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Jackson Charged with 10 Counts in Arraignment

Aired April 30, 2004 - 13:00   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Wearing a coat and tie and spectacle, it was quite a spectacle. Michael Jackson arriving on time going to court.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Miguel Marquez live in Santa Maria. Michael Jackson has left the courtroom charged and this time, talking. I'll have a live report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I also said on that carrier that day that there was still difficult work ahead. And we faced tough times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: President Bush reflecting on harsh realities in Iraq one year after declaring mission accomplished.

And emergency landing. Amazingly, everyone walks away unscathed from this C-130 landing gear failure.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien. Kyra Phillips is off today. CNN's LIVE FROM... starts right now.

Up first this hour, Michael Jackson's arraignment on child molestation charges, take two. Viewers watched the king of pop pay an encore visit to the Santa Barbara county courthouse today on the heels of a grand jury indictment handed up last week.

You probably remember Jackson's last arraignment prompted by a criminal complaint in which this case today's looked pretty familiar and yet different in both style and substance.

CNN's Miguel Marquez joins me to compare and contrast beginning with the eye-popping charges, not precisely what we expected was it -- Miguel.

MARQUEZ: Not exactly what we expected but certainly not far off the mark. The charges are apparently similar to what he was charged with back in January. An arraignment was back in January, but to date something else happened that we didn't see in January.

We didn't see the dancing in the car and we saw a sober Michael Jackson come out and address how he felt about the community where he may be standing trial eventually. Mr. Jackson came out talking to the community of Santa Maria and the love that he has for it and, Obviously, this is a sure sign that he is taking very seriously the fact that he may be standing trial here. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL JACKSON, ENTERTAINER: 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's been very supportive. My brother Randy who's 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.

THOMAS MESEREAU, LEAD DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This case is not about lawyers or anyone else becoming celebrities. This defense is going to be conducted with professionalism and dignity at all times.

This case is about one thing only. It's about the dignity, the integrity, the decency, the honor, the charity, the innocence and the complete vindication of a wonderful human being named Michael Jackson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: And that individual named Michael Jackson did not say a word in court today except to his lawyer very briefly. His lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on several charges. We have ten charges now against Michael Jackson.

We had nine before in the criminal complaint that he was arraigned on in January. The first charge a felony conspiracy charge. The judge saying it contains 28 individual overt acts of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. Counts two through five are similar to what we had already seen which was lewd acts upon a child under 14 years of age.

Count six was an attempt to commit a lewd act against the child under 14 years of age. Seven through 10 are also similar acts or similar charges that we saw before of giving an intoxicating agent tonight a minor in order to carry out a felony or commit those lewd and lascivious acts.

Mr. Jackson's arrival here and his departure was certainly a departure from the last time he was here in court. His lawyer was certainly less brash as he came out of court and he seems to be taking very seriously the fact that he may be standing trial in Santa Maria, California in the next year or so -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Miguel Marquez, thank you very much. Live from Santa Maria.

It was a different picture entirely. Last time we saw Michael Jackson in court, he arrived 20 minutes late, 3,000 screaming fans around him and after his brief court appearance he took what amounted to some kind of dance on top of an SUV playing to the crowd every step of the way.

Joining us now is Christopher Darden, our legal analyst who was inside the courtroom for all this. And, Chris, before we talk about what happened inside. Michael Jackson as he stepped outside almost seemed to be making a direct plea to potential jurors.

CHRISTOPHER DARDEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely. The P.R. campaign just began again today for Michael Jackson when he reminded potential jurors here in Santa Maria, that A, he loved them and B, that this case was about his charity, his character and all that he's done for this community.

O'BRIEN: Tell us about the courtroom scene. Anything strikes you as odd, unusual or was the whole thing odd and unusual?

DARDEN: Well, you know it wasn't exactly what I expected. Number one, the courtroom was not filled to capacity. Many of the Jackson siblings were not present in court. Janet, Jermaine, and a couple of others, but it was quite a jaw-dropper when we heard that Michael Jackson had been indicted on conspiracy charges involving false imprisonment, child abduction and extortion.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about those charges. Did that come as a big surprise to you based on what you knew going in or this was something that with your background in the world of being a prosecutor didn't surprise you at all?

DARDEN: Well, we had heard that two additional men had received letters from the grand jury advising them that they were targets of this indictment process and so we knew that there was a possibility that others might be indicted.

However, a conspiracy, that was not something that we were expecting. Additionally the conspiracy alleges 28 overt acts on rather 28 steps taken by Michael Jackson and/or his co-conspirators toward the commission of these allegations of extortion, false imprisonment and the like.

That is significant. This case is about to get larger in the prosecution's case in terms of the evidence that they can present is about to increase dramatically.

O'BRIEN: When you say dramatically, how much bigger a case is this?

DARDEN: Well, when you add perhaps one or two additional defendants remember, you can't have a conspiracy unless you conspire with someone else, if you have a couple of additional defendants, number one, that will broaden the scope of the trial, but also conspiracy is an exception to the hearsay rule and because of the conspiracy allegation and these overt acts, the prosecution will be able to bring in a lot of statements and a whole lot of acts of conduct committed with persons of Michael Jackson while they were trying to convict him.

O'BRIEN: Interesting point Chris Darden. Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson's brother will be the guest on "LARRY KING LIVE " tonight. We invite you to tune in for that.

Elsewhere, across America this afternoon, six down, two to go in the Jayson Williams trial. Day four of jury deliberations centers on the two counts on which jurors claimed yesterday they were deadlocked. The judge said try again.

We don't know which counts are causing problems. We do know the biggest count they face is aggravated manslaughter in the shotgun death of the former NBA star's limo driver. That happened on Valentine's Day 2002.

A thousand more U.S. sailors shipping out today for parts unknown or at least undisclosed in the war on terror. They're aboard the guided missile destroyer in USS Ramage and the USS Ross. The guided missile frigate USS Elrod out of Norfolk, Virginia as well. A pair of smaller ships setting sale from Virginia Beach.

And the worker who lost her job over that now famous photo of Iraq war casualties in flag draped coffins back home now in Washington State. Tami Silicio says she had no idea her picture taken in a cargo jet in Kuwait would cause such a ruckus.

The defense contractor who fired both her and her husband say the couple violated Pentagon and company rules aimed at respecting the privacy of families of fallen troops.

It's a repositioning, not a retreat. An opportunity, a possible breakthrough, not necessarily an agreement so spins the U.S. military on a deal reached today to let former Iraqi generals and at least one from Saddam's old Republican Guard try to form a security force to augment, if not replace U.S. Marines in Fallujah. We get the details on this story from CNN's Ben Wedeman in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There appears to be a general easing of 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 1,100 former soldiers, officers and generals from Saddam Hussein's army are going to go in and try to re- establish law and order in that city.

Earlier in the day one of the Iraqi generals who has come forward with the initiative went into the city. He was greeted by a jubilant crowd. 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.

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 of the abuse of the Iraqi detainees and the Abu Gharib prison outside Baghdad.

Those pictures, extensively broadcast on Arabic satellite the 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: However, delicate and open to interpretation, Fallujah agreement might be, U.S. troops would love to replicate it in Najaf. That's the Shiite holy city from which a renegade cleric controls a freelance militia of several hundred, if not thousand followers. U.S. soldiers took up positions in Najaf just this week replacing Spanish troops brought home by their government.

It was one year ago tomorrow that President Bush made his star spangled speech on the deck of an aircraft carrier, hailing the end of major combat operations in Iraq and if you think that will go unnoticed especially in an election year, let's just say it won't. CNN White House Correspondent Dana Bash lets see whether that military milestone is now a political millstone. Hello, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles. This of course is the last day of a month that's been the deadliest so far Iraq. Few people here at the White House could have imagined that that would be a distinction as they were marking the year anniversary of the picture you see now.

That is, of course, the landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln by President Bush. And it was a day of triumph for the White House at the time. Now, of course, the question is whether or not it was appropriate to have the banner above President Bush when he declared major combat over that said "mission accomplished."

Some of the President's top advisors here have recently said that perhaps that was a bad idea knowing what they know now in hindsight. However, the President today in the Rose Garden defended the speech and the event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: A year ago I did give the speech from the carrier saying that we had achieved an important objective. That we'd accomplished a mission which was the 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 sit is sitting in jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now "mission accomplished" has become a metaphor of sorts for democrats who are trying to make the point that the President and the White House were not fully prepared for the difficulties that they're currently seeing in Iraq and essentially saying that the White House didn't have the right tools and perhaps made mistakes in Iraq, but the President today said that people should listen to his words a year ago and he said there would be difficulties ahead.

That is what we're seeing now in Iraq. That he insisted today that the U.S. is making progress, whether it's in Fallujah or anywhere else, he promised that the U.S. military would go after whoever is trying to stop the progress in Iraq.

O'BRIEN: Dana, the talk today on the Arab street are those dramatic difficult to watch pictures of U.S. forces there's no other way to put it the appear to be mistreating Iraqi prisoners there. The President had a few things to say about that didn't he?

BASH: He did and The White House says that the President actually has known about this for some time but certainly this is not something the White House welcomes at a time when they are actively trying to win over the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.

As Ben Wedeman reported just a short while ago, this is being played on Arab TV the White House is well aware of that and so the President was very quick to try to give a forceful and very public condemnation of the pictures and of course of the abuse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Those few people who did that do not reflect the nature of the men and women we sent overseas. That's not the way the people are. It's not their character that are serving, that are serving our nation and the cause of freedom and there will be an investigation and they'll be taken care of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The President also said he shared the deep disgust of many about the way these prisoners were treated again this is two months to the day before the U.S. and the coalition are supposed to transfer sovereignty over to the Iraqis this is a critical time all members of the coalition believe to try and win over Iraqis, and they know that this is not helping and that's why the President came out and came out so forcefully -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Dana Bash at the White House, thanks very much.

Today marks two months and counting until the return of at least partial Iraqi sovereignty and that's the subject of a special report tonight on CNN. Aaron Brown's "NEWSNIGHT" starts the countdown to handover at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 Pacific. That's right here on CNN News. Stay tuned for that.

We'll check headlines around the world just ahead including Big Bird telling a whole new audience how to get to "Sesame Street."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Big Bird and Cookie Monster are taking a trip to an unlikely spot, Afghanistan. Children in the country now getting a dose of "Sesame Street" television. The Rand Corporation, the U.S. think tank and the government of Qatar have pitched in to deliver hundreds of education kits. Along with the show, the kits are sent to schools, orphanages and TV stations.

A convicted child molester set free from prison today. Ahead on LIVE FROM... the controversy surrounding a former day care worker who still maintains his innocence.

Also ahead, they're sweet, but deadly. Teenagers and so-called narco lollipops.

And no more roast beef for you. A red-faced restaurant manager apologizes after saying go away at the buffet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Good news, bad news day for Michael Jackson. On one hand he's in court relating to ten charges related to child molestation on the other hand he's getting a big check from the Sony no less to help the legal defense fund. Mary Snow is here with details.

(FINANCIAL REPORT)

(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 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Wearing a coat and tie and spectacle, it was quite a spectacle. Michael Jackson arriving on time going to court.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Miguel Marquez live in Santa Maria. Michael Jackson has left the courtroom charged and this time, talking. I'll have a live report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I also said on that carrier that day that there was still difficult work ahead. And we faced tough times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: President Bush reflecting on harsh realities in Iraq one year after declaring mission accomplished.

And emergency landing. Amazingly, everyone walks away unscathed from this C-130 landing gear failure.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien. Kyra Phillips is off today. CNN's LIVE FROM... starts right now.

Up first this hour, Michael Jackson's arraignment on child molestation charges, take two. Viewers watched the king of pop pay an encore visit to the Santa Barbara county courthouse today on the heels of a grand jury indictment handed up last week.

You probably remember Jackson's last arraignment prompted by a criminal complaint in which this case today's looked pretty familiar and yet different in both style and substance.

CNN's Miguel Marquez joins me to compare and contrast beginning with the eye-popping charges, not precisely what we expected was it -- Miguel.

MARQUEZ: Not exactly what we expected but certainly not far off the mark. The charges are apparently similar to what he was charged with back in January. An arraignment was back in January, but to date something else happened that we didn't see in January.

We didn't see the dancing in the car and we saw a sober Michael Jackson come out and address how he felt about the community where he may be standing trial eventually. Mr. Jackson came out talking to the community of Santa Maria and the love that he has for it and, Obviously, this is a sure sign that he is taking very seriously the fact that he may be standing trial here. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL JACKSON, ENTERTAINER: 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's been very supportive. My brother Randy who's 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.

THOMAS MESEREAU, LEAD DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This case is not about lawyers or anyone else becoming celebrities. This defense is going to be conducted with professionalism and dignity at all times.

This case is about one thing only. It's about the dignity, the integrity, the decency, the honor, the charity, the innocence and the complete vindication of a wonderful human being named Michael Jackson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: And that individual named Michael Jackson did not say a word in court today except to his lawyer very briefly. His lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on several charges. We have ten charges now against Michael Jackson.

We had nine before in the criminal complaint that he was arraigned on in January. The first charge a felony conspiracy charge. The judge saying it contains 28 individual overt acts of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. Counts two through five are similar to what we had already seen which was lewd acts upon a child under 14 years of age.

Count six was an attempt to commit a lewd act against the child under 14 years of age. Seven through 10 are also similar acts or similar charges that we saw before of giving an intoxicating agent tonight a minor in order to carry out a felony or commit those lewd and lascivious acts.

Mr. Jackson's arrival here and his departure was certainly a departure from the last time he was here in court. His lawyer was certainly less brash as he came out of court and he seems to be taking very seriously the fact that he may be standing trial in Santa Maria, California in the next year or so -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Miguel Marquez, thank you very much. Live from Santa Maria.

It was a different picture entirely. Last time we saw Michael Jackson in court, he arrived 20 minutes late, 3,000 screaming fans around him and after his brief court appearance he took what amounted to some kind of dance on top of an SUV playing to the crowd every step of the way.

Joining us now is Christopher Darden, our legal analyst who was inside the courtroom for all this. And, Chris, before we talk about what happened inside. Michael Jackson as he stepped outside almost seemed to be making a direct plea to potential jurors.

CHRISTOPHER DARDEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely. The P.R. campaign just began again today for Michael Jackson when he reminded potential jurors here in Santa Maria, that A, he loved them and B, that this case was about his charity, his character and all that he's done for this community.

O'BRIEN: Tell us about the courtroom scene. Anything strikes you as odd, unusual or was the whole thing odd and unusual?

DARDEN: Well, you know it wasn't exactly what I expected. Number one, the courtroom was not filled to capacity. Many of the Jackson siblings were not present in court. Janet, Jermaine, and a couple of others, but it was quite a jaw-dropper when we heard that Michael Jackson had been indicted on conspiracy charges involving false imprisonment, child abduction and extortion.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about those charges. Did that come as a big surprise to you based on what you knew going in or this was something that with your background in the world of being a prosecutor didn't surprise you at all?

DARDEN: Well, we had heard that two additional men had received letters from the grand jury advising them that they were targets of this indictment process and so we knew that there was a possibility that others might be indicted.

However, a conspiracy, that was not something that we were expecting. Additionally the conspiracy alleges 28 overt acts on rather 28 steps taken by Michael Jackson and/or his co-conspirators toward the commission of these allegations of extortion, false imprisonment and the like.

That is significant. This case is about to get larger in the prosecution's case in terms of the evidence that they can present is about to increase dramatically.

O'BRIEN: When you say dramatically, how much bigger a case is this?

DARDEN: Well, when you add perhaps one or two additional defendants remember, you can't have a conspiracy unless you conspire with someone else, if you have a couple of additional defendants, number one, that will broaden the scope of the trial, but also conspiracy is an exception to the hearsay rule and because of the conspiracy allegation and these overt acts, the prosecution will be able to bring in a lot of statements and a whole lot of acts of conduct committed with persons of Michael Jackson while they were trying to convict him.

O'BRIEN: Interesting point Chris Darden. Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson's brother will be the guest on "LARRY KING LIVE " tonight. We invite you to tune in for that.

Elsewhere, across America this afternoon, six down, two to go in the Jayson Williams trial. Day four of jury deliberations centers on the two counts on which jurors claimed yesterday they were deadlocked. The judge said try again.

We don't know which counts are causing problems. We do know the biggest count they face is aggravated manslaughter in the shotgun death of the former NBA star's limo driver. That happened on Valentine's Day 2002.

A thousand more U.S. sailors shipping out today for parts unknown or at least undisclosed in the war on terror. They're aboard the guided missile destroyer in USS Ramage and the USS Ross. The guided missile frigate USS Elrod out of Norfolk, Virginia as well. A pair of smaller ships setting sale from Virginia Beach.

And the worker who lost her job over that now famous photo of Iraq war casualties in flag draped coffins back home now in Washington State. Tami Silicio says she had no idea her picture taken in a cargo jet in Kuwait would cause such a ruckus.

The defense contractor who fired both her and her husband say the couple violated Pentagon and company rules aimed at respecting the privacy of families of fallen troops.

It's a repositioning, not a retreat. An opportunity, a possible breakthrough, not necessarily an agreement so spins the U.S. military on a deal reached today to let former Iraqi generals and at least one from Saddam's old Republican Guard try to form a security force to augment, if not replace U.S. Marines in Fallujah. We get the details on this story from CNN's Ben Wedeman in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There appears to be a general easing of 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 1,100 former soldiers, officers and generals from Saddam Hussein's army are going to go in and try to re- establish law and order in that city.

Earlier in the day one of the Iraqi generals who has come forward with the initiative went into the city. He was greeted by a jubilant crowd. 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.

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 of the abuse of the Iraqi detainees and the Abu Gharib prison outside Baghdad.

Those pictures, extensively broadcast on Arabic satellite the 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: However, delicate and open to interpretation, Fallujah agreement might be, U.S. troops would love to replicate it in Najaf. That's the Shiite holy city from which a renegade cleric controls a freelance militia of several hundred, if not thousand followers. U.S. soldiers took up positions in Najaf just this week replacing Spanish troops brought home by their government.

It was one year ago tomorrow that President Bush made his star spangled speech on the deck of an aircraft carrier, hailing the end of major combat operations in Iraq and if you think that will go unnoticed especially in an election year, let's just say it won't. CNN White House Correspondent Dana Bash lets see whether that military milestone is now a political millstone. Hello, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles. This of course is the last day of a month that's been the deadliest so far Iraq. Few people here at the White House could have imagined that that would be a distinction as they were marking the year anniversary of the picture you see now.

That is, of course, the landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln by President Bush. And it was a day of triumph for the White House at the time. Now, of course, the question is whether or not it was appropriate to have the banner above President Bush when he declared major combat over that said "mission accomplished."

Some of the President's top advisors here have recently said that perhaps that was a bad idea knowing what they know now in hindsight. However, the President today in the Rose Garden defended the speech and the event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: A year ago I did give the speech from the carrier saying that we had achieved an important objective. That we'd accomplished a mission which was the 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 sit is sitting in jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now "mission accomplished" has become a metaphor of sorts for democrats who are trying to make the point that the President and the White House were not fully prepared for the difficulties that they're currently seeing in Iraq and essentially saying that the White House didn't have the right tools and perhaps made mistakes in Iraq, but the President today said that people should listen to his words a year ago and he said there would be difficulties ahead.

That is what we're seeing now in Iraq. That he insisted today that the U.S. is making progress, whether it's in Fallujah or anywhere else, he promised that the U.S. military would go after whoever is trying to stop the progress in Iraq.

O'BRIEN: Dana, the talk today on the Arab street are those dramatic difficult to watch pictures of U.S. forces there's no other way to put it the appear to be mistreating Iraqi prisoners there. The President had a few things to say about that didn't he?

BASH: He did and The White House says that the President actually has known about this for some time but certainly this is not something the White House welcomes at a time when they are actively trying to win over the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.

As Ben Wedeman reported just a short while ago, this is being played on Arab TV the White House is well aware of that and so the President was very quick to try to give a forceful and very public condemnation of the pictures and of course of the abuse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Those few people who did that do not reflect the nature of the men and women we sent overseas. That's not the way the people are. It's not their character that are serving, that are serving our nation and the cause of freedom and there will be an investigation and they'll be taken care of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The President also said he shared the deep disgust of many about the way these prisoners were treated again this is two months to the day before the U.S. and the coalition are supposed to transfer sovereignty over to the Iraqis this is a critical time all members of the coalition believe to try and win over Iraqis, and they know that this is not helping and that's why the President came out and came out so forcefully -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Dana Bash at the White House, thanks very much.

Today marks two months and counting until the return of at least partial Iraqi sovereignty and that's the subject of a special report tonight on CNN. Aaron Brown's "NEWSNIGHT" starts the countdown to handover at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 Pacific. That's right here on CNN News. Stay tuned for that.

We'll check headlines around the world just ahead including Big Bird telling a whole new audience how to get to "Sesame Street."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Big Bird and Cookie Monster are taking a trip to an unlikely spot, Afghanistan. Children in the country now getting a dose of "Sesame Street" television. The Rand Corporation, the U.S. think tank and the government of Qatar have pitched in to deliver hundreds of education kits. Along with the show, the kits are sent to schools, orphanages and TV stations.

A convicted child molester set free from prison today. Ahead on LIVE FROM... the controversy surrounding a former day care worker who still maintains his innocence.

Also ahead, they're sweet, but deadly. Teenagers and so-called narco lollipops.

And no more roast beef for you. A red-faced restaurant manager apologizes after saying go away at the buffet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Good news, bad news day for Michael Jackson. On one hand he's in court relating to ten charges related to child molestation on the other hand he's getting a big check from the Sony no less to help the legal defense fund. Mary Snow is here with details.

(FINANCIAL REPORT)

(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