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Rapper T.I. Facing Weapons Charges; Senator Larry Craig Appeals Sex Sting Case Ruling

Aired October 15, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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


DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: T.I., he's a hip-hop phenom who calls himself king of the South. Today, the king's court is a federal court here in Atlanta, where prosecutors are standing by with gun charges.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is the final hour of trading on Wall Street, and for most traders, the closing bell can't come soon enough. Look at this. Record-high oil help grease the slide for stocks. And our Susan Lisovicz is watching.

Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, in today for Kyra Phillips at the CNN Center here in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Let's take you straight now to CNN's T.J. Holmes, with the latest on a crash in New Jersey.

What do you have, T.J.?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're keeping an eye on this, concern by local officials there that the two drivers of two tractor trailers that collided on I-78 in Springfield, New Jersey, maybe possibly could not have survived this crash.

This is the aftermath of it coming to us from Springfield, New Jersey, these pictures courtesy of our affiliate WABC. But you can't make out much of the mangled mess there, but we understand that two tractor trailers collided and essentially exploded in a fireball, and that we have now seen that the eastbound lanes of Interstate 78 there in Springfield have been closed.

Some local officials who are there on the scene are saying that this is such a devastating crash and such a mess, and it was such a huge fireball, that they don't believe the drivers could have survived. And at this point we're waiting on word to see if in fact anyone could have survived that crash.

But the pictures there, you can't even make out much of it because there's so much smoke and just such a mangled mess. But two tractor trailers collided. Not exactly sure why. Don't know as well, Betty, what those two tractor trailers were possibly carrying, but it resulted in a huge fireball. So, waiting on word possibly if the drivers could have survived that thing.

NGUYEN: Well, you are also following another story out of Massachusetts. Tell us what happened in this car crash. HOLMES: Yes, this is a car crash.

And if you look at this picture, you can't tell there's a car involved, because it's tucked into that building. That is a hospital there in Brockton -- Brockton, Massachusetts. That's Brockton General Hospital there, where the vehicle went straight into the hospital. It went straight into the entrance, if you will. You can only make out the tail of the car, right there as you can see, but the result of this was that in fact there were five injuries, four hospital employees and the driver.

Don't know the extent of those injuries, but those folks are being checked out and being treated now. This is the radiation therapy unit of this particular hospital. No patients affected, no equipment affected is the word we are getting from the hospital officials, but it's strange enough. It seems that that vehicle was right on target, if you will, if it was trying to enter the hospital.

It went right in through that narrow area, which is that entrance to the particular wing of the hospital, but went straight into that entrance, a waiting area, but again no radiation equipment affected, no patients affected, but four employees and also the one person who was driving was injured. Don't know the extent, but we will keep an eye on it, try to figure out exactly what happened there -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, which makes you wonder though to get in through that little narrow corridor, you had to be right on target with that.

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: You had to be right on, not a wide opening there, just wide enough for a vehicle to fit, if you will, Betty.

NGUYEN: Exactly.

HOLMES: So, we will see what was happening there.

NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, T.J.

HOLMES: All right.

LEMON: Idaho Senator Larry Craig is still not backing down. Today, he's appealing a Minnesota judge's refusal to let him withdraw his guilty plea to misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash joins us now from Capitol Hill with more on that.

Hi, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Don.

Well, Senator Larry Craig is trying to clear his name legally, but also in the court of public opinion this week. First of all, on what you mentioned, the legal front, just a short while ago, Senator Craig's defense team, they filed a motion to appeal the ruling that a judge in a Minnesota courtroom issued just about 10 days ago, making it very clear that he did not think that Larry Craig really should be able to withdraw that guilty plea.

He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a men's room in Minneapolis. It was a pretty clear denial that the judge issued. The ruling was pretty lengthy and shot down one by one the arguments that Senator Craig's lawyers made in order to try to withdraw that guilty plea. Senator Craig himself in an interview is even admitting that it's going to be pretty hard to do this to appeal this ruling by the judge, but nevertheless, Senator Craig is going to try.

Then, in terms of the court of public opinion, Don, Senator Craig is conducting, has already conducted a pair of interviews that are going to air tomorrow night. And this is something that Senator Craig is clearly trying to do to clear his name, to clear his reputation.

As you well know, as everybody knows, Senator Craig has become the butt of late-night jokes, and people know far too much perhaps about the details of what may or may not have happened in that Minneapolis men's room. So Senator Craig is going to try to appear perhaps more sympathetic. He's going to go out with his wife and do interviews in an attempt to clear his reputation, which he admits has been damaged -- Don.

LEMON: OK. Well, then how are his colleagues who wanted him to go out, to leave, responding?

BASH: Well, it's interesting.

Right after this whole scandal broke at the end of August, it was pretty remarkable how aggressive his Republican leadership, colleagues were in trying to get Senator Craig to resign.

But now that it is clear that Senator Craig made perfectly clear in a statement about 10 days ago that he is going to stay in the Senate, really ended the desire, or actually any expectation for his colleagues for him to leave, it appears in talking to some Republican leadership aides now, Don, that they understand that it is virtually impossible for them to do anything more technically and procedurally to get Senator Craig to leave.

And in terms of just the politics of it, the more they push, even if they try to exercise some options, because there are some options that they can do to further embarrass or strip Senator Craig of some of his role here, that that would just keep the story going and make it harder for them to make the story go away.

But I can tell you we were doing some of the math on what this appeal in the Minnesota courtroom, in the Minnesota courts would do, Don, and it would be a minimum six to seven months and a maximum maybe like 11 months in order to get through this process.

LEMON: Wow. Yes.

BASH: So that in and of itself keeps the story alive, which is not going to make his Republican colleagues happy at all.

LEMON: Yes, it could take a while. Thank you, Dana Bash.

NGUYEN: Well, it's a serious crime with some potentially serious jail time. Grammy-winning rapper T.I. is in a federal courtroom this hour right here in Atlanta.

ATF agents busted him this weekend in a sting operation. Now, he's accused of buying illegal machine guns and silencers. With a felony conviction on drug charges in his past, T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, can't own a gun.

Our Catherine Callaway is following the proceedings right now. She's in the courtroom and she will be with us just as soon as that hearing is over.

LEMON: And one of men charged in the O.J. Simpson robbery has agreed to testify against the former NFL star as part of a plea deal.

Today, Charles Cashmore told a judge in Las Vegas he will plead guilty to an accessory to robbery charge. He reportedly will testify that guns were used in the theft of sports memorabilia from two collectors last month in a Vegas motel room. Now, Simpson says the memorabilia belonged to him and no guns were used.

NGUYEN: We're following new leads in the global search for a child predator whose face was first shown to us last week.

Interpol says it has identified this man right here allegedly seen on the Internet molesting young Asian boys. Now, the man's face was disguised in a digital whirl, which you saw just a few seconds ago, but police were able to unwhirl it using secret techniques. And they now think that he's an English teacher who once worked in South Korea and is now in Thailand.

Police haven't released his name, but they have put out more pictures of him. We don't know when or where these shots were taken. And in this one, the suspect appears to have less hair than in earlier pictures. Police are hoping the photos will help them make an arrest.

LEMON: Los Angeles County, a chain-reaction crash turns a highway tunnel into a blast furnace. Now police need your help to investigate. The Friday night crash inside the Interstate 5 truck tunnel involved 30 trucks and a passenger vehicle and killed two adults and a child.

Most of I-5 is now open, but the tunnel where temperatures reached 1,400 degrees, well, it is shut.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG FAILING, CALTRANS DIRECTOR/ENGINEER: There was a very high heat, as you have heard reported. There is quite a bit of damage, particularly at the northerly portal, sufficient to where it may well have changed the chemical and strength properties of the concrete and the steel that is supporting the tunnel walls. So, we need to get that analysis back to make sure to know what we have. That's integral to the part of our design on how we're going to reopen the highway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We have a phone number for you.

The California Highway Patrol says if you witnessed the crash or have any information, they want you to call this number. It's on your screen there. Take a look: 661-294-5540.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

LEMON: What would happen if a dirty bomb went off on U.S. soil? We're about to find out, well, in theory. It's the biggest national terror drill ever staged, and it kicks off this week. More details for you straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Atlanta's notorious courthouse shooting case, could the defendant's trial be over before it begins? An expert's view of the case and the complications, that's ahead in NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It is 3:14 eastern.

Three of the stories we're working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Police say they know who he is. Interpol says it has identified this man, allegedly seen on the Internet molesting young boys. Now, they think he is in Thailand and that he once worked as an English teacher. Police haven't released his name yet, though.

California police now asking witnesses to call them about this deadly inferno. It happened Friday in a highway truck tunnel that was near L.A. Police are trying to figure out why 30 trucks and a passenger vehicle got into a chain-reaction pileup, sparking the flames. Two adults and a baby are dead.

Rapper T.I. appearing in federal court this hour. The Grammy winner is facing weapons charges after an ATF sting. Agents claim T.I. tried to buy machine guns and silencers, which he's not allowed to own, because he is a convicted felon.

NGUYEN: Radioactive bombs going off on U.S. soil, don't worry, it's just a test, but a big one. TOPOFF 4 ticks off this week in Portland, Oregon, Phoenix, Arizona, even Guam. And, in terms of people involved, it is being called the biggest terror drill ever staged nationally.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve is in the heart of it in Portland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Today, they're empty, but tomorrow these tents behind me will be full of people gravely injured in the explosion of a dirty bomb. It's not real, of course, but part of the TOPOFF 4 exercise, which will involve dirty bomb explosions not just here, but in Phoenix, Arizona, and in Guam. Officials in Washington, D.C., will also be playing, a total of 15,000 people involved in this exercise.

The idea is to stress and test the nation's prevention preparedness, response and recovery capabilities in preparation for any terrorist event or a natural disaster. The total price tag for all of this is $25 million, but the secretary of homeland security says it's worth it.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: You know, preparation, planning and training will all get tested in the exercise. If you don't exercise, if you're a football team and you never actually play a scrimmage game, you are never going to know what's working and what's not working.

So, I would make the argument that exercises are actually the best value, because they tell us what we have got that's working correctly to what we have got to fix.

MESERVE: But there are critics who question whether the lessons learned in these exercises are disseminated to the local and state officials who will in fact be the first-responders if an emergency occurs.

They point out that the after-action report from TOPOFF 3, which happened two years ago, still has not been publicly released. Federal officials say that's because it contains sensitive information, information that, if it were in the hands of people who wanted to do us harm, could be very dangerous indeed. They say the lessons are incorporated into federal planning for future disasters.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Portland, Oregon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: The defendant in Atlanta's notorious courthouse shooting case, could his trial be over before it begins? An expert's view of the case and the complications -- straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

LEMON: Three more Americans have just won Nobel Prizes. The Nobel for economics goes to Eric Maskin, Roger Myerson, and Leonid Hurwicz, who, at 90, is the oldest Nobel winner ever. Hurwicz is a professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota.

The three were honored for a mechanism design theory which can help determine, among other things, when markets are working effectively. So, it goes with what we just did.

NGUYEN: Yes. Congratulations to them. But this just in to CNN. Listen up. A second Coon-defendant in the O.J. Simpson armed robbery case has told a judge that he will plead guilty to a reduced charge and testify against Simpson and four others in the alleged hotel room theft of sports collectibles.

You saw his picture right there. He's 46-year-old Walter Alexander of Mesa, Arizona. And he told a judge that he will plead guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, and he could face between one and six years in prison.

Now, earlier today, Charles Cashmore, who is 40 years old, of Las Vegas, also told a judge that he will plead guilty to a felony and testify for the prosecution, meaning that he will testify against O.J. Simpson.

So, the news today, two people in that case will plead guilty and testify against O.J. Simpson. Of course, we will continue to follow the developments in this case and bring you the latest.

LEMON: A rapper in trouble with the law. Is his life imitating his art, or is hip-hop getting a bad rap? We go old school straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips today. We are live at the CNN world headquarters right here in Atlanta.

LEMON: That's right. I'm Don Lemon.

He's accused of killing four people during a 2005 shooting spree that terrorized Atlanta, but will testimony begin anytime soon in the Brian Nichols trial?

NGUYEN: Even the judge has his doubts. We are going to ask Atlanta attorney B.J. Bernstein to explain the problems with this case.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: And we begin with some developing news. It regards Senator Larry Craig.

We told you in the beginning of this newscast at 1:00 Eastern that the Idaho senator had appealed the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday in his ongoing attempt to withdraw his guilty plea in connection with that arrest in an airport bathroom sting.

Well, we now have word from Senator Craig. It's from his attorney, Billy Martin.

And here is what it says. He says: "From the outset, Senator Craig has maintained that he is innocent of any illegal conduct at the Minneapolis Airport. Senator Craig has the right to appeal and we believe that it was a manifest injustice not to allow Senator Craig to withdraw his guilty plea entered in August. Like every other citizen, Senator Craig has a constitutional right to make every effort to clear his name. Senator Craig is hopeful that the court of appeals, after reviewing our arguments, will reverse or vacate Judge Porter's decision denying his motion."

Again, that is from Senator Craig's attorney, Billy Martin. Just moments ago, CNN received that. So the senator will appeal that and his attorney is responding on behalf of him. We will continue to follow that.

NGUYEN: Let's get you straight to the newsroom now and CNN's T.J. Holmes, who's been working a developing story.

What do you have -- T.J. ?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, where do you want to start here, Betty?

Let's start in New Jersey, I guess, with this tractor trailer crash that we've been watching on Interstate 78. This around the Springfield Union Township border, we're told, where two tractor trailers collided. And now local officials are telling our affiliates there -- several of the affiliates -- that, in fact, the two drivers of those two tractor trailers did not survive this crash. So two drivers dead, according to local officials, who are telling the affiliate there that, in fact the two divers did perish in this crash.

We're not sure exactly what happened with this crash and what exactly caused it, but two tractor trailers collided and exploded, is how it's being described -- a huge explosion there. You can see this debris kind of spread all over the -- all over the roadway there. And you can't make out much of that -- of the two tractor trailers. It was such a heavy impact and such a huge explosion, it appears.

But they were carrying -- one truck was carrying gravel, the other carrying pipe, according to local affiliates. But, still, it resulted in a huge explosion. Highway 78 -- 78 around Springfield and Union Township -- is now closed indefinitely. No idea when they could open back up. They could possibly open up a lane or two to allow traffic through. But, of course, here we are coming up a half an hour, or at least an hour or so from the -- from the rush hour. So it's certainly going to cause some headaches there.

But the news is they certainly thought -- as an official was saying earlier, Betty, that they didn't think, looking at the impact, looking at the damage, looking at the aftermath of this crash, that these drivers could have survived. And now confirmation at least has been given to the affiliates there that, in fact, the two drivers did perish in that crash -- Betty.

NGUYEN: That's so unfortunate.

And another story that you've been following, there's no explosion. But, man, the question is what exactly happened here?

HOLMES: Yes, what did happen? A strange picture to see when we tell you that a vehicle in Massachusetts at this hospital crashed into the hospital. That's the crash scene, but you can't see exactly the crash scene because the car went almost perfectly right into that opening -- that entrance of the hospital. You have -- it seems like you had to have been aiming for it, but with no suggestion that this was intentional at all. But the A.P. now reporting that the driver of this vehicle was a 70-year-old woman. We do know, to hospital officials here at Brockton general hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts, that, in fact, four employees were injured. We don't know the extent of those injuries. We also don't know the extent of the injuries to the 70-year-old. Again, that's being reported by the A.P. that that driver was 70-years-old. But this in the radiation therapy unit of the hospital. We're told no patients were injured. No equipment was damaged. The car didn't get that far in, but it got far enough to do some damage and to cause some injuries. So we're quite curious to know what was going on there.

It could have been just an honest mistake and an accident. We've seen this several times. We don't want to put it off on this 70-year- old just yet, but we see, oftentimes, older driver who will have some issues every now and then and have some mistakes like this. But hopefully that was just the case and the injuries are not too bad here.

NGUYEN: Yes. Sometimes you step on the wrong pedal.

HOLMES: Yes.

NGUYEN: Oh my goodness.

OK, T.J. , thank you.

HOLMES: All right.

LEMON: Two-and-a-half years and counting -- jury selection finally begins in the Brian Nichols trial. But people are wondering whether anything will happen after that.

What is the holdup?

Well, money for Nichols' attorney. The Atlanta man accused of gunning down a judge, a court reporter and, sadly, a sheriff's deputy in the county courthouse, and a federal agent while he was on the loose.

Joining us now with her perspective, someone who is very familiar to us here and very insightful, B.J. Bernstein. She's a former prosecutor and now the vice president of Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

I didn't know that. Congratulations.

I have to say I have never really -- and I've been doing this a long time -- heard of something like this.

Is this common for this to happen -- they run out of money, so they can't have a trial?

B.J. BERNSTEIN, ATTORNEY: It's not common and it is extreme. And part of it is based on a changeover in the way Georgia funds its public defenders. It used to be a county by county basis and now it's done through a statewide system.

And add to that the uniqueness of this case, of how many people were killed, that it was a judge involved, that they had to get lawyers from outside the State of Georgia...

LEMON: Oh, man.

BERNSTEIN: ...because we all practice law there and know the people, so we can't be involved. And you talk dollars.

LEMON: Yes. And you mentioned the judge. Let's start -- let's talk about the judge and listen to something that he said in the proceedings, and I believe it was today.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE HILTON FULLER, FULTON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT: I hope those decisions are not final. If that is to be the final decision and there are no other funds available, then I don't know how this case is going to be tried, ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: B.J.?

BERNSTEIN: I know. We're watching a showdown like we've never seen before here between the judiciary and the legislature.

LEMON: OK. So his trial will cost like $1.8 million, they're saying, or so far they've paid out -- I think they're -- I think the thing that they paid out -- let me make sure I get this right -- $1.8 million spent on Nichols' defense. And the fund is tapped out. That's according to the Public Defense Fund.

How can anyone -- if he even made like $70,000 or $100,000 or more, he still couldn't afford it, because he's indigent. That's why he has a court-appointed attorney and we're going through this.

BERNSTEIN: Right. And even if you were moderately wealthy person, that person couldn't afford that much for a defense. And that's where the criticism comes in. On the one hand, the prosecutors are saying, listen, nobody gets that munch money to defend themselves, you don't need that much.

LEMON: Right.

BERNSTEIN: The defense attorneys are saying, but wait a minute. The state has got five lawyers on this thing. They're spending over a million dollars. Then why can't we, in defending it, do the same?

LEMON: OK. Well, just a question that I would have -- and there are several -- does this lead to something that's bigger?

Is there is a deeper rooted problem here that we're going to start seeing occur more often and this is just the tip of the iceberg?

BERNSTEIN: Well, yes, absolutely. And it goes on to a number of points.

Again, how much money is appropriate and what are the levels...

LEMON: OK.

BERNSTEIN: ...when you're talking the death of someone?

And part of the problem here in Atlanta, at least the general public is like, wait a minute, this played out in front of all of us. It was on CNN that day and I'll never forget that day.

LEMON: Right.

BERNSTEIN: I remember hearing in my office -- I was on my way to that courthouse and then I get a call from a colleague saying they're in lockdown and a judge has been killed. And then we find out more people are killed and that he's running loose in Atlanta.

LEMON: Right.

BERNSTEIN: So everybody is like, well, he's guilty, of course.

So what's the big deal for a trial?

And the big deal now is they're saying, you know, no matter what, the state has to prove their case -- each and every point. And the defense has to meet it.

LEMON: And here's the big question -- so if can't go to trial, does this mean this guy is set free?

It doesn't mean that.

BERNSTEIN: I don't think we're there yet. What will happen now is the judge says he's going to pick a jury now and then he's going to revisit this issue in January. I can tell you, I really doubt there's more money showing up in January.

LEMON: Oh my goodness.

BERNSTEIN: And then this case will probably go up to the Georgia Supreme Court. And then we're going to hear from them whether enough has been spent or whether the county or somebody -- or the state -- has to cough up more money.

LEMON: OK. And we have to go, because you know from doing this, we're running out of time. So we need to really work on the criminal justice system and what it's costing for trials and that sort of thing.

BERNSTEIN: Right, but on both sides.

LEMON: Yes.

BERNSTEIN: This is the thing, you know, when you're talking death and the ultimate penalty, then you should have good representation. You shouldn't be able to take anyone's life. We've learned from the, you know, DNA testing that we condemned people to death sometimes because we didn't spend enough money.

LEMON: Yes. Right.

BERNSTEIN: So it's a catch-22.

LEMON: B.J., thank you.

A pleasure, as always.

BERNSTEIN: Thanks, Don.

NGUYEN: Well, rapper T.I. just made his first court appearance this hour and it turned into a bit of a circus.

Our Catherine Callaway was in the courtroom and she's going to join us with all of those details in just a moment.

The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you.

You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: He won two trophies at the BET Hip Hop Awards this weekend. But right now, handcuffs and lawyers are rapper T.I.'s chief concern.

Our Catherine Callaway is at the courthouse, where a load of drama occurred today -- Catherine, how did it go down?

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty you know, all the drama took place before the hearing ever began.

As you said, Clifford Harris made his initial court appearance in federal court today in the building behind me, where the judge, Alan Baverman, read his charges, asked him if he had legal representation and then set his bond hearing for this Friday.

But the big drama took place before the hearing ever began. It's a very small courtroom. A lot of people showed up, an enormous amount of people saying they were family members wanting to get into the courtroom. And they were actually throwing media, they were throwing family members, a lot of people, not only out of the courtroom, but out of the building, because they said that it was -- it was impossible for the hearing to take place. Even his own mother -- Clifford Harris' own mother left the courtroom.

As you know, Clifford Harris was arrested this weekend, Saturday afternoon, just hours before he was set to perform at the BET Hip Hop Awards. We mentioned he won two awards. He was nominated for the most categories. And nine nominations for him. He's also known as an actor. He starred in the movie "ATL."

What he's accused of doing by the ATF officials is buying three machine guns and two silencers through his bodyguard. He allegedly gave his bodyguard $12,000 to buy these weapons -- unregistered weapons.

Betty, Clifford Harris is -- has been convicted of a previous felony charge, so he obviously is not supposed to be owning any type of weapons, which is why he's facing the charges he's facing now.

Again, a bond hearing has been set for this Friday.

NGUYEN: So that means that he will remain jail until Friday?

CALLAWAY: Yes, he will. Absolutely.

NGUYEN: All right.

CALLAWAY: And, but things were a little bit calmer once they were able to get everyone out of the courtroom. But there were a lot of unhappy people here at the federal building.

NGUYEN: All right, we'll be staying tuned. I wonder how it's going to turn out on Friday. I'm sure there is more to come.

Catherine Callaway, thanks so much for your time today.

Well, some of the biggest names in rap were honored at BET's Hip Hop Awards this weekend. Several rappers like T.I. have had trouble with the law. He was arrested just hours before he was due to perform on that show and where he actually won two awards.

Critics say rap's hard-bitten image fuels violence and denigrates women.

Well, we asked folks before the show about the industry's image and what can be done about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNICE KING, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I have a passion and a love for young people and the youth culture. And the hip hop is obviously very influential and very important to youth culture. And I'm here, really, to celebrate my brothers and sisters, to connect with them. And I mean a lot of people have given hip hop a bad rap and there are some things in hip hop that we do need to talk about and evolve in.

But the reality is these are brothers and sisters that we've got to connect with.

MELLY MEL, RAPPER: When guys go around shooting, they're not representing hip hop. They're just representing gangster rap. So it's kind of like, you know, they're putting the blame not really where it belongs, because it's actually -- it's two different things, like country music and bluegrass is two different styles of music, actually.

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, AUTHOR, "KNOW WHAT I MEAN?": Well, I think it's quite interesting that Congress exercises its right to at least examine hip hop for sexism, homophobia and misogyny, where it would be good if they started at home. But, nonetheless, it is sparking an interest in debate. I'm never for censorship and they have said that they're not for censorship. I'm always for freedom and autonomy, but I'm also for social responsibility and for artistic engagement with serious issues that they need to be challenged on.

So I think we can bring a challenge to the artists and, at the same time, respect their right to be able to say what they have to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And on an interesting note, Michael Eric Dyson added that gangster culture is not limited to rap music, that it's part of American mythology, as evidenced in John Wayne movies.

LEMON: Well, trouble on a new front for Iraq. Tension flares between Kurdish rebels and Turkish forces and the U.S. pleads for calm.

Our Nic Robertson has the latest straight ahead, right here in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Trouble on a new front in Iraq, as Turkey lobs artillery shells on Kurdish villages right cross the border. Turkey says it's retaliating for Kurdish attacks that have killed 30 soldiers and civilians since late last month. But with 60,000 Kurdish troops on the border, its Kurdish villagers who are feeling the heat.

CNN's Nic Robertson has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the border with Turkey over there. The river marks the boundary. It's about 500 meters, maybe half a mile away. Up there on the mountainside, you can see a Turkish border post. And as we came into the village down here, we were shown by Iraqi military officers two craters in the road. And they say that these craters were made by Turkish artillery being fired in here.

And we've been talking to some of the villagers here and they tell us that this village has had Turkish artillery fire for almost every day in the past month. They say that it has been so bad, that it forced many of the women and children to leave here. There's only one child left in this village -- a village of 25 families, about 150 people here. Many of the them now, the younger ones and the women have been forced to leave, they say because the shelling has been so bad -- it hasn't actually hit inside the village, but it has been so bad, it has broken windows in the houses and scared the families.

But the real concern for the men here in this village is that this artillery, the shells are falling into their orchards, and, they say, making it almost too dangerous for them to go and work -- go and collect their crops. And that, they say, may mean that this whole village will have to evacuate and leave and move away. And that's the real concern of the Kurdish officials we have been talking to here. They say potentially 30,000 villagers living in villages like this and others closer to the border -- and close to the border, further to the east of here, could be forced out. And that would create, essentially, a humanitarian disaster for Kurdish officials, they say, because they would then have to cope with that influx of 30,000 families who would need shelter, who would need feeding, who would need social services.

Right now, the very latest we have from Kurdish officials here is that right next to the Turkish border here, they've had no shelling here last night. They say this is the first time that they actually haven't had any shelling. Almost every day for the past month, they've had shelling. Although we're very close to the border here -- half a mile, 500 meters away -- further east, some of the shelling and bombing that Kurdish officials say has been happening -- they say that's been happening as much as 30 kilometers -- about 18, 19 miles or so -- into Iraq south of the Turkish border. So some of that shelling going very deep inside Iraq.

And the real concern for the Kurdish officials is that if this doesn't de-escalate, they could have a humanitarian crisis on their hands.

According to Iraqi military officers here, we asked them what are your orders if Turkish troops cross the border and come into Iraq?

And they told us that they're very concerned about not escalating the situation now. They want tensions to go down. And at the moment, they say they haven't been issued any orders from their higher command, whether they should oppose these Turkish troops or stand back and let them come in if that's what happens.

Nic Robertson, CNN on the Iraqi/Turkish border.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LEMON: The head of Blackwater USA says his guards didn't murder anyone in Iraq and he wants them to be able to clear their names, do their jobs and move on.

Erik Prince is speaking out, as the FBI investigates his private security firm over the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad square last month. Iraqi officials say the Blackwater guards opened fire without provocation. Prince says otherwise. He tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer his guards follows -- followed strict orders. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LATE EDITION")

ERIK PRINCE, FOUNDER, BLACKWATER USA: They were directed and we do -- we put proven professionals that have good judgment, that have exhibited great judgment in their military and law enforcement careers, put them out there to deal with very clear rules of engagement.

Every morning before they go outside the wire, they get a mission brief -- what they're doing, who they're protecting, where they're going; intel -- who to be on the lookout for; and the last thing they go over again and again everyday before they go out is the rules of engagement, that use of force continuum -- when they are allowed to use force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The U.S. and Iraq are said to be negotiating Iraq's demand that Blackwater be expelled from the country within six months and those involved in the shootings be turned over for possible trial.

NGUYEN: Russian President Vladimir Putin is due shortly in Iran, despite reports of a possible plot to assassinate him. At a stopover in Germany, Putin said if he reacted to rumors, he'd never would leave home. Russia's Interfax news agency, though, says suicide terrorists have been training to kill or capture Putin during his Iranian visit.

Iran calls the accusation "baseless."

Putin says direct contact is the only way to deal with Tehran's nuclear program. He is the first Kremlin leader to Iran since Stalin attended a wartime summit there in 1943.

Meanwhile, though, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has some concerns of her own about Putin. She told Russian officials over the weekend that she is concerned about Moscow's increasing arms sales to U.S. adversaries such as Iran, Syria and Venezuela. Rice also raised concerns about Russia's centralization of power, saying the Kremlin has amassed too much power under Putin and may threaten the country's commitment to democracy.

LEMON: And rare live remarks by Cuba's ailing president, Fidel Castro, phoned in Saturday to a television show hosted by his pal, Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. Moments earlier, Chavez had aired a new videotape of his most recent visit with Castro, whom he called "father of all revolutionaries."

Castro has kept out of sight pretty much since July 26th, when he underwent intestinal surgery July 2006, I should say. His brother Raul has been running things in his place.

NGUYEN: Well, the closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street. All of that is straight ahead, so don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Coming up at the top of the hour in "THE SITUATION ROOM," Hillary Clinton woos women. The presidential candidate takes to talk TV to get her message out.

So how much do women endorse her point of view?

We're watching this story.

Also, how to react when a loved one says they're gay or how to tell someone you're gay. Important advice from the former House majority leader, Dick Gephardt, and his daughter Chrissy. She says she was scared at first to tell her family she is a lesbian. Now, father and daughter are trying to help others with this issue. They'll be here in "THE SITUATION ROOM".

And some reportedly want to assassinate him, but the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, says that won't stop him from traveling to Iran, though he is delaying his trip. We're going to tell you for how long and why.

All that and a lot more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Now back to Betty and Don.

NGUYEN: We'll be watching.

Thank you, Wolf.

The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.

LEMON: And that means it's time for Susan Lisovicz.

She's standing by with a final look at the trading day. Look at that smiling face. You're smiling, but a lot of traders and investors are not smiling.

NGUYEN: Eligible or not (ph).

(LAUGHTER)

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's good to talk to you.

I'm really happy we're going to have the closing bell.

LEMON: Yes.

LISOVICZ: But before we go to the closing bell, let's go to Taco Bell, figuratively, of course. Taco Bell has a dilemma on its hands. A lot of Americans consider it Mexican food. Well, it's opening in Mexico. Mexicans don't consider Taco Bell Mexican food.

LEMON: I'm glad you said that.

I'm so glad you said that. LISOVICZ: This is the second time that it's trying to do this. Fifteen years ago, Taco Bell opened and then it closed. So Taco Bell is like -- it's putting up the white flag, saying basically, like, look, folks, we're not pretending to be Mexican food. We're an alternative fast food. And they are serving their tacos with French fries.

LEMON: Oh.

NGUYEN: Are you serious?

LEMON: Susan, I just had a very similar conversation this weekend. We were trying to find like really great, authentic Mexican food and someone like, said, Taco Bell...

NGUYEN: No, they didn't.

LEMON: And we were like come on...

LISOVICZ: Well, you know, it has its place. It has its place.

LEMON: It's good food, but it's not authentic.

NGUYEN: Well, but this is my question?

What do they think is going to make it work this time around?

LISOVICZ: I have no idea.

NGUYEN: The French fries?

LISOVICZ: But a Mexican says it's like bringing ice to the Arctic.

NGUYEN: Exactly.

LISOVICZ: OK, we'll leave it at that.

(LAUGHTER)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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