patrick's day.

From that we have to pull something from our "nobody can really be that ditsy" department. Jessica Simpson, you know her, on a White House tour apparently bumped into Interior Secretary Gale Norton. She reportedly told Norton, "You know, you've done a really good job decorating the White House."

Simpson was in Washington to tape a fund raiser for Ford's Theater. You know, it worked for

(WEATHER UPDATE)

KAGAN: Happy St. Patrick's Day to you. And that's going to do it for me, Daryn Kagan. I'll see you right here tomorrow morning.

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






Osama Bin Laden; A Year in Iraq; Iditarod>