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Las Vegas Judge Sets $125,000 Bail for O.J. Simpson; Senate to Vote on Measure With Great Impact on War Deployments; Blackwater: In or Out?
Aired September 19, 2007 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in today for Kyra Phillips.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Leaving his jail cell behind, but bracing for a legal battle straight ahead. A judge has set bail for O.J. Simpson, who appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom this morning handcuffed and wearing a blue jail uniform. He was asked whether he understood the 11 criminal charges against him stemming from an alleged armed robbery, and he simply answered "Yes" in a hoarse voice.
We're expecting Simpson to leave the jail within a couple of hours.
Right now let's go to CNN's Ed Lavandera at the courthouse.
And Ed, just by hearing the attorneys who had stepped outside the courthouse after the proceedings, there's quite the audience out there. As well, I imagine, so for when O.J. Simpson leaves the courthouse as well.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no question that no matter what O.J. Simpson does in the months ahead -- in the months ahead, that there will be this renewed circus following his every move, every time he comes here to the courthouse or there's any little development in this case as it moves forward. They are coming out in droves to catch a glimpse of anything, quite frankly.
So O.J. Simpson going through the process now of being released from the jail here in Las Vegas. Officials here with the jail are saying that that could take up to 12 hours, although some of the other defendants that were connected to this case had come through here, we believe, a little bit quicker than that. So exactly when O.J. Simpson will be leaving the jail here is hard to say, although his attorney does believe he will be out of here by the end of the day.
And where O.J. goes next is hard to say. He's been living in Miami, Florida, so whether or not he goes there is still up in the air. The judge, as part of the bail process here, has allowed that O.J. Simpson can travel anywhere in the continental United States. He has been -- has been forced to turn over his passport, so he can't travel outside the country. And he's also been ordered to stay away from any of the victims, witnesses, or anyone else connected to this case. And only his attorneys can be asking questions and digging into the stories that have unfolded here in Las Vegas in connection with this robbery and kidnapping case and the 11 criminal charges that O.J. Simpson faces.
His attorney spoke with reporters after the hearing this morning, and he says they are confident they will be able to defeat these charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YALE GALANTER, SIMPSON ATTORNEY: I think he's extremely relieved. Obviously, when, you know, we knew about this last night we informed him. You know, he's relieved.
I mean, this has been a very harrowing experience for him. He's been in custody for three days. Just wants to get home and be...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an emotional time. It's an emotional time.
GALANTER: He just wants to get home and be with his family and kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: And his family, daughter and sister and girlfriend, were in the courtroom this morning, and it has to have been a surreal scene for many of the people who covered O.J. Simpson's double murder trial back in 1994 and 1995. And one bizarre kind of note from the courtroom this morning, the prosecutor in that murder trial, Marcia Clark, who is actually now working as a special correspondent for the television program "Entertainment Tight," was sitting in the front row in the courtroom this morning. We couldn't really tell though if O.J. Simpson had noticed that she was there in court today.
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. Awkward moments there.
OK, so we did hear the attorney, Yale Galanter, say that while he's Florida based, it's likely that O.J. Simpson would be heading back to Florida, likely flying on a plane together, but exactly when, you know, is unclear. So that is, as far as you know, to be the plan?
LAVANDERA: Yes. We would suspect that is the plan since O.J. Simpson lives in Miami. I'm not exactly sure where else he would want to go, unless he maybe wanted to lay low for a while.
WHITFIELD: And not in Las Vegas.
LAVANDERA: Who knows what -- right. He cannot do that here.
WHITFIELD: No way.
LAVANDERA: So who knows what exactly his plans might be here in the coming hours, but regardless, Las Vegas is a place where he's going to have to be returning to quite periodically. He's expected to be back here in court for another hearing at the end of October.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much, from Las Vegas.
LAVANDERA: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Eleven counts, 10 of them felonies. Well, if you want to read the full criminal complaint against O.J. Simpson, you can just find it at your fingertips. Log on to CNN.com, and you can watch any courtroom drama as well in the case as it unfolds. Again, that's CNN.com.
LEMON: Another story, Fredricka, garnering lots of attention, racial tensions in Jena. It came to a boil after black students sat under a tree at the local high school. That tree was the usual gathering spot for white students.
Well, the next day three nooses were hanging from the branches. Local reports say a school district committee suspended three white students for three days for hanging the nooses, a gesture written off as a prank.
CNN's Kyra Phillips sat down with U.S. attorney Donald Washington. Among other things, he talked about the difference between the noose incident and the beating case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD WASHINGTON, U.S. ATTORNEY: I would not compare the two incidents myself. Again, I'm putting on my hat as a federal prosecutor.
The two incidents are separate incidents. And if I understand correctly, you have read the statements associated with the December the 4th fight. And the quality of those statements and the violence that those statements at least indicate occurred are exceptional for a schoolyard fight. And as the D.A. has stated and as other members of this town have stated, including the folks at the school, this was not a schoolyard fight. This was more of an attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Washington says the people of Jena need to get together and talk about racial issues. He says he and his office are willing to help them to do that.
A high-profile visitor for one of the Jena 6. Al Sharpton, who organized tomorrow's rally, met with Mychal Bell this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: He asked me to communicate that he is praying and with the grace of God he will rejoin us soon, but he does not want anything to be done in any way tomorrow to disparage his name with violence or even a word that is negative. This is about standing up for justice. This is not about being against anyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You're watching -- you saw that live just moments ago on CNN.
So far, Bell, who is still behind bars, is the only one of the defendants who has gone on trial. He was convicted of second-degree battery, but last week a state appeals court threw out the conviction saying bell should not have been tried as an adult. Yesterday, an appeals court ruled it premature to consider a motion to release him. Bell could still face charges in juvenile court. His father, Marcus Jones, also spoke at that news conference just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: What does he think about all of this so far?
MARCUS JONES, MYCHAL BELL'S FATHER: Well, he prays every night, and he's really appreciative of all the support, and he really just can't believe it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Now, you'll want to stay right here in the NEWSROOM. The Reverend Al Sharpton joins us from Jena, Louisiana, in our 3:00 hour, 3:00 Eastern hour, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
So listen to this. This is going to be very interesting. Lots and ins and outs of this case. What's the real story here?
CNN goes inside the racial tensions in Jena, Louisiana. It is a special investigation. Tune in for CNN Special Investigations Unit report, "Judgment in Jena". That's tomorrow night, Thursday night, at 8:00 Eastern, only on CNN.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about Capitol Hill now. One voice in the U.S. Senate may decide the fate of a big Iraq war amendment today.
Let's go to Capitol Hill and CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, Democrats were really looking at a measure by one of their own Democrats, Jim Webb, which would have limited the troop deployments to Iraq, actually make clear that troops would have to be at home as much as on the battlefield. Democrats were hoping that that was really their best chance at forcing a change in Iraq policy. In fact, Senator Webb thought that he was probably about three votes away from getting that to actually pass, but he did suffer a major setback just a few moments ago on the Senate floor because his fellow senator from Virginia, Republican John Warner, announced that he has changed his mind he is now going to vote against that measure. And Senator Warner gave several reasons for his decision, but one of them was a full-court press that he and other Republicans have been getting from the Pentagon making clear that they think that this measure will be disruptive to troops in the field.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN WARNER (R), VIRGINIA: They have now been convinced that they cannot effectively put into force that amendment at this time without causing severe problems within the existing forces and those that are serving there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, again, Senator John Warner did vote for this measure to limit deployments essentially aimed at giving troops rest between deployments before, and it's significant, Fredricka, because Senator Warner is R republican that has significant clout among his Republican colleagues. There have been a group, maybe a handful of Republicans, who were sort of on the fence whether or not they would vote yes or no to this measure, and they have been lobbied very intensely.
Several of them told us that they have heard from the Pentagon, they've have had meetings with officials there and across the administration trying to get them to vote no. And some of them we talked to already today say that those efforts have been successful. So it is really unclear whether or not Senator Webb's measure is going to pass. I talked to a Democratic leadership aide who said that they still think it may, there may be a vote later today. But this move by Senator Warner certainly does put a damper on things for Senator Webb, to say the least.
WHITFIELD: All right. Dana Bash, thanks so much for that update from Capitol Hill -- Don.
LEMON: We found out late in the day, Fredricka, yesterday that the jury was deadlocked in the Phil Spector case and that the judge was going to ask the jury to consider a lesser charge in the case. There is some movement on that now.
Let's go to our producer, CNN producer, Paul Vercammen. He's on the phone.
Paul, what have you learned?
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN SR. PRODUCER: Well, Don, just a short time ago, Judge Larry Paul Fidler said that he is now going to take off the table any idea that he would re-instruct the jury on the lesser charge of manslaughter. Early on in the case, the prosecutor (INAUDIBLE) were all on the same page and said that this would be a second-degree murder trial. So this was clearly a victory for the Spector defense team.
And after this was announced, I could see Spector and his young wife in the hall, and everybody over there was sort of celebrating, including his rather large platoon of lawyers.
According to the judge, he said it would be inappropriate at this time to instruct the jury on a new defense. And by that (ph) defense, he meant the lesser charge of manslaughter.
So (INAUDIBLE) the judge may go ahead and reread the notion of reasonable doubt here in California to the jury when they reassemble and then send them back into the room one more time to deliberate.
LEMON: OK. Paul, obviously we're having -- it's a cell phone.
Paul, can you hear me?
VERCAMMEN: I can hear you fine, Don.
LEMON: You said that they may get one more chance at this if the judge, indeed, comes out again, and he may send them back into the room. Finish your last thought. We lost you there for a second.
VERCAMMEN: Oh, OK.
Basically what will happen is, as you may have heard yesterday, the jury said they were deadlocked seven to five.
LEMON: Right.
VERCAMMEN: Seven to five, but they will not say which they are leaning. The judge, after further explaining reasonable doubt to the jurors, will instruct them to go back into the room and deliberate.
Now, the reason the reasonable doubt is important is you may have heard yesterday that two of the jurors who are part of this deadlock said that they would like a clarification on reasonable doubt.
LEMON: OK.
VERCAMMEN: So that's what they're going to have to debate about. I should note though in watching the jury (INAUDIBLE) civil engineer and rather serious, he seemed to almost be rolling his eyes when he said that they were deadlocked, suggesting perhaps that they were hopelessly deadlocked.
LEMON: All right. Paul, we appreciate your reporting there.
Our producer in California.
Thank you very much for that report. We'll be checking back with you.
Just to give you a little bit of background -- and as you may remember, that Phil Spector is charged with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in his mansion there in California. That was back in February of 2003.
It was a few hours after she met him at her job as a nightclub hostess, and they went home together. The defense maintains that Clarkson was depressed and shot herself in the mouth either on purpose or by accident.
But again, some movement there. The judge says he will not ask the jury in the trial to consider a lesser charge of manslaughter. You are hearing it from our producer on the ground, Paul Vercammen, in California.
We'll update you on this.
WHITFIELD: And no point in debating who started it, because there's no stopping this racial controversy any time soon.
Roland Martin ways in on the Jena 6.
LEMON: Jena, Louisiana, is also making its mark on the campaign trail. We'll tell you which '08 presidential candidates are getting in on the debate.
WHITFIELD: And a judge says Britney Spears' use of drugs and alcohol means she'll be taking a lot of tests.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
WHITFIELD: And this deadly incident in Iraq now means that a joint commission has been formed involving both the U.S. and Iraq. It involved an incident that took place over the weekend, a deadly incident taking place in Baghdad.
Now questions are being asked; namely, were innocent civilians killed? Was the U.S.-based contracting firm Blackwater acting in self-defense?
Aneesh Raman spoke with a number of the wounded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The wounded from Sunday's shootout are now speaking out and placing blame. Hassan Zalman (ph), an Iraqi lawyer, was driving into this square when things turned ugly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): As I arrived, I found the street blocked by Blackwater. There were four armored SUVs and on top of each were two armed guards.
As we turned back, they opened fire at all cars from behind. The bullets are in my back. Within two minutes, the helicopters arrived. They started firing randomly at citizens. No one fired at Blackwater. They were not attacked by gunmen. They were not targeted.
RAMAN: Abdul Amir Rahim (ph), a day laborer, was on a nearby minibus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Blackwater, they got out and kept on firing randomly at people, starting with the people walking or working in the street. Even the traffic policemen.
They kept shooting at all the cars. I remember people strewn on the streets -- children, elderly men. This is what I saw with my own eyes. The street turned into the street of the dead.
RAMAN: Iraq's government has, in a preliminary report, concluded much the same, saying Blackwater fired first. Iraq's government says 20 Iraqis were killed, many more than the eight deaths originally reported.
Blackwater insists its employees only fired when the convoy came under attack and that its helicopters did not open fire. And even though an investigation has just begun, Iraqi officials are not withholding judgment.
"This company," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said, referring to Blackwater, "has caused a big crime that led to the killing of many innocent civilians."
With Blackwater's status now in doubt, Maliki is calling for the U.S. to replace them with another firm. For the moment, the American embassy has suspended all diplomatic missions outside the Green Zone. Trips like this that would involve Blackwater protection. And U.S. officials are in talks with the Iraqi government about a number of issues concerning Western security contractors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of them obviously will include accountability mechanisms.
RAMAN: The lack of accountability have left those like Abdul Amir (ph), shot three times in Sunday's incident, demanding revenge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): Enough. Enough. Enough of all that is happening.
God's fury is coming. Enough of this. Enough.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RAMAN: There was already a great deal of mistrust, Fredricka, between ordinary Iraqis and these private security firms. But since Sunday that has turned into a collective desire for justice that runs all the way up to the prime minister, and we have not seen that here at all before -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Aneesh, you have to wonder what this will do for other U.S.-based contractors doing business in Iraq.
RAMAN: Yes. There is right now a decrease in presence among all contractors on the streets, fearful of any sort of anger that exists there out on the Iraqi streets. And the big question is, what happens next?
This investigation ongoing. The Iraqi government already has made up its mind.
The U.S. officials on the ground are withholding judgment, withholding details until that investigation gets done. But as we mentioned in the report, they're talking about everything.
That means, will contractors now be held liable to any degree under Iraqi law? Does that mean contracts have to be rewritten? There are a huge numbers of issues that have been brewing for years now coming to the fold that have to be dealt with. It could take some time though -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Aneesh Raman in Baghdad.
Thanks so much.
LEMON: A rally spurred by allegations of racism. Protesters heading to a small Louisiana town in support of the so-called Jena 6.
I'm going to discuss this, the latest -- there he is right there. CNN's Roland Martin has been checking in with his sources. Also been monitoring all the press conferences and things going on.
Are you ready to talk about this?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Of course.
LEMON: A candid discussion with Roland Martin coming up.
And Roland, take a look at this. You see this picture right here? That's Las Vegas. That's right, O.J. Simpson
We're going to talk about that as well. He's expected to be released. It could be at any moment, because you know the judge granted his bail, $125,000, said he could be out within a couple of hours.
Live pictures from Las Vegas. Will O.J. be released in a few moments? What's he going to do? What's he going to say? You never know.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Live pictures right now. You're looking at aerial shots of the jail where in Las Vegas O.J. Simpson is to be released any moment now. You heard his attorneys say earlier that he is likely to return home, where he is residing in Miami now, but the judge today decided to set bail at $125,000, whereas over the weekend there was no bail. And that's why he has been spending his time in jail there in Las Vegas.
So, of course when it happens, when O.J. Simpson is released and exits there and joins his attorneys, we'll be able to bring that to you live -- Don.
LEMON: Absolutely. We're watching this on all fronts. As a matter of fact, on this little monitor right here in front of my desk.
As we have been reporting, the small town of Jena, Louisiana, is in the spotlight over racial tensions. A huge rally is scheduled tomorrow in support of six black teens accused in the beating of a white student.
CNN contributor Roland Martin is here with some insight for us.
And Roland, as we continue to monitor these pictures of O.J. Simpson, we've also been monitoring what's happening down in Jena.
MARTIN: Correct.
LEMON: All right. Let's talk.
You know this story causes a lot of tension, a lot of people get upset regardless of what side you're on. There's not two sides. It could be 20 sides, whatever it is. A lot of tension.
What is so hard -- why is it so hard to talk about this story? Why is this story raising the ire of so many people, especially along racial lines?
MARTIN: Because in America we don't like to confront the reality that race still has a place in America. It was W.E.B. Du Bois who said, "Race is America's dilemma."
LEMON: Right.
MARTIN: It is America's problem for the 20th century. It's the case for the 21st century. So we don't really want to discuss it because it's just too touchy, when, in fact, I believe we need to, because not only that, you have the intersection of race in the criminal justice system.
LEMON: Right.
MARTIN: That takes it to a whole different level. And so when people see -- they say, well, you know, African-Americans, they're coming out in support of these teens, what ticked people off, what made my listeners on WVON in Chicago mad, wasn't that you have some teens being prosecuted for an alleged crime.
LEMON: They did something wrong, they should be prosecuted. MARTIN: Right. But it was, when you hear the details, a fight at the school, a teen beaten unconscious, six guys. All of a sudden he goes to the hospital, goes to a party later that night, you file attempted murder charges. That's what people were so upset about.
LEMON: But we do have to say that at one point someone was standing on this kid's head.
MARTIN: OK. But you were in school, right? I was in fights in school. I have been punched. I have been kicked.
The whole point is, how do you go from standing on someone's head to attempted murder? And so that's really how this all kicked off.
It was a very slow build (ph). I said, wait a minute, what's going on here?
I haven't heard anyone say that, well, if they were involved they shouldn't be punished, they should be let off. No. What people are saying is, wait a minute, how is that a just sentence? Eighty years in prison for a fight where someone was -- you know, you saw the pictures and everything.
LEMON: Right.
MARTIN: But it's not like the case in West Virginia where they spent a week in the hospital because they were beaten, stabbed, kidnapped, raped, hot water thrown on them, forced to eat dog feces.
LEMON: OK.
MARTIN: Come on.
LEMON: Let's talk about justification here, because a lot of people when you listen to the story and what you've heard, you get the nooses. You heard about the all-white tree, a tree that was for all whites. And then the next day someone -- you know, they went to the principal and said, "Can we sit there?" -- the black students. The next day a noose, then a fight.
According to a person who is helping with this days, Donald Washington, who is a U.S. attorney there, says those two incidents, the nooses and the fight, they're not related, at least in a court of law. He spoke to our Kyra Phillips.
Let's take a listen. And then we'll talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WASHINGTON: We have arrived at the conclusion that the fight itself had no connection, no connection that a prosecutor could take in the court and say, you know, judge or jury, we're prosecuting these white kids for these nooses, and look at all the damage they caused down stream, all the way down to the fights at Jena High School on December 4th. We could not prove that because the statements of the students themselves do not make any mention of nooses, of trees, of the N-word or any other word of racial hate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What do you make of that? He said he can't connect it legally in a courtroom.
MARTIN: Well, and his job is to connect the legal dots. But the issue I think with the noose, it was a matter of the climate in the city in terms of the nooses being hung up.
But here is the other piece that we cannot overlook. The principal suspended the students who put the nooses up. The school board overturned the principal's decision.
LEMON: Overturned that.
MARTIN: Now, if you are an African-American in Jena, or even if you're a white parent, you're sitting there going, wait a minute, this is the body that's entrusted with making educational decisions to impact our kids, and they overturn a decision by the principal? That plays a role in the climate in that town. That's what people are also talking about.
LEMON: Obviously, the best way probably that both of us from the South -- Texas, you, Louisiana, me -- the best way to do that is to talk about it and not be afraid to talk about it.
MARTIN: Of course.
LEMON: Because that way you learn something.
MARTIN: First of all, you learn something. You own up to actually what took place. Here is what we should not have happened, Don. This should not become a question of, well, Reverend Al Sharpton, well, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and others are protesting in Jena. You have to ask why are the they protesting? What's the motive behind it? What's the real issue here.
LEMON: In the context.
MARTIN: In the context, you can't just automatically assume that, well, you're only protesting because they were African-American. No, people are people. My callers are mad because they're saying, wait a minute, how do you charge them with attempted murder? That was the issue.
LEMON: There's so many things I wanted to talk to you about, beyond that, about the mood, the climate, the people who are leaving town, what kind of message does that send? Does it perpetuate what people are saying about that town?
But I want to get to O.S. Simpson.
MARTIN: Right.
LEMON: Because were running out of time here. MARTIN: He's getting sprung in a moment.
LEMON: We're waiting on this live picture, looking at the live pictures. What is your take on O.J. Simpson? It appears today from what happened in court, are these charges as solid as we once might have thought?
MARTIN: Can't necessarily make that claim because the prosecution's job is to actually to defend it, but clearly him getting bail, going from no bail to getting bail, they work a deal out.
LEMON: As it comes to climate, as it comes to race, you know, the tension, remember when O.J. Simpson said --
MARTIN: Well, of course.
LEMON: -- not guilty.
MARTIN: No, Don, I actually I forgot all of that.
LEMON: The chasm between blacks and whites.
MARTIN: That happened?
LEMON: So now, take us into it now talk to us about it the racial tension involved in that.
MARTIN: Here's what's amazing with the O.J., we cannot let go of O.J. Do you know how many people have actually gotten off, Colin Davis (ph), in Texas you know, was accused of shooting his wife, killing her boyfriend. It was a sensational trial. You don't see the same reaction. You know, Klaus von Bulow people said he killed his wife, Dershowitz got him off on the appeal.
The bottom line is, O.J. is special. Because everything comes into play, he was an athlete, celebrity, it was race, it was all that sort of, it was temperament, all that sort of stuff. And because he, people say he got off, he was found not guilty, we won't let go. He's a living, breathing train wreck.
LEMON: We don't know what will happen, but if he gets off, should we be prepared?
MARTIN: For what? I mean what? More folks being upset?
LEMON: Yeah, yeah.
MARTIN: No, what we should be prepared for more books being written and folks actually getting paid off of it. So maybe, maybe, you and Fredricka can get together and write a book on, you know, O.J. Part Two. So, what the heck? Everybody else is getting paid off O.J. What the heck.
LEMON: All right, Roland Martin, thank you very much. Always very candid we appreciate your conversations, because it does it, you know, opens our minds, and, is always good talk. MARTIN: Glad to be here.
LEMON: Thank you sir, good to see you, Fred--
WHITFIELD: All right well, O.J. Simpson, there's more to say about it. Shedding his blue jumpsuit and handcuffs and gearing up for what could be another headline grabbing court battle.
Simpson is expected to leave a Las Vegas jail within hours, you saw the pictures a moment ago, what it was like inside. Now you're looking at the exteriors of the judicial building there, and the jail where he's expected to depart. Judge setting bail at $125,000, after, as you heard Roland and Don discuss, no bail over the weekend.
Today in court he simply answered, yes, in a hoarse voice when asked if he understood the 11 criminal charges against him stemming from an alleged armed robbery. And afterwards his attorney was a bit more vocal, and so was an apparent Simpson fan who stood right next to the microphone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YALE GALANTER, SIMPSON'S ATTORNEY: I think that the bail is extremely reasonable. You know, I mean look at all these -- just turn around. I mean, there isn't a place on the planet that Mr. Simpson could go when somebody wouldn't recognize him or know who he was. I mean --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
GALANTER: Excuse me, excuse me.
The truth of the matter is, is that despite his past and public opinion about his past, he is not a flight risk. And he is not a danger to the community so. That bond is more than reasonable. It's exactly where it should be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And now an arraignment is scheduled for the week of October 22nd. His attorney says Simpson plans to plead not guilty.
LEMON: And for all the unanswered questions surrounding O.J. Simpson's latest legal drama at least one mystery may be cleared up. How Simpson supplemented his football pension over the past 13 years. And how he kept the Brown and Goldman families in the dark. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez sat down this week for an exclusive interview with Simpson's former sports marketing agent.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Almost every single day for a year and a half back in 1995 Mike Gilbert says he visited O.J. Simpson at the Men's Central Jail, and each time he says he took thousands of pieces of memorabilia for the fallen football star to sign. Simpson autographs brought in money, big money, and Gilbert, Simpson's marketing agent for nearly 20 years, brokered the deals.
MIKE GILBERT, FMR. SIMPSON AGENT: His income from commercials and endorsements and so forth were probably $1 million a year, plus. His memorabilia marketing, he could make four appearances a year, for about $200,000 a year.
GUTIERREZ: Gilbert says Simpson memorabilia continued to sell after the criminal trial. That Simpson made tens of thousands of dollars in cash deals for his signature.
GILBERT: The first 1,000 we sold in about 30 days for $250 a piece. That's a quarter of a million dollars in a month.
GUTIERREZ: When the family of Ron Goldman was awarded $30 million in a wrongful death civil suit against Simpson, Gilbert says he and others helped O.J. hide his valuables, including Tiffany lamps, Persian rugs, and sports memorabilia.
GILBERT: I know where he had lockers in different people's names to hide things from the Goldmans.
GUTIERREZ: Mike Gilbert says he also had a locker filled with Simpson memorabilia, and says recently someone raided it, that some of the items ended up in that Las Vegas hotel room where Simpson is accused of stealing it. He mentions Mike's name on tape several times.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: O.J., I'll give you Mike's number if you want it.
O.J. SIMPSON: Gimme, gimme that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) number. Gimme Mike's number. I want Mike's number.
SIMPSON: Think you can steal my (EXPLETIVE DELETED)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mike took it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You, against the mother (EXPLETIVE DELETED) wall.
SIMPSON: I know (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Mike took it.
GILBERT: There was autographed books, there's photos, there's jerseys, there's helmets, there's game balls, and just a litany of items that were there.
GUTIERREZ (on camera): If you were to put a value on those items, what would you say that it would be? What's the street value of some of that memorabilia?
GILBERT: Maybe anywhere from $100,000 to a quarter million.
GUTIERREZ (voice over): Gilbert says Simpson was looking for something else. The suit he wore on the day of his acquittal.
GILBERT: I have his suit. He never, ever get the suit back. He gave it to me the day after the verdict. GUTIERREZ: The suit's price tag? He says he's been offered $25,000.
GILBERT: I made him a lot of money and I made money. It was my job.
GUTIERREZ: In the end, Gilbert said he regrets helping Simpson. That he always believed he was guilty of killing his wife, Nicole and Ron Goldman, even from the day his own wife broke the news.
GILBERT: She said, Michael, you need it get to Rockingham. Nicole has been murdered and O.J. is in handcuffs. First words out of my mouth were, he finally did it. One day -- I have never gone to Nicole's grave and said I'm sorry. So one day I'll do that. And then i think I'll maybe have that peace that I've been looking for.
GUTIERREZ: Gilbert says he would now like to help the Goldman's identify memorabilia and other valuables they may be entitled to. Thelma, Gutierrez, CNN, Fresno, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Racial tension, violence, a planned protest, and now politics. Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, what some of those who want to be president are saying about the racially charged case of the Jena 6.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. There you go. Someone is standing outside of the jail there where O.J. Simpson should be released at any time now, with a "Free O.J." sign. Of course, the judge, if you have been watching CNN, a judge granted him bail, $124,000 this morning. He could be released. We're monitoring it live. You're not going to miss anything. Make sure you keep it tuned in right here to CNN -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: The Jena 6 have captured the attention of several Democratic presidential candidates. A short time ago Senator Clinton was a guest on Al Sharpton's radio show.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm very worried about what has happened and what is happening in Jena. Look, I know you and I don't condone violence of any kind, but this situation raises very serious questions of injustice and inequality. And it shines a bright spotlight on the disparate treatment that happens all too often in our country, still today, and affecting African-American young people in the criminal justice system.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Both Senator Barack Obama and presidential candidate John Edwards have also spoken out about the Jena case. CNN's Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider is with us now from Washington.
So, Bill, why are these Democratic candidates compelled to speak out about Jena?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the Democrats, I think, are under special pressure to speak out because first of all civil rights is a defining issue for the Democratic Party, And second of all, African-American voters are a base constituency in the party. The South Carolina primary was allowed to move up on the calendar in order to give black voters more of a say in the nominating process, and that's exactly what's happening.
Jesse Jackson was in South Carolina this week and he urged Democrats to be more outspoken on this issue. He said give the Democrats in South Carolina, they're about half African-American in that primary, something to vote for in January.
WHITFIELD: So we heard Senator Clinton's comments on Al Sharpton's radio show. I want to read a quote of Senator Barack Obama. And his comments, his response about what has taken place in Jena. He says, "When nooses are being hung in high schools in the 21st century it's a tragedy. It shows that we still have a lot of work to do as a nation to heal our racial tensions," end quote. So how are his comments being received?
SCHNEIDER: Well, I think Obama is under special pressure here, because he's the only African-American, now, running for president. And he is the first national black political figure who does not come out of the civil rights movement. He claims inspiration from it, of course, but he's too young to have been one of the fathers of the movement the way Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were. And I think that gives him a special position. He is running on his appeal to white voters as well as to African-American voters as a uniter.
Now, the statement you just read about the Jena case, that Obama issued, did evoke powerful racial symbols and memories, but he also called for healing. He doesn't want to be a divider in this case.
WHITFIELD: Now, you explained why we're hearing from Democrats, but now how about Republicans? Any of those who are running for president, have they commented about this case?
SCHNEIDER: Not that I know of, in this case. I'm sure that the Republican candidates are going to be asked about it. And I'm sure that -- I know it will be interesting to hear what they have to say, but I haven't -- I don't know of any case where Republicans have commented at this point.
African-American voters are not an important constituency. There are black Republicans, of course, but they're not nearly as an important constituency as they are in the Democratic Party. You know, I'd compare it to conservatives are really the base constituencies of Republicans. They really pressured Republicans to speak out on the issue of illegal immigration. But conservatives are not crucial in the Democratic primaries, so very few Democrats had a lot to say about illegal immigration.
WHITFIELD: All right. Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider, thanks so much. SCHNEIDER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: And tomorrow night, CNN goes inside the racial tensions in Jena. Tune in for a CNN Special Investigations Unit report: "Judgment in Jena". That's tomorrow night 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.
LEMON: We're following that story. We're also following this one, live from Las Vegas. O.J. Simpson could be seen at any moment exiting jail. He got bail this morning, $125,000. Live pictures there. Got it all for you right here on CNN. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Just one day after the Feds lowered interest rates for the first in years, the Dow is up 51, almost 52 points. Continuing a rally there. Our Susan Lisovicz is standing by at the New York Stock Exchange. She will update us, give us a full report coming up here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: All right and straight ahead, more on what's taking police in Las Vegas, right outside that judicial center and the jail. You're looking at live pictures right now. So many people, including, of course, law enforcement, and of course, a whole lot of onlookers just waiting to see to glimpse of O.J. Simpson emerge. He will be exiting and accompanying his attorneys on his return back to Miami, after being able to posted $125,000. After the weekend, a judge imposed no bail. Now he's facing, what? Eleven charges?
LEMON: Eleven charges.
WHITFIELD: Ten of which are felonies. And he'll be back in court probably by next year, says his attorney.
LEMON: Standing by with a look at Hollywood and everything going on in showbiz, hi, A.J.
A.J. HAMMER, CNN ANCHOR, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Hello there, guys.
An L.A. judge is telling Britney Spears, sober up. I will have the whole story coming up next in the NEWSROOM
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Live pictures right now of Las Vegas. Quite the scene right there as people await the exiting of O.J. Simpson after posting bond of $125,000; facing 11 federal charges -- or I should say -- I'm sorry, felony charges. And quite the crowd out there as they await his exit. He'll be joining his attorneys and heading back home to Florida. We'll be watching.
LEMON: Live TV. We got what you need. We know what you want.
It's one thing when tabloids say that a star has a drug problem. It's another when a judge says it. Well, a court has ruled that Britney Spears needs to stop drinking and get her act together. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's A.J. Hammer fills us in.
A judge, huh?
HAMMER: Yes, this is no good. I'm thinking if you're Britney Spears and a judge says that to you, it's no good.
LEMON: Listen up.
HAMMER: The judge called Britney a habitual user of alcohol and drugs, Don. Ordered her to submit to random drug testing. Now Spears was in court because she and her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, are fighting over the custody of their two sons. During their divorce, the couple agreed to split custody of the kids evenly, but Federline had a little change of tune. He went to the court to be given primary custody of the children.
There was a closed hearing on the dispute on Monday, and yesterday L.A. Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon made his ruling. This is what he said: Based on the evidence presented, Spears would have to undergo random drug testing twice a week. He also told both parents to avoid using alcohol or other controlled substances in the 12 hours before taking custody of the children. But really, Don, the bottom line at this point is that the judge didn't change the custody agreement, so both parents still have joint custody of the kids right now.
LEMON: OK. Can we just, everyone, for a moment wish one good thought for Britney Spears? You know, as I'm saying, not condoning --
HAMMER: She could use it.
LEMON: She could use a little good thought.
OK, so then we've been hear being him, we've been hearing about her. What happens next between these two? Another high-profile divorce or custody thing. What's the next step in this A.J.?
HAMMER: Well, there's sort of a cooling off period, because the next hearing is not happening in this case until late November. So they have a little down time and in the meantime, the court is going to be reviewing the results from the drug tests Britney Spears will submit to. In addition to all of that, it was ordered that Spears will have to work each week with a parenting coach. Both parents have to go to parenting counseling.
And they're told not to use corporal punishment with either of their sons. The judge also told both of them to refrain from using derogatory remarks about each other during the case. All of this seems pretty fundamental, and what we all should know to take place in the normal course of action, but this is coming from the judge.
Really, Don, a bitter battle. We will see if this ruling does calm things down a bit for the two of them.
LEMON: Shouldn't you go to a parenting coach before you have kids? HAMMER: Yeah.
LEMON: Yeah, OK.
HAMMER: If you think it's going to go the way it's gone for them, I guess. Who am i to say?
LEMON: Just checking.
All right, let's talk about another pair that is battling. They're not married, but they're battling. A little less serious, though. What's going on between Kanye West and -- I hope I say it right, I don't do SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, is it 50 Cent?
HAMMER: You know, I call him 50 Cent. People call him Fitty Cent, he refers to himself as Fitty. I call him 50.
LEMON: We'll just say Fitty, that's easy.
HAMMER: You can say that.
LEMON: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: The two hip-hop stars that you're talking about here -- let's move on from this, because we'll never figure it out.
Each of these guys released new albums last week. Both of them eager, of course, to claim the top spot on the charts. Fifty, or Fitty, whatever you prefer, even said at one point that he would retire if Kanye outsold him. And if he sticks to that, well, he may as well start working on his shuffle board game because Kanye West was the clear winner in this contest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KANYE WEST, RAPPER: Tell me what it takes to be number one. Everybody out there, thank you so very much, you know, for weathering the storm with me through my ups and my downs. We're definitely up right now. I will celebrate and I will pop some champagne for everybody that went out and bought this record. Everyone that listens to it over and over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Kanye with CNN's Lola Ogunnaike, there.
Kanye's album, "Graduation" sold more than 950,000 copies. That's pretty good. And that compares to 50's album, "Curtis". That sold oh, a mere 690,000. But Kanye came out on top. The battle for first has been really a great marketing tool for both of these guys who have made several appearances together, including on the cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine.
Now 50 released a statement saying the two releases made for a great moment in hip-hop history, and it really doesn't look like 50 will be rushing to any retirement village any time soon, because he's setting out on a world tour to promote the new album.
But can you picture the guy in a polyester shirt playing shuffleboard, somewhere, I don't know, down in Florida?
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
LEMON: And you know, that Kanye West, he's so humble, A.J., it's just --
HAMMER: Yeah.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: Yeah, maybe not.
LEMON: What's coming up on the most provocative entertainment show on television tonight?
HAMMER: Now that we're sitting here waiting for O.J. to get out of jail and the bail has been set. We're asking the controversial question tonight, "Is O.J. Simpson the most hated man in America?" Why so many people love to hate O.J. It's a special report tonight not to be missed on TV's most provocative entertainment news show.
We will see you for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on "Headline Prime."
LEMON: A.J., we will be watching, of course. Thank you, sir.
HAMMER: You got it.
WHITFIELD: Let's take a look, one more time, outside that Clark County detention center there in Las Vegas. And so A.J., if you're still listening, it's kind of a love/hate relationship because there's a lot of folks out there who love O.J. Simpson, and a lot of those who want to see his downfall as they await his exit from that detention center, after posting bail of $125,000.
We will continue to watch it in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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