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Convicted Child Rapist Freed; Perco-o-pops Newest Illegal Drug Fad in Philadelphia; April Deadliest Month in Iraq; No Clear Frontrunner at Kentucky Derby; Political Cartoonists, Comedians Lampoon Bush, Cheney Testimony
Aired April 30, 2004 - 13:30 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: New this half hour, the controversial parole of a convicted child rapist in Massachusetts.
Gerald Amirault was released today after he served 17 years in prison. He maintains he and his family were wrongly convicted of abusing children at their family-owned childcare center.
Our Dan Lothian picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After 17 years behind bars, convicted child rapist Gerald "Tooky" Amirault is a free man.
PATTI AMIRAULT, WIFE: We're pleased to hear that the district attorney's not going to go any further with this.
LOTHIAN: Granted parole last year, his release was assured last week after prosecutors decided not to pursue further court action to have him committed as a sexually dangerous person.
MARTHA COAKLEY, MIDDLEX COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Based upon a lot of factors we didn't believe that we had enough evidence to proceed and be successful.
LOTHIAN: For his victims, Friday will be a dark day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go get some help. You don't belong in society.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My biggest nightmare has come true. He's going to be walking free.
LOTHIAN: Amirault was convicted of raping and molesting eight children at his family run Fells Acres Day Care Center in Malden, Massachusetts. His mother and sister were also convicted and locked up but later released.
(on camera) This case was part of a disturbing national current in the 1980s: accusations of abuse against day care workers, followed by questions concerning the reliability of testimony from young victims.
(voice-over) Amirault has always maintained his innocence, his attorney describing this case as justice gone wrong.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: A white-knuckled emergency landing tops our look at news across America.
The right landing gear on an Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane failed last evening in Minneapolis. The pilot reported the problem just before landing, circled the airport to burn off a little bit of fuel.
Despite all the sparks and smoke, the four people aboard the plane escaped without injury.
Powerful winds blowing through Louisiana ripped off the roof of a gym at a private school. A number of trees uprooted. No injuries reported from yesterday's storms.
The Chuck-a-Rama restaurant serving a big helping of "I'm sorry." The apology was made to a couple on a low carb diet who were booted from the restaurant's buffet after 11 -- count them 11 -- helpings of roast beef. The restaurant still maintains its buffet style dining is not all you can eat.
At least five arrests and several incidents in Pennsylvania related to a painkiller in the form of a lollipop has sparked police investigations and worry about its risky appeal to teens.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's illegal, contains powerful narcotics and tastes like a lollipop. On the streets it's called Perc-o-pop, and it's the newest drug to hit Philadelphia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time the narcotics unit has ever come across them.
GUPTA: Perco-o-pop contains fentanyl. That's a painkiller that comes in the form of a lozenge and is sold under the brand name Actiq.
Manufactured by the drug company Cephalon, it's a legitimate cancer drug prescribed to patients to suck on them to relieve intense pain.
But like too often happens with products like this, the lollipops are being stolen, from where? Police have yet to pinpoint. They are then being sold illegally for about $20 each.
The main buyers? Teenagers across northeast Philadelphia.
CNN Philadelphia affiliate WPBI had no trouble finding an 18- year-old familiar with Perco-o-pops.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They freeze them and they lick them. They get a high off it.
GUPTA: So they're easy to use and they taste sweet, pretty high appeal for kids.
The manufacturer's label does warn Actiq can be harmful and even fatal to children and can cause injury or death to anyone who is not already using a prescription pain medication.
But the people abusing this drug aren't likely to read those labels.
INSPECTOR JOSEPH SULLIVAN, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: They're dangerous and unfortunately they're getting in the hands of young people.
GUPTA: For now according to federal government agencies, the problem does seem to be isolated to the Philadelphia area, and nationally the abuse of fentanyl is relatively low. There are 576 reported incidents of non-medical uses in 2000. That jumped to 1500 cases in 2002.
(on camera) The drug's manufacturer says yes, there's always going to be the potential for misuse, but still fentanyl remains an important source for good pain control, even if it does come in the form of a lollipop.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Turning now to the countdown to the handover of power in Iraq. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shedding new light on how Iraqis see the future of their country and how they feel about the United States.
It's important to note much of the interviews were conducted earlier this month before the current cycle of violence began.
Sixty-three percent of Iraqis say that in five years, rack will be better off than it was before the U.S.-led invasion. A tenth say it will be worse off. Seven percent think there won't be any change and a fifth aren't sure.
The poll also shows 23 percent of those surveyed have a favorable opinion of the United States, 17 percent neutral; 55 percent are unfavorable.
April has been the deadliest month, of course, for the U.S. since it began the war there. More U.S. troops have died in the last 30 days than the six weeks of declared major combat.
CNN's Aaron Brown looks back at the bloodiest month so far.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AARON BROWN, "NEWSNIGHT" HOST (voice-over): This is how the month began, the killing of four American security contractors. The mutilation and the celebration in Fallujah set the stage and set the tone.
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: Quite simply we will respond. We are not going to do a pell-mell rush into the city. It's going to be deliberate. It will be precise, and it will be overwhelming.
BROWN: But it was not just the Sunni areas. In the slums of Baghdad and in the Shiite south, the black-clad fighters of a renegade cleric followed demonstrations with repeated attacks on occupation troops.
Sunday we may see April as part of a larger picture, a necessary chapter to the rebuilding of Iraq, but now we mostly remember the dying. Seven Americans on a Sunday in Sadr City, a dozen in the town of Ramadi, more on the Syrian border and in the heart of Baghdad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The American public saw a very bloody month. It began to make it wonder more than before if this war really was worth it or if we have a clear theory of victory for how to go from here.
BROWN: And the world saw pictures of casualties, too, Iraqi bodies, some surely fighters, other likely innocents that wars so often claim.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The image of the resistance as simply a bunch of former Saddam loyalists is no longer quite true. We now have a lot more people sympathetic to the resistance, because they're mad at the United States.
BROWN: April saw a devastating and coordinated series of bombings in the otherwise generally peaceful southern city of Basra. It saw American generals on the ground, acknowledging they needed more troops, and it saw 20,000 Americans scheduled to come home have their departure delayed.
April saw the beginning of the kidnappings: Japanese, Koreans, Russians, French and finally an American soldier on camera. Tonight his whereabouts still unknown.
Diplomatic policies changed at dazzling speed. A new prime minister in Spain ordered his troops out. A few other countries said they were getting out, as well.
This deadly month saw a major policy shift: many Ba'athists, Saddam's party who had been banned from military and civilian jobs were told those jobs were now available, their leadership skills needed.
That is especially true in the new Iraqi security force, which performed very badly in its first major test of its training and willingness to fight.
ROBIN WRIGHT, DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: The United States has taken what it calls modifications, but in fact amount to major policy shifts.
BROWN: As this cruel month draws to an end, the picture of Iraq has changed. Previously banned photographs of flag-draped coffins have now appeared on television.
A ceasefire in Fallujah looks more like a pitched battle every day and every night, though it does seem that cooler heads may well prevail in the Shiite south.
The final toll is clear and troubling: 132 U.S. troops dead, more deaths than in the entire invasion, more deaths than in any other single month, and there is no reason to believe it is over.
Aaron Brown, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Much more on this tonight during a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN." "Iraq, Countdown to Handover" airs 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Pacific.
One owner of TV stations unhappy with ABC's decision to air the names and photos of U.S. troops killed in Iraq on the "Nightline" program tonight. Sinclair Broadcasting Group has ordered its seven ABC stations not to air tonight's broadcast.
Sinclair's lawyer says the company finds the programming contrary to the public interest.
ABC News responded by saying the "Nightline" program seeks to honor those who have laid down their life for this country.
ABC's Ted Koppel will be the guest on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." That's at 7 p.m. Eastern tonight, 4 p.m. Pacific right here on CNN.
Well, when are two heads better than one?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you go to the principal's office and you don't want to be separated so the other guy doesn't say the wrong thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Still to come, we'll tell you how the public really feels about the president and vice president's dual 9/11 testimony.
JOSIE BURKE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Josie Burke at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, where the 130th Run for the Roses is missing something. I'll tell you when tomorrow's race doesn't have when CNN's LIVE FROM returns right after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Music and food lovers have one more weekend left to enjoy the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The 10-day event continues through Sunday. It draws half a million people each year, including thousands of musicians, cooks and craftspeople.
Visitors can listen to the cool tunes while sampling hot food like -- alligator picante sauce? That is hot.
Some traditions going by the boards at Churchill Downs this year. For the first time in at least a dozen, a horse trained by Bob Baffert will not be running for the roses.
And this year's jockeys will look a little bit like NASCAR drivers.
CNN's Josie Burke connects the dots between Wimbledon, Daytona and the Kentucky Derby.
Hello, Josie.
BURKE: Miles, you sort of set the tone there. This is really an unusual year here at the Kentucky Derby, in large part because no clear-cut favorite has emerged.
And you can look at that in a number of different ways, but we spoke to veteran trainer Nick Zito, and he cautioned against interpreting it to mean there are no good horses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK ZITO, TRAINER: They always say, like, about crops, a 3- year-old, that this is a bad crop. There's no such thing as a bad crop, you know. To be in the Kentucky Derby, you have to be good. And my pick (ph) is as good as any crop, you know.
You'll see. When time goes on, you'll -- they'll realize that's what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURKE: As you know, trains The Cliff's Edge, who has emerged as the very slight four-to-one favorite.
And Miles, you alluded to the fact that the jockeys might look a little bit different this year. That's because a judge yesterday ruled that a state law regulating the fact that jockeys couldn't wear advertisements on their silks would not be upheld this year. They couldn't, in fact, enforce that law. And then Churchill Downs went ahead and said that all jockeys could, indeed, if the sponsor that they were putting on their silks did not interfere with any of the sponsors that were already on board with the Kentucky Derby, then they could go ahead and indeed wear those patches -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Josie Burke, with no frontrunner to really focus on, you've got to tell us who you favor, though. I know that, you know, you've got some journalistic obligations here, but do you have a favorite?
BURKE: Well, I can tell you that there are a couple of good storylines that everyone should be looking out for.
No. 1, look for a horse called Imperialism because that horse is trained by a 21-year-old woman. And if Imperialism wins, then Kristin Mulhall would be the youngest person ever and the first woman trainer to win at the Kentucky Derby.
And then there's a horse by the name of Smarty Jones from Philadelphia. He's the only undefeated horse out there, and he almost killed himself last year in a training accident, had a fractured skull. And he's got a good chance tomorrow -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Kind of a Seabiscuit tale there.
I can tell you there's an 11-year-old girl -- 10-year-old girl at my house who's rooting for that 21-year-old trainer in a big way. So I think that she has made a connection with people, hasn't she?
BURKE: She has and, Miles, it's actually a historic race because there are two women trainers for the first time ever in the Kentucky Derby. So not just Kristin Mulhall. There's a Jennifer Pederson out there, as well, who has a horse in this race.
O'BRIEN: All right. We're going to enjoy watching it. Josie Burke has a front row seat. Stay with CNN for all the coverage. Josie, thanks very much.
Still to come on LIVE FROM, cartoonists are getting a kick out of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney's united front.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Mary snow in New York, hopping aboard this year's hottest IPO. I'll tell you how to get a hold of Google when LIVE FROM returns right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: First Vice President Cheney, now John Kerry gets his turn at Westminster College. The Democratic nominee will be on the Missouri campus this afternoon.
Just four day ago Cheney was at the college questioning Kerry's leadership on national security. Very harsh speech. Early excerpts released by the Kerry campaign indicate he will target much of today's speech toward the Bush administration's policy in Iraq. Sort of a delayed debate, I guess.
Well, from Mini Me to marionettes, political cartoonists are taking jabs at the president and vice president. At issue, the White House's insistence the two appeared jointly at yesterday's historic question and answer session with the 9/11 commission.
Our Jeanne Moos takes a look at the ribbing and the ridicule. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bush-Cheney, Bush- Cheney. Not since they accepted the Republican nomination has there been so much handholding, at least at the hands of political cartoonists.
The man who campaigned as a uniter sure has been united in the press.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Testified together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joint appearance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Together.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Appeared together.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Both of us.
MOOS: Now both of them are sitting ducks for comedians joking about 9/11 commission seating arrangements.
JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW" HOST: Should Bush, rather, sit on Cheney's right knee or his left knee?
MOOS: The puppet theme was a favorite with cartoonists. Mike Luckovich got so worked up...
MIKE LUCKOVICH, POLITICAL CARTOONIST: He's the damn president, and he should go in front of the American people.
MOOS: ... he's published two cartoons, one depicting the duo as Dr. Evil and Mini Me.
Luckovich cites the president's tough-guy image.
LUCKOVICH: But then he needed his buddy Cheney with him to answer questions. It just looks so bad, and I thank him for that.
MOOS: Thanked him for inspiring a cartoon showing the president entering a restroom: "Where's Cheney! I'm not doing this alone."
MOOS: Some folks on the street were more charitable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I think I don't have a problem with it. I think that it's perfectly all right. I mean, if he -- First of all, he isn't the most articulate person. I do think he's an honorable man. I do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's a wimp.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not presidential. It's like he's a child. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kind of like when you go to the principal's office and you don't want to be separated so the other guy doesn't say the wrong thing.
MOOS: We stumbled on actor James Whitmore, who once played a president, Harry Truman.
(on camera) President Bush...
JAMES WHITMORE, ACTOR: President of what?
MOOS: The United States.
WHITMORE: Really?
MOOS: And Vice President Cheney are testifying together today.
WHITMORE: To each other?
MOOS (voice-over) In this case, two heads are a better target than one.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(STOCK REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Coming up in our second hour of LIVE FROM, honoring the fallen men and women from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well.
ABC's "Nightline" plans to show a 40-minute litany of those who have lost their lives tonight, but people in seven TV markets won't get a chance to see the tribute. We'll debate the controversy surrounding one broadcasting firm's decision to skip out on the coverage.
Stay with us.
(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 April 30, 2004 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: New this half hour, the controversial parole of a convicted child rapist in Massachusetts.
Gerald Amirault was released today after he served 17 years in prison. He maintains he and his family were wrongly convicted of abusing children at their family-owned childcare center.
Our Dan Lothian picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After 17 years behind bars, convicted child rapist Gerald "Tooky" Amirault is a free man.
PATTI AMIRAULT, WIFE: We're pleased to hear that the district attorney's not going to go any further with this.
LOTHIAN: Granted parole last year, his release was assured last week after prosecutors decided not to pursue further court action to have him committed as a sexually dangerous person.
MARTHA COAKLEY, MIDDLEX COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Based upon a lot of factors we didn't believe that we had enough evidence to proceed and be successful.
LOTHIAN: For his victims, Friday will be a dark day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go get some help. You don't belong in society.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My biggest nightmare has come true. He's going to be walking free.
LOTHIAN: Amirault was convicted of raping and molesting eight children at his family run Fells Acres Day Care Center in Malden, Massachusetts. His mother and sister were also convicted and locked up but later released.
(on camera) This case was part of a disturbing national current in the 1980s: accusations of abuse against day care workers, followed by questions concerning the reliability of testimony from young victims.
(voice-over) Amirault has always maintained his innocence, his attorney describing this case as justice gone wrong.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: A white-knuckled emergency landing tops our look at news across America.
The right landing gear on an Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane failed last evening in Minneapolis. The pilot reported the problem just before landing, circled the airport to burn off a little bit of fuel.
Despite all the sparks and smoke, the four people aboard the plane escaped without injury.
Powerful winds blowing through Louisiana ripped off the roof of a gym at a private school. A number of trees uprooted. No injuries reported from yesterday's storms.
The Chuck-a-Rama restaurant serving a big helping of "I'm sorry." The apology was made to a couple on a low carb diet who were booted from the restaurant's buffet after 11 -- count them 11 -- helpings of roast beef. The restaurant still maintains its buffet style dining is not all you can eat.
At least five arrests and several incidents in Pennsylvania related to a painkiller in the form of a lollipop has sparked police investigations and worry about its risky appeal to teens.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's illegal, contains powerful narcotics and tastes like a lollipop. On the streets it's called Perc-o-pop, and it's the newest drug to hit Philadelphia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time the narcotics unit has ever come across them.
GUPTA: Perco-o-pop contains fentanyl. That's a painkiller that comes in the form of a lozenge and is sold under the brand name Actiq.
Manufactured by the drug company Cephalon, it's a legitimate cancer drug prescribed to patients to suck on them to relieve intense pain.
But like too often happens with products like this, the lollipops are being stolen, from where? Police have yet to pinpoint. They are then being sold illegally for about $20 each.
The main buyers? Teenagers across northeast Philadelphia.
CNN Philadelphia affiliate WPBI had no trouble finding an 18- year-old familiar with Perco-o-pops.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They freeze them and they lick them. They get a high off it.
GUPTA: So they're easy to use and they taste sweet, pretty high appeal for kids.
The manufacturer's label does warn Actiq can be harmful and even fatal to children and can cause injury or death to anyone who is not already using a prescription pain medication.
But the people abusing this drug aren't likely to read those labels.
INSPECTOR JOSEPH SULLIVAN, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: They're dangerous and unfortunately they're getting in the hands of young people.
GUPTA: For now according to federal government agencies, the problem does seem to be isolated to the Philadelphia area, and nationally the abuse of fentanyl is relatively low. There are 576 reported incidents of non-medical uses in 2000. That jumped to 1500 cases in 2002.
(on camera) The drug's manufacturer says yes, there's always going to be the potential for misuse, but still fentanyl remains an important source for good pain control, even if it does come in the form of a lollipop.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Turning now to the countdown to the handover of power in Iraq. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shedding new light on how Iraqis see the future of their country and how they feel about the United States.
It's important to note much of the interviews were conducted earlier this month before the current cycle of violence began.
Sixty-three percent of Iraqis say that in five years, rack will be better off than it was before the U.S.-led invasion. A tenth say it will be worse off. Seven percent think there won't be any change and a fifth aren't sure.
The poll also shows 23 percent of those surveyed have a favorable opinion of the United States, 17 percent neutral; 55 percent are unfavorable.
April has been the deadliest month, of course, for the U.S. since it began the war there. More U.S. troops have died in the last 30 days than the six weeks of declared major combat.
CNN's Aaron Brown looks back at the bloodiest month so far.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AARON BROWN, "NEWSNIGHT" HOST (voice-over): This is how the month began, the killing of four American security contractors. The mutilation and the celebration in Fallujah set the stage and set the tone.
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: Quite simply we will respond. We are not going to do a pell-mell rush into the city. It's going to be deliberate. It will be precise, and it will be overwhelming.
BROWN: But it was not just the Sunni areas. In the slums of Baghdad and in the Shiite south, the black-clad fighters of a renegade cleric followed demonstrations with repeated attacks on occupation troops.
Sunday we may see April as part of a larger picture, a necessary chapter to the rebuilding of Iraq, but now we mostly remember the dying. Seven Americans on a Sunday in Sadr City, a dozen in the town of Ramadi, more on the Syrian border and in the heart of Baghdad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The American public saw a very bloody month. It began to make it wonder more than before if this war really was worth it or if we have a clear theory of victory for how to go from here.
BROWN: And the world saw pictures of casualties, too, Iraqi bodies, some surely fighters, other likely innocents that wars so often claim.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The image of the resistance as simply a bunch of former Saddam loyalists is no longer quite true. We now have a lot more people sympathetic to the resistance, because they're mad at the United States.
BROWN: April saw a devastating and coordinated series of bombings in the otherwise generally peaceful southern city of Basra. It saw American generals on the ground, acknowledging they needed more troops, and it saw 20,000 Americans scheduled to come home have their departure delayed.
April saw the beginning of the kidnappings: Japanese, Koreans, Russians, French and finally an American soldier on camera. Tonight his whereabouts still unknown.
Diplomatic policies changed at dazzling speed. A new prime minister in Spain ordered his troops out. A few other countries said they were getting out, as well.
This deadly month saw a major policy shift: many Ba'athists, Saddam's party who had been banned from military and civilian jobs were told those jobs were now available, their leadership skills needed.
That is especially true in the new Iraqi security force, which performed very badly in its first major test of its training and willingness to fight.
ROBIN WRIGHT, DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: The United States has taken what it calls modifications, but in fact amount to major policy shifts.
BROWN: As this cruel month draws to an end, the picture of Iraq has changed. Previously banned photographs of flag-draped coffins have now appeared on television.
A ceasefire in Fallujah looks more like a pitched battle every day and every night, though it does seem that cooler heads may well prevail in the Shiite south.
The final toll is clear and troubling: 132 U.S. troops dead, more deaths than in the entire invasion, more deaths than in any other single month, and there is no reason to believe it is over.
Aaron Brown, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Much more on this tonight during a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN." "Iraq, Countdown to Handover" airs 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Pacific.
One owner of TV stations unhappy with ABC's decision to air the names and photos of U.S. troops killed in Iraq on the "Nightline" program tonight. Sinclair Broadcasting Group has ordered its seven ABC stations not to air tonight's broadcast.
Sinclair's lawyer says the company finds the programming contrary to the public interest.
ABC News responded by saying the "Nightline" program seeks to honor those who have laid down their life for this country.
ABC's Ted Koppel will be the guest on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." That's at 7 p.m. Eastern tonight, 4 p.m. Pacific right here on CNN.
Well, when are two heads better than one?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you go to the principal's office and you don't want to be separated so the other guy doesn't say the wrong thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Still to come, we'll tell you how the public really feels about the president and vice president's dual 9/11 testimony.
JOSIE BURKE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Josie Burke at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, where the 130th Run for the Roses is missing something. I'll tell you when tomorrow's race doesn't have when CNN's LIVE FROM returns right after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Music and food lovers have one more weekend left to enjoy the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The 10-day event continues through Sunday. It draws half a million people each year, including thousands of musicians, cooks and craftspeople.
Visitors can listen to the cool tunes while sampling hot food like -- alligator picante sauce? That is hot.
Some traditions going by the boards at Churchill Downs this year. For the first time in at least a dozen, a horse trained by Bob Baffert will not be running for the roses.
And this year's jockeys will look a little bit like NASCAR drivers.
CNN's Josie Burke connects the dots between Wimbledon, Daytona and the Kentucky Derby.
Hello, Josie.
BURKE: Miles, you sort of set the tone there. This is really an unusual year here at the Kentucky Derby, in large part because no clear-cut favorite has emerged.
And you can look at that in a number of different ways, but we spoke to veteran trainer Nick Zito, and he cautioned against interpreting it to mean there are no good horses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK ZITO, TRAINER: They always say, like, about crops, a 3- year-old, that this is a bad crop. There's no such thing as a bad crop, you know. To be in the Kentucky Derby, you have to be good. And my pick (ph) is as good as any crop, you know.
You'll see. When time goes on, you'll -- they'll realize that's what happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURKE: As you know, trains The Cliff's Edge, who has emerged as the very slight four-to-one favorite.
And Miles, you alluded to the fact that the jockeys might look a little bit different this year. That's because a judge yesterday ruled that a state law regulating the fact that jockeys couldn't wear advertisements on their silks would not be upheld this year. They couldn't, in fact, enforce that law. And then Churchill Downs went ahead and said that all jockeys could, indeed, if the sponsor that they were putting on their silks did not interfere with any of the sponsors that were already on board with the Kentucky Derby, then they could go ahead and indeed wear those patches -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Josie Burke, with no frontrunner to really focus on, you've got to tell us who you favor, though. I know that, you know, you've got some journalistic obligations here, but do you have a favorite?
BURKE: Well, I can tell you that there are a couple of good storylines that everyone should be looking out for.
No. 1, look for a horse called Imperialism because that horse is trained by a 21-year-old woman. And if Imperialism wins, then Kristin Mulhall would be the youngest person ever and the first woman trainer to win at the Kentucky Derby.
And then there's a horse by the name of Smarty Jones from Philadelphia. He's the only undefeated horse out there, and he almost killed himself last year in a training accident, had a fractured skull. And he's got a good chance tomorrow -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Kind of a Seabiscuit tale there.
I can tell you there's an 11-year-old girl -- 10-year-old girl at my house who's rooting for that 21-year-old trainer in a big way. So I think that she has made a connection with people, hasn't she?
BURKE: She has and, Miles, it's actually a historic race because there are two women trainers for the first time ever in the Kentucky Derby. So not just Kristin Mulhall. There's a Jennifer Pederson out there, as well, who has a horse in this race.
O'BRIEN: All right. We're going to enjoy watching it. Josie Burke has a front row seat. Stay with CNN for all the coverage. Josie, thanks very much.
Still to come on LIVE FROM, cartoonists are getting a kick out of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney's united front.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Mary snow in New York, hopping aboard this year's hottest IPO. I'll tell you how to get a hold of Google when LIVE FROM returns right after this.
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O'BRIEN: First Vice President Cheney, now John Kerry gets his turn at Westminster College. The Democratic nominee will be on the Missouri campus this afternoon.
Just four day ago Cheney was at the college questioning Kerry's leadership on national security. Very harsh speech. Early excerpts released by the Kerry campaign indicate he will target much of today's speech toward the Bush administration's policy in Iraq. Sort of a delayed debate, I guess.
Well, from Mini Me to marionettes, political cartoonists are taking jabs at the president and vice president. At issue, the White House's insistence the two appeared jointly at yesterday's historic question and answer session with the 9/11 commission.
Our Jeanne Moos takes a look at the ribbing and the ridicule. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bush-Cheney, Bush- Cheney. Not since they accepted the Republican nomination has there been so much handholding, at least at the hands of political cartoonists.
The man who campaigned as a uniter sure has been united in the press.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Testified together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joint appearance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Together.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Appeared together.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Both of us.
MOOS: Now both of them are sitting ducks for comedians joking about 9/11 commission seating arrangements.
JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW" HOST: Should Bush, rather, sit on Cheney's right knee or his left knee?
MOOS: The puppet theme was a favorite with cartoonists. Mike Luckovich got so worked up...
MIKE LUCKOVICH, POLITICAL CARTOONIST: He's the damn president, and he should go in front of the American people.
MOOS: ... he's published two cartoons, one depicting the duo as Dr. Evil and Mini Me.
Luckovich cites the president's tough-guy image.
LUCKOVICH: But then he needed his buddy Cheney with him to answer questions. It just looks so bad, and I thank him for that.
MOOS: Thanked him for inspiring a cartoon showing the president entering a restroom: "Where's Cheney! I'm not doing this alone."
MOOS: Some folks on the street were more charitable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I think I don't have a problem with it. I think that it's perfectly all right. I mean, if he -- First of all, he isn't the most articulate person. I do think he's an honorable man. I do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's a wimp.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not presidential. It's like he's a child. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kind of like when you go to the principal's office and you don't want to be separated so the other guy doesn't say the wrong thing.
MOOS: We stumbled on actor James Whitmore, who once played a president, Harry Truman.
(on camera) President Bush...
JAMES WHITMORE, ACTOR: President of what?
MOOS: The United States.
WHITMORE: Really?
MOOS: And Vice President Cheney are testifying together today.
WHITMORE: To each other?
MOOS (voice-over) In this case, two heads are a better target than one.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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O'BRIEN: Coming up in our second hour of LIVE FROM, honoring the fallen men and women from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well.
ABC's "Nightline" plans to show a 40-minute litany of those who have lost their lives tonight, but people in seven TV markets won't get a chance to see the tribute. We'll debate the controversy surrounding one broadcasting firm's decision to skip out on the coverage.
Stay with us.
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