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CNN Live Today
Troops Move into Najaf; Car Bomb Kills 5 at Baghdad Checkpoint; Rumsfeld Cancels Philadelphia Speech to Prepare for Testimony; Bush Meets with Jordanian Leader; Arab Reaction to Bush's TV Appearance Positive; John Grisham Produces Little League Film; Advertisers Shell out Big Bucks for "Friends" Finale; Bush Announces Effort to Free Cuba
Aired May 06, 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, ANCHOR: It is 11 a.m. on the East Coast and 8 a.m. on the West Coast. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
U.S. troops moved into the holy city of Najaf today to install a new governor.
Our Jane Arraf is with the troops under fire with this exclusive report -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, U.S. troops from the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment moved in here just a while ago, came through the gates, meet no resistance. Indeed there were smiles from the Iraqi security guards.
But then, a short while later, firing came from nearby alleys and rooftops. Now the forces here are from the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor responded with tank-mounted weapons and other guns. And that firing has been going on for some time.
The colonel in charge here tells us he believes there are only four or five militia members around here doing the firing. But as has been the case in other parts of the city, although heavily outnumbered, this militia, loyal to radical Shia cleric Moqtada al- Sadr, keeps coming back.
In other parts of the city, Daryn, in simultaneous operations, offensive operation, U.S. forces say they killed at least 20 militia members in a spot east of Kufa adjoining Najaf.
Other operations, as well, to put military pressure on the militia, and show them that the U.S. and the coalition are bringing back a civilian government here -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jane, let's give our viewers a sense of how things were a bit more intense just earlier today, as you were filing a report. You can sit there and listen as we watch this videotape and listen to what it was like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SOUNDS OF GUNFIRE) ARRAF: Can you see us? Can you hear us?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: You were explaining to our viewers earlier that if it's very loud that probably means that that is ammunition that's being fired from within, from the U.S. military, out on the insurgents, rather than the other way around, Jane.
ARRAF: In this case, because we are in the middle of it, we are embedded with this unit, and we're surrounded by the tanks and by the soldiers who are firing. It does sound quite a lot louder, because we're closer to them.
And they are gravely outnumbered, these militia members. But what we've been hearing a short while ago is continued mortar attacks, as well as rocket-propelled grenades, small arms fire, Daryn, from the militia members.
Now the colonel here says that it's not terribly serious, although it sounds very dramatic and it has been quite intense. But obviously there are members of the militia who are not going away.
And what we have now are U.S. forces in this building saying that they are here to stay until the governor comes back and after, and members of the militia who are going to continue firing on these people until there's some solution reached to this, what essentially is still a standoff in this holy city -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jane Arraf in Najaf, thank you for that report.
Want to move north now to Baghdad, where a car bomb went off outside coalition headquarters today.
Shockwaves from the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal continue to rattle the Bush administration.
Let's go now to our Ben Wedeman, who's standing by in Baghdad -- Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Daryn.
Well, coalition officials say that this car bomb, which went off at about 7:30 in the morning, bears all the hallmarks of Abu Musab al- Zarqawi, that Jordanian national who, coalition officials have consistently said, they believe is behind many of the car bombs that have rocked this country in recent months.
He also has ties, it is believed, with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
Now this bomb, as I said, went off at a time when many workers were headed towards the Green Zone. That's the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition.
Went off at a checkpoint. And when that happened, five Iraqi civilians were killed. A U.S. soldier, as well as the suicide bomber. Now, his nationality is not clear.
A claim of responsibility for the bombing has been put on a web site by a rather shadowy group that claims Zarqawi is its amir or its leader. The statement indicated that the bomber was from Saudi Arabia and that the car was packed with 600 kilograms or about 1,300 pounds of TNT.
Now, this was the first car bomb in Baghdad for quite some time. The last one was back on March 17, when in the evening, a blast really ripped apart a hotel here in Baghdad, killing seven people.
As far as other action goes, overnight two U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb here in Baghdad. Soldiers also exchanged fire with suspected insurgents in the predominantly Shiite suburb of Sadr City. In that incident, no U.S. casualties, but according to coalition spokesmen, ten suspected insurgents were killed -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ben Wedeman in Baghdad. Ben, thank you.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld changed his schedule today. He is getting ready for tomorrow's appearance on Capitol Hill. That is where he will face senators hoping -- who are very mad about the prison abuse scandal and what they learned and when they learned it.
Our Elaine Quijano is at the Pentagon this morning with more on that -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Well, that appearance coming one day after the release of more disturbing photos. These photos appearing today in "The Washington Post."
These photographs, sparking the same kind of reaction here at the Pentagon that they have the last time there were these photos published. This one today on the front page of the "Washington Post" showing soldier Private First Class Lindy England (ph), who told her mother that she was quote, "in the wrong place at the wrong time."
These pictures, as I said, emerging one day before what's expected to be a very tough session before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
In fact, in a sign of just how significant this testimony for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be, the defense secretary, we understand, making the decision this morning to cancel a planned appearance in Philadelphia to give a speech there, instead sending his deputy secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, in his place.
We understand that the defense secretary will spend the day here, going over -- tomorrow, going over time lines, going over nuances, in order to prepare for the tough questioning from lawmakers, spending the day here, working with staff members.
Now, Congress members have already said that they are very much outraged by the fact they feel they were not kept in the loop, something that both Democrats and Republicans, a concern that both sides of the aisle have expressed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), KANSAS: ... It seems as to why on earth, when this report was available to the appropriate command within the Army -- and I understand this. When did he learn about it and why on earth was the president not informed? And why on earth -- were not members of the Intelligence Committee and the Armed Services Committee informed?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: So Defense Secretary Rumsfeld canceling a speech or an appearance, sending instead his deputy secretary to appear, while the defense secretary stays here at the Pentagon, working with staff members in order to prepare for tomorrow's appearance -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Elaine Quijano at the Pentagon, thank you.
And this programming note, CNN does plan live coverage of the defense secretary's appearance tomorrow on Capitol Hill, beginning at 11:45 a.m.
The president focusing on Middle East matters today. He's meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah. He is also coping with the fallout of the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal.
More on all that now from our White House correspondent, Dana Bash -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
And we know, of course, that in an extraordinary -- or to illustrate how extraordinary the damage control effort here at the White House is, that we know that the president in a meeting yesterday with the defense secretary admonished him privately in the Oval Office about the process, about the fact that he was not kept informed about the fact that these pictures even existed of the Iraqi prisoner abuse, and he didn't know about it until they aired on television.
And now this morning, of course, we heard from Elaine and we've been reporting all morning, that there have been suggestions from Capitol Hill and elsewhere, particularly from the president's Democratic opponent, John Kerry, that Don Rumsfeld should resign.
This morning, when asked about whether or not the president still thinks that Donald Rumsfeld is doing his job well and if he should stay in his job, the White House spokesman said, quote, "Absolutely," that the president very much appreciates the job that Secretary Rumsfeld is doing.
So they have great confidence, they say, still, in Secretary Rumsfeld, despite this controversy and despite the calls from some for his resignation.
Now Daryn, one other topic, and that is, of course, that those photographs that -- the new photographs that were in the "Washington Post" today, the White House says the president did see those. And he had the same reaction as he had, as you can imagine, to the others, saying that they were abhorrent and that they do not represent most of the men and women in the military.
And again, they're saying, at the White House this morning, that they still want to try to get to the bottom of this, although they're quite unhappy about the process leading up to this time -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Dana Bash at the White House. Dana, thank you.
And when the president and King Abdullah talk to reporters in the Rose Garden following their meeting, you will see that live here on CNN: 2:05 p.m. Eastern, 11:05 a.m. Pacific.
The Iraqi prison scandal may be taking a toll on Bush's approval rating.
The new Gallup poll is out. The latest numbers show 42 percent approve of respondents say they approve of the way that Mr. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq. That is compared with 55 percent who said they disapprove.
Americans are split on the president's overall job rating: 49 percent say they approve of his performance; 48 percent say they disapprove.
The president's meeting with King Abdullah comes a day after his effort to calm Arab anger over the Iraqi prisoner scandal. For reaction to that, let's bring in our senior editor for Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr.
Octavia, good to have you here with us.
OCTAVIA NASR, SENIOR EDITOR, ARAB AFFAIRS: Thank you for having me.
KAGAN: You were with us yesterday as we were watching those interviews come out. He gave interviews to two Arab language television networks and also an Egyptian newspaper.
How is reaction to what the president had to say going over in the Arab world?
NASR: Well, first of all, there's a clear distinction between the two TV stations that he spoke with yesterday. One is an Arabic -- an Arab network. The other one is a U.S. network.
And people in the Middle East right now are making the distinction and they're questioning why he spoke to this one and not the other and so forth.
How did it go? Judging by the editorials, judging by listening to people, experts and political analysts, speaking on Arab networks it went well, it seems like. You're hearing comments such as this is proof that the American system work, that the democracy of the American system work, that the American people are a democratic people. They admit when they made a mistake.
Although the president stopped short of apologizing in those interviews, it doesn't seem like this is playing too high on Arab media. They're not going after did he apologize, does he say sorry, does he need to say sorry and so forth.
So you're hearing voices saying this was good, this shows that democracy works, that the American democratic institutions work.
On the other hand, you have the skeptics, you have the critics who are saying so the U.S. president needed the Arab networks, he went after them. He invited them over to get his point across.
And this is in comparison to the past, where the president was not available to speak to Arab networks, when the president and his staff were not available to speak to Arab networks, which has been something that the Arab networks complain about a lot.
KAGAN: Well, let's talk about being available. King Abdullah of Jordan, he was not available last month when the president made a controversial decision on support for Ariel Sharon and his plans in Israel and Gaza and in the West Bank. But he is there at the White House today.
What will the Mideast and Arab world be looking for from this meeting?
NASR: Big story. A lot of expectations. Again, the editorials are very clear. They're looking for guarantees. The word "guarantees" is everywhere. It's on television, in print. They're looking for guarantees. And...
KAGAN: Guarantees of what?
NASR: Guarantees of support. Remember, this was the big deal, this was the big issue, after the Israeli prime minister's visit to the U.S.
The Arab world was in uproar over what the -- what they're calling the guarantees, sort of support and backup for Israel. And now they're saying -- you read it everywhere, in headlines and in fine print.
They're looking for the U.S. to tell the Jordanian monarch something about where the U.S. stands on the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
They're going to be looking for signs. They're going to be looking for clear words about where the U.S. stands and the role that Jordan is going to play in this and the role that the rest of the Arab world is going to play with this. And of course we shouldn't forget, Iraq is definitely going to be on the agenda. They're going to also be looking for any signs of -- again, the U.S. position on this and the U.S.-Arab relationships and where they're going to head from this point on.
This is seen as a turning point. This meeting today, and what comes out of this meeting is going to be a turning point. It looks like, judging by what Arab media are reporting, will be a turning point in Arab/U.S. relations.
KAGAN: All right. We'll be watching. Once again, 2:05 p.m. Eastern is when King Abdullah and President Bush expected to come out into the Rose Garden.
Octavia Nasr, thank you so much for that.
Best known for writing legal thrillers, John Grisham is now trying his hand as a movie producer. He joins us in a moment to talk about his new movie -- he also wrote it -- called "Mickey."
Also, they were there for us, but they were really there for the bean counters at NBC and Warner Bros. Take a closer look at the big money riding on the big finale of "Friends."
And later, before there was Martha, there was Heloise who helped us organize our lives. She'll be joining us later this hour to take your questions. If you'd like some hints from Heloise, send us an e- mail with your question. The address is CNN -- actually, LiveToday@CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... every summer, with 11 million watching at home and more than 30,000 in attendance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're scared, aren't you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Best-selling author John Grisham is stepping away from the courtroom and onto the baseball field.
His new movie is called "Mickey." It's all about the rough and tumble world of Little League baseball. The movie stars Harry Connick Jr., and it premieres in Atlanta and other cities this week.
And our guest, John Grisham.
Good morning. Great to have you here with us.
JOHN GRISHAM, PRODUCER, "MICKEY": Delighted to be here. Thanks for having me.
KAGAN: Before there was John Grisham, star author and even lawyer, there was John Grisham, baseball fan.
GRISHAM: Played Little League baseball, played a lot of it, started coaching my son when he was 7 years old. And after his last Little League game, which was I guess about 1995, I had the thought that most dads have: "Boy, I'd sure like to have one more year of Little League baseball."
And at that point, the story was kind of born. I wrote the screenplay. And in the movie, Harry Connick plays the father who manages to get one more year of Little League baseball.
KAGAN: I think this picture, this is you as a kid, right there?
GRISHAM: Let me see. That's Hugh Wilson, the director right there.
KAGAN: OK.
GRISHAM: He played baseball in Miami. This is the trailer that we're running. And then we -- Harry's next, I think.
KAGAN: As a kid, we get to see Harry...
GRISHAM: There he is. Harry was a prodigy. He didn't play baseball; he played the piano.
KAGAN: That was his thing.
GRISHAM: But he's wonderful in the movie.
KAGAN: Now you must have a zillion story ideas that go through your head all the time. But why was this one one you wanted to make into a movie, rather than make into a book?
GRISHAM: I actually tried to write it as a book, and that didn't last very long, because I found it very, very difficult to capture the action on a baseball field in prose. I mean, it's too visual. That's why we got to watch sport events, because we like to see them.
You can't -- it was hard for me to write it. And I abandoned the book early on and went to the screenplay. And I thought about a movie. And it took me five years to get the screenplay right. I worked on it for a long time.
KAGAN: I imagine there's a whole other education, to go outside of the book world into the movie world?
GRISHAM: Well, it is. I mean, I've had eight of my books adapted to film, but I didn't make those movies.
KAGAN: Right.
GRISHAM: I mean, somebody else makes them. I look over the script and have a little input. But I'm not going to go make a movie.
This was the first time that I had the original idea, wrote the screenplay, produced the movie, financed the movie, with Hugh Wilson, who's the director of it. We did it together.
We did it in Virginia where we live. We did it with local kids, local actors. We did it, you know, with our own money. And now we're releasing it with our own money and having a wonderful time.
KAGAN: Would you do it again, or is it easier just to sit in front of the computer and do it by yourself with a book?
GRISHAM: With movies, it's easier to sell the rights and let somebody else make the movie. But you never know. I mean, there may be an inspiration one day for a story that I want to write the screenplay and do it again.
KAGAN: Finally, you're throwing the ball out tonight, the first pitch out at the Braves/Padres game.
GRISHAM: That's right.
KAGAN: How's your arm? I mean, talk about pressure. That pressure is one thing.
GRISHAM: I've done this three times in my brief career as a first-pitch thrower. It's always been perfect strikes.
KAGAN: Really?
GRISHAM: Yes. Hard sliders on the outside corner.
KAGAN: We'll have to take your word for that.
GRISHAM: Yes. Well, don't send a camera crew.
KAGAN: Yes. We'll enforcing that.
John Grisham, good luck with the movie. It's called "Mickey." And thanks for stopping by.
GRISHAM: Thank you for having me.
KAGAN: Appreciate it.
GRISHAM: My pleasure.
KAGAN: Good luck tonight with that first pitch.
GRISHAM: Thank you.
KAGAN: Mixing America's favorite "Friends" and money. We're going to show you how things are adding up as they prepare to say farewell.
Also, Southern California firefighters battling wild fires. They catch a break from the weather. Orelon Sidney is along with her forecast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: It's all over but the good-byes. NBC's long-running mega-hit "Friends" airs its finale tonight.
Monica and Chandler are off to the burbs. They're getting a new baby. Phoebe is happily married. Joey heads to Hollywood for a new NBC spin-off. The big question, what about Ross and Rachel?
Fifty million viewers are expected to tune in for tonight's "Friends." Advertisers are paying Super Bowl rates for the finale.
Our financial correspondent Mary Snow is in New York this morning with a preview of that.
Good morning.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn. Good morning.
And you know, probably the best friend behind this show is the money. So many businesses have profited from it, including this restaurant here in Manhattan, in guidebooks, touted as the inspiration for the Central Perk coffee shop setting used in the show.
Now, it's gotten some business from that. Nowhere near, though, the business NBC has gotten from the show. And of course, the actors were making a million dollars per episode by the end.
It all happens when you mix money and "Friends."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COURTENEY COX, ACTRESS: It's not even a date. It's just two people going out to dinner and...
SNOW (voice-over): What started out a decade ago as coffee shop chatter about the angst of adulthood is ending as a potential revenue record-breaker in network television.
As NBC bids farewell to "Friends," it's saying hello to its new pal, an estimated $40 billion for one night's episode.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is akin to Haley's Comet. It doesn't come around very often.
SNOW: Pitching a star on the "Friends" bandwagon holds the promise of cash. That's why advertisers have paid as much as $2 million for a 30-second spot.
TERRY STANLEY, ADAGE: The series finale for "Friends" will gather between probably 50 and 55 million people and those are eyeballs for an advertiser...
(END VIDEOTAPE) KAGAN: We're going to get back to Mary Snow and to the story of the end of "Friends" and the finale of "Friends" in just a moment. But we're expecting some videotape that was shot at the White House to be available in just about a minute or so.
It is of President Bush. He is in the Roosevelt Room. He is meeting with a coalition that is organized to the assistance to a free Cuba. So we're going to have more on that in just a moment, of course.
But the really big event we're expecting out of the White House today, later today President Bush meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan. And they will be having a news conference.
So right now, here's the tape shot earlier in the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... free Cuba. It's a report from a commission that I put together in my administration to hasten the day that Cuba be a free country.
We believe the people of Cuba should be free from tyranny. We believe the future of Cuba is a future of freedom. It's in our nation's interest that Cuba be free. It's in the neighborhood's interest that Cuba be free. More importantly, it's in the interest of the Cuban people that they be free from tyranny.
This strategy is a strategy that encourages the spending of money to help organizations to protect dissidents and to promote human rights.
It is a strategy that encourages a clear voice of the truth being spoken to the Cuban people through radio and TV Marti.
It is a strategy that will prevent the regime from exploiting hard currency of tourists and of remittances to Cubans to prop up their oppressive regime.
It is a strategy that says we're not waiting for the day of Cuban freedom. We are working for the day of freedom in Cuba.
Commissioners did good work. I appreciate it, Mr. Secretary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir.
BUSH: Thank you for coming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And just a bit of videotape that was shot in the White House within the last hour, President Bush talking about a new report on trying to free Cuba. This, on the day that President Bush will be welcoming King Abdullah of Jordan. You will see the president live with King Abdullah in the Rose Garden about three hours from now, 2:05 p.m. Eastern, and you'll see that live right here on CNN.
Our apologies to Mary Snow. Once again, "Friends" ending tonight. The big finale on NBC. More on that ahead.
Also, we're going to have the latest on the firefight in Najaf when we check our top stories.
It was a record fund-raising for Republicans. Judy Woodruff will have details on how much the president added to his war chest in just a moment.
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Aired May 6, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: It is 11 a.m. on the East Coast and 8 a.m. on the West Coast. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
U.S. troops moved into the holy city of Najaf today to install a new governor.
Our Jane Arraf is with the troops under fire with this exclusive report -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, U.S. troops from the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment moved in here just a while ago, came through the gates, meet no resistance. Indeed there were smiles from the Iraqi security guards.
But then, a short while later, firing came from nearby alleys and rooftops. Now the forces here are from the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor responded with tank-mounted weapons and other guns. And that firing has been going on for some time.
The colonel in charge here tells us he believes there are only four or five militia members around here doing the firing. But as has been the case in other parts of the city, although heavily outnumbered, this militia, loyal to radical Shia cleric Moqtada al- Sadr, keeps coming back.
In other parts of the city, Daryn, in simultaneous operations, offensive operation, U.S. forces say they killed at least 20 militia members in a spot east of Kufa adjoining Najaf.
Other operations, as well, to put military pressure on the militia, and show them that the U.S. and the coalition are bringing back a civilian government here -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jane, let's give our viewers a sense of how things were a bit more intense just earlier today, as you were filing a report. You can sit there and listen as we watch this videotape and listen to what it was like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SOUNDS OF GUNFIRE) ARRAF: Can you see us? Can you hear us?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: You were explaining to our viewers earlier that if it's very loud that probably means that that is ammunition that's being fired from within, from the U.S. military, out on the insurgents, rather than the other way around, Jane.
ARRAF: In this case, because we are in the middle of it, we are embedded with this unit, and we're surrounded by the tanks and by the soldiers who are firing. It does sound quite a lot louder, because we're closer to them.
And they are gravely outnumbered, these militia members. But what we've been hearing a short while ago is continued mortar attacks, as well as rocket-propelled grenades, small arms fire, Daryn, from the militia members.
Now the colonel here says that it's not terribly serious, although it sounds very dramatic and it has been quite intense. But obviously there are members of the militia who are not going away.
And what we have now are U.S. forces in this building saying that they are here to stay until the governor comes back and after, and members of the militia who are going to continue firing on these people until there's some solution reached to this, what essentially is still a standoff in this holy city -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jane Arraf in Najaf, thank you for that report.
Want to move north now to Baghdad, where a car bomb went off outside coalition headquarters today.
Shockwaves from the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal continue to rattle the Bush administration.
Let's go now to our Ben Wedeman, who's standing by in Baghdad -- Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Daryn.
Well, coalition officials say that this car bomb, which went off at about 7:30 in the morning, bears all the hallmarks of Abu Musab al- Zarqawi, that Jordanian national who, coalition officials have consistently said, they believe is behind many of the car bombs that have rocked this country in recent months.
He also has ties, it is believed, with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
Now this bomb, as I said, went off at a time when many workers were headed towards the Green Zone. That's the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition.
Went off at a checkpoint. And when that happened, five Iraqi civilians were killed. A U.S. soldier, as well as the suicide bomber. Now, his nationality is not clear.
A claim of responsibility for the bombing has been put on a web site by a rather shadowy group that claims Zarqawi is its amir or its leader. The statement indicated that the bomber was from Saudi Arabia and that the car was packed with 600 kilograms or about 1,300 pounds of TNT.
Now, this was the first car bomb in Baghdad for quite some time. The last one was back on March 17, when in the evening, a blast really ripped apart a hotel here in Baghdad, killing seven people.
As far as other action goes, overnight two U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb here in Baghdad. Soldiers also exchanged fire with suspected insurgents in the predominantly Shiite suburb of Sadr City. In that incident, no U.S. casualties, but according to coalition spokesmen, ten suspected insurgents were killed -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ben Wedeman in Baghdad. Ben, thank you.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld changed his schedule today. He is getting ready for tomorrow's appearance on Capitol Hill. That is where he will face senators hoping -- who are very mad about the prison abuse scandal and what they learned and when they learned it.
Our Elaine Quijano is at the Pentagon this morning with more on that -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Well, that appearance coming one day after the release of more disturbing photos. These photos appearing today in "The Washington Post."
These photographs, sparking the same kind of reaction here at the Pentagon that they have the last time there were these photos published. This one today on the front page of the "Washington Post" showing soldier Private First Class Lindy England (ph), who told her mother that she was quote, "in the wrong place at the wrong time."
These pictures, as I said, emerging one day before what's expected to be a very tough session before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
In fact, in a sign of just how significant this testimony for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be, the defense secretary, we understand, making the decision this morning to cancel a planned appearance in Philadelphia to give a speech there, instead sending his deputy secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, in his place.
We understand that the defense secretary will spend the day here, going over -- tomorrow, going over time lines, going over nuances, in order to prepare for the tough questioning from lawmakers, spending the day here, working with staff members.
Now, Congress members have already said that they are very much outraged by the fact they feel they were not kept in the loop, something that both Democrats and Republicans, a concern that both sides of the aisle have expressed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), KANSAS: ... It seems as to why on earth, when this report was available to the appropriate command within the Army -- and I understand this. When did he learn about it and why on earth was the president not informed? And why on earth -- were not members of the Intelligence Committee and the Armed Services Committee informed?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: So Defense Secretary Rumsfeld canceling a speech or an appearance, sending instead his deputy secretary to appear, while the defense secretary stays here at the Pentagon, working with staff members in order to prepare for tomorrow's appearance -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Elaine Quijano at the Pentagon, thank you.
And this programming note, CNN does plan live coverage of the defense secretary's appearance tomorrow on Capitol Hill, beginning at 11:45 a.m.
The president focusing on Middle East matters today. He's meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah. He is also coping with the fallout of the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal.
More on all that now from our White House correspondent, Dana Bash -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
And we know, of course, that in an extraordinary -- or to illustrate how extraordinary the damage control effort here at the White House is, that we know that the president in a meeting yesterday with the defense secretary admonished him privately in the Oval Office about the process, about the fact that he was not kept informed about the fact that these pictures even existed of the Iraqi prisoner abuse, and he didn't know about it until they aired on television.
And now this morning, of course, we heard from Elaine and we've been reporting all morning, that there have been suggestions from Capitol Hill and elsewhere, particularly from the president's Democratic opponent, John Kerry, that Don Rumsfeld should resign.
This morning, when asked about whether or not the president still thinks that Donald Rumsfeld is doing his job well and if he should stay in his job, the White House spokesman said, quote, "Absolutely," that the president very much appreciates the job that Secretary Rumsfeld is doing.
So they have great confidence, they say, still, in Secretary Rumsfeld, despite this controversy and despite the calls from some for his resignation.
Now Daryn, one other topic, and that is, of course, that those photographs that -- the new photographs that were in the "Washington Post" today, the White House says the president did see those. And he had the same reaction as he had, as you can imagine, to the others, saying that they were abhorrent and that they do not represent most of the men and women in the military.
And again, they're saying, at the White House this morning, that they still want to try to get to the bottom of this, although they're quite unhappy about the process leading up to this time -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Dana Bash at the White House. Dana, thank you.
And when the president and King Abdullah talk to reporters in the Rose Garden following their meeting, you will see that live here on CNN: 2:05 p.m. Eastern, 11:05 a.m. Pacific.
The Iraqi prison scandal may be taking a toll on Bush's approval rating.
The new Gallup poll is out. The latest numbers show 42 percent approve of respondents say they approve of the way that Mr. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq. That is compared with 55 percent who said they disapprove.
Americans are split on the president's overall job rating: 49 percent say they approve of his performance; 48 percent say they disapprove.
The president's meeting with King Abdullah comes a day after his effort to calm Arab anger over the Iraqi prisoner scandal. For reaction to that, let's bring in our senior editor for Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr.
Octavia, good to have you here with us.
OCTAVIA NASR, SENIOR EDITOR, ARAB AFFAIRS: Thank you for having me.
KAGAN: You were with us yesterday as we were watching those interviews come out. He gave interviews to two Arab language television networks and also an Egyptian newspaper.
How is reaction to what the president had to say going over in the Arab world?
NASR: Well, first of all, there's a clear distinction between the two TV stations that he spoke with yesterday. One is an Arabic -- an Arab network. The other one is a U.S. network.
And people in the Middle East right now are making the distinction and they're questioning why he spoke to this one and not the other and so forth.
How did it go? Judging by the editorials, judging by listening to people, experts and political analysts, speaking on Arab networks it went well, it seems like. You're hearing comments such as this is proof that the American system work, that the democracy of the American system work, that the American people are a democratic people. They admit when they made a mistake.
Although the president stopped short of apologizing in those interviews, it doesn't seem like this is playing too high on Arab media. They're not going after did he apologize, does he say sorry, does he need to say sorry and so forth.
So you're hearing voices saying this was good, this shows that democracy works, that the American democratic institutions work.
On the other hand, you have the skeptics, you have the critics who are saying so the U.S. president needed the Arab networks, he went after them. He invited them over to get his point across.
And this is in comparison to the past, where the president was not available to speak to Arab networks, when the president and his staff were not available to speak to Arab networks, which has been something that the Arab networks complain about a lot.
KAGAN: Well, let's talk about being available. King Abdullah of Jordan, he was not available last month when the president made a controversial decision on support for Ariel Sharon and his plans in Israel and Gaza and in the West Bank. But he is there at the White House today.
What will the Mideast and Arab world be looking for from this meeting?
NASR: Big story. A lot of expectations. Again, the editorials are very clear. They're looking for guarantees. The word "guarantees" is everywhere. It's on television, in print. They're looking for guarantees. And...
KAGAN: Guarantees of what?
NASR: Guarantees of support. Remember, this was the big deal, this was the big issue, after the Israeli prime minister's visit to the U.S.
The Arab world was in uproar over what the -- what they're calling the guarantees, sort of support and backup for Israel. And now they're saying -- you read it everywhere, in headlines and in fine print.
They're looking for the U.S. to tell the Jordanian monarch something about where the U.S. stands on the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
They're going to be looking for signs. They're going to be looking for clear words about where the U.S. stands and the role that Jordan is going to play in this and the role that the rest of the Arab world is going to play with this. And of course we shouldn't forget, Iraq is definitely going to be on the agenda. They're going to also be looking for any signs of -- again, the U.S. position on this and the U.S.-Arab relationships and where they're going to head from this point on.
This is seen as a turning point. This meeting today, and what comes out of this meeting is going to be a turning point. It looks like, judging by what Arab media are reporting, will be a turning point in Arab/U.S. relations.
KAGAN: All right. We'll be watching. Once again, 2:05 p.m. Eastern is when King Abdullah and President Bush expected to come out into the Rose Garden.
Octavia Nasr, thank you so much for that.
Best known for writing legal thrillers, John Grisham is now trying his hand as a movie producer. He joins us in a moment to talk about his new movie -- he also wrote it -- called "Mickey."
Also, they were there for us, but they were really there for the bean counters at NBC and Warner Bros. Take a closer look at the big money riding on the big finale of "Friends."
And later, before there was Martha, there was Heloise who helped us organize our lives. She'll be joining us later this hour to take your questions. If you'd like some hints from Heloise, send us an e- mail with your question. The address is CNN -- actually, LiveToday@CNN.com.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... every summer, with 11 million watching at home and more than 30,000 in attendance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're scared, aren't you?
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KAGAN: Best-selling author John Grisham is stepping away from the courtroom and onto the baseball field.
His new movie is called "Mickey." It's all about the rough and tumble world of Little League baseball. The movie stars Harry Connick Jr., and it premieres in Atlanta and other cities this week.
And our guest, John Grisham.
Good morning. Great to have you here with us.
JOHN GRISHAM, PRODUCER, "MICKEY": Delighted to be here. Thanks for having me.
KAGAN: Before there was John Grisham, star author and even lawyer, there was John Grisham, baseball fan.
GRISHAM: Played Little League baseball, played a lot of it, started coaching my son when he was 7 years old. And after his last Little League game, which was I guess about 1995, I had the thought that most dads have: "Boy, I'd sure like to have one more year of Little League baseball."
And at that point, the story was kind of born. I wrote the screenplay. And in the movie, Harry Connick plays the father who manages to get one more year of Little League baseball.
KAGAN: I think this picture, this is you as a kid, right there?
GRISHAM: Let me see. That's Hugh Wilson, the director right there.
KAGAN: OK.
GRISHAM: He played baseball in Miami. This is the trailer that we're running. And then we -- Harry's next, I think.
KAGAN: As a kid, we get to see Harry...
GRISHAM: There he is. Harry was a prodigy. He didn't play baseball; he played the piano.
KAGAN: That was his thing.
GRISHAM: But he's wonderful in the movie.
KAGAN: Now you must have a zillion story ideas that go through your head all the time. But why was this one one you wanted to make into a movie, rather than make into a book?
GRISHAM: I actually tried to write it as a book, and that didn't last very long, because I found it very, very difficult to capture the action on a baseball field in prose. I mean, it's too visual. That's why we got to watch sport events, because we like to see them.
You can't -- it was hard for me to write it. And I abandoned the book early on and went to the screenplay. And I thought about a movie. And it took me five years to get the screenplay right. I worked on it for a long time.
KAGAN: I imagine there's a whole other education, to go outside of the book world into the movie world?
GRISHAM: Well, it is. I mean, I've had eight of my books adapted to film, but I didn't make those movies.
KAGAN: Right.
GRISHAM: I mean, somebody else makes them. I look over the script and have a little input. But I'm not going to go make a movie.
This was the first time that I had the original idea, wrote the screenplay, produced the movie, financed the movie, with Hugh Wilson, who's the director of it. We did it together.
We did it in Virginia where we live. We did it with local kids, local actors. We did it, you know, with our own money. And now we're releasing it with our own money and having a wonderful time.
KAGAN: Would you do it again, or is it easier just to sit in front of the computer and do it by yourself with a book?
GRISHAM: With movies, it's easier to sell the rights and let somebody else make the movie. But you never know. I mean, there may be an inspiration one day for a story that I want to write the screenplay and do it again.
KAGAN: Finally, you're throwing the ball out tonight, the first pitch out at the Braves/Padres game.
GRISHAM: That's right.
KAGAN: How's your arm? I mean, talk about pressure. That pressure is one thing.
GRISHAM: I've done this three times in my brief career as a first-pitch thrower. It's always been perfect strikes.
KAGAN: Really?
GRISHAM: Yes. Hard sliders on the outside corner.
KAGAN: We'll have to take your word for that.
GRISHAM: Yes. Well, don't send a camera crew.
KAGAN: Yes. We'll enforcing that.
John Grisham, good luck with the movie. It's called "Mickey." And thanks for stopping by.
GRISHAM: Thank you for having me.
KAGAN: Appreciate it.
GRISHAM: My pleasure.
KAGAN: Good luck tonight with that first pitch.
GRISHAM: Thank you.
KAGAN: Mixing America's favorite "Friends" and money. We're going to show you how things are adding up as they prepare to say farewell.
Also, Southern California firefighters battling wild fires. They catch a break from the weather. Orelon Sidney is along with her forecast.
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KAGAN: It's all over but the good-byes. NBC's long-running mega-hit "Friends" airs its finale tonight.
Monica and Chandler are off to the burbs. They're getting a new baby. Phoebe is happily married. Joey heads to Hollywood for a new NBC spin-off. The big question, what about Ross and Rachel?
Fifty million viewers are expected to tune in for tonight's "Friends." Advertisers are paying Super Bowl rates for the finale.
Our financial correspondent Mary Snow is in New York this morning with a preview of that.
Good morning.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn. Good morning.
And you know, probably the best friend behind this show is the money. So many businesses have profited from it, including this restaurant here in Manhattan, in guidebooks, touted as the inspiration for the Central Perk coffee shop setting used in the show.
Now, it's gotten some business from that. Nowhere near, though, the business NBC has gotten from the show. And of course, the actors were making a million dollars per episode by the end.
It all happens when you mix money and "Friends."
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COURTENEY COX, ACTRESS: It's not even a date. It's just two people going out to dinner and...
SNOW (voice-over): What started out a decade ago as coffee shop chatter about the angst of adulthood is ending as a potential revenue record-breaker in network television.
As NBC bids farewell to "Friends," it's saying hello to its new pal, an estimated $40 billion for one night's episode.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is akin to Haley's Comet. It doesn't come around very often.
SNOW: Pitching a star on the "Friends" bandwagon holds the promise of cash. That's why advertisers have paid as much as $2 million for a 30-second spot.
TERRY STANLEY, ADAGE: The series finale for "Friends" will gather between probably 50 and 55 million people and those are eyeballs for an advertiser...
(END VIDEOTAPE) KAGAN: We're going to get back to Mary Snow and to the story of the end of "Friends" and the finale of "Friends" in just a moment. But we're expecting some videotape that was shot at the White House to be available in just about a minute or so.
It is of President Bush. He is in the Roosevelt Room. He is meeting with a coalition that is organized to the assistance to a free Cuba. So we're going to have more on that in just a moment, of course.
But the really big event we're expecting out of the White House today, later today President Bush meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan. And they will be having a news conference.
So right now, here's the tape shot earlier in the White House.
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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... free Cuba. It's a report from a commission that I put together in my administration to hasten the day that Cuba be a free country.
We believe the people of Cuba should be free from tyranny. We believe the future of Cuba is a future of freedom. It's in our nation's interest that Cuba be free. It's in the neighborhood's interest that Cuba be free. More importantly, it's in the interest of the Cuban people that they be free from tyranny.
This strategy is a strategy that encourages the spending of money to help organizations to protect dissidents and to promote human rights.
It is a strategy that encourages a clear voice of the truth being spoken to the Cuban people through radio and TV Marti.
It is a strategy that will prevent the regime from exploiting hard currency of tourists and of remittances to Cubans to prop up their oppressive regime.
It is a strategy that says we're not waiting for the day of Cuban freedom. We are working for the day of freedom in Cuba.
Commissioners did good work. I appreciate it, Mr. Secretary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir.
BUSH: Thank you for coming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
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KAGAN: And just a bit of videotape that was shot in the White House within the last hour, President Bush talking about a new report on trying to free Cuba. This, on the day that President Bush will be welcoming King Abdullah of Jordan. You will see the president live with King Abdullah in the Rose Garden about three hours from now, 2:05 p.m. Eastern, and you'll see that live right here on CNN.
Our apologies to Mary Snow. Once again, "Friends" ending tonight. The big finale on NBC. More on that ahead.
Also, we're going to have the latest on the firefight in Najaf when we check our top stories.
It was a record fund-raising for Republicans. Judy Woodruff will have details on how much the president added to his war chest in just a moment.
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