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Bush Focuses G-8 Summit on Iraq Security Issues; Italians Return from Iraq Free Men
Aired June 09, 2004 - 13:59 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: Remembering Ronald Reagan. Somber ceremonies as the nation honors the former president.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elaine Quijano, live in Washington, outside the West Front Entrance to the Capitol where, for hours, people have been lined waiting to pay their respects to Ronald Reagan. I'll have more on that coming up.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush pushing for more help in Iraq at a gathering of world leaders. We're live from the G-8 summit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is crazy, you can't beat this. This is unbelievable. It's June for crying out loud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
A freak storm sends people scrambling for the shovels and the calendar. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM... starts right this minute.
The flag-draped coffin of former President Ronald Reagan is making the journey to the place he had been so many times before, Washington. D.C. It is expected to arrive in a few hours where it will lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda. People began lining up to see it before dawn. Our Elaine Quijano is among them in Washington -- Elaine.
QUIJANO: Good afternoon, Miles. Take a look here, these are just some of the folks who have begun to form the line here outside the West Front Entrance to the Capitol. As you said, some of these folks have been here since very early this morning. In fact, we talked to the very first woman in line, Carol Williams (ph) of -- near Richmond, Virginia. She drove here to make sure she secured her place.
Others taking not drives to get here, but taking planes, and others still thinking of some ingenious ways to beat the heat. We want to show you here, this is Beth Rowan (ph) from Chicago. You wanted to be here, you said. This was sort of an unplanned trip. You just decided last night. But you felt it was important for you and your sister-in-law to come out here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very much. As Illinoisans, of course, we are very fond of Ronald Reagan, and I voted for him twice and lived through those years. And my family is just so proud of Ronald Reagan and proud to be an American because of him.
QUIJANO: Now you could have actually gone to Dixon to pay your tribute, pay your respect there. Why come here to the nation's capital?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, this is more of a tribute to him. We knew it would be a lot of effort and all that. So for all that he had done for us, this was a way to give back to him, and a support for Nancy Reagan, also. And because Washington, D.C. is really the heart of this country.
QUIJANO: Now I notice you have some other folks in your tent besides your sister-in-law who you did travel with. This is really sort of indicative of what the whole mood has been like, though, a sense of camaraderie because these folks you didn't necessarily know before you got here. Talk to me about that. What has the atmosphere been like for you here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think because when you do get people who appreciated Ronald Reagan and appreciate Americanism and things like that, you naturally share and you have like ideas. So it isn't like I have to worry if my purse is getting picked today. We're just all friendly and in the spirit of sharing because I would like everybody to be as cool as we are in here.
QUIJANO: All right. Well, thanks so much for joining us. Beth Rowan and her sister-in-law Judy (ph) here, by the way, the architect who decided that this was a good idea. But in all seriousness, heat has been a concern. U.S. Capitol Police in fact distributing water bottles.
Some of the folks who are out here decided to come in three-piece suits. Some of them wanting to pay their respects in the most formal way. So heat has been a fact with the temperatures in the 90s. Also high humidity, but as you can tell here, spirits generally positive as people wait to pay their respects. Still about six hours or so from the time that they will actually be allowed into the Capitol Rotunda -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano in Washington, thank you -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: An incredible outpouring of emotion in Simi Valley, California. More than 100,000 mourners paid their respects to the late president before his casket left California. Our Thelma Gutierrez is at the Reagan Presidential Library.
Hi, Thelma.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra. Well, after two days of public viewing here at the library, there was a brief ceremony this morning and then the president's body was led away to Point Mugu Naval Air Station to begin a four-and-a-half hour journey to Washington, D.C..
The president's body will return to the library on Friday for a private burial. His final resting spot is a grassy half moon-shaped area which on a clear day overlooks the Pacific Ocean -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: That is a beautiful piece. Thelma Gutierrez, thank you so much.
And CNN will bring you all the solemn and historic moments as American's mourning for Ronald Reagan moves to the nation's capital. Judy Woodruff will host a special edition of "INSIDE POLITICS" from the Capitol less than an hour from now. Then, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern, CNN will bring you a special report on the state funeral for the late president.
O'BRIEN: President Bush and other world leaders are in Sea Island, Georgia, for the annual Group of Eight industrialized nations, of the G-8 summit. A range of global economic and security issues on the agenda. Dana Bash covering it for us, she joins us now with an update.
Hello, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles. And after starting the summit with what the White House was looking for, and that was, of course, a U.N. resolution blessing their plan on Iraq, the president today is talking about what to do next, specifically about the security situation on the ground. President Bush met with his top partner in the war in Iraq, and that of course is the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, earlier today. And the two discussed how to beef up the Iraqi security forces, and what the multinational force is going to look like.
And President Bush said that the two also talked about the idea of getting NATO involved on the ground in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We believe NATO ought to be involved. We will work with our NATO friends to at least continue the role that now exists and hopefully expand it somewhat. There's going to be some constraints, obviously. A lot of NATO countries are not in position to commit any more troops. We fully understand that. But I do think NATO ought to stay involved. And I think we have a good chance getting that done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, White House aides said afterwards that perhaps NATO would have a role in simply training the Iraqi forces. But, Miles, we have been talking about how the theme here is to smooth over differences between people who did not get along on the war in Iraq, particularly with the French. And there has been some indication that perhaps that hasn't been going well.
Just hours after President Bush made his comments about NATO, Jacques Chirac, the French president, came out and said he does not think that NATO should go on the ground in Iraq. He said it doesn't fit with -- he said, their vocation to intervene in Iraq. So we'll see what happens there as the time goes forward here at the summit.
Now in order to keep the momentum going, at least symbolically, President Bush does have an important meeting later today. He is going to meet with the interim Iraqi president, that is going to be a one-on-one meeting. And it certainly is going to be -- try to symbolize the democracy moving forward in Iraq.
But another key agenda item officially on the agenda here is to talk about democratic reforms in the broader Middle East beyond Iraq. There is new initiative that the G-8 is unveiling here, and they are doing so along with some Arab leaders that they have invited, leaders from Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, all here town unveil that plan.
And it's important to note, though, that there are some Arab leaders that were invited that did not come, that declined the invitation, leaders from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. They said that they did not come.
Now the White House is playing that down, however some do concede that they are reluctant to adopt the reform that the White House and others are trying to push because they simply say that this perhaps would not be good for them in terms of their leadership.
However, what the key is to this plan, according to the White House, is that it states simply in there that they think that Arab leaders have simply used the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as an excuse for not reforming their own countries. And they say that this can no longer stand.
And one thing to note, also, is that they did have some concessions in here by noting that it's important to solve, if they can, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. That is something that is very, very important to Arab leaders, particularly because they have been reluctant to at least acknowledge some of these reforms. This is what the White House is hoping that will change -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Dana Bash, thanks -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a hostage ordeal ends, and a happy homecoming begins. The former captives tell their story. We've got it ahead on LIVE FROM...
Olympic athletes on notice for potential drug violations. Will it keep some of them out of Athens?
And necessity becomes the mother of invention with the "cub caboose." It's the cat's meow later on LIVE FROM...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: In the second week of the Scott Peterson double murder trial, jurors are hearing members of Laci Peterson's family describe how their suspicions grew. CNN's Ted Rowlands is at the courthouse in Redwood City.
What do you know, Ted?
TED ROWLANDS. CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this morning a cousin of Laci Peterson's testified that he was suspicious from the very beginning of Scott Peterson, and that the night that Laci Peterson was reported missing, he testified that Scott allegedly told him that he had been golfing all day, not fishing. This is the second person to surface that said that Scott had expressed that he had been golfing, not fishing. That, of course, contradicts what he told police.
Now so far there has been no real bombshell here. The prosecution in day six has been just laying out the groundwork, going through the time line and going through family testimony about the relationship between Scott and Laci. There are some critics that say that they are going too slowly and that they are not presenting enough evidence to this jury early on.
This morning, Laci Peterson's family on the way into court, however, did take the time to defend the prosecution's style and the case, saying that in the end the truth will come out in the next few months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they are doing just great. We've got a long way to go here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Now the Peterson family also stopped by and said that they believe the truth will come out as well. Their version of the truth, however, is much different than the Rochas'. They believe that as time goes by and the months go by that people will see that Scott Peterson is indeed innocent of the charges against him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE PETERSON, SCOTT PETERSON'S FATHER: Here everybody saw signs of some discrepancies in what was in the tabloids, in "The Globes" and "The National Enquirers" and people are becoming aware of it now, I do believe. And as this develops it will be more and more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Right now on the stand a neighbor of the Petersons, Karen Servis (ph). This is the woman that found the Peterson dog wandering in the street the day that Laci was reported missing. She is important because the timing will be used by the prosecution of when this dog surfaced wandering the streets. They will use that to combat defense witnesses that say they saw Laci with the dog walking in the neighborhood -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Ted Rowlands, live from Redwood City, thanks. O'BRIEN: News across America now. A Ronald Reagan holiday in Massachusetts. Governor Mitt Romney visited the former president's remains in California on Tuesday, afterwards he shut down state agencies and offices in the commonwealth on Friday in Reagan's honor. Federal offices and the U.S. stock market will be closed as well that day.
A mother's pain. The mother of Robert Jacobs, the American shot dead in the Saudi Arabian capital Tuesday, says the full impact of the news hasn't hit her just yet. Oma Lee Jacobs of Illinois says it's a family tradition to travel the world. She and her son, she says, knew the risks. Nevertheless she admits the tragic news came as a complete shock to her.
PHILLIPS: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called it, in his words, a happy conclusion to a tragedy. Three Italians held hostage more than eight weeks in Iraq are back in Rome. Alessio Vinci tells us about the mixed emotions of that homecoming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCE, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The former hostages emerged from the plane with broad smiles. But as they reunited with relatives and friends, they seemed to take a second to realize their nightmare was really over. But then the reality of freedom after more than 50 days in captivity set in.
"I had to believe it." says this relative. "I could not think the guys would stay in Iraq and face an unjust end."
But it was a bittersweet homecoming, only three out of four men who went to Iraq to work as security guards returned home. Frabrizio Quattrocchi was executed after being captured.
ALESSANDRO CEVESE, FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL: The only thing we can't imagine is -- because he had in his pocket a sort of ID card which proved him to be more linked to the coalition forces, in other words, to be seen as a military guy.
VINCI: Cevese accompanied the former hostages back to Rome. He says they displayed bravery and courage, recounting an episode involving one of them, Salvatore Stefio, refusing to give his wedding band to one of his captors, who replied with a threat.
CEVESE: Come out, I will kill you outside. And Mr. Stefio replied, no, no, you are going to kill me in front of the others. You are going to prove to me that you want really to kill me.
VINCI: But before returning to their everyday lives Italian police whisked the three to a waiting helicopter for interrogations by magistrates investigating the abduction and the death of their partner.
(on camera): The hostages released and the recently adopted U.N. resolution on Iraq couldn't come at a better time for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, under pressure here for supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Just days before local and European elections, it is far more than what he could have hoped for.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Clearing the air over indecency on the air waves. The company that aired Howard Stern's show put his money where his mouth was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's nothing low about J-Lo when it comes to counting husbands. Number one was a waiter. Number two was a choreographer. Number three is none other than Marc Anthony.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Ah, how do we love J-Lo. Let me count the ways just ahead on LIVE FROM...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Well, we now know that J-Lo has tied the knot for a third time to singer Marc Anthony. One of Kyra's favorites, I might add. But apparently this time she has a bun in her rather curvaceous oven.
PHILLIPS: CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look at the how the husband count stacks up against another glamorous serial spouse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS (voice-over): There's nothing low about J-Lo when it comes to counting husbands. Number one was a waiter. Number two was a choreographer. Number three is none other than Marc Anthony.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She likes being married.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She seems to have a propensity for changing husbands.
MOOS: J-Lo and Marc Anthony once sang a duet called "Don't Love Me." He was dying and already British bookmakers are predicting the death of their marriage, giving odds of 3-1 that they will be over before the year is.
WARREN LUSH, LADBROKE'S SPOKESMAN: We're quite pessimistic about their chances. We think that J-Lo in many ways could be the new Liz Taylor.
MOOS: Liz Taylor with her eight marriages, two of them to Richard Burton, who actually played Marc Antony in "Cleopatra."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "CLEOPATRA")
RICHARD BURTON, ACTOR: I will what?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: The Roman Marc Antony knelt. The singer Marc Anthony stayed on his feet promoting his new CD. But when asked about his marriage on "The View"?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE VIEW")
MARC ANTHONY, SINGER: I have nothing to say about anything. My life is my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Though Matt Lauer noticed his ring...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TODAY SHOW")
MATT LAUER, HOST: What is this?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: ...on "The Today Show," if it hadn't been for "US Weekly"'s shots from a helicopter, we would have no proof the wedding happened. The magazine says Ben Affleck, who himself came close to being husband number three, gave two thumbs up when told of the marriage. Now there are reports that J-Lo is already pregnant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll find out in about nine months, won't we?
MOOS: On "Regis & Kelly"...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY")
CARROT TOP, COMEDIAN: Boy, this just means she can keep changing the name of the...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: ...comedian Carrot Top displayed a wedding photo pf J-Lo that was a low blow, deserving of a blow a la Marc Anthony.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: All right, as to the pregnancy thing, that is a rumor and we'll find out nine months or less. Who knows these days, right?
PHILLIPS: That's true. I guess the...
O'BRIEN: Yes, we've got to be good with all the facts, large and small.
(MARKET REPORT) 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 June 9, 2004 - 13:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Remembering Ronald Reagan. Somber ceremonies as the nation honors the former president.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elaine Quijano, live in Washington, outside the West Front Entrance to the Capitol where, for hours, people have been lined waiting to pay their respects to Ronald Reagan. I'll have more on that coming up.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush pushing for more help in Iraq at a gathering of world leaders. We're live from the G-8 summit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is crazy, you can't beat this. This is unbelievable. It's June for crying out loud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
A freak storm sends people scrambling for the shovels and the calendar. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM... starts right this minute.
The flag-draped coffin of former President Ronald Reagan is making the journey to the place he had been so many times before, Washington. D.C. It is expected to arrive in a few hours where it will lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda. People began lining up to see it before dawn. Our Elaine Quijano is among them in Washington -- Elaine.
QUIJANO: Good afternoon, Miles. Take a look here, these are just some of the folks who have begun to form the line here outside the West Front Entrance to the Capitol. As you said, some of these folks have been here since very early this morning. In fact, we talked to the very first woman in line, Carol Williams (ph) of -- near Richmond, Virginia. She drove here to make sure she secured her place.
Others taking not drives to get here, but taking planes, and others still thinking of some ingenious ways to beat the heat. We want to show you here, this is Beth Rowan (ph) from Chicago. You wanted to be here, you said. This was sort of an unplanned trip. You just decided last night. But you felt it was important for you and your sister-in-law to come out here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very much. As Illinoisans, of course, we are very fond of Ronald Reagan, and I voted for him twice and lived through those years. And my family is just so proud of Ronald Reagan and proud to be an American because of him.
QUIJANO: Now you could have actually gone to Dixon to pay your tribute, pay your respect there. Why come here to the nation's capital?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, this is more of a tribute to him. We knew it would be a lot of effort and all that. So for all that he had done for us, this was a way to give back to him, and a support for Nancy Reagan, also. And because Washington, D.C. is really the heart of this country.
QUIJANO: Now I notice you have some other folks in your tent besides your sister-in-law who you did travel with. This is really sort of indicative of what the whole mood has been like, though, a sense of camaraderie because these folks you didn't necessarily know before you got here. Talk to me about that. What has the atmosphere been like for you here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think because when you do get people who appreciated Ronald Reagan and appreciate Americanism and things like that, you naturally share and you have like ideas. So it isn't like I have to worry if my purse is getting picked today. We're just all friendly and in the spirit of sharing because I would like everybody to be as cool as we are in here.
QUIJANO: All right. Well, thanks so much for joining us. Beth Rowan and her sister-in-law Judy (ph) here, by the way, the architect who decided that this was a good idea. But in all seriousness, heat has been a concern. U.S. Capitol Police in fact distributing water bottles.
Some of the folks who are out here decided to come in three-piece suits. Some of them wanting to pay their respects in the most formal way. So heat has been a fact with the temperatures in the 90s. Also high humidity, but as you can tell here, spirits generally positive as people wait to pay their respects. Still about six hours or so from the time that they will actually be allowed into the Capitol Rotunda -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano in Washington, thank you -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: An incredible outpouring of emotion in Simi Valley, California. More than 100,000 mourners paid their respects to the late president before his casket left California. Our Thelma Gutierrez is at the Reagan Presidential Library.
Hi, Thelma.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra. Well, after two days of public viewing here at the library, there was a brief ceremony this morning and then the president's body was led away to Point Mugu Naval Air Station to begin a four-and-a-half hour journey to Washington, D.C..
The president's body will return to the library on Friday for a private burial. His final resting spot is a grassy half moon-shaped area which on a clear day overlooks the Pacific Ocean -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: That is a beautiful piece. Thelma Gutierrez, thank you so much.
And CNN will bring you all the solemn and historic moments as American's mourning for Ronald Reagan moves to the nation's capital. Judy Woodruff will host a special edition of "INSIDE POLITICS" from the Capitol less than an hour from now. Then, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern, CNN will bring you a special report on the state funeral for the late president.
O'BRIEN: President Bush and other world leaders are in Sea Island, Georgia, for the annual Group of Eight industrialized nations, of the G-8 summit. A range of global economic and security issues on the agenda. Dana Bash covering it for us, she joins us now with an update.
Hello, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles. And after starting the summit with what the White House was looking for, and that was, of course, a U.N. resolution blessing their plan on Iraq, the president today is talking about what to do next, specifically about the security situation on the ground. President Bush met with his top partner in the war in Iraq, and that of course is the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, earlier today. And the two discussed how to beef up the Iraqi security forces, and what the multinational force is going to look like.
And President Bush said that the two also talked about the idea of getting NATO involved on the ground in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We believe NATO ought to be involved. We will work with our NATO friends to at least continue the role that now exists and hopefully expand it somewhat. There's going to be some constraints, obviously. A lot of NATO countries are not in position to commit any more troops. We fully understand that. But I do think NATO ought to stay involved. And I think we have a good chance getting that done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, White House aides said afterwards that perhaps NATO would have a role in simply training the Iraqi forces. But, Miles, we have been talking about how the theme here is to smooth over differences between people who did not get along on the war in Iraq, particularly with the French. And there has been some indication that perhaps that hasn't been going well.
Just hours after President Bush made his comments about NATO, Jacques Chirac, the French president, came out and said he does not think that NATO should go on the ground in Iraq. He said it doesn't fit with -- he said, their vocation to intervene in Iraq. So we'll see what happens there as the time goes forward here at the summit.
Now in order to keep the momentum going, at least symbolically, President Bush does have an important meeting later today. He is going to meet with the interim Iraqi president, that is going to be a one-on-one meeting. And it certainly is going to be -- try to symbolize the democracy moving forward in Iraq.
But another key agenda item officially on the agenda here is to talk about democratic reforms in the broader Middle East beyond Iraq. There is new initiative that the G-8 is unveiling here, and they are doing so along with some Arab leaders that they have invited, leaders from Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, all here town unveil that plan.
And it's important to note, though, that there are some Arab leaders that were invited that did not come, that declined the invitation, leaders from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. They said that they did not come.
Now the White House is playing that down, however some do concede that they are reluctant to adopt the reform that the White House and others are trying to push because they simply say that this perhaps would not be good for them in terms of their leadership.
However, what the key is to this plan, according to the White House, is that it states simply in there that they think that Arab leaders have simply used the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as an excuse for not reforming their own countries. And they say that this can no longer stand.
And one thing to note, also, is that they did have some concessions in here by noting that it's important to solve, if they can, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. That is something that is very, very important to Arab leaders, particularly because they have been reluctant to at least acknowledge some of these reforms. This is what the White House is hoping that will change -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Dana Bash, thanks -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a hostage ordeal ends, and a happy homecoming begins. The former captives tell their story. We've got it ahead on LIVE FROM...
Olympic athletes on notice for potential drug violations. Will it keep some of them out of Athens?
And necessity becomes the mother of invention with the "cub caboose." It's the cat's meow later on LIVE FROM...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: In the second week of the Scott Peterson double murder trial, jurors are hearing members of Laci Peterson's family describe how their suspicions grew. CNN's Ted Rowlands is at the courthouse in Redwood City.
What do you know, Ted?
TED ROWLANDS. CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this morning a cousin of Laci Peterson's testified that he was suspicious from the very beginning of Scott Peterson, and that the night that Laci Peterson was reported missing, he testified that Scott allegedly told him that he had been golfing all day, not fishing. This is the second person to surface that said that Scott had expressed that he had been golfing, not fishing. That, of course, contradicts what he told police.
Now so far there has been no real bombshell here. The prosecution in day six has been just laying out the groundwork, going through the time line and going through family testimony about the relationship between Scott and Laci. There are some critics that say that they are going too slowly and that they are not presenting enough evidence to this jury early on.
This morning, Laci Peterson's family on the way into court, however, did take the time to defend the prosecution's style and the case, saying that in the end the truth will come out in the next few months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they are doing just great. We've got a long way to go here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Now the Peterson family also stopped by and said that they believe the truth will come out as well. Their version of the truth, however, is much different than the Rochas'. They believe that as time goes by and the months go by that people will see that Scott Peterson is indeed innocent of the charges against him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE PETERSON, SCOTT PETERSON'S FATHER: Here everybody saw signs of some discrepancies in what was in the tabloids, in "The Globes" and "The National Enquirers" and people are becoming aware of it now, I do believe. And as this develops it will be more and more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: Right now on the stand a neighbor of the Petersons, Karen Servis (ph). This is the woman that found the Peterson dog wandering in the street the day that Laci was reported missing. She is important because the timing will be used by the prosecution of when this dog surfaced wandering the streets. They will use that to combat defense witnesses that say they saw Laci with the dog walking in the neighborhood -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Ted Rowlands, live from Redwood City, thanks. O'BRIEN: News across America now. A Ronald Reagan holiday in Massachusetts. Governor Mitt Romney visited the former president's remains in California on Tuesday, afterwards he shut down state agencies and offices in the commonwealth on Friday in Reagan's honor. Federal offices and the U.S. stock market will be closed as well that day.
A mother's pain. The mother of Robert Jacobs, the American shot dead in the Saudi Arabian capital Tuesday, says the full impact of the news hasn't hit her just yet. Oma Lee Jacobs of Illinois says it's a family tradition to travel the world. She and her son, she says, knew the risks. Nevertheless she admits the tragic news came as a complete shock to her.
PHILLIPS: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called it, in his words, a happy conclusion to a tragedy. Three Italians held hostage more than eight weeks in Iraq are back in Rome. Alessio Vinci tells us about the mixed emotions of that homecoming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCE, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The former hostages emerged from the plane with broad smiles. But as they reunited with relatives and friends, they seemed to take a second to realize their nightmare was really over. But then the reality of freedom after more than 50 days in captivity set in.
"I had to believe it." says this relative. "I could not think the guys would stay in Iraq and face an unjust end."
But it was a bittersweet homecoming, only three out of four men who went to Iraq to work as security guards returned home. Frabrizio Quattrocchi was executed after being captured.
ALESSANDRO CEVESE, FOREIGN MINISTRY OFFICIAL: The only thing we can't imagine is -- because he had in his pocket a sort of ID card which proved him to be more linked to the coalition forces, in other words, to be seen as a military guy.
VINCI: Cevese accompanied the former hostages back to Rome. He says they displayed bravery and courage, recounting an episode involving one of them, Salvatore Stefio, refusing to give his wedding band to one of his captors, who replied with a threat.
CEVESE: Come out, I will kill you outside. And Mr. Stefio replied, no, no, you are going to kill me in front of the others. You are going to prove to me that you want really to kill me.
VINCI: But before returning to their everyday lives Italian police whisked the three to a waiting helicopter for interrogations by magistrates investigating the abduction and the death of their partner.
(on camera): The hostages released and the recently adopted U.N. resolution on Iraq couldn't come at a better time for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, under pressure here for supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Just days before local and European elections, it is far more than what he could have hoped for.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Clearing the air over indecency on the air waves. The company that aired Howard Stern's show put his money where his mouth was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's nothing low about J-Lo when it comes to counting husbands. Number one was a waiter. Number two was a choreographer. Number three is none other than Marc Anthony.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Ah, how do we love J-Lo. Let me count the ways just ahead on LIVE FROM...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Well, we now know that J-Lo has tied the knot for a third time to singer Marc Anthony. One of Kyra's favorites, I might add. But apparently this time she has a bun in her rather curvaceous oven.
PHILLIPS: CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look at the how the husband count stacks up against another glamorous serial spouse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS (voice-over): There's nothing low about J-Lo when it comes to counting husbands. Number one was a waiter. Number two was a choreographer. Number three is none other than Marc Anthony.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She likes being married.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She seems to have a propensity for changing husbands.
MOOS: J-Lo and Marc Anthony once sang a duet called "Don't Love Me." He was dying and already British bookmakers are predicting the death of their marriage, giving odds of 3-1 that they will be over before the year is.
WARREN LUSH, LADBROKE'S SPOKESMAN: We're quite pessimistic about their chances. We think that J-Lo in many ways could be the new Liz Taylor.
MOOS: Liz Taylor with her eight marriages, two of them to Richard Burton, who actually played Marc Antony in "Cleopatra."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "CLEOPATRA")
RICHARD BURTON, ACTOR: I will what?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: The Roman Marc Antony knelt. The singer Marc Anthony stayed on his feet promoting his new CD. But when asked about his marriage on "The View"?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE VIEW")
MARC ANTHONY, SINGER: I have nothing to say about anything. My life is my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Though Matt Lauer noticed his ring...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TODAY SHOW")
MATT LAUER, HOST: What is this?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: ...on "The Today Show," if it hadn't been for "US Weekly"'s shots from a helicopter, we would have no proof the wedding happened. The magazine says Ben Affleck, who himself came close to being husband number three, gave two thumbs up when told of the marriage. Now there are reports that J-Lo is already pregnant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll find out in about nine months, won't we?
MOOS: On "Regis & Kelly"...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY")
CARROT TOP, COMEDIAN: Boy, this just means she can keep changing the name of the...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: ...comedian Carrot Top displayed a wedding photo pf J-Lo that was a low blow, deserving of a blow a la Marc Anthony.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: All right, as to the pregnancy thing, that is a rumor and we'll find out nine months or less. Who knows these days, right?
PHILLIPS: That's true. I guess the...
O'BRIEN: Yes, we've got to be good with all the facts, large and small.
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