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Bush Will Deliver Prime Time Speech Tonight With Message of Reassurance To Public Growing Weary of U.S. Mission in Iraq

Aired May 24, 2004 - 10:35   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."
Coalition officials in Baghdad say that two British civilians were killed in this morning's explosion at a checkpoint outside coalition headquarters. A third person wounded. The blast was originally believed to be a car bombing but later was blamed on a roadside bomb struck by the victim's SUV.

Today promises to be pivotal in the murder trial of Oklahoma bombing conspirator Terry Nichols. The presiding judge is expected to rule whether state prosecutors can seek the death penalty in the case. Attorneys for Nichols who is serving life in prison on federal charges will then deliver closing arguments probably this afternoon.

The California prosecution who's handling the child molestation case against Michael Jackson is fighting efforts to reduce bail for the pop star. The prosecution motion was obtained by media lawyers yesterday. It cites concerns that Jackson could flee if his bail is reduced from the current $3 million.

New developments in the labor dispute by 100,000 workers at the nation's second largest local phone provider. Both sides report progress in the negotiations. Officials with Texas-based SBC Communications say that there have been minimal problems since the strike began on Friday. Fill-in workers have substituted for telephone operators, linemen and service representatives. The four- day walkout is scheduled to end just after midnight.

President Bush will deliver a prime time speech tonight with a message of reassurance to a public growing weary of the U.S. mission in Iraq. Support for his Iraq policies is now at an all-time low. Elaine Quijano is at the White House with a preview of what we can expect from the president later tonight. Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. At a time when the Bush administration has faced continued criticism that the administration did not have a sufficient plan in place for post- war Iraq, the president now heads to Carlisle, Pennsylvania to give a speech at the U.S. Army War College there specifically to outline five steps regarding Iraq's future.

Now just a short time ago as the president was preparing for a light-hearted moment today, congratulating the championship WNBA Detroit Shock team, his spokesperson was outlining in broad terms several themes that the president will be focusing on tonight. They have to do with the political, military, diplomatic steps the administration would like to take in Iraq as well as the reconstruction efforts.

Look for the president to discuss having the support of the United Nations. A draft resolution, in fact, is said to be introduced to Security Council members perhaps as early as today.

The president is also expected to talk about the security situation in Iraq, about quipping and training Iraqi forces to be in charge of security there. And about expanding the international role.

His speech may also include some new information on whom U.S. troops in Iraq will report to after the handover in power to the Iraqis on June 30. We're told that the president will probably echo familiar themes as well, talking about the difficult days ahead, the likelihood of more violence. At a time when his approval ratings are down, he is expected to reaffirm his nation's commitment to Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUZY DEFRANCIS, DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS: I believe the president feels that not only will it be important as we move forward to June 30 to build support in the country for this new Iraqi government, but also as we move past that, he's going to counsel the American people on the need for patience and persistence because, as I said, the stakes are extremely high here. We must win on the war on terror. And Iraq is a central front in the war on terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Tonight' speech is expected to last about a half an hour or so. This, by the way, the first of several speeches the president is expected to deliver in the weeks ahead in advance of that June 30 deadline -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Interesting, Elaine, that he's not going to do it from the White House. He's going to Pennsylvania to do this.

QUIJANO: It is interesting. And what the White House has said is that the president has talked about Iraq all along, that he is simply continuing to do that today.

When asked today about it, in fact, the White House Spokesperson Scott McClellan saying you should not look at this as a series of speeches, although he did say that these speeches coming up will looking at different aspects and perhaps detailing a little bit different points on the plan going forward in Iraq.

But they're being very careful to say that the president has continued to talk about Iraq all along. But at this point, interesting to note, he is choosing that particular venue, the U.S. Army War College to deliver that message tonight -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Elaine, thank you for that.

We want to invite our viewers to join us for a special edition of "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That is "Countdown to the Handover." It will include live coverage of President George bush's address at the U.S. Army War College. That is now scheduled for 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.

Want to take a closer look right now at the presidential campaign. Independent candidate Ralph Nader says that he shared some advice with rival John Kerry. Nader met with the presumptive Democratic nominee last month. He says he thinks Kerry's list of running mates should be paired down to two. And those two should be, according to Nader, John Edwards or Dick Gephardt. Kerry has not announced his choice and has not even announced when he plans on doing that.

Filmmaker Michael Moore is heading back to the U.S. today. He is carrying the Golden Palm for winning the Cannes Film Festival's top prize. "Fahrenheit 9/11" is the first documentary to win that award in nearly a half century. The movie made headlines for its criticism of President Bush's handling of the war on terror and his Iraq policies. The parent company Disney said that it wouldn't distribute the anti-Bush documentary during an election year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: We have a distributor now in Albania.

(LAUGHTER)

MOORE: We just were told. So, now, every country in the world can see this film. Except one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The production company, Miramax, is trying to buy the film from Disney and find another distributor. Moore says that he'd like the movie to be released on the 4th of July.

Well get ready to go on tour, sort of. Stay with us for a preview of some of this summer's hottest concert events. CNN LIVE TODAY>

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at stories from "Across America." Authorities in St. Paul, Minnesota are investigating the weekend death after circus performer. She plunged to her death during a performance. This is the first fatality in at least a decade for the Ringling Brothers' and Barnum and Bailey Circus Show. Among the questions, why the 32-year-old woman was not working with a net which is required by city law.

To New Mexico. The fire burning near Corona has burned about 4,600 acres in the Cibola National Forest. Meanwhile, losses on Capitol Mountain have now surpassed 10,000 acres. Two dozen homes have been evacuated as a precaution. A bug infestation had killed the evergreen trees and created dangerously dry conditions.

Attorneys for Martha Stewart could be back in court again seeking a new trial. Defense attorneys will argue that newly-filed perjury charges against a government witness taints Stewart's March conviction. Stewart faces conviction next month.

Getting "Warped" in the heat of summer? That is a good thing, actually, if you're heading to summer concerts like the Vans Warped Tour. Our guest has an inside scoop on that and other tours that you might want to check out this summer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: He hasn't gone on the road in years but he's making up for it. Prince's spring tour will become a summer tour. Here to talk about that and the other top acts playing in a venue near you this summer is "Spin" magazine's Sarah Lewitinn.

Sarah, good morning. Good to have you here with us.

SARAH LEWITINN, "SPIN": Hi, Daryn. Thanks for having me.

KAGAN: Prince was here in Atlanta. I did not make the show but I heard it was excellent.

LEWITINN: Yes. He performed a lot of his classic songs and put on a great show, exactly what you want to see Prince doing. You know, the set is little bit more toned down this time around. Less sex.

KAGAN: Less sex. Well speaking of sex, let's talk Madonna who's heading out this summer. I've heard everything from this is going to be crazier and wilder and more out there than ever to she's toning it down because now she's a wife and a mother. Which one is it?

LEWITINN: She's reinventing herself, as always. What does Madonna do? She reinvents herself.

So she's going back on the road, doing her old songs, but then giving them a new twist. She doesn't want to be known as like the mom who sits at home writing Kabbalah books for her children. She wants to be out there, be the sexy woman that she once was. And so she's reinventing songs like "Get into the Groove," "Material Girl," all of her old classics.

KAGAN: I saw her the last time -- a couple of years ago that she was on tour and she purposely didn't play a lot of her old stuff. And I as an old foggy Madonna fan kind of thought that was disappointing. I like her old stuff.

LEWITINN: Yes, her fans like her old stuff. She knows this. So she's going to really ham it up for the crowd this time. Especially because tickets are like $1,000. I'm kidding, but they're really expensive.

KAGAN: Well she better come up with something good for very expensive tickets. Let's talk about some of the festivals that are out there. Lollapalooza. Was this like the original -- well not the original festival. That goes back to Woodstock. But of the current crop, this one has been around for a while. LEWITINN: Well Lollapalooza first started about ten years ago where alternative music was at its peak. And it's, once again, at its peak. So this time around, you're going to see some of the most amazing bands. Like you have Morrissey out there, the Flaming Lips, you have Modest Mouse, P.J. Harvey, Sonic Youth. All these incredible bands.

Like I feel like I should leave my job for a couple of weeks just to go on tour with this.

KAGAN: Did you tell your boss that?

LEWITINN: Not yet. So, Sia (ph), now you know.

KAGAN: Sarah, just to sound young and hip I'm going to pretend I have even heard of a single one of those bands you just mentioned.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: I have heard of some of the people on this other tour, Bonnaroo.

LEWITINN: Bonnaroo's the more hippie type fest...

KAGAN: So I'm a more a hippie than alternative rocker. I'll claim it, I'll claim it!

LEWITINN: You're going to see Dave Matthews perform there, some members from the Grateful Dead even. But expect to camp out for three days and smell like patchouli oil by the time you get home.

KAGAN: Oh really? OK, you know what? You lost me on that.

So let's see, Madonna's expensive, Prince has toned down, don't know anybody on Lollapalooza and...

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: ... you got to camp out and you got to stink. So far I'm 0 for 4. So which one do I need to go to?

LEWITINN: OK, the tour you need to go to is Lollapalooza, by far. It's a two-day festival, you've got passes for like $50 for the two days, you're going to see an incredible show.

Another good festival would be the Curiosa Festival which has the Cure whom I'm hoping heard you've heard of as well as the Rapture, Muse and Interpol. And that's another fest I'm going to have to talk to my boss about missing a lot of work for.

KAGAN: We will write you a note that Sarah won't be to work for the summer because she has other things to go check out. Thanks for the tips, thanks for at least making us sound a little bit hip.

LEWITINN: Oh, you're hip enough.

KAGAN: Sarah, thank you.

LEWITINN: Thank you. Bye.

KAGAN: We're going to go from summer concerts to summer movies. "Shrek 2," this is going to be a hard one to top. The ogre's sequel raked in -- look at these monster numbers -- $104 million at the box office over the weekend.

By the way, that's the second biggest three-day take in movie history eclipsed only by "Spider-Man" in 2002.

You can keep an eye on entertainment 24/7 by pointing your Internet browser cnn.com/entertainment. Among the highlights you'll find there, Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary still does not have a distributor. Hollywood insiders say it is going to be a big hit when it finally does hit the theater.

Serious storms are pounding parts of the U.S. We will take a look at what you can expect today, especially in the Midwest. Stay with us here on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 May 24, 2004 - 10:35   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."
Coalition officials in Baghdad say that two British civilians were killed in this morning's explosion at a checkpoint outside coalition headquarters. A third person wounded. The blast was originally believed to be a car bombing but later was blamed on a roadside bomb struck by the victim's SUV.

Today promises to be pivotal in the murder trial of Oklahoma bombing conspirator Terry Nichols. The presiding judge is expected to rule whether state prosecutors can seek the death penalty in the case. Attorneys for Nichols who is serving life in prison on federal charges will then deliver closing arguments probably this afternoon.

The California prosecution who's handling the child molestation case against Michael Jackson is fighting efforts to reduce bail for the pop star. The prosecution motion was obtained by media lawyers yesterday. It cites concerns that Jackson could flee if his bail is reduced from the current $3 million.

New developments in the labor dispute by 100,000 workers at the nation's second largest local phone provider. Both sides report progress in the negotiations. Officials with Texas-based SBC Communications say that there have been minimal problems since the strike began on Friday. Fill-in workers have substituted for telephone operators, linemen and service representatives. The four- day walkout is scheduled to end just after midnight.

President Bush will deliver a prime time speech tonight with a message of reassurance to a public growing weary of the U.S. mission in Iraq. Support for his Iraq policies is now at an all-time low. Elaine Quijano is at the White House with a preview of what we can expect from the president later tonight. Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. At a time when the Bush administration has faced continued criticism that the administration did not have a sufficient plan in place for post- war Iraq, the president now heads to Carlisle, Pennsylvania to give a speech at the U.S. Army War College there specifically to outline five steps regarding Iraq's future.

Now just a short time ago as the president was preparing for a light-hearted moment today, congratulating the championship WNBA Detroit Shock team, his spokesperson was outlining in broad terms several themes that the president will be focusing on tonight. They have to do with the political, military, diplomatic steps the administration would like to take in Iraq as well as the reconstruction efforts.

Look for the president to discuss having the support of the United Nations. A draft resolution, in fact, is said to be introduced to Security Council members perhaps as early as today.

The president is also expected to talk about the security situation in Iraq, about quipping and training Iraqi forces to be in charge of security there. And about expanding the international role.

His speech may also include some new information on whom U.S. troops in Iraq will report to after the handover in power to the Iraqis on June 30. We're told that the president will probably echo familiar themes as well, talking about the difficult days ahead, the likelihood of more violence. At a time when his approval ratings are down, he is expected to reaffirm his nation's commitment to Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUZY DEFRANCIS, DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS: I believe the president feels that not only will it be important as we move forward to June 30 to build support in the country for this new Iraqi government, but also as we move past that, he's going to counsel the American people on the need for patience and persistence because, as I said, the stakes are extremely high here. We must win on the war on terror. And Iraq is a central front in the war on terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Tonight' speech is expected to last about a half an hour or so. This, by the way, the first of several speeches the president is expected to deliver in the weeks ahead in advance of that June 30 deadline -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Interesting, Elaine, that he's not going to do it from the White House. He's going to Pennsylvania to do this.

QUIJANO: It is interesting. And what the White House has said is that the president has talked about Iraq all along, that he is simply continuing to do that today.

When asked today about it, in fact, the White House Spokesperson Scott McClellan saying you should not look at this as a series of speeches, although he did say that these speeches coming up will looking at different aspects and perhaps detailing a little bit different points on the plan going forward in Iraq.

But they're being very careful to say that the president has continued to talk about Iraq all along. But at this point, interesting to note, he is choosing that particular venue, the U.S. Army War College to deliver that message tonight -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Elaine, thank you for that.

We want to invite our viewers to join us for a special edition of "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That is "Countdown to the Handover." It will include live coverage of President George bush's address at the U.S. Army War College. That is now scheduled for 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.

Want to take a closer look right now at the presidential campaign. Independent candidate Ralph Nader says that he shared some advice with rival John Kerry. Nader met with the presumptive Democratic nominee last month. He says he thinks Kerry's list of running mates should be paired down to two. And those two should be, according to Nader, John Edwards or Dick Gephardt. Kerry has not announced his choice and has not even announced when he plans on doing that.

Filmmaker Michael Moore is heading back to the U.S. today. He is carrying the Golden Palm for winning the Cannes Film Festival's top prize. "Fahrenheit 9/11" is the first documentary to win that award in nearly a half century. The movie made headlines for its criticism of President Bush's handling of the war on terror and his Iraq policies. The parent company Disney said that it wouldn't distribute the anti-Bush documentary during an election year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: We have a distributor now in Albania.

(LAUGHTER)

MOORE: We just were told. So, now, every country in the world can see this film. Except one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The production company, Miramax, is trying to buy the film from Disney and find another distributor. Moore says that he'd like the movie to be released on the 4th of July.

Well get ready to go on tour, sort of. Stay with us for a preview of some of this summer's hottest concert events. CNN LIVE TODAY>

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at stories from "Across America." Authorities in St. Paul, Minnesota are investigating the weekend death after circus performer. She plunged to her death during a performance. This is the first fatality in at least a decade for the Ringling Brothers' and Barnum and Bailey Circus Show. Among the questions, why the 32-year-old woman was not working with a net which is required by city law.

To New Mexico. The fire burning near Corona has burned about 4,600 acres in the Cibola National Forest. Meanwhile, losses on Capitol Mountain have now surpassed 10,000 acres. Two dozen homes have been evacuated as a precaution. A bug infestation had killed the evergreen trees and created dangerously dry conditions.

Attorneys for Martha Stewart could be back in court again seeking a new trial. Defense attorneys will argue that newly-filed perjury charges against a government witness taints Stewart's March conviction. Stewart faces conviction next month.

Getting "Warped" in the heat of summer? That is a good thing, actually, if you're heading to summer concerts like the Vans Warped Tour. Our guest has an inside scoop on that and other tours that you might want to check out this summer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: He hasn't gone on the road in years but he's making up for it. Prince's spring tour will become a summer tour. Here to talk about that and the other top acts playing in a venue near you this summer is "Spin" magazine's Sarah Lewitinn.

Sarah, good morning. Good to have you here with us.

SARAH LEWITINN, "SPIN": Hi, Daryn. Thanks for having me.

KAGAN: Prince was here in Atlanta. I did not make the show but I heard it was excellent.

LEWITINN: Yes. He performed a lot of his classic songs and put on a great show, exactly what you want to see Prince doing. You know, the set is little bit more toned down this time around. Less sex.

KAGAN: Less sex. Well speaking of sex, let's talk Madonna who's heading out this summer. I've heard everything from this is going to be crazier and wilder and more out there than ever to she's toning it down because now she's a wife and a mother. Which one is it?

LEWITINN: She's reinventing herself, as always. What does Madonna do? She reinvents herself.

So she's going back on the road, doing her old songs, but then giving them a new twist. She doesn't want to be known as like the mom who sits at home writing Kabbalah books for her children. She wants to be out there, be the sexy woman that she once was. And so she's reinventing songs like "Get into the Groove," "Material Girl," all of her old classics.

KAGAN: I saw her the last time -- a couple of years ago that she was on tour and she purposely didn't play a lot of her old stuff. And I as an old foggy Madonna fan kind of thought that was disappointing. I like her old stuff.

LEWITINN: Yes, her fans like her old stuff. She knows this. So she's going to really ham it up for the crowd this time. Especially because tickets are like $1,000. I'm kidding, but they're really expensive.

KAGAN: Well she better come up with something good for very expensive tickets. Let's talk about some of the festivals that are out there. Lollapalooza. Was this like the original -- well not the original festival. That goes back to Woodstock. But of the current crop, this one has been around for a while. LEWITINN: Well Lollapalooza first started about ten years ago where alternative music was at its peak. And it's, once again, at its peak. So this time around, you're going to see some of the most amazing bands. Like you have Morrissey out there, the Flaming Lips, you have Modest Mouse, P.J. Harvey, Sonic Youth. All these incredible bands.

Like I feel like I should leave my job for a couple of weeks just to go on tour with this.

KAGAN: Did you tell your boss that?

LEWITINN: Not yet. So, Sia (ph), now you know.

KAGAN: Sarah, just to sound young and hip I'm going to pretend I have even heard of a single one of those bands you just mentioned.

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: I have heard of some of the people on this other tour, Bonnaroo.

LEWITINN: Bonnaroo's the more hippie type fest...

KAGAN: So I'm a more a hippie than alternative rocker. I'll claim it, I'll claim it!

LEWITINN: You're going to see Dave Matthews perform there, some members from the Grateful Dead even. But expect to camp out for three days and smell like patchouli oil by the time you get home.

KAGAN: Oh really? OK, you know what? You lost me on that.

So let's see, Madonna's expensive, Prince has toned down, don't know anybody on Lollapalooza and...

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: ... you got to camp out and you got to stink. So far I'm 0 for 4. So which one do I need to go to?

LEWITINN: OK, the tour you need to go to is Lollapalooza, by far. It's a two-day festival, you've got passes for like $50 for the two days, you're going to see an incredible show.

Another good festival would be the Curiosa Festival which has the Cure whom I'm hoping heard you've heard of as well as the Rapture, Muse and Interpol. And that's another fest I'm going to have to talk to my boss about missing a lot of work for.

KAGAN: We will write you a note that Sarah won't be to work for the summer because she has other things to go check out. Thanks for the tips, thanks for at least making us sound a little bit hip.

LEWITINN: Oh, you're hip enough.

KAGAN: Sarah, thank you.

LEWITINN: Thank you. Bye.

KAGAN: We're going to go from summer concerts to summer movies. "Shrek 2," this is going to be a hard one to top. The ogre's sequel raked in -- look at these monster numbers -- $104 million at the box office over the weekend.

By the way, that's the second biggest three-day take in movie history eclipsed only by "Spider-Man" in 2002.

You can keep an eye on entertainment 24/7 by pointing your Internet browser cnn.com/entertainment. Among the highlights you'll find there, Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary still does not have a distributor. Hollywood insiders say it is going to be a big hit when it finally does hit the theater.

Serious storms are pounding parts of the U.S. We will take a look at what you can expect today, especially in the Midwest. Stay with us here on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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