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Reaction Mixed to President Bush Interviews; Worming Into Windows

Aired May 05, 2004 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to the third hour of LIVE FROM. I'm Kyra Phillips.
Up first this hour, photos here, sound bites there, hearts and minds in the balance. President Bush leads off an all-star administration lineup hoping to undo some of the damage done by pictures and allegations of abuse and degradation of Iraqi detainees. Mr. Bush gave one-on-one interviews today with the Arab TV network Al- Arabiya and the U.S.-funded Arab-language broadcaster Al-Hurra .

In this snippet from Al-Arabiya, the president addresses what he considers the real threat to civilized nations everywhere, al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The truth of the matter is, they hate us. And they hate freedom. And they hate people who embrace freedom. And they're willing to kill innocent Iraqis because Iraqis are willing to be free. Iraqis are sick of foreign people coming in their country and trying to destabilize their country. And we will help them rid Iraq of these killers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, in Baghdad today, two high ranking U.S. officers did what the commander in chief did not. They apologized for the Abu Ghraib debacle, though Iraqis, by and large, seemed less than impressed by any of it.

Here is CNN's Ben Wedeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Reaction to President Bush's interviews with those two Arabic satellite news networks, mixed.

We had a crew at a cafe here in Baghdad. One man said that these crimes simply are beyond comprehension. Another man said it's good, good that these people who were involved in the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib will be held accountable.

Outside Abu Ghraib today, there was a large demonstration organized by the Society of Muslim Scholars. They put forward a list of demands to the authorities at Abu Ghraib. Those demands included trials for the soldiers who were involved in the abuse incidents. They want Iraqi lawyers as well as international human rights organizations to have full access to the prison. They also want a greater Iraqi role in how the prison is administered.

Now, after, I spoke with one of the religious leaders who had met with the Americans, and he told me that even though they put forward their demands, they don't have much faith in the promises of U.S. officials to rectify the situation inside the prison.

Meanwhile, inside the prison, reporters were taken on a tour of this facility by its new commander, Major General Geoffrey Miller, who pledged that abuse would never happen again at Abu Ghraib.

MAJ. GEN. GEOFFREY MILLER, U.S. ARMY: I will personally guarantee that this will not happen again in any of the organizations that we have that do detention, intelligence gathering, and moving toward A speedy trial to those who are referred to trial.

WEDEMAN: General Miller has also made it clear that many of the interrogation practices that have raised -- some rather sparked criticism -- will be discontinued. He also said that in the coming week, 300 prisoners will be released and next week, 400 will be released.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And this just in to CNN coming out of Washington, the Bush administration telling Republican congressional leaders today, it will request an additional $25 billion for the Defense Department budget because of higher than anticipated costs of military action in Iraq and Afghanistan. A senior administration official confirmed the new spending request is in the works. Once again, the White House seeking $25 billion more to cover war costs.

Well, the images, from Iraq from recent scandals to the rising death toll of U.S. forces, reverberate strongly across the U.S. And perhaps nowhere is the impact more striking than in military recruiting.

Jason Bellini explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Army recruiter Sergeant Davis is close, very close to signing Rader Williams (ph). Williams says he decided he wants to be an infantry leader.

SGT. GREGORY DAVIS, U.S. ARMY: It's a good decision and the best news I've heard all day.

BELLINI: Williams, a senior at Douglas High in Georgia, won't, however, sign on the dotted line just yet.

This year Sergeant Davis admits the Army is a tougher deal to close. He can offer college tuition, signing bonuses and a wide range of job opportunities. What he can't offer are any assurances on Iraq.

(on camera): How often is the possibility of going to Iraq a deal breaker?

DAVIS: Quite often. I can be based on the influence of their family, friends, people they hang around.

BELLINI (voice-over): Sheronda Menuer withdrew her application for the Air Force.

(on camera): So you almost signed up? What changed your minds?

SHERONDA MENUER, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: The things he said. And about -- most about the dying part.

BELLINI (voice-over): Dr. Crystal Giddings is the student adviser. She says 18 seniors planned join the military this year as opposed to around 60 before the war.

CRYSTAL GIDDINGS, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ADVISER: In the past if they selected a military option they would say, what are the benefits, the medical benefits? Are they going to pay for my college education?

But now they're asking more serious questions such as, if I make this decision, will I die early?

BELLINI: The Army says it's still meeting recruiting goals 100 percent.

DAVIS: You just have to work harder.

Well, welcome to the Army.

BELLINI: Williams shakes Sergeant Davis' hand -- but then pulls back. He needs more time.

Jason Bellini, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Sasser is the name. Infecting your computer is its game, a worm that is working its way through computers worldwide. Why would anyone unleash something like this?

Our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg here which I guess some answers.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, some insight anyway. It's tough to tell why some of these virus writers and worm writers do what they do.

But there's been some speculation at least surrounding the latest worm known as Sasser. There are any number of different reasons why someone might decide to do this. But we did talk to some experts to see why in this case somebody might be behind it. Well, at least in the past, some experts have said, believe it or not, some virus and worm writers do it to get a job.

They feel that, if they are noticed that they can actually create this worm and virus and that is in some ways successful, albeit a pain and destructive, that they could get a job with a technology company, even with an anti-virus company who may see them as somebody who has insight into the hacking community. To get some recognition, to show off, to impress their peer group, to jab at the large companies, some of them, perhaps maybe Microsoft being one of them, and even to steal money and to open backdoors, in other words, to get into somebody's computer later whether to use it as a zombie machine for spam, to steal some information out of it, those are some of the reasons that some of the experts we talked to have mentioned.

In addition, though, one expert said, for somebody like this, especially with the Sasser worm that is going around right now, they think it's probably someone who is just doing it for kicks, that they're really sort of stirring up trouble for no other reason than they can, partly because they're saying truly malicious hackers would be a little more surreptitious about it. They would be sort of under the radar. They wouldn't want to alert people to patch their machines or close up this vulnerability, because they would rather do it on the sly, get into somebody's machine without letting people know.

So some debate over who is responsible for this, but the FBI, Microsoft looking into it.

PHILLIPS: So are these hackers usually always caught?

SIEBERG: Well...

PHILLIPS: and what's the average time of catching them if they eventually caught?

SIEBERG: A very small percentage of them are caught, Kyra. And that's part of the problem trying to understand why this is done because so few of them are caught. It's tough to ask them why and find out more about them.

The profile of a hacker, a lot of times, they are teenagers, young people who may not even be aware of their actions. They don't care that what they do is destructive or annoying to people, that they do it sort of anyway. And it is tough to catch them because they do cover their tracks. They do make it very hard for authorities to go after them. And sometimes their technical knowledge is just better than the average person, the law enforcement person. So that makes it harder as well.

PHILLIPS: All right, what can we do to our computers?

SIEBERG: Yes. Just quickly, of course, this worm is still going around, known as Sasser.

And I'll give you some tips and a place to go at least to get started. The Microsoft home page is a place to go because it is a Microsoft vulnerability. And, at Microsoft.com, you can see at the top here, Sasser worm, important information. Once you click there, it will take you to a site that tells you a little bit more about it.

It does affect Windows XP and Windows 2000 users. Now, even if you haven't been hit with it yet, there's still the possibility you could get it. So you're going to want to look into it and patch your system. It's fairly easy, but there are some steps you want to go through, Kyra, so worth looking into it, affected about a million P.C.s already around the world.

PHILLIPS: Wow. All right, I know you'll keep us up to date.

SIEBERG: Yes. You bet.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Daniel.

Well, other news across America now. Patrols were added. The public was on alert. Now authorities say it was all a hoax. They say Zameer Mohamed was trying to get back at an ex-girlfriend when he said she was part of plot to blow up a Los Angeles mall last week. Mohamed was arrested grossing the border from Canada.

Entertainer Bobby Brown's legal odyssey continues in suburban Atlanta. Today, his attorney waived a preliminary hearing on charges that Brown hit his wife, Whitney Houston. That case now goes to a state court.

And also in the Atlanta area, a middle school student stabbed a bully with a pencil and now does not get sentenced to jail. However, the 13-year-old was fined and given 90 days probation. Authorities say the boy struck back after years of being tormented.

A bipartisan committee looks at how officials running this year's presidential election hope to avoid hanging chads and other messes that marked the last one. At least 50 million Americans are due to cast their votes electronically in November. But high-tech has turned into high drama.

Sean Callebs is on Capitol Hill in the bureau there in Washington with more on the pros and cons of e-voting -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Kyra.

Remember, the problem was clear, outdated paper punch cards that weren't always reliable and as we painfully found out in 2000 could lead to a huge voting controversy. So with four years to work with and some $4 billion in funding, plenty of time and money to work the problem out, right? Well, electronic voting machines are not the panacea that many predicted.

Today, a government panel heard they are vulnerable to hackers and fraud. Efforts are under way to try and protect electronic polling from hackers and bad software. Many states began rushing to find an alternative method of casting ballots after the Florida election fiasco. They're seeking a way to do away with paper ballots and forever purge the words hanging chad from our vocabulary. Critics say touch-screen machines could pose problems in part because they don't leave a paper trial.

Today marked the first public hearing by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Many states are demanding some kind of paper record as a backup. Even experts admit there is no way to guarantee electronic machines will be foolproof.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that we cannot achieve perfect security in any useful system. But I believe that there's a spectrum of really, really terrible to very, very good. And my opinion, after looking at DREs and looking at the Accuvote-TSx from Diebold is that right now we're sitting very, very close to terrible. And I think we can do a lot better. I'm not against electronics in voting. I think that we can have computers help us with the voting process, but they need to be designed with input from security experts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Well, California's secretary of state is giving his state's effort to make the switch to electronic machines a failing grade. Machines in more than half of the precincts in San Diego County malfunctioned during the March presidential primary. Congress created the Election Assistance program in 2002 and distributing nearly $4 billion to help states upgrade their voting systems. Election Day is six months away and some computer scientists maintain touch-screen voting is no safer from glitches, hackers and viruses than your home computer -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Sean Callebs, thanks so much.

Well, another story we've been working on for you in just the past few minutes, we told you the White House is seeking $25 billion more to cover war costs.

Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House now working the story.

Suzanne, what can you tell us?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, CNN has learned through congressional as well as administration sources that the White House will be requesting an additional $25 billion for the Pentagon's budget, the fiscal 2005 budget, which begins on October 1, this because of some higher costs due to Afghanistan and Iraq, some of those military costs.

We know that this afternoon, the budget director, Josh Bolten, as well as Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said that they have met with the Republican leadership on the Hill, including a meeting that they are having, taking place now with House Speaker Denny Hastert about this request.

Now, this is something that administration sources are saying or at least describing as an amendment to the original budget request. But congressional sources are describing it more as a supplemental additional cost. As you know, Kyra, of course, this has political implications. The White House was reluctant, did not want to ask for additional monies until after the November elections, but White House officials, administration sources conceding within the last month or so that they did not anticipate the increase in costs in Iraq, the additional troops due to that insurgency. So it looks like the White House may be asking for as much as $25 billion more for its Pentagon budget -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Suzanne Malveaux from the White House, thank you.

We're going to check out on -- or see what's happening, rather, on Wall Street right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: We want to the East Room of the White House, where a Cinco de Mayo celebration is taking place right now.

We're going to listen a little bit to Banda el Recodo that's performing right now.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, they've entertained TV audiences for a decade. Now the cast of "Friends" and "Frasier" are preparing to take their final bows. Check out CNN.com for a look at what could fill the time slots and test your knowledge of the coffee klatch with our trivia quiz. We promise, it's not decaf.

Well, just say no in today's entertainment headlines or, in Tom Cruise's case, nein. Germany's Parliament has nixed a request from producers of "Mission: Impossible 3" to shoot at Berlin's famed rash tag building. A spokeswoman says the dignity of parliament should be preserved. This story will self-destruct in five seconds.

Speaking of self-destructing, troubled Major Leaguer Pete Rose is supposed to be played by troubled actor Tom Sizemore in a movie for ESPN called "Hustle." But could the flick go up in smoke? The L.A. city attorney's office says Sizemore has violated two terms of his probation on earlier charges, including allegedly testing positive for methamphetamines on a random drug screening. A representative for the actor says the charges are phony. A hearing is set for Monday.

And now here's a story from the struggling artist's file.

CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on a certain performance artist who appears to be starving.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You probably eat popcorn in a darkened theater. Crazy Legs Conte (ph) inhaled it in a seven-foot glass box.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Evel Knievel of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MOOS: They dumped bag after bag of popcorn on him. He used a snorkel to breathe in what they called ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The popcorn sarcophagus.

MOOS: There was a color-coded warning system. Green if OK. Red if in trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yellow, which is either for warning, or more butter.

MOOS: If David Blaine can starve himself in a box, why can't Conte (ph) stuff himself with popcorn here at the Tribeca Film Festival?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give us a sign, Crazy Legs. He's eating. Of course he has nine hours left to eat.

MOOS: Nine hours before the debut of a documentary about his career as a competitive eater. Crazy Legs did this as a publicity stunt.

(on camera): Salt?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe this came salted.

MOOS (voice-over): Occasionally a kernel stuck. An EMT stood by.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he was to choke, I would have to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

MOOS (on camera): You need a little wipeoff here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could definitely use a little wipe-off, thank you, yes. That would be good.

MOOS (voice-over): He's eaten everything from turkey to oysters. But oysters went down slimy. Not this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I may have to call for some chapstick in a little bit.

MOOS: And though his lips were dry, his clothes were soaked in sweat and butter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You may want to use a napkin after you're done touching me.

MOOS: After eating down to his chest, Crazy Legs gave up. The so-called Houdini of cuisiney was a little wobbly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't the corn, or the pop. It was definitely the butter.

MOOS: And if you're looking for something to curb your appetite, you can't lick this.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, this wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM.

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 May 5, 2004 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to the third hour of LIVE FROM. I'm Kyra Phillips.
Up first this hour, photos here, sound bites there, hearts and minds in the balance. President Bush leads off an all-star administration lineup hoping to undo some of the damage done by pictures and allegations of abuse and degradation of Iraqi detainees. Mr. Bush gave one-on-one interviews today with the Arab TV network Al- Arabiya and the U.S.-funded Arab-language broadcaster Al-Hurra .

In this snippet from Al-Arabiya, the president addresses what he considers the real threat to civilized nations everywhere, al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The truth of the matter is, they hate us. And they hate freedom. And they hate people who embrace freedom. And they're willing to kill innocent Iraqis because Iraqis are willing to be free. Iraqis are sick of foreign people coming in their country and trying to destabilize their country. And we will help them rid Iraq of these killers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, in Baghdad today, two high ranking U.S. officers did what the commander in chief did not. They apologized for the Abu Ghraib debacle, though Iraqis, by and large, seemed less than impressed by any of it.

Here is CNN's Ben Wedeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Reaction to President Bush's interviews with those two Arabic satellite news networks, mixed.

We had a crew at a cafe here in Baghdad. One man said that these crimes simply are beyond comprehension. Another man said it's good, good that these people who were involved in the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib will be held accountable.

Outside Abu Ghraib today, there was a large demonstration organized by the Society of Muslim Scholars. They put forward a list of demands to the authorities at Abu Ghraib. Those demands included trials for the soldiers who were involved in the abuse incidents. They want Iraqi lawyers as well as international human rights organizations to have full access to the prison. They also want a greater Iraqi role in how the prison is administered.

Now, after, I spoke with one of the religious leaders who had met with the Americans, and he told me that even though they put forward their demands, they don't have much faith in the promises of U.S. officials to rectify the situation inside the prison.

Meanwhile, inside the prison, reporters were taken on a tour of this facility by its new commander, Major General Geoffrey Miller, who pledged that abuse would never happen again at Abu Ghraib.

MAJ. GEN. GEOFFREY MILLER, U.S. ARMY: I will personally guarantee that this will not happen again in any of the organizations that we have that do detention, intelligence gathering, and moving toward A speedy trial to those who are referred to trial.

WEDEMAN: General Miller has also made it clear that many of the interrogation practices that have raised -- some rather sparked criticism -- will be discontinued. He also said that in the coming week, 300 prisoners will be released and next week, 400 will be released.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And this just in to CNN coming out of Washington, the Bush administration telling Republican congressional leaders today, it will request an additional $25 billion for the Defense Department budget because of higher than anticipated costs of military action in Iraq and Afghanistan. A senior administration official confirmed the new spending request is in the works. Once again, the White House seeking $25 billion more to cover war costs.

Well, the images, from Iraq from recent scandals to the rising death toll of U.S. forces, reverberate strongly across the U.S. And perhaps nowhere is the impact more striking than in military recruiting.

Jason Bellini explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Army recruiter Sergeant Davis is close, very close to signing Rader Williams (ph). Williams says he decided he wants to be an infantry leader.

SGT. GREGORY DAVIS, U.S. ARMY: It's a good decision and the best news I've heard all day.

BELLINI: Williams, a senior at Douglas High in Georgia, won't, however, sign on the dotted line just yet.

This year Sergeant Davis admits the Army is a tougher deal to close. He can offer college tuition, signing bonuses and a wide range of job opportunities. What he can't offer are any assurances on Iraq.

(on camera): How often is the possibility of going to Iraq a deal breaker?

DAVIS: Quite often. I can be based on the influence of their family, friends, people they hang around.

BELLINI (voice-over): Sheronda Menuer withdrew her application for the Air Force.

(on camera): So you almost signed up? What changed your minds?

SHERONDA MENUER, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: The things he said. And about -- most about the dying part.

BELLINI (voice-over): Dr. Crystal Giddings is the student adviser. She says 18 seniors planned join the military this year as opposed to around 60 before the war.

CRYSTAL GIDDINGS, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ADVISER: In the past if they selected a military option they would say, what are the benefits, the medical benefits? Are they going to pay for my college education?

But now they're asking more serious questions such as, if I make this decision, will I die early?

BELLINI: The Army says it's still meeting recruiting goals 100 percent.

DAVIS: You just have to work harder.

Well, welcome to the Army.

BELLINI: Williams shakes Sergeant Davis' hand -- but then pulls back. He needs more time.

Jason Bellini, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Sasser is the name. Infecting your computer is its game, a worm that is working its way through computers worldwide. Why would anyone unleash something like this?

Our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg here which I guess some answers.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, some insight anyway. It's tough to tell why some of these virus writers and worm writers do what they do.

But there's been some speculation at least surrounding the latest worm known as Sasser. There are any number of different reasons why someone might decide to do this. But we did talk to some experts to see why in this case somebody might be behind it. Well, at least in the past, some experts have said, believe it or not, some virus and worm writers do it to get a job.

They feel that, if they are noticed that they can actually create this worm and virus and that is in some ways successful, albeit a pain and destructive, that they could get a job with a technology company, even with an anti-virus company who may see them as somebody who has insight into the hacking community. To get some recognition, to show off, to impress their peer group, to jab at the large companies, some of them, perhaps maybe Microsoft being one of them, and even to steal money and to open backdoors, in other words, to get into somebody's computer later whether to use it as a zombie machine for spam, to steal some information out of it, those are some of the reasons that some of the experts we talked to have mentioned.

In addition, though, one expert said, for somebody like this, especially with the Sasser worm that is going around right now, they think it's probably someone who is just doing it for kicks, that they're really sort of stirring up trouble for no other reason than they can, partly because they're saying truly malicious hackers would be a little more surreptitious about it. They would be sort of under the radar. They wouldn't want to alert people to patch their machines or close up this vulnerability, because they would rather do it on the sly, get into somebody's machine without letting people know.

So some debate over who is responsible for this, but the FBI, Microsoft looking into it.

PHILLIPS: So are these hackers usually always caught?

SIEBERG: Well...

PHILLIPS: and what's the average time of catching them if they eventually caught?

SIEBERG: A very small percentage of them are caught, Kyra. And that's part of the problem trying to understand why this is done because so few of them are caught. It's tough to ask them why and find out more about them.

The profile of a hacker, a lot of times, they are teenagers, young people who may not even be aware of their actions. They don't care that what they do is destructive or annoying to people, that they do it sort of anyway. And it is tough to catch them because they do cover their tracks. They do make it very hard for authorities to go after them. And sometimes their technical knowledge is just better than the average person, the law enforcement person. So that makes it harder as well.

PHILLIPS: All right, what can we do to our computers?

SIEBERG: Yes. Just quickly, of course, this worm is still going around, known as Sasser.

And I'll give you some tips and a place to go at least to get started. The Microsoft home page is a place to go because it is a Microsoft vulnerability. And, at Microsoft.com, you can see at the top here, Sasser worm, important information. Once you click there, it will take you to a site that tells you a little bit more about it.

It does affect Windows XP and Windows 2000 users. Now, even if you haven't been hit with it yet, there's still the possibility you could get it. So you're going to want to look into it and patch your system. It's fairly easy, but there are some steps you want to go through, Kyra, so worth looking into it, affected about a million P.C.s already around the world.

PHILLIPS: Wow. All right, I know you'll keep us up to date.

SIEBERG: Yes. You bet.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Daniel.

Well, other news across America now. Patrols were added. The public was on alert. Now authorities say it was all a hoax. They say Zameer Mohamed was trying to get back at an ex-girlfriend when he said she was part of plot to blow up a Los Angeles mall last week. Mohamed was arrested grossing the border from Canada.

Entertainer Bobby Brown's legal odyssey continues in suburban Atlanta. Today, his attorney waived a preliminary hearing on charges that Brown hit his wife, Whitney Houston. That case now goes to a state court.

And also in the Atlanta area, a middle school student stabbed a bully with a pencil and now does not get sentenced to jail. However, the 13-year-old was fined and given 90 days probation. Authorities say the boy struck back after years of being tormented.

A bipartisan committee looks at how officials running this year's presidential election hope to avoid hanging chads and other messes that marked the last one. At least 50 million Americans are due to cast their votes electronically in November. But high-tech has turned into high drama.

Sean Callebs is on Capitol Hill in the bureau there in Washington with more on the pros and cons of e-voting -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Kyra.

Remember, the problem was clear, outdated paper punch cards that weren't always reliable and as we painfully found out in 2000 could lead to a huge voting controversy. So with four years to work with and some $4 billion in funding, plenty of time and money to work the problem out, right? Well, electronic voting machines are not the panacea that many predicted.

Today, a government panel heard they are vulnerable to hackers and fraud. Efforts are under way to try and protect electronic polling from hackers and bad software. Many states began rushing to find an alternative method of casting ballots after the Florida election fiasco. They're seeking a way to do away with paper ballots and forever purge the words hanging chad from our vocabulary. Critics say touch-screen machines could pose problems in part because they don't leave a paper trial.

Today marked the first public hearing by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Many states are demanding some kind of paper record as a backup. Even experts admit there is no way to guarantee electronic machines will be foolproof.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that we cannot achieve perfect security in any useful system. But I believe that there's a spectrum of really, really terrible to very, very good. And my opinion, after looking at DREs and looking at the Accuvote-TSx from Diebold is that right now we're sitting very, very close to terrible. And I think we can do a lot better. I'm not against electronics in voting. I think that we can have computers help us with the voting process, but they need to be designed with input from security experts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Well, California's secretary of state is giving his state's effort to make the switch to electronic machines a failing grade. Machines in more than half of the precincts in San Diego County malfunctioned during the March presidential primary. Congress created the Election Assistance program in 2002 and distributing nearly $4 billion to help states upgrade their voting systems. Election Day is six months away and some computer scientists maintain touch-screen voting is no safer from glitches, hackers and viruses than your home computer -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Sean Callebs, thanks so much.

Well, another story we've been working on for you in just the past few minutes, we told you the White House is seeking $25 billion more to cover war costs.

Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House now working the story.

Suzanne, what can you tell us?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, CNN has learned through congressional as well as administration sources that the White House will be requesting an additional $25 billion for the Pentagon's budget, the fiscal 2005 budget, which begins on October 1, this because of some higher costs due to Afghanistan and Iraq, some of those military costs.

We know that this afternoon, the budget director, Josh Bolten, as well as Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said that they have met with the Republican leadership on the Hill, including a meeting that they are having, taking place now with House Speaker Denny Hastert about this request.

Now, this is something that administration sources are saying or at least describing as an amendment to the original budget request. But congressional sources are describing it more as a supplemental additional cost. As you know, Kyra, of course, this has political implications. The White House was reluctant, did not want to ask for additional monies until after the November elections, but White House officials, administration sources conceding within the last month or so that they did not anticipate the increase in costs in Iraq, the additional troops due to that insurgency. So it looks like the White House may be asking for as much as $25 billion more for its Pentagon budget -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Suzanne Malveaux from the White House, thank you.

We're going to check out on -- or see what's happening, rather, on Wall Street right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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PHILLIPS: We want to the East Room of the White House, where a Cinco de Mayo celebration is taking place right now.

We're going to listen a little bit to Banda el Recodo that's performing right now.

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PHILLIPS: Well, they've entertained TV audiences for a decade. Now the cast of "Friends" and "Frasier" are preparing to take their final bows. Check out CNN.com for a look at what could fill the time slots and test your knowledge of the coffee klatch with our trivia quiz. We promise, it's not decaf.

Well, just say no in today's entertainment headlines or, in Tom Cruise's case, nein. Germany's Parliament has nixed a request from producers of "Mission: Impossible 3" to shoot at Berlin's famed rash tag building. A spokeswoman says the dignity of parliament should be preserved. This story will self-destruct in five seconds.

Speaking of self-destructing, troubled Major Leaguer Pete Rose is supposed to be played by troubled actor Tom Sizemore in a movie for ESPN called "Hustle." But could the flick go up in smoke? The L.A. city attorney's office says Sizemore has violated two terms of his probation on earlier charges, including allegedly testing positive for methamphetamines on a random drug screening. A representative for the actor says the charges are phony. A hearing is set for Monday.

And now here's a story from the struggling artist's file.

CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on a certain performance artist who appears to be starving.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You probably eat popcorn in a darkened theater. Crazy Legs Conte (ph) inhaled it in a seven-foot glass box.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Evel Knievel of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MOOS: They dumped bag after bag of popcorn on him. He used a snorkel to breathe in what they called ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The popcorn sarcophagus.

MOOS: There was a color-coded warning system. Green if OK. Red if in trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yellow, which is either for warning, or more butter.

MOOS: If David Blaine can starve himself in a box, why can't Conte (ph) stuff himself with popcorn here at the Tribeca Film Festival?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give us a sign, Crazy Legs. He's eating. Of course he has nine hours left to eat.

MOOS: Nine hours before the debut of a documentary about his career as a competitive eater. Crazy Legs did this as a publicity stunt.

(on camera): Salt?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe this came salted.

MOOS (voice-over): Occasionally a kernel stuck. An EMT stood by.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he was to choke, I would have to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

MOOS (on camera): You need a little wipeoff here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could definitely use a little wipe-off, thank you, yes. That would be good.

MOOS (voice-over): He's eaten everything from turkey to oysters. But oysters went down slimy. Not this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I may have to call for some chapstick in a little bit.

MOOS: And though his lips were dry, his clothes were soaked in sweat and butter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You may want to use a napkin after you're done touching me.

MOOS: After eating down to his chest, Crazy Legs gave up. The so-called Houdini of cuisiney was a little wobbly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't the corn, or the pop. It was definitely the butter.

MOOS: And if you're looking for something to curb your appetite, you can't lick this.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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PHILLIPS: Well, this wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM.

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