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Pentagon: Major al Qaeda Figure Now at Guantanamo; Saudi Officials Arrest Scores of Militants, Uncover Weapons; Wildfire Spreads Across South Georgia

Aired April 27, 2007 - 14:01   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Georgia firefighters battle for the upper hand but are forced to evacuate some neighborhoods again. We'll talk live with a forestry official for the latest on a destructive wildfire.

LEMON: Plus, we'll also have this -- a high-ranking al Qaeda operative arrives at Guantanamo Bay. According to the Pentagon, he's a major catch. Our Kelli Arena has that story.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

MALVEAUX: Flaring up again. Wildfires in southeast Georgia chewing up 61,000 acres of forest and swampland so far, and threatening much, much more. Hundreds more people have evacuated. Several more buildings have burned. Firefighters thought they had the upper hand on one fire until the winds picked up again.

What south Georgia desperately needs the Mid-Atlantic is getting too much of, and that is rain. Here's what it looks like in parts of Newark, New Jersey. Firefighters are busy pulling stranded driver from their flooded cars.

And how is the weather shaping up for your weekend? Our own Rob Marciano looking over his radar's and maps as we speak.

But first, of course, we've got new video coming in. This from Tennessee. New pictures of more severe weather and more injuries out of Claiborne County. This is in Tennessee.

Seven people were treated and released for injuries from a series of severe storms that swept across eastern Tennessee. Now, all the injuries were in Claiborne County. That is about 40 miles north of Knoxville, where at least two houses and four mobile homes were destroyed. But just take a look at those trees that had fallen, downed power lines.

You can see the neighborhoods, some of the houses there. But very, very powerful winds split that tree just right down the center there. Quite a bit of damage and destruction in that area. And as we reported, of course, some people injured as a result of all of this.

So they are still treating the injured, and we're seeing more and more pictures of just the devastation in that county.

LEMON: Yes. You know what? We should probably check in with our meteorologist on this. CNN's Rob Marciano is standing by with the very latest from the severe weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Well, he supposedly knows Osama bin Laden, worked with the Taliban, and directed attacks against American troops. His name is Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi. And today, he's a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. We're also told he's been talking.

Some details now from CNN justice correspondent, Kelli Arena -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don.

You know, we hear these terrorists names. You know, they go in one ear and out the other, is this important? I'm telling you this is an important catch.

As you said, his name, Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi. Intelligence officials and independent terror experts say that he is one of al Qaeda's most senior, most experienced operatives, described by many as part of al Qaeda's old guard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: This guy was very important. He was one of the people consistently manning the operational switchboard for al Qaeda for years. Just about any time you heard about an operation or a plot that was under way, his name would pop up in some connection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: Now, here's what we don't know. The government will not say when he was captured, by whom, only that he was trying to return to Iraq, where he was born, when he was caught.

Now, he was placed in U.S. military custody this week. He's being held at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay.

Officials say that al-Hadi is a close associate of Osama bin Laden, that he may have actually been targeting westerners outside of Iraq. And I'll tell you, his resume is very long.

Before the 9/11 attacks, he was a member of al Qaeda's ruling Shura Council. That's a big deal. He was also a member of al Qaeda's military committee, which means that he oversaw their guerilla operations.

Now, he's also believed to be responsible for plotting attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and he allegedly led several attempts to assassinate Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf. So, once again, this guy is in Gitmo. It's important, better that he's in custody, than on the loose.

LEMON: But you know what, Kelli? There are a lot of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

ARENA: There are.

LEMON: But there are levels. You know, how value, or whatever.

How many "high-value" detainees are there?

ARENA: He would be the 15th high-valued detainee, along with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. You know that big report that we did when they were all transferred over? Well, this is the first high-value detainee since that big transfer, when we heard that there were no detainees being kept in those CIA secret prisons anymore.

Well, apparently, they added this one. And then he was transferred over this week. But again, we don't know how long he's been in custody.

LEMON: Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena.

Thank you so much for that, Kelli.

ARENA: You're welcome.

MALVEAUX: And from Saudi Arabia, sobering news of a kingdom-wide roundup of suspected terrorists and thwarted attack plans. One hundred seventy-two people, including Saudis, believed to be al Qaeda agents. Other Arab citizens, Africans, airline and oil workers arrested over nine months of investigation.

One official says many of the captured weapons look like they've been hidden in the desert for years. They also found flight manuals and millions of dollars reportedly earmarked for attacks in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.

We spoke to CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson just in this last hour here in the NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What happened last year, there was an attack by al Qaeda on an oil facility in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis later arrested some of those people, they used the information they got from them to lead them to these other terror groups.

The Saudis here using new tactics. Rather than going in and shooting up small elements of a cell, have followed them, watched them, have arrested them over a period of time so that they've been able to retrieve all these weapons that have buried. In some cases, they say, buried in the desert for years. And what's very interesting about this particular discovery is not just weapons, it's money, and some of that money was going to fund al Qaeda fighters in Iraq targeting U.S. troops. MALVEAUX: So do we believe it's an al Qaeda operation?

ROBERTSON: Absolutely. The intelligence sources we talked to in Saudi Arabia described this as the old al Qaeda, the al Qaeda that they've been tracking and fighting for many years. And it really shows that al Qaeda is still a live band, it is still strong, and it does have a depth -- a strategic depth there.

Some of the weapons, when you see -- they were dug out from the desert, they were feet underground, they had been there for a long time. Clearly, there's a lot of planning that goes in. The cells have really sunk underground over the past few years.

MALVEAUX: A big problem still that Saudi Arabia -- we see still some of that support for al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

ROBERTSON: There's a lot of money in that country. There's a lot of people with extreme views. And they have the space.

It's a very big country, there's a lot of it that's open, there's a lot of desert space. And they have the space to plan these types of operations.

The Saudis are getting more nuanced. It used to be a few years ago -- in Riyadh, I remember we got a phone call that the Saudis were having a shootout with al Qaeda. They had found a cell, a couple of people killed, they had arrested the others. Now they're taking a more perhaps strategic approach that they know where the cell is, and then they monitor them and follow them and try and develop more information about them.

The people that were arrested this time, Arabs, a lot of them non-Saudi Arabs. Africans, they say, Muslim Africans were involved in this.

They say they were young, that they didn't necessarily have good training, fighting capabilities, but in some cases were planning to fly aircraft into oil facilities. The Saudis know that al Qaeda and Saudi Arabia is all about bringing down the royal family, and they can do that -- they discovered the best way, al Qaeda, it seems to be -- figured its tactic should be, is target the economic, target the oil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And American intelligence agrees that it is clear that al Qaeda is planning more attacks.

LEMON: And new information into the CNN NEWSROOM. The person that many people have wanted to be caught has now been caught. Look at this. Every time you see it it's just disturbing video.

This happened back on March 4th. This guy attacked a 101-year- old woman in the vestibule of her building as she was going to church. He only got $33. She suffered a fractured cheekbone and spent some time in the hospital.

But he has been caught. His name is Jack Rhodes.

New York City police announced that today. Forty-four years old, and that's according to police commissioner Ray Kelly. He had been wanted for the questioning in this vicious attack that you saw just a little bit earlier.

That is Rose Morat right there, the 101-year-old woman. She is OK now. And she's a pretty feisty lady when -- because some folks had interviewed her, and she said, you know...

MALVEAUX: And this is a guy who...

LEMON: Yes.

MALVEAUX: ... he was trying to pretend like he was helping her, and then he started attacking her. And then she started fighting back.

LEMON: Yes, absolutely.

Well, he is behind bars. And lots of New Yorkers -- police say they got lots of calls saying, "Man, if I get this guy, if I see this guy, he is in trouble." Well, the guy has been caught, he's going to be charged, and then will face the repercussions for what he supposedly did.

MALVEAUX: Her family is probably very happy about that.

LEMON: Absolutely.

MALVEAUX: Now to a developing story.

A manhunt in east Tennessee on the heels of a jailbreak. Thirty- six-year-old Gary Harris and 29-year-old William Swafford were facing burglary charges. Instead, police say they attacked three officers at the Cocke County Jail and escaped. One of the officers was hit on the back of the head.

Authorities think the escapees may not have gotten very far.

LEMON: The battle gets tougher for south Georgia firefighters, not to mention for Georgians forced to pack up and get out again. Wildfires anew, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

MALVEAUX: Baghdad blogs. A peek into the lives of young Iraqis taking risks to go to school, to the store, or just to visit a friend, ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Fifteen past the hour. Here are three of the stories that we're working on here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Bush and the Japanese prime minister meet at Camp David. They are jointly demanding North Korea abandon its nuclear program as it promised. Mr. Bush warns, "Our patience is not unlimited."

A Chicago grand jury indicts the off-duty cop seen beating a female bartender on this surveillance tape. You may remember that tape. If convicted, Anthony Abbate could face five years in prison.

Firefighters in south Georgia are still losing ground against a wildfire that's burned 95 square miles. Hundreds of people have been forced out of their homes, some more than once.

LEMON: And we're going to continue to talk about that, Suzanne.

It is dry and windy in southeast Georgia. And that's putting the wild, of course, in those wildfires.

On the phone with us now is a woman who is in the know here, Susan Reisch, of the Georgia Forestry Commission.

You're in the command center there. Tell us, have you gotten a bigger handle on this fire yet?

SUSAN REISCH, GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION: Yes, the Georgia Forestry Commission is fighting fire with fire. We're strengthening the lines, mopping up where the fire's already been. We're keeping the lines along US 1 clear by stripping and prepping them, and we even use fire through managed burns to lessen the fuels on the forest floor so that the fire can burn less intensely when it hits that line.

LEMON: Right. And Ms. Reisch, what are you seeing now?

REISCH: I'm in a command post here in Waycross, Georgia, but I know that out on the line there are some intense flames. And our Georgia Forestry Commission firefighters are out there in full safety gear, and helping to take care of the situation.

LEMON: How have things changed since yesterday? I understand that -- I think this is correct -- you've lifted some evacuation orders since yesterday?

REISCH: That is correct. I just have new information that all road closures have been lifted except for US Highway 1 between mile markers one through 16, which is Hatcher Point Road (ph) to Race Pond Road (ph), and State Route 177. Those remain closed at this time.

In addition, the CSX railroad lines.

LEMON: OK. And that's very important for folks who travel in those areas, because those are -- many of those roads are very heavily traveled.

REISCH: They are. The railroad line is open during certain time slots, too.

LEMON: OK. Good. That's good news.

The percentage change at all in the number there of containment?

REISCH: The containment right now at this time is still at 50 percent.

LEMON: What about structures in danger there? Talk to us about that.

REISCH: There were 18 structures that were destroyed by the fire, but at this time, by keeping the fire lines free and clear, and the fire from crossing US 1, all structures have been safe. We haven't had anything else that has been damaged.

LEMON: That's important, but also more important, injuries, of course, to people who may live or be in the area, and especially to firefighters as well.

Do we have any reports of that?

REISCH: The Georgia Forestry Commission rangers are really prepared to take care of this situation. They're highly skilled individuals, and the other agencies that we work with are as well. They're -- we're often called to fight fires across the country, and we're really skilled at handling this.

LEMON: So everyone...

REISCH: We're well equipped.

LEMON: OK. Yes.

REISCH: It's the largest fire in Georgia history, but we're taking care of it.

LEMON: OK. Thank you so much for that.

Susan Reisch, she's a public information officer for the Georgia Forestry Commission.

Thank you so much.

REISCH: Bye-bye.

LEMON: Bye-bye.

MALVEAUX: An admissions director at a prominent university admits that she lied.

That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

Plus, have you ever fudged on your resume? Well, we're going to be reading your e-mails and checking that out, and hoping that you're telling us the truth.

LEMON: Yes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The prolonged slump in the housing market is having wide-reaching ramifications. Felicia Taylor is at the New York Stock Exchange to explain about those problems and how they may limit your opportunity to advance your career.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

MALVEAUX: And I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

LEMON: When dignitaries collide. A visit from the Japan's prime minister involves a lot more than throwing an extra cheeseburger on the grill. My visiting co-anchor, Suzanne Malveaux, shares her insider knowledge about the back-stage maneuvers going on in Washington.

I can't wait to hear that, right here live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A not-so-subtle reminder from President Bush to North Korea. Hosting Japanese leader Shinzo Abe and Camp David today, Mr. Bush pressed the North to make good on its pledge to power down the reactor it used to make nuclear weapons. North Korea has missed its deadline.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our partners in the six-party talks are patient, but our patience is not unlimited. We expect North Korea to meet all its commitments under the February 13th agreement, and we will continue working closely with our partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And both Bush and Abe suggested North Korea will pay a price if it ignores a deal reached in February.

And we have had the distinct pleasure all this week to have the White House correspondent at the anchor desk here in Atlanta, Suzanne Malveaux, as she wraps up her week, sadly.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Don. It's been very nice.

LEMON: It's been a pleasure. Yes.

MALVEAUX: It's been very nice.

LEMON: I want to chat with you about what really goes on behind the scenes. And I do have to say this...

MALVEAUX: Sure.

LEMON: ... a little caveat.

MALVEAUX: OK.

LEMON: I've had a lot of people since my partner, Kyra, has been gone overseas doing fabulous stories in Iraq, and I've been the most nervous about anchoring with you.

MALVEAUX: Why?

LEMON: Because you are so smart and on the ball, and I think it matters what comes out of all our mouths here.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: But more important, what comes out of your mouth, because the president, obviously, the administration, shapes the agenda of the country. And you're right there in the midst of all of it.

MALVEAUX: Well, thanks. Thanks.

LEMON: So it's just been fantastic.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Don. That's so nice.

LEMON: I've been here a short while and witnessed some moments with you at those White House briefings, when the president takes questions, and you have to ask the leader of the free world some very tough questions. I remember this one specifically right after the midterm elections.

Let's look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIENT: Kevin?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President.

BUSH: If I might say, that is a beautiful suit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir. My tailor appreciates that.

BUSH: And I can't see anybody else that even comes close.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much. I'll be happy pass along that compliment.

BUSH: I'll take that back, I'll recognize Suzanne --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That's not the one!

MALVEAUX: That was an interesting time, because actually that was a very light moment. As you know, there are light moments, they have families, a sense of humor, you don't want everything to be intense all the time. He was making a joke, and then we turned immediately and started asking about Iraqi casualties.

LEMON: We're going to play that full thing. Let's do the serious question first that you asked after the midterms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: With all due respect, Nancy Pelosi has called you incompetent, a liar, the emperor with no clothes, and as recently as yesterday, dangerous.

How will you work with someone who has such little respect for your leadership and who is third in line to the presidency?

BUSH: I've been around politics a long time. I understand when campaigns end and I know when governing begins. Look, this is a close election. If you look at race by race, it was close. The cumulative effect, however, was not too close. It was a thumping. But nevertheless the people expect us to work together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So the thumpin', that's become a part of our vocabulary now here. But in all due fairness, to speaker Pelosi, I think it was Senator Reid who called him a liar and a loser. When I asked that question, I didn't realize how much impact it would have, and literally, my blackberry was just vibrating, going off like crazy. I must have gotten maybe 50 to 60 e-mails within five minutes or so. From people inside and outside the business, even within the White House, the administration itself. Reacting to that question, and it was pretty much long the same lines, which is like, whoa, you know, I can't believe you just asked that, but even people in the White House said tough, but fair. And I think it was just a reflection of that moment. That was when the Democrats had just taken over, so it was like this power shift that happened and it was a reality check.

LEMON: You know when you do that, right, and I notice, you had a moment when you were like, in the middle of a question --

MALVEAUX: To take a deep breath.

LEMON: But you did a good job, and as you said, fair but tough. There are also real moments, you can see he has a sense of humor, he's been dancing this week, he's danced before. But that was pretty funny about your wardrobe and we played a bit earlier.

MALVEAUX: Let's take a listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Kevin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. President.

BUSH: If I might say, that is a beautiful suit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir. My tailor appreciates that.

BUSH: I can't see anyone else that comes even close.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much.

BUSH: Suzanne, I'll take that back, I will recognize that. Suzanne, first best dressed person here. Sorry.

MALVEAUX: Kevin and I coordinated.

BUSH: No, actually it looks -- yes.

MALVEAUX: Thank you Mr. President. Back on Iraq, a group of American and Iraqi health officials released a report saying that 655,000 Iraqis have died since the Iraq war. That figure is 20 times this --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You went right to the tough question after that light moment.

MALVEAUX: Well, you know. It's one of those things. You get a sense of their strategy, you know how we operate together, and they use humor to deflect. Obviously, when there's a tough question or they feel like all of us are going to be there, and he'll joke about your wardrobe, and a lot of us get those kinds of jokes. Also one thing in that presser, you'll notice, we're always asking different questions, but a lot of times like today, you saw two questions from one side, two from another, when a foreign leader comes into town. You know there just rare moments to get a shot to ask the president something. So there's a group of us, the Associated Press and Reuters will most likely get those questions, so we all put our heads together, and say what's the most important issue of the day, and what do people want to know from their newsrooms. And then on a broader scale, and that's what we'll go ahead and focus on, but you'll have your notecards, maybe six or seven questions in a news conference. Usually the first three they'll already get to.

LEMON: And you want to take advantage of that opportunity, because there's a small window, you don't get the opportunity much to do that.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely. But we still have a year and a half left.

LEMON: We do, and I have to say we're about halfway through this day, but it's been fantastic working with you. So take it away, do your thing.

MALVEAUX: Likewise, Don. Thank you so much.

LEMON: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Success in the end will depend on Iraqi actions. Those words from the Commander of Coalition forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus. He's in Washington this week, summoned to help sell the president's troop surge plan. He spoke a short time ago with CNN's Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre about wearing his politician's hat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DAVID PETRAUS, COMMANDER OF COALITION FORCES IN IRAQ: I've spent the entire week here in Washington trying to avoid blundering into political minefields. And I'm not going to stumble into this one if I can avoid it.

Let me just again talk about the fact that we're always concerned about, you know, what is the reaction of four different groups to what it is that we're doing, and we're doing it in a whole realm of ways. It's what's the enemy think? What do our partners think? Our Iraqi partners? What do our own troopers think? And oh, by the way, what do our families think?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, SR. CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Speaking of political, everyone has said you've acknowledged this can't be won militarily. It has to be a political reconciliation in Iraq, but I listened to your briefing yesterday, and the government that you described. As you said, Nuri al Malaki is, Tony Blair doesn't have a parliamentary majority, it sounds dysfunctional, and now they're talking about taking the summer off. How is the political piece going to come together?

PETRAUS: Well, it will come together by Iraqi political leaders recognizing the need for some degree of compromise. From making some concessions from their political party, sectarian or ethnic groups' positions. That's hugely important. That's what this is about, how do you solve this kind of situation, you do it politically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Petraeus told reporters yesterday that he expects the war to get harder before it gets easier.

LEMON: George Tenet says he's a scapegoat, blamed, defamed and hung out to dry for pushing the war in Iraq. The former CIA Director claims the comment he made in 2003, the infamous slam dunk on Iraq's reported WMDs has been taken out of context to wreck his career. He tells "60 Minutes," ahead of a book launch, it's the worst thing that has ever happened to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORGE TENET, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: I remember picking up the phone and calling Andy Card -- a terrific human being.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And the president's chief of staff at the time.

TENET: Calling in, you know, we, I believed that he had weapons of mass destruction, and now it's happened here is you've gone out and made me look stupid. It's the most despicable thing I've ever heard in my life. Men of honor don't do this. You don't throw people overboard, you don't call somebody in, you work your heart out, you show up every day, you're going to throw somebody overboard just because it's a deflection? Is that honorable? It's not honorable to me. That's how I feel. Now, how it happened and who orchestrated it and what happened. At the end of the day, the only thing you have is trust and honor in this world. That's all you have. All you have is your reputation built on trust and your personal honor. When you don't have that anymore, trust is broken.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Between you and the White House?

TENET: You bet. You bet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: White House Counselor Dan Bartlett denies Tenet's description of rushing to war without serious debate. Saying quote, "The president did wrestle with those very serious questions."

George Tenet is Larry King's guest Monday night right here on CNN.

MALVEAUX: And a popular dean of college admissions, her stunning admission about her credentials. Now she is out of a job. It's all a matter of degree. We'll read some of your e-mails on the subject ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A deadly tornado struck along the U.S. Mexico boarder late Tuesday, killing seven in Texas and three others in Mexico and causing more damage as the storm system moved east. You can get the latest at CNN.com. In Texas, the tornado ripped through the border town of Eagle Pass, where many mobile homes were destroyed and at least 70 people were injured. This gallery highlights the damage. In these shots sent in, rescue teams search through the rubble for survivors. Aaron Barnes sent in these pictures of a mobile home blown off its foundation.

And in Kansas --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another one's forming!

DE LA CRUZ: I-Reporter Ace Anderson and his 10-year-old son, Eric, capture this amazing video of two tornadoes taking shape in Cold Water, Kansas. You can check out more video and pictures and send in your own at CNN.COM/Exchange. For the dot com desk, I am Veronica De La Cruz.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: This time yesterday we were following the drama of a pancake apartment building in Istanbul, Turkey. Today there is a verdict from the Istanbul's mayor. He is blaming, and we quote, "serious negligence on the part of a contractor hired to tear down a building next door."

Supposedly the contractor damaged the apartment building's foundation. Two people were trapped when the eight-story tower collapsed. They were later pulled to safety.

LEMON: It is our mission here to bring you the truth of the war in Iraq. Just as we do every single day in everything, but no one knows life in Baghdad, for instance, like the people who live there, the people who call Baghdad their hometown. Reporter Paul Davies has stories from the hometown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL DAVIES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The group of intelligent young Iraqis with access to digital cameras and the internet have given us insight into their world. They call it hometown Baghdad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was going to meet my friends in college, prepare for the exams, but I couldn't get out today, and I think the reason is -- well, why don't you just hear for yourself --

DAVIES: Hours later, he was still trapped in his room.

UNIDENTIED MALE: I just lay down and listen to the symphony of bullets.

DAVIES: This student took his camera to Baghdad engineering College, one of many places of education, to be attacked by extremists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The dean was fascinated, and my friend a kidney, another one lost a leg. This one is a graduation certificate for a deceased student.

DAVIES: On his web side, Adel (ph) describes being woken up by his brothers and cousin's nightmares and discovering the boys had witnessed a murder.

In their blogs, the young Iraqis shows an existence where electricity is off more often than it's on. Where the simplest journey means risking your life, and anyone who can, is leaving the country.

UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: I'm going to leave all my friends, all my family, to go to a safe place where I can live safely without these dangerous things.

DAVIES: For those left behind, the nightly gun battles. Armed men outside are blogger-ready just in case they have come for his family tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm ready for anything. I got this gun. And I'm hoping to defend my family and myself.

DAVIES: Desperate measures in a desperate city, where even these young internet broadcasters know a camera must sometimes take second place to a gun. Paul Davies, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: If you're a student or fairly recent graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, you may have Marilee Jones to thank for it. If you didn't get in, she may also be to blame. Until this week, Jones was MIT's Dean of Admissions. Final screener of blue ribbon applicants with sterling credentials. Too bad her own credentials were fake. Over the course of her career, Jones claimed to have degrees from three schools, but now, MIT say there's no evidence she graduated college at all. Jones was widely respected among students and colleagues for trying to tame the often unbearable college admissions process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDNETIFIED MALE: I really liked her when she was here, but I think it's the right thing she chooses to resign in the interests of integrity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was surprised, but don't think less of her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's done so much for this school. She actually really cares and she's been an asset to the community.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So you're sad?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very deeply saddened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Jones started her MIT career as an administrative assistant 28 years ago. And in resigning, she said she lacked the courage to correct her resume when she was named Dean of Admissions in 1997.

LEMON: This story got a lot of people talking in our newsmeeting this morning. Some of the people here, the VJs, video journalists, who just got out of college, were like, wow.

MALVEAUX: And stories about whether or not some people did it themselves.

LEMON: Look at this, this is on CNN.com, this is our quickvote. We wanted to hear from you if you've ever lied on your resume. Log on to CNN.com, and give us your answer, right now. Fifteen percent say you have lied on your resume, 15 percent. Eighty-five percent say you have not lied. What do you say we read some of these viewer comments here? I think the first one is from Gene, Suzanne? He says, "I have never lied on my resume, but have caught others during the interview process with enhancements, these individuals were dismissed. There is no place in corporate America for employees that could not be trusted.

MALVEAUX: And our next e-mailed better not send this e-mail to Gene, here. Roy writes, "I've lied on my resume many times. If you can do the job what makes the difference? I know a CEO of a major company who didn't even graduate from high school and lied about it. He's still working and doing a very good job."

LEMON: Does that make it right? I don't know. Betsy sees it as a gray area and writes "I have never lied on a resume however I have embellished the truth so I look more qualified." Thanks for your e- mails, everyone.

MALVEAUX: What's the difference, embellishing and lying? LEMON: I think embellishing is trumping it up a bit, like you were an intern but saying you were a production assistant or something. It just depends on what you mean by lying.

Keep your e-mails coming, we want to read them. They're very interesting.

Straight ahead, Alec Baldwin, Richard Gere, and the attack that might send Sandra Bullock to court. All that when the CNN NEWSROOM continues.

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LEMON: The president's dancing, why can't I dance this week? That music means it's time for entertainment. A mea culpa from a major star as a Hollywood A-lister tries to set the record straight on "The View." Man, "The View" is certainly getting a lot of press this week.

Entertainment Correspondent Sibila Vargas joins me now with details. So what happens, you say something and go on "The View" now instead of going to rehab? How does that work?

SIBILA VARGAS, ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Something like that. Well, you know, we are all taking (INAUDIBLE) with Alec Baldwin's scathing voicemail to his daughter. A lot of people said he had a lot of explaining to do. Well today he did just that, Don. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: I want to say that I'm sorry to anyone that was offended by what happened.

Yes, and that's a part of it. I mean I want ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But we wanted to run it by you first, because it's about how GE is making us doing this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: What's sad about how this matter has played out in the media, he acknowledged that he is far from alone when it comes to the issues that caused his outburst. Baldwin says he's been contacted by thousands of fathers who know what it feels like to be shut out of their children's lives, and has written a book about it that will come out in the fall.

The 49-year-old actor also announced that he has asked NBC to allow him out of "30 Rock" contract in order to spend more time with his daughter and focus on to focus on the issue of parental rights -- Don.

LEMON: Isn't it true that in a movie he's like -- gets very similar to what happened to him, I think in his next movie? I'm not sure. I can check that because I think he's playing a character that is very similar to what happened to him. But I want to ask you this. He's not the only one that's making apologies on talk shows, right? What about this weird video we saw of Richard Gere?

VARGAS: Well yes, I wouldn't actually call it an apology, but the "Pretty Woman" star did at least address those who want him thrown in jail for a kiss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD GERE, ACTOR: ...in very small right-wing, very conservative political party in India --

JOHN STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW" HOST: We're talking about India?

GERE: In India.

STEWART: Oh, OK. I didn't know what you were talking about -- in India.

GERE: And they are the moral police in India. They do this kind of thing quite often.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: Gere has been charged with public obscenity for kissing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty multiple times on the cheek during an AIDS awareness rally early last week. Look at it right there. The incident led some conservative groups to protest and even burn effigies of the star.

Gere, who is a frequent visitor to southeast Asia told John Stewart he believes the case will be thrown out once it reaches a reputable court. If however, Gere is somehow convicted of the charge, he could face up to three months in jail, a fine or both, although I just don't see him going to jail. I just don't see it happening.

LEMON: Yes, and you saw that video. It seemed like he really liked her, Sibila, in that video.

VARGAS: He did, he did, and she seemed defenseless. I, you know -- so many people are saying that it could hurt her career, I hope not, because she didn't do anything wrong, and maybe he didn't do anything wrong, either, but it's taboo to have public displays of affection in India.

LEMON: We shall see as time goes on. Sibila, there's another Hollywood A-lister that could be headed for court. What's going on with Sandra Bullock?

VARGAS: Well, Sandra Bullock could be talking to a judge soon enough, but in this case, Don, she'd be a witness. A woman says -- well, authorities say that obsessed with the star was arrested yesterday after allegedly trying to run over the actress's husband, motorcycle legend Jesse James. According to the police, the 45-year-old woman tried to hit James with her silver Mercedes three or four times after Bullock asked her to leave the couple's Orange County home. Now neither James nor Bullock were injured. The woman was released on $25,000 bail and is awaiting a court hearing on May 22nd.

Well, tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," we are going to have more on Alec Baldwin's appearance on "The View," his decision to leave television, and why he may even want out of the country. The inside story on TV's most provocative entertainment news show, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN, Headline Prime.

Don, back to you.

LEMON: Sibila, that's a lot. We'll be watching tonight. Have a great weekend.

VARGAS: All right, and we've got so much more.

LEMON: All right, have a great weekend, we'll see you soon.

VARGAS: You too.

LEMON: Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And coming up, who's in store for severe weather this weekend, and we will tell you where this I-Report came from. The news just keeps on coming, and we'll be bringing it to you. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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