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CNN Live Today

Tax Day Tips

Aired April 15, 2004 - 10:30   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 check the numbers. Markets coming up on having been opened about an hour. Dow is up 18 points. Nasdaq, well, not doing much. Down two points. Much more on those numbers ahead.
The numbers most people looking at today is your tax numbers. Many of you have already filed your tax forms and even have your refund in your pocket, but many others are trying to do their taxes or file an extension before the midnight deadline tonight. CNNfn personal finance correspondent, Gerri Willis. Some tax tips for all the folks out there. Good morning.

GERRI WILLIS, CNNfN PERSONAL FINANCE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn. Yeah, today is the day. And you know what? You have to make it. You have to file something or you face incredible penalties and interest payments in the future. So what do you need? If you're having a hard time and you need an extension it's easy enough to get a four-month extension by filing form 4868. You can get that from IRS.gov the Web site or any tax preparation software will have a copy of it as well.

Now, if you can't pay your bill, if that's the problem, the IRS will allow you to develop your own installment plan. You can pay your tax bill over time. You've got to get form 9465. That's 9465.

Now if your bill is less than $10,000 you're going to have to pay it over three years, at least over $10,000 will give you up to five years -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Lets talk about positive news what about those taxpayers who have a nice cash in their pocket because they got a refund.

WILLIS: Well you can ask somebody else and they might tell you to go to the mall you can tell some people but not me. Not me. I'm not saying that! There are lots of smart things you can do with the money.

About $2,000 families are getting on average this year. Could be a little higher. Hey what about your kids? Why not start that college savings program you thought so much about. You could start a 529 plan, that's what the states offer to parents who want to invest overtime with no tax consequence go to SavingForCollege.com.

And think about that credit card debt most families have $9,000 in credit card debt and paying hundreds of dollars in interest fees every year. You could carve that back just a little bit with your refund and save yourself a whole lot of dough. Daryn? KAGAN: Every party needs a pooper, that's why I invite you.

WILLIS: It's me!

KAGAN: Good advice and makes for a better party down the line if you follow your tips. Because you're here to serve, we want you to answer a question from a specific viewer . This is from Rahman and he writes in to you, Gerri, and says, I sold my primary residence in 2003 with no capitol gains tax implication however I paid 6 percent real estate agent fees. Is this tax deductible?.

WILLIS: Well, short answer is there is probably no more tax benefit for you. But more broadly for people who are in the situation, they're selling a house, the brokerage commission can be deducted from the sales price and that will ultimately reduce how much money you make, the capital gain on the house.

Keep in mind they're generous here. If you're single, $250,000 that you can take capital gain tax applies. Now, if you're married filing jointly that number is $500,000. Taxes are pretty generous on this score and it's really hard to make that brokerage commission make a big difference in your tax bill.

KAGAN: Gerri Willis, thanks for the tip. You said you were going to file an extension?

WILLIS: No, no, no. they're gone already.

KAGAN: You're done? I'm done, done, done. Yes, actually, well- trained. Thank you so much, Gerri. Appreciate .it

The promise of getting good pay other than that no guarantees for contract workers in Iraq for some money, it's no longer a deciding factor. And we have the extraordinary story of an every day hero a young boys dying wish for his classmate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan. Lets take a look at the latest developments at this hour the CIA is analyzing a new audiotape said to be from Osama bin Laden.

The speaker threatens revenge on the March 22 Israeli killing of the founder of Hamas, but offers a truce to the European countries that stop attacking Muslims. CIA officials say the tape was made in the last three weeks. Intelligence officials are trying to determine whether the voice on the tape is that of Osama bin Laden.

President Bush is on the road and on the stump today. A few minutes ago, he left the White House en route to Iowa to address an economic symposium on rural America. Just last night Iowa's senate last night adopted a resolution calling for the state's congressional delegation to support making permanent Mr. Bush's tax cuts.

British Prime Minister Blair meets with the world's top diplomat later today to discuss the war in Iraq. Mr. Blair meets with the United Nations General Secretary Kofi Annan over dinner tonight and then tomorrow, Mr. Blair will be meeting with President Bush.

Palestinian leaders are voicing outrage against President Bush and his endorsement yesterday of an Israeli proposal to hold on to parts of the West Bank. Yasser Arafat is vowing, quote, to defend our land and sacred places. Mr. Bush's endorsement gives Israel backing and detaining some settlements.

Now we focus on the tape recording said to be the voice of Osama bin Laden. A message that tries to further divide the U.S. and its European allies. There is no way at this moment to confirm the identity of the voice but CNN experts say that it does, indeed, sound like Osama bin Laden. For the latest we turn to our CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, this audiotape very much appears to follow on from the Madrid bombing. The audiotape clearly recorded after the Madrid bombings on March 11, also clearly after the killing of Sheikh Yassin in Gaza on March 22.

But what it says it says its following on the good reactions essentially in Europe and perhaps taken to mean by many experts to mean the reaction following the Madrid bombings.

The newly elected government in Madrid, in Spain following those bombings said they would potentially pull their troops out of Iraq. This statement goes on to say that it gives three months to European countries to pull out of their involvement with the United States, their involvement in Muslim countries. It says that they should stop destroying Muslims specifically in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in Palestine as well. The message says that the events of March 11 in Madrid, the bombings there and the events of September 11 are your goods returned to you.

That was the language used on that tape reportedly by Osama bin Laden. This message sets out to tell the European countries that they should now stop working with the United States, that they should withdraw any involvement, any involvement in Muslim countries, that they should stop any aggression against Muslims and then if that is the case and they're given three months then there would be a truce against them.

There would essentially be a stop in potential attacks against those countries. This message says for those who want to essentially heed this message, then there is a potential for a truce. For those who don't, it said we are the sons of war -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Nic, hardly the most tempting offer ever in the history of the world and, yet, isn't this a shift in tone if this is Osama bin Laden and a message from al Qaeda? Almost in their terms away a way of negotiating?

ROBERTSON: Well, perhaps not really so much a negotiation because it's an offer, if you will, for the European countries to disassociate themselves with the United States. It is perhaps a far more politically astute message than we've heard coming from Osama bin Laden. It does seem to follow one very precisely from what he will have read or thinks he has read from the situation following the bombings, the train bombings in Spain on March 11. But it is not really a truce towards the United States anyway. There is no offer here that the United States can withdraw from these countries.

KAGAN: Nic Robertson joining us live from Afghanistan.

We move on now 33 minutes past the hour news from the United States to Brookfield, Wisconsin. A family honors a fallen soldier.

One of three sisters to answer the call of duty in Iraq. Michelle Witmer served in the National Guard as do her sisters. The sisters granted leave and returned home Monday. It's not clear if they're going back to Iraq. Soldiers who lose a family member in a hostile area can seek an exemption .

U.S. contractor Halliburton has identified now Steven fisher of Virginia Beach, Virginia who worked for the Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root. Five others coworkers remain missing after that attack. Another KBR employee was videotaped as he was held at gun point.

And two of the KBR truck drivers who escaped that ambush are back home with a word of warning for anyone else concerning the big lure of money for working in a war zone. Here is CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daddy.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Steve Hearing and Stacy Clark feel safe again. Four months as civilian Halliburton contractors driving fuel tanks in Iraq was too much to handle. He says the mood in Iraq started changing three weeks ago. Mortar fire and explosions were already common and last Friday, their convoy was ambushed.

STEVE HEARING, TRUCK DRIVER: I seen (ph) a guy come across from the left side of the road. He come across (ph) and threw a grenade underneath his Steven's rear trailer tires. Well, it just ignited. It just, boom, you know? Flames everywhere.

LAVANDERA: Hearing and Clark never drove another route. They quit. Halliburton says 30 of its employees have been killed in Kuwait and Iraq and are not allowed to carry weapons and are lured to the job by the promise of a 80,000 a year paycheck. In Houston thousands of people are still applying for civilian jobs in Iraq. This training job is the last chance for prospective employees to back out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rocket that went through the side of the trailer, they made it. He didn't.

LAVANDERA: Despite the warnings, John Bolam is ready for his second trip back to Iraq.

JOHN BOLAM, TRUCK DRIVER: I'm going more for the fact that I'm too old to go into the military. I am ex-military and I want to do my part and this is one of the ways I can help take care of our guys over there in Iraq.

LAVANDERA: Since returning from Iraq, Hearing and Clark have been urging people to think hard before signing up.

HEARING: Especially if you're going to drive up and down the roads in Iraq, really rethink it. Is the money really worth dying for?

LAVANDERA: For Steve and Stacy the answer was simple.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY we have the story of a little boy and his dying wish for his classmates. An extraordinary story of generosity. And a cultural phenomenon that finds a permanent spot on the tube. We're going inside the real hip-hop network for a Preview

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(FINANCIAL REPORT)

KAGAN: We have news coming in from Summerville, New Jersey. The judge in the trial of former NBA star Jayson Williams has denied the request by the defense to throw out the charges. You see a live picture there of the courtroom.

The defense for Jayson Williams claimed that evidence that was withheld by the prosecution about one of their witnesses was preventing the NBA player, former NBA player from getting a fair trial.

The judge has denied the motion and the trial will go on. Jayson Williams faces a number of charges in connection with the shooting death of a limousine driver at his estate in New Jersey back on Valentine's day of 2002. If he is convicted on all of the charges he could face up to 55 years in prison. So the Jayson Williams trial does go on in New Jersey.

Here now some other stories making news. A court appearance scheduled today for the Washington state man accused of possessing the deadly poison ricin. An autistic man, 37-year-old Robert Albert was arrested last Friday at his apartment in Kirkland. Police have found ricin and materials to make it but not a possible motive.

The left leaning radio network Air America has fallen silent in Chicago and Los Angeles but it soon will have an audience in court. The network has filed a complaint in New York supreme court against the owner of 2 stations. The owner says the liberal network's check to pay for the airtime bounced.

Here is one of the few safe bets in Vegas. The show will go on. Eventually. Three days after a power outage plunged the Bellagio Resort into darkness, workers were able to reopen the casino and its 3,000 guest rooms. Business losses are likely to top $3 million. Authorities have not said what caused the outage.

And now an inspiring story out of St. Louis. This is about a 9- year-old boy who passed away last week after several months battling cancer. What makes this story so special though, is the gift that he leaves behind for his friends at school.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KAGAN (voice-over): He was always passionate about the playground. The monkey bars were Max's favorite but last year, everything changed.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Just like, whoa, what the heck? And he's all sick and stuff.

KAGAN: Doctors diagnosed Mak (ph) with a brain tumor the kind for which there is no cure. This winter, Mak's condition began to worsen leaving him unable to walk or talk but he was able to make a wish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Make A Wish Foundation asked him to make one wish come true and he wished for that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to jump down!

KAGAN: It's a rock climbing wall, something he would of loved and something his friends will now enjoy at Ellisville Elementary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He could have wished for anything to meet the president or anything he wants. He wished this for us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I'm king!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought he was going to wish that he were there was a medicine or something. And he just wished for that and I was like, whoa, he's really nice.

KAGAN: Crews installed it as quickly as possible. Though Mak couldn't see it, his school mates made a tape of it so he could hear it for himself. They describe in detail each hand hold and each crevice and peak on this wall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he would see this, would he very glad and see us playing on it. He would just be really glad.

KAGAN: Mak knew his friends would like it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just climbing and with the rocks. I don't know. It's just fun.

KAGAN: Even at the young age, the kids say the wall is more than just something to play on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time I'm going to get on this wall, I think about him and what did he for us. It's got him in it and he did this for us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Get ready to hang on. They are saddled for a sacred ritual. We'll tell you where and when CNN LIVE TODAY returns and this is what we're working on for the next hour. Which we're going to get to in just a moment.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: They are saddled up for a sacred ritual and we'll tell you about this ahead when "CNN LIVE TODAY" returns and this is what we're working on for the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We know what you're asking yourself. You're wondering what these people are saying at the start of this popular festival in Japan. They're saying prayers of good luck and blessing before sending five to six men go tumbling over a mountain top on a log. That sounds like fun?

Occasionally somebody does get killed. The sacred ritual dates back over a thousand years it's held every seven years and no reports of injury or deaths this year. Thank goodness.

OK on to hip hop. How hip are you? If you think hip-hop is about bling bling fat rides and cool gear and bling and more, there is more. There is a new television network that wants to school you on the subject.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN (voice-over): Hip-hop has pierced through the very fabric of American culture and what started out as an inner city pastime has become a cash cow with sales singing into the tune of billions of dollars each year.

The social revolution will soon be televised. The real hip-hop network known as RHN it's the first 24 hour cable network solely devoted to all things hip-hop. It has an endorsement from rap pioneer Chuck D. RHN hopes to bring integrity back to hip-hop.

ATONN MUHAMMAD, FOUNDER, CEO, RHN: Real hip-hop has, I believe, has integrity. It has intelligence. It is the CNN of the masses. It gives the news the information, the pain, the struggle of the individuals who listen to it.

KAGAN: The founders say RHN will offer music videos, as well as original programming including hip hop political news and live concerts. The real hip-hop network aims to bring a balance to the current perception to hip-hop.

MUHAMMAD: BET, MTV, VH-1 and only have represented a small portion of hip-hop. We are going to be able to expose to the world all aspects of hip-hop.

KAGAN: The commercialization of this culture has both critics and fans alike of accusing hip-hop of losing its way.

MUHAMMAD: We want to be the voice of the peers and have that opportunity to show the underground, the grassroots and some of the mainstream artistes who want to connect back to what made rap important, not just trying to make the billboard charts.

KAGAN: The culture transcends music and now the hip-hop community has united.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hip-hop!

KAGAN: And flex a little political muscle and given today's political landscape, some candidates now value the hip-hop vote and presidential hopeful John Kerry has declared his hipness.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm fascinated by rap and by hip-hop. I think there is a lot of poetry in it, there's a lot of anger, a lot of social energy in it and I think you better listen to it pretty carefully because it's important.

KAGAN: Muhammed says it's important to give this life style to the world but as he looks to the future of hip-hop, he can't help but reminisce of what once was.

MUHAMMAD: An opportunity to be able to put information to a tight beat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at the new network debut on satellite and cable later this month and get the real 411 on the real hip-hop network. "Vibe"'s magazine editor Eric Parker in New York.

ERIC PARKER, EDITOR, "VIBE" MAGAZINE: I'm glad to be here.

KAGAN: Does the world need a hip-hop network?

PARKER: I think when you're talking about hip-hop music, it's a big culture and it became American culture and I think there is definitely a need for it or is a market for it to say the least. You've got other networks coming out too. There is hype which is launched off of "Playboy" and Hot Young People's Entertainment Network which is more of an adult network and it's combining hip-hop and adult entertainment. I think people are trying to use hip-hop to talk to a certain market.

KAGAN: So let me ask you this about hip hop hip-hop, is this actually good for hip-hop? Because what made it cool was it was outside. It was ahead of the mainstream but it's kind of making it mainstream so it's taking away its edge, is it not?

PARKER: I do believe there is a little bit of when there is a network title the real hip-hop network, I do believe there is some degree of now we are the we're outside. We are the mainstream. Hip- hop, MTV, BET before, I mean regular networks use hip-hop to sell products, to make money, to actually talk to a demographic.

So I think hip-hop is the mainstream culture at this point. I mean, from the suburbs to the hood. Hip-hop is everywhere. So I think at this point, there still is that element of mainstream, but there is always an undercurrent of insider going on.

KAGAN: This is what I need from you. From "VIBE" magazine from those of you who are not among the coolest, hippest on the edge not cool like you, Eric, what is the next thing? How can you school us so we know not hip-hop but we're on to fill in that blank for us.

PARKER: The thing about hip-hop is that it's evolvement. It will be hip-hop but it will be hip-hop on a different level so there is always it's always recreating itself. It's always reinventing. There is a whole now crop of artists and young folks interested in the culture and we don't know exactly where it's going to go all the way but we do know that it's going to be at the roof, hip-hop.

KAGAN: Give me one CD I could say I'm listening to blankety blank.

PARKER: You might want to listen to Kanye West CD is good and Young Guns have a good CD. These are the new up and coming stars in hip-hop.

KAGAN: I don't want to listen to them. I want to say that it sounds cool when I'm talking to some of my friends. Appreciate the tip. Eric Parker talking about hip-hop from "VIBE" magazine.

PARKER: Thank you.

KAGAN: 24/7, point your browser to cnn.com/entertainment. You'll find thoughts on whether Kwame or Bill will become the apprentice that airs tonight, the finale. There is a story about a concept involving football and lingerie clad female players. Whatever! Check it out! It's on cnn.com.

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


Aired April 15, 2004 - 10:30   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 check the numbers. Markets coming up on having been opened about an hour. Dow is up 18 points. Nasdaq, well, not doing much. Down two points. Much more on those numbers ahead.
The numbers most people looking at today is your tax numbers. Many of you have already filed your tax forms and even have your refund in your pocket, but many others are trying to do their taxes or file an extension before the midnight deadline tonight. CNNfn personal finance correspondent, Gerri Willis. Some tax tips for all the folks out there. Good morning.

GERRI WILLIS, CNNfN PERSONAL FINANCE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn. Yeah, today is the day. And you know what? You have to make it. You have to file something or you face incredible penalties and interest payments in the future. So what do you need? If you're having a hard time and you need an extension it's easy enough to get a four-month extension by filing form 4868. You can get that from IRS.gov the Web site or any tax preparation software will have a copy of it as well.

Now, if you can't pay your bill, if that's the problem, the IRS will allow you to develop your own installment plan. You can pay your tax bill over time. You've got to get form 9465. That's 9465.

Now if your bill is less than $10,000 you're going to have to pay it over three years, at least over $10,000 will give you up to five years -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Lets talk about positive news what about those taxpayers who have a nice cash in their pocket because they got a refund.

WILLIS: Well you can ask somebody else and they might tell you to go to the mall you can tell some people but not me. Not me. I'm not saying that! There are lots of smart things you can do with the money.

About $2,000 families are getting on average this year. Could be a little higher. Hey what about your kids? Why not start that college savings program you thought so much about. You could start a 529 plan, that's what the states offer to parents who want to invest overtime with no tax consequence go to SavingForCollege.com.

And think about that credit card debt most families have $9,000 in credit card debt and paying hundreds of dollars in interest fees every year. You could carve that back just a little bit with your refund and save yourself a whole lot of dough. Daryn? KAGAN: Every party needs a pooper, that's why I invite you.

WILLIS: It's me!

KAGAN: Good advice and makes for a better party down the line if you follow your tips. Because you're here to serve, we want you to answer a question from a specific viewer . This is from Rahman and he writes in to you, Gerri, and says, I sold my primary residence in 2003 with no capitol gains tax implication however I paid 6 percent real estate agent fees. Is this tax deductible?.

WILLIS: Well, short answer is there is probably no more tax benefit for you. But more broadly for people who are in the situation, they're selling a house, the brokerage commission can be deducted from the sales price and that will ultimately reduce how much money you make, the capital gain on the house.

Keep in mind they're generous here. If you're single, $250,000 that you can take capital gain tax applies. Now, if you're married filing jointly that number is $500,000. Taxes are pretty generous on this score and it's really hard to make that brokerage commission make a big difference in your tax bill.

KAGAN: Gerri Willis, thanks for the tip. You said you were going to file an extension?

WILLIS: No, no, no. they're gone already.

KAGAN: You're done? I'm done, done, done. Yes, actually, well- trained. Thank you so much, Gerri. Appreciate .it

The promise of getting good pay other than that no guarantees for contract workers in Iraq for some money, it's no longer a deciding factor. And we have the extraordinary story of an every day hero a young boys dying wish for his classmate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan. Lets take a look at the latest developments at this hour the CIA is analyzing a new audiotape said to be from Osama bin Laden.

The speaker threatens revenge on the March 22 Israeli killing of the founder of Hamas, but offers a truce to the European countries that stop attacking Muslims. CIA officials say the tape was made in the last three weeks. Intelligence officials are trying to determine whether the voice on the tape is that of Osama bin Laden.

President Bush is on the road and on the stump today. A few minutes ago, he left the White House en route to Iowa to address an economic symposium on rural America. Just last night Iowa's senate last night adopted a resolution calling for the state's congressional delegation to support making permanent Mr. Bush's tax cuts.

British Prime Minister Blair meets with the world's top diplomat later today to discuss the war in Iraq. Mr. Blair meets with the United Nations General Secretary Kofi Annan over dinner tonight and then tomorrow, Mr. Blair will be meeting with President Bush.

Palestinian leaders are voicing outrage against President Bush and his endorsement yesterday of an Israeli proposal to hold on to parts of the West Bank. Yasser Arafat is vowing, quote, to defend our land and sacred places. Mr. Bush's endorsement gives Israel backing and detaining some settlements.

Now we focus on the tape recording said to be the voice of Osama bin Laden. A message that tries to further divide the U.S. and its European allies. There is no way at this moment to confirm the identity of the voice but CNN experts say that it does, indeed, sound like Osama bin Laden. For the latest we turn to our CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, this audiotape very much appears to follow on from the Madrid bombing. The audiotape clearly recorded after the Madrid bombings on March 11, also clearly after the killing of Sheikh Yassin in Gaza on March 22.

But what it says it says its following on the good reactions essentially in Europe and perhaps taken to mean by many experts to mean the reaction following the Madrid bombings.

The newly elected government in Madrid, in Spain following those bombings said they would potentially pull their troops out of Iraq. This statement goes on to say that it gives three months to European countries to pull out of their involvement with the United States, their involvement in Muslim countries. It says that they should stop destroying Muslims specifically in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in Palestine as well. The message says that the events of March 11 in Madrid, the bombings there and the events of September 11 are your goods returned to you.

That was the language used on that tape reportedly by Osama bin Laden. This message sets out to tell the European countries that they should now stop working with the United States, that they should withdraw any involvement, any involvement in Muslim countries, that they should stop any aggression against Muslims and then if that is the case and they're given three months then there would be a truce against them.

There would essentially be a stop in potential attacks against those countries. This message says for those who want to essentially heed this message, then there is a potential for a truce. For those who don't, it said we are the sons of war -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Nic, hardly the most tempting offer ever in the history of the world and, yet, isn't this a shift in tone if this is Osama bin Laden and a message from al Qaeda? Almost in their terms away a way of negotiating?

ROBERTSON: Well, perhaps not really so much a negotiation because it's an offer, if you will, for the European countries to disassociate themselves with the United States. It is perhaps a far more politically astute message than we've heard coming from Osama bin Laden. It does seem to follow one very precisely from what he will have read or thinks he has read from the situation following the bombings, the train bombings in Spain on March 11. But it is not really a truce towards the United States anyway. There is no offer here that the United States can withdraw from these countries.

KAGAN: Nic Robertson joining us live from Afghanistan.

We move on now 33 minutes past the hour news from the United States to Brookfield, Wisconsin. A family honors a fallen soldier.

One of three sisters to answer the call of duty in Iraq. Michelle Witmer served in the National Guard as do her sisters. The sisters granted leave and returned home Monday. It's not clear if they're going back to Iraq. Soldiers who lose a family member in a hostile area can seek an exemption .

U.S. contractor Halliburton has identified now Steven fisher of Virginia Beach, Virginia who worked for the Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root. Five others coworkers remain missing after that attack. Another KBR employee was videotaped as he was held at gun point.

And two of the KBR truck drivers who escaped that ambush are back home with a word of warning for anyone else concerning the big lure of money for working in a war zone. Here is CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daddy.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Steve Hearing and Stacy Clark feel safe again. Four months as civilian Halliburton contractors driving fuel tanks in Iraq was too much to handle. He says the mood in Iraq started changing three weeks ago. Mortar fire and explosions were already common and last Friday, their convoy was ambushed.

STEVE HEARING, TRUCK DRIVER: I seen (ph) a guy come across from the left side of the road. He come across (ph) and threw a grenade underneath his Steven's rear trailer tires. Well, it just ignited. It just, boom, you know? Flames everywhere.

LAVANDERA: Hearing and Clark never drove another route. They quit. Halliburton says 30 of its employees have been killed in Kuwait and Iraq and are not allowed to carry weapons and are lured to the job by the promise of a 80,000 a year paycheck. In Houston thousands of people are still applying for civilian jobs in Iraq. This training job is the last chance for prospective employees to back out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rocket that went through the side of the trailer, they made it. He didn't.

LAVANDERA: Despite the warnings, John Bolam is ready for his second trip back to Iraq.

JOHN BOLAM, TRUCK DRIVER: I'm going more for the fact that I'm too old to go into the military. I am ex-military and I want to do my part and this is one of the ways I can help take care of our guys over there in Iraq.

LAVANDERA: Since returning from Iraq, Hearing and Clark have been urging people to think hard before signing up.

HEARING: Especially if you're going to drive up and down the roads in Iraq, really rethink it. Is the money really worth dying for?

LAVANDERA: For Steve and Stacy the answer was simple.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY we have the story of a little boy and his dying wish for his classmates. An extraordinary story of generosity. And a cultural phenomenon that finds a permanent spot on the tube. We're going inside the real hip-hop network for a Preview

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(FINANCIAL REPORT)

KAGAN: We have news coming in from Summerville, New Jersey. The judge in the trial of former NBA star Jayson Williams has denied the request by the defense to throw out the charges. You see a live picture there of the courtroom.

The defense for Jayson Williams claimed that evidence that was withheld by the prosecution about one of their witnesses was preventing the NBA player, former NBA player from getting a fair trial.

The judge has denied the motion and the trial will go on. Jayson Williams faces a number of charges in connection with the shooting death of a limousine driver at his estate in New Jersey back on Valentine's day of 2002. If he is convicted on all of the charges he could face up to 55 years in prison. So the Jayson Williams trial does go on in New Jersey.

Here now some other stories making news. A court appearance scheduled today for the Washington state man accused of possessing the deadly poison ricin. An autistic man, 37-year-old Robert Albert was arrested last Friday at his apartment in Kirkland. Police have found ricin and materials to make it but not a possible motive.

The left leaning radio network Air America has fallen silent in Chicago and Los Angeles but it soon will have an audience in court. The network has filed a complaint in New York supreme court against the owner of 2 stations. The owner says the liberal network's check to pay for the airtime bounced.

Here is one of the few safe bets in Vegas. The show will go on. Eventually. Three days after a power outage plunged the Bellagio Resort into darkness, workers were able to reopen the casino and its 3,000 guest rooms. Business losses are likely to top $3 million. Authorities have not said what caused the outage.

And now an inspiring story out of St. Louis. This is about a 9- year-old boy who passed away last week after several months battling cancer. What makes this story so special though, is the gift that he leaves behind for his friends at school.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KAGAN (voice-over): He was always passionate about the playground. The monkey bars were Max's favorite but last year, everything changed.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Just like, whoa, what the heck? And he's all sick and stuff.

KAGAN: Doctors diagnosed Mak (ph) with a brain tumor the kind for which there is no cure. This winter, Mak's condition began to worsen leaving him unable to walk or talk but he was able to make a wish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Make A Wish Foundation asked him to make one wish come true and he wished for that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to jump down!

KAGAN: It's a rock climbing wall, something he would of loved and something his friends will now enjoy at Ellisville Elementary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He could have wished for anything to meet the president or anything he wants. He wished this for us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I'm king!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought he was going to wish that he were there was a medicine or something. And he just wished for that and I was like, whoa, he's really nice.

KAGAN: Crews installed it as quickly as possible. Though Mak couldn't see it, his school mates made a tape of it so he could hear it for himself. They describe in detail each hand hold and each crevice and peak on this wall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he would see this, would he very glad and see us playing on it. He would just be really glad.

KAGAN: Mak knew his friends would like it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just climbing and with the rocks. I don't know. It's just fun.

KAGAN: Even at the young age, the kids say the wall is more than just something to play on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time I'm going to get on this wall, I think about him and what did he for us. It's got him in it and he did this for us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Get ready to hang on. They are saddled for a sacred ritual. We'll tell you where and when CNN LIVE TODAY returns and this is what we're working on for the next hour. Which we're going to get to in just a moment.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: They are saddled up for a sacred ritual and we'll tell you about this ahead when "CNN LIVE TODAY" returns and this is what we're working on for the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We know what you're asking yourself. You're wondering what these people are saying at the start of this popular festival in Japan. They're saying prayers of good luck and blessing before sending five to six men go tumbling over a mountain top on a log. That sounds like fun?

Occasionally somebody does get killed. The sacred ritual dates back over a thousand years it's held every seven years and no reports of injury or deaths this year. Thank goodness.

OK on to hip hop. How hip are you? If you think hip-hop is about bling bling fat rides and cool gear and bling and more, there is more. There is a new television network that wants to school you on the subject.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN (voice-over): Hip-hop has pierced through the very fabric of American culture and what started out as an inner city pastime has become a cash cow with sales singing into the tune of billions of dollars each year.

The social revolution will soon be televised. The real hip-hop network known as RHN it's the first 24 hour cable network solely devoted to all things hip-hop. It has an endorsement from rap pioneer Chuck D. RHN hopes to bring integrity back to hip-hop.

ATONN MUHAMMAD, FOUNDER, CEO, RHN: Real hip-hop has, I believe, has integrity. It has intelligence. It is the CNN of the masses. It gives the news the information, the pain, the struggle of the individuals who listen to it.

KAGAN: The founders say RHN will offer music videos, as well as original programming including hip hop political news and live concerts. The real hip-hop network aims to bring a balance to the current perception to hip-hop.

MUHAMMAD: BET, MTV, VH-1 and only have represented a small portion of hip-hop. We are going to be able to expose to the world all aspects of hip-hop.

KAGAN: The commercialization of this culture has both critics and fans alike of accusing hip-hop of losing its way.

MUHAMMAD: We want to be the voice of the peers and have that opportunity to show the underground, the grassroots and some of the mainstream artistes who want to connect back to what made rap important, not just trying to make the billboard charts.

KAGAN: The culture transcends music and now the hip-hop community has united.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hip-hop!

KAGAN: And flex a little political muscle and given today's political landscape, some candidates now value the hip-hop vote and presidential hopeful John Kerry has declared his hipness.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm fascinated by rap and by hip-hop. I think there is a lot of poetry in it, there's a lot of anger, a lot of social energy in it and I think you better listen to it pretty carefully because it's important.

KAGAN: Muhammed says it's important to give this life style to the world but as he looks to the future of hip-hop, he can't help but reminisce of what once was.

MUHAMMAD: An opportunity to be able to put information to a tight beat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at the new network debut on satellite and cable later this month and get the real 411 on the real hip-hop network. "Vibe"'s magazine editor Eric Parker in New York.

ERIC PARKER, EDITOR, "VIBE" MAGAZINE: I'm glad to be here.

KAGAN: Does the world need a hip-hop network?

PARKER: I think when you're talking about hip-hop music, it's a big culture and it became American culture and I think there is definitely a need for it or is a market for it to say the least. You've got other networks coming out too. There is hype which is launched off of "Playboy" and Hot Young People's Entertainment Network which is more of an adult network and it's combining hip-hop and adult entertainment. I think people are trying to use hip-hop to talk to a certain market.

KAGAN: So let me ask you this about hip hop hip-hop, is this actually good for hip-hop? Because what made it cool was it was outside. It was ahead of the mainstream but it's kind of making it mainstream so it's taking away its edge, is it not?

PARKER: I do believe there is a little bit of when there is a network title the real hip-hop network, I do believe there is some degree of now we are the we're outside. We are the mainstream. Hip- hop, MTV, BET before, I mean regular networks use hip-hop to sell products, to make money, to actually talk to a demographic.

So I think hip-hop is the mainstream culture at this point. I mean, from the suburbs to the hood. Hip-hop is everywhere. So I think at this point, there still is that element of mainstream, but there is always an undercurrent of insider going on.

KAGAN: This is what I need from you. From "VIBE" magazine from those of you who are not among the coolest, hippest on the edge not cool like you, Eric, what is the next thing? How can you school us so we know not hip-hop but we're on to fill in that blank for us.

PARKER: The thing about hip-hop is that it's evolvement. It will be hip-hop but it will be hip-hop on a different level so there is always it's always recreating itself. It's always reinventing. There is a whole now crop of artists and young folks interested in the culture and we don't know exactly where it's going to go all the way but we do know that it's going to be at the roof, hip-hop.

KAGAN: Give me one CD I could say I'm listening to blankety blank.

PARKER: You might want to listen to Kanye West CD is good and Young Guns have a good CD. These are the new up and coming stars in hip-hop.

KAGAN: I don't want to listen to them. I want to say that it sounds cool when I'm talking to some of my friends. Appreciate the tip. Eric Parker talking about hip-hop from "VIBE" magazine.

PARKER: Thank you.

KAGAN: 24/7, point your browser to cnn.com/entertainment. You'll find thoughts on whether Kwame or Bill will become the apprentice that airs tonight, the finale. There is a story about a concept involving football and lingerie clad female players. Whatever! Check it out! It's on cnn.com.

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