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CNN Live Saturday
Women Fired Over Monitored E-Mail; Freddy Adu Interviewed in "Novak Zone"
Aired May 14, 2005 - 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 2:00 on the east coast, 10:00 a.m. in Iraq where a major U.S. military offensive had ended. Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta.
Ahead this hour, an unmanned drone is put to work to take out an al Qaeda operative. Why could the CIA's action cause trouble for a U.S. ally? We'll have a live report from the Pentagon.
Hundreds are dead and thousands more are fleeing for the border. We'll have the latest on the civil rest inside a key Asian ally in the U.S. war on terror.
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had written an e-mail to a co-worker complaining about my boss and complaining about his behavior. And within a week of that e-mail I was fired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: How companies use technology to monitor their workers. Those stories in a moment, but first, a look at the headlines.
Prosecute and punish, that's what Afghan president Hamid Karzai is urging, as anti-American protests enter a fifth day. Karzai wants action against anyone found guilty of desecrating the Koran. The U.S. is investigating allegations that Korans were placed in toilets at its detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The pilot who caused this week's scare in the nation's capital could expect serious penalties. An FAA spokesman said enforcement won't be light against the pilot who strayed into restricted Washington airspace. The pilot could lose his license as a result of the investigation.
An update on a story we told you earlier in the week. A 16- month-old boy is safe. He had been reported missing after his mother was found dead. The FBI says Justin Black is in the custody of New Mexico authorities. A search is under way for the boy's stepfather. Topping the hour, a major development in the war on terror. A key al Qaeda operative has been killed by a missile fired from a CIA- operated Predator drone. That word from "knowledgeable sources." CNN's Kathleen Koch is keeping track of the story from the Pentagon. Kathleen?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it happened earlier this week in Pakistan, somewhere near the Afghan border. The knowledgeable sources tell CNN that Haitham al Yemeni -- he's a bombmaker for al Qaeda -- was struck and killed by a hell-fire missile fired by a predator drone high in the skies over that border area.
U.S. authorities had been tracking al Yemeni for some time in hopes he would lead them perhaps to Osama bin Laden or other high- level al Qaeda leaders. It was thought that al Yemeni might actually be in line to replace Abu Faraj al Libbi, al Qaeda's number-three man. He was captured by Pakistan authorities last week in the city of Mardon (ph). Still, though, some doubt whether al Yemeni's killing will actually prove to be a major setback for al Qaeda.
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KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTEL. ANALYST: This killing, if it occurred the way it's being described, it does not have a tactical significance but it has a psychological significance because it makes these terrorists know that the United States is going to bring retribution. They're going to hunt them down and attempt to capture or kill them wherever they are. But it's not significant in terms of stopping the fight, because what we're fighting is not individuals. It's not even al Qaeda. It's an ideology, and that ideology has now spread to about 60 countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Meanwhile, Pakistan authorities -- Pakistani authorities -- are denying the attack actually took place on their soil. President Pervez Musharraf is under fire at home for helping the U.S. in the war on terror. There is also some debate over just how significant a target al Yemeni was, because Fredricka, his name was not even on FBI's most wanted terrorist list.
WHITFIELD: Well, Kathleen, if Pakistan is disputing whether this took place on their soil, what is the procedure? Would the CIA have to notify Pakistan or even Afghan authorities to let them know they're about to fire this missile?
KOCH: Well, Fredricka, the CIA asserts the right to attack top al Qaeda leaders in the world wherever they find them, though, at least the last time that something like this occurred, back in 2002, when again a Predator drone was used to attack an al Qaeda leader who was in a car in Yemen, Yemeni authorities were notified in advance. They were aware of the attack, gave their approval. So, again, it would be unusual in this case for the same thing not to have happened with regards to Pakistani authorities.
WHITFIELD: All right, Kathleen Koch from the Pentagon. Thanks so much.
In the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, thousands of people are fleeing for the border as the unrest there continues. Hundreds of people reportedly were killed by government troops during an anti- government protest in the eastern city of Andijan, and the violence goes on. An update now from CNN's Mike Yardley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE YARDLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Information out of the central Asian state of Uzbekistan is sketchy, since journalists, including one working for CNN were escorted from the eastern city of Andijan by police on Saturday. But InterFax quotes human rights monitors in the country who say hundreds people are dead after government soldiers opened fire in a central square where thousands of protesters had gathered on Friday. Some 3,500 people have reportedly fled Andijan, gathering at the Kyrgyzstan border which was opened to them. Neighboring Kyrgyzstan was the scene of a revolution just two months ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are, at present, 528 refugees who crossed the border in Jalalabad. They are being taken care by the government. Checked at the cross point. According to, also, government information, there is some 3,000 people waiting to cross the border from the Uzbek side to Kyrgyzstan.
YARDLEY: The violence in Andijan began when a local prison was stormed and hundreds of prisoners were reportedly freed. Tensions had been building in the city over the trial of 23 Muslims charged with religious extremism. Supporters of the accused contend the charges were made up. Uzbek president Islam Karimov describes the demonstrators as criminals and extremists. He issued a statement blaming the violence on an Islamic radical group. Mr. Karimov says their goal is to establish an Islamic state and destroy the current constitutional system.
The former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan borders Afghanistan. It offered the United States use of a military air base after the 9/11 terror attacks and has become an ally in Washington's war on terror.
Mike Yardley, CNN Center.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: An update now on the situation inside Iraq. The transitional prime minister extended the country's state of emergency for another 30 days because of continuing violence. Nine people, several of them police officers, died in three separate incidents in Baghdad. Police convoys apparently were the focus of two of those attacks. The U.S. military says Operation Matador has been successfully completed. The offensive targeted militants and their supporters in western Anbar province. Also, the military confirmed the deaths of four U.S. Marines in the operation, killed when their vehicle hit a land mine.
The Operation Matador offensive was designed to inflict a heavy toll on insurgents. But it has also had a major impact on the Americans involved in the attacks. CNN's Tom Foreman explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In every town on every street, at fire stations, schools, stores, the people of Ohio wait for news of their sons and daughters on the front lines of the latest assault in Iraq. Wesley Davids' parents got the visit everyone dreads.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was making dinner, and...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, so, one minute you have a normal life with dinner cooking, and the next minute, everything changes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We regret to inform you...
FOREMAN: Their son died one day past his 20th birthday. His friend and fellow soldier Dustin Durga (ph) died on Mother's Day. Dustin's lifelong buddy and fellow firefighter Chris Smith is still in shock.
CHRIS SMITH, CPL. WESLEY DAVID'S FRIEND: He's always so upbeat. It was just unreal. You know, he'd always make you laugh.
FOREMAN: What did you think when you heard the news?
SMITH: As you can imagine, I was just devastated. It -- I was just speechless.
FOREMAN: Back in January, 150 Marine reservists shipped out of Ohio in what was known as Lucky Lima Company, but in Iraq, the luck has been bad. Many are in the middle of Operation Matador and casualties are reportedly very high. A "Washington Post" reporter embedded with Dustin's unit says every person in the squad of 21 has been hit, at least six killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last time I saw him, he was here and dressed in uniform.
FOREMAN: So, flags are lowered at Dustin's high school. Fears are raised.
KEN SCHNEIDER, HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER: This is the first one that has really hit home, and I think it makes it real all of a sudden.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, how are you doing?
FOREMAN: An informal network has emerged among Ohio's military families and friends. Chris Smith is working the phone too, calling in memories of Dustin.
SMITH: You know, I still have some voice mails on my phone that he's left.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just got a chance to call. I don't think I will for a while. Probably won't be getting to use these phones very much because I'm not going to be staying where I am. We're going to a place that won't have this stuff.
FOREMAN: Most days, many here say they live their lives unaware of what is going on in Iraq. But not this group.
SMITH: He won't be forgotten around here that's for sure. You know? So he died a hero, that's for sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he was so patriotic.
FOREMAN: Many Ohioans are proud and scared and praying about a distant war that is suddenly so close to home.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Pickerington, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Using words sure to raise the temperature of the immigration debate, Mexican President Vicente Fox defended the role of undocumented workers. Fox was speaking to a group of Texas business people meeting in Mexico when he used some racially charged language.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. VICENTE FOX, MEXICO (through translator): There's no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness, and ability to work, are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The U.S. State Department issued a statement saying only, quote, "That level of dialogue doesn't merit comment. President Bush's commitment to immigration reform that is rational, legal, common sense, decent and compassionate is well-documented," end quote.
The Pentagon's plan to shut down dozens of military facilities in the U.S. leaves thousands of Americans wondering if they'll be hitting the unemployment lines, but the closing of a base doesn't have to mean the death of the community. That story straight ahead.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flies can locate decomposing remains up to three miles away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: How investigators are combing nature and technology to catch the bad guys.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: In murder investigations determining when the victim died can play a major role in solving the crime. CNN's senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us to a world-famous research center in Knoxville, Tennessee, where experts are involved in a unique project, and a word of caution you may find some of the images disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Razor wire. Two locked gates. About 100 corpses. This is the University of Tennessee's Research Center, known as the body farm. It's the only place in the world devoted to studying human decay. Donated bodies are wrapped in plastic, laid on the earth, put under concrete, and buried in shallow graves.
Arpad Vass has been studying human decomposition for 16 years. He's on a mission to help law enforcement pinpoint time since death.
DR. ARPAD VASS, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE: Decomposition can be used to answer four of the five W's that need to be answered at a crime scene. That is who, what, when, where and why. The only thing decomposition can't help answer is why.
GUPTA: Vass, who used to place the bodies face down so he didn't have to see the faces, now sees more than just a cadaver. Now, the bacteria and enzymes in the cells talk to him and help him give the dead a voice.
VASS: We can still determine how long this person has been dead, up to about plus or minus a week, based on just looking at this material right here.
GUPTA: He has also studied the chemicals emitted by the body, and has used in-grave dental cameras to document how the body decomposes.
Back in the lab, Vass brain-storms novel ways to help police find a body.
VASS: Flies can locate decomposing remains for up to three miles away.
GUPTA: Cue the fly on a leash, attaching a tiny transmitter to a flesh-eating fly, and letting it free. Inspired by crop dusters, police may one day spray a field with chemicals to make the soil glow above a hidden grave.
VASS: It's a 100-acre field, a huge search area. And we know from the research we have done that these bodies will have volatile compounds from the decompositional process come up through the soil into the surface.
GUPTA: Vass and research scientist Rob Smith are also creating an electronic nose to sniff out the dead by tracking the odors a decaying body creates.
What would such a corpse sniffer look like? ROB SMITH, RESEARCH SCIENTIST: Perhaps have a snout that would extend, that you could search close to the ground, which is where a not of the heavy vapors settle.
GUPTA: While dreaming up new ways to help police, Vass dreams of a day when they can find a body almost instantly, keeping evidence intact and speeding up the time it takes to track a killer.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And this programming note -- you'll want to tune into CNN all week starting tomorrow for crime week. A series of prime time reports. It kicks off tomorrow night with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Prime time special "Anatomy of Murder: Crime Scene Investigation" beginning at 10:00 Eastern.
Teaching communities how to survive a major military base closing. That story's straight ahead.
And still ahead, in defense of a pop star, did Michael Jackson's witnesses this week weaken the prosecution's accusations? Our legal panel will square off at bottom of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Communities around the country are reacting to news that the base closing list released by the Pentagon, major military base would be mothballed 33 in all. The plan also calls for reductions of forces at another 29 bases. Thousands could find themselves without jobs. And that has members of Congress ready to go to battle to keep their bases in tact.
Here's CNN's Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Armed Service Honor Guard fanned out across Capitol Hill delivering the news. For many, it was bad.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: We are not going to let this recommendation stand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today the Pentagon made a substantial national security mistake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today's Friday the 13th. And that's not a good day.
JOHNS: Many of the most affected members of Congress were already in their home states doing damage control.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: The fact is that this plan put forth by the Pentagon makes absolutely no sense at all. JOHNS: Among the hardest hit states, Maine, Mississippi, Connecticut, and South Dakota. Political clout was no shield.
Former Republican Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott took a hit. The Pentagon recommended closing the Pascagoula Naval Station in Mississippi.
Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota, who beat Democratic leader Tom Daschle in last year's election, campaigned, saying his ties to President Bush might help save Ellsworth Air Force Base. He will now have to campaign to keep it open.
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R), SOUTH DAKOTA: We can't blow happy smoke about this. This is an uphill fight once you make it on the list.
JOHNS: Even senators from states that got off lightly found something to criticize. Texas actually increases overall number of military personnel, but the installation slated for closure included one that has been busy installing much-needed armor on Humvees destined for Iraq.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: Well that doesn't make sense obviously. It's -- the military value of up-armored Humvees is high.
JOHNS: The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, California Representative Duncan Hunter, said the states have the right to appeal to the base closing commission.
REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), CHAIRMAN, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Nobody has 100 percent record of winning these things. So you win some, you lose some.
JOHNS (on camera): The Base Closing Commission now begins a series of field hearings and visits to effected installations. It will present it's final report to the president in September. Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, people in some of the smaller communities near the military facilities worry they could lose their economic lifeblood.
Thomas Markham, president of the Association of Defense Communities joins us from New York for more on what's ahead. Good to see you.
THOMAS MARKHAM, ASSN. OF DEFENSE COMMUNITIES: Good afternoon.
WHITFIELD: All right, well if your city or base is on the list, what's the likelihood that it will be reassembled or eliminated altogether.
MARKHAM: I'm not sure anybody knows with this round. But the history of the first four rounds of closures, only about 10 percent got off the list. WHITFIELD: All right. So how does your organization help these communities that are seeing these military bases on the list.
MARKHAM: Many members of our organization have experienced the last four rounds of closures. The challenges of economic recovery. And while it is obviously very normal and understandable that the communities and the states will be seeking relief from this, we encourage the communities to go ahead and plan for life after closure, because I think we can show them with the 97 major closures before this, that there is life after closure.
WHITFIELD: So, how does the community go about looking at life after closure? What do you tell them to look for?
MARKHAM: Well, the first thing is, they've got to really decide how they can recover economically. Because the economic impact of these closures is usually significant, very significant. Often the base is the major economic engine within that community. So they have to look at things like location and their local market and different opportunities to be very aggressive and be very entrepreneurial.
WHITFIELD: It's really different if you're in a metropolitan area vs. a rural area, though, right?
MARKHAM: It is indeed.
WHITFIELD: So, how realistic is it for a rural area to see that there really is a potentially strong life after potential closure? Because the metropolitan area, it seems like they would bounce back rather readily.
MARKHAM: I think it is more difficult for the rural areas. But one of the things we have talked it our membership about is that once the commission goes through this process, once it is sent to the president and approved by Congress, the bases that are on the closure list have no choice but to work very diligently toward economic recovery. But it is more difficult in the rural areas.
WHITFIELD: And some communities have experienced -- a reuse of the facility has been successful. Is every city that may be on this list a candidate for looking at these properties, of reuse value.
MARKHAM: Most definitely.
WHITFIELD: In what way?
MARKHAM: Well, I think again, lessons learned would be an appropriate way to look at this. Because there were 97 major closures in the other four rounds. So that's a combination of rural -- It's a combination of rural and urban bases, and I think there's lessons to be learned from all of them.
WHITFIELD: Thomas Markham, of Association of Defense Communities, thanks so much for joining us.
MARKHAM: Thank you for having me. WHITFIELD: Well, it was a star-studded week in the Michael Jackson sexual abuse trial. From a former child star to the entertainer's former lawyer, witnesses took the stand to defend Michael Jackson. Did it work with the jury? Our legal experts will debate the case coming up next.
Also...
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You gossip about somebody via e-mail, there's a written record of it and it could come back to haunt you and your employer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well, the lengths businesses could go to monitor your E-mail activity while at work.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Our top stories now, U.S. Marines in Iraq say they've successfully completed "Operation Matador," the week-long hunt for insurgents took place along the Syrian border. Nine Marines and more than 125 insurgents were killed in the operation. Iraq's foreign minister, will talk about the battle against insurgents in his country on CNN's "LATE EDITION" with Wolf Blitzer. That's coming up tomorrow at noon Eastern.
Violence in Uzbekistan, has sent thousands of refugees fleeing for border. Human Rights Monitor say hundreds of people were killed by government soldiers in the wake of yesterday's anti-government protest in the city of Andijan. The U.S. embassy is urging American citizens there to stay off of the streets.
On the medical front, new research shows cholesterol-lowering drug, known as statins can prevent breast cancer. Previous studies have shown statins are effective in battling other types of cancer as well, and the widely-used drugs also help prevent heart disease.
Well, if you've got something negative to say about your boss, you shouldn't use the company E-mail to make your point. Many companies not only have strict rules about E-mail, they actually monitor many of the messages that that their workers are sending.
Daniel Sieberg talks to one woman who lost her job in part over what she wrote to her boss.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURA, FIRED OVER E-MAIL: I had written an e-mail a co-worker complaining about my boss. Complaining about his behavior. And within a week of that e-mail I was fired.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This woman asked that we only identify her as Laura. She's afraid of what this impulsive e-mail would do to future employment prospects.
LAURA: I had said that the boss was a jerk. He had been acting -- a bit arrogant and pompous with me all week.
SIEBERG: An official with her former employer says Laura was let go for a number of personnel reasons. And that derogatory comments in her e-mail were a factor. This official also says the company informs all employees that their e-mail is monitored.
(on camera): Did you than your e-mail was being monitored?
LAURA: No, I had no idea.
SIEBERG: How did you feel whether you found out?
LAURA: I felt a bit violated, frankly. Because I felt that we were allowed through the company's own policy, we were allowed to have so much personal E-mail per day.
SIEBERG: Laura isn't alone. Only 50 percent of respondents in a recent survey from the ePolicy Institute, say their organizations train on E-mail policies. The same survey finds that nearly 80 percent of companies have E-mail policies and that one in four has fired employees for violations.
NANCY FLYNN, EPOLICY INSTITUTE: Most employees tend to think my E-mail is my business. My employer has no right to read my E-mail messages, particularly if it's a message to a friend or a family member. But in reality, here in the U.S., the federal government gives employers the right to monitor all employee e-mail, instant messaging, and Internet activity.
SIEBERG: Thousands of e-mail messages fly in and out of companies all day long. And while it's impossible for the boss to literally look over your shoulder, businesses are turning to technology. Computers that can read every word of every e-mail. And raise red flags.
PAUL JUDGE, CTO, CIPHERTRUST: We've taken the approach of having machines in algorithms that can go out and understand, what's the vocabulary of normal, legitimate business e-mail? What are the anomalies to that? What are the vocabulary used in jokes or used in chain letters?
SIEBERG: Cipertrust helps companies sort through the flood of E- mail. Running every message through a series of filters, looking for key words. Some of them are so offensive, we can't show them to you. The company can then decide whether to respond or let it go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen many that set up a rule that says, notify human resources, or notify the legal department. Or in our organization that sets up a rule, just block that message. Do not let it go out of the network.
SIEBERG: And while it might not get out, it could well come back. Most employees don't realize e-mail is forever. FLYNN: What everybody needs to be aware of is that E-mail and instant messaging create written records. It's not the same as standing around the water cooler gossiping about somebody. You've gossip about somebody via e-mail there is a written record of it and it could come back to haunt you and your employer.
SIEBERG: For Laura, the experience left her angry and frustrated. But right now, at least she doesn't have to worry about her E-mail. She is currently self-employed.
Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The Michael Jackson defense team called in some star- studded witnesses. Did it help? We'll find out next. And this...
ROBERT NOVAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in the Novak Zone, I'm at RFK Stadium with Freddy Ado, the 15-year-old star of the D.C. United soccer team.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The man who once defended Michael Jackson in the current child molestation case is forced it take the stand. High- profile attorney Mark Geragos testified under cross-examination that Jackson had admitted to sleeping in bed with the accuser. Geragos also testified that Jackson told him nothing sexual happened. And that if anyone spent the night in his room it was unconditional love. We'll hear more from Geragos when he returns to the stand next week.
Well, the Michael Jackson trial is the focus of today's legal roundtable, and we're joined by civil rights attorney, and law professor, Avery Friedman in Cleveland. Hello to you.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Fredricka, hello.
WHITFIELD: And New York defense criminal attorney, Richard Herman, who is this time in Ft. Lauderdale. Good to see you.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Avery, let me begin with you.
How unusual is this to have a former attorney taking the stand in your defense?
FRIEDMAN: Very unusual. In fact what was interesting is Judge Melville got a little bit angry because there wasn't a waiver of the lawyer/client privilege. So it created some problems. But as a general rule you usually don't have an advocate taking the stand as a witness. Very unusual.
WHITFIELD: Point that Geragos was helping to make was this conspiracy theory as well, right? Did he help solidify that? FRIEDMAN: I'm not really sure, Fredricka, because what he was talking about was efforts as the lawyer to conduct an investigation. He was concerned about the accusers and whether they were involved in the scam. But the fact is that part of the testimony that got in was that Michael Jackson indeed is sleeping with young boys. And even though his client well, look, it's unconditional love, which I don't even know what that means. The fact is that evidence got in that Michael is sleeping with young boys and that's something that reverberates with the jury.
WHITFIELD: All right.
HERMAN: Well, Fredricka...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HERMAN: Yes, it's important here because the attorney/client privilege waiver was a partial waiver that Mesereau neglected to tell the judge, and the judge got very upset at Mesereau. And on Monday or Tuesday when they argue this out with brief and motions it may be very well that Geragos' testimony get struck. I mean, struck, if they don't let him go forward, because he did not answer a lot of questions.
WHITFIELD: Well, Richard -- OK, go ahead.
HERMAN: One of the main things -- one of the main things that Geragos brought out was that it was his idea. It was his direction to have a private investigating team investigate the accuser's family. And that's why people were following them around and that's would go with the testimony of the accuser that they were being followed. They were, but it was because of Geragos, not Michael Jackson.
WHITFIELD: Now there's another former attorney. David LaGrand who apparently also being asked to testify. Not only do you have one former attorney who's testifying for the defense, but now a seconds one. Richard, what's this all about.
HERMAN: It's unheard of. Again I think the defense is trying to show that when these attorneys fresh faces came on the scene, their immediate reaction was to try to protect Michael, because he was surrounded by so many people that were looking to benefit off him financially.
FRIEDMAN: That's right.
HERMAN: And all -- both of these attorney, both Geragos and this LaGrand immediately tried to get rid of people. Tried to investigate people and try to protect Michael. And I think that's the theme.
WHITFIELD: All right. Now let's talk about some of these star witnesses, that of Macaulay Culkin. That was kind of the big witness coming out in the defense of Michael Jackson. That, yes, I did sleep in Michael Jackson's bed, but nothing inappropriate. Nothing sexual ever happened. That was Macaulay Culkin's intention. So, Avery, how mesmerized possibly might the jurors that Macaulay Culkin, big star comes out and says, there was nothing unusual about this, not at Neverland at least.
FRIEDMAN: Yes, actually, you nailed what the issue is. Macaulay Culkin is testifying because he's a movie star. He really had nothing to say other than the fact that look, I slept in his bed, and I wasn't molested. In fact, the prosecution should have just left it alone because it was piling up evidence that all of these young boys are sleeping with Michael, but what happened is that the prosecutor instead of leaving well enough alone decided to say, well, isn't it possible that you were molested while you were sleeping? What an incredibly stupid question to ask. They should have left it alone.
WHITFIELD: All right, Richard.
HERMAN: You know, Avery with all due respect, Macaulay Culkin was a grand slam for the defense. Because if you recall, one of the chefs came in and testified under the 1108 theory that he actually saw Michael molesting Macaulay Culkin. And now, Macaulay Culkin himself walks into the court room and looks at the jury and says, absolutely not. Nothing inappropriate ever happened between me and Michael Jackson.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
HERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) great for the defense.
FRIEDMAN: After that he then --- he couldn't remember anything. He was -- he was very...
HERMAN: That's all he had to remember, that was the whole thing. That's all he had to remember.
WHITFIELD: So, gentlemen, what does this say about the prosecution who says, OK, well, you've got these folks who are acknowledging that there was the sleeping in the bed with Michael Jackson. Perhaps that nothing happened at that moment, but this might be, "grooming." Grooming for molestation.
Avery, what does that mean?
And is that enough in this court when the objective is to say that he actually molested a child, not that he may have been grooming for molestation?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, yes. This is a term that the prosecution came up with. That if you get the kids in bed, that means you're setting them up and making them feel confident that everything's going to be OK and then you pounce on them. I'm not really sure where that part of the testimony is going, but the fact is, you've got to introduce it, because remember Judge Melville permitted other acts in. There other children or people who said that when they were children, they were molested. So what the defense is doing right now, they're just saying, we're going to forget about this grooming theory. We're just going to say, these are the kids that slept there, they're now young adults. They said it never happened. And it is powerful evidence.
WHITFIELD: And Richard, I'll let you respond to that. But I also want to ask you, Richard, but -- the defense is trying to picture that Michael Jackson is a child trapped within. And all of these experiences with young children kind of symbolizes that at Neverland. In fact, there were jurors who were apparently crying when they were hearing about his kind of feeling of being trapped in childhood. How effective might this be for the defense.
HERMAN: That was on the Michael Jackson video. And again, one or two jurors were crying during that, very emotional. Excellent for the defense. Mark Geragos said it point blank. He said, I came in, and saw a child-like person in a man when he described Michael Jackson. You know, Geragos came in. He was very cool and calm and poised. And I think the jury were very impressed with Geragos. Win, lose, or draw in his testimony, whether the judge strikes it.
But this prosecution case, with respect to the molestation and the alleged false imprisonment at house is utterly baseless. It has no base in fact and no jury in their right mind could convict Michael Jackson on those counts.
WHITFIELD: All right. And real quick, I asked you guys last week but your minds may have changed this time. So, Richard, do you see M.J. taking the stand in the near future.
HERMAN: Michael testified through his video, his word, his mouth came out. They don't need him. He has everything to lose if he takes the stand.
WHITFIELD: All right, Avery.
FRIEDMAN: Very quickly. You will see bubbles the chimp testified before you see Michael Jackson testify. I totally agree with Richard on that one.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, that's going to be fun and interesting when and if that were to happen. All right. Avery Friedman, Richard Herman, always good to see you gentlemen. Thanks a lot.
FRIEDMAN: Nice to see you.
WHITFIELD: Have a good weekend.
Well, the nation's most recent celebrity trial to come to a close ended in an acquittal for actor Robert Blake. We'll hear From Blake himself. The former "Baretta" star to say what prosecutors were charging him with in terms of his killing his wife charge. Larry King will have Blake's first live prime time interview Monday night at 9:00 Eastern.
At an age when most teens are worried about learning how to drive, this teen is worried about taking on men twice his age in the world of professional soccer. So how did Freddy Adu handle his rookie year? We'll show you when we go inside the "Novak Zone."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: And with one stroke of bad luck, Tiger Woods just couldn't cut it. His record streak of 142 consecutive cuts ended yesterday at the Byron Nelson Championship in Texas. That means Woods will not be cashing a check from that tournament. Woods missed cut on a 15-foot putt.
Well, at age 15, this next guy you're about to see has become one of the most popular professional athletes in the world. Freddy Adu of the D.C. United soccer team joins CNN's Robert Novak in this week's edition of "The Novak Zone."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to the "Novak Zone." We're at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. home of the D.C. United professional soccer team. And talking to one of D.C. United stars, 15-year-old Freddy Adu.
Freddy, you were only 14-years-old when you signed with D.C. United last year. Got the attention of the whole world. How is it for a young teenager to be dealing every day with grown man who are much older than you?
FREDDY ADU, D.C. UNITED: It's definitely not easy. You know, coming in here, a lot of people had a lot of expectations on me, and I obviously had expectations about myself. And you know, I went in there. You know, there was a lot of media, hoopla here and there. And it didn't make it easier that I was getting all of this attention, because now the players on the field were like, you know, I'm not going to let a 15-year-old or 14-year-old at that time come here and showed me up. So, they played tight on me, marked me harder, and it was a lot tougher.
NOVAK: You started your second game. You were a player of the week in the league. Has your game progressed this year, do you think?
ADU: Yes, my game has gotten a lot better actually. You know, there's a lot more confidence in my game this year. I'm not worrying too much about outside things. You know, last year I had a lot of outside commitments, you know, from my sponsors and for the league. And this year, it's all died down a lot. So I'm able to just concentrate on playing and in doing that, I've gotten much, much better.
NOVAK: Now, your mother has played a big part in your development, I understand. Can you tell us about that.
ADU: Yes. When I was 10-years-old, there was a team from Italy called Inateran (ph) who came after me. And it was just a pretty good amount of money. You would have thought -- it was for about $750,000 for a 10-year-old at that time. So I was surprised. My mom said no, and at that time she was work two jobs. So everybody was like...
NOVAK: You were living here in Washington.
ADU: I was living here in Washington, D.C. We had a town house. You know, she had to work all of the time because she had two jobs. And everybody was like, why would you not let him go for that amount of money.
She gave one simple answer, she wanted me to go to school, finish high school, and then -- and if everything went well, I'll get my chance. I'll get my chance down the road. And you know what, I did get my chance. I'm here now and because of that decision, you know what, I'm here now. And I'm going to...
NOVAK: Making more than $750,000.
ADU: Exactly.
NOVAK: Now, where do you need to develop your game, Freddy? What do you look forward to places where you can improve?
ADU: You know, I think every single aspect of my game needs a lot of help. I mean, I'm still so young, and I make a lot of mistakes. I mean, you know, you will make mistakes. But you just, at least, I've got to try and limit those mistakes. So when I go out there everyday, let's say I focus on one aspect of my game that I really want to work, and then the next day I focus on the other. And you know, it's getting better and better as time goes on.
NOVAK: All right. You have played for the U.S. National team a couple of times. How does that differ from playing for D.C. United?
ADU: When you play at that level, obviously, I mean, I haven't actually played on the full men's U.S. national team yet. But I've played on the -- on the -- you know, the under 20 national team and stuff like that. The level is very high because we're playing against countries like Argentina, and Brazil. And you know, they live and breathe soccer over there, so it's a lot tougher. But this, in my opinion, this level is much, much higher, just because these guys are just so much wiser, smarter, and much more athletic and so much bigger.
NOVAK: Which is higher -- which level is higher?
ADU: Playing as a pro.
NOVAK: Oh, is that right?
ADU: In my opinion, it's much higher. I've yet to experience a higher level than playing with -- playing with D.C. United right now.
NOVAK: Freddy, you were born in Ghana. Did you ever -- you'd be eligible to play for the Ghana -- did you ever -- imagine that happening, playing for Ghana?.
ADU: I've never -- not -- not -- not really. I mean, growing up obviously, I wanted to be to be on the Ghanan national team but, ever since I came here, you know, America's treated me so well that what better way to repay the country back than to try and help it win a World Cup some day. NOVAK: The heartbeat, the pulse of international soccer I think is in Europe, that's where the big teams are. Would you like to play in Europe some day.
ADU: Sure. I would like to end up on a time like, either Manchester United or Chelsea one day. That's my dream right there. And I grew up supporting, you know, supporting these clubs. And I would -- I would be honored to play for a team like that.
NOVAK: And now the big question for Freddy Adu, the 15-year-old star of D.C. United. Freddy, so far in your career which has got a long way to go, so far what is your biggest moment in soccer?
ADU: My biggest moment in soccer, I would have to say was -- I mean, it actually wasn't playing with D.C. United. My biggest moment was we were playing against Sierra Leone on the under 17 World Cup. I was on the U.S. National team. And they were just -- they were better than this. They were better than us. They outplayed us all over the field, and we were getting our butts beat. I had the game winning goal to send the U.S. Team to the quarterfinals of the tournament, and that was my finest moment.
NOVAK: That's a great moment. I'm sure you'll have many more.
ADU: Hopefully, hopefully.
NOVAK: Thank you, Freddy Adu. And thank you for being in the "Novak Zone."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And thank you, Bob.
You can catch more of Bob Novak and the rest of the Capital Gang tonight at 7:00 Eastern. Their guest is republican Senator John Sununu.
So, much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. At the top of the hour, "CNN PRESENTS" takes an in-depth look at education reform in America. At 4:00, CNN LIVE SATURDAY, are you in chronic pain? Dr. Bill can help.
And at 5:00 each, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiles rock bands U2 and The Dave Matthews Band.
A check of the day's headlines when CNN continues right after this.
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Aired May 14, 2005 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 2:00 on the east coast, 10:00 a.m. in Iraq where a major U.S. military offensive had ended. Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta.
Ahead this hour, an unmanned drone is put to work to take out an al Qaeda operative. Why could the CIA's action cause trouble for a U.S. ally? We'll have a live report from the Pentagon.
Hundreds are dead and thousands more are fleeing for the border. We'll have the latest on the civil rest inside a key Asian ally in the U.S. war on terror.
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had written an e-mail to a co-worker complaining about my boss and complaining about his behavior. And within a week of that e-mail I was fired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: How companies use technology to monitor their workers. Those stories in a moment, but first, a look at the headlines.
Prosecute and punish, that's what Afghan president Hamid Karzai is urging, as anti-American protests enter a fifth day. Karzai wants action against anyone found guilty of desecrating the Koran. The U.S. is investigating allegations that Korans were placed in toilets at its detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The pilot who caused this week's scare in the nation's capital could expect serious penalties. An FAA spokesman said enforcement won't be light against the pilot who strayed into restricted Washington airspace. The pilot could lose his license as a result of the investigation.
An update on a story we told you earlier in the week. A 16- month-old boy is safe. He had been reported missing after his mother was found dead. The FBI says Justin Black is in the custody of New Mexico authorities. A search is under way for the boy's stepfather. Topping the hour, a major development in the war on terror. A key al Qaeda operative has been killed by a missile fired from a CIA- operated Predator drone. That word from "knowledgeable sources." CNN's Kathleen Koch is keeping track of the story from the Pentagon. Kathleen?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it happened earlier this week in Pakistan, somewhere near the Afghan border. The knowledgeable sources tell CNN that Haitham al Yemeni -- he's a bombmaker for al Qaeda -- was struck and killed by a hell-fire missile fired by a predator drone high in the skies over that border area.
U.S. authorities had been tracking al Yemeni for some time in hopes he would lead them perhaps to Osama bin Laden or other high- level al Qaeda leaders. It was thought that al Yemeni might actually be in line to replace Abu Faraj al Libbi, al Qaeda's number-three man. He was captured by Pakistan authorities last week in the city of Mardon (ph). Still, though, some doubt whether al Yemeni's killing will actually prove to be a major setback for al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTEL. ANALYST: This killing, if it occurred the way it's being described, it does not have a tactical significance but it has a psychological significance because it makes these terrorists know that the United States is going to bring retribution. They're going to hunt them down and attempt to capture or kill them wherever they are. But it's not significant in terms of stopping the fight, because what we're fighting is not individuals. It's not even al Qaeda. It's an ideology, and that ideology has now spread to about 60 countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Meanwhile, Pakistan authorities -- Pakistani authorities -- are denying the attack actually took place on their soil. President Pervez Musharraf is under fire at home for helping the U.S. in the war on terror. There is also some debate over just how significant a target al Yemeni was, because Fredricka, his name was not even on FBI's most wanted terrorist list.
WHITFIELD: Well, Kathleen, if Pakistan is disputing whether this took place on their soil, what is the procedure? Would the CIA have to notify Pakistan or even Afghan authorities to let them know they're about to fire this missile?
KOCH: Well, Fredricka, the CIA asserts the right to attack top al Qaeda leaders in the world wherever they find them, though, at least the last time that something like this occurred, back in 2002, when again a Predator drone was used to attack an al Qaeda leader who was in a car in Yemen, Yemeni authorities were notified in advance. They were aware of the attack, gave their approval. So, again, it would be unusual in this case for the same thing not to have happened with regards to Pakistani authorities.
WHITFIELD: All right, Kathleen Koch from the Pentagon. Thanks so much.
In the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, thousands of people are fleeing for the border as the unrest there continues. Hundreds of people reportedly were killed by government troops during an anti- government protest in the eastern city of Andijan, and the violence goes on. An update now from CNN's Mike Yardley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE YARDLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Information out of the central Asian state of Uzbekistan is sketchy, since journalists, including one working for CNN were escorted from the eastern city of Andijan by police on Saturday. But InterFax quotes human rights monitors in the country who say hundreds people are dead after government soldiers opened fire in a central square where thousands of protesters had gathered on Friday. Some 3,500 people have reportedly fled Andijan, gathering at the Kyrgyzstan border which was opened to them. Neighboring Kyrgyzstan was the scene of a revolution just two months ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are, at present, 528 refugees who crossed the border in Jalalabad. They are being taken care by the government. Checked at the cross point. According to, also, government information, there is some 3,000 people waiting to cross the border from the Uzbek side to Kyrgyzstan.
YARDLEY: The violence in Andijan began when a local prison was stormed and hundreds of prisoners were reportedly freed. Tensions had been building in the city over the trial of 23 Muslims charged with religious extremism. Supporters of the accused contend the charges were made up. Uzbek president Islam Karimov describes the demonstrators as criminals and extremists. He issued a statement blaming the violence on an Islamic radical group. Mr. Karimov says their goal is to establish an Islamic state and destroy the current constitutional system.
The former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan borders Afghanistan. It offered the United States use of a military air base after the 9/11 terror attacks and has become an ally in Washington's war on terror.
Mike Yardley, CNN Center.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: An update now on the situation inside Iraq. The transitional prime minister extended the country's state of emergency for another 30 days because of continuing violence. Nine people, several of them police officers, died in three separate incidents in Baghdad. Police convoys apparently were the focus of two of those attacks. The U.S. military says Operation Matador has been successfully completed. The offensive targeted militants and their supporters in western Anbar province. Also, the military confirmed the deaths of four U.S. Marines in the operation, killed when their vehicle hit a land mine.
The Operation Matador offensive was designed to inflict a heavy toll on insurgents. But it has also had a major impact on the Americans involved in the attacks. CNN's Tom Foreman explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In every town on every street, at fire stations, schools, stores, the people of Ohio wait for news of their sons and daughters on the front lines of the latest assault in Iraq. Wesley Davids' parents got the visit everyone dreads.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was making dinner, and...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, so, one minute you have a normal life with dinner cooking, and the next minute, everything changes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We regret to inform you...
FOREMAN: Their son died one day past his 20th birthday. His friend and fellow soldier Dustin Durga (ph) died on Mother's Day. Dustin's lifelong buddy and fellow firefighter Chris Smith is still in shock.
CHRIS SMITH, CPL. WESLEY DAVID'S FRIEND: He's always so upbeat. It was just unreal. You know, he'd always make you laugh.
FOREMAN: What did you think when you heard the news?
SMITH: As you can imagine, I was just devastated. It -- I was just speechless.
FOREMAN: Back in January, 150 Marine reservists shipped out of Ohio in what was known as Lucky Lima Company, but in Iraq, the luck has been bad. Many are in the middle of Operation Matador and casualties are reportedly very high. A "Washington Post" reporter embedded with Dustin's unit says every person in the squad of 21 has been hit, at least six killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last time I saw him, he was here and dressed in uniform.
FOREMAN: So, flags are lowered at Dustin's high school. Fears are raised.
KEN SCHNEIDER, HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER: This is the first one that has really hit home, and I think it makes it real all of a sudden.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, how are you doing?
FOREMAN: An informal network has emerged among Ohio's military families and friends. Chris Smith is working the phone too, calling in memories of Dustin.
SMITH: You know, I still have some voice mails on my phone that he's left.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just got a chance to call. I don't think I will for a while. Probably won't be getting to use these phones very much because I'm not going to be staying where I am. We're going to a place that won't have this stuff.
FOREMAN: Most days, many here say they live their lives unaware of what is going on in Iraq. But not this group.
SMITH: He won't be forgotten around here that's for sure. You know? So he died a hero, that's for sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he was so patriotic.
FOREMAN: Many Ohioans are proud and scared and praying about a distant war that is suddenly so close to home.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Pickerington, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Using words sure to raise the temperature of the immigration debate, Mexican President Vicente Fox defended the role of undocumented workers. Fox was speaking to a group of Texas business people meeting in Mexico when he used some racially charged language.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. VICENTE FOX, MEXICO (through translator): There's no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness, and ability to work, are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The U.S. State Department issued a statement saying only, quote, "That level of dialogue doesn't merit comment. President Bush's commitment to immigration reform that is rational, legal, common sense, decent and compassionate is well-documented," end quote.
The Pentagon's plan to shut down dozens of military facilities in the U.S. leaves thousands of Americans wondering if they'll be hitting the unemployment lines, but the closing of a base doesn't have to mean the death of the community. That story straight ahead.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flies can locate decomposing remains up to three miles away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: How investigators are combing nature and technology to catch the bad guys.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: In murder investigations determining when the victim died can play a major role in solving the crime. CNN's senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us to a world-famous research center in Knoxville, Tennessee, where experts are involved in a unique project, and a word of caution you may find some of the images disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Razor wire. Two locked gates. About 100 corpses. This is the University of Tennessee's Research Center, known as the body farm. It's the only place in the world devoted to studying human decay. Donated bodies are wrapped in plastic, laid on the earth, put under concrete, and buried in shallow graves.
Arpad Vass has been studying human decomposition for 16 years. He's on a mission to help law enforcement pinpoint time since death.
DR. ARPAD VASS, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE: Decomposition can be used to answer four of the five W's that need to be answered at a crime scene. That is who, what, when, where and why. The only thing decomposition can't help answer is why.
GUPTA: Vass, who used to place the bodies face down so he didn't have to see the faces, now sees more than just a cadaver. Now, the bacteria and enzymes in the cells talk to him and help him give the dead a voice.
VASS: We can still determine how long this person has been dead, up to about plus or minus a week, based on just looking at this material right here.
GUPTA: He has also studied the chemicals emitted by the body, and has used in-grave dental cameras to document how the body decomposes.
Back in the lab, Vass brain-storms novel ways to help police find a body.
VASS: Flies can locate decomposing remains for up to three miles away.
GUPTA: Cue the fly on a leash, attaching a tiny transmitter to a flesh-eating fly, and letting it free. Inspired by crop dusters, police may one day spray a field with chemicals to make the soil glow above a hidden grave.
VASS: It's a 100-acre field, a huge search area. And we know from the research we have done that these bodies will have volatile compounds from the decompositional process come up through the soil into the surface.
GUPTA: Vass and research scientist Rob Smith are also creating an electronic nose to sniff out the dead by tracking the odors a decaying body creates.
What would such a corpse sniffer look like? ROB SMITH, RESEARCH SCIENTIST: Perhaps have a snout that would extend, that you could search close to the ground, which is where a not of the heavy vapors settle.
GUPTA: While dreaming up new ways to help police, Vass dreams of a day when they can find a body almost instantly, keeping evidence intact and speeding up the time it takes to track a killer.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And this programming note -- you'll want to tune into CNN all week starting tomorrow for crime week. A series of prime time reports. It kicks off tomorrow night with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Prime time special "Anatomy of Murder: Crime Scene Investigation" beginning at 10:00 Eastern.
Teaching communities how to survive a major military base closing. That story's straight ahead.
And still ahead, in defense of a pop star, did Michael Jackson's witnesses this week weaken the prosecution's accusations? Our legal panel will square off at bottom of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Communities around the country are reacting to news that the base closing list released by the Pentagon, major military base would be mothballed 33 in all. The plan also calls for reductions of forces at another 29 bases. Thousands could find themselves without jobs. And that has members of Congress ready to go to battle to keep their bases in tact.
Here's CNN's Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Armed Service Honor Guard fanned out across Capitol Hill delivering the news. For many, it was bad.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: We are not going to let this recommendation stand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today the Pentagon made a substantial national security mistake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today's Friday the 13th. And that's not a good day.
JOHNS: Many of the most affected members of Congress were already in their home states doing damage control.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: The fact is that this plan put forth by the Pentagon makes absolutely no sense at all. JOHNS: Among the hardest hit states, Maine, Mississippi, Connecticut, and South Dakota. Political clout was no shield.
Former Republican Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott took a hit. The Pentagon recommended closing the Pascagoula Naval Station in Mississippi.
Republican Senator John Thune of South Dakota, who beat Democratic leader Tom Daschle in last year's election, campaigned, saying his ties to President Bush might help save Ellsworth Air Force Base. He will now have to campaign to keep it open.
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R), SOUTH DAKOTA: We can't blow happy smoke about this. This is an uphill fight once you make it on the list.
JOHNS: Even senators from states that got off lightly found something to criticize. Texas actually increases overall number of military personnel, but the installation slated for closure included one that has been busy installing much-needed armor on Humvees destined for Iraq.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: Well that doesn't make sense obviously. It's -- the military value of up-armored Humvees is high.
JOHNS: The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, California Representative Duncan Hunter, said the states have the right to appeal to the base closing commission.
REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), CHAIRMAN, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Nobody has 100 percent record of winning these things. So you win some, you lose some.
JOHNS (on camera): The Base Closing Commission now begins a series of field hearings and visits to effected installations. It will present it's final report to the president in September. Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, people in some of the smaller communities near the military facilities worry they could lose their economic lifeblood.
Thomas Markham, president of the Association of Defense Communities joins us from New York for more on what's ahead. Good to see you.
THOMAS MARKHAM, ASSN. OF DEFENSE COMMUNITIES: Good afternoon.
WHITFIELD: All right, well if your city or base is on the list, what's the likelihood that it will be reassembled or eliminated altogether.
MARKHAM: I'm not sure anybody knows with this round. But the history of the first four rounds of closures, only about 10 percent got off the list. WHITFIELD: All right. So how does your organization help these communities that are seeing these military bases on the list.
MARKHAM: Many members of our organization have experienced the last four rounds of closures. The challenges of economic recovery. And while it is obviously very normal and understandable that the communities and the states will be seeking relief from this, we encourage the communities to go ahead and plan for life after closure, because I think we can show them with the 97 major closures before this, that there is life after closure.
WHITFIELD: So, how does the community go about looking at life after closure? What do you tell them to look for?
MARKHAM: Well, the first thing is, they've got to really decide how they can recover economically. Because the economic impact of these closures is usually significant, very significant. Often the base is the major economic engine within that community. So they have to look at things like location and their local market and different opportunities to be very aggressive and be very entrepreneurial.
WHITFIELD: It's really different if you're in a metropolitan area vs. a rural area, though, right?
MARKHAM: It is indeed.
WHITFIELD: So, how realistic is it for a rural area to see that there really is a potentially strong life after potential closure? Because the metropolitan area, it seems like they would bounce back rather readily.
MARKHAM: I think it is more difficult for the rural areas. But one of the things we have talked it our membership about is that once the commission goes through this process, once it is sent to the president and approved by Congress, the bases that are on the closure list have no choice but to work very diligently toward economic recovery. But it is more difficult in the rural areas.
WHITFIELD: And some communities have experienced -- a reuse of the facility has been successful. Is every city that may be on this list a candidate for looking at these properties, of reuse value.
MARKHAM: Most definitely.
WHITFIELD: In what way?
MARKHAM: Well, I think again, lessons learned would be an appropriate way to look at this. Because there were 97 major closures in the other four rounds. So that's a combination of rural -- It's a combination of rural and urban bases, and I think there's lessons to be learned from all of them.
WHITFIELD: Thomas Markham, of Association of Defense Communities, thanks so much for joining us.
MARKHAM: Thank you for having me. WHITFIELD: Well, it was a star-studded week in the Michael Jackson sexual abuse trial. From a former child star to the entertainer's former lawyer, witnesses took the stand to defend Michael Jackson. Did it work with the jury? Our legal experts will debate the case coming up next.
Also...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You gossip about somebody via e-mail, there's a written record of it and it could come back to haunt you and your employer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well, the lengths businesses could go to monitor your E-mail activity while at work.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Our top stories now, U.S. Marines in Iraq say they've successfully completed "Operation Matador," the week-long hunt for insurgents took place along the Syrian border. Nine Marines and more than 125 insurgents were killed in the operation. Iraq's foreign minister, will talk about the battle against insurgents in his country on CNN's "LATE EDITION" with Wolf Blitzer. That's coming up tomorrow at noon Eastern.
Violence in Uzbekistan, has sent thousands of refugees fleeing for border. Human Rights Monitor say hundreds of people were killed by government soldiers in the wake of yesterday's anti-government protest in the city of Andijan. The U.S. embassy is urging American citizens there to stay off of the streets.
On the medical front, new research shows cholesterol-lowering drug, known as statins can prevent breast cancer. Previous studies have shown statins are effective in battling other types of cancer as well, and the widely-used drugs also help prevent heart disease.
Well, if you've got something negative to say about your boss, you shouldn't use the company E-mail to make your point. Many companies not only have strict rules about E-mail, they actually monitor many of the messages that that their workers are sending.
Daniel Sieberg talks to one woman who lost her job in part over what she wrote to her boss.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURA, FIRED OVER E-MAIL: I had written an e-mail a co-worker complaining about my boss. Complaining about his behavior. And within a week of that e-mail I was fired.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This woman asked that we only identify her as Laura. She's afraid of what this impulsive e-mail would do to future employment prospects.
LAURA: I had said that the boss was a jerk. He had been acting -- a bit arrogant and pompous with me all week.
SIEBERG: An official with her former employer says Laura was let go for a number of personnel reasons. And that derogatory comments in her e-mail were a factor. This official also says the company informs all employees that their e-mail is monitored.
(on camera): Did you than your e-mail was being monitored?
LAURA: No, I had no idea.
SIEBERG: How did you feel whether you found out?
LAURA: I felt a bit violated, frankly. Because I felt that we were allowed through the company's own policy, we were allowed to have so much personal E-mail per day.
SIEBERG: Laura isn't alone. Only 50 percent of respondents in a recent survey from the ePolicy Institute, say their organizations train on E-mail policies. The same survey finds that nearly 80 percent of companies have E-mail policies and that one in four has fired employees for violations.
NANCY FLYNN, EPOLICY INSTITUTE: Most employees tend to think my E-mail is my business. My employer has no right to read my E-mail messages, particularly if it's a message to a friend or a family member. But in reality, here in the U.S., the federal government gives employers the right to monitor all employee e-mail, instant messaging, and Internet activity.
SIEBERG: Thousands of e-mail messages fly in and out of companies all day long. And while it's impossible for the boss to literally look over your shoulder, businesses are turning to technology. Computers that can read every word of every e-mail. And raise red flags.
PAUL JUDGE, CTO, CIPHERTRUST: We've taken the approach of having machines in algorithms that can go out and understand, what's the vocabulary of normal, legitimate business e-mail? What are the anomalies to that? What are the vocabulary used in jokes or used in chain letters?
SIEBERG: Cipertrust helps companies sort through the flood of E- mail. Running every message through a series of filters, looking for key words. Some of them are so offensive, we can't show them to you. The company can then decide whether to respond or let it go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen many that set up a rule that says, notify human resources, or notify the legal department. Or in our organization that sets up a rule, just block that message. Do not let it go out of the network.
SIEBERG: And while it might not get out, it could well come back. Most employees don't realize e-mail is forever. FLYNN: What everybody needs to be aware of is that E-mail and instant messaging create written records. It's not the same as standing around the water cooler gossiping about somebody. You've gossip about somebody via e-mail there is a written record of it and it could come back to haunt you and your employer.
SIEBERG: For Laura, the experience left her angry and frustrated. But right now, at least she doesn't have to worry about her E-mail. She is currently self-employed.
Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The Michael Jackson defense team called in some star- studded witnesses. Did it help? We'll find out next. And this...
ROBERT NOVAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in the Novak Zone, I'm at RFK Stadium with Freddy Ado, the 15-year-old star of the D.C. United soccer team.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The man who once defended Michael Jackson in the current child molestation case is forced it take the stand. High- profile attorney Mark Geragos testified under cross-examination that Jackson had admitted to sleeping in bed with the accuser. Geragos also testified that Jackson told him nothing sexual happened. And that if anyone spent the night in his room it was unconditional love. We'll hear more from Geragos when he returns to the stand next week.
Well, the Michael Jackson trial is the focus of today's legal roundtable, and we're joined by civil rights attorney, and law professor, Avery Friedman in Cleveland. Hello to you.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Fredricka, hello.
WHITFIELD: And New York defense criminal attorney, Richard Herman, who is this time in Ft. Lauderdale. Good to see you.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Avery, let me begin with you.
How unusual is this to have a former attorney taking the stand in your defense?
FRIEDMAN: Very unusual. In fact what was interesting is Judge Melville got a little bit angry because there wasn't a waiver of the lawyer/client privilege. So it created some problems. But as a general rule you usually don't have an advocate taking the stand as a witness. Very unusual.
WHITFIELD: Point that Geragos was helping to make was this conspiracy theory as well, right? Did he help solidify that? FRIEDMAN: I'm not really sure, Fredricka, because what he was talking about was efforts as the lawyer to conduct an investigation. He was concerned about the accusers and whether they were involved in the scam. But the fact is that part of the testimony that got in was that Michael Jackson indeed is sleeping with young boys. And even though his client well, look, it's unconditional love, which I don't even know what that means. The fact is that evidence got in that Michael is sleeping with young boys and that's something that reverberates with the jury.
WHITFIELD: All right.
HERMAN: Well, Fredricka...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HERMAN: Yes, it's important here because the attorney/client privilege waiver was a partial waiver that Mesereau neglected to tell the judge, and the judge got very upset at Mesereau. And on Monday or Tuesday when they argue this out with brief and motions it may be very well that Geragos' testimony get struck. I mean, struck, if they don't let him go forward, because he did not answer a lot of questions.
WHITFIELD: Well, Richard -- OK, go ahead.
HERMAN: One of the main things -- one of the main things that Geragos brought out was that it was his idea. It was his direction to have a private investigating team investigate the accuser's family. And that's why people were following them around and that's would go with the testimony of the accuser that they were being followed. They were, but it was because of Geragos, not Michael Jackson.
WHITFIELD: Now there's another former attorney. David LaGrand who apparently also being asked to testify. Not only do you have one former attorney who's testifying for the defense, but now a seconds one. Richard, what's this all about.
HERMAN: It's unheard of. Again I think the defense is trying to show that when these attorneys fresh faces came on the scene, their immediate reaction was to try to protect Michael, because he was surrounded by so many people that were looking to benefit off him financially.
FRIEDMAN: That's right.
HERMAN: And all -- both of these attorney, both Geragos and this LaGrand immediately tried to get rid of people. Tried to investigate people and try to protect Michael. And I think that's the theme.
WHITFIELD: All right. Now let's talk about some of these star witnesses, that of Macaulay Culkin. That was kind of the big witness coming out in the defense of Michael Jackson. That, yes, I did sleep in Michael Jackson's bed, but nothing inappropriate. Nothing sexual ever happened. That was Macaulay Culkin's intention. So, Avery, how mesmerized possibly might the jurors that Macaulay Culkin, big star comes out and says, there was nothing unusual about this, not at Neverland at least.
FRIEDMAN: Yes, actually, you nailed what the issue is. Macaulay Culkin is testifying because he's a movie star. He really had nothing to say other than the fact that look, I slept in his bed, and I wasn't molested. In fact, the prosecution should have just left it alone because it was piling up evidence that all of these young boys are sleeping with Michael, but what happened is that the prosecutor instead of leaving well enough alone decided to say, well, isn't it possible that you were molested while you were sleeping? What an incredibly stupid question to ask. They should have left it alone.
WHITFIELD: All right, Richard.
HERMAN: You know, Avery with all due respect, Macaulay Culkin was a grand slam for the defense. Because if you recall, one of the chefs came in and testified under the 1108 theory that he actually saw Michael molesting Macaulay Culkin. And now, Macaulay Culkin himself walks into the court room and looks at the jury and says, absolutely not. Nothing inappropriate ever happened between me and Michael Jackson.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
HERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) great for the defense.
FRIEDMAN: After that he then --- he couldn't remember anything. He was -- he was very...
HERMAN: That's all he had to remember, that was the whole thing. That's all he had to remember.
WHITFIELD: So, gentlemen, what does this say about the prosecution who says, OK, well, you've got these folks who are acknowledging that there was the sleeping in the bed with Michael Jackson. Perhaps that nothing happened at that moment, but this might be, "grooming." Grooming for molestation.
Avery, what does that mean?
And is that enough in this court when the objective is to say that he actually molested a child, not that he may have been grooming for molestation?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, yes. This is a term that the prosecution came up with. That if you get the kids in bed, that means you're setting them up and making them feel confident that everything's going to be OK and then you pounce on them. I'm not really sure where that part of the testimony is going, but the fact is, you've got to introduce it, because remember Judge Melville permitted other acts in. There other children or people who said that when they were children, they were molested. So what the defense is doing right now, they're just saying, we're going to forget about this grooming theory. We're just going to say, these are the kids that slept there, they're now young adults. They said it never happened. And it is powerful evidence.
WHITFIELD: And Richard, I'll let you respond to that. But I also want to ask you, Richard, but -- the defense is trying to picture that Michael Jackson is a child trapped within. And all of these experiences with young children kind of symbolizes that at Neverland. In fact, there were jurors who were apparently crying when they were hearing about his kind of feeling of being trapped in childhood. How effective might this be for the defense.
HERMAN: That was on the Michael Jackson video. And again, one or two jurors were crying during that, very emotional. Excellent for the defense. Mark Geragos said it point blank. He said, I came in, and saw a child-like person in a man when he described Michael Jackson. You know, Geragos came in. He was very cool and calm and poised. And I think the jury were very impressed with Geragos. Win, lose, or draw in his testimony, whether the judge strikes it.
But this prosecution case, with respect to the molestation and the alleged false imprisonment at house is utterly baseless. It has no base in fact and no jury in their right mind could convict Michael Jackson on those counts.
WHITFIELD: All right. And real quick, I asked you guys last week but your minds may have changed this time. So, Richard, do you see M.J. taking the stand in the near future.
HERMAN: Michael testified through his video, his word, his mouth came out. They don't need him. He has everything to lose if he takes the stand.
WHITFIELD: All right, Avery.
FRIEDMAN: Very quickly. You will see bubbles the chimp testified before you see Michael Jackson testify. I totally agree with Richard on that one.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, that's going to be fun and interesting when and if that were to happen. All right. Avery Friedman, Richard Herman, always good to see you gentlemen. Thanks a lot.
FRIEDMAN: Nice to see you.
WHITFIELD: Have a good weekend.
Well, the nation's most recent celebrity trial to come to a close ended in an acquittal for actor Robert Blake. We'll hear From Blake himself. The former "Baretta" star to say what prosecutors were charging him with in terms of his killing his wife charge. Larry King will have Blake's first live prime time interview Monday night at 9:00 Eastern.
At an age when most teens are worried about learning how to drive, this teen is worried about taking on men twice his age in the world of professional soccer. So how did Freddy Adu handle his rookie year? We'll show you when we go inside the "Novak Zone."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: And with one stroke of bad luck, Tiger Woods just couldn't cut it. His record streak of 142 consecutive cuts ended yesterday at the Byron Nelson Championship in Texas. That means Woods will not be cashing a check from that tournament. Woods missed cut on a 15-foot putt.
Well, at age 15, this next guy you're about to see has become one of the most popular professional athletes in the world. Freddy Adu of the D.C. United soccer team joins CNN's Robert Novak in this week's edition of "The Novak Zone."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT NOVAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to the "Novak Zone." We're at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. home of the D.C. United professional soccer team. And talking to one of D.C. United stars, 15-year-old Freddy Adu.
Freddy, you were only 14-years-old when you signed with D.C. United last year. Got the attention of the whole world. How is it for a young teenager to be dealing every day with grown man who are much older than you?
FREDDY ADU, D.C. UNITED: It's definitely not easy. You know, coming in here, a lot of people had a lot of expectations on me, and I obviously had expectations about myself. And you know, I went in there. You know, there was a lot of media, hoopla here and there. And it didn't make it easier that I was getting all of this attention, because now the players on the field were like, you know, I'm not going to let a 15-year-old or 14-year-old at that time come here and showed me up. So, they played tight on me, marked me harder, and it was a lot tougher.
NOVAK: You started your second game. You were a player of the week in the league. Has your game progressed this year, do you think?
ADU: Yes, my game has gotten a lot better actually. You know, there's a lot more confidence in my game this year. I'm not worrying too much about outside things. You know, last year I had a lot of outside commitments, you know, from my sponsors and for the league. And this year, it's all died down a lot. So I'm able to just concentrate on playing and in doing that, I've gotten much, much better.
NOVAK: Now, your mother has played a big part in your development, I understand. Can you tell us about that.
ADU: Yes. When I was 10-years-old, there was a team from Italy called Inateran (ph) who came after me. And it was just a pretty good amount of money. You would have thought -- it was for about $750,000 for a 10-year-old at that time. So I was surprised. My mom said no, and at that time she was work two jobs. So everybody was like...
NOVAK: You were living here in Washington.
ADU: I was living here in Washington, D.C. We had a town house. You know, she had to work all of the time because she had two jobs. And everybody was like, why would you not let him go for that amount of money.
She gave one simple answer, she wanted me to go to school, finish high school, and then -- and if everything went well, I'll get my chance. I'll get my chance down the road. And you know what, I did get my chance. I'm here now and because of that decision, you know what, I'm here now. And I'm going to...
NOVAK: Making more than $750,000.
ADU: Exactly.
NOVAK: Now, where do you need to develop your game, Freddy? What do you look forward to places where you can improve?
ADU: You know, I think every single aspect of my game needs a lot of help. I mean, I'm still so young, and I make a lot of mistakes. I mean, you know, you will make mistakes. But you just, at least, I've got to try and limit those mistakes. So when I go out there everyday, let's say I focus on one aspect of my game that I really want to work, and then the next day I focus on the other. And you know, it's getting better and better as time goes on.
NOVAK: All right. You have played for the U.S. National team a couple of times. How does that differ from playing for D.C. United?
ADU: When you play at that level, obviously, I mean, I haven't actually played on the full men's U.S. national team yet. But I've played on the -- on the -- you know, the under 20 national team and stuff like that. The level is very high because we're playing against countries like Argentina, and Brazil. And you know, they live and breathe soccer over there, so it's a lot tougher. But this, in my opinion, this level is much, much higher, just because these guys are just so much wiser, smarter, and much more athletic and so much bigger.
NOVAK: Which is higher -- which level is higher?
ADU: Playing as a pro.
NOVAK: Oh, is that right?
ADU: In my opinion, it's much higher. I've yet to experience a higher level than playing with -- playing with D.C. United right now.
NOVAK: Freddy, you were born in Ghana. Did you ever -- you'd be eligible to play for the Ghana -- did you ever -- imagine that happening, playing for Ghana?.
ADU: I've never -- not -- not -- not really. I mean, growing up obviously, I wanted to be to be on the Ghanan national team but, ever since I came here, you know, America's treated me so well that what better way to repay the country back than to try and help it win a World Cup some day. NOVAK: The heartbeat, the pulse of international soccer I think is in Europe, that's where the big teams are. Would you like to play in Europe some day.
ADU: Sure. I would like to end up on a time like, either Manchester United or Chelsea one day. That's my dream right there. And I grew up supporting, you know, supporting these clubs. And I would -- I would be honored to play for a team like that.
NOVAK: And now the big question for Freddy Adu, the 15-year-old star of D.C. United. Freddy, so far in your career which has got a long way to go, so far what is your biggest moment in soccer?
ADU: My biggest moment in soccer, I would have to say was -- I mean, it actually wasn't playing with D.C. United. My biggest moment was we were playing against Sierra Leone on the under 17 World Cup. I was on the U.S. National team. And they were just -- they were better than this. They were better than us. They outplayed us all over the field, and we were getting our butts beat. I had the game winning goal to send the U.S. Team to the quarterfinals of the tournament, and that was my finest moment.
NOVAK: That's a great moment. I'm sure you'll have many more.
ADU: Hopefully, hopefully.
NOVAK: Thank you, Freddy Adu. And thank you for being in the "Novak Zone."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And thank you, Bob.
You can catch more of Bob Novak and the rest of the Capital Gang tonight at 7:00 Eastern. Their guest is republican Senator John Sununu.
So, much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. At the top of the hour, "CNN PRESENTS" takes an in-depth look at education reform in America. At 4:00, CNN LIVE SATURDAY, are you in chronic pain? Dr. Bill can help.
And at 5:00 each, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiles rock bands U2 and The Dave Matthews Band.
A check of the day's headlines when CNN continues right after this.
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