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Fallujah Flares up Once Again as U.S. Puts Into Place Plan to Have Iraqi Troops Patrol Besieged City
Aired April 30, 2004 - 13:57 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, CNN ANCHOR: Repositioning and a fatal attack around Fallujah, part of the fight for Iraq is handed over to one of Saddam Hussein's former generals.
And is it paying respect or political spin, the show that some of you will not be able to see tonight.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gary Tuchman live in Santa Maria, California. The throngs have left, but hundreds of people were here to greet Michael Jackson as he entered court to hear about his grand jury indictment. The news was not good for the king of pop.
O'BRIEN: And a big fat bonus for convicted businesswoman, why she's snapping up an epic blue light special.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien, Kyra Phillips is off today. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM..., a very good thing, starts right now.
One day shy of one year after President Bush declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq, tough times continue. That's the president's own assessment as the first anniversary of his controversial speech brings a chorus of accusations that he spoke way too soon.
Speaking today in the Rose Garden alongside the visiting prime minister of Canada, Mr. Bush looked back without regret.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A year ago, I did give the speech from the carrier, saying that we had achieved an important objective, that we had accomplished a mission which was removal of Saddam Hussein. And as a result there are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms or mass graves in Iraq. As a result, a friend of terror has been removed and now sits in a jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The Iraqi hot spot of Fallujah flares up once again meanwhile as the U.S. puts into place a plan to have Iraqi troops patrol the besieged city, a suicide attack just outside of Fallujah leaves two Marines dead.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Baghdad with the latest developments for us. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: There appears to be a general easing in the situation in Fallujah. The Marines apparently changing some of their positions around the city, giving a greater role for an Iraqi security force of around 1100 former soldiers, officers and generals from Saddam Hussein's army -- are going to go in and try to reestablish law and order in that city.
Earlier in the day, one of the Iraqi generals who's come forward with the initiative went into this city. He was greeted by a jubilant crowd. Now that city of 300,000 has been severely battered over the last several weeks of violence there. Several hundred people killed. Thousands have fled the city as a result of the fighting.
Now according to coalition officials, they will begin to allow some of the families who fled Fallujah to go back in at the rate of about 200 a day. Now what remains unclear is the situation or the status of the insurgents who have occupied that city for the last several weeks.
They have given no indication that they would be willing to lay down their arms, no indication whether they will be willing to cooperate with this group of Iraqi -- former Iraqi soldiers and officers.
Meanwhile, here in Baghdad, much shock and anger following the release of the story about the abuse of Iraqi detainees in the Abu Ghraib Prison outside Baghdad. Those pictures extensively broadcast on Arabic satellite news networks, described by one man I spoke with as a grave insult to every Iraqi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): As Iraqis, we reject this and even human rights principles reject this. If you have a prisoner, investigate him in the proper way. Otherwise, we will repeat what used to happen in the past, they came in the name of democracy and freedom, so these practices should be rejected.
WEDEMAN: The shock is not restricted to Iraqis. Officials in the U.S.-led coalition authority have said they are appalled and disgusted as well. And they're also concerned there may be a violent backlash to these photos.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: A similar deal is being hashed out in Najaf, meanwhile, that's where radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his supporters are holed up inside some holy sites there. Coalition leaders are telling CNN there are attempts to broker a deal that would the Iraqi civil defense corps to control the city. That deal could include some members of al-Sadr's militia if they switch sides.
General John Abizaid calls the repositioning of U.S. troops around Fallujah and an addition of an Iraqi force an opportunity. The head of U.S. Central Command says the pressure will continue until the killers of four American construction workers are found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, CMDR., U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: Certainly one of our objectives, and it's a nonnegotiable objective, is to get the murders that killed the contractor in Fallujah. Now I think it would be a stretch for you to say that they are in Fallujah. I can't tell you that, nor can anybody else. So, yes, we will get the murderers of the contractors and we will find them. But we may not necessarily find them in Fallujah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Secretary of State Colin Powell warns Italy not to compromise with kidnappers in Iraq. Three Italians still being hostage with demands for Rome to hold a how long anti-war demonstration. Powell says negotiating with kidnappers only encourages more abductions. Join Aaron Brown tonight on "NEWSNIGHT" for an hour-long special on Iraq: "Countdown to Handover" it's called. CNN will look at the political ramifications of the war, visit with a National Guard unit that has been especially hard hit. That's at 10:00 Eastern tonight.
Now back to the mania in Santa Maria, site of Michael Jackson's second arraignment in three-and-half months on child molestation charges. The new counts handed up in a grand jury indictment are even more serious than the ones spelled out in a prosecutor's complaint. And the world famous defendant appears to be taking them rather seriously. CNN's Gary Tuchman tells us all about today's appearance.
Hello, Gary.
TUCHMAN: Hello, Miles. He was cheered on by hundreds of fans when he entered this courtroom. He was cheered on by hundreds of fans when he left this courtroom. But in between, Michael Jackson found out he was in more trouble than he originally thought.
A 10-count indictment, in addition to the original charges of being with the child, lewd acts, alcohol, he has now been charged with conspiracy, of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. It still involves one child.
As far as those additional charges, we don't know the details of them because the indictment is remaining sealed for now. Another hearing will be held in a month to determine how much of the grand jury transcript to make public.
But suffice it to say the king of pop has some serious legal problems right now. As far as security here, much tougher than the first time he came here in January, after the prosecutor's complaint, after his first appearance in court. That was a time when he jumped on top of the car.
The people here went wild, chasing him into the street. There are about double the number of people here then than there were today. About 300 to 500 people here today. Officers put up security fences, fences that are six feet high, stretch about a sixth of a mile.
Michael Jackson, instead of pulling into the street and walking through the street among his fans into the courthouse, had to pull into a parking lot away from his fans. He walked in seriously. Put his hand over a camera lens that was allowed in the court to show him walking in. On the way out, Michael Jackson waved at this fans, he gave the peace sign, he then got in his car and he drove away. Once again, the next hearing is in a month. But before Michael Jackson drove away today, he did make a statement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL JACKSON, DEFENDANT: I would like to thank the fans around the world for your love and your support, from every corner of the Earth. My family, who has been very supportive, my brother Randy, who has been incredible. I want to thank the community of Santa Maria. I want you to know that I love the community of Santa Maria very much. It's my community. I love the people. I will always love the people. My children were born in this community. My home is in this community. I will always love this community from the bottom of my heart. That's why I moved here. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: And then Michael Jackson was on his way. His home, the Neverland Ranch, is about 30 minutes south from here in this county of Santa Barbara.
His new attorney, Thomas Mesereau, also talked to reporters. He was asked what this day meant, and he said: "It's about the complete vindication of a wonderful person, Michael Jackson."
Miles, back to you.
O'BRIEN: Gary, he doesn't just have a new attorney, he has a new security force as well. Explain that.
TUCHMAN: That's right. At the last hearing three months ago he had members of the Nation of Islam providing the security. He decided not to use them for this hearing. A private security force was in place today.
O'BRIEN: And we don't know the reason. Nothing given, anyhow?
TUCHMAN: We --:no stated reason for why it's happened. But we can tell you that they had a kind of a high profile because after Michael Jackson covered up the camera when he walked into the courtroom, one of his new security forces actually grabbed the camera. And you know, Miles, and we should tell our viewers, that when you grab a photographer's camera, that often means war. It's not a thing we like to see.
O'BRIEN: You are going to hear from the photographer in that case. Gary Tuchman, thank you very much.
Let's dig a little deeper into all of this, joining us now to talk a little bit more about it is somebody who had a chance to see the proceedings today, legal analyst Chris Darden.
Chris, good to see you again. Let's talk a couple of things. Before we talk about the atmosphere that's in the courtroom and outside the courtroom, tell us about this indictment and what -- how serious it is. It kind of turns up the volume, the legal volume on Mr. Jackson a little bit, doesn't it?
CHRIS DARDEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It certainly does crank up the volume. We knew about the allegations involving child molestation and sexual misconduct. But of course, today, we were all surprised to hear that Michael Jackson had been charged in a conspiracy. And when one considers the target offenses in this conspiracy, child abduction extortion, false imprisonment, which is nothing short of a kidnapping, quite frankly, this case has taken on a huge turn, a huge twist.
O'BRIEN: Well, it takes two to tango and two to conspire. Who will the co-defendants be, do we know?
DARDEN: Well, when you look at the indictment, you can't tell. In fact, the indictment has been redacted substantially, 28 overt acts that were alleged and found to be true by the grand jury had been redacted, as well as the names of these other persons or this other person who was accused of having conspired with Michael Jackson.
Now we do know and we did hear about two gentlemen in New Jersey who received letters from the grand jury advising them that they were targets. However, if their names were those names included in the indictment, they have been redacted.
O'BRIEN: All right. The atmosphere outside the courtroom that we witnessed almost matched the tone of the indictment. A little more serious. We talked a little bit about that. Tell us about what happened inside the courtroom that would or would not support that theory.
DARDEN: Well, you know, Michael Jackson entered the courtroom. He had a very, very somber look on his face, and very, very focused. In fact, he walked directly past his mother and father, and his father had to grab his coattails essentially and drag him back just to get him to say hello and to acknowledge them. He barely uttered a word if the courtroom. And it was a Michael Jackson far different from the one we saw the first time here.
O'BRIEN: And on time. He was, what, 20 minutes late last time. He was reprimanded by the judge. I guess this all leads to the philosophy and the approach of Mr. Mesereau. Would you give him high marks?
DARDEN: I would have to give him high marks. Yes. Michael Jackson arrived at this courthouse, perhaps as many as 40 minutes early today, which is a huge difference from the last time. And of course, there was no moonwalking or attempted moonwalking on the top of any SUVs here. He conducted himself like a 45-year-old man should under these circumstances.
O'BRIEN: Well, I'm not an attorney but I could tell you that was probably a bad idea. We haven't...
DARDEN: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We haven't seen this indictment. And we don't know how much we're ever going to get to see, right?
DARDEN: Well, you know, I just received a copy of the indictment, but the indictment is heavily redacted. And so even though you have the basic structure of what the charges are, and the basic allegations, you have none of the factual allegations that were considered by the grand jurors and found to be true or sustainable. So I'm a little surprised -- as a criminal lawyer and as a citizen, I'm quite surprised that all of these redactions have occurred and all of this information has been redacted from this indictment.
O'BRIEN: Final thought here, what about the judge? Is the judge in control of this courtroom so far?
DARDEN: Yes. The judge is certainly in control of his courtroom at this point. And why not? Everyone seems to pretty much agree on everything that occurred here today. There were no real objections, to the extent that there were a few by Mr. Mesereau regarding the redaction of the indictment. In fact, he wanted even more information redacted, his motion was granted and there was no opposition by the D.A. But, yes, the judge is firmly in control up to this point.
O'BRIEN: No real serious points of contention, yet, anyhow.
DARDEN: Yet.
O'BRIEN: All right. Chris Darden, thank you very much for your insights, appreciate it.
Another celebrity case to tell you about. It's the fourth day of jury deliberations in the manslaughter trial of former NBA star Jayson Williams. Jurors in New Jersey today reheard testimony about what happened just before a limo driver was shot to death at Williams' mansion. The defense says the shooting was an accident. The prosecution says Williams tried to cover it all up. The jury is split on two out of eight charges that have been filed against Mr. Williams.
Disturbing allegations, photographs, apparently showing U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners broadcast on Arab television stations. We have the story and the reaction.
O'BRIEN: And later, the big challenge for parents when the doctor says, it's a boy and a girl, coping with the many challenges of managing multiple births.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: News around the world for you now. Jordan under threat, a voice claiming to be terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi threatening to bomb the Jordanian intelligence headquarters. The recording on a Web site accuses Jordan of collaborating with the United States and Israel. Zarqawi has been linked to al Qaeda. U.S. officials say he is behind numerous attacks in Iraq.
And back on terra firma, safe and sound, an American, citizens of Netherlands and a Russian have bounced back to Earth in Russian a space capsule. Hopefully it didn't bounce too much. The crew included American astronaut Michael Foale along with his Russian cosmonaut crewmate Alexander Kaleri. Together they spent six months aboard the International Space Station. Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands was there for all of nine days. The Russian spacecraft made a bull's eye in the Soviet republic Kazakhstan. The crew then flew to an airfield near Russia.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: News across America now. An alleged Nazi past haunts a retired auto marker from Cincinnati, a federal appeals court today upholds a ruling that John Demjanjuk should be stripped of his citizenship. The government accuses the 84-year-old of serving as a guard in Nazi concentration camps. Demjanjuk denies that. His family vows to challenge today's ruling.
The "Ronald Reagan University" will not become reality. Former first lady Nancy Reagan vetoed the idea of the proposed school in Colorado. Mrs. Reagan issued a statement yesterday, federal law gives former presidents or their spouses final say over the use of a living president's name.
A crash landing in Minneapolis. The pilot of this Air National Guard cargo plane, C-130, managed to land it even with collapsed landing gear. The plane's wing did hit the tarmac, as you plainly see. It caused a quick fire, a little bit of smoke. The four people on board escaped yesterday without injury.
The number of multiple births in the U.S. has risen dramatically over the past 20 years, so what do you do when your bundle of joy turns out to be two or perhaps even more? Medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some helpful hints for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What do you do when the doctor says, it's a boy and it's a girl? What goes through the mind of parents of multiples?
MARY DRAKE, NEW MOTHER OF TWINS: Oh, wow. I'm going to have two doing that at the same time. What do I do? But I think you just figure it out.
GUPTA: Or you can get some tips from the experts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody else is going to have more valuable insights to share with you than other parents of twins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With twins it's to expect the unexpected.
GUPTA: Our experts are Tara (ph) and Ellen (ph). They each have their own set of twin to tots.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Feed them at the same time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They will tag team you. One will wake up and as soon as you've been back asleep for 10 minutes, the other one's up and that one's hungry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The most incredible advice before I brought the children home was you've got to get them on a schedule.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You nap at the same time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Change diapers, everything, everything they do, they do together.
GUPTA: So how do you breast-feed two babies at the same time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would put one child here in this arm and I would balance his head in this hand, and then my other daughter right here, and then you've got two breasts and then you just put them up simultaneously, just like this. And it's called the football hold.
GUPTA: Also, be as prepared as possible before the babies come. Have a support system set up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had a Sunday school group that had meals lined up for us the first three months when the babies were born.
GUPTA: Mom and dad have to work as a team. And don't forget to rest. Whenever you can, when the twins nap, you nap.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're doing the most important thing when you do take that nap for yourself because when they're up, it is just 24/7. I mean, it is constant activity.
GUPTA: One final tip that you may not find in too many baby books, duct tape.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Duct tape on those diapers do not stick very well but duct tape over that tape, they can't pull it off and lasso their poo-poo around.
GUPTA: Our experts told us no matter how daunting the prospect of raising two babies at the same time may be they can't imagine having it any other way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's cliche, it's twice the love, twice the -- but really it is. It's truly just -- it's overwhelming how much you love them so much, both of them equally.
GUTPA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be happy to help you with more on coping with the challenges of newborns and new parenthood. We invite you to tune into "WEEKEND HOUSE CALL," that's tomorrow, Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Eastern, 5:30 Pacific. Pop him an e- mail, he will answer your question.
Let's turn to politics now. Presumptive Democratic nominee, Senator John Kerry at Westminster College in Missouri. A week ago the vice president was there, had some harsh things to say. This is bit of a retort. Let's listen.
(INTERRUPTED BY LIVE EVENT)
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Aired April 30, 2004 - 13:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Repositioning and a fatal attack around Fallujah, part of the fight for Iraq is handed over to one of Saddam Hussein's former generals.
And is it paying respect or political spin, the show that some of you will not be able to see tonight.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gary Tuchman live in Santa Maria, California. The throngs have left, but hundreds of people were here to greet Michael Jackson as he entered court to hear about his grand jury indictment. The news was not good for the king of pop.
O'BRIEN: And a big fat bonus for convicted businesswoman, why she's snapping up an epic blue light special.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien, Kyra Phillips is off today. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM..., a very good thing, starts right now.
One day shy of one year after President Bush declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq, tough times continue. That's the president's own assessment as the first anniversary of his controversial speech brings a chorus of accusations that he spoke way too soon.
Speaking today in the Rose Garden alongside the visiting prime minister of Canada, Mr. Bush looked back without regret.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A year ago, I did give the speech from the carrier, saying that we had achieved an important objective, that we had accomplished a mission which was removal of Saddam Hussein. And as a result there are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms or mass graves in Iraq. As a result, a friend of terror has been removed and now sits in a jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The Iraqi hot spot of Fallujah flares up once again meanwhile as the U.S. puts into place a plan to have Iraqi troops patrol the besieged city, a suicide attack just outside of Fallujah leaves two Marines dead.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Baghdad with the latest developments for us. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: There appears to be a general easing in the situation in Fallujah. The Marines apparently changing some of their positions around the city, giving a greater role for an Iraqi security force of around 1100 former soldiers, officers and generals from Saddam Hussein's army -- are going to go in and try to reestablish law and order in that city.
Earlier in the day, one of the Iraqi generals who's come forward with the initiative went into this city. He was greeted by a jubilant crowd. Now that city of 300,000 has been severely battered over the last several weeks of violence there. Several hundred people killed. Thousands have fled the city as a result of the fighting.
Now according to coalition officials, they will begin to allow some of the families who fled Fallujah to go back in at the rate of about 200 a day. Now what remains unclear is the situation or the status of the insurgents who have occupied that city for the last several weeks.
They have given no indication that they would be willing to lay down their arms, no indication whether they will be willing to cooperate with this group of Iraqi -- former Iraqi soldiers and officers.
Meanwhile, here in Baghdad, much shock and anger following the release of the story about the abuse of Iraqi detainees in the Abu Ghraib Prison outside Baghdad. Those pictures extensively broadcast on Arabic satellite news networks, described by one man I spoke with as a grave insult to every Iraqi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): As Iraqis, we reject this and even human rights principles reject this. If you have a prisoner, investigate him in the proper way. Otherwise, we will repeat what used to happen in the past, they came in the name of democracy and freedom, so these practices should be rejected.
WEDEMAN: The shock is not restricted to Iraqis. Officials in the U.S.-led coalition authority have said they are appalled and disgusted as well. And they're also concerned there may be a violent backlash to these photos.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: A similar deal is being hashed out in Najaf, meanwhile, that's where radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his supporters are holed up inside some holy sites there. Coalition leaders are telling CNN there are attempts to broker a deal that would the Iraqi civil defense corps to control the city. That deal could include some members of al-Sadr's militia if they switch sides.
General John Abizaid calls the repositioning of U.S. troops around Fallujah and an addition of an Iraqi force an opportunity. The head of U.S. Central Command says the pressure will continue until the killers of four American construction workers are found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, CMDR., U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: Certainly one of our objectives, and it's a nonnegotiable objective, is to get the murders that killed the contractor in Fallujah. Now I think it would be a stretch for you to say that they are in Fallujah. I can't tell you that, nor can anybody else. So, yes, we will get the murderers of the contractors and we will find them. But we may not necessarily find them in Fallujah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Secretary of State Colin Powell warns Italy not to compromise with kidnappers in Iraq. Three Italians still being hostage with demands for Rome to hold a how long anti-war demonstration. Powell says negotiating with kidnappers only encourages more abductions. Join Aaron Brown tonight on "NEWSNIGHT" for an hour-long special on Iraq: "Countdown to Handover" it's called. CNN will look at the political ramifications of the war, visit with a National Guard unit that has been especially hard hit. That's at 10:00 Eastern tonight.
Now back to the mania in Santa Maria, site of Michael Jackson's second arraignment in three-and-half months on child molestation charges. The new counts handed up in a grand jury indictment are even more serious than the ones spelled out in a prosecutor's complaint. And the world famous defendant appears to be taking them rather seriously. CNN's Gary Tuchman tells us all about today's appearance.
Hello, Gary.
TUCHMAN: Hello, Miles. He was cheered on by hundreds of fans when he entered this courtroom. He was cheered on by hundreds of fans when he left this courtroom. But in between, Michael Jackson found out he was in more trouble than he originally thought.
A 10-count indictment, in addition to the original charges of being with the child, lewd acts, alcohol, he has now been charged with conspiracy, of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. It still involves one child.
As far as those additional charges, we don't know the details of them because the indictment is remaining sealed for now. Another hearing will be held in a month to determine how much of the grand jury transcript to make public.
But suffice it to say the king of pop has some serious legal problems right now. As far as security here, much tougher than the first time he came here in January, after the prosecutor's complaint, after his first appearance in court. That was a time when he jumped on top of the car.
The people here went wild, chasing him into the street. There are about double the number of people here then than there were today. About 300 to 500 people here today. Officers put up security fences, fences that are six feet high, stretch about a sixth of a mile.
Michael Jackson, instead of pulling into the street and walking through the street among his fans into the courthouse, had to pull into a parking lot away from his fans. He walked in seriously. Put his hand over a camera lens that was allowed in the court to show him walking in. On the way out, Michael Jackson waved at this fans, he gave the peace sign, he then got in his car and he drove away. Once again, the next hearing is in a month. But before Michael Jackson drove away today, he did make a statement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL JACKSON, DEFENDANT: I would like to thank the fans around the world for your love and your support, from every corner of the Earth. My family, who has been very supportive, my brother Randy, who has been incredible. I want to thank the community of Santa Maria. I want you to know that I love the community of Santa Maria very much. It's my community. I love the people. I will always love the people. My children were born in this community. My home is in this community. I will always love this community from the bottom of my heart. That's why I moved here. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: And then Michael Jackson was on his way. His home, the Neverland Ranch, is about 30 minutes south from here in this county of Santa Barbara.
His new attorney, Thomas Mesereau, also talked to reporters. He was asked what this day meant, and he said: "It's about the complete vindication of a wonderful person, Michael Jackson."
Miles, back to you.
O'BRIEN: Gary, he doesn't just have a new attorney, he has a new security force as well. Explain that.
TUCHMAN: That's right. At the last hearing three months ago he had members of the Nation of Islam providing the security. He decided not to use them for this hearing. A private security force was in place today.
O'BRIEN: And we don't know the reason. Nothing given, anyhow?
TUCHMAN: We --:no stated reason for why it's happened. But we can tell you that they had a kind of a high profile because after Michael Jackson covered up the camera when he walked into the courtroom, one of his new security forces actually grabbed the camera. And you know, Miles, and we should tell our viewers, that when you grab a photographer's camera, that often means war. It's not a thing we like to see.
O'BRIEN: You are going to hear from the photographer in that case. Gary Tuchman, thank you very much.
Let's dig a little deeper into all of this, joining us now to talk a little bit more about it is somebody who had a chance to see the proceedings today, legal analyst Chris Darden.
Chris, good to see you again. Let's talk a couple of things. Before we talk about the atmosphere that's in the courtroom and outside the courtroom, tell us about this indictment and what -- how serious it is. It kind of turns up the volume, the legal volume on Mr. Jackson a little bit, doesn't it?
CHRIS DARDEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It certainly does crank up the volume. We knew about the allegations involving child molestation and sexual misconduct. But of course, today, we were all surprised to hear that Michael Jackson had been charged in a conspiracy. And when one considers the target offenses in this conspiracy, child abduction extortion, false imprisonment, which is nothing short of a kidnapping, quite frankly, this case has taken on a huge turn, a huge twist.
O'BRIEN: Well, it takes two to tango and two to conspire. Who will the co-defendants be, do we know?
DARDEN: Well, when you look at the indictment, you can't tell. In fact, the indictment has been redacted substantially, 28 overt acts that were alleged and found to be true by the grand jury had been redacted, as well as the names of these other persons or this other person who was accused of having conspired with Michael Jackson.
Now we do know and we did hear about two gentlemen in New Jersey who received letters from the grand jury advising them that they were targets. However, if their names were those names included in the indictment, they have been redacted.
O'BRIEN: All right. The atmosphere outside the courtroom that we witnessed almost matched the tone of the indictment. A little more serious. We talked a little bit about that. Tell us about what happened inside the courtroom that would or would not support that theory.
DARDEN: Well, you know, Michael Jackson entered the courtroom. He had a very, very somber look on his face, and very, very focused. In fact, he walked directly past his mother and father, and his father had to grab his coattails essentially and drag him back just to get him to say hello and to acknowledge them. He barely uttered a word if the courtroom. And it was a Michael Jackson far different from the one we saw the first time here.
O'BRIEN: And on time. He was, what, 20 minutes late last time. He was reprimanded by the judge. I guess this all leads to the philosophy and the approach of Mr. Mesereau. Would you give him high marks?
DARDEN: I would have to give him high marks. Yes. Michael Jackson arrived at this courthouse, perhaps as many as 40 minutes early today, which is a huge difference from the last time. And of course, there was no moonwalking or attempted moonwalking on the top of any SUVs here. He conducted himself like a 45-year-old man should under these circumstances.
O'BRIEN: Well, I'm not an attorney but I could tell you that was probably a bad idea. We haven't...
DARDEN: Yes.
O'BRIEN: We haven't seen this indictment. And we don't know how much we're ever going to get to see, right?
DARDEN: Well, you know, I just received a copy of the indictment, but the indictment is heavily redacted. And so even though you have the basic structure of what the charges are, and the basic allegations, you have none of the factual allegations that were considered by the grand jurors and found to be true or sustainable. So I'm a little surprised -- as a criminal lawyer and as a citizen, I'm quite surprised that all of these redactions have occurred and all of this information has been redacted from this indictment.
O'BRIEN: Final thought here, what about the judge? Is the judge in control of this courtroom so far?
DARDEN: Yes. The judge is certainly in control of his courtroom at this point. And why not? Everyone seems to pretty much agree on everything that occurred here today. There were no real objections, to the extent that there were a few by Mr. Mesereau regarding the redaction of the indictment. In fact, he wanted even more information redacted, his motion was granted and there was no opposition by the D.A. But, yes, the judge is firmly in control up to this point.
O'BRIEN: No real serious points of contention, yet, anyhow.
DARDEN: Yet.
O'BRIEN: All right. Chris Darden, thank you very much for your insights, appreciate it.
Another celebrity case to tell you about. It's the fourth day of jury deliberations in the manslaughter trial of former NBA star Jayson Williams. Jurors in New Jersey today reheard testimony about what happened just before a limo driver was shot to death at Williams' mansion. The defense says the shooting was an accident. The prosecution says Williams tried to cover it all up. The jury is split on two out of eight charges that have been filed against Mr. Williams.
Disturbing allegations, photographs, apparently showing U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners broadcast on Arab television stations. We have the story and the reaction.
O'BRIEN: And later, the big challenge for parents when the doctor says, it's a boy and a girl, coping with the many challenges of managing multiple births.
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O'BRIEN: News around the world for you now. Jordan under threat, a voice claiming to be terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi threatening to bomb the Jordanian intelligence headquarters. The recording on a Web site accuses Jordan of collaborating with the United States and Israel. Zarqawi has been linked to al Qaeda. U.S. officials say he is behind numerous attacks in Iraq.
And back on terra firma, safe and sound, an American, citizens of Netherlands and a Russian have bounced back to Earth in Russian a space capsule. Hopefully it didn't bounce too much. The crew included American astronaut Michael Foale along with his Russian cosmonaut crewmate Alexander Kaleri. Together they spent six months aboard the International Space Station. Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands was there for all of nine days. The Russian spacecraft made a bull's eye in the Soviet republic Kazakhstan. The crew then flew to an airfield near Russia.
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O'BRIEN: News across America now. An alleged Nazi past haunts a retired auto marker from Cincinnati, a federal appeals court today upholds a ruling that John Demjanjuk should be stripped of his citizenship. The government accuses the 84-year-old of serving as a guard in Nazi concentration camps. Demjanjuk denies that. His family vows to challenge today's ruling.
The "Ronald Reagan University" will not become reality. Former first lady Nancy Reagan vetoed the idea of the proposed school in Colorado. Mrs. Reagan issued a statement yesterday, federal law gives former presidents or their spouses final say over the use of a living president's name.
A crash landing in Minneapolis. The pilot of this Air National Guard cargo plane, C-130, managed to land it even with collapsed landing gear. The plane's wing did hit the tarmac, as you plainly see. It caused a quick fire, a little bit of smoke. The four people on board escaped yesterday without injury.
The number of multiple births in the U.S. has risen dramatically over the past 20 years, so what do you do when your bundle of joy turns out to be two or perhaps even more? Medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some helpful hints for you.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What do you do when the doctor says, it's a boy and it's a girl? What goes through the mind of parents of multiples?
MARY DRAKE, NEW MOTHER OF TWINS: Oh, wow. I'm going to have two doing that at the same time. What do I do? But I think you just figure it out.
GUPTA: Or you can get some tips from the experts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody else is going to have more valuable insights to share with you than other parents of twins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With twins it's to expect the unexpected.
GUPTA: Our experts are Tara (ph) and Ellen (ph). They each have their own set of twin to tots.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Feed them at the same time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They will tag team you. One will wake up and as soon as you've been back asleep for 10 minutes, the other one's up and that one's hungry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The most incredible advice before I brought the children home was you've got to get them on a schedule.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You nap at the same time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Change diapers, everything, everything they do, they do together.
GUPTA: So how do you breast-feed two babies at the same time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would put one child here in this arm and I would balance his head in this hand, and then my other daughter right here, and then you've got two breasts and then you just put them up simultaneously, just like this. And it's called the football hold.
GUPTA: Also, be as prepared as possible before the babies come. Have a support system set up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had a Sunday school group that had meals lined up for us the first three months when the babies were born.
GUPTA: Mom and dad have to work as a team. And don't forget to rest. Whenever you can, when the twins nap, you nap.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're doing the most important thing when you do take that nap for yourself because when they're up, it is just 24/7. I mean, it is constant activity.
GUPTA: One final tip that you may not find in too many baby books, duct tape.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Duct tape on those diapers do not stick very well but duct tape over that tape, they can't pull it off and lasso their poo-poo around.
GUPTA: Our experts told us no matter how daunting the prospect of raising two babies at the same time may be they can't imagine having it any other way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's cliche, it's twice the love, twice the -- but really it is. It's truly just -- it's overwhelming how much you love them so much, both of them equally.
GUTPA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
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O'BRIEN: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta will be happy to help you with more on coping with the challenges of newborns and new parenthood. We invite you to tune into "WEEKEND HOUSE CALL," that's tomorrow, Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Eastern, 5:30 Pacific. Pop him an e- mail, he will answer your question.
Let's turn to politics now. Presumptive Democratic nominee, Senator John Kerry at Westminster College in Missouri. A week ago the vice president was there, had some harsh things to say. This is bit of a retort. Let's listen.
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