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Statue of Liberty to Reopen to Public in July

Aired March 30, 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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And by 2020, 20 percent of electricity produced by alternative sources. You'll remember the rolling blackouts that took place through Southern California, a lot of people left in the dark by that.
All right, let's continue the discussion, driving and crying about record high gas prices. The candidates hear you, believe me. You see it right there on both sides. Americans now pay an average $1.77 a gallon for self serve and that kind of pain generates political heat.

CNN's Sean Callebs joins us now live from Washington. Sean, you and I talking earlier you've developed quite a close relationship recently with Trilby Lundberg.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, of the Lundberg Study, where we get these numbers that come out periodically showing that at $1.77 for an average gallon of gas across the country that is the highest it has ever been.

In fact, I just got off the phone or just traded some e-mails with her and, if you heard the start of Kerry's speech, he talked about additives raising prices across the nation and one way to control prices is to make these uniform.

Well, Lundberg says that's great in theory but it's simply never going to happen, state EPA differences, various gas formations, so that's going to be difficult. Another thing that dictates gas prices across the nation fuel tax difference from state to state and also demand difference and that all comes into play.

Let's take a look at how it's been affected here the past couple of months. From March 12 to March 26, up an average of three and a half cents a gallon to, Kyra as you mentioned, this record $1.77 per gallon of gas.

PHILLIPS: And then, of course, you were telling me about the blame game we've all been seeing on the campaign trail with regard to this. Tell us about this ad.

CALLEBS: Yes, without question gasoline prices are fueling some of the biggest debate right now in the campaign. Let's take a look at what the Bush-Cheney reelection ticket is doing.

If you got to www.georgebush.com and then click on a calculator there, you see Kerry's gas tax increase and basically you type in the kind of car you have, where you want to go and this spits out the information and will tell you exactly how much Kerry's plan will cost you more than it does today.

The ticket also alleging, going back to an interview that Kerry apparently did back in 1994, that he supports a 50 cents a gallon gas tax hike but he says that is outdated information. He simply doesn't support that.

And also, there is a new commercial that is going to air Wednesday in something like 18 states and a number of those states are considered very key swing states in the upcoming presidential election.

Let's take a look at this commercial. It's actually called "Whacky."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: People have whacky ideas like taxing gasoline more so people drive less. That's John Kerry. He supported the 50 cent a gallon gas tax. If Kerry's gas tax increase were law, the average family would pay...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Yes, how about that. It looks like one of those old silent movies, something that's really been played well today basically getting free publicity by the media as they focus in on how the two sides are attacking each other -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Kerry countering all this.

CALLEBS: Yes, without question. He really fired the first salvo last night. It was no accident he's speaking in San Diego today. San Diego at $2.12 a gallon has the highest price for gasoline in the United States but in another area of California last night basically saying that President Bush has steered the U.S. economy into the earth over the past four years and gas prices where they are now. He is to blame for that.

You heard him also talking about possibly drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge up near the North Slope in Alaska. Also the ongoing conflict in Iraq a lot of people allege over gasoline prices. And just last night, Kerry winding up by saying the way gas prices are going it appears that Dick Cheney and George W. Bush may have to carpool to work together.

PHILLIPS: I'd like to see that happen. Sean, is this why you moved to D.C. so you didn't have to drive anymore? You take the underground.

CALLEBS: Yes, exactly. Above ground, above ground her, the Metro.

PHILLIPS: That's right.

CALLEBS: Yes, it's one of the reasons, right yes sure. It's a good place to be.

PHILLIPS: Sean Callebs thanks a lot.

All right other news across America now, day nine of jury deliberations in the Tyco corruption trial and attorneys for former Tyco titan Dennis Kozlowski may get another bid for a mistrial, this time over venomous Internet chat aimed at a juror who appeared to signal the defense. Attorneys say that the pressure could prevent the woman from deliberating in good faith.

Police in Madison, Wisconsin say the disappearance of a university student has them baffled, 20-year-old Audrey Seiler (ph) seen her on surveillance tapes walked out of her apartment on Saturday leaving behind her purse, coat and car. Last month she was knocked unconscious by an unknown assailant.

For now Mariane Pearl won't collect any money from the September 11th victims' fund. The funds manager denied her claim saying the money is earmarked exclusively for those killed in the 9/11 attacks. Pearl has filed an appeal. Her husband, journalist Daniel Pearl as you remember was kidnapped and killed by Islamic militants while working in Pakistan. She argues that his death at the hands of terrorist make her eligible for compensation.

It's been a long time in the coming but some things are worth the wait. The Statue of Liberty, known as The Lady, closed to visitors since the 9/11 attacks is set to reopen soon.

Our Maria Hinojosa brings us the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, New Yorkers affectionately call her Miss Liberty, Lady Liberty or simply The Lady, and we do not have an exact date but we have an approximation. By July of this year, tourists and visitors will be able to get just a bit closer to Lady Liberty.

Now she was closed on December 12 of 2001 right after the September 11th attacks and it didn't reopen, you couldn't even get to the Liberty Island until December 20th of 2001.

What's going to happen now is because of the refurbishing and because of all of the added security elements that have been added to Lady Liberty, you will now be able to get to the base of the Liberty Island, of the actual statue and go out on an observation deck.

Now all of this worth a lot of money, it's going to cost $7 million. Money was an issue but New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $100,000 to the cause.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: The Statue of Liberty stands as a symbol and while the federal dollars or state dollars or city dollars may have to go elsewhere, raising private money lets us do something that we all in our hearts know is right and will benefit us just in terms of the quality of our lives and what we leave to our children.

HINOJOSA: Now there are a lot of people who would like to be able to get up to the torch of Lady Liberty. You haven't been able to do that since 1916. But we are hearing that perhaps sometime in the future tourists will be able to make their way up to the crown.

What will happen now when Lady Liberty opens in July of this year is that there will actually be a glass ceiling and you'll be able to look up into the insides of Lady Liberty just a little bit closer than anyone's been able to get for quite some time.

Maria Hinojosa, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BREAKING NEWS)

PHILLIPS: Now, Scott Peterson's attorney coming forward saying his client can't get a fair trial if indeed a certain juror is on the panel, Ted Rowlands with the latest developments out of San Francisco -- Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra, this mundane jury selection process had some fireworks this morning in Redwood City when Geragos accused a potential juror of lying, basically saying that this individual had perjured herself because of a statement she made on her questionnaire, which he says were false.

And that is that he claims that he got a tip at his law office from someone who was with this potential juror supposedly on a trip, on a bus trip to Las Vegas and this individual told Geragos that this woman, this potential juror had said to her that she thought that Peterson was "guilty as hell" and that she was going to do everything she could to get on the jury, become the foreperson and then give him "everything he deserves," referring to Peterson, this coming from this supposed tipster that Geragos says called his office.

They've actually subpoenaed that individual to come up to Redwood City to tell her side of this story. The potential juror denies all of it. What's going to happen from this remains to be seen.

Most likely, the judge will just throw this juror out from consideration on being on this jury; however, Geragos has maintained that there are a number of stealth jurors, as he calls them, people that want to get on the Peterson jury and they want to deliver a guilty verdict.

This will most likely be used by Geragos in the coming days to bolster his argument that he needs more preemptory challenges or needs to move this trial out of Redwood City and down to Southern California but some fireworks this morning in Redwood City. We'll have to see what comes of it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll continue to check in with you, Ted. Thanks so much.

Straight ahead, terror raids turn up some big surprises. British police say they diffused an explosive situation.

And fanning the flames how post-war Iraq is becoming a breeding ground for ethnic hatred in depth on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Authorities say they prevented terror attacks in Britain and the Philippines. Four people arrested today in what the government says was a plan to bomb shopping malls and trains in Manila.

In Britain, eight terrorism suspects rounded up in an early morning sweep. Authorities seized half a ton of ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make bombs.

Britain is no stranger to terrorism. You recall the span of IRA bombings that began in the early 1970s. CNN's Guy Raz looks at how the Londoners in particular cope with that threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than five million people move around the city every day. The sheer volume and London's historic and political significance makes it a prime target for terrorism. There seems to be a kind of resignation among Londoners when talk turns to terrorism. No one says if but when.

(on camera): The anti-terror department of London's Metropolitan Police Department is actually working three times harder than it did during the 1970s. That was when the Irish Republican Army unleashed a massive wave of bombings across the city of London.

(voice-over): Police are focusing on London's famous underground, the Tube. After the Madrid bombings, authorities launched an awareness campaign. Transport authorities say more and more suspicious packages are being reported daily.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If somebody got off the Tube or the train and they left their bag then I'd be quite wary about that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think people are aware that there's a quite high possibility it's going to happen.

RAZ: But in London, it wouldn't be easy for terrorists to get away with an attack. There are more security cameras in the city than anywhere else in the world. An average person walking in London is captured by a camera up to 300 times in a day. While the public is more aware of the danger out there, public behavior hasn't much changed.

JAMES THOMPSON, PSYCHOLOGIST: A very violent attack, of course, would have an impact on behavior but generally we're resilient and we think it can't happen to me and that's what keeps us going.

RAZ: For the millions who work here each day, resilience may be the only option. Guy Raz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Other news around the world now.

Defending his actions, Spain's outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar tells France's "Le Monde" newspaper that his government told the truth about the Madrid train bombings. He's striking back against those accusing him of falsely blaming the attacks on ETA, the Basque rebel group instead of al Qaeda.

Looking like a battle zone again, a demonstration by jobless Iraqis in Najaf turned into a riot today. Protesters threw stones at the governor's office, Spanish soldiers and Iraqi police. Then they set a guardhouse on fire. Two people were injured.

West of Baghdad, a coalition soldier was killed when a patrol was targeted by an explosive device. Another soldier was wounded.

South of Baghdad in (unintelligible) six people were wounded when a suspected suicide bomber's car exploded. Today's attacks came as the head of a U.N. team says better security is vital if Iraq wants to hold elections on time.

Among the many problems in post-war Iraq is the growing expression of anti-Semitism, CNN's Walt Rodgers with more on past and present events fanning the flames of hatred.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A fire-breathing Muslim cleric leads believers in a chorus of "down with Israel." In Iraq, hatred of Israel, Zionists and Jews has become more not less poisonous since the American occupation.

Many Iraqis now see last year's war as an Israeli-American plot to keep Iraq weak and divide the nation into separate Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish enclaves. Even Iraqi intellectuals believe it.

PROF. SAAD JAWAQ, POLITICAL ANALYST: Whatever is happening here in Iraq is not in the interest even of the United States, this chaos and instability and insecurity. In fact, it's in the interest of Israel.

RODGERS: Israel's assassination of Palestinian Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in Gaza fueled the hatred and any tragedy, like this recent car bomb, is suspected of being a Jewish plot of Baghdad streets.

DR. OMAR AL-RAWI, SURGEON: They are killing the Muslims. They are destroying a Muslim country. They (unintelligible) the war that happened here in Iraq or in Palestine or in Egypt or anywhere, this is directed and pushed through the Jewish people.

RODGERS: Iraqi newspapers fan the anti-Semitism. One recently published these allegations that Israel has 560 Mossad spies here, some disguised as American soldiers, 200,000 Israeli Jews are buying up prime real estate to re-colonize Iraq. Another claim that Israel and the United States plan to expand the Jewish state into Iraq.

"How can they come back with all the blood on their hands? We know they're buying houses here" she says.

Specialists on anti-Semitism say Iraq has long been fertile ground.

ROBERT WISTRICH, HEBREW UNIVERSITY: In Iraq, you had an older tradition of anti-Semitism going back to the Nazi influence in the 1930s and '40s.

RODGERS: The American experiment in Iraq was not supposed to work like this. A year ago the Bush administration openly envisioned a new, more liberal and tolerant Iraq.

(on camera): Instead, Iraqis seem more xenophobic now and their growing fears one possible outcome here might just as easily be an Islamic state as a democracy.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Condoleezza Rice will now testify in public and under oath but why the reversal from the White House? We expect to hear from the 9/11 commission about this live 3:00 p.m. Eastern. We're on it. We'll bring it to you live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER FORECAST)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISTAIR COOKE, BROADCASTER: Good evening. It used to be liquor, bootleg liquor that made vast illegal fortunes for underworld characters in Chicago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Alistair Cooke, the legendary British broadcaster died in New York last night. He was 95. In the U.S., Cooke was best known as the host of "Masterpiece Theater" on PBS, a job he held for more than 20 years but he was a staple on the BBC for 58 years with his show, "Letter from America" but Cooke never lost his British accent. He actually became a U.S. citizen back in 1941. He quit his broadcasting career just a few weeks ago on the advice of his doctors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 March 30, 2004 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And by 2020, 20 percent of electricity produced by alternative sources. You'll remember the rolling blackouts that took place through Southern California, a lot of people left in the dark by that.
All right, let's continue the discussion, driving and crying about record high gas prices. The candidates hear you, believe me. You see it right there on both sides. Americans now pay an average $1.77 a gallon for self serve and that kind of pain generates political heat.

CNN's Sean Callebs joins us now live from Washington. Sean, you and I talking earlier you've developed quite a close relationship recently with Trilby Lundberg.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, of the Lundberg Study, where we get these numbers that come out periodically showing that at $1.77 for an average gallon of gas across the country that is the highest it has ever been.

In fact, I just got off the phone or just traded some e-mails with her and, if you heard the start of Kerry's speech, he talked about additives raising prices across the nation and one way to control prices is to make these uniform.

Well, Lundberg says that's great in theory but it's simply never going to happen, state EPA differences, various gas formations, so that's going to be difficult. Another thing that dictates gas prices across the nation fuel tax difference from state to state and also demand difference and that all comes into play.

Let's take a look at how it's been affected here the past couple of months. From March 12 to March 26, up an average of three and a half cents a gallon to, Kyra as you mentioned, this record $1.77 per gallon of gas.

PHILLIPS: And then, of course, you were telling me about the blame game we've all been seeing on the campaign trail with regard to this. Tell us about this ad.

CALLEBS: Yes, without question gasoline prices are fueling some of the biggest debate right now in the campaign. Let's take a look at what the Bush-Cheney reelection ticket is doing.

If you got to www.georgebush.com and then click on a calculator there, you see Kerry's gas tax increase and basically you type in the kind of car you have, where you want to go and this spits out the information and will tell you exactly how much Kerry's plan will cost you more than it does today.

The ticket also alleging, going back to an interview that Kerry apparently did back in 1994, that he supports a 50 cents a gallon gas tax hike but he says that is outdated information. He simply doesn't support that.

And also, there is a new commercial that is going to air Wednesday in something like 18 states and a number of those states are considered very key swing states in the upcoming presidential election.

Let's take a look at this commercial. It's actually called "Whacky."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: People have whacky ideas like taxing gasoline more so people drive less. That's John Kerry. He supported the 50 cent a gallon gas tax. If Kerry's gas tax increase were law, the average family would pay...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Yes, how about that. It looks like one of those old silent movies, something that's really been played well today basically getting free publicity by the media as they focus in on how the two sides are attacking each other -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Kerry countering all this.

CALLEBS: Yes, without question. He really fired the first salvo last night. It was no accident he's speaking in San Diego today. San Diego at $2.12 a gallon has the highest price for gasoline in the United States but in another area of California last night basically saying that President Bush has steered the U.S. economy into the earth over the past four years and gas prices where they are now. He is to blame for that.

You heard him also talking about possibly drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge up near the North Slope in Alaska. Also the ongoing conflict in Iraq a lot of people allege over gasoline prices. And just last night, Kerry winding up by saying the way gas prices are going it appears that Dick Cheney and George W. Bush may have to carpool to work together.

PHILLIPS: I'd like to see that happen. Sean, is this why you moved to D.C. so you didn't have to drive anymore? You take the underground.

CALLEBS: Yes, exactly. Above ground, above ground her, the Metro.

PHILLIPS: That's right.

CALLEBS: Yes, it's one of the reasons, right yes sure. It's a good place to be.

PHILLIPS: Sean Callebs thanks a lot.

All right other news across America now, day nine of jury deliberations in the Tyco corruption trial and attorneys for former Tyco titan Dennis Kozlowski may get another bid for a mistrial, this time over venomous Internet chat aimed at a juror who appeared to signal the defense. Attorneys say that the pressure could prevent the woman from deliberating in good faith.

Police in Madison, Wisconsin say the disappearance of a university student has them baffled, 20-year-old Audrey Seiler (ph) seen her on surveillance tapes walked out of her apartment on Saturday leaving behind her purse, coat and car. Last month she was knocked unconscious by an unknown assailant.

For now Mariane Pearl won't collect any money from the September 11th victims' fund. The funds manager denied her claim saying the money is earmarked exclusively for those killed in the 9/11 attacks. Pearl has filed an appeal. Her husband, journalist Daniel Pearl as you remember was kidnapped and killed by Islamic militants while working in Pakistan. She argues that his death at the hands of terrorist make her eligible for compensation.

It's been a long time in the coming but some things are worth the wait. The Statue of Liberty, known as The Lady, closed to visitors since the 9/11 attacks is set to reopen soon.

Our Maria Hinojosa brings us the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, New Yorkers affectionately call her Miss Liberty, Lady Liberty or simply The Lady, and we do not have an exact date but we have an approximation. By July of this year, tourists and visitors will be able to get just a bit closer to Lady Liberty.

Now she was closed on December 12 of 2001 right after the September 11th attacks and it didn't reopen, you couldn't even get to the Liberty Island until December 20th of 2001.

What's going to happen now is because of the refurbishing and because of all of the added security elements that have been added to Lady Liberty, you will now be able to get to the base of the Liberty Island, of the actual statue and go out on an observation deck.

Now all of this worth a lot of money, it's going to cost $7 million. Money was an issue but New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $100,000 to the cause.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: The Statue of Liberty stands as a symbol and while the federal dollars or state dollars or city dollars may have to go elsewhere, raising private money lets us do something that we all in our hearts know is right and will benefit us just in terms of the quality of our lives and what we leave to our children.

HINOJOSA: Now there are a lot of people who would like to be able to get up to the torch of Lady Liberty. You haven't been able to do that since 1916. But we are hearing that perhaps sometime in the future tourists will be able to make their way up to the crown.

What will happen now when Lady Liberty opens in July of this year is that there will actually be a glass ceiling and you'll be able to look up into the insides of Lady Liberty just a little bit closer than anyone's been able to get for quite some time.

Maria Hinojosa, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BREAKING NEWS)

PHILLIPS: Now, Scott Peterson's attorney coming forward saying his client can't get a fair trial if indeed a certain juror is on the panel, Ted Rowlands with the latest developments out of San Francisco -- Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra, this mundane jury selection process had some fireworks this morning in Redwood City when Geragos accused a potential juror of lying, basically saying that this individual had perjured herself because of a statement she made on her questionnaire, which he says were false.

And that is that he claims that he got a tip at his law office from someone who was with this potential juror supposedly on a trip, on a bus trip to Las Vegas and this individual told Geragos that this woman, this potential juror had said to her that she thought that Peterson was "guilty as hell" and that she was going to do everything she could to get on the jury, become the foreperson and then give him "everything he deserves," referring to Peterson, this coming from this supposed tipster that Geragos says called his office.

They've actually subpoenaed that individual to come up to Redwood City to tell her side of this story. The potential juror denies all of it. What's going to happen from this remains to be seen.

Most likely, the judge will just throw this juror out from consideration on being on this jury; however, Geragos has maintained that there are a number of stealth jurors, as he calls them, people that want to get on the Peterson jury and they want to deliver a guilty verdict.

This will most likely be used by Geragos in the coming days to bolster his argument that he needs more preemptory challenges or needs to move this trial out of Redwood City and down to Southern California but some fireworks this morning in Redwood City. We'll have to see what comes of it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll continue to check in with you, Ted. Thanks so much.

Straight ahead, terror raids turn up some big surprises. British police say they diffused an explosive situation.

And fanning the flames how post-war Iraq is becoming a breeding ground for ethnic hatred in depth on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Authorities say they prevented terror attacks in Britain and the Philippines. Four people arrested today in what the government says was a plan to bomb shopping malls and trains in Manila.

In Britain, eight terrorism suspects rounded up in an early morning sweep. Authorities seized half a ton of ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make bombs.

Britain is no stranger to terrorism. You recall the span of IRA bombings that began in the early 1970s. CNN's Guy Raz looks at how the Londoners in particular cope with that threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than five million people move around the city every day. The sheer volume and London's historic and political significance makes it a prime target for terrorism. There seems to be a kind of resignation among Londoners when talk turns to terrorism. No one says if but when.

(on camera): The anti-terror department of London's Metropolitan Police Department is actually working three times harder than it did during the 1970s. That was when the Irish Republican Army unleashed a massive wave of bombings across the city of London.

(voice-over): Police are focusing on London's famous underground, the Tube. After the Madrid bombings, authorities launched an awareness campaign. Transport authorities say more and more suspicious packages are being reported daily.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If somebody got off the Tube or the train and they left their bag then I'd be quite wary about that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think people are aware that there's a quite high possibility it's going to happen.

RAZ: But in London, it wouldn't be easy for terrorists to get away with an attack. There are more security cameras in the city than anywhere else in the world. An average person walking in London is captured by a camera up to 300 times in a day. While the public is more aware of the danger out there, public behavior hasn't much changed.

JAMES THOMPSON, PSYCHOLOGIST: A very violent attack, of course, would have an impact on behavior but generally we're resilient and we think it can't happen to me and that's what keeps us going.

RAZ: For the millions who work here each day, resilience may be the only option. Guy Raz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Other news around the world now.

Defending his actions, Spain's outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar tells France's "Le Monde" newspaper that his government told the truth about the Madrid train bombings. He's striking back against those accusing him of falsely blaming the attacks on ETA, the Basque rebel group instead of al Qaeda.

Looking like a battle zone again, a demonstration by jobless Iraqis in Najaf turned into a riot today. Protesters threw stones at the governor's office, Spanish soldiers and Iraqi police. Then they set a guardhouse on fire. Two people were injured.

West of Baghdad, a coalition soldier was killed when a patrol was targeted by an explosive device. Another soldier was wounded.

South of Baghdad in (unintelligible) six people were wounded when a suspected suicide bomber's car exploded. Today's attacks came as the head of a U.N. team says better security is vital if Iraq wants to hold elections on time.

Among the many problems in post-war Iraq is the growing expression of anti-Semitism, CNN's Walt Rodgers with more on past and present events fanning the flames of hatred.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A fire-breathing Muslim cleric leads believers in a chorus of "down with Israel." In Iraq, hatred of Israel, Zionists and Jews has become more not less poisonous since the American occupation.

Many Iraqis now see last year's war as an Israeli-American plot to keep Iraq weak and divide the nation into separate Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish enclaves. Even Iraqi intellectuals believe it.

PROF. SAAD JAWAQ, POLITICAL ANALYST: Whatever is happening here in Iraq is not in the interest even of the United States, this chaos and instability and insecurity. In fact, it's in the interest of Israel.

RODGERS: Israel's assassination of Palestinian Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in Gaza fueled the hatred and any tragedy, like this recent car bomb, is suspected of being a Jewish plot of Baghdad streets.

DR. OMAR AL-RAWI, SURGEON: They are killing the Muslims. They are destroying a Muslim country. They (unintelligible) the war that happened here in Iraq or in Palestine or in Egypt or anywhere, this is directed and pushed through the Jewish people.

RODGERS: Iraqi newspapers fan the anti-Semitism. One recently published these allegations that Israel has 560 Mossad spies here, some disguised as American soldiers, 200,000 Israeli Jews are buying up prime real estate to re-colonize Iraq. Another claim that Israel and the United States plan to expand the Jewish state into Iraq.

"How can they come back with all the blood on their hands? We know they're buying houses here" she says.

Specialists on anti-Semitism say Iraq has long been fertile ground.

ROBERT WISTRICH, HEBREW UNIVERSITY: In Iraq, you had an older tradition of anti-Semitism going back to the Nazi influence in the 1930s and '40s.

RODGERS: The American experiment in Iraq was not supposed to work like this. A year ago the Bush administration openly envisioned a new, more liberal and tolerant Iraq.

(on camera): Instead, Iraqis seem more xenophobic now and their growing fears one possible outcome here might just as easily be an Islamic state as a democracy.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Condoleezza Rice will now testify in public and under oath but why the reversal from the White House? We expect to hear from the 9/11 commission about this live 3:00 p.m. Eastern. We're on it. We'll bring it to you live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER FORECAST)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISTAIR COOKE, BROADCASTER: Good evening. It used to be liquor, bootleg liquor that made vast illegal fortunes for underworld characters in Chicago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Alistair Cooke, the legendary British broadcaster died in New York last night. He was 95. In the U.S., Cooke was best known as the host of "Masterpiece Theater" on PBS, a job he held for more than 20 years but he was a staple on the BBC for 58 years with his show, "Letter from America" but Cooke never lost his British accent. He actually became a U.S. citizen back in 1941. He quit his broadcasting career just a few weeks ago on the advice of his doctors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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