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Your World Today

U.S. Military Charges Marines with Murder for Civilian Deaths At Hadithah

Aired December 22, 2006 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR, YOUR WORLD TODAY: Cold and late, the cynical reaction of Iraqis to charges brought up against U.S. Marines accused of killing civilians in Hadithah last year.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS: Clearing the way for travelers. Crews work to get holiday passengers back in the skies after snow closes the Denver airport.

CLANCY: And testing airport security. We're going to go undercover to see ways getting through screeners at Paris' main airport. It may surprise you.

MCEDWARDS: It is 6:00 in the evening, in Paris. 8:00 at night in Hadithah, Iraq.

Hello, welcome to our report, broadcast around the globe. I'm Colleen McEdwards.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. From Denver, Colorado, to London, England, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

We're going to begin our report with the war in Iraq and the killing of two dozen Iraqi civilians in Hadithah last year.

MCEDWARDS: Witnesses say it was a massacre. And now the U.S. military is ready to proceed with the case in a criminal court.

CLANCY: Now, eight U.S. Marines have been charged in the Hadithah deaths. This all comes as the new U.S. secretary of Defense is concluding a fast-finding quest for a new strategy in Iraq, on the ground there. He's scheduled to report back to President Bush tomorrow.

MCEDWARDS: In the Hadithah case, four of the Marines were charged with murder. The others face different charges. Defense attorneys for the first group say their clients believe they were pursuing attackers, and that they were simply doing what they had been trained to do. Ryan Chilcote joins us now, live from Baghdad, with more on the reaction -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, YOUR WORLD TODAY: Colleen, to be perfectly honest, right now, it is so dangerous in Iraq, it is very difficult to gauge the reaction of the Iraqi people to those criminal proceedings back in the United States.

It's just too difficult to get -- to talk to the kind of cross- section of people we would like to, that demographic cross-section, to really answer that question appropriately.

Having said that, when you do talk to Iraqis, when you ask them pointedly what they think about what took place in Hadithah, the majority of them are going to tell you, the majority we speak with, that reporters have spoken with, tell you they think it was a despicable atrocity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There is no doubt that the massacre that was perpetrated by the American forces in Hadithah, and not just this one, but, rather, the massacres that these forces are committing in all areas of Iraq, are considering barbaric crimes against humanity, not just in Iraq, but all over the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We should all condemn this, all the Arabs and all the Muslims. We should be united and address what's happening to this country, what these occupiers are doing. Unfortunately, there's none of that. Despite everything that the Americans are doing with this country. That's because we are not united.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHILCOTE: There may be another reason why they're not united. There is not the kind of public condemnation, you heard that gentleman talking about, that some people think there should have been some of that echoed today. It was not a big story, what took place in Hadithah, the criminal proceedings that took place yesterday in California, not a big story in the Iraqi media. It was well into the newscast. Just really a mention.

It was not mentioned at all at Friday prayers. That's a place where Iraqis normally discuss very important issues. I think there's some good reasons for that. A lot of Iraqis will tell you, you know, there's a massacre almost every day in Iraq of one sort or another. Not necessarily of course with U.S. troops behind it. A lot of times it's the sectarian killing we're seeing. Say, Sunnis killing Shiites, Shiites killing Sunnis.

So, in a lot of ways what took place in Hadithah back in November of last year, is tragic and as sick as it may sound, is really, for a lot of people, old news, if you talk about the whole general public.

When it comes to their reaction, in general to U.S. troops, the presence of U.S. troops, and the fact that this happened, there, again you know, Hadithah was really not a watershed moment for the Iraqi people. That was -- that was what took place in the prisons before that and the Abu Ghraib prison.

And, really, for a lot of Iraqis what took place after Abu Ghraib, after the prison scandal, in Hadithah, it was just another letdown, and it remains that way as they deal with their daily problems here. The absolutely raging violence here -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: I guess, Ryan, one of the complicating factors, here, too, is there was a fair amount of time that passed between the actual incident at Hadithah and when it was actually even reported, at all, and then even more time before the investigation started. So it's been tough even to get evidence, we're told, and tough to get this in a framework where proceedings could go ahead.

CHILCOTE: That's right, the incident itself took place in November of last year. Really, it didn't get into the media until "Time" magazine first reported it, until early spring. And it really didn't become a big story until the summer. It wasn't pursued by the military, in a big way, until the early summer.

That is a big issue -- with something that a lot of the Iraqi people have a big issue with. They think the U.S. military was trying to cover up the whole situation. And that if "Time" magazine hadn't chanced upon it, hadn't discovered this, brought it to light, maybe the U.S. military would have completely tried to cover it up.

You're right, it was a long time ago, particularly when you consider that in -- almost every day here, just in the Iraqi capital alone, you have 60, 70, 80 bodies turning up. So, Iraqis are trying to deal with the crisis that happen every day, Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Ryan Chilcote in Baghdad. Thank you, Ryan, appreciate it.

Jim.

CLANCY: All right, Colleen, we're going to take a minute or two here to talk about the weather. You know, a blizzard in the Rocky Mountains, that's not that unexpected this time of year. Bad weather in England, well, that's more of a well-worn tradition, isn't it?

The severity of the weather, though this year, is combining with holiday travel to create a perfectly inconvenient storm for travelers on both sides of the Atlantic. Let's go first to London's Heathrow airport.

And there's a story there, a place socked in by a thick fog. It's been four days. There's no end in sight. Chaos in the airport. And that's where we find Alphonso Van Marsh.

Looking behind you, we don't see the crowds that we did earlier. What does that mean?

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, YOUR WORLD TODAY: Well, officials say don't let this lack of crowd fool you. In fact, as you mentioned, hundreds of flights canceled today. Thousands of people left stranded.

As you can see behind me, there's this tent here. Earlier on today, it was packed full of people, hundreds and hundreds of people trying to get on flights. The reason being, as you mentioned, the heavy fog has got the number of flights coming in and out of London down to a bare minimum. Officials say they're doing what they can to try to improve the situation. In fact, even in addition to setting up this tent in Heath, you even have a little three-piece band here occasionally playing some Christmas carols, doing anything they can, whatever they can to make people feel better.

We spent the whole day here, talking to folks waiting in line. And, boy, did we hear a lot about what their experience has been.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VAN MARSH (voice over): Andy Dacome (ph) is from Belgium. He's at London's Heathrow trying to get a flight to visit his father in the Maurices (ph) Islands off the coast of South Africa for Christmas. But heavy fog is spoiling his plans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not happy. I'm not happy. I'm waiting two days and that's long enough for me.

VAN MARSH: Santa is handing out free candy, but that doesn't seem to be much consolation for Andy, and the thousands of others stuck at one of the world's busiest airports, on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Until the weather clears, air traffic controllers are slashing the number of flights taking off and landing. They want more room between planes for pilots to maneuver the foggy runways without colliding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Blankets! Anybody like a blanket?

VAN MARSH: The result, all domestic British flights have been canceled. Local travelers told to take trains and buses instead. Leaving the remaining passengers out in the cold, waiting to rebook, reroute, or refund. Airport officials say some 350 flights will be canceled Friday.

(On camera): Despite the long lines and cold temperatures, airport authorities saying they're doing whatever they can to keep people comfortable. For example, behind me, they brought in some video games for the little ones, free of charge, just to kind of keep them busy.

They've been giving out blankets, putting down heaters, to try to keep people warm. They've even set up a little station here, with crackers, cookies, sandwiches, hot coffee and tea, doing whatever they can to make an unbearable situation slightly more tolerable.

(Voice over): Some travelers seem to be taking the chaos in stride. American Tom Bileau (ph) and his British wife are trying to get to the U.S. West Coast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been waiting for about an hour and a half at this point. It's pretty chilly. But we're excited to get to our family, my family, anyway in Seattle.

VAN MARSH: Long-haul flights to Asia and the states, for example, get priority. Mostly delayed, but not canceled.

Andy Dacome eventually make his flight to Maurices (ph). When we left Tom and Lisa, they were headed home, too. But for a large number of travelers, heading across Europe. They may be living a holiday song they know so well, "I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAN MARSH: That's right, Jim. At least we have some good news for those flying British Airways, inside this country. A few moments ago, we spoke with the director of ground operations for British Airways, saying they hope by Saturday afternoon that most of the, if not all, domestic flights for British Airways will be back to their normal schedule -- Jim.

CLANCY: We can only hope it won't only be in their dreams. Alphonso Van Marsh, there live at Heathrow. Thanks, Alphonso.

All right, our magical -- misery tour, I think we should call it, takes us now to Denver International. That's the fifth busiest airport in the United States. Six runways, all of them shut down for the past two days, by a blizzard that has pretty much frozen everything to a standstill on the front range of the Rockies' eastern slopes there.

Rob Marciano joins us from a parking lot of Denver International Airport to tell us a little bit more what it's like -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST, YOUR WORLD TODAY: Jim, it's a beautiful day here, but the cars on this parking lot are buried up to the window sills and doorjambs; 20, 30 inches of snow in spots across the Denver area has, as you put it, put this city to a standstill.

The sun doing a little bit for evaporating the snow, melting some of the snow today. But the airport remains closed for the next two hours. Scheduled to reopen, at least two of the six runways, at noon local time, 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

And some of these runways, two, three-miles long, you can imagine just how much work and how much effort it takes to clear the roads, when you have snow falling at an inch and a half per hour and winds sustained at 40 miles an hour. You just make absolutely no headway.

It's estimated over the last three days, a half a million people were to come into, out of Denver International Airport. And 100,000 of those people may never make it home. That's over 2,500 flights canceled over the last three days. You have stranded and very frustrated travelers.

For the past three days, 1,000 to 1,500 people have made Denver International Airport their home. About 200 cots, mostly for elderly people. The Red Cross is here. It's much like a hurricane evacuation shelter, the way this airport is being run.

Finally, today, this morning, at 4:00 a.m., the ticket counters were open to help people rebook, buy their tickets, and get boarding passes in the hope of flying out of town if not today, sometime over the weekend.

It will be a slow-go, Jim, as they clear the tarmac and get the airport up and running back to full capacity.

CLANCY: All right, Rob Marciano, there on the line with us. You're taking a look at the Mile-High City of Denver, Colorado. Mile- high misery for a lot of travelers.

The planes are flying over Paris, although flights bound for Heathrow are backed up because of the weather at Heathrow. In any case, French aviation officials have a much different problem on their hands.

The French media has been buzzing lately with allegations of lax security at the country's main airport. One reporter took it upon himself to find out just how easy it would be to smuggle weapons and explosives on to airliners at Charles de Gaulle. Jim Bittermann takes the story up from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, YOUR WORLD TODAY (voice over): In several different scenarios, secretly taped by this French public TV program, "Pieces de Conviction", or "Incriminating Evidence", there are clear indications that security at Paris' main airports is far from perfect.

In the last month, one of the program's reporters, working with a private consultant, who tests airport security for the government, successfully sneaked box cutters and fake bomb making materials aboard flights leaving from Charles de Gaulle and Olean airports.

In one scene, the consultant was shown passing through the security checks having hidden two box cutters knives in his luggage, the same kind of weapons used in a September 11th hijacking. As his bags go through an X-ray machine, the operator, whose identity has been obscured, is distracted in conversation with another security agent, never spotting the knives in his TV monitor.

Aboard the plane, a Delta Airlines flight to New York, the security consultant proves he's smuggled the weapons on board.

In a second scenario, the consultant boards an Air France flight with a simulated block of Simtex (ph) plastique explosives and a fake detonator, clearly marked as such. Once on board, he demonstrates exactly how easy it would be to assemble a bomb in the plane's bathroom. A bomb, the reporter says, would have been more powerful than the one used to blow up Pan Am 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

LAURENT RICHARD, REPORTER, "PIECES DE CONVICTION": As a passenger, I was really surprised. It was really amazing for me. Because I never imagined that it was so easy to come inside a plane with 340 grams of Simtex (ph).

BITTERMANN: When confronted with the story an official charged with airport security seemed dumbfounded, and was at a loss for words. The Paris Airport Authority and other government security agencies were withholding comment.

RICHARD: The French administration doesn't want to admit that -- the safety procedures in France have been working very bad.

BITTERMANN (on camera): Richard says three years ago, the same security consultant, working back then for the French parliament, put the airports to the same tests. And the reporter says that in the three years since, nothing has changed. Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Weather, weapons, not much of a Christmas. Authorities at Heathrow Airport, have dispatched though, three Santas -- three Santas? Well, never mind, kids -- in full uniform to brighten the spirits of stranded travelers.

I hope they make it back from those waiting lines in one piece. Actually, kids, when we think about it we don't need Santa or Santas, we need Rudolph to guide the planes in and out of the fog at Heathrow and his famous red nose.

We'll take a break here, and we'll call the North Pole and see if we can't take that matter up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MCEDWARDS: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: You're watching the program that we use to bring our international and U.S. viewers up to speed on some of the most important international stories of the day -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: We want to go to developments now in a case that has been gripping Britains for weeks now.

CLANCY: And it has, really. A 48-year-old truck driver, though, behind bars today. He's now appeared in court. He was formally charged with the murders of five women in eastern England. We get more now from Harry Smith in Ipswich.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, YOUR WORLD TODAY (voice over): In the cold gray of a December morning, Suffolk police were on the streets early and in force for the court appearance.

And so was the world's media, kept for the most part, behind the crowd barriers. Only a few members of the public were watching, as the quiet was broken by the sound of police sirens. Steven Wright arrived in the back of a police custody van, a panel on the side window hiding him from view.

He'd been brought here from the unnamed police station where he'd been questioned since his arrest on Tuesday. It was late last night that police announced that he'd been charged. STEWART GULL, SUFFOLK POLICE CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT: Steven Wright, from Ipswich, has been charged with the murder of all five women.

SMITH: His appearance before the three magistrates lasted less than 10 minutes. Afterwards, his lawyer spoke to reporters.

PAUL OSLER, LAWYER FOR STEVEN WRIGHT: I think I can do no more than say he's bearing up well under all the circumstances. Obviously, it's distressing to be accused with these offenses, and to be under the scrutiny of the media as he is. But given those circumstances, he's bearing up as well as anybody could be expected.

SMITH: He also said he was concerned about the effect of inaccurate and ill-informed reporting about the case.

OSLER: The most important thing I have to say is that my client is presumed innocent, and everybody paying an interest in the case should have that uppermost in their mind.

SMITH: Among those watching outside the court was a friend of one of the murdered women, who said she was here to remember her friend.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was lovely, they say. Nice girl. She used to paint my little sister's nails. When I went missing, she went out looking for me.

SMITH: Steven Wright was remanded in custody and driven off to an undisclosed destination. He'll appear next at Ipswich Crown Court on January 2.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: And again, that was ITN's Harry Smith reporting there.

CLANCY: We have to take a short break. We'll be back with a look at the business headlines.

MCEDWARDS: Later, this may sound kind of silly, but it turns out that enjoying a good joke can actually help you live a longer, healthier life. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center in Atlanta. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few moments. First, a check on these stories making headlines here in the U.S.

Denver is digging out. London still in a fog. Both spell trouble for holiday travelers. The Denver International Airport hopes to get two runways open within a couple hours. Clearing out the backlog of passengers could take several days, however. London's Heathrow airport remains clogged, in fog for a fourth day. The problems at these two airports are causing major backups at airports around the globe now.

Let's get latest on weather conditions in the West particularly, with Reynolds Wolf in the severe weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: This just in, getting information from the White House that now a date has been set for the president's State of the Union Address. That is set for Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007.

Meantime, Discovery cleared for landing. The question is, where? The shuttle, set to return home today, but the weather may not cooperate at the top two landing sites. Showers and clouds are forecast for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Cross winds expected at Edwards Air Force Base in California. That leaves White Sands, New Mexico. It has only been used for a shuttle landing once, and that was 24 years ago. NASA has sent equipment there to prepare for the possibility landing. Touchdown in New Mexico would delay turnaround time.

And a harrowing car crash in Glendale, California; on the city's Colorado Bridge over the Los Angeles river. A sedan teeters over the edge. A woman was ejected from the vehicle and fell 50 feet into the water. She's now in critical condition.

There were earlier reports of a second person in the vehicle, also in critical condition. Authorities have not confirmed reports a third person may have been in that same car.

In Norwalk, Ohio, guilty verdicts in a case of several children found in cages. Michael and Sharon Gravelle (ph) were convicted of child endangerment and abuse for confining some of their 11 adopted children in their beds. The beds were enclosed with fencing and rigged with alarms. The couple claimed it was to keep the kids safe at night by preventing them from wandering off.

And this information just coming out of the Duke University lacrosse rape case. Information now saying that a defense attorney says the prosecutors have dismissed the rape charges against three Duke University lacrosse players. The charges of kidnapping, second offense, still stand. We'll get more information on this as it becomes available here in the "Newsroom."

And you'll be back in the "Newsroom" at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

And 60 years ago, she was Zu-Zu Bailey. Since then, Carolyn Grimes has faced many personal losses. But she still thinks "It's a Wonderful Life." that's her being held by Jimmy Stewart. Remember that movie? We'll hear what Zu-Zu Bailey has to say live right here in on CNN in the "Newsroom."

Meanwhile, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues right after this quick break. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello, everyone, welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Jim Clancy.

MCEDWARDS: I'm Colleen McEdwards. Here are some of the top stories that we are following for you this hour.

Defense attorneys for four U.S. Marines charged with murder in Haditha killings say their clients believe they were pursuing attackers and that they were simply doing what they'd been trained to do. Four other Marines face charges for failing to investigate and report the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians.

CLANCY: London's Heathrow Airport, well, still shrouded in dense fog for the fourth day in a row. Hundreds of flights have been canceled. Thousands and thousands of holiday travelers stranded.

A similar story in the United States. The main airport in Denver, Colorado remains shut down due to a blizzard backed by high winds. They're hoping to reopen at least some of the runways in a matter of hours.

MCEDWARDS: A suspect has been formerly charged now with the murders of five women in Ipswich in eastern England. 48-year-old truck driver Steven Wright appeared in court Friday. He was ordered held pending a court hearing. That's to take place January 2nd. The bodies of five prostitutes were found over an 11 day period this month.

CLANCY: All right, turning now to Lebanon. Camped out in downtown Beirut since the 1st of December. Christians and Muslim protesters coming together, all demanding that prime minister Fouad Siniora resign. Just steps away from the tent city, the prime minister is struggling to keep his government afloat.

Anthony Mills join us now from Beirut. Anthony.

ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, the scene behind me is one that we've seen here in downtown Beirut for about three weeks or so. People gathering, protesters gathering, here to demand a new government.

They've been camped out here for three weeks or so. We've got something of a deadlock in the situation, despite mediation attempts by the secretary general of the Arab League (INAUDIBLE). They say they're not leaving until they get what they want.

On the other side of the security gordon, the government is standing firm. We took a closer look at the two sides.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILLS (voice-over): Workers fumigate tents in the heart of downtown Beirut, where several thousand protesters demanding a new government have camped out since December 1st, paralyzing the heart of the city.

Followers of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and his Christian ally Michel Aoun are hoping the protests will force the government to accept their demands.

Every day after class, 20-year-old student Elie Aoun wearing the orange of Michel Aoun's supporters, takes a taxi straight to the sprawling camp.

ELIE AOUN, PROTESTER: I want every single Lebanese to have a word in this government. I don't want anyone to like rule by themselves.

MILLS: Since the protests began, Aoun has put most of his life on hold. He spends his time in this tent city with fellow protesters, occasionally grabbing a coffee or sandwich close by and rarely seeing his family.

AOUN: Until we get what we're looking for, I'm not going to search for a job. My job is here. My job is be with the Lebanese here in the protest.

MILLS: The daily protest to pressure the government, Aoun says, have helped the Lebanese people overcome traditional sectarian suspicions.

AOUN: I used to have a different thought about the Shiite people. But I don't know this protest has proved many things. They're Lebanese, they're people, they're human beings, just like us.

MILLS (on camera): Although the protesters may be united, their demands have split the country. In this (INAUDIBLE) fortress, within shouting distance of the protesters tents, Lebanon's beleaguered prime minister and remaining cabinet members are trying to keep the government going. Sealed off by coils of barbed wire and special forces soldiers.

(voice-over) Culture Minister Tariq Mitri (ph) has been living in the prime ministry for weeks for security reasons, following the most recent in a string of political assassinations in Lebanon over the past two years.

Now with round the clock demonstrators on the doorstep, he and, indeed Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, attempt to run a government under threat.

FOUAD SINIORA, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: The government is operating business as usual. We're making our meetings. And discussing. It is not as usual as it should be, definitely, but we're making every effort.

MILLS: The culture minister ...

(BREAKING NEWS)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta. This information just in now that CNN is able to confirm that according to a defense attorney for the three Duke University lacrosse players, charges of rape against them have been dropped. This, according to at least one of the defense attorneys.

You may recall that last March a dancer who was hired to perform at a party for the Duke University lacrosse team alleges that three of these students raped her.

The three that were charged with rape, Reade Seligmann, of New Jersey, Colin Finnerty, of New Jersey, and Dave Evans, of Maryland, now according to at least one of the defense attorney, charges of rape have been dropped. However, charges of kidnapping and sexual offense still stand.

Jason Carroll covered this story extensively. He joins us now on the phone from New York. Jason, what's your understanding?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here's what my understanding is. According to a defense attorney, not too long ago, the district attorney in the case, Michael Nifong, his office filed this with the Durham County district attorney's office just not too long ago.

Again, the forcible rape charges against Dave Evans, Reade Seligmann, Colin Finnerty, have been dropped. The first degree sexual offense, first degree kidnapping charges, still stand. Defense attorney saying at this point they're trying to absorb all of this. Obviously, all of this happening unexpectedly. Trying to determine at this point what their next move will be.

Fredricka, I know you're familiar with this case as well. As you know this has been a very difficult case for the district attorney. There were many things that happened early on that seemed to indicate he did not have a strong case.

First and foremost, DNA. You'll remember that there were DNA tests done with Dave Evans, with Reade Seligmann, with Colin Finnerty, in fact with 46 of the Duke lacrosse players. There was no match between any of the Duke lacrosse players and this exotic dancer who had accused of three players of rape.

That was a big problem. There was also a problem with the timeline. At least two of the players -- it seemed to indicate that the timeline in terms of when this alleged attack took place did not match with where they were at that party.

So the district attorney had many problems with this case. A lot of people speculating early on that perhaps he would drop all the charges altogether. But that did not happen. But the most serious charge, the charge of forcible rape, dropped at this point, filed minutes ago with the district attorney's office -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And also attacked, Jason, was the credibility of the alleged victim, that, in addition to just within the past couple of weeks we've heard some of the defense attorneys saying the judge had actually ordered that paternity tests be conducted on this young lady, given than she is pregnant and soon to deliver as well.

CARROLL: That is correct. And we were able to confirm that as well, that she is, in fact, pregnant. She did have a boyfriend at the time. One of the sources very close to the situation with the family told us that according to their knowledge, they were unsure who the father was.

WHITFIELD: So just thinking about the timing then, Jason, I wonder, since we're talking just inside the past week or two, those paternity tests being requested, if that has anything to do with the fact that these charges of rape have been dropped.

CARROLL: Could be. There was speculation with one of -- one of the source close to the family, who had speculated that perhaps they were waiting for the results of that test to determine if there could be some possible link between this young woman and any of the players.

That was speculation at that point. But it's a possibility. It's a possibility. But I'm sure since we've reached out to the D.A.'s office, Michael Nifong, and we've been unable to get a response from him, but this is surely going to be another blow to Nifong who, as you know, has come under heavy, heavy criticism for prosecuting this case, when seemingly there was so much evidence pointing to these boys' innocence.

WHITFIELD: So again, Jason, no confirmation coming from the prosecutor's office, but the confirmation we are getting is from the defense attorneys, at least one of the defense attorneys of these three Duke University lacrosse players who is saying that the prosecutor's office had dropped the charges of rape against these students. But the charges of kidnapping and sexual offense still stand.

We'll have much more on this story beginning at the top of the hour when the "NEWSROOM" joins you again at 1:00 eastern. Jason Carroll, thanks so much for your input coming from New York. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we've trained a lot to do that so whatever the weather is good and the folks decide to bring us into, we'll be prepared to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Colleen, realtime call today, as to where NASA's going to go, and we'll be watching it closely here at the Kennedy Space Center.

MCEDWARDS: All right, hopefully that music got them in the Christmas spirit.

John Zarrella, thanks very much. CLANCY: Well, It's not exactly the Christmas spirit. Coming up, some of Santa's elves are getting the pink slips. Could get them in their stocks.

Ouch. Old St. Nick's workshop in the South Pole feeling the heat from, guess what, outsourcing. We'll see where most of the toys under Christmas trees this year are actually being manufactured.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MCEDWARDS: Welcome back.

Santa's workshop is feeling the squeeze of competition this year. Factory workers half a world away from the North Pole have been mass producing gifts to go under your tree.

Jim Boulden looks at how the business of Christmas is moving to China.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christmas came early to Europe this year, but not in a sleigh. It took the largest container ship ever built to make sure Europeans got what they wanted under the tree. The 400-meter long Ememursk (ph) left China in October, and unloaded its 11,000 containers starting in early November, the 1.8 million Christmas decorations, 40,000 batteries, and nearly 13,000 MP3 players and everything else got on to the shelves in time, including in this London store.

HAMISH THOMPSON, PC WORLD: There were a lot of stocking fillers on board that boat. And it would have been a bit of a challenge for us to get some of the stuff. We would have found a way. But we might have had to render a few sleighs to get the stuff here.

BOULDEN: Your Christmas stocking is perhaps the clearest symbol of globalization.

GORDON BROWN: China alone is manufacturing half the world's computers, half the world's clothes, more than half the world's digital electronics, and this Christmas more than 75 percent of children's toys.

BOULDEN: The Christmas rush starts in china in early February, when workers start to assemble Christmas decorations, countless soft toys, and the more than three quarters of all fake Christmas trees sold in the United States. And if you're wondering what Europe shipped back to China on the Ememursk it was wood from Scandinavia and waste paper, which all can be turned into the hot toy for next Christmas.

Jim Boulden, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MCEDWARDS: Well, more competition means toy manufacturers have to put their thinking caps on and track the latest trends to come up with the hottest toys around. Who's lucky enough to have that job? Well, we found Jim Silver, the co-publisher of "Toy" magazine, who's office is just packed with games and gadgets, and asked him what the big trend is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SILVER, "TOY WISHES" MAGAZINE: Toys have changed from the traditional toys, and they really involve a lot more technology. Today's kids are often on the Internet by the time they're 2 years old and have an iPod by the time they're 8. Toy manufacturers have had to step up with the use of electronics and technology what they're offering children.

MCEDWARDS: And they have, haven't they. I mean, I have to admit, I got one of the things I noticed was on your list, this kid's digital camera. I got it a couple months ago. I haven't even got it wrapped, which is a whole other story, but I've got a 4-year-old. Is he going to be able to handle this thing?

SILVER: Without a problem. This is real digital camera, 1.3 megapixels for kids. Just point and shoot. Easy connection to the computer. And children want what parents have. They want your cell phone. They want your digital cameras.

MCEDWARDS: Oh, yes.

SILVER: And this is something that they can have and actually take pictures.

MCEDWARDS: One of the things we talked about with this, so much of this is about instant gratification. I mean, isn't there something about waiting for the film to come back? And now they just point and shoot and they've got their pictures.

SILVER: Well, this is what parents do. We're all evolving to digital cameras. We're in a digital age, and kids want to be often like their parents.

MCEDWARDS: All right, let's give ourselves some instant gratification than, shall we? you've got some toys there we'd love to look at.

Let's start with Moon Sand. Tell me about this one.

SILVER: Well, Moon Sand is a new compound, in which you actually can play with it and it will never dry out. They used a new technology. It will stay together and it will actually float in a bathtub. So it's bringing sand to the home, something every mom will love. But it does stay together and you can use it over and over without it drying out.

MCEDWARDS: Tidy sand, who would have thought.

I've got to ask you about Fly Wheels XPV. First of all, what's XPV stand for?

SILVER: That's just a codename for this car that actually flies.

MCEDWARDS: Extreme performance vehicle or something like that?

SILVER: That's right.

MCEDWARDS: Give me a break.

SILVER: It's a car that will take off. And I liken it to the old car in back to the future. once you reach a certain speed it actually goes airborne and will fly in the air and it's easy to control, and kids that we tested this with just loved it.

MCEDWARDS: Did they?

SILVER: Yes.

MCEDWARDS: Monopoly, everybody loves it. The Here & Now Edition, what's that all about?

SILVER: The Here & Now Monopoly is relating to today's world. Hasbro did a contest throughout the States. What happened, the U.S., people vote on their favorite spots. So Boardwalk is replaced with Fenway Park. You have Times Square. You have the airports around the country. And it's something that kids can relate to, because often they look at the old monopoly and they don't know any of those spaces. On this Monopoly, these are all landmarks they're aware of.

MCEDWARDS: That's great, so it's really updated. Barbie -- is there any way to bring Barbie into the tech age?

SILVER: Well, Barbie's still the top-selling brand in the toy business. And what they did with this (INAUDIBLE) and Princess Guinevere is that with technology she will teach a child to dance. You put on a bracelet. And when Barbie does a dance, you can follow, and it works the other way around, also. Actually, if you want Barbie to dance with you if you raise your right arm, Barbie will raise her right arm. If you swing, Barbie will swing. So it's a Barbie that actually will dance with a child.

MCEDWARDS: Who needs dance classes anymore then, right?

SILVER: Barbie's going to teach you to dance.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, exactly. Littlest Pet Shop Portable Pets. These are great.

SILVER: These are great. You can get the Biggest Littlest Pet Shop set, which is basically sold out everywhere, but these pets that only sell for $4.99. They play well with the set and kids love to collect them.

MCEDWARDS: So, Jim, which tested the best in your view? I mean, you've seen kids manipulating and playing with all of these. Just tell us what you saw. SILVER: We see kids really like the technology in toys, from the digital camera to TMX Elmo to the Nintendo Wii system, which actually makes you part of the video game system. So you have video game systems for older kid, and then you go to the younger kids with items like V-Smile and V-Smile Baby, there are actually educational video games for 18-months-olds.

We apologize. We have to interrupt here. We'd like to hear the U.S. president and the first lady were at Walter Reed Army Medical Center earlier today. We want to listen. This is videotape.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GEORGE W. BUSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... honor to be here to thank the folks working here at this service project. What you're seeing is some young kids wrapping gifts for children whose families are here in Washington, D.C., as a result of an injury that they received -- their parent received in combat.

We've also just come from Walter Reed. I got to tell you, it's a remarkable experience to go through the hospital. It's remarkable because of the unbelievable compassion and care of the people who work at Walter Reed. And it's also remarkable to meet these men and women who have volunteered to meet these men and women who have volunteered to serve our country that received terrible wounds but whose spirits are strong, whose resolve is strong, and their dedication to our country remains strong.

I want all our fellow citizens to understand that we're lucky to have men and women who have volunteered to serve our country like those who wear our uniform. We're lucky to have their families support them so strongly. We owe them all we can give them, not only for when they're in harm's way, but when they come home: to help them adjust if they have wounds or help them adjust after their time in service.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude for incredible men and women. And I -- every time I come to Walter Reed, I am moved by the courage and bravery of the people I meet.

And so on behalf of a grateful nation, I want to thank our military families, thank the folks here who are wrapping gifts for the military families, and ask for God's blessings on our citizens.

Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

All right, the president and the first lady, after a very important visit. I think the president's words speak for themselves, certainly on this issue, important visit for him at this time of year.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, a real tribute to the wounded, the Army, Marine, Air Force personnel, all of whom they visited at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. They went on to a gift-wrapping even there, which is what he and the first lady were doing after that, and then he'll go onto Camp David from there.

And importantly, he passed out some medals, purple hearts and other medals, to some of those service members that were wounded in combat, and that's why they're in Walter Reed, as he says there. His thanks from a grateful nation.

We're going to take a short break. We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Now, on a final note in YOUR WORLD TODAY, fans of the harry potter book series have a very early present under the tree.

MCEDWARDS: That's right, they now have a title for the seventh and final installment. The book will be called "Harry Potter and the Deadly Hollows." It sounds good.

CLANCY: Sounds scary. J.K. Rowling offered the tidbit on her Web site, but she didn't really offer much else -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: She's good at that kind of thing, isn't she? There's no publication date here for the world's most anticipated children's book, because Rowlings is still -- she's still writing it, actually.

CLANCY: Many Harry Potter fans speculate the book will be released, they say, in July, giving it 07/07/07 as a date. I don't know what that means.

MCEDWARDS: Something, something to the fans.

CLANCY: All right, there it is. The book's on its way. We'll have to wait though.

That's it for this hour.

MCEDWARDS: I'm Colleen McEdwards.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy.

And this is CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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