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Bail Set for O.J. Simpson; Explosion Rocks Christian Suburb of Beirut; Assassination of a Lebanese Politician

Aired September 19, 2007 - 12:00 ET

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

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
YALE GALANTER, SIMPSON'S ATTORNEY: There is nothing unusual about this case. And I'm saying that in terms of any criminal defense firm handles burglaries, robberies, kidnapping charges. So my plan right now is no. That can change.

You know, obviously -- obviously as you all know, my office has handled -- you know, we handle 100 of these cases a month.

QUESTION: Is O.J. scared that he could go to jail forever?

GALANTER: I -- you know, I think he is. I think he appreciates, truly appreciates the sincerity and the serious nature of these charges.

I mean, they're serious. I mean, there -- you know, there is no doubt about that. However, you know, he has confidence in his legal team, and we're going to pursue it as vigorously as we can.

QUESTION: What's he saying (INAUDIBLE)?

GALANTER: OK. OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excellent question.

GALANTER: I'm like the lawyers that really did not represent Mr. Simpson. We're not going to comment on anything that we discussed with our client.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: Extremely important.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: Again, I'm not -- listen, you guys can ask me a lot of questions, but I guarantee you that you will never hear out of my mouth anything I discussed with Mr. Simpson or out of Gabe's mouth.

QUESTION: The prosecutor characterized Mr. Simpson as the leader of this operation (INAUDIBLE). How do you characterize his participation in this?

GALANTER: OK. I am not going to comment on any of the evidence, any of the witness statements, or any characterizations of the evidence of the statements.

The only thing I know is, that what we came here to do this morning we got accomplished. Our goal was to get what is in my opinion a fair, reasonable bond, allow Mr. Simpson to go home and be with his family. That is going to be accomplished, and we thank everybody who facilitated that in happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Touchdown, dude. Touchdown.

GABRIEL GRASSO, SIMPSON'S ATTORNEY: We're going to follow the Nevada -- we're going to follow the Nevada bar. We're going to follow the Nevada bar.

GALANTER: Hold on. Let Gabe speak a second.

GRASSO: We're going to follow the Nevada Bar rules regarding publicity. And we're going to follow, for that matter, the Florida Bar rules, because I'm also licensed in Florida, although I'm on inactive status there. And we're going to follow those rules.

Unlike other attorneys, we're going to follow those rules with respect to what we can say to the media and things like that.

GALANTER: Exactly.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: You know, it's difficult for me to say. I can tell you that where I do the bulk of my practice in Florida, any time anybody is charged with armed robbery, there is no bail as a matter of right, and you have to have a hearing like this. So, I'm used to this sort of thing, and I didn't find anything unusual about it.

QUESTION: Was it fair?

GALANTER: Listen, we are going to be examining, you know, what deals, what promises, what went on behind the scenes. Right now, I can't comment on it, because quite frankly, the only things I've heard about it are what I've heard in the media. And I need to verify it and see exactly what occurred.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: OK. Well, there are a couple things you need to know.

One is the next hearing is sometime during the week of October 22nd. The judge's office will contact us.

I am starting another case in Washington on October 1st. It's going to tie me up for two or three months. And everybody's aware of that.

So, you know, obviously I'll come back for this hearing. But I don't expect a trial or motions to suppress or any real challenge of evidence to be taking place until sometime next year.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: You know, we can't comment on that at this point. We're certainly, again, discussing it with Mr. Rogers (ph). And we're going to try and work it out for the convenience of everybody.

QUESTION: Yale, if there is a grand jury, what...

GALANTER: Wait a second. I'm sorry.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there is a grand jury (INAUDIBLE) the grand jury?

GALANTER: No.

QUESTION: How is his family coping?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: That's what criminal defense lawyers do. We plead not guilty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

GALANTER: And to answer Brian's question, as you saw, Arnelle, Christie (ph), O.J.'s sister, Shirley, his brother-in-law, Benny (ph), were all in the courtroom. They were all here to show support and they were all extremely concerned and extremely relieved that the judge accepted our stipulation and granted O.J. bail.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: Actually, Gabe can speak to that, because I'm not -- I'm not real sure as to the process.

GRASSO: Well, my understanding was that when the original -- before -- before O.J. was arrested, there was an arrest warrant signed through Department 9 of the justice court, and what ended up happening is, that went through the system on a lower case number. That was the original case number.

Later on, when they filed the actual -- when the police came through with the police report after the arrest and filed the actual charges in the jail, that generated another newer case number. So, when everything sort of consolidated together, the rule in this courthouse and in courthouses generally is that the lower case number takes precedent.

That's why Judge Zimmerman (ph) was assigned the higher case number. Judge Bonaventure was assigned the lower case number. And that's why it was consolidated into the lower case number and sent to Judge Bonaventure's courtroom.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GRASSO: No, no at all. There was -- I can tell you that there was absolutely no -- not even an inkling of any kind of issue with respect to whether it was Judge Zimmerman (ph) or Judge Bonaventure. They are both very qualified judges.

I've known them a long time. I practice in front of them on a daily basis.

I knew Joe Bonaventure. I know his father, Judge Bonaventure, who is a senior judge. And I actually practiced with Joe when he was a deputy D.A. and I had cases against him.

So, there was no issue there. These are both qualified individuals, and we're happy to have Judge Bonaventure or Judge Zimmerman (ph) on this case.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: No.

GRASSO: No. Not at all. Not at all.

QUESTION: ... be handled by these judges, it will ultimately be handled by the trial judge. Are you utterly satisfied with...

GRASSO: Well, what will happen is -- what will happen is, the procedure here is we're either going to have a preliminary hearing or we're going to have it go to the grand jury. Either way, if -- we're going to obviously challenge the evidence at the preliminary hearing.

It may or may not be what's called bound over. If the judge decides that a case has been proven by slight or marginal evidence, which is the legal standard in Nevada for a preliminary hearing, if the judge decides that, then he will bind the case over to district court.

I'm not sure right now. No one knows which district court judge it's going to go to. If it goes to grand jury, that will bypass the preliminary hearing process and then the case will directly go to the district court judge. So eventually Judge Bonaventure is not going to be trying this case. He's a justice court judge. There will be a district court judge trying this case.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: Don't comment on that.

OK, all right. All right, listen, first of all, you're getting way ahead of yourselves. And we are not going to make any comments or respond to any questions like that. At all.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: I'm not going to comment on any of Mr. Riccio's claims at this point in time. QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: Listen, you know -- you know, listen, here's my comment in relation to that. I mean, I love watching you guys at night. I really do. And I'm amazed -- I am amazed -- I am amazed at some of the stuff that you come up with.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

GALANTER: The problem is that we've got to deal with it in a courtroom and not in the media.

You know, one of the analysts the other night said, "How come Galanter is not out here defending his client and fighting for his client?" And I thought to my self, you know, that's not what I do for a living.

What I do for a living and what Gabe does for a living occurs inside this building. I mean, this is to notify you and answer your questions and, you know, make sure the public's informed. But you don't fight for your client in front of a television camera. You fight for your client in front of a judge and a jury. And that's what we're going to do.

I cannot go through it with you in terms of the media. Now, at some -- just to follow up, at some point in time, Gabe and I will be filing the appropriate motions and making the appropriate challenges. And when we do that in court, it will be our pleasure to discuss it with the media. But I can't do it now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the way it works, dude.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: We're not -- we're not going to discuss that.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: OK. It's a good question.

I am always concerned that any client I represent follows a judge's order scrupulously. And not only the letter of the order, but the intent of the order.

Now, you know, what happens is I have other clients. Gabe has other clients. I have other places to be. So I can't be with any of my clients 24 hours a day.

I can assure you that we will do everything in our power as officers of the court to ensure that Judge Bonaventure's order not only is lived up to the letter of the order, but the spirit of the order.

QUESTION: Do you believe Mr. Riccio set this whole thing up?

GALANTER: I'm not going to comment on what I think. QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: OK, all right. I am not going to announce the flight number and the time we're arriving. Although -- although you guys will probably find out.

I will tell you, and I have told all the appropriate authorities, my intention is to have him leave Las Vegas as soon as possible. Now, how that is facilitated depends on how quickly I get out of this news conference. We're going -- we're going to try and get him home today.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: Pardon me?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: That's hard on anybody. I don't know how many of you have ever been in one of these cells, but, you know, we do it for a living. And I know I'm going home that night. It is not nice.

Anyway, anything else? And then we have to go.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: OK. You know, there are a couple of issues. The first issue that you're asking about is fairness.

As I told you, I am a true believer in the criminal justice system. I really am. You know, I was trained, Gabe was trained. We were both trained in the same place.

I mean, this is what we do for a living. We really are true believers. And I know it sounds corny, but I believe that if you identify the proper issues, you can get a fair jury. That's the first issue.

The second issue is we understand who our client is. We know what public perception is. We know what you guys think.

I mean, you know, we don't live in holes. So, you know, we get it.

Now, of course, the -- the issue is -- the issue is, how do you deal with it? But that's a question that we'll deal with later down the road.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: Not as long as I'm representing him.

QUESTION: Do you believe the district attorney overcharged this case?

GALANTER: I'm not going to comment on that. And, again -- again, I have had contact with Mr. Rogers (ph) over the past few days. I truly -- and I'm not just saying this. I mean, I truly believe that he has been nothing but professional, courteous, ethical.

I mean, I'm an out-of-towner. He's just been beyond gracious with me. And I appreciate that. And you all need to know it.

I mean, you know, you assume things that aren't accurate. And I understand you guys don't know a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes. And obviously we couldn't discuss with you what was going on behind the scenes. But I've got to tell you, they were beyond gracious to us.

GRASSO: And I can tell you that practicing here -- practicing here on a regular basis, on a daily basis, that Mr. Rogers (ph), I've known him for a while also.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Rogers (ph).

GRASSO: And, you know, with -- we may have our run-ins on the future on this case, and there's no -- there's no doubt that he'll do his job and we'll do our job, but that's just his personality. It's not because it's the O.J. case that he's being nice to us.

I've dealt with him on other cases, I deal with his staff on other cases. And that's just the way this office works.

GALANTER: Yes, I mean, listen, there is a time and place for doing battle in most cases. And again, you know, my goal is to have O.J. treated like every other client in my firm and Gabe's firm. That's the goal. I'm telling you that -- go ahead.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: Well, I'm confident that if there is no court resolution prior to trial that it could ultimately go to trial. But your question's a complicated one, because there are a lot of ways to get a case out before.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GALANTER: I've already asked and answered that.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GRASSO: Right. And whatever...

GALANTER: Yes. I mean, it's...

GRASSO: If he's out, I'm here.

GALANTER: Anyway, anything else?

GRASSO: We do these robbery cases all the time.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GRASSO: I've been licensed in Nevada for seven years. Ever since I came here from Florida. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to answer your questions, but I can't -- I can't...

OK. Hold on.

I'm going to answer some questions in the back if that's OK.

Ma'am?

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) fair representation, a fair trial.

GRASSO: Well, he's going to get fair representation.

GALANTER: I can assure you that as long as Gabe and I are representing him, it's going to be fair.

QUESTION: OK. OK.

GALANTER: Anything else? Did you have a question? OK.

All right. Thank you, everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Joe Pesci. No more questions.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. There you have it. You've been listening to -- pardon the sideshow there -- Yale Galanter.

Just a little recap here on some of what we've learned today in the hearing this morning.

Bond set at $125,000. We understand that that bond is being posted right now and that O.J. Simpson should be free, released from that facility in the next six to eight hours. It is Yale Galanter's hope to have him back on his way to Miami later today, but probably more reasonably in the next couple of days.

The arraignment on the charges for O.J. Simpson set for October 20th, and the plan at that time is to plead not guilty to the 11 charges against Simpson. And then we heard Yale Galanter say that this case may not actually go to trial until sometime next year.

Certainly more to come on this story throughout the day. CNN NEWSROOM continues in less than, oh, about 45 minutes from now right here.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: YOUR WORLD TODAY and our international team following breaking news. A deadly explosion to tell you about in Beirut.

Let's join them now in progress.

We'll see you tomorrow, everybody.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SR. ARAB AFFAIRS EDITOR: So, to go back to the elections, you know, it was very important that the majority remains the majority if this majority wanted to have a pull and decide who the president was going to be.

The politics of the situation are very confusing. They're very complex to explain. But to put it in a nutshell, one assassination -- one more assassination from that majority is really sending that majority down.

STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Horrible pictures we've been looking at here, Octavia, as you speak, and the implications which you lay out for us even worse to consider.

Thanks, though, for pointing all of it out.

Octavia Nasr.

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: All right. And we'd like to welcome our viewers in the United States as we continue to follow the breaking news story.

We understand at least five people killed in a massive explosion in Beirut, in the Lebanese capital, killing an anti-Syrian politician by the name of Antoine Ghanem, born in 1943. You see a picture of him there in file video.

I am now joined on the line from Beirut by Ghassan Tueni. Now, he's all too familiar with political assassinations. Sadly, his son was killed in 2005. He is the publisher of the "An-Nahar" newspaper.

Mr. Tueni, thank you for being with us. Also a member of parliament in Lebanon.

What is your reaction today to this latest apparent killing?

GHASSAN TUENI, PUBLISHER, "AN-NAHAR": Well, my reaction is revolt and great sorrow, of course, but mainly revolt. And this is indeed a very undemocratic way of dealing with parliamentary votes for the presidential election.

We are four days away from a meeting of the parliament on the 25th and -- and -- and everybody -- I mean, we had (INAUDIBLE). Antoine Ghanem must have been one of those who like my self felt that all the rumors we were hearing about the respective assassinations of members of the majority were not really news, but gossip and psychological warfare. But now it seems to be true.

GORANI: Indeed, Mr. Tueni, I'd just like to bring our bring our viewers up to date on this crucial election you just referred to next week in Lebanon. There's a parliamentary election for the president, traditionally and constitutionally a Christian in Lebanon.

Do you think that this assassination is an attempt to tinker with the majority numbers in parliament...

TUENI: Clearly. Clearly.

GORANI: ... so then it becomes harder -- it becomes harder for pro-government politicians to elect someone they would like to see?

TUENI: Well, they want to make it impossible, not harder. I mean, if they killed one more parliamentarian, then the majority vote is not -- is not dire (ph). But I wonder if these people are going to hold that meeting despite this assassination.

Now, it's -- I heard your -- one of your colleagues say that people are accusing Syria. In fact, I want to say Syria is accusing itself, because after every assassination, including my son's, they say that they're not -- they haven't done it. However, people like that should be assassinated and should have expected to be assassinated because of their attitude.

And so, it's a very -- it's a very hard way of -- for a government to explain its policy. And now...

GORANI: And can I -- can I ask you going forward --- we're almost running out of time, Mr. Tueni, but looking forward to next week, looking forward to the next few months...

TUENI: Yes?

GORANI: ... is this crisis, this latest assassination the hay that will break the camel's back in terms of just paralyzing political life in Lebanon?

TUENI: I think -- I think it might. It all depends on how what the people in the house will do and how they will react and help. There have been no reactions. And theoretically we're still due to meet on the 25th. And whether there will be a majority there, I don't know.

But I think members of parliament have been consulting -- bulletins and meetings and whatnot to see what -- what -- what the conduct should be, our conduct should be. I, for one, would want to go to parliament despite that assassination.

GORANI: All right. Many thanks.

Ghassan Tueni, the father of assassinated journalist Gebran Tueni.

Thank you so much for joining us on this day when we hear that Antoine Ghanem, a Christian, anti-Syrian parliamentarian in Lebanon, apparently assassinated this day.

You see a picture of him there.

We will have a lot more on this breaking news story here on YOUR WORLD TODAY and CNN International.

You are very welcome.

Also, ahead this hour...

FRAZIER: O.J. Simpson back in court. The former NFL star facing a judge after an alleged robbery, armed robbery, at a Las Vegas hotel.

A live report on what happened in this courtroom coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back, everyone. You are with YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International.

Stephen and I and the whole team following two very important developing and breaking stories. The first one in the Middle East and another explosion in Beirut killing a prominent politician in the Lebanese capital.

FRAZIER: And the long-range effects of that even more significant because it's upsetting the very delicate, already fragile balance in the parliament which is only days away, really, from undertaking an important presidential election.

GORANI: Absolutely.

FRAZIER: So, we will bring you more on that as we get more information.

But let's turn now to a story that we've been following very closely in the United States and in which there is a huge international interest as well.

A judge in Las Vegas, Nevada, has now granted O.J. Simpson, the former football star, his freedom, temporarily, at least, and for a big price. Bail was set for the former National Football League star three days after he was charged with armed robbery and with kidnapping.

Ed Lavandera joins us from Las Vegas with details of today's hearing.

Which we should point out, Ed, for our international viewers, was a hearing on charges that were felony charges that could send O.J. Simpson away to prison for a long time possibly.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What O.J. Simpson is facing could send him to prison for the rest of his life. These kidnapping charges and robbery charges, when you combine all of this together, 11 counts in all, it's very serious. And this initial court appearance is kind of a procedural matter, really, but it was our first time to see O.J. Simpson since he was arrested on Sunday.

He entered the courtroom here this morning in the blue jail uniform, shackled around the arms and in the legs as well. He spoke very softly and just answered. The only time we heard from him is when the judge asked him a couple of questions about understanding the charges against him.

And he kind of had a weird look on his face, actually, as the judge was going over the charges with him. Kind of a look as if to say, you know, what? What is all this you're charging me with? That's what it appeared to be to us as we were watching O.J. listening to those charges.

He is going through the process right now of posting what is called here bail and being allowed to leave the jail here in Las Vegas for $125,000. And that process takes a couple of hours, but we understand he is in the process of doing that.

His attorney just spoke with reporters a short while ago, saying that he's going to plead not guilty to all of these charges. They will fight this vigorously. And his attorneys saying that they feel very confident that they will be able to beat these charges as well.

The conditions of his release, O.J. Simpson will not be allowed to leave the country. He has had to turn over his passport to his attorney. He can travel freely throughout the United States.

He lives in Miami now, so we presume he might be headed back that way. He had several family members with him and his girlfriend in the courtroom today as well. And he's also been told to stay away, have no contact directly or indirectly, with any of the victims or the witnesses and the other defendants in this case as well.

And outside here at the courthouse, another crazy scene, very much a reminder of what the trial was like back in 1995 and the circus-like atmosphere that followed O.J. Simpson's every move -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: That, of course, a trial in which he was charged with a double murder and was acquitted, completely acquitted.

But let's back up again for the sake of our viewers overseas, Ed, and talk about the extraordinary events in a hotel in Las Vegas having to do with sports memorabilia, people who collect that. And almost a police-style bust-in.

How did we get to this point, I guess, is what I need you to tell us?

LAVANDERA: Well, we'll back it up until the end of last week.

O.J. Simpson comes here to Las Vegas to be the best man at a friend's wedding here in Las Vegas. And throughout that process -- and a lot of this is being contended, but the general understanding was, the general sense of facts that most people tend to agree on at this point is that O.J. Simpson finds out that there are two dealers in a hotel room in what's been described as a seedy hotel room here in Las Vegas that has some sports memorabilia that O.J. Simpson believes belongs to him.

And, of course, these are items that are routinely sold at auctions, online auctions. One of the people involved in this says that the items in there could have fetched from anywhere from $75,000 to $100,000. So, clearly, it's probably something O.J. Simpson wanted to get his hands on.

Apparently, O.J. Simpson and five other men get together. They bust into this hotel room last Thursday night. And the two witnesses, the two victims in this case, say that guns were drawn, that they were held against their will. And that's what prosecutors are saying as well.

And they took those items out of the hotel room and confiscated them. That's why we have the robbery charges and the burglary charges.

What prosecutors have since added is that these men were not allowed to call 911, emergency services, and get help. And because of that, they were held against their will. And that's why we're seeing the kidnapping charges here now.

FRAZIER: That's something a lot of us were asking about.

All right. Well, thank you for this update to this point. I'm sure there's a lot more to come in the coming days and weeks. So we'll talk to you soon.

Ed Lavandera.

Thanks.

LAVANDERA: Thanks.

GORANI: Simpson's lawyers will certainly have their work cut out for them in the court of public opinion. A recent CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll asked more than 1,000 Americans if they believed Simpson was, in fact, guilty of those 1994 murders of his ex- wife and her friend Ron Goldman.

Eighty percent said they believed the charges were true. Only 14 percent said no. Interestingly, the poll was taken earlier this month. This was before the latest incident involving Simpson and that alleged robbery in Las Vegas.

FRAZIER: All right. A short break for us here. But this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

GORANI: All right. When we come bark, we'll have more on that massive explosion in Lebanon after the break.

FRAZIER: Also coming up, Israel labels Gaza a hostile territory. What does that mean exactly? It turns out this is the latest blow to a place where people find life to be a struggle every day.

We will take you there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Hello, you are with YOUR WORLD TODAY. We're seen all over the world, and in the United States this hour. Welcome to our viewers in America. I'm Hala Gorani.

FRAZIER: I'm Stephen Frazier. We are tracking a couple of big stories at the same time here, the first, in Lebanon. GORANI: Now, another Lebanese politician has been assassinated. Christian lawmaker Antoine Ghanem was among at least five people killed in a bombing in a Beirut suburb. And 20 others were wounded. Ghanem was known for his anti-Syrian views. A Lebanese lawmaker Walid Jumblat called the killing a "bloody message" coming just days before a parliamentary vote to choose a president. It will reduce the parliament majority of the Western-backed ruling government.

FRAZIER: Anthony Mills is on the scene for us and joins us now live. What is the latest from there, Anthony?

ANTHONY MILLS, CNN INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Stephen, a scene of all-too-familiar chaos in Lebanon. The explosion occurred just behind me on this avenue that runs through a Christian suburb of the capital.

Now, this would have been a busy area at the time when the explosion occurred, around about 5:30, 5:15 p.m. local time, as people were leaving their offices, or were still in their offices. And, indeed, the damage caused on the site of the explosion, extensive. In the avenue behind me, there are a number of twisted, burned-out carcasses of vehicles, one of them, we understand, possibly belonging to that member of parliament, who was killed.

Also, the facades of buildings ripped off, shredded curtains hanging from the buildings. And at least five people killed, in total, so far we understand. It's the latest, Stephen, in a series of explosions and assassinations that have targeted anti-Syrian personalities in Lebanon, over the course of the last two and a half years. That since former Prime Minister Rafik Harari was blown up in a sea-front explosion early 2005.

It comes before a highly disputed presidential election amid fears that the opposition, the political opposition here, the pro- Syrian political opposition, could boycott it. And amid fears that boycott could lead to further violence and possible even civil war, Stephen.

FRAZIER: All right, we're grateful for that update. Anthony Mills on the scene outside of Beirut in a Christian suburb.

Anthony, thank you.

GORANI: Now, we've been covering the story from all angles. We've also been getting reaction from prominent politicians and journalists from all over Lebanon. Earlier we heard from Amine Gemayal; he's the former president of Lebanon. His son, Pierre, was assassinated last November. Now, he expressed outrage at this latest apparent killing and discussed how it may affect the future of Lebanese follow politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMINE GEMAYAL, FMR. LEBANESE PRESIDENT: I'm very, very sad. Antoine Ghanem is a very close friend of mine. And after the tragedy of my son, Pierre, now with Antoine Ghanem, I'm very, very sad. It's a great tragedy for our family, for our party, for Lebanon, for the -- for democracy; democracy in the Middle East, democracy in Lebanon. And I can -- it's this fringe (ph) of democracy when you kill people to replace them, and to facilitate the election of a new president, which -- which will -- which will be a puppet of a foreign government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: All right, well, this apparent assassination is, of course, very significant because the Western-backed government, the government that is supported by the United States currently has a majority in parliament. Next week, there is a presidential election. With this apparent assassination, that majority is reduced. This looks a lot like a political turf war in Lebanon. Earlier we spoke to Mohamed Chatah, the senior adviser to the current prime minister of Lebanon, Fouad Siniora.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED CHATAH, SR. ADVISER TO LEBANESE PM: I think people are outraged. People are angry. People are upset. This thing going on since the fall of 2004 and Lebanon has been in a state of crisis since then. There have been numerous explosions, many assassination attempts, and many killings like this one. Only a couple of months ago, over that deputy, Valeda Elo (ph) of Beirut, was killed also by an explosion that targeted his car and on the sea-front of Beirut.

February, last February, Pierre Gemayal was killed, belonging to the same Phalangist Party, and, of course, a string of personalities, some deputies, some just media people also targeted over the last two and a half years. And people are, indeed, angry. They're outraged, and they want this to stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: All right, that was Mohamed Chatah, the senior adviser to the Lebanese prime minister.

We are hearing now from LVC, the Lebanese television network, that nine people have died as a result of this apparent bomb attack. We'll continue to follow this story out of Lebanon, of course, as soon as developments become available -- Stephen?

FRAZIER: Just as significant, the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in Israel today, for meetings which are intended to push forward negotiations for Middle East peace, specifically Israel/Palestinians.

But this visit arrives -- she arrives just as Israel is ratcheting up tensions with the Hamas-led government in Gaza. Just before she got off her plane, Israel declared Gaza a hostile territory. It is threatening to limit food, medicine, electrical power and possibly even water supplies that go into the area.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TZIPI LIVNI, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: Even though when it comes to the humanitarian needs, we have our own responsibility, on the other hand, all the needs which are more than the humanitarian -- humanitarian needs, will not be supplied by Israelis.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY, U.S. STATE DEPT.: Hamas is, indeed, a hostile entity. It's a hostile entity to the United States as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRAZIER: Hamas leader Ismail Haniya is calling Israel's decision a declaration of war. We do have word now that the cabinet voted unanimously on these steps, but elected not to disrupt water supplies to the 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza.

GORANI: Well, let's stay in the region. Israel says it does not want create a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But a Haniya spokesman says Israel's designation of Gaza as a hostile territory is, in fact, a collective punishment of the people there.

FRAZIER: This is all about the rocket attacks that have been emanating in Gaza, into parts of Israel. Things there are already bad enough in Gaza, though, even without today's actions. The borders are closed and a lot of Gazans are struggling simply to survive. Ben Wedeman takes us there now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is how the day begins for Rafas Pour (ph). Jostling for food supplies from the United Nations.

Ali Mighari, an unemployed tailor in this southern Gaza town, goes from window to window, first picking up his bi-monthly cash hand- out of about $10 per person in his family of 12. Then wheat, sugar, and cooking oil; enough to fill a donkey cart, just enough to feed his family.

"The economic situation here is worse than bad," he says. "There's no income. We can't afford much of anything."

Later in the evening, Ali's 20-year-old daughter, Shama (ph), helps prepare the evening meal.

She started university, "but I couldn't continue," she says. "We didn't have enough money."

This family's dependence on food aid is now the rule in Gaza. According to the United Nations, 1.1 million Gazans or nearly 75 percent of the population, is now largely dependent on hand-outs. John Ging oversees the U.N. operations in Gaza and describes the situation here in one word:

JOHN GING, U.N. RELIEF & WORKS AGENCY, GAZA: Dreadful. And, of course, the frustrations for all the people here is that it continues to get worse. The situation, economically and from a humanitarian perspective has been in relentless decline now for well over a year and a half. WEDEMAN: That's when Hamas came to power following parliamentary elections. Since then Gaza has slowly been squeezed by Israel, the United States, and the European Union. They refuse to recognize the Hamas-led government. Demanding it renounce terrorism and accept Israel's right to exist.

Gaza's isolation only increased when Hamas crushed its main factional enemy, the western-backed Fatah movement, which now rules the West Bank. The main crossings out of Gaza, to Israel and Egypt, have been sealed since mid-June. Food and medicine is allowed in, occasionally people, but little else.

But this is not a story of factions or power politics, but, rather, of ordinary Gazans, the sick, the young, the poor, the powerless. In Gaza's Shifa (ph) hospital, two-year-old Thria Duhwas (ph) slumbers in a deep drug-induced sleep. Third and fourth-degree burns from an domestic accident cover 20 percent of her body. Under normal circumstances she would be rushed to a better-equipped hospital in Israel. But with the border closed she can't get out.

DR. SAID NABHAN, GAZA PHYSICIAN: The prognosis is very, very bad for this girl.

WEDEMAN: "Why does this little girl have to pay the closure," Doctor Said Nabhan asks me. "She's paying the price for politics."

Upstairs we met Mahmoud Madi, who's 13-year-old son, Nuradeem (ph), broke his leg. Doctors recommended he be transferred to a Palestinian hospital in Jerusalem, but his transfer has been postponed until the end of the month.

"His bone is infected," says Mahmoud, "If he doesn't have an operation, or get treatment soon, his leg could be ruined."

With the crossings effectively closed, many Gaza businesses have come to a standstill. Unemployment is officially 45 percent, but that's the rosy estimate. We went out to some of Gaza's most productive farmland to see how that sector of the economy is faring. There we found workers tending strawberries, once one of the Strip's most profitable exports to Israel. Work is proceeding, the crop looks promising, but the farmers are taking a serious risk.

(On camera): There's absolutely no guarantee that the strawberries being grown here will ever be shipped out of Gaza. It's been three months since almost any agricultural goods have been exported.

(Voice over): Farm worker Ata Maarouf is making $12 today, by Gaza standards, a decent wage. He scoffs at politicians and their rhetoric. His concerns, much more down to earth.

"I don't care about Hamas or Fatah," Ata tells me. "What I care about is that this big prison is opened, so I can live, so I can give bread to my family of 11."

But here, nothing, not even bread, is free of politics. And Gaza's predicament is ultimately all about politics, says human rights activist Raji Suroni (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are punishing a nation in an unprecedented way just for one reason, these people elected Hamas. That's it.

WEDEMAN: Democracy in Gaza now seems like a bad joke.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There, the democracy countries do practice, that the democracy of promise, the democracy of masters. We are the slaves and the masters. They want democracy for Europe, but not in this part of the world. We made it, and when we made it, we are paying the extremely heavily for it.

WEDEMAN: Back in Ali Mighari's house, in Rafa, the daily fast is over. It's the holy month of Ramadan, a time when Muslims normally celebrate with nightly feasts and joyous celebrations, but not here. This is a home weighed down by cares. Ali despairs for his children.

"They have no future," he says. "They're like flowers that bloom and fall to the ground." Tonight, the fare is simple. The meal, subdued.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Rafa, Southern Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: All right, we're going to take a short break here on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

FRAZIER: Coming up next, though, we'll tell you why Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is in London today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: You are with YOUR WORLD TODAY. You're very welcome.

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, is in London today for meetings with the new prime minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown. Our chief U.S. Correspondent John King is traveling with Giuliani, and joins us now live.

What is the goal of this trip to the U.K. for Rudy Giuliani, John?

JOHN KING, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: An interesting trip for the former mayor of New York City, Hala. He is here number one to try to show Americans back home that he is very comfortable on the world stage. If they have any questions about a man going from being a big-city mayor to the president of the United States, as you mentioned. You see Rudy Giuliani, right there, on the 10 Downing Street, meeting the new Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Giuliani said they talked about a number of issues. The global economy, the war in Iraq, the current posture of the world community trying to convince Iran not to advance its nuclear program. Giuliani trying to show he's comfortable, to American voters back home. We also sat down with him one-on-one, and I asked him about his very muscular talk about foreign policy, including what he says is a promise, not a threat, to Iran that the United States will stop it from advancing to its nuclear program.

I asked Giuliani if he might worry that that could offend some, not only in the United States but around the world, who after seven years of George W. Bush view such language as offensive and as too macho; something that alienates allies around the world. And Giuliani was, to say the least, unapologetic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: America should be precise about what it would do and what it wouldn't do. I mean, the reality is we don't want them laboring under a misimpression, that we wouldn't take action. And then they'll make some seriously wrong decisions. And we also want everyone to know, you know, what the point of demarcation will be for the United States.

For something like that, there's no -- no value in ambiguity. I think we should be clear that Iran is not going to be allowed to become a nuclear power. This idea of containment of Iran is too dangerous.

KING (on camera): Is this summary fair? If you read your writings, and look at your campaign speeches, and listen to you, it sounds like Rudy Giuliani is saying, the president is right when he talks about preemption. The president is right when he talks about standing up to this terrorist threat. The implementation, though, has been at times far less than competent?

GIULIANI: Yeah, I probably put it in a more generous way.

(LAUGHTER)

I would say that the goals are correct. The goals in many ways are historic. Have there been significant mistakes made along the way? Absolutely. And should we learn from them in the next administration -- as this administration has already done -- should we change things based on those mistakes? Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Rare criticism there from a fellow Republican from the incumbent President George W. Bush. Mayor Giuliani also saying the American people need to look past the domestic political controversy back home and be prepared for a long-term investment of U.S. troops in Iraq, and the greater Middle East.

And, Hala, he's not only here to promote his foreign policy views. A fund-raising luncheon this afternoon, Mayor Giuliani on the Republican side, here today. Two of Democratic campaigns also will be raising money here in London, in the month ahead. All of the candidates back in the United States in this hotly contested election looking not only around the United States but around the world for every last dollar and every last vote they can get from Americans living overseas.

GORANI: All right, thank you, John King, reporting live from London. You're with YOUR WORLD TODAY. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FRAZIER: Welcome back. International reaction is flooding in now to the events in Lebanon, where a huge bomb attack has taken the life of a parliamentarian, a Christian anti-Syrian parliamentarian named Antoine Ghanem, on the eve of very important parliamentarian elections for the next president.

Also, we're hearing, according to LDC, the broadcasters in Lebanon, that nine people in all have died in this very large blast in a residential neighborhood in a Christian suburb of Beirut. Upsetting the very delicate political balance there and issuing repercussions that are going around the world, including all the way to the United Nations, where France's ambassador to the U.N. Jean Maurice Ripert offered up these thoughts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN MAURICE RIPERT, FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We learned about the bombing during the session. So my colleague and myself had just -- wanted to condemn as soon as we learned it. As any other attempt to destabilize Lebanon in this very crucial period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Reaction, also from the White House, where the spokesperson Dana Perino had this to say about the apparent bombing just a short while ago.

All right, we don't have that sound for you. We will bring you the latest reaction as it -- oh, we can go back to it. Let's listen to what Dana Perino said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA PERINO, DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY, WHITE HOUSE: Regarding the bombing in Beirut, we strongly condemn the assassination of Lebanese member of parliament Antoine Ghanem. He was viciously murdered today in Beirut along with several other innocent persons. Since October 2004, there has been a pattern of political assassinations and attempted assassinations designed to intimidate those working courageously toward a sovereign and democratic Lebanon.

The victims of these cowardly attacks have consistently been those who publicly sought to end Syria's interference in Lebanon's internal affairs. It is not coincidence that this attack comes as Lebanon prepares to elect a new president.

And the United States will continue to stand by those Lebanese who continue to courageously stand up for democracy and independence.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GORANI: We'll have a lot more on this story and all the other day's headlines in a little bit. That's it for this hour. I'm Hala Gorani.

FRAZIER: And I'm Stephen Frazier. This is CNN.

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