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American Morning
Terrorist Threatens Iraqi's New Leaders; Kobe Bryant Expected to Go to Trial in August
Aired June 23, 2004 - 08:00 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.
BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: Good morning. U.S. forces striking a possible terrorist hideout in Fallujah, saying that they will go after al Qaeda wherever and whenever. That warning comes just as man thought to be Abu Zarqawi makes a new threat against top leaders in Iraq.
The former president, Bill Clinton, received like a rock star in New York City. We'll show you how things went, though, with a BBC reporter, bit of a different story.
And jurors in California hear Scott Peterson's own words for the first time. What was on a videotape played in the courtroom? We'll find out this hour, here on AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. Some news making headlines this morning.
There is that other high profile case going on right now. It's been nearly a year since accusations against Kobe Bryant came out. We're going to take a look at that and also the news coming out of a key pretrial hearing this week.
HEMMER: Also, significant business story to talk about. Wal- Mart entering uncharted territory. The retail giant, now the defendant in the nation's largest private civil rights lawsuit ever, brought by a woman who says she was unfairly passed up for promotions.
How bad could it get for Wal-Mart? We'll look at that again this hour.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, what are the risks to your health from your cosmetics? Some of them apparently contain things like coal tar, lead and some other ingredients that actually don't sound so great. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to join us, tell us which products are dangerous and which ones are safe.
HEMMER: Yes, they don't sound good at all, do they? We'll find out.
Let's start again this hour in Iraq. A week before the handover now in Iraq, new threats have been made against coalition troops there. Iraqi security forces and the interim Iraqi government, including the prime minister. Straight away to Baghdad, Christiane Amanpour watching all these developments for us.
Christiane, hello there.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
Indeed, on an Islamic web site there was an audio released where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi apparently has said that they continue to fight Americans and threatened to assassinate the Iraqi interim prime minister until, quote, "Islamic rule is back on Earth."
Zarqawi belongs to the same group or is the head of the same group that beheaded Nicholas Berg and the South Korean, Kim Sun-Il, last night.
In the audio statement, he apparently says, "We will continue the game with you." This is directed at Iyad Allawi, the prime minister. "We will continue the game with you until the end. We will not get bored until we make you drink from the same glass as the Izzadine Saleem," who was the head of the Iraqi Governing Council who was assassinated weeks ago.
For his part, Iyad Allawi said that he had received this threat -- that he has seen it, rather on the Web site. His spokesman told CNN that he had printed it out, shown it to the interim prime minister, who is reported to have smiled and to have said, "It is not just Allawi," referring to himself who is the target or victim of Zarqawi, "but it is all the Iraqi people."
He claimed that he would not be deflected. He said that this would not have any impact on the handover, and he said that Iraq would do all it can to fight this kind of terrorism.
They have pointed to Zarqawi many, many times as blaming them for many of the attacks that have been going on here in Iraq.
Now last night, shortly after midnight, our time, the U.S. struck with missiles from the air at a target in Fallujah. This, they say, was based on, quote, "actionable intelligence," and they said it was against a safe house believed to be part of the Zarqawi network there in Fallujah -- Bill.
HEMMER: Christiane, thanks. The latest there in Baghdad.
A bit earlier in fact last hour we talked with senators John McCain and Joseph Biden assessing the coming transfer of power there in Iraq. Senator McCain said it was critical to stop guys like Zarqawi but that the insurgency would not end if he were taken care of.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think it's very important that we get him. But we have seen a sort of dispersion of this al Qaeda network. I'm sorry to tell if you we get him, there's going to be somebody else that's going to take his place. We've -- we're in a very tough struggle here in Iraq, and we're going to be here for a long time, but it's vital that we succeed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: After John McCain was on our program, the top tier Democrat, Joseph Biden out of Delaware, he just returned from a trip from Iraq. He says he has more reason now for optimism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: I think the Iraqi people are prepared to cooperate with us more. The new leadership, this fellow Prime Minister Allawi is a serious guy.
I don't want to exaggerate it, but he's a little bit like Karzai in Afghanistan. He has a realistic view of what his problems are. But this turning over of sovereignty does not mean we turned over capacity.
The key to get out of this, quote, "security quagmire," as one of our colleagues said, is to equip the Iraqis, but get real about it, not train their cops for eight weeks, not think you're going to have a 30,000-man army in six months. But over the next year with a significant investments of training and equipment, we ought to be able to put ourselves in a position for what's ultimately an exit strategy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Both those interviews last hour.
Yesterday, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz speaking with a House committee said that U.S. strategy in Iraq has developed Iraqi forces that can take over security from the U.S. troops. He believes, though, that American forces will be in Iraq for several years to come.
Again, seven days, the countdown now to the official handover of power -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Bill Clinton's latest campaign is shaping up as a sure- fire best seller. We're talking, of course, about the P.R. push behind the former president's memoirs.
"My Life" went on sale yesterday. And we're going to debate this morning the 957-page tome and its impact on the Clinton legacy with two of our favorite guests. In Washington, D.C., this morning, Democratic consultant Victor Kamber with the Kamber Group. And also this morning, Cliff may, former RNC communications director, now with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Gentlemen, good morning.
VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: Good morning.
CLIFF MAY, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's start by listening to a little chunk of what President Clinton had to say to the interviewer from the BBC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the reasons he got away with it? Is because people like you only ask people like me the questions. You gave him a complete free ride.
Any abuse they want to do, they indicted all these little people from Arkansas. What did you care about them? They're not famous.
Who cares if their lives were trampled? Who cares if their children were humiliated? Who cares if Starr sends FBI agents to their school and rip them out of their school to humiliate them to force their parents to lie about me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: He's talking about the independent counsel Ken Starr, and he says you gave him a complete ride, back to blaming the media.
Let's start with you, Cliff, this morning. What do you make of that accusation? We gave him a free ride.
MAY: Well, that's just clearly not true. I mean I have complaints about the media. Bill Clinton, I guess, has -- But really, I mean that's simply not true.
O'BRIEN: How about you, Vic? You know, at one point you see the president...
MAY: Take on the BBC.
O'BRIEN: ... former president talking on "Oprah." And he says one of the reasons he wasn't straightforward -- this is one of his justifications -- is that the media was hysterical and that's why he didn't tell the truth sooner.
Doesn't quite explain why he lied to his wife and his kid and the countries, but that's his explanation. What do you make of that?
KAMBER: Well, you have two questions here. What he said on "Oprah" and what he talked about with regard to his family and then what he felt about Ken Starr.
Ken Starr clearly was on a vendetta. I don't think there's any doubt. And he got nowhere. I mean, the bottom line, the media and -- and I'm not a media basher. But the media and Ken Starr have to be blamed. Ken Starr accomplished nothing in his whole pursuit.
Whitewater wasn't real. All the things Ken Starr dealt with weren't real except Monica Lewinsky and sex. And the country wasn't concerned about sex. With regard to his family and the lies to his family, I can't speak to his motives of why or what was in his mind at the time. I think like a lot of men -- and I hate to be sexist here -- he'd liked to have hid his indiscretions and not dealt with them with his family.
MAY: Vic, you've changed the subject entirely. He lashed out at the BBC and the media.
KAMBER: Over Ken Starr and Ken Starr's treatment.
MAY: Go ahead. Another question. I don't want to talk about Ken Starr any more for the rest of my life.
O'BRIEN: You guys are ready to move on. You know what? I'm ready to move on off of this topic, too.
Let's talk about the $70 million that was -- that's the figure that the former president estimates was spent. Nothing proven at the end in Whitewater. He's got a point there. Right, Cliff?
MAY: Look. I think that what -- Bill Clinton's behavior and the Republican reaction to it and the media reaction to it distracted us during the 1990s from serious problems that were brewing on the world stage, not least the problem of terrorism.
The 1990s was a period when 20,000 terrorists were trained in Afghanistan. I think if Bill Clinton hadn't been so distracted, he's to blame for that. We in the media are to blame for that.
KAMBER: Wait.
MAY: Republicans are to blame for that. He might have been able to connect the dots and do something about al Qaeda.
KAMBER: How...
MAY: If you read the book on al Qaeda, you see that he didn't do very much about it.
KAMBER: You know...
O'BRIEN: Are you saying Monica Lewinsky is in some way responsible for the rise of Osama bin Laden?
MAY: I hadn't thought of it quite that way, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It's kind of how you're putting it.
KAMBER: Wait a second. You know, we can have fun and laugh at it. The fact is he didn't bring about Whitewater. He didn't bring about Vince Foster's death. He didn't bring about all the allegations and charges that Republicans made.
They -- Republicans decided, as parties out of power do, that this is the enemy and we've got to get him. And so when you say he was distracted, he dealt with the political realities. He was under attack, he was under siege, and he dealt with those political realities and ended up accounting himself quite well, except with the fact that there was sex and Monica Lewinsky.
But in terms of all the other charges, he was innocent.
O'BRIEN: The sales are going through the roof for this book. Do you think this is only going to help his legacy? Both of you weighed in on this before, and we've run out of time.
MAY: If you're asking me about his legacy, I think, look, the reason presidents write memoirs, whether it's Grant or James Buchanan or Clinton, is to try to spin history. Usually if you look at past experience, it doesn't necessarily work.
Fifty years from now the historians will take a very different view, a disinterested view that neither Vic nor I can do at this point. And they will look at him. They'll look at his involvement in Whitewater. They'll look at Monica Lewinsky. They'll look at his legacy in general, and who knows what they'll come up to?
Look, but memoirs are an attempt to spin history. And I don't blame him for trying to do that.
KAMBER: And I won't disagree in the sense that I don't call it spin history. This is his view. It's his perception of his life, his times, his career, and he's telling the American public what he sees and how he understands it.
I think a vast number of the public is going to say, were we better off with him as president for eight years? There is no question, he was a great president.
O'BRIEN: Victor Kamber and Cliff May, nice to see you guys as always, thanks.
MAY: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: They get all hot and bothered under the collar on that one. Thank you, guys.
Former President Bill Clinton will do his first live prime time interview, including phone calls. That's tomorrow night at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on "LARRY KING LIVE."
HEMMER: It's only 8 a.m. in the morning, too.
The pre-trial hearings in Kobe Bryant's sexual assault case now over, the one-year anniversary, though, of the incident soon approaching. And as it does, lawyers do agree on one thing: this trial will most likely start in late August.
Here is Gary Tuchman in Colorado.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With his wife by his side, Kobe Bryant accused of raping a 19-year-old woman, uttered these words.
KOBE BRYANT, CHARGED WITH RAPE: I didn't force her to do anything against her will.
TUCHMAN: Nearly one year later, that is still the crux of the NBA star's defense, that the extramarital sex with a hotel employee was consensual.
A judge's gag order has been in place for most of the year. But prosecutors have made it clear they still believe Bryant will be found guilty.
MARK HURLBERT, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: He really is the totality of the evidence. And that's really in any felony, especially in a sex assault felony. It's all the testimonial evidence, all the physical evidence, all the evidence in total.
TUCHMAN: The prosecution says the woman will testify she was forced to have sex in Bryant's hotel room and that she suffered injuries because of it.
But the defense contends DNA testing indicates she had sex with other people close to the time she was with Bryant, and that could mean somebody else caused the injuries.
Which all sets up a critical decision the judge could make as early as next week: Will an exception be made to Colorado's rape shield law to allow court testimony about the accuser's sex life?
CRAIG SILVERMAN, COLORADO ATTORNEY: If the defense is able to put on credible evidence that this young woman had sex with somebody else after Kobe Bryant but before she went to the cops, I don't see how the prosecution can prevail.
TUCHMAN: This week both sides declared they want the trial to start at the end of August. Judge Terry Ruckriegle wants to tie up legal loose ends before officially announcing the date. But the court says he will try to make the attorneys' request happen.
KAREN SALAZ, COURT SPOKESWOMAN: One of the things that the judge has made very clear is that when he sets this time, he wants it to be a firm date.
TUCHMAN (on camera): So with this trial expected to last no longer than a month, it's likely Kobe Bryant will know whether he has to do hard time before he's expected back on the hard wood.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Eagle County, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Gary, thanks for that. More written arguments from lawyers expected to be presented next week in Bryant's case.
In Scott Peterson's case, his own words have been played for the jury.
The detective who interviewed Peterson on the night his wife was reported missing testified at the murder trial yesterday. Parts of that videotaped session played in court for the jury.
Peterson was described as cool, calm and relaxed. The detective said a number of things alerted his suspicion, including how soon Peterson showered when he came home and the next day when he called police to ask police if they were using cadaver dogs in their investigation -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It's almost 15 minutes past the hour now, time to head to Atlanta and check in with Daryn Kagan for a look at some of the other stories that are making news this morning.
Hey, Daryn. Good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: Good morning to you once again.
We are updating a story that we told you about earlier. There is now word that eight members of the British military being held in Iran have not actually been freed yet. Iran saying it will likely delay the release until tomorrow.
The servicemen were detained Monday after their boats entered Iranian waters.
The U.S. says is has a proposal to potentially end the deadlock over North Korea's nuclear program. American envoy James Kelly says the U.S. is ready for serious discussion as talks get under way in Beijing. In addition to the U.S., teams from both Koreas and -- are joining delegates from China, Russia and Japan.
In Washington, the U.S. Senate taking up the issue of war funding. They're doing it again today. This after the house yesterday overwhelmingly approved a $417 billion spending bill. The legislation includes $25 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 30 amendments are still pending.
Health news now. Another reason to quit smoking. There is new research showing that cigarette smokers die on average ten years earlier than non-smokers. Kicking the habit even at the age of 50 can cut the risk in half, and people who stop by the age of 30 can avoid nearly all the risk of dying prematurely.
Soledad, as if you needed more convincing.
O'BRIEN: Exactly. I know where you're going with that. So true. As if you needed more evidence.
KAGAN: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: Daryn, thanks, as always. Weather now, Chad Myers at CNN the Center with the latest forecast for us.
Hey, Chad. What you looking at this morning?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Thank you, Chad.
Mattie Stepanek, the 13-year-old boy who became a best-selling poet and advocate for victims of muscular dystrophy has died.
Last night Larry King aired his interview with Stepanek, taped about two years ago. In that interview, Stepanek spoke for his hopes about world peace and a whole lot more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTIE STEPANEK, MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ADVOCATE: I believe that peace is possible and if we choose to do three things, then we will have peace. I believe that if we choose to make peace an attitude, and want it, and we make it something that truly matters inside of our hearts, and then if we choose to make peace a habit, it's not just think it but to live it and share it.
And if we choose to make peace a reality and spread it throughout the world and get involved and understand what's going on, we will have peace.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": How do you handle being well known?
STEPANEK: It's a lot of fun. People come up to me everywhere and say, "Oh, I saw you on 'LARRY KING LIVE,' or I saw you on 'Oprah'." And it's really nice.
And a lot of people say, is it a pain? And I say, no. And it's not annoying. You always are trying to get someplace. But it's nice that I know I've gotten out there and that I've inspired people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Stepanek wrote "Heartsongs" and four other volumes of poetry, sold millions of copies, made "The New York Times" bestseller list.
He died yesterday in Washington from a rare form of muscular dystrophy at the young age of 13. He leaves quite a legacy.
O'BRIEN: I mean, and so well spoken for such -- really -- a kid. He was a kid. That's too bad.
Still to come this morning, the best movie ever made is about to come out on DVD or at least that's exactly what Toure thinks. The "Toure Experience." I'm afraid, I'm very afraid. It's up next.
HEMMER: Good way of putting it, though. "The Toure Experience."
Also ahead, a giant headache for a giant company. Wal-Mart gears up for a history-making lawsuit. Andy has much more on that.
O'BRIEN: And the safety of cosmetics. One group looks at their potential to make you sick. How worried should you really be? Dr. Sanjay Gupta ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Well, by now you know all about the "Cafferty File." How about the "Toure Experience?
O'BRIEN: I like that.
O'BRIEN, "ROLLING STONE": Live and in person.
TOURE: Have you ever been experienced?
HEMMER: You know, I'm just going to kick back and watch, baby. Show us the way!
O'BRIEN: Here we go. Bring it on! Bring it on!
TOURE: All right. Well the first story, even Red Sox fans have to be happy on a human interest level.
Jose Contreras for the New York Yankees was the best pitcher in Cuba. He defected two years ago without his wife, leaving behind his wife and his daughter, who were just 11 and 3. And the sadness has clearly been weighing on him, as it would on anybody.
HEMMER: Sure.
TOURE: But yesterday the entire family was reunited in Miami after a smuggler's speedboat delivered them from Cuba. And now Castro must be seething. Yes!
Mike Tyson calls himself the Edmond Dantes of boxing. Which of course we all know is referring to the hero of the Alexander Dumas classic, "The Count of Monte Cristo." We had no idea Mike was so literate and that he visits the Louvre.
But that's not the big news here. Tyson was granted a boxing license in New Jersey. He's going to fight yet again. Once again, it's on.
HEMMER: I'd like to see it.
TOURE: And finally, "The City of God" DVD is out. We thought it would come out six months ago. It's the story of life and death in the ghettos of Rio de Janeiro, the Favailles (ph). And it's the best movie ever made. OK? The best movie of the last two years.
But you need this in your life. It's beauty; it's sex; it's love; it's violence; it's awesome. HEMMER: You liked it that much?
TOURE: Oh, man! I've watched it at least 20, 30 times.
HEMMER: Really?
TOURE: Oh, yes.
HEMMER: Twenty, 30, 40 -- maybe 50 times?
TOURE: Maybe 50. Once you get it on DVD, you watch it over and over and over.
O'BRIEN: Probably just come back to it.
TOURE: Yes. So OK. The "Question of the Day."
O'BRIEN: All right.
TOURE: The American Film Institute list of the 100 best movie songs. No. 1 is "Over the Rainbow," Bill's favorite, sung by Judy Garland in "the Wizard of Oz."
HEMMER: No. 2 is great, by the way. Should have been No. 1.
TOURE: Number 29, though...
O'BRIEN: When was No. 2?
HEMMER: "As Time Goes By," "Casablanca."
O'BRIEN: OK. Clearly should have been No. 1
TOURE: Good choice.
HEMMER: Thank you.
TOURE: Thank you.
HEMMER: As you were.
TOURE: OK. No. 29, "Born to be Wild" from "Easy Rider," Soledad's favorite.
O'BRIEN: Not mine, but OK.
TOURE: Eighty-six, "I've Had the Time of My Life" from "Dirty Dancing."
O'BRIEN: All right. When I was 17, yes, that was my favorite.
TOURE: Which was last year, maybe?
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
TOURE: Of course, they left "Superfly" off the list, which is, like, a crime in some states.
O'BRIEN: What movie is "Superfly" from? "Superfly," the movie?
TOURE: Yes. Eponymous, the same name. OK.
O'BRIEN: Didn't know. OK. Even Jack doesn't make fun of me when I ask a stupid question. Mister, I can have you removed from this set like this!
TOURE: Whoa! Look who is flexing early in the morning! My goodness.
O'BRIEN: I'm hostile and hormonal and pregnant!
All right. Go on, go on. What else?
TOURE: OK. "Question of the Day," answers from Neal from Cromwell, Connecticut, "'Help' by the Beatles from the movie of the same name."
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Neal. Obviously, taking license (ph).
TOURE: Rich says, "'You're the One That I Want' from 'Greece'," which is fantastic. I loved that when I was, like, 12.
Jacob from New York, New York, "Where is the 'Ghostbusters' theme? The AFI people seem to have forgotten where the phrase 'Who you going to call' came from." Good answer.
And Rick from Orange Park, Florida, is a little mad. A little early for Rick. "Best movie song ever? Great question," he says sarcastically. "Yet another fine example of the raw heart-hitting and timely journalism that keeps me tuning in to CNN. You truly have a finger on the pulse of what's most important. Is this the most honorable way you can find to make a buck?"
HEMMER: Wow.
TOURE: Yes, brother, times is hard on the boulevard. Don't knock the hustle.
HEMMER: That's right. Times is hard.
O'BRIEN: Jack says that all the time, too. Don't knock the hustle.
HEMMER: We'll have fun for a day. Won't we?
TOURE: There you go.
HEMMER: Back tomorrow?
TOURE: And Friday.
HEMMER: The "Toure Experience" rolls on.
O'BRIEN: If he doesn't keep making fun of me.
TOURE: Right, right, right. I'm sorry, darling. No more fun of Soledad.
O'BRIEN: That's more like it, mister.
HEMMER: There you go.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks, Toure.
TOURE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, serious story. A legal setback for one of those soldiers charged in the Iraqi prison scandal. We're going to talk to his dad who says that his son has been made a scapegoat.
Also ahead this morning, just when you thought there was a Starbucks on every corner, somebody wants to put one in a real house of horrors. No joke there. We'll explain just ahead as we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. Hope your commute is a good one today and a safe one, too. 8:30 in New York City.
Legal proceedings continuing now for some of the soldiers involved in the prison abuse scandal. In a few moments, we'll talk to the father and the uncle of one of the troops accused in this case. They say the military is looking for a fall guy. Their view in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, the class action suit against Wal- Mart. It is the biggest of its kind in history. One point six million women could be included in the case when it's all over. We're going to look at what this could mean for the retail giant.
HEMMER: Also this half hour, Sanjay is back, looking at the dangers of trying to look good. He'll tell us about a new ranking system for cosmetics.
O'BRIEN: How hard is it?
HEMMER: I can't tell you, baby. Singling out which ones are the most dangerous. Sanjay has a list on this. So stay tuned.
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Aired June 23, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: Good morning. U.S. forces striking a possible terrorist hideout in Fallujah, saying that they will go after al Qaeda wherever and whenever. That warning comes just as man thought to be Abu Zarqawi makes a new threat against top leaders in Iraq.
The former president, Bill Clinton, received like a rock star in New York City. We'll show you how things went, though, with a BBC reporter, bit of a different story.
And jurors in California hear Scott Peterson's own words for the first time. What was on a videotape played in the courtroom? We'll find out this hour, here on AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. Some news making headlines this morning.
There is that other high profile case going on right now. It's been nearly a year since accusations against Kobe Bryant came out. We're going to take a look at that and also the news coming out of a key pretrial hearing this week.
HEMMER: Also, significant business story to talk about. Wal- Mart entering uncharted territory. The retail giant, now the defendant in the nation's largest private civil rights lawsuit ever, brought by a woman who says she was unfairly passed up for promotions.
How bad could it get for Wal-Mart? We'll look at that again this hour.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, what are the risks to your health from your cosmetics? Some of them apparently contain things like coal tar, lead and some other ingredients that actually don't sound so great. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to join us, tell us which products are dangerous and which ones are safe.
HEMMER: Yes, they don't sound good at all, do they? We'll find out.
Let's start again this hour in Iraq. A week before the handover now in Iraq, new threats have been made against coalition troops there. Iraqi security forces and the interim Iraqi government, including the prime minister. Straight away to Baghdad, Christiane Amanpour watching all these developments for us.
Christiane, hello there.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
Indeed, on an Islamic web site there was an audio released where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi apparently has said that they continue to fight Americans and threatened to assassinate the Iraqi interim prime minister until, quote, "Islamic rule is back on Earth."
Zarqawi belongs to the same group or is the head of the same group that beheaded Nicholas Berg and the South Korean, Kim Sun-Il, last night.
In the audio statement, he apparently says, "We will continue the game with you." This is directed at Iyad Allawi, the prime minister. "We will continue the game with you until the end. We will not get bored until we make you drink from the same glass as the Izzadine Saleem," who was the head of the Iraqi Governing Council who was assassinated weeks ago.
For his part, Iyad Allawi said that he had received this threat -- that he has seen it, rather on the Web site. His spokesman told CNN that he had printed it out, shown it to the interim prime minister, who is reported to have smiled and to have said, "It is not just Allawi," referring to himself who is the target or victim of Zarqawi, "but it is all the Iraqi people."
He claimed that he would not be deflected. He said that this would not have any impact on the handover, and he said that Iraq would do all it can to fight this kind of terrorism.
They have pointed to Zarqawi many, many times as blaming them for many of the attacks that have been going on here in Iraq.
Now last night, shortly after midnight, our time, the U.S. struck with missiles from the air at a target in Fallujah. This, they say, was based on, quote, "actionable intelligence," and they said it was against a safe house believed to be part of the Zarqawi network there in Fallujah -- Bill.
HEMMER: Christiane, thanks. The latest there in Baghdad.
A bit earlier in fact last hour we talked with senators John McCain and Joseph Biden assessing the coming transfer of power there in Iraq. Senator McCain said it was critical to stop guys like Zarqawi but that the insurgency would not end if he were taken care of.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think it's very important that we get him. But we have seen a sort of dispersion of this al Qaeda network. I'm sorry to tell if you we get him, there's going to be somebody else that's going to take his place. We've -- we're in a very tough struggle here in Iraq, and we're going to be here for a long time, but it's vital that we succeed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: After John McCain was on our program, the top tier Democrat, Joseph Biden out of Delaware, he just returned from a trip from Iraq. He says he has more reason now for optimism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: I think the Iraqi people are prepared to cooperate with us more. The new leadership, this fellow Prime Minister Allawi is a serious guy.
I don't want to exaggerate it, but he's a little bit like Karzai in Afghanistan. He has a realistic view of what his problems are. But this turning over of sovereignty does not mean we turned over capacity.
The key to get out of this, quote, "security quagmire," as one of our colleagues said, is to equip the Iraqis, but get real about it, not train their cops for eight weeks, not think you're going to have a 30,000-man army in six months. But over the next year with a significant investments of training and equipment, we ought to be able to put ourselves in a position for what's ultimately an exit strategy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Both those interviews last hour.
Yesterday, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz speaking with a House committee said that U.S. strategy in Iraq has developed Iraqi forces that can take over security from the U.S. troops. He believes, though, that American forces will be in Iraq for several years to come.
Again, seven days, the countdown now to the official handover of power -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Bill Clinton's latest campaign is shaping up as a sure- fire best seller. We're talking, of course, about the P.R. push behind the former president's memoirs.
"My Life" went on sale yesterday. And we're going to debate this morning the 957-page tome and its impact on the Clinton legacy with two of our favorite guests. In Washington, D.C., this morning, Democratic consultant Victor Kamber with the Kamber Group. And also this morning, Cliff may, former RNC communications director, now with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Gentlemen, good morning.
VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: Good morning.
CLIFF MAY, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's start by listening to a little chunk of what President Clinton had to say to the interviewer from the BBC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the reasons he got away with it? Is because people like you only ask people like me the questions. You gave him a complete free ride.
Any abuse they want to do, they indicted all these little people from Arkansas. What did you care about them? They're not famous.
Who cares if their lives were trampled? Who cares if their children were humiliated? Who cares if Starr sends FBI agents to their school and rip them out of their school to humiliate them to force their parents to lie about me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: He's talking about the independent counsel Ken Starr, and he says you gave him a complete ride, back to blaming the media.
Let's start with you, Cliff, this morning. What do you make of that accusation? We gave him a free ride.
MAY: Well, that's just clearly not true. I mean I have complaints about the media. Bill Clinton, I guess, has -- But really, I mean that's simply not true.
O'BRIEN: How about you, Vic? You know, at one point you see the president...
MAY: Take on the BBC.
O'BRIEN: ... former president talking on "Oprah." And he says one of the reasons he wasn't straightforward -- this is one of his justifications -- is that the media was hysterical and that's why he didn't tell the truth sooner.
Doesn't quite explain why he lied to his wife and his kid and the countries, but that's his explanation. What do you make of that?
KAMBER: Well, you have two questions here. What he said on "Oprah" and what he talked about with regard to his family and then what he felt about Ken Starr.
Ken Starr clearly was on a vendetta. I don't think there's any doubt. And he got nowhere. I mean, the bottom line, the media and -- and I'm not a media basher. But the media and Ken Starr have to be blamed. Ken Starr accomplished nothing in his whole pursuit.
Whitewater wasn't real. All the things Ken Starr dealt with weren't real except Monica Lewinsky and sex. And the country wasn't concerned about sex. With regard to his family and the lies to his family, I can't speak to his motives of why or what was in his mind at the time. I think like a lot of men -- and I hate to be sexist here -- he'd liked to have hid his indiscretions and not dealt with them with his family.
MAY: Vic, you've changed the subject entirely. He lashed out at the BBC and the media.
KAMBER: Over Ken Starr and Ken Starr's treatment.
MAY: Go ahead. Another question. I don't want to talk about Ken Starr any more for the rest of my life.
O'BRIEN: You guys are ready to move on. You know what? I'm ready to move on off of this topic, too.
Let's talk about the $70 million that was -- that's the figure that the former president estimates was spent. Nothing proven at the end in Whitewater. He's got a point there. Right, Cliff?
MAY: Look. I think that what -- Bill Clinton's behavior and the Republican reaction to it and the media reaction to it distracted us during the 1990s from serious problems that were brewing on the world stage, not least the problem of terrorism.
The 1990s was a period when 20,000 terrorists were trained in Afghanistan. I think if Bill Clinton hadn't been so distracted, he's to blame for that. We in the media are to blame for that.
KAMBER: Wait.
MAY: Republicans are to blame for that. He might have been able to connect the dots and do something about al Qaeda.
KAMBER: How...
MAY: If you read the book on al Qaeda, you see that he didn't do very much about it.
KAMBER: You know...
O'BRIEN: Are you saying Monica Lewinsky is in some way responsible for the rise of Osama bin Laden?
MAY: I hadn't thought of it quite that way, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It's kind of how you're putting it.
KAMBER: Wait a second. You know, we can have fun and laugh at it. The fact is he didn't bring about Whitewater. He didn't bring about Vince Foster's death. He didn't bring about all the allegations and charges that Republicans made.
They -- Republicans decided, as parties out of power do, that this is the enemy and we've got to get him. And so when you say he was distracted, he dealt with the political realities. He was under attack, he was under siege, and he dealt with those political realities and ended up accounting himself quite well, except with the fact that there was sex and Monica Lewinsky.
But in terms of all the other charges, he was innocent.
O'BRIEN: The sales are going through the roof for this book. Do you think this is only going to help his legacy? Both of you weighed in on this before, and we've run out of time.
MAY: If you're asking me about his legacy, I think, look, the reason presidents write memoirs, whether it's Grant or James Buchanan or Clinton, is to try to spin history. Usually if you look at past experience, it doesn't necessarily work.
Fifty years from now the historians will take a very different view, a disinterested view that neither Vic nor I can do at this point. And they will look at him. They'll look at his involvement in Whitewater. They'll look at Monica Lewinsky. They'll look at his legacy in general, and who knows what they'll come up to?
Look, but memoirs are an attempt to spin history. And I don't blame him for trying to do that.
KAMBER: And I won't disagree in the sense that I don't call it spin history. This is his view. It's his perception of his life, his times, his career, and he's telling the American public what he sees and how he understands it.
I think a vast number of the public is going to say, were we better off with him as president for eight years? There is no question, he was a great president.
O'BRIEN: Victor Kamber and Cliff May, nice to see you guys as always, thanks.
MAY: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: They get all hot and bothered under the collar on that one. Thank you, guys.
Former President Bill Clinton will do his first live prime time interview, including phone calls. That's tomorrow night at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on "LARRY KING LIVE."
HEMMER: It's only 8 a.m. in the morning, too.
The pre-trial hearings in Kobe Bryant's sexual assault case now over, the one-year anniversary, though, of the incident soon approaching. And as it does, lawyers do agree on one thing: this trial will most likely start in late August.
Here is Gary Tuchman in Colorado.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With his wife by his side, Kobe Bryant accused of raping a 19-year-old woman, uttered these words.
KOBE BRYANT, CHARGED WITH RAPE: I didn't force her to do anything against her will.
TUCHMAN: Nearly one year later, that is still the crux of the NBA star's defense, that the extramarital sex with a hotel employee was consensual.
A judge's gag order has been in place for most of the year. But prosecutors have made it clear they still believe Bryant will be found guilty.
MARK HURLBERT, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: He really is the totality of the evidence. And that's really in any felony, especially in a sex assault felony. It's all the testimonial evidence, all the physical evidence, all the evidence in total.
TUCHMAN: The prosecution says the woman will testify she was forced to have sex in Bryant's hotel room and that she suffered injuries because of it.
But the defense contends DNA testing indicates she had sex with other people close to the time she was with Bryant, and that could mean somebody else caused the injuries.
Which all sets up a critical decision the judge could make as early as next week: Will an exception be made to Colorado's rape shield law to allow court testimony about the accuser's sex life?
CRAIG SILVERMAN, COLORADO ATTORNEY: If the defense is able to put on credible evidence that this young woman had sex with somebody else after Kobe Bryant but before she went to the cops, I don't see how the prosecution can prevail.
TUCHMAN: This week both sides declared they want the trial to start at the end of August. Judge Terry Ruckriegle wants to tie up legal loose ends before officially announcing the date. But the court says he will try to make the attorneys' request happen.
KAREN SALAZ, COURT SPOKESWOMAN: One of the things that the judge has made very clear is that when he sets this time, he wants it to be a firm date.
TUCHMAN (on camera): So with this trial expected to last no longer than a month, it's likely Kobe Bryant will know whether he has to do hard time before he's expected back on the hard wood.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Eagle County, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Gary, thanks for that. More written arguments from lawyers expected to be presented next week in Bryant's case.
In Scott Peterson's case, his own words have been played for the jury.
The detective who interviewed Peterson on the night his wife was reported missing testified at the murder trial yesterday. Parts of that videotaped session played in court for the jury.
Peterson was described as cool, calm and relaxed. The detective said a number of things alerted his suspicion, including how soon Peterson showered when he came home and the next day when he called police to ask police if they were using cadaver dogs in their investigation -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It's almost 15 minutes past the hour now, time to head to Atlanta and check in with Daryn Kagan for a look at some of the other stories that are making news this morning.
Hey, Daryn. Good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: Good morning to you once again.
We are updating a story that we told you about earlier. There is now word that eight members of the British military being held in Iran have not actually been freed yet. Iran saying it will likely delay the release until tomorrow.
The servicemen were detained Monday after their boats entered Iranian waters.
The U.S. says is has a proposal to potentially end the deadlock over North Korea's nuclear program. American envoy James Kelly says the U.S. is ready for serious discussion as talks get under way in Beijing. In addition to the U.S., teams from both Koreas and -- are joining delegates from China, Russia and Japan.
In Washington, the U.S. Senate taking up the issue of war funding. They're doing it again today. This after the house yesterday overwhelmingly approved a $417 billion spending bill. The legislation includes $25 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 30 amendments are still pending.
Health news now. Another reason to quit smoking. There is new research showing that cigarette smokers die on average ten years earlier than non-smokers. Kicking the habit even at the age of 50 can cut the risk in half, and people who stop by the age of 30 can avoid nearly all the risk of dying prematurely.
Soledad, as if you needed more convincing.
O'BRIEN: Exactly. I know where you're going with that. So true. As if you needed more evidence.
KAGAN: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: Daryn, thanks, as always. Weather now, Chad Myers at CNN the Center with the latest forecast for us.
Hey, Chad. What you looking at this morning?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Thank you, Chad.
Mattie Stepanek, the 13-year-old boy who became a best-selling poet and advocate for victims of muscular dystrophy has died.
Last night Larry King aired his interview with Stepanek, taped about two years ago. In that interview, Stepanek spoke for his hopes about world peace and a whole lot more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTIE STEPANEK, MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ADVOCATE: I believe that peace is possible and if we choose to do three things, then we will have peace. I believe that if we choose to make peace an attitude, and want it, and we make it something that truly matters inside of our hearts, and then if we choose to make peace a habit, it's not just think it but to live it and share it.
And if we choose to make peace a reality and spread it throughout the world and get involved and understand what's going on, we will have peace.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": How do you handle being well known?
STEPANEK: It's a lot of fun. People come up to me everywhere and say, "Oh, I saw you on 'LARRY KING LIVE,' or I saw you on 'Oprah'." And it's really nice.
And a lot of people say, is it a pain? And I say, no. And it's not annoying. You always are trying to get someplace. But it's nice that I know I've gotten out there and that I've inspired people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Stepanek wrote "Heartsongs" and four other volumes of poetry, sold millions of copies, made "The New York Times" bestseller list.
He died yesterday in Washington from a rare form of muscular dystrophy at the young age of 13. He leaves quite a legacy.
O'BRIEN: I mean, and so well spoken for such -- really -- a kid. He was a kid. That's too bad.
Still to come this morning, the best movie ever made is about to come out on DVD or at least that's exactly what Toure thinks. The "Toure Experience." I'm afraid, I'm very afraid. It's up next.
HEMMER: Good way of putting it, though. "The Toure Experience."
Also ahead, a giant headache for a giant company. Wal-Mart gears up for a history-making lawsuit. Andy has much more on that.
O'BRIEN: And the safety of cosmetics. One group looks at their potential to make you sick. How worried should you really be? Dr. Sanjay Gupta ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Well, by now you know all about the "Cafferty File." How about the "Toure Experience?
O'BRIEN: I like that.
O'BRIEN, "ROLLING STONE": Live and in person.
TOURE: Have you ever been experienced?
HEMMER: You know, I'm just going to kick back and watch, baby. Show us the way!
O'BRIEN: Here we go. Bring it on! Bring it on!
TOURE: All right. Well the first story, even Red Sox fans have to be happy on a human interest level.
Jose Contreras for the New York Yankees was the best pitcher in Cuba. He defected two years ago without his wife, leaving behind his wife and his daughter, who were just 11 and 3. And the sadness has clearly been weighing on him, as it would on anybody.
HEMMER: Sure.
TOURE: But yesterday the entire family was reunited in Miami after a smuggler's speedboat delivered them from Cuba. And now Castro must be seething. Yes!
Mike Tyson calls himself the Edmond Dantes of boxing. Which of course we all know is referring to the hero of the Alexander Dumas classic, "The Count of Monte Cristo." We had no idea Mike was so literate and that he visits the Louvre.
But that's not the big news here. Tyson was granted a boxing license in New Jersey. He's going to fight yet again. Once again, it's on.
HEMMER: I'd like to see it.
TOURE: And finally, "The City of God" DVD is out. We thought it would come out six months ago. It's the story of life and death in the ghettos of Rio de Janeiro, the Favailles (ph). And it's the best movie ever made. OK? The best movie of the last two years.
But you need this in your life. It's beauty; it's sex; it's love; it's violence; it's awesome. HEMMER: You liked it that much?
TOURE: Oh, man! I've watched it at least 20, 30 times.
HEMMER: Really?
TOURE: Oh, yes.
HEMMER: Twenty, 30, 40 -- maybe 50 times?
TOURE: Maybe 50. Once you get it on DVD, you watch it over and over and over.
O'BRIEN: Probably just come back to it.
TOURE: Yes. So OK. The "Question of the Day."
O'BRIEN: All right.
TOURE: The American Film Institute list of the 100 best movie songs. No. 1 is "Over the Rainbow," Bill's favorite, sung by Judy Garland in "the Wizard of Oz."
HEMMER: No. 2 is great, by the way. Should have been No. 1.
TOURE: Number 29, though...
O'BRIEN: When was No. 2?
HEMMER: "As Time Goes By," "Casablanca."
O'BRIEN: OK. Clearly should have been No. 1
TOURE: Good choice.
HEMMER: Thank you.
TOURE: Thank you.
HEMMER: As you were.
TOURE: OK. No. 29, "Born to be Wild" from "Easy Rider," Soledad's favorite.
O'BRIEN: Not mine, but OK.
TOURE: Eighty-six, "I've Had the Time of My Life" from "Dirty Dancing."
O'BRIEN: All right. When I was 17, yes, that was my favorite.
TOURE: Which was last year, maybe?
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
TOURE: Of course, they left "Superfly" off the list, which is, like, a crime in some states.
O'BRIEN: What movie is "Superfly" from? "Superfly," the movie?
TOURE: Yes. Eponymous, the same name. OK.
O'BRIEN: Didn't know. OK. Even Jack doesn't make fun of me when I ask a stupid question. Mister, I can have you removed from this set like this!
TOURE: Whoa! Look who is flexing early in the morning! My goodness.
O'BRIEN: I'm hostile and hormonal and pregnant!
All right. Go on, go on. What else?
TOURE: OK. "Question of the Day," answers from Neal from Cromwell, Connecticut, "'Help' by the Beatles from the movie of the same name."
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Neal. Obviously, taking license (ph).
TOURE: Rich says, "'You're the One That I Want' from 'Greece'," which is fantastic. I loved that when I was, like, 12.
Jacob from New York, New York, "Where is the 'Ghostbusters' theme? The AFI people seem to have forgotten where the phrase 'Who you going to call' came from." Good answer.
And Rick from Orange Park, Florida, is a little mad. A little early for Rick. "Best movie song ever? Great question," he says sarcastically. "Yet another fine example of the raw heart-hitting and timely journalism that keeps me tuning in to CNN. You truly have a finger on the pulse of what's most important. Is this the most honorable way you can find to make a buck?"
HEMMER: Wow.
TOURE: Yes, brother, times is hard on the boulevard. Don't knock the hustle.
HEMMER: That's right. Times is hard.
O'BRIEN: Jack says that all the time, too. Don't knock the hustle.
HEMMER: We'll have fun for a day. Won't we?
TOURE: There you go.
HEMMER: Back tomorrow?
TOURE: And Friday.
HEMMER: The "Toure Experience" rolls on.
O'BRIEN: If he doesn't keep making fun of me.
TOURE: Right, right, right. I'm sorry, darling. No more fun of Soledad.
O'BRIEN: That's more like it, mister.
HEMMER: There you go.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks, Toure.
TOURE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, serious story. A legal setback for one of those soldiers charged in the Iraqi prison scandal. We're going to talk to his dad who says that his son has been made a scapegoat.
Also ahead this morning, just when you thought there was a Starbucks on every corner, somebody wants to put one in a real house of horrors. No joke there. We'll explain just ahead as we continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. Hope your commute is a good one today and a safe one, too. 8:30 in New York City.
Legal proceedings continuing now for some of the soldiers involved in the prison abuse scandal. In a few moments, we'll talk to the father and the uncle of one of the troops accused in this case. They say the military is looking for a fall guy. Their view in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, the class action suit against Wal- Mart. It is the biggest of its kind in history. One point six million women could be included in the case when it's all over. We're going to look at what this could mean for the retail giant.
HEMMER: Also this half hour, Sanjay is back, looking at the dangers of trying to look good. He'll tell us about a new ranking system for cosmetics.
O'BRIEN: How hard is it?
HEMMER: I can't tell you, baby. Singling out which ones are the most dangerous. Sanjay has a list on this. So stay tuned.
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