Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Legal Rendition of Musical Chairs Providing Back Beat for Jackson's Child Molestation Case; New Display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art Raising Interest, Eyebrows

Aired April 26, 2004 - 10:31   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: I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at the top stories at this hour. Clouds of smoke and simmering concerns linger over Fallujah, an Iraqi hotspot of insurgency. One U.S. soldier is confirmed dead in Fallujah. Ten U.S. Marines have been injured earlier today in what's being described as a raging firefight. Local residents face a deadline tomorrow to surrender heavy weapons to coalition forces.
The family of Pat Tillman continues to grieve in private. They planned funeral arrangements for the NFL player, who abandoned a multimillion-dollar contract to enlist as an elite U.S. Army Ranger. Tillman was killed in combat in Afghanistan last week. His brother, Kevin, who is also in the military, will accompany the body home.

President Bush arrived minutes ago in Minnesota. There is a live picture of the president speaking. It is a key battleground state in the upcoming presidential election. Both the Bush and John Kerry campaigns have been stumping for volunteer campaign workers in that state, which narrowly went to Al Gore in the last presidential contest.

The record-breaking price of gasoline creeps even higher in the U.S. There is no relief in sight. The industry insider, "The Lundbergh (ph) Survey," says gas prices climbed three cents over the past two weeks to $1.83 for regular unleaded. High demand and low supply are driving those spikes, with the summer travel season likely to push them even higher.

A legal rendition of musical chairs is providing the back beat for child molestation charges against singer Michael Jackson. Two high members of the legal team are out, a new top gun is in, and a court appearance looms closer.

Our Ted Rowlands has the latest developments -- Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, it's unclear what exactly led to this breakup, if you will, but Mark Geragos and Benjamin Brafman are out on the Michael Jackson legal defense team, and it is expected that the judge in this case will be officially notified of the change of attorneys later today by conference call.

Brafman and Geragos were at Jackson's side back in January when he was arraigned in Santa Barbara County on seven counts of lewd acts on a minor under the age of 15. According to CNN's Jeffrey Toobin, the fallout may have been linked to differences between the attorneys and members of the Jackson camp, besides Michael. There has been no public statement released as of yet from Mark Geragos. He is currently involved in the jury selection process in the Scott Peterson case. Brafman, however, did release a statement saying, in part, quote, "We have elected to step down as a result of a number of complicated issue that have arisen in recent weeks, that it would not be appropriate to discuss publicly. I wish Michael well, and I truly hope that at the end of this case, he will be completely exonerated."

Los Angeles-based attorney Thomas Mesereau has been added to the Jackson legal team. Mesereau's last high-profile client was actor Robert Blake. Mesereau and Blake, however, did part as well, citing irreconcilable differences. Mesereau declined to say anything to reporters last night after he flew back to Los Angeles from Orlando, Florida, where he apparently spent the weekend with folks from the Jackson camp and Michael himself. Mesereau is expected to be at Jackson's side on Friday in Santa Barbara County, when Jackson is expected to be in court to be arraigned following a grand jury indictment which was handed down under seal last week.

Now, Friday's appearance in Santa Barbara County is expected to be another spectacle. Michael Jackson supporters are being urged to attend that hearing, and they are being provided free bus transportation from Los Angeles so that they can come out in force to support the King of Pop -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ted, meanwhile, I have to imagine that the Santa Maria police department has a better plan this time around for controlling those crowds?

ROWLANDS: Yes, they've been working hard over the past few weeks. They've actually constructed a few fences around the courthouse, we're being told, and they're hoping to be more prepared for the expected onslaught of Jackson fans. We'll have to see how that pans out. It is expect, however, again, to be a spectacle. You remember last time, Jackson was late to his appearance. That most likely will not be tolerated this time around by the judge.

KAGAN: Ted Rowlands, in Los Angeles, thank you.

The manslaughter trial of former NBA star Jayson Williams has resumed, with closing arguments scheduled for today. A live picture from within the courtroom in New Jersey. That means the jury could begin deliberations as early as tomorrow. Williams is accused of accidentally shooting a limousine driver, then trying to cover up his death with trying to make it look like a suicide.

Just a few hours from now, actor Robert Blake is due to appear in court for a hearing in his murder case. Blake is charged with murdering his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. The former "Beretta" star maintains his innocence.

Let's check in now on the celebrity docket, where Kobe Bryant and Michael Jackson are dominating the headlines. For that, we turn to a specialist, attorney Harvey Levin, also executive producer of the show, "Celebrity Justice."

Harvey, good to see you. Good morning.

HARVEY LEVIN, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Good morning.

KAGAN: What about this switcheroo of the attorneys in the Michael Jackson case. Are you surprised?

LEVIN: No, I'm not surprised. We actually asked Mark Geragos that question a couple of months ago, and said, are you really in this for the long haul? Because it just didn't feel right. Here's what we know about it. We know that Tom Mesereau met with Randy Jackson, Michael's brother, over the weekend, and that there were two other lawyers who accompanied him. At that point, they sat down, they met with Michael Jackson for several hours. Jackson said to Mesereau, I want you, I wanted you from the beginning of this case, you weren't available when you had Blake, you're available now, this new grand jury indictment lets us start this thing fresh, and I want to bring you in now.

Michael Jackson got in on the phone, called Mark Geragos, and explained to him he would no longer be using him. And at that point, Jackson passed the phone to Mesereau. Geragos spoke to Mesereau, who was cordial. Geragos offered to help him with a smooth transition, and that was it. I'm told it was smooth. I'm told that there was no Nation of Islam present in the room, that it was Michael Jackson's decision. That's what I am told, I'm not so sure. This has been lawyer by committee for a while now. And the sense I'm getting from the people I'm talking to is that kind of decision making still prevails.

KAGAN: Well, how does it work like Mark Geragos would be available to do Scott Peterson and Michael Jackson, but somebody like Tom Mesereau couldn't also do Robert Blake and Michael Jackson?

LEVIN: Well, that's a really good question. It was Meseraeu's feeling he couldn't handle both cases, Geragos felt he could. So you know, it's a difference in the two lawyers. But I think Mesereau really kind of wanted this case. He's a really, really good lawyer. He did an incredibly good job for Robert Blake.

KAGAN: But Blake fired him.

LEVIN: Well, I got to tell you what happened here, Daryn, what really happened, he didn't so much fire him. Robert Blake wanted Mesereau to fire one of his co-counsel in the case, and Mesereau said, absolutely not, I believe in this person, I'm not going to fire this person. Robert Blake said I demand that you do, and the two parted company. So it was an impasse. But what that tells you is that Tom Mesereau is not a pushover, that he stands up for his principles, and I think that is a tough road to hoe whenever you're dealing with Michael Jackson, because of this bevy of advisers, so stay tuned.

KAGAN: Yes, so this might not be the last switch that we see. Meanwhile, how is this going to affect the trial and what we see in the court from here? LEVIN: Well, Mesereau has to get up to speed. I mean this is a very complicated, complicated case. There are lots of players. There is a lot of evidence in this case that needs to be analyzed. So I'm guessing you can't go from zero to 60 by Friday, and there's going to be a delay looming here.

KAGAN: OK, now let's look at Kobe Bryant, in court today, back in Eagle, Colorado. Looming there is a trial date finally being set?

LEVIN: Yes, I'm hearing that it could be around August. I thought, frankly, it was going to be earlier, but now what I'm hearing is it's going to be August, maybe even September. Which, by the way, coincides with the premier of season three of "Celebrity Justice."

KAGAN: Funny how that works.

LEVIN: Just a little joke.

KAGAN: Yes, there you go. Anyhow, Harvey, thank you so much. Of course, we'll have reports from Eagle coming later in the day. Harvey Levin, with "Celebrity Justice."

Through her lawyer, Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones is angrily denying a newspaper report that a lab provided her with performance- enhancing drugs. Jones calls it character assassination of the worst kind. "The San Francisco Chronicle" reports that the owner of Balco. That's the Bay Area lab under investigation, said that he provided Jones undetectable substances in exchange for her endorsement of another product.

Thirty years after Roe vs. Wade, the abortion battle is no less contentious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTRESS: A couple of people said to me, why do you carry the hanger?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Both sides rally to get their point across. Later, an apparent kidnapping in upstate New York. Luck plays a role in saving a young girl.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: In Syracuse, New York, police are saying very little about the apparent kidnapping of a 5-year-old girl, snapped on the way to a friend's house. She was discovered the next day, bound and hidden under a tarp in an abandoned warehouse in a neighboring suburb. Police say they have description of her abductor. More than six months before the presidential election, the economy and the war on Iraq looms as the potentially decisive issues, but on those heels, a matter that lead hundreds of thousands of protesters to march on Washington, with a message and a mission.

CNN's Elaine Quijano has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thirty one years after the Supreme Court legalized abortion, a sea of abortion rights activists descended on Washington for what they call the March for Women's Lives. Their main message? To keep abortion legal. Organizers say roughly 1400 groups mobilized activists for the event, which focused on broader women's health care issues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not only abortion. It's sex education in the schools. It's providing condoms. It's a full reproductive health care program.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: If all we do is march today, that will not change the direction that this country is headed under the leadership of this administration.

CROWD: Hey, hey, ho, ho, George Bush has got to go.

QUIJANO: The marchers made clear their opposition to President Bush during this election year. His policies, they say, have undermined reproductive rights.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTRESS: A couple of people said to me, "Why are you carrying a hanger?" I said because this is what life was like before choice. I'm here to tell you never again. We are not going backwards, child, never again.

QUIJANO: Dozens of lawmakers and actors, like Whoopi Goldberg and Cybil Shepherd, joined in the march and rally and appealed to younger generations of abortion rights supporters.

JULIANNE MOORE, ACTRESS: It's important for them to realize that these rights are not a given, that we're going to have to fight for them.

QUIJANO: The march also drew about 200 anti-abortion activists, who lined part of the route in a counter demonstration. One prompted to action by an abortion she said she had.

ANTOINETTE CARR, ANTI-ABORTION ACTIVIST: I regret every second. There's not a second that doesn't go by that I don't think about, that I took a life.

QUIJANO: U.S. Park Police say 16 of the anti-abortion activists were arrested for protesting without a permit.

(on camera): As for abortion rights activists, most hope their showing here will be enough to win swing voters come November and galvanize support behind President Bush's democratic rival, Senator John Kerry.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, on the National Mall.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The art of flirting. Just ahead, we're going back in time for a lesson in love.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: For many of us, art can be more stuffy than seductive, but a new display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is raising interest, and raising some eyebrows as well. It shows how people lived and lusted in the 18th century world of Marie Antoinette and Louis the 16th.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We were behind the scenes at The Met when the lavishly dressed mannequins were put into position, and I literally mean into position.

(on camera): What is this kind of passionate, seductive scene doing at the Metropolitan?

HAROLD KODA, CURATOR, THE COSTUME INST.: We're hoping one of the things we're able to do is introduce the public to a world that has had such a remove from their own experience.

LIN (voice-over): Harold Koda, curator of the Met's Costume Institute, personally took me into the decadent world of King Louis XV, where aristocrats spent endless hours trying to figure out how to seduce everyone, from their wife's personal maid, to their best friend's husband. In the Met's, special exhibit "Dangerous Liaisons," the curators want to show you museum pieces, but also tell you the story of the people who lived in these spaces.

In the Creyon (ph) Room, named after the 18th century hotel, where the pieces came from, a young woman is posed after the act, surrendering her garter, and exposing a forbidden need to her lover. It was a vignette so provocative, it even startled Harold Koda.

LIN: But in the 18th century, it wasn't about the sex. It was about the chase. For example, it was common for a woman of taste to invite a man to actually watch her get dressed in the morning. He would see her in her handmade negligee or gown, also take in the finery around her, like a bee custom-made honey. A woman was also groomed to flirt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Days and nights of just pleasure.

LIN: Andre Leon Talley is "Vogue" magazine's editor-at-large.

ANDRE LEON TALLEY, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "VOGUE": I think there was a great deduction. Women must have used their eyes a lot to communicate the language of seduction as well as their dresses, their stockings and their beautiful shoes.

LIN: The way you tilted your head or held your hand was the 18th century equivalent of "come back to my place." But sometimes chaperoned innocence was the greatest aphrodisiac of all. In the movie "Dangerous Liaisons," Uma Thurman's virginal harpist is stunned by her lover's attention.

The Met took that scene one erotic step further.

KODA: If you have two mannequins standing next to each other, it wouldn't have communicated the kind of impulse and excitement of this very potent emotional moment. He actually did have to touch her.

LIN: This is a first for the grand halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where 18th century France's art of seduction is about to become one of The met's most unusual masterpieces of all.

Carol Lin, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Coming up in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY, we're getting to the point. The U.S. Olympic fencing team is announced today. You're going to meet some of the members.

The No. 1 choice has already been traded. Which city can say that Eli is on the way? Straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning was the top choice for this year's NFL draft. You would of thought he was being sent to prison with that kind of long face there. This one only lasted about an hour. Nice try at a smile.

Then look at what he looks like when he was traded to -- OK, pictures later. We'll work on getting those pictures. He was a trading to New York Giants for Philip Rivers, a quarterback from North Carolina State. Manning appeared to be a lot happier then. He vowed to sit out next season rather than play for the Chargers.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Political advisers are wising up, identifying a surprising powerful new voting bloc in America. Here's who might decide this year's election, and how the candidates are trying to reach out to them.

And if you're looking to plan an adventure vacation this summer, but you don't want to sacrifice the luxury of buying accommodations. If this is your idea of camping, have we got the segment for you. That is just ahead on the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.

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 26, 2004 - 10:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at the top stories at this hour. Clouds of smoke and simmering concerns linger over Fallujah, an Iraqi hotspot of insurgency. One U.S. soldier is confirmed dead in Fallujah. Ten U.S. Marines have been injured earlier today in what's being described as a raging firefight. Local residents face a deadline tomorrow to surrender heavy weapons to coalition forces.
The family of Pat Tillman continues to grieve in private. They planned funeral arrangements for the NFL player, who abandoned a multimillion-dollar contract to enlist as an elite U.S. Army Ranger. Tillman was killed in combat in Afghanistan last week. His brother, Kevin, who is also in the military, will accompany the body home.

President Bush arrived minutes ago in Minnesota. There is a live picture of the president speaking. It is a key battleground state in the upcoming presidential election. Both the Bush and John Kerry campaigns have been stumping for volunteer campaign workers in that state, which narrowly went to Al Gore in the last presidential contest.

The record-breaking price of gasoline creeps even higher in the U.S. There is no relief in sight. The industry insider, "The Lundbergh (ph) Survey," says gas prices climbed three cents over the past two weeks to $1.83 for regular unleaded. High demand and low supply are driving those spikes, with the summer travel season likely to push them even higher.

A legal rendition of musical chairs is providing the back beat for child molestation charges against singer Michael Jackson. Two high members of the legal team are out, a new top gun is in, and a court appearance looms closer.

Our Ted Rowlands has the latest developments -- Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, it's unclear what exactly led to this breakup, if you will, but Mark Geragos and Benjamin Brafman are out on the Michael Jackson legal defense team, and it is expected that the judge in this case will be officially notified of the change of attorneys later today by conference call.

Brafman and Geragos were at Jackson's side back in January when he was arraigned in Santa Barbara County on seven counts of lewd acts on a minor under the age of 15. According to CNN's Jeffrey Toobin, the fallout may have been linked to differences between the attorneys and members of the Jackson camp, besides Michael. There has been no public statement released as of yet from Mark Geragos. He is currently involved in the jury selection process in the Scott Peterson case. Brafman, however, did release a statement saying, in part, quote, "We have elected to step down as a result of a number of complicated issue that have arisen in recent weeks, that it would not be appropriate to discuss publicly. I wish Michael well, and I truly hope that at the end of this case, he will be completely exonerated."

Los Angeles-based attorney Thomas Mesereau has been added to the Jackson legal team. Mesereau's last high-profile client was actor Robert Blake. Mesereau and Blake, however, did part as well, citing irreconcilable differences. Mesereau declined to say anything to reporters last night after he flew back to Los Angeles from Orlando, Florida, where he apparently spent the weekend with folks from the Jackson camp and Michael himself. Mesereau is expected to be at Jackson's side on Friday in Santa Barbara County, when Jackson is expected to be in court to be arraigned following a grand jury indictment which was handed down under seal last week.

Now, Friday's appearance in Santa Barbara County is expected to be another spectacle. Michael Jackson supporters are being urged to attend that hearing, and they are being provided free bus transportation from Los Angeles so that they can come out in force to support the King of Pop -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ted, meanwhile, I have to imagine that the Santa Maria police department has a better plan this time around for controlling those crowds?

ROWLANDS: Yes, they've been working hard over the past few weeks. They've actually constructed a few fences around the courthouse, we're being told, and they're hoping to be more prepared for the expected onslaught of Jackson fans. We'll have to see how that pans out. It is expect, however, again, to be a spectacle. You remember last time, Jackson was late to his appearance. That most likely will not be tolerated this time around by the judge.

KAGAN: Ted Rowlands, in Los Angeles, thank you.

The manslaughter trial of former NBA star Jayson Williams has resumed, with closing arguments scheduled for today. A live picture from within the courtroom in New Jersey. That means the jury could begin deliberations as early as tomorrow. Williams is accused of accidentally shooting a limousine driver, then trying to cover up his death with trying to make it look like a suicide.

Just a few hours from now, actor Robert Blake is due to appear in court for a hearing in his murder case. Blake is charged with murdering his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. The former "Beretta" star maintains his innocence.

Let's check in now on the celebrity docket, where Kobe Bryant and Michael Jackson are dominating the headlines. For that, we turn to a specialist, attorney Harvey Levin, also executive producer of the show, "Celebrity Justice."

Harvey, good to see you. Good morning.

HARVEY LEVIN, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Good morning.

KAGAN: What about this switcheroo of the attorneys in the Michael Jackson case. Are you surprised?

LEVIN: No, I'm not surprised. We actually asked Mark Geragos that question a couple of months ago, and said, are you really in this for the long haul? Because it just didn't feel right. Here's what we know about it. We know that Tom Mesereau met with Randy Jackson, Michael's brother, over the weekend, and that there were two other lawyers who accompanied him. At that point, they sat down, they met with Michael Jackson for several hours. Jackson said to Mesereau, I want you, I wanted you from the beginning of this case, you weren't available when you had Blake, you're available now, this new grand jury indictment lets us start this thing fresh, and I want to bring you in now.

Michael Jackson got in on the phone, called Mark Geragos, and explained to him he would no longer be using him. And at that point, Jackson passed the phone to Mesereau. Geragos spoke to Mesereau, who was cordial. Geragos offered to help him with a smooth transition, and that was it. I'm told it was smooth. I'm told that there was no Nation of Islam present in the room, that it was Michael Jackson's decision. That's what I am told, I'm not so sure. This has been lawyer by committee for a while now. And the sense I'm getting from the people I'm talking to is that kind of decision making still prevails.

KAGAN: Well, how does it work like Mark Geragos would be available to do Scott Peterson and Michael Jackson, but somebody like Tom Mesereau couldn't also do Robert Blake and Michael Jackson?

LEVIN: Well, that's a really good question. It was Meseraeu's feeling he couldn't handle both cases, Geragos felt he could. So you know, it's a difference in the two lawyers. But I think Mesereau really kind of wanted this case. He's a really, really good lawyer. He did an incredibly good job for Robert Blake.

KAGAN: But Blake fired him.

LEVIN: Well, I got to tell you what happened here, Daryn, what really happened, he didn't so much fire him. Robert Blake wanted Mesereau to fire one of his co-counsel in the case, and Mesereau said, absolutely not, I believe in this person, I'm not going to fire this person. Robert Blake said I demand that you do, and the two parted company. So it was an impasse. But what that tells you is that Tom Mesereau is not a pushover, that he stands up for his principles, and I think that is a tough road to hoe whenever you're dealing with Michael Jackson, because of this bevy of advisers, so stay tuned.

KAGAN: Yes, so this might not be the last switch that we see. Meanwhile, how is this going to affect the trial and what we see in the court from here? LEVIN: Well, Mesereau has to get up to speed. I mean this is a very complicated, complicated case. There are lots of players. There is a lot of evidence in this case that needs to be analyzed. So I'm guessing you can't go from zero to 60 by Friday, and there's going to be a delay looming here.

KAGAN: OK, now let's look at Kobe Bryant, in court today, back in Eagle, Colorado. Looming there is a trial date finally being set?

LEVIN: Yes, I'm hearing that it could be around August. I thought, frankly, it was going to be earlier, but now what I'm hearing is it's going to be August, maybe even September. Which, by the way, coincides with the premier of season three of "Celebrity Justice."

KAGAN: Funny how that works.

LEVIN: Just a little joke.

KAGAN: Yes, there you go. Anyhow, Harvey, thank you so much. Of course, we'll have reports from Eagle coming later in the day. Harvey Levin, with "Celebrity Justice."

Through her lawyer, Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones is angrily denying a newspaper report that a lab provided her with performance- enhancing drugs. Jones calls it character assassination of the worst kind. "The San Francisco Chronicle" reports that the owner of Balco. That's the Bay Area lab under investigation, said that he provided Jones undetectable substances in exchange for her endorsement of another product.

Thirty years after Roe vs. Wade, the abortion battle is no less contentious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTRESS: A couple of people said to me, why do you carry the hanger?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Both sides rally to get their point across. Later, an apparent kidnapping in upstate New York. Luck plays a role in saving a young girl.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: In Syracuse, New York, police are saying very little about the apparent kidnapping of a 5-year-old girl, snapped on the way to a friend's house. She was discovered the next day, bound and hidden under a tarp in an abandoned warehouse in a neighboring suburb. Police say they have description of her abductor. More than six months before the presidential election, the economy and the war on Iraq looms as the potentially decisive issues, but on those heels, a matter that lead hundreds of thousands of protesters to march on Washington, with a message and a mission.

CNN's Elaine Quijano has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thirty one years after the Supreme Court legalized abortion, a sea of abortion rights activists descended on Washington for what they call the March for Women's Lives. Their main message? To keep abortion legal. Organizers say roughly 1400 groups mobilized activists for the event, which focused on broader women's health care issues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not only abortion. It's sex education in the schools. It's providing condoms. It's a full reproductive health care program.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: If all we do is march today, that will not change the direction that this country is headed under the leadership of this administration.

CROWD: Hey, hey, ho, ho, George Bush has got to go.

QUIJANO: The marchers made clear their opposition to President Bush during this election year. His policies, they say, have undermined reproductive rights.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ACTRESS: A couple of people said to me, "Why are you carrying a hanger?" I said because this is what life was like before choice. I'm here to tell you never again. We are not going backwards, child, never again.

QUIJANO: Dozens of lawmakers and actors, like Whoopi Goldberg and Cybil Shepherd, joined in the march and rally and appealed to younger generations of abortion rights supporters.

JULIANNE MOORE, ACTRESS: It's important for them to realize that these rights are not a given, that we're going to have to fight for them.

QUIJANO: The march also drew about 200 anti-abortion activists, who lined part of the route in a counter demonstration. One prompted to action by an abortion she said she had.

ANTOINETTE CARR, ANTI-ABORTION ACTIVIST: I regret every second. There's not a second that doesn't go by that I don't think about, that I took a life.

QUIJANO: U.S. Park Police say 16 of the anti-abortion activists were arrested for protesting without a permit.

(on camera): As for abortion rights activists, most hope their showing here will be enough to win swing voters come November and galvanize support behind President Bush's democratic rival, Senator John Kerry.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, on the National Mall.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The art of flirting. Just ahead, we're going back in time for a lesson in love.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: For many of us, art can be more stuffy than seductive, but a new display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is raising interest, and raising some eyebrows as well. It shows how people lived and lusted in the 18th century world of Marie Antoinette and Louis the 16th.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We were behind the scenes at The Met when the lavishly dressed mannequins were put into position, and I literally mean into position.

(on camera): What is this kind of passionate, seductive scene doing at the Metropolitan?

HAROLD KODA, CURATOR, THE COSTUME INST.: We're hoping one of the things we're able to do is introduce the public to a world that has had such a remove from their own experience.

LIN (voice-over): Harold Koda, curator of the Met's Costume Institute, personally took me into the decadent world of King Louis XV, where aristocrats spent endless hours trying to figure out how to seduce everyone, from their wife's personal maid, to their best friend's husband. In the Met's, special exhibit "Dangerous Liaisons," the curators want to show you museum pieces, but also tell you the story of the people who lived in these spaces.

In the Creyon (ph) Room, named after the 18th century hotel, where the pieces came from, a young woman is posed after the act, surrendering her garter, and exposing a forbidden need to her lover. It was a vignette so provocative, it even startled Harold Koda.

LIN: But in the 18th century, it wasn't about the sex. It was about the chase. For example, it was common for a woman of taste to invite a man to actually watch her get dressed in the morning. He would see her in her handmade negligee or gown, also take in the finery around her, like a bee custom-made honey. A woman was also groomed to flirt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Days and nights of just pleasure.

LIN: Andre Leon Talley is "Vogue" magazine's editor-at-large.

ANDRE LEON TALLEY, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "VOGUE": I think there was a great deduction. Women must have used their eyes a lot to communicate the language of seduction as well as their dresses, their stockings and their beautiful shoes.

LIN: The way you tilted your head or held your hand was the 18th century equivalent of "come back to my place." But sometimes chaperoned innocence was the greatest aphrodisiac of all. In the movie "Dangerous Liaisons," Uma Thurman's virginal harpist is stunned by her lover's attention.

The Met took that scene one erotic step further.

KODA: If you have two mannequins standing next to each other, it wouldn't have communicated the kind of impulse and excitement of this very potent emotional moment. He actually did have to touch her.

LIN: This is a first for the grand halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where 18th century France's art of seduction is about to become one of The met's most unusual masterpieces of all.

Carol Lin, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Coming up in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY, we're getting to the point. The U.S. Olympic fencing team is announced today. You're going to meet some of the members.

The No. 1 choice has already been traded. Which city can say that Eli is on the way? Straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning was the top choice for this year's NFL draft. You would of thought he was being sent to prison with that kind of long face there. This one only lasted about an hour. Nice try at a smile.

Then look at what he looks like when he was traded to -- OK, pictures later. We'll work on getting those pictures. He was a trading to New York Giants for Philip Rivers, a quarterback from North Carolina State. Manning appeared to be a lot happier then. He vowed to sit out next season rather than play for the Chargers.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Political advisers are wising up, identifying a surprising powerful new voting bloc in America. Here's who might decide this year's election, and how the candidates are trying to reach out to them.

And if you're looking to plan an adventure vacation this summer, but you don't want to sacrifice the luxury of buying accommodations. If this is your idea of camping, have we got the segment for you. That is just ahead on the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.

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