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CNN Live Saturday

Iraqi Government Offers Amnesty Program For Iraqi Insurgents; Travel Tips For Athens In August;

Aired August 07, 2004 - 14:00   ET

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

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


DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: It's 2:00 p.m. on the East Coast, 11:00 a.m. in the West. I'm Deborah Feyerick at CNN's Global Headquarters in Atlanta.
Ahead this hour, three days and counting, the fighting rages on in Najaf as Iraq's interim leader announces a new amnesty plan.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brian Todd on Capitol Hill where there are 14 police checkpoints as a result of the increase terror alert. There's a visible security presence but it is causing problems for local fire and emergency officials. I'll speak with one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hold the led down here, and hold the head up here. And (UNITELIGIBLE) and it would be all wiggley around, but not on -- I didn't wrestle a team of sheep or anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Well, from wrestling sheep in Alaska to taking on the world's best in Athens, we will introduce you to one unexpected Olympian.

Those stories in a moment, but first, stories now in the news.

Police in Florida are searching for clues in a gruesome killing spree. The bodies of six adults were found yesterday in a rental house in Deltona, near Orlando.

So far, no suspects have been named in the case. A police briefing is expected a short time from now. CNN plans live coverage when it happens.

The Kerry/Edwards campaign train rolls into Colorado. Right now, Senator John Kerry and his running mate, Senator John Edwards are scheduled to attend a rally in southeastern Colorado. Later today, their "Believe in America Tour" takes off for New Mexico. The Democratic team's bus and train tour covers 20 states.

Five people were killed today when two small planes collided in Kinnelon in northern New Jersey. All of the victims were on the two aircrafts. Wreckage landed in a back yard, but there were no injuries reported.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

FEYERICK: It's the third day of battle between U.S. Marines and the Mehdi army in the Najaf region of Iraq. The U.S. military says two marines were killed Friday and it estimated 300 people killed in the last two days. Matthew Chance now has more from Baghdad -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Deborah. And it has been another day of violence here in Iraq, but also a day in which the Iraqi interim government...

(EXPLOSIONS IN BACKGROUND)

...you may have just heard that very loud explosion behind me, the Iraqi interim government is introducing measures to try and take the wind out of the -- as you can hear it, extremely violent insurgency that is ...

(EXPLOSIONS IN BACKGROUND)

...underway here in this country. They've proposed amnesty measure, which could get thousands of people to give up their weapons, stop firing mortars like this, and come into the political fold. Listen to what Iyad Allawi had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IYAD ALLAWI, INTERIM PRIME MINISTER, IRAQ (through translator): This order has been established to allow our citizens to rejoin the civil society and participate in the reconstruction of their country and the improvement of their lives instead of wasting their lives pointlessly toward a lost cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: No question.

Well, that comes as fighting rages across the country. You can hear there is violence here in Baghdad. Also violence raging in Najaf, as well, a lot of anxiety, a lot of bloodshed still being spilt here.

FEYERICK: All right, Matthew, we have a lot of questions, but we are not gong to ask you any, we want you to go and be safe, you and your team. Thank you very much for that report.

Well, a military hearing at Fort Bragg, North Carolina is now in its fifth day. A judge will decide how many defense witnesses should be called to testify on behalf of Private First Class Lunndie England. The defense witness list includes Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. A military investigator says England called the treatment of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib intimidation and humiliation techniques.

Federal officials are looking at putting even tighter security in place in Washington. The D.C. mayor is already worried the higher alert around financial institutions in the city could scare off tourists. The president calls the alert a grim reminder of threats facing the country. Brian Todd is in Washington with all those details.

Brian, what does it look like there?

TODD: Deborah, as you said, we're in day seven of this terror alert. Here on Capitol Hill, what are the practice consequences of it? Well there are 14 checkpoints on Capitol Hill alone, this is one of them. It is a very visible security presence but does cause problems for local officials.

Right now, I am joined by Alan Etter, he is public information officer for the Washington, D.C. Fire and Emergency Service Team.

Alan, thanks for joining us.

ALAN ETTER, PIO, FIRE & EMS SPOKESMAN: Thank you for having me.

TODD: What are some of the problems that the checkpoints on Capitol Hill have caused.

ETTER: Brian, I can't point to one single issue where someone has suffered ill health effects or a fire has raged out of control because of a slow response. I can tell you as Mayor Williams, Congressman Norton, and Senator Strauss has been saying all week, this certainly presents a potential hazard for a slow response here, given any kind of medical or fire emergency here.

TODD: What are the things you're worried about specifically.

ETTER: Well, things that we are worried about is that it is taking longer for fire trucks to get through. They have to stop and be acknowledged. A memo went out to the department, saying that our personnel must stop and be acknowledged by a police officer before they can proceed through here.

What we try and do is we try and give as much notice as possible. Contact capitol police directly and let them know apparatus is on the way. When someone's having a heart attack or someone is having a medical issue, or if there is a fire emergency, there's not always that perfect balance of time that you'd like to have.

So what I'm saying is there hasn't been a big negative effect so far, but certainly there's the potential for that.

TODD: Have Homeland Security officials here, have local police officials here been able to work with you to try to get through some of these problems?

ETTER: The usual process is when a road is subtracted or something changes in our transportation equation, there at least is notification given. The information I have is if there was notification given to the local authorities, it was very minimal in terms of its time frame.

TODD: They say the terror alert will probably be -- may go on as long as through November, the election, maybe even as long as the inauguration. Are you prepared to deal with it for that long? And what are you going to do?

ETTER: Well, we're the Fire and EMS Department. We will deal with whatever issue is put before us. That's traditionally what we do. And we are used to dealing with adverse conditions and situations. And we're going to make it through here. Our bottom line here is that if someone is in need of medical assistance, if someone is in need of fire suppression services, we're going to be there.

TODD: Literally a concern, but Capitol Hill police are working with fire officials and have not commented on some of the complaints here in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Etter, thank you very much for joining us.

ETTER: Thank you, appreciate it.

TODD: As we mentioned, the Homeland Security alert, the increased terror threat level is at orange. Officials say it may extend through the November election, possibly even through the inauguration in January. This is a problem that officials here are dealing with -- Deborah.

FEYERICK: Brian Todd, thanks so much. Lots of uncertainty out there. We thank you.

Well, the terror scares aren't just limited to the nation's capital or its or buildings. Could truck drivers become the newest targets? Coming up at 4 o'clock Eastern, CNN gives you an inside look at new measures being taken to keep our highways safe.

Well, President Bush is taking care of some family affairs this weekend. He's in Kennebunkport, Maine where George P. Bush is getting married today.

In his Weekly Radio Address, the president focused on a key campaign issue, the war on terror. CNN'S Jill Dougherty is with us now from Kennebunkport.

Jill, what was the president saying?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Deborah, he is here. Let us set the stage a little bit. He's here in Kennebunkport, really just touching down briefly for the weekend off the campaign trail and next week back on the campaign trail.

He immediately went out to do a little bit of fishing, and actually with his father and his two daughters. And it ended up that his daughter Jenna was the one who caught the fish, in fact a pretty big fish, 38 inches.

They're here for the weekend for the wedding of the nephew of the president, George P. Bush, the son of Jeb Bush, who is the governor of Florida. The president again off the campaign trail but in his radio address this Saturday talking about the subject that he is constantly talking about right now, on the campaign trail, and in the White House and that is terrorism.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The elevation of the threat level in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. is a grim reminder of the dangers we continue to face.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: A new poll from "TIME" magazine shows that actually the economy is more of a concern for voters than terrorism. This poll showing 27 percent of Americans say that the economy is the most important issue and 18 percent naming the war on terror.

So this week, with that bad news, a weak jobs report, the president found himself defending his role and saying that he is not satisfied either, but that the economy overall is improving -- back to you, Deborah.

FEYERICK: Jill, did he respond at all or did he make any sort of comments, the Democrats, specifically Howard Dean, really coming out and heavily criticizing the president's sort of calling of war and terrorism more as a political move, specifically the terror alerts. Did he himself specifically address that or how did he seem to handle it by the end of the week?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you'd have to say that all the people in the White House, with whom we've spoken, completely deny that this has anything to do with the campaign. They say it is very much a response to real credible terrorist threats.

And you'd have to say that Dean appears to be pretty much alone in some of that criticism, but the White House definitely is saying that they believe that there was a threat, new information that they had gotten and some old information that made them take it very seriously.

FEYERICK: OK. Jill, thanks so much. Enjoy the wedding.

Well, some whistle stops today on the Kerry/Edwards campaign tour. Right now the Democratic presidential nominee and his running mate are at a stop in southeastern Colorado. You can see a live picture there.

Earlier today, in his weekly radio address, Kerry carried his "help is on the way" theme to those who suffer from illnesses that might be improved by stem cell research. He vows to lift a partial ban that President Bush placed on such research three years ago.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: At this very moment, some of the most pioneering cures and treatments are right at our fingertips, but because of the stem cell ban, they remain beyond our reach. This is not the way we do things in America. Here in America, we don't sacrifice science for ideology.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Well, researchers hope to learn to use embryonic stem cells to create tailor-made transplants to treat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases. Because an embryo must be destroyed to harvest the cells, some anti-abortion groups oppose their use.

Party switch in Louisiana, A Blue Dog Democrat will wear a Republican hat from now on. Louisiana Congressman Rodney Alexander made the surprise turn moments before qualifying for the November elections. President Bush called Alexander and welcomed him to the Republican Party. Alexander had registered as a Democrat on Wednesday.

It's been a week filled with campaign stops and a swift vote ad controversy. So did either candidate score points with voters? I'll talk with Political Analyst Ron Brown.

Stopping stalkers on the Internet. Why the Constitution may be throwing up some roadblocks.

And still ahead, it's called Dartfish and some athletes are hoping them it will help them reach their baste in Athens? What is it? And why can't every athlete benefit. We'll explain when CNN returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, you're looking at a live picture in Baghdad. Eight explosions there over the last few minutes. No reported injuries. We have a crew there, reporter Matthew Chance, and we'll bring you the latest as we find out.

As the presidential political campaigns swirl into high gear who is scoring points with voters? Ron Brownstein joins us in Washington. He's a CNN political analyst and a correspondent for the "The Los Angeles Times".

FEYERICK: Hi there, Ron.

Well, first of all, let's talk about what's going on here in terms of who's winning in this big ad war?

RON BROWNSTEIN, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Well, you know, we have seen unprecedented amount of money spent early in this campaign, both campaigns started advertising in March, between them and the affiliated Democratic groups that are supporting John Kerry, they probably passed $200 million already on television at this point in the campaign. And we still have about three more shopping months left before the election.

The fact is what we're learning is it's very difficult to lock in those last undecided voters early on. About 90 percent of the electorate really is firmly in one camp or the other, maybe even a little more. But for that last 7 or 8 or 6 percent that is going to decide this, they are folks who tend to wait and don't pay an enormous amount of attentions to campaigns, who are very heavily influenced by events.

And the paradox is, we have an unprecedented amount of effort and yet we still have this both campaigns hanging on the decisions of a small number of people who probably aren't paying that much attention to that effort.

FEYERICK: Well, Ron, let's talk about that. First of all, that swift boat ad, which was quite negative, there was backlash about that. The Republicans are saying it's not us being negative, it is you being negative. This ad, it comes in the middle of August. Who is watching at all? Is it going to have any sort of impact three months down the road?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, it is certainly being targeted at the places where it could have impacts, states like Ohio and West Virginia, where there are a lot of socially conservative, blue-collar voters that both campaigns are contesting.

You can see the itinerary of the various bus tours that Kerry is on, and where President Bush is campaigning, it's aimed precisely at the right slice of the electorate.

I don't know how much effect it will have. It is an extraordinarily negative ad. It is one of the most vehement ads I've ever seen in terms of the relentlessness of the accusation. Many voters will find it over the top.

We've polled, at "The L.A. Times", on the question of whether Kerry's service in Vietnam makes him well suited to be the commander in chief . We've got about 60 to 35 saying on the positive side, that was before the convention.

I'm not sure this is really going to prove to be a weak point for Senator Kerry.

FEYERICK: Let's talk about these concerts. I'm fascinated by them. Bruce Springsteen leading a movement with other musicians. Is he going to be getting independent voters, voters who are not yet committed? Are all his fans Democrats, or is he going to reach an audience that maybe didn't vote last time, but may vote this time?

BROWNSTEIN: Funny that you mention that. I was able to interview this week Bruce Springsteen and David Matthews, Eddie Veter (ph), many of the artists who are involved in this. What's extraordinary about, first of all, this is it's not simply one or two benefit concerts. What it amounts to is six simultaneous concert tours by some of the big headline acts, through the swing states, in the first week of October. The goals are three-fold. One is obviously to raise money. They are going to raise money for Democratic groups. They are going to help moveon.org, which is the liberal online advocacy group increase its membership, which helps it raise money.

Secondly, I think they are hoping to attract the attention, as you suggest, of voters who don't usually pay attention to politics. One thing celebrities do is in effect widen the broadcast span for a campaign. It attracts news media that don't usually cover politics and it attracts the attention of voters who don't usually follow politics.

And finally, all of these big name artists have said they're going to be doing interviews and local around the tour. When you look at the itinerary, they're not only going to big cities, they're going to some of the smaller mid-size towns, the same places Kerry and Bush were on their bus tours.

They're going to get a lot of attention. So in all of these ways they're hoping to provide a tangible boost to Kerry.

FEYERICK: Quickly and finally, the Democrats, is it fair game for them to go after the president for raising the alerts in New York and Washington, given he is billing himself as a wartime president, as a man who is tough on terror.

BROWNSTEIN: Both sides have to be careful about these accusations. You notice that John Kerry stayed away from what Howard Dean accused the president of. I don't think most Americans, in fact, the "Time" magazine poll today said most Americans do not believe they're manipulating these alerts for political purposes.

Obviously, there is that suspicion on the part of some Democrats.

But the president had a pretty good answer yesterday at that meeting of minority journalists. He said if they didn't tell the public and something happened, what would you be writing then? I think he's got a very fair point.

FEYERICK: Ron Brownstein, as always, great to see you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

FEYERICK: Some stalking victims are finding themselves caught in legal limbo. After the break, why Internet stalking may have constitutional protection and what some advocacy groups are doing about it.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's one called Cialis?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That sleep one I see all the time, Ambian?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: America's growing medical vocabulary. Why some critics of prescription TV ads are now raising a red flag.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: In news across America, a manhunt is underway in Texas for five federal prisoners, including a man believed to be a leader of the Mexican mafia gang. Witnesses say they saw the five crawl under fences at a prison near San Antonio yesterday.

Arizona officials are calling this Phoenix home a house of hazards. Radioactive chemicals and heavy metals were discovered during an estate sale at the property. Officials say the hazardous items could have been left by the home's previous owner, a chemist, who died.

In New Jersey, Coast Guard teams are searching this container ship for possible hazards. The Department of Agriculture received word a container of lemons may contain what was described as a harmful biological substance. Initial tests have come back negative.

In San Francisco, an Italian artist managed to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco with hands and feet tied. Alberto Christini (ph) made the one and a half mile swim in just under two hours.

Attempts are underway to save the lives of 34 beached dolphins on Hutchinson Island, Florida. Beachgoers pushed rough toothed dolphins out to sea yesterday, but they all returned to shore.

We all know stalking is a crime. Try it in the real world, get caught, you'll go to jail. Try it online, you just might get away with it. Victims say they are scared to death as Denise Belgrave reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENNIS BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Internet's not as harmless as you think. Just ask Cynthia Aramstead, who says she's been stalked since 1996 by a convicted felon.

CYNTHIA ARANSTEAD, INTERNET STALKING VICTIM: He sent obscene e- mails to my daughter back when she was four. He put out prostitution ads repeatedly in my name. He has made threats, claiming that he had followed us home, saying things like he knows where Katie goes to school.

BELGRAVE: Aramstead, an Internet technical writer, believes she was singled out in a chatroom because she's a woman. And also because she disagreed with what he had to say. She says her repeated pleas to law enforcement have been for the most part ignored.

ARAMSTEAD: I have approached the FBI, the GBI, police in various counties where I've lived.

BELGRAVE: Experts say identifying cyberstalking isn't that easy. First Amendment freedom of speech rights can muddy the water.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW PROFESSOR: Well, the courts since the history of this nation have always had a balance between the broad notion of expression and speech. And balance that against behavior that hurts other people.

BELGRAVE: Web police and international Internet advocacy groups says incidents of online stalking are exploding.

(on camera): The number of complaints they've received has tripled in the last five years. And they expect this year's numbers to top over 300,000 stalking complaints.

(voice over): In Seattle, Federal Prosecutor Catherine Warma recently won the first stalking conviction on the federal level. She based her argument on the law that makes it a federal crime to use a telecommunications device to send harassing messages across state lines.

CATHERINE WARMA, FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I was aware of the statute and believed there would be a basis for a federal prosecution.

BELGRAVE: Cynthia Aramstead hopes the Seattle conviction will bring her one step closer to her own day in court. Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Getting ready to welcome the world. We'll show you what Greece is doing to secure the safety of the Summer Olympic Games. Kickoff is just days away.

Plus this ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People say you're a wrestler? I think they think we might be kind of like this brutish kind of mannish girl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: An unexpected American Olympian.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Police in Deltona, Florida, are set to hold a news conference this hour on the killing of six people inside the same house. When that news conference happens, we will have it for you live.

Police say it was an especially brutal crime scene but won't discuss a possible motive. The bodies were found after one victim failed to show up for work.

In the news now, Iraq's prime minister says the intense fighting in the city of Najaf can be blamed on those he calls criminals and foreign forces. The U.S. military says at least 300 people have been killed in recent fighting in Najaf; among them, two U.S. Marines.

Iraq's interim government has closed the Baghdad office the Arabic language news network Al Jazeera. That is closed for a month. Officials say the move was made for national security reasons. They accuse Al Jazeera of being a mouthpiece for terrorists and criminal groups. The network calls the closure unwarranted and unjustifiable. Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

Today is the sixth anniversary of a pair of deadly attacks against U.S. interests in Africa. August 7, 1998, car bombs went off outside U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. And 11 people were killed in Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. More than 4,000 people were injured in both blasts. At the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, more than 200 were killed and 12 Americans died in the attacks.

A statement from the U.S. State Department says officials are working relentlessly to indict and prosecute the people responsible for those attacks.

Efforts to strike -- efforts to track al Qaeda terrorist movements shows what could be a dramatic development. An increase in activity in terrorist training camps.

Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, reports on the observations and investigations into what they might mean.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. Defense and intelligence sources tell CNN recent information shows Al- Qaeda activity at locations inside Pakistan may be a sign that terrorist training camps are once again active. That information in part comes from aerial reconnaissance and imagery taken along the southern border with Afghanistan. Sources say the pictures show cars and vehicles in certain areas that the U.S. believes may be training camps.

But more than a month after the information first came to the attention of the Pentagon and the CIA, no one is sure what it all means. Intelligence analysts are trying to determine if indeed, al Qaeda has resumed training.

MATTHEW LEVITT, WASH. INST. FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: The fact that training camps have sprouted up again or to be more accurate, that they're repopulated is a tremendous concern.

STARR: The Bush administration supports recently step up efforts by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's military to shut down Taliban and al Qaeda strong holds along the border with Afghanistan.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: I think it's quite clear the Pakistani government has turned on -- the Taliban, has turned on al Qaeda, it's turned on any idea that they -- people might receive training or support from it, Pakistan.

STARR: U.S. officials say there is no indication this recent al Qaeda activity is tied to the increased terrorist threat warnings in the U.S.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FEYERICK: Police in Florida are keeping up their search for the suspects in a gruesome killing spree. The bodies of six adults were found yesterday in a house in Deltona near Orlando. We are told that two people are in custody. They have not been charged.

We go to a police briefing just getting underway.

(INTERRUPTED BY LIVE EVENT)

FEYERICK: That was Sergeant Bob Kelley, of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office telling everyone that two people are in custody in the grizzly Florida murders. They were picked up this morning. One was arrested on an unrelated warrant. It is not clear though whether they were actually involved in the murders. No charges brought so far. And the sheriff -- the spokesman from the sheriff's office did not mention any motive for these killings. We will be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: As the Olympic torch makes its way to Athens, Greece, NATO warships patrol of the coast. The heightened security a legacy of the September 11 terrorist attacks. AWACS will patrol the skies over Greece beginning August 13. A special forces battalion has been assigned to defend against weapons of mass destruction. And 400 NATO commandos are on standby in Germany in case of a major security threat. Greece is spending a record $1.2 billion on security for the summer games.

Well, Athens prepares for a summer tourist rush, less than half the tickets to the Olympic Games have been sold.

Pauline Frommer, executive editor of "Budget Travel Online," has some advice for getting into the events.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULINE FROMMER, "BUDGET TRAVEL ONLINE": The interesting thing is, there are many fewer European Union visitors going to the Olympics. In fact, half, over half of the European Union tickets are unsold. Which means that while it's hard to get tickets from the United States, because each country is allotted a certain amount of tickets and most of the U.S. tickets are now sold out. If you actually go to the games and try and get them on the spot, with the exception of the opening and closing ceremonies, everything, almost everything is open and is available at this very late date.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: The Summer Games run from August 13th through August 29th.

Some leading Olympic athletes are getting improved results with the help of a high tech device called a Dartfish. Reporter, Donna Tetreault, shows us what it's all about.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONNA TETREAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Olympic hopeful Erika Wheeler is training for one of the biggest moments of her life -- a shot at a trip to Athens. But this live long javelin thrower, who tried to qualify in '96, has a little more help this time around thanks to a cutting edge digital video program called, Dartfish.

ERIKA WHEELER, OLYMPIC HOPEFUL: I'm a lot more effective with my training. I do less training. But it's definitely more specific to what I need to accomplish in my technique.

TETREAULT: Dartfish allows athletes to fine tune their training on the spot. Coaches videotape practice and then athletes can review their own performance instantly or the pictures can be superimposed over images of the world's best competitors to see how the athlete stack up.

WHEELER: I walk right over and I can look at, you know, it right after a set, and tell if I'm making the changes I need to do.

VICTOR BERGONZOLI, PRESIDENT, DARTFISH: If you think a javelin thrower, a very, very small difference in the launch angle can mean making it to the trials and/or winning the gold medal at the Olympics, and it's the same at every level in the sport.

TETREAULT (on camera): It's those subtle differences that Wheeler is hoping to correct. So when she leaves the field, her work doesn't have to end. She can go home, pull up the program and look at her technique over and over again. It's a constant reminder of what works and what doesn't.

(voice-over): Akiba McKinney, is also working to get to Athens in the long jump. She's a big believer in Dartfish.

AKIBA MCKINNEY, OLYMPIC HOPEFUL: It allows me to see it rather than him telling me exactly what it is that I'm not doing.

WHEELER: It kind of settles the mind because it says, well, because your right foot landed this way instead of this way. And so it really allows to you put a feeling and you know, a reason behind why something's not going as well as you want it to.

TETREAULT: But the technological advance comes at a cost, and critics say with a price tag of anywhere between just under 500 to nearly $5,000, it's not within reach of amateur athletes. So as long as they can forward it, athletes can add technology to the list of blood, sweat and tears in their quest for success.

Donna Tetreault, for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: I think I need one of those. Well, more great science and technology stories coming up at the top of the hour on "NEXT@CNN."

There are thousands of Olympic dreams among the athletes competing this month in Athens. Among them is the dream of victory for Tela O'Donnell, a wrestler on the first woman's team to compete at the Olympics.

CNN's Jason Bellini has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tela O'Donnell is pure sweetness and might.

TELA O'DONNELL, U.S. OLYMPIC WRESTLER: When people first meet you, "you're a wrestler?" I think they think that wrestlers might be kind like this brutish kind of mannish girl.

BELLINI: Around O'Donnell, training camp feels more like a pajama party. On the mat most wrestlers scowl, O'Donnell smiles. O'Donnell was born and raised in Homer, Alaska, the singer Jewel was her baby-sitter.

O'DONNELL: And Jewel made me this swing one time from this tree. It was really cool. And it swung out over it and I played in it a lot.

BELLINI: She learned her first wrestling moves sheering sheep.

O'DONNELL: I didn't wrestle a team of sheep or anything.

BELLINI: O'Donnell's mother, Claire, moved to Alaska while she was pregnant with Tela. She gave up her career as a mime in Chicago to offer her daughter the simple life.

O'DONNELL: My mom built our house. It's a log cabin. And there's -- she cut down the trees.

BELLINI: While still pregnant, Claire, wore a pillow to cut down the noise of the chainsaw. In high school, Tela, got tired of playing football with the boys, she preferred to wrestle them. During the Olympic trials, the women didn't see her coming. No one expected her to take one of the four slots on the Olympic team.

(on camera): Tela O'Donnell, is consider the rookie on the team. She's never competed in a major international tournament. The Olympics will be her first.

(voice-over): No one knows what to expect when she goes up against the renowned Chinese and Russian wrestlers. Her teammates are more concerned about her outside the ring.

SARA MCMANN, U.S. OLYMPIC WRESTLER: She has a heart of gold, and we don't want anybody to like taint that. So, if anybody like tries to be mean to her, do anything like raw, like -- we're on them like wild dogs. Don't you hurt our Tela.

O'DONNELL: I'm really emotional. But I'm happy most of the time, like often. I'm emotional. I'm like any other girl.

BELLINI: Like any girl who's sweet on the outside, but drops, pounces and pins for the fun of it.

Jason Bellini, CNN, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: The case against Kobe Bryant another athlete enters shaky waters. I'll talk with legal experts why the accuser may be having second thoughts and what means for the case.

And still to come, using music to influence your vote. Can it work?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Time for our legal round table. On the docket today, Kobe Bryant's accuser weighs the future of her case against the basketball star.

A surprise development in the Scott Peterson murder trial as his lover Amber Frey prepares to take the stand.

And intimidation and humiliation in the case of U.S. Army Private Lynndie England.

With us here in Atlanta is Avery Friedman, a law professor and civil rights attorney.

And in New York, criminal defense attorney Richard Herman.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: How are you Deborah?

FEYERICK: Avery, let's start with you. The woman in Kobe Bryant is possibly thinking about just walking away from this case. What does that mean.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: She didn't have a choice. Can you imagine the clerk's office in Eagle Country, not once, twice, three times releasing confidential information. Having gone through this and having gone through that, she is completely impacted negatively.

So, what's happening right now, this is my opinion, is right now and this trial is about a week away, the civil lawyers for Kobe and the civil lawyers for the victim are talking. I predict that you're going to see a confidential civil settlement. No one's going to know the detail. She's leaving, the District Attorney will dismiss the charges.

FEYERICK: Well, Richard, let me ask you about this.

So, what does that mean for civil case?

I mean, this woman walks away from a criminal case and then all of a sudden goes after Kobe Bryant and makes some sort of a financial deal with him. Looks like a payoff. HERMAN: That's exactly what it is. It truly reveals her motivation. You know, this criminal case is seeking 20 years to life for Kobe Bryant. And for her to decide she doesn't want to get humiliated any further, I mean, she's looking to put this guy away for 20 years to life. She would be humiliated because of the fact that the DNA expert is going to say she had sex within hours of the alleged incident with Kobe Bryant. That's going to be humiliating. The fact that...

Richard, a lot of people think -- Richard, a lot of people -- and Avery, a lot of people think that is fair game. That it is absolutely appropriate to bring in a woman's sexual history, if in fact, there was another sex act which could have acted her body in some way soon after her intimacy with Kobe Bryant.

FRIEDMAN: Well, Deborah, as a general rule, the sexual history of a victim should not be introduced. The exception is that if it's relative to the time, that's what's going on here. The difficulty here, is that we're getting down to crunch time. In fact, you know who's been subpoenaed, Shaq O'Neal and a waitress in Florida, who Shaq saw being aggressively pursued by Kobe. So as the closer we get to this trial date, the closer there's a likelihood that this thing is going away.

I disagree with Richard, because this woman isn't in it for the money. She stood up to fight back against this sexual abuse.

HERMAN: Than she should go to trial. She should go to trial and take the cross-examination.

FRIEDMAN: When the clerk's office abuses her just like the defendant.

HERMAN: It's going to come out during the course of the trial anyway.

FRIEDMAN: That's absolutely, not true. She didn't have a chance. The system and a guy with a lot of money picked on her, that's what happened to her.

HERMAN: She didn't have a chance, because she's looking for money, she's got no case. That's why she doesn't have a chance.

FRIEDMAN: Not true.

FEYERICK: Well, also, what about the woman in Florida?

I mean, what is her role. Clearly the allegations that she was groped, not exactly goes to the same level as what this woman has accuse Kobe Bryant of.

FRIEDMAN: It goes to the issue of the behavior, the propensity of the defendant to engage in sexually aggressive behavior with young woman. Now, whether or not that ultimately gets in, you know, no one really knows. It might, and that's something that Kobe cannot take a chance of doing. And that also, gives him impetus to see if it can be resolved civilly, get rid of the criminal case.

FEYERICK: OK, Scott Peterson. Richard, were going to first question to you, that is, what kind of evidence do you think Mark Geragos has hinted at that could possibly toss this case.

HERMAN: Well, nobody really knows what it is. It's pure conjecture right to you. It's been discussion that it may be a piece of duct tape with a fingerprint or maybe some form of evidence to show that Laci Peterson came to full term with that baby. But whatever it is, this jury has gone home on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, no trial. Again, probably thinking, unless they watch Larry King, that the prosecution did something wrong again. It's just one more devastation for this amateur hour prosecution. The Rocha family deserve more and there's no way this Amber Frey and her mouthpiece Gloria "Allwrong" are going to make any impact on this case, Deborah. They're going to get destroyed. There is no case against Scott Peterson.

FEYERICK: Victims -- and Avery, let me ask you this question. Victims, you know -- I'm sorry the jury will look at Amber Frey and see a woman who is likely to testify, that even after Scott Peterson's wife went missing, that he continued to call her, not once, not twice, but over and over and over and over again. And that's going to stick in the minds of the jury.

FRIEDMAN: It's going to show he was a fill philanderer, but more importantly from the legal perspective, Deborah, it's going to show credibility issues. And -- I really don't agree in full with what Richard is saying. One thing he did get right here, is that there is been a tremendous amount of mistakes, both by the prosecution and lying police officers. But under the mentality. When you find a body 80 miles from the site and find her husband fishing in the area, let me tell you something, despite the screw ups by the prosecution, I still think they're going to get this conviction.

HERMAN: Deborah, one more -- important part about Amber Frey's testimony. All those phone calls, you referred to, just don't forget, after Laci was missing, Amber Frey became an agent for the police. She was working for the police. So, these 200 plus phone calls were all by her as an agent for the police coaxing him on.

FRIEDMAN: That's a terrible argument.

HERMAN: That will come out and destroy her on cross-examination.

FEYERICK: Lets talk about, cross-examination, but of another person, that is Lynndie England. There she is, she's talking. Her defense, my boss made me do it, 10 seconds each.

Richard you, good defense, bad defense?

HERMAN: Well, I'll tell you it's -- the pictures that were plastered all over the news media will destroy it. My experience in military tribunals is limited to Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, "Avery you can't handle the truth." Those pictures are going to destroy her. It was politically motivated, and I don't think there's anything anybody can do. But it raises the issue of brutality of the prison system not only in Iraq, but the United States.

FRIEDMAN; Bottom line, Nuremberg defense is the only one she can use. It's not going to work, she will be convicted.

FEYERICK: Two lawyers agreeing, what is the world coming to.

Gentleman, thank you very much.

We'll be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, at the top of this hour, we saw Matthew Chance in Baghdad, eight explosions there.

We go now to him with an update -- Matthew.

CHANCE: Thanks, Deborah.

We understand now those explosions were mortar rounds being fired by insurgents here in Baghdad just a few hundred yards away to a military compound in or near the green zone, which is open to members of the U.S. Military in the area where the mortars exploded. They're saying there's no significant damage and no casualties being reported at the moment. This is the kind of event, though, that is almost or is a daily occurrence here in Baghdad.

Across the country in towns and cities against U.S. and coalition forces as well as against -- as against the Interim Iraqi Government security forces, as well. Obviously, Deborah, it becomes a little more immediate when those explosions are taking place in the immediate area of the location from where we're reporting from.

FEYERICK: Well, Matthew, it looked like those explosions were right over your shoulder. Clearly everyone here worried for you.

Is the fighting, is it simply 24 hours? Is it around the clock they're attacking U.S. troops?

CHANCE: Yes, I mean, it's totally unpredictable. It's not as if it's a constant minute in, minute out, you know, non-stop bombardment of U.S. and Iraqi positions. Certainly not here in Baghdad, although in other parts of the country, in Najaf for instance, we've been seeing this three successive days of very intense fighting, it is like that. Generally, the situation up and down the country is mostly calm for the most part of the day. But then you do have these random attacks that take place at various times in the day or in the night. This is exactly why the Interim Iraqi Government has made this amnesty measure, implemented it, signing it into law today for the period of 30 days to try and get these people, who are carrying out these insurgent attacks to lay down their weapons and come back into civil society.

FEYERICK: OK, Matthew Chance, thank you very much. Stay safe.

Well, there's much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. At the top of the hour, "NEXT@CNN." Today, how technology is giving U.S. athletes an edge at the Olympics. At 4:00, "CNN LIVE SATURDAY" and "DOLLAR SIGNS," tips on how to save money for your college education -- actually make that your kids college education. Experts will answer your phone calls and e-mails. And then at 5:00, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiling Tom Cruise, as his new thriller "Collateral" hits movie screens this weekend.

But first Daniel Seiberg, with a preview of "NEXT@CNN."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired August 7, 2004 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: It's 2:00 p.m. on the East Coast, 11:00 a.m. in the West. I'm Deborah Feyerick at CNN's Global Headquarters in Atlanta.
Ahead this hour, three days and counting, the fighting rages on in Najaf as Iraq's interim leader announces a new amnesty plan.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brian Todd on Capitol Hill where there are 14 police checkpoints as a result of the increase terror alert. There's a visible security presence but it is causing problems for local fire and emergency officials. I'll speak with one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hold the led down here, and hold the head up here. And (UNITELIGIBLE) and it would be all wiggley around, but not on -- I didn't wrestle a team of sheep or anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Well, from wrestling sheep in Alaska to taking on the world's best in Athens, we will introduce you to one unexpected Olympian.

Those stories in a moment, but first, stories now in the news.

Police in Florida are searching for clues in a gruesome killing spree. The bodies of six adults were found yesterday in a rental house in Deltona, near Orlando.

So far, no suspects have been named in the case. A police briefing is expected a short time from now. CNN plans live coverage when it happens.

The Kerry/Edwards campaign train rolls into Colorado. Right now, Senator John Kerry and his running mate, Senator John Edwards are scheduled to attend a rally in southeastern Colorado. Later today, their "Believe in America Tour" takes off for New Mexico. The Democratic team's bus and train tour covers 20 states.

Five people were killed today when two small planes collided in Kinnelon in northern New Jersey. All of the victims were on the two aircrafts. Wreckage landed in a back yard, but there were no injuries reported.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

FEYERICK: It's the third day of battle between U.S. Marines and the Mehdi army in the Najaf region of Iraq. The U.S. military says two marines were killed Friday and it estimated 300 people killed in the last two days. Matthew Chance now has more from Baghdad -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Deborah. And it has been another day of violence here in Iraq, but also a day in which the Iraqi interim government...

(EXPLOSIONS IN BACKGROUND)

...you may have just heard that very loud explosion behind me, the Iraqi interim government is introducing measures to try and take the wind out of the -- as you can hear it, extremely violent insurgency that is ...

(EXPLOSIONS IN BACKGROUND)

...underway here in this country. They've proposed amnesty measure, which could get thousands of people to give up their weapons, stop firing mortars like this, and come into the political fold. Listen to what Iyad Allawi had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IYAD ALLAWI, INTERIM PRIME MINISTER, IRAQ (through translator): This order has been established to allow our citizens to rejoin the civil society and participate in the reconstruction of their country and the improvement of their lives instead of wasting their lives pointlessly toward a lost cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: No question.

Well, that comes as fighting rages across the country. You can hear there is violence here in Baghdad. Also violence raging in Najaf, as well, a lot of anxiety, a lot of bloodshed still being spilt here.

FEYERICK: All right, Matthew, we have a lot of questions, but we are not gong to ask you any, we want you to go and be safe, you and your team. Thank you very much for that report.

Well, a military hearing at Fort Bragg, North Carolina is now in its fifth day. A judge will decide how many defense witnesses should be called to testify on behalf of Private First Class Lunndie England. The defense witness list includes Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. A military investigator says England called the treatment of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib intimidation and humiliation techniques.

Federal officials are looking at putting even tighter security in place in Washington. The D.C. mayor is already worried the higher alert around financial institutions in the city could scare off tourists. The president calls the alert a grim reminder of threats facing the country. Brian Todd is in Washington with all those details.

Brian, what does it look like there?

TODD: Deborah, as you said, we're in day seven of this terror alert. Here on Capitol Hill, what are the practice consequences of it? Well there are 14 checkpoints on Capitol Hill alone, this is one of them. It is a very visible security presence but does cause problems for local officials.

Right now, I am joined by Alan Etter, he is public information officer for the Washington, D.C. Fire and Emergency Service Team.

Alan, thanks for joining us.

ALAN ETTER, PIO, FIRE & EMS SPOKESMAN: Thank you for having me.

TODD: What are some of the problems that the checkpoints on Capitol Hill have caused.

ETTER: Brian, I can't point to one single issue where someone has suffered ill health effects or a fire has raged out of control because of a slow response. I can tell you as Mayor Williams, Congressman Norton, and Senator Strauss has been saying all week, this certainly presents a potential hazard for a slow response here, given any kind of medical or fire emergency here.

TODD: What are the things you're worried about specifically.

ETTER: Well, things that we are worried about is that it is taking longer for fire trucks to get through. They have to stop and be acknowledged. A memo went out to the department, saying that our personnel must stop and be acknowledged by a police officer before they can proceed through here.

What we try and do is we try and give as much notice as possible. Contact capitol police directly and let them know apparatus is on the way. When someone's having a heart attack or someone is having a medical issue, or if there is a fire emergency, there's not always that perfect balance of time that you'd like to have.

So what I'm saying is there hasn't been a big negative effect so far, but certainly there's the potential for that.

TODD: Have Homeland Security officials here, have local police officials here been able to work with you to try to get through some of these problems?

ETTER: The usual process is when a road is subtracted or something changes in our transportation equation, there at least is notification given. The information I have is if there was notification given to the local authorities, it was very minimal in terms of its time frame.

TODD: They say the terror alert will probably be -- may go on as long as through November, the election, maybe even as long as the inauguration. Are you prepared to deal with it for that long? And what are you going to do?

ETTER: Well, we're the Fire and EMS Department. We will deal with whatever issue is put before us. That's traditionally what we do. And we are used to dealing with adverse conditions and situations. And we're going to make it through here. Our bottom line here is that if someone is in need of medical assistance, if someone is in need of fire suppression services, we're going to be there.

TODD: Literally a concern, but Capitol Hill police are working with fire officials and have not commented on some of the complaints here in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Etter, thank you very much for joining us.

ETTER: Thank you, appreciate it.

TODD: As we mentioned, the Homeland Security alert, the increased terror threat level is at orange. Officials say it may extend through the November election, possibly even through the inauguration in January. This is a problem that officials here are dealing with -- Deborah.

FEYERICK: Brian Todd, thanks so much. Lots of uncertainty out there. We thank you.

Well, the terror scares aren't just limited to the nation's capital or its or buildings. Could truck drivers become the newest targets? Coming up at 4 o'clock Eastern, CNN gives you an inside look at new measures being taken to keep our highways safe.

Well, President Bush is taking care of some family affairs this weekend. He's in Kennebunkport, Maine where George P. Bush is getting married today.

In his Weekly Radio Address, the president focused on a key campaign issue, the war on terror. CNN'S Jill Dougherty is with us now from Kennebunkport.

Jill, what was the president saying?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Deborah, he is here. Let us set the stage a little bit. He's here in Kennebunkport, really just touching down briefly for the weekend off the campaign trail and next week back on the campaign trail.

He immediately went out to do a little bit of fishing, and actually with his father and his two daughters. And it ended up that his daughter Jenna was the one who caught the fish, in fact a pretty big fish, 38 inches.

They're here for the weekend for the wedding of the nephew of the president, George P. Bush, the son of Jeb Bush, who is the governor of Florida. The president again off the campaign trail but in his radio address this Saturday talking about the subject that he is constantly talking about right now, on the campaign trail, and in the White House and that is terrorism.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The elevation of the threat level in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. is a grim reminder of the dangers we continue to face.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: A new poll from "TIME" magazine shows that actually the economy is more of a concern for voters than terrorism. This poll showing 27 percent of Americans say that the economy is the most important issue and 18 percent naming the war on terror.

So this week, with that bad news, a weak jobs report, the president found himself defending his role and saying that he is not satisfied either, but that the economy overall is improving -- back to you, Deborah.

FEYERICK: Jill, did he respond at all or did he make any sort of comments, the Democrats, specifically Howard Dean, really coming out and heavily criticizing the president's sort of calling of war and terrorism more as a political move, specifically the terror alerts. Did he himself specifically address that or how did he seem to handle it by the end of the week?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you'd have to say that all the people in the White House, with whom we've spoken, completely deny that this has anything to do with the campaign. They say it is very much a response to real credible terrorist threats.

And you'd have to say that Dean appears to be pretty much alone in some of that criticism, but the White House definitely is saying that they believe that there was a threat, new information that they had gotten and some old information that made them take it very seriously.

FEYERICK: OK. Jill, thanks so much. Enjoy the wedding.

Well, some whistle stops today on the Kerry/Edwards campaign tour. Right now the Democratic presidential nominee and his running mate are at a stop in southeastern Colorado. You can see a live picture there.

Earlier today, in his weekly radio address, Kerry carried his "help is on the way" theme to those who suffer from illnesses that might be improved by stem cell research. He vows to lift a partial ban that President Bush placed on such research three years ago.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: At this very moment, some of the most pioneering cures and treatments are right at our fingertips, but because of the stem cell ban, they remain beyond our reach. This is not the way we do things in America. Here in America, we don't sacrifice science for ideology.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Well, researchers hope to learn to use embryonic stem cells to create tailor-made transplants to treat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases. Because an embryo must be destroyed to harvest the cells, some anti-abortion groups oppose their use.

Party switch in Louisiana, A Blue Dog Democrat will wear a Republican hat from now on. Louisiana Congressman Rodney Alexander made the surprise turn moments before qualifying for the November elections. President Bush called Alexander and welcomed him to the Republican Party. Alexander had registered as a Democrat on Wednesday.

It's been a week filled with campaign stops and a swift vote ad controversy. So did either candidate score points with voters? I'll talk with Political Analyst Ron Brown.

Stopping stalkers on the Internet. Why the Constitution may be throwing up some roadblocks.

And still ahead, it's called Dartfish and some athletes are hoping them it will help them reach their baste in Athens? What is it? And why can't every athlete benefit. We'll explain when CNN returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, you're looking at a live picture in Baghdad. Eight explosions there over the last few minutes. No reported injuries. We have a crew there, reporter Matthew Chance, and we'll bring you the latest as we find out.

As the presidential political campaigns swirl into high gear who is scoring points with voters? Ron Brownstein joins us in Washington. He's a CNN political analyst and a correspondent for the "The Los Angeles Times".

FEYERICK: Hi there, Ron.

Well, first of all, let's talk about what's going on here in terms of who's winning in this big ad war?

RON BROWNSTEIN, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Well, you know, we have seen unprecedented amount of money spent early in this campaign, both campaigns started advertising in March, between them and the affiliated Democratic groups that are supporting John Kerry, they probably passed $200 million already on television at this point in the campaign. And we still have about three more shopping months left before the election.

The fact is what we're learning is it's very difficult to lock in those last undecided voters early on. About 90 percent of the electorate really is firmly in one camp or the other, maybe even a little more. But for that last 7 or 8 or 6 percent that is going to decide this, they are folks who tend to wait and don't pay an enormous amount of attentions to campaigns, who are very heavily influenced by events.

And the paradox is, we have an unprecedented amount of effort and yet we still have this both campaigns hanging on the decisions of a small number of people who probably aren't paying that much attention to that effort.

FEYERICK: Well, Ron, let's talk about that. First of all, that swift boat ad, which was quite negative, there was backlash about that. The Republicans are saying it's not us being negative, it is you being negative. This ad, it comes in the middle of August. Who is watching at all? Is it going to have any sort of impact three months down the road?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, it is certainly being targeted at the places where it could have impacts, states like Ohio and West Virginia, where there are a lot of socially conservative, blue-collar voters that both campaigns are contesting.

You can see the itinerary of the various bus tours that Kerry is on, and where President Bush is campaigning, it's aimed precisely at the right slice of the electorate.

I don't know how much effect it will have. It is an extraordinarily negative ad. It is one of the most vehement ads I've ever seen in terms of the relentlessness of the accusation. Many voters will find it over the top.

We've polled, at "The L.A. Times", on the question of whether Kerry's service in Vietnam makes him well suited to be the commander in chief . We've got about 60 to 35 saying on the positive side, that was before the convention.

I'm not sure this is really going to prove to be a weak point for Senator Kerry.

FEYERICK: Let's talk about these concerts. I'm fascinated by them. Bruce Springsteen leading a movement with other musicians. Is he going to be getting independent voters, voters who are not yet committed? Are all his fans Democrats, or is he going to reach an audience that maybe didn't vote last time, but may vote this time?

BROWNSTEIN: Funny that you mention that. I was able to interview this week Bruce Springsteen and David Matthews, Eddie Veter (ph), many of the artists who are involved in this. What's extraordinary about, first of all, this is it's not simply one or two benefit concerts. What it amounts to is six simultaneous concert tours by some of the big headline acts, through the swing states, in the first week of October. The goals are three-fold. One is obviously to raise money. They are going to raise money for Democratic groups. They are going to help moveon.org, which is the liberal online advocacy group increase its membership, which helps it raise money.

Secondly, I think they are hoping to attract the attention, as you suggest, of voters who don't usually pay attention to politics. One thing celebrities do is in effect widen the broadcast span for a campaign. It attracts news media that don't usually cover politics and it attracts the attention of voters who don't usually follow politics.

And finally, all of these big name artists have said they're going to be doing interviews and local around the tour. When you look at the itinerary, they're not only going to big cities, they're going to some of the smaller mid-size towns, the same places Kerry and Bush were on their bus tours.

They're going to get a lot of attention. So in all of these ways they're hoping to provide a tangible boost to Kerry.

FEYERICK: Quickly and finally, the Democrats, is it fair game for them to go after the president for raising the alerts in New York and Washington, given he is billing himself as a wartime president, as a man who is tough on terror.

BROWNSTEIN: Both sides have to be careful about these accusations. You notice that John Kerry stayed away from what Howard Dean accused the president of. I don't think most Americans, in fact, the "Time" magazine poll today said most Americans do not believe they're manipulating these alerts for political purposes.

Obviously, there is that suspicion on the part of some Democrats.

But the president had a pretty good answer yesterday at that meeting of minority journalists. He said if they didn't tell the public and something happened, what would you be writing then? I think he's got a very fair point.

FEYERICK: Ron Brownstein, as always, great to see you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

FEYERICK: Some stalking victims are finding themselves caught in legal limbo. After the break, why Internet stalking may have constitutional protection and what some advocacy groups are doing about it.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's one called Cialis?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That sleep one I see all the time, Ambian?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: America's growing medical vocabulary. Why some critics of prescription TV ads are now raising a red flag.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: In news across America, a manhunt is underway in Texas for five federal prisoners, including a man believed to be a leader of the Mexican mafia gang. Witnesses say they saw the five crawl under fences at a prison near San Antonio yesterday.

Arizona officials are calling this Phoenix home a house of hazards. Radioactive chemicals and heavy metals were discovered during an estate sale at the property. Officials say the hazardous items could have been left by the home's previous owner, a chemist, who died.

In New Jersey, Coast Guard teams are searching this container ship for possible hazards. The Department of Agriculture received word a container of lemons may contain what was described as a harmful biological substance. Initial tests have come back negative.

In San Francisco, an Italian artist managed to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco with hands and feet tied. Alberto Christini (ph) made the one and a half mile swim in just under two hours.

Attempts are underway to save the lives of 34 beached dolphins on Hutchinson Island, Florida. Beachgoers pushed rough toothed dolphins out to sea yesterday, but they all returned to shore.

We all know stalking is a crime. Try it in the real world, get caught, you'll go to jail. Try it online, you just might get away with it. Victims say they are scared to death as Denise Belgrave reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENNIS BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Internet's not as harmless as you think. Just ask Cynthia Aramstead, who says she's been stalked since 1996 by a convicted felon.

CYNTHIA ARANSTEAD, INTERNET STALKING VICTIM: He sent obscene e- mails to my daughter back when she was four. He put out prostitution ads repeatedly in my name. He has made threats, claiming that he had followed us home, saying things like he knows where Katie goes to school.

BELGRAVE: Aramstead, an Internet technical writer, believes she was singled out in a chatroom because she's a woman. And also because she disagreed with what he had to say. She says her repeated pleas to law enforcement have been for the most part ignored.

ARAMSTEAD: I have approached the FBI, the GBI, police in various counties where I've lived.

BELGRAVE: Experts say identifying cyberstalking isn't that easy. First Amendment freedom of speech rights can muddy the water.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW PROFESSOR: Well, the courts since the history of this nation have always had a balance between the broad notion of expression and speech. And balance that against behavior that hurts other people.

BELGRAVE: Web police and international Internet advocacy groups says incidents of online stalking are exploding.

(on camera): The number of complaints they've received has tripled in the last five years. And they expect this year's numbers to top over 300,000 stalking complaints.

(voice over): In Seattle, Federal Prosecutor Catherine Warma recently won the first stalking conviction on the federal level. She based her argument on the law that makes it a federal crime to use a telecommunications device to send harassing messages across state lines.

CATHERINE WARMA, FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I was aware of the statute and believed there would be a basis for a federal prosecution.

BELGRAVE: Cynthia Aramstead hopes the Seattle conviction will bring her one step closer to her own day in court. Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Getting ready to welcome the world. We'll show you what Greece is doing to secure the safety of the Summer Olympic Games. Kickoff is just days away.

Plus this ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People say you're a wrestler? I think they think we might be kind of like this brutish kind of mannish girl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: An unexpected American Olympian.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Police in Deltona, Florida, are set to hold a news conference this hour on the killing of six people inside the same house. When that news conference happens, we will have it for you live.

Police say it was an especially brutal crime scene but won't discuss a possible motive. The bodies were found after one victim failed to show up for work.

In the news now, Iraq's prime minister says the intense fighting in the city of Najaf can be blamed on those he calls criminals and foreign forces. The U.S. military says at least 300 people have been killed in recent fighting in Najaf; among them, two U.S. Marines.

Iraq's interim government has closed the Baghdad office the Arabic language news network Al Jazeera. That is closed for a month. Officials say the move was made for national security reasons. They accuse Al Jazeera of being a mouthpiece for terrorists and criminal groups. The network calls the closure unwarranted and unjustifiable. Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

Today is the sixth anniversary of a pair of deadly attacks against U.S. interests in Africa. August 7, 1998, car bombs went off outside U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. And 11 people were killed in Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. More than 4,000 people were injured in both blasts. At the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, more than 200 were killed and 12 Americans died in the attacks.

A statement from the U.S. State Department says officials are working relentlessly to indict and prosecute the people responsible for those attacks.

Efforts to strike -- efforts to track al Qaeda terrorist movements shows what could be a dramatic development. An increase in activity in terrorist training camps.

Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, reports on the observations and investigations into what they might mean.

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BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. Defense and intelligence sources tell CNN recent information shows Al- Qaeda activity at locations inside Pakistan may be a sign that terrorist training camps are once again active. That information in part comes from aerial reconnaissance and imagery taken along the southern border with Afghanistan. Sources say the pictures show cars and vehicles in certain areas that the U.S. believes may be training camps.

But more than a month after the information first came to the attention of the Pentagon and the CIA, no one is sure what it all means. Intelligence analysts are trying to determine if indeed, al Qaeda has resumed training.

MATTHEW LEVITT, WASH. INST. FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: The fact that training camps have sprouted up again or to be more accurate, that they're repopulated is a tremendous concern.

STARR: The Bush administration supports recently step up efforts by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's military to shut down Taliban and al Qaeda strong holds along the border with Afghanistan.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: I think it's quite clear the Pakistani government has turned on -- the Taliban, has turned on al Qaeda, it's turned on any idea that they -- people might receive training or support from it, Pakistan.

STARR: U.S. officials say there is no indication this recent al Qaeda activity is tied to the increased terrorist threat warnings in the U.S.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE) FEYERICK: Police in Florida are keeping up their search for the suspects in a gruesome killing spree. The bodies of six adults were found yesterday in a house in Deltona near Orlando. We are told that two people are in custody. They have not been charged.

We go to a police briefing just getting underway.

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FEYERICK: That was Sergeant Bob Kelley, of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office telling everyone that two people are in custody in the grizzly Florida murders. They were picked up this morning. One was arrested on an unrelated warrant. It is not clear though whether they were actually involved in the murders. No charges brought so far. And the sheriff -- the spokesman from the sheriff's office did not mention any motive for these killings. We will be back after this.

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FEYERICK: As the Olympic torch makes its way to Athens, Greece, NATO warships patrol of the coast. The heightened security a legacy of the September 11 terrorist attacks. AWACS will patrol the skies over Greece beginning August 13. A special forces battalion has been assigned to defend against weapons of mass destruction. And 400 NATO commandos are on standby in Germany in case of a major security threat. Greece is spending a record $1.2 billion on security for the summer games.

Well, Athens prepares for a summer tourist rush, less than half the tickets to the Olympic Games have been sold.

Pauline Frommer, executive editor of "Budget Travel Online," has some advice for getting into the events.

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PAULINE FROMMER, "BUDGET TRAVEL ONLINE": The interesting thing is, there are many fewer European Union visitors going to the Olympics. In fact, half, over half of the European Union tickets are unsold. Which means that while it's hard to get tickets from the United States, because each country is allotted a certain amount of tickets and most of the U.S. tickets are now sold out. If you actually go to the games and try and get them on the spot, with the exception of the opening and closing ceremonies, everything, almost everything is open and is available at this very late date.

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FEYERICK: The Summer Games run from August 13th through August 29th.

Some leading Olympic athletes are getting improved results with the help of a high tech device called a Dartfish. Reporter, Donna Tetreault, shows us what it's all about.

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DONNA TETREAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Olympic hopeful Erika Wheeler is training for one of the biggest moments of her life -- a shot at a trip to Athens. But this live long javelin thrower, who tried to qualify in '96, has a little more help this time around thanks to a cutting edge digital video program called, Dartfish.

ERIKA WHEELER, OLYMPIC HOPEFUL: I'm a lot more effective with my training. I do less training. But it's definitely more specific to what I need to accomplish in my technique.

TETREAULT: Dartfish allows athletes to fine tune their training on the spot. Coaches videotape practice and then athletes can review their own performance instantly or the pictures can be superimposed over images of the world's best competitors to see how the athlete stack up.

WHEELER: I walk right over and I can look at, you know, it right after a set, and tell if I'm making the changes I need to do.

VICTOR BERGONZOLI, PRESIDENT, DARTFISH: If you think a javelin thrower, a very, very small difference in the launch angle can mean making it to the trials and/or winning the gold medal at the Olympics, and it's the same at every level in the sport.

TETREAULT (on camera): It's those subtle differences that Wheeler is hoping to correct. So when she leaves the field, her work doesn't have to end. She can go home, pull up the program and look at her technique over and over again. It's a constant reminder of what works and what doesn't.

(voice-over): Akiba McKinney, is also working to get to Athens in the long jump. She's a big believer in Dartfish.

AKIBA MCKINNEY, OLYMPIC HOPEFUL: It allows me to see it rather than him telling me exactly what it is that I'm not doing.

WHEELER: It kind of settles the mind because it says, well, because your right foot landed this way instead of this way. And so it really allows to you put a feeling and you know, a reason behind why something's not going as well as you want it to.

TETREAULT: But the technological advance comes at a cost, and critics say with a price tag of anywhere between just under 500 to nearly $5,000, it's not within reach of amateur athletes. So as long as they can forward it, athletes can add technology to the list of blood, sweat and tears in their quest for success.

Donna Tetreault, for CNN, Los Angeles.

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FEYERICK: I think I need one of those. Well, more great science and technology stories coming up at the top of the hour on "NEXT@CNN."

There are thousands of Olympic dreams among the athletes competing this month in Athens. Among them is the dream of victory for Tela O'Donnell, a wrestler on the first woman's team to compete at the Olympics.

CNN's Jason Bellini has her story.

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JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tela O'Donnell is pure sweetness and might.

TELA O'DONNELL, U.S. OLYMPIC WRESTLER: When people first meet you, "you're a wrestler?" I think they think that wrestlers might be kind like this brutish kind of mannish girl.

BELLINI: Around O'Donnell, training camp feels more like a pajama party. On the mat most wrestlers scowl, O'Donnell smiles. O'Donnell was born and raised in Homer, Alaska, the singer Jewel was her baby-sitter.

O'DONNELL: And Jewel made me this swing one time from this tree. It was really cool. And it swung out over it and I played in it a lot.

BELLINI: She learned her first wrestling moves sheering sheep.

O'DONNELL: I didn't wrestle a team of sheep or anything.

BELLINI: O'Donnell's mother, Claire, moved to Alaska while she was pregnant with Tela. She gave up her career as a mime in Chicago to offer her daughter the simple life.

O'DONNELL: My mom built our house. It's a log cabin. And there's -- she cut down the trees.

BELLINI: While still pregnant, Claire, wore a pillow to cut down the noise of the chainsaw. In high school, Tela, got tired of playing football with the boys, she preferred to wrestle them. During the Olympic trials, the women didn't see her coming. No one expected her to take one of the four slots on the Olympic team.

(on camera): Tela O'Donnell, is consider the rookie on the team. She's never competed in a major international tournament. The Olympics will be her first.

(voice-over): No one knows what to expect when she goes up against the renowned Chinese and Russian wrestlers. Her teammates are more concerned about her outside the ring.

SARA MCMANN, U.S. OLYMPIC WRESTLER: She has a heart of gold, and we don't want anybody to like taint that. So, if anybody like tries to be mean to her, do anything like raw, like -- we're on them like wild dogs. Don't you hurt our Tela.

O'DONNELL: I'm really emotional. But I'm happy most of the time, like often. I'm emotional. I'm like any other girl.

BELLINI: Like any girl who's sweet on the outside, but drops, pounces and pins for the fun of it.

Jason Bellini, CNN, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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FEYERICK: The case against Kobe Bryant another athlete enters shaky waters. I'll talk with legal experts why the accuser may be having second thoughts and what means for the case.

And still to come, using music to influence your vote. Can it work?

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FEYERICK: Time for our legal round table. On the docket today, Kobe Bryant's accuser weighs the future of her case against the basketball star.

A surprise development in the Scott Peterson murder trial as his lover Amber Frey prepares to take the stand.

And intimidation and humiliation in the case of U.S. Army Private Lynndie England.

With us here in Atlanta is Avery Friedman, a law professor and civil rights attorney.

And in New York, criminal defense attorney Richard Herman.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: How are you Deborah?

FEYERICK: Avery, let's start with you. The woman in Kobe Bryant is possibly thinking about just walking away from this case. What does that mean.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: She didn't have a choice. Can you imagine the clerk's office in Eagle Country, not once, twice, three times releasing confidential information. Having gone through this and having gone through that, she is completely impacted negatively.

So, what's happening right now, this is my opinion, is right now and this trial is about a week away, the civil lawyers for Kobe and the civil lawyers for the victim are talking. I predict that you're going to see a confidential civil settlement. No one's going to know the detail. She's leaving, the District Attorney will dismiss the charges.

FEYERICK: Well, Richard, let me ask you about this.

So, what does that mean for civil case?

I mean, this woman walks away from a criminal case and then all of a sudden goes after Kobe Bryant and makes some sort of a financial deal with him. Looks like a payoff. HERMAN: That's exactly what it is. It truly reveals her motivation. You know, this criminal case is seeking 20 years to life for Kobe Bryant. And for her to decide she doesn't want to get humiliated any further, I mean, she's looking to put this guy away for 20 years to life. She would be humiliated because of the fact that the DNA expert is going to say she had sex within hours of the alleged incident with Kobe Bryant. That's going to be humiliating. The fact that...

Richard, a lot of people think -- Richard, a lot of people -- and Avery, a lot of people think that is fair game. That it is absolutely appropriate to bring in a woman's sexual history, if in fact, there was another sex act which could have acted her body in some way soon after her intimacy with Kobe Bryant.

FRIEDMAN: Well, Deborah, as a general rule, the sexual history of a victim should not be introduced. The exception is that if it's relative to the time, that's what's going on here. The difficulty here, is that we're getting down to crunch time. In fact, you know who's been subpoenaed, Shaq O'Neal and a waitress in Florida, who Shaq saw being aggressively pursued by Kobe. So as the closer we get to this trial date, the closer there's a likelihood that this thing is going away.

I disagree with Richard, because this woman isn't in it for the money. She stood up to fight back against this sexual abuse.

HERMAN: Than she should go to trial. She should go to trial and take the cross-examination.

FRIEDMAN: When the clerk's office abuses her just like the defendant.

HERMAN: It's going to come out during the course of the trial anyway.

FRIEDMAN: That's absolutely, not true. She didn't have a chance. The system and a guy with a lot of money picked on her, that's what happened to her.

HERMAN: She didn't have a chance, because she's looking for money, she's got no case. That's why she doesn't have a chance.

FRIEDMAN: Not true.

FEYERICK: Well, also, what about the woman in Florida?

I mean, what is her role. Clearly the allegations that she was groped, not exactly goes to the same level as what this woman has accuse Kobe Bryant of.

FRIEDMAN: It goes to the issue of the behavior, the propensity of the defendant to engage in sexually aggressive behavior with young woman. Now, whether or not that ultimately gets in, you know, no one really knows. It might, and that's something that Kobe cannot take a chance of doing. And that also, gives him impetus to see if it can be resolved civilly, get rid of the criminal case.

FEYERICK: OK, Scott Peterson. Richard, were going to first question to you, that is, what kind of evidence do you think Mark Geragos has hinted at that could possibly toss this case.

HERMAN: Well, nobody really knows what it is. It's pure conjecture right to you. It's been discussion that it may be a piece of duct tape with a fingerprint or maybe some form of evidence to show that Laci Peterson came to full term with that baby. But whatever it is, this jury has gone home on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, no trial. Again, probably thinking, unless they watch Larry King, that the prosecution did something wrong again. It's just one more devastation for this amateur hour prosecution. The Rocha family deserve more and there's no way this Amber Frey and her mouthpiece Gloria "Allwrong" are going to make any impact on this case, Deborah. They're going to get destroyed. There is no case against Scott Peterson.

FEYERICK: Victims -- and Avery, let me ask you this question. Victims, you know -- I'm sorry the jury will look at Amber Frey and see a woman who is likely to testify, that even after Scott Peterson's wife went missing, that he continued to call her, not once, not twice, but over and over and over and over again. And that's going to stick in the minds of the jury.

FRIEDMAN: It's going to show he was a fill philanderer, but more importantly from the legal perspective, Deborah, it's going to show credibility issues. And -- I really don't agree in full with what Richard is saying. One thing he did get right here, is that there is been a tremendous amount of mistakes, both by the prosecution and lying police officers. But under the mentality. When you find a body 80 miles from the site and find her husband fishing in the area, let me tell you something, despite the screw ups by the prosecution, I still think they're going to get this conviction.

HERMAN: Deborah, one more -- important part about Amber Frey's testimony. All those phone calls, you referred to, just don't forget, after Laci was missing, Amber Frey became an agent for the police. She was working for the police. So, these 200 plus phone calls were all by her as an agent for the police coaxing him on.

FRIEDMAN: That's a terrible argument.

HERMAN: That will come out and destroy her on cross-examination.

FEYERICK: Lets talk about, cross-examination, but of another person, that is Lynndie England. There she is, she's talking. Her defense, my boss made me do it, 10 seconds each.

Richard you, good defense, bad defense?

HERMAN: Well, I'll tell you it's -- the pictures that were plastered all over the news media will destroy it. My experience in military tribunals is limited to Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, "Avery you can't handle the truth." Those pictures are going to destroy her. It was politically motivated, and I don't think there's anything anybody can do. But it raises the issue of brutality of the prison system not only in Iraq, but the United States.

FRIEDMAN; Bottom line, Nuremberg defense is the only one she can use. It's not going to work, she will be convicted.

FEYERICK: Two lawyers agreeing, what is the world coming to.

Gentleman, thank you very much.

We'll be right back after this.

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FEYERICK: Well, at the top of this hour, we saw Matthew Chance in Baghdad, eight explosions there.

We go now to him with an update -- Matthew.

CHANCE: Thanks, Deborah.

We understand now those explosions were mortar rounds being fired by insurgents here in Baghdad just a few hundred yards away to a military compound in or near the green zone, which is open to members of the U.S. Military in the area where the mortars exploded. They're saying there's no significant damage and no casualties being reported at the moment. This is the kind of event, though, that is almost or is a daily occurrence here in Baghdad.

Across the country in towns and cities against U.S. and coalition forces as well as against -- as against the Interim Iraqi Government security forces, as well. Obviously, Deborah, it becomes a little more immediate when those explosions are taking place in the immediate area of the location from where we're reporting from.

FEYERICK: Well, Matthew, it looked like those explosions were right over your shoulder. Clearly everyone here worried for you.

Is the fighting, is it simply 24 hours? Is it around the clock they're attacking U.S. troops?

CHANCE: Yes, I mean, it's totally unpredictable. It's not as if it's a constant minute in, minute out, you know, non-stop bombardment of U.S. and Iraqi positions. Certainly not here in Baghdad, although in other parts of the country, in Najaf for instance, we've been seeing this three successive days of very intense fighting, it is like that. Generally, the situation up and down the country is mostly calm for the most part of the day. But then you do have these random attacks that take place at various times in the day or in the night. This is exactly why the Interim Iraqi Government has made this amnesty measure, implemented it, signing it into law today for the period of 30 days to try and get these people, who are carrying out these insurgent attacks to lay down their weapons and come back into civil society.

FEYERICK: OK, Matthew Chance, thank you very much. Stay safe.

Well, there's much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. At the top of the hour, "NEXT@CNN." Today, how technology is giving U.S. athletes an edge at the Olympics. At 4:00, "CNN LIVE SATURDAY" and "DOLLAR SIGNS," tips on how to save money for your college education -- actually make that your kids college education. Experts will answer your phone calls and e-mails. And then at 5:00, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiling Tom Cruise, as his new thriller "Collateral" hits movie screens this weekend.

But first Daniel Seiberg, with a preview of "NEXT@CNN."

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