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New Iraqi Regime Seeks, Gets Power Two Days Early; Missing Marine's Family Reacts
Aired June 28, 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: Fifteen months and a couple of weeks after the first bombs of the war in Iraq, yet another Baghdad bombshell; this time, it's political.
CNN's Brent Sadler has the particulars -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, it has been an extraordinary day today, because of the handover of sovereignty to the interim government here happened two days before we all expected it, and it was indeed over in a flash.
The ex-administrator, head of the former CPA, Coalition Provisional Authority, Paul Bremer, has signed the instrument of the transfer of power on a document. It was bound in blue, and he gave it to the interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi. It was also passed to the chief justice and eventually to the new president of Iraq, Ghazi al- Yawar.
And the president said this was -- quote -- "a happy day, an historic day, one that Iraqis have been waiting for, for a very long time."
And Iraqis themselves did not see any of that event on television. In fact, it was over before it had even been officially announced. Paul Bremer heading out of the country very soon after handing over those instruments of power to the interim government.
Then Iraqis actually saw their own interim government being sworn in, ministers one by one, the 26 portfolios, the 26 ministries that they'll be running. That was shown live on Iraqi television, and that was the first time really the people had an opportunity to start seeing what their ministers looked like and the way this government is going to shape up.
Now, Ayad Allawi, the interim prime minister, one of the first things he said was that Iraqis must work together, they must unite to drive out foreign militants who, he said, were wreaking havoc in this country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AYAD ALLAWI, IRAQI INTERIM PRIME MINISTER: I call on all the heroes of the past, all the regions in Iraq and the sons of all Iraq, and allow their efforts to eradicate the foreign terrorists that are killing our people and destroying our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SADLER: Let's not forget that this interim administration government only has, at best, seven months to live in terms of its authority, preparing the way for elections, taking a greater lead in security as best they can, given the resources that they have on the ground now.
The United States-led coalition in terms of its forces: 150,000 U.S. troops, maybe 10,000 plus other multinational forces here. Soon after that swearing-in, we saw U.S. troops moving strands of barbed wire and pulling down concrete blocks that had been barricading a road for many, many months around a public square, where the statute of Saddam Hussein once stood.
We spoke to a number of Iraqis today, and generally, Kyra, they seemed optimistic, but at the same time cautious about what really will come next in these early days after the handover.
PHILLIPS: Brent Sadler live from Baghdad. Thanks, Brent.
Well, not even President Bush knew the handover would take place early until late last night. But once it was done, he couldn't resist pulling in a partner.
You didn't need a Ph.D. in body language to know that it wasn't small talk between Mr. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a NATO summit in Turkey. Later, the leaders talked openly with cameras rolling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a day of great hope for Iraqis, and a day that terrorist enemies hoped never to see. The terrorists are doing all they can to stop the rise of a free Iraq, but their bombs and attacks have not prevented Iraqi sovereignty and they will not prevent Iraqi democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: President Bush also says that he supported Iraq's new leadership in its efforts to hunt down militants, especially those who kidnap and kill if they don't get their way. An American who may have fallen into their hands is Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun. Iraqi insurgents say that they have them, but the Pentagon isn't so sure. Hassoun was last seen nine days ago in the Fallujah area. Those who say they have him say they'll kill them unless all Iraqi prisoners are freed.
It's the same demand other militants are making. They're say they're holding a Pakistani man who works for a subcontractor of an American construction firm.
And then there is Matt Maupin, the Army private who was captured April 9 when his convoy was ambushed outside Baghdad. No word since.
Back in the states, Corporal Hassoun's family is desperately hoping for good news.
Let's go to CNN's Ed Lavandera. He's in West Jordan, Utah.
What do you know -- Ed?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Well, here in West Jordan, Utah, it's a suburb of Salt Lake City, and the home you see behind me is where some of Corporal Hassoun's relatives live here in this Salt Lake City suburb. And as you have mentioned, Kyra, just a little while ago, many people are still trying to piece together what has happened to Corporal Hassoun. We understand that he was last seen June 19 in Iraq and was reported missing June 20. And then he turns up on Al-Jazeera television with militants saying that he will be beheaded if Iraqi prisoners are not released.
So, the family here is praying, spending a lot of time praying, we understand. There is a police officer here from the local police department kind of standing guard, doing the security detail here for the family, trying to keep away all of the onlookers and the news media that have shown up here to speak with them, and to keep those people away as well.
So, the family still waiting. They are talking, though, as if they do believe that Corporal Hassoun has been taken hostage. He's a 24-year-old translator from Camp Pendleton with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. He had been working as a translator. He speaks Arabic. And the family -- last night a family spokesperson, a friend coming out to say that the family is praying and hopes that he will be released alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAREK NOSSEIR, FAMILY SPOKESMAN: In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate, we accept destiny with its good and its bad. We pray and we plead for his safe release, and we ask all people of the world to join us in our prayers. May God bless us all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Now on that tape, it is also heard one of the Islamic militants saying on that tape that Corporal Hassoun would be killed unless all of the Iraqi prisoners are released, and that he had been lured away from a U.S. camp base in Iraq. Exactly how all of this has unfolded isn't exactly clear. So, those are some of the details we're trying to sift through at this point.
But meanwhile, the family here -- and we also do understand that Corporal Hassoun has family in Lebanon as well -- and all of these family members wait to see what will happen next -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We will definitely keep investigating. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.
The Supreme Court has a message for the Bush administration about the way it's conducting part of the war on terror.
CNN's Sean Callebs in our Washington bureau with more details.
Hi -- Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
The U.S. Supreme Court says the United States can hold so-called enemy combatants indefinitely without filing charges, but in its ruling the court issued an important caveat, saying the suspects must be able to use the U.S. court system to challenge their detention.
The head of the ACLU says the rulings are historic and a -- quote -- "strong repudiation of President Bush's policies on the war on terror."
One case involves Yasser Hamdi. Hamdi is a U.S. citizen captured on the battlefield outside of the U.S. in Afghanistan. He hasn't been charged and has been held more than two years in a Navy brig in Charlotte, North Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM GOLDSTEIN, SUPREME COURT LEGAL EXPERT: The Supreme Court today resoundedly rejected by pretty large margins the president's argument that he has the control over what will happen to people who are detained in the war on terrorism. The court said not so fast. This is our judge to decide whether or not these people really can be held.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: In a separate ruling that could affect the 600 or so foreign nationals being held at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the court again said Congress gave President Bush the authority to hold enemy combatants indefinitely; however, they, too, must be able to challenge their detention and the treatment using the U.S. courts. The government had contended that the detainees were outside the federal court's jurisdiction.
In writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens says: "By the express term of its agreements with Cuba, the U.S. exercises complete jurisdiction and control over the Guantanamo base and may continue to do so permanently if it chooses."
Now, in a third case involving the alleged dirty bomber, Jose Padilla, the high court sidestepped the issue. The justices ruling Padilla's lawyer improperly filed the case, and now it must be re- filed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONNA NEWMAN, ATTORNEY FOR JOSE PADILLA: But most significantly, what they did find emphatically was that he must, must receive due process, he must have a hearing. That the government assertion was resoundly rejected, that they simply can tell the court their side of the story. The citizens have a right to give their side of the story, and they will have their day in court. So, we should all rejoice in the Supreme Court's decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: Padilla was born in Brooklyn and has yet to be charged with a crime and has been held more than two years in the Navy brig Charlotte as well -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, live from Washington, Sean Callebs. Thank you.
Too hot to handle, western wildfires prompt an SOS for some elite firefighters to battle the blaze. Details ahead.
And he once said, "These greens are so fast they must bikini-wax them." Well, that humor got him banned from the Masters, but it could have you laughing all the way to your next tee time. This golf pro shares his expertise on the back nine on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A NATO alliance unites to support Iraq's new sovereignty. With more from the summit, CNN's Frank Buckley live from Istanbul, Turkey -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra.
Really, the news here at the NATO summit that Iraqi forces would receive training from NATO forces was really overshadowed by the early handover to the interim government in Iraq, especially given the way President Bush celebrated that handover publicly.
It happened during the morning meeting of the NATO session, taking place here in Istanbul. President Bush was handed a note written by Condoleezza Rice, his national security adviser. She told the president in the note of the exact moment of the handover, 10:26 Iraq time. That happened to be almost exactly the time this NATO session was getting under way.
The president looked at his watch, smiled, and whispered to Prime Minister Tony Blair. And we learned later that he whispered that the handover had just happened. They shook hands as another speaker was making a speech.
But the president later acknowledged in a news conference with Prime Minister Blair that there will be very difficult days ahead and there is a likelihood of additional violence, especially from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: They can't whip our militaries. What they can do is get on your TV screens and stand in front of your TV cameras and cut somebody's head off in order to try to cause us to cringe and retreat. That's their strongest weapon. And we just -- as Prime Minister Allawi has said publicly many times, he will not cower in the face of such brutal murder, and neither will we. Neither will we.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: Heads of state gathered here for the NATO summit generally supported the early handover to the Iraqi interim government. That includes those European leaders who opposed the war, like German's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Jacques Chirac, the president of France. But they also remain true to their original positions with regard to NATO troops, both of them doing their best to block any additional deployment of NATO troops to Iraq. Both countries expected, however, Kyra, to become involved in helping to train Iraqi security forces in the days ahead -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: CNN's Frank Buckley live from Istanbul. Thanks, Frank.
Other news across America now.
Thirteen-year-old Mattie Stepanek touched a lot of people in his brief life. Former President Jimmy Carter, Oprah Winfrey, firefighters, bikers, they were among those remembering the child poet in Maryland today. Stepanek died last week from complications of muscular dystrophy.
Calling in the top guns. A rapidly growing wildfire in the Tonto National Forest has Arizona officials a bit worried. The willow fire's rapid growth over the mountainous terrain has prompted the activation of an elite firefighting team. Sparked by lightning late last week, the blaze has burned at least 12,000 acres.
And now some pleasant news for drivers: gas prices dropping nearly seven cents a gallon in the past two weeks. That puts the average price of self-serve regular at $1.94 a gallon.
(BUSINESS NEWS UPDATE)
PHILLIPS: Well, he boasts a no-wins license plate. CBS golf analyst Gary McCord believes he can bring your average golf game up to par. By the way, he can't boast that anymore. He does have one win. We're going to talk to him about "Golf for Dummies" when LIVE FROM returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY MCCORD, GOLF'S JESTER IN RESIDENCE: I like to blame my bad shots on a magnetic force field from an alien spacecraft. Later you can learn 10 things to say after hitting a bad shot to make sure the blame always falls squarely off your shoulders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That Gary McCord is too funny for golf. Just ask the folks at the Masters, where McCord is still announcer non-gratis for his repeated fits of irreverence. Let's see, what was that quote? Oh, yes. It was the Masters, 1994, "These greens are so fast, they must bikini-wax them."
Well, that career, blip aside, golf's irrepressible jester is still in the booth and still on tour, and now he's out with a DVD, "Golf for Dummies."
Here he is now, Gary McCord, live from New York.
Now, Gary, you know you have to change that. You have to say the greens are lasered, not bikini-waxed.
MCCORD: Yes, I'm not up to date on that. I kind of got rid of that whole genre of stuff after I got kicked out of Augusta. So, I'll go to something else.
PHILLIPS: Minor (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MCCORD: Yes, just a minor one.
PHILLIPS: All right, let's get back to that DVD. OK, so you blame bad shots on aliens. What else can we blame bad shots on?
MCCORD: Well, Kyra, there are all sorts of things you can blame it on. I like solar flares. Certain times of the years, solar flares turn all sorts of x-rays towards you, and x-rays and my golf ball don't get along. But you can be very, very clever. I've spent a lot of nights after playing at a bet at a bar thinking about something stuff that. So, never blame it on yourself; blame it on something that's basically out of the cosmos.
PHILLIPS: And don't blame it on too much alcohol.
MCCORD: Oh, no, never on that.
PHILLIPS: OK, of course. All right, you give other pieces of advice throughout this DVD. One very special piece of advice about playing with our spouses. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCORD: Giving golf lessons to your spouse cannot help your marriage. Don't do it. Doing so can only lead to disaster and sometimes a hefty divorce settlement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: You know, you hit on something here that I identify with, because I told my husband I wouldn't marry him until he learned how to play golf. Now, of course, he's beating me, and every now and then he likes to give me a little advice. And I just give that look, like, you know what? Don't even go there.
MCCORD: No, you just -- that's the worst. And that was my wife on that video. And you just don't. I mean, you don't do it. There are certain things in life that you scratch off and you go, OK, I'm not going to do that. That's one of them. I just have one of my buddies give her a lesson or something and stay away, because they usually after two or three minutes, she ends up crying and I end up paying for it. And that's -- we've been that way throughout our 15 years of marriage. I don't do it.
PHILLIPS: Well, speaking about paying for it, OK, 422 tournaments in 23 years, you couldn't win jack, but then all of a sudden, the Toshiba senior classic. Let's take a little listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, I don't know who was more excited -- all your fans that have been watching you for so many years or you. How did it finally happen?
MCCORD: Well, right there is Johnny Jacobs (ph). He's one of my best buddies. And we've played golf together for 35 years. And he had just chipped in from about 100 feet, and this was an eagle to tie him. And there was no way I was going to make the putt, and I made it. It was like my first fourth tournament I had played in. And Johnny and I went ring around the rosy for about five holes, just going after each other. We really had a good time at Newport Beach, and that kind of got me started. I won that tournament and then I won one at the end of the year, the Tour championship. So, I got off the no-wins license plate real quick, but I still have that...
PHILLIPS: Well, I would hope so.
MCCORD: ... license plate just to remember this.
PHILLIPS: Yes, let me know if you sell it on eBay. I know some bidders that would be out there.
MCCORD: That might be a good idea.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you can make some money, pal. Second DVD coming out.
MCCORD: Sure.
PHILLIPS: All right, "Tin Cup," this was a movie that, of course, so many golfers loved. I don't think a lot of people knew that this one scene, where Kevin Costner is hitting the ball over and over and over again into the drink was actually a real life story with regard to your life?
MCCORD: Yes, there was a couple -- there was another scene of knocking a penguin off the perch. And I did that, too. I knocked a penguin off its perch. And somehow Ron Shelton found out about it. That's impossible. How did you get that?
PHILLIPS: Are you impressed?
MCCORD: That is unbelievable. I made 15 here, ladies and gentlemen, on this hole.
PHILLIPS: Nice hair, by the way.
MCCORD: I made about a 45-footer for 15. I had one ball left after I threw that one in the water. I can't believe you guys found that.
PHILLIPS: That was back when you were wearing that toupee. Are you impressed?
MCCORD: Yes, that -- I was impressed that my hair was dark and I didn't have a moustache then. But that was dark, as you can see.
PHILLIPS: Well, aside from...
MCCORD: It's amazing the color what you can get.
PHILLIPS: Yes, we had to pay a hefty price for that video, by the way. We're going to bill you later.
MCCORD: Yes, that was very interesting. I made 15 on the 16th hole. And my caddie came up to me. I was hitting a 4 iron. I hit seven 4 irons -- no six 4 irons in the water, and he came up with one ball and a 3 iron. And I got nose to nose, and I said, 'What's this for?' And he said, "You've got one ball left. You'd better get this over." And I did. I made about a 45 footer for 15, and, yes, then Ron Shelton saw that, so he put it in a movie.
PHILLIPS: All right...
MCCORD: Along with the pelican deal.
PHILLIPS: Well, Gary, unfortunately we have to leave it there, along with all of the humor. It's a fun DVD. It's a blast. One thing you can leave us with, just one thing we're going to learn from this book, seriously now, something serious.
MCCORD: Have fun with the game.
PHILLIPS: Amen. Get frustrated and have fun. Put those two together. Gary McCord, thank you so much.
MCCORD: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Well, that wraps up this Monday edition of LIVE FROM.
Judy Woodruff here with a preview of "INSIDE POLITICS."
Hi -- Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra. Thanks very much.
A question: Will today's surprise handover of power reshape the race for the White House? We'll take a look at the possible political fallout and gauge American reaction to the new sovereignty.
Plus, a big weekend at the box office for "Fahrenheit 9/11." But does it translate into good news for Democrats? We'll take a look.
"INSIDE POLITICS" starts in just a moment.
PHILLIPS: Checking headlines at this hour.
Iraqis in control, at least politically. The transfer of power happened two days early in Baghdad today. It's a move designed partly to outmaneuver any insurgent threat that could have derailed the process. It surprised Iraqi citizens, but many people are saying they hope their new government is able to do something coalition forces haven't -- namely, establish security.
A missing Marine. The father of a U.S. Marine reportedly held hostage in Iraq is pleading for his son's life. Al-Jazeera television is broadcasting images of a bound and blindfolded man identified as Corporal Wassef Hassoun. But the U.S. military hasn't confirmed that he was kidnapped.
Challenging the incarcerations, two big rulings by the Supreme Court today are delivering setbacks for the president's terrorism detention policies. They affect the cases of Yasser Hamdi and Jose Padilla and hundreds of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The court ruled that all of them have the right to have their cases heard in U.S. courts.
Now time for Judy Woodruff's "INSIDE POLITICS."
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Aired June 28, 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: Fifteen months and a couple of weeks after the first bombs of the war in Iraq, yet another Baghdad bombshell; this time, it's political.
CNN's Brent Sadler has the particulars -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, it has been an extraordinary day today, because of the handover of sovereignty to the interim government here happened two days before we all expected it, and it was indeed over in a flash.
The ex-administrator, head of the former CPA, Coalition Provisional Authority, Paul Bremer, has signed the instrument of the transfer of power on a document. It was bound in blue, and he gave it to the interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi. It was also passed to the chief justice and eventually to the new president of Iraq, Ghazi al- Yawar.
And the president said this was -- quote -- "a happy day, an historic day, one that Iraqis have been waiting for, for a very long time."
And Iraqis themselves did not see any of that event on television. In fact, it was over before it had even been officially announced. Paul Bremer heading out of the country very soon after handing over those instruments of power to the interim government.
Then Iraqis actually saw their own interim government being sworn in, ministers one by one, the 26 portfolios, the 26 ministries that they'll be running. That was shown live on Iraqi television, and that was the first time really the people had an opportunity to start seeing what their ministers looked like and the way this government is going to shape up.
Now, Ayad Allawi, the interim prime minister, one of the first things he said was that Iraqis must work together, they must unite to drive out foreign militants who, he said, were wreaking havoc in this country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AYAD ALLAWI, IRAQI INTERIM PRIME MINISTER: I call on all the heroes of the past, all the regions in Iraq and the sons of all Iraq, and allow their efforts to eradicate the foreign terrorists that are killing our people and destroying our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SADLER: Let's not forget that this interim administration government only has, at best, seven months to live in terms of its authority, preparing the way for elections, taking a greater lead in security as best they can, given the resources that they have on the ground now.
The United States-led coalition in terms of its forces: 150,000 U.S. troops, maybe 10,000 plus other multinational forces here. Soon after that swearing-in, we saw U.S. troops moving strands of barbed wire and pulling down concrete blocks that had been barricading a road for many, many months around a public square, where the statute of Saddam Hussein once stood.
We spoke to a number of Iraqis today, and generally, Kyra, they seemed optimistic, but at the same time cautious about what really will come next in these early days after the handover.
PHILLIPS: Brent Sadler live from Baghdad. Thanks, Brent.
Well, not even President Bush knew the handover would take place early until late last night. But once it was done, he couldn't resist pulling in a partner.
You didn't need a Ph.D. in body language to know that it wasn't small talk between Mr. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a NATO summit in Turkey. Later, the leaders talked openly with cameras rolling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a day of great hope for Iraqis, and a day that terrorist enemies hoped never to see. The terrorists are doing all they can to stop the rise of a free Iraq, but their bombs and attacks have not prevented Iraqi sovereignty and they will not prevent Iraqi democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: President Bush also says that he supported Iraq's new leadership in its efforts to hunt down militants, especially those who kidnap and kill if they don't get their way. An American who may have fallen into their hands is Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun. Iraqi insurgents say that they have them, but the Pentagon isn't so sure. Hassoun was last seen nine days ago in the Fallujah area. Those who say they have him say they'll kill them unless all Iraqi prisoners are freed.
It's the same demand other militants are making. They're say they're holding a Pakistani man who works for a subcontractor of an American construction firm.
And then there is Matt Maupin, the Army private who was captured April 9 when his convoy was ambushed outside Baghdad. No word since.
Back in the states, Corporal Hassoun's family is desperately hoping for good news.
Let's go to CNN's Ed Lavandera. He's in West Jordan, Utah.
What do you know -- Ed?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Well, here in West Jordan, Utah, it's a suburb of Salt Lake City, and the home you see behind me is where some of Corporal Hassoun's relatives live here in this Salt Lake City suburb. And as you have mentioned, Kyra, just a little while ago, many people are still trying to piece together what has happened to Corporal Hassoun. We understand that he was last seen June 19 in Iraq and was reported missing June 20. And then he turns up on Al-Jazeera television with militants saying that he will be beheaded if Iraqi prisoners are not released.
So, the family here is praying, spending a lot of time praying, we understand. There is a police officer here from the local police department kind of standing guard, doing the security detail here for the family, trying to keep away all of the onlookers and the news media that have shown up here to speak with them, and to keep those people away as well.
So, the family still waiting. They are talking, though, as if they do believe that Corporal Hassoun has been taken hostage. He's a 24-year-old translator from Camp Pendleton with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. He had been working as a translator. He speaks Arabic. And the family -- last night a family spokesperson, a friend coming out to say that the family is praying and hopes that he will be released alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAREK NOSSEIR, FAMILY SPOKESMAN: In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate, we accept destiny with its good and its bad. We pray and we plead for his safe release, and we ask all people of the world to join us in our prayers. May God bless us all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Now on that tape, it is also heard one of the Islamic militants saying on that tape that Corporal Hassoun would be killed unless all of the Iraqi prisoners are released, and that he had been lured away from a U.S. camp base in Iraq. Exactly how all of this has unfolded isn't exactly clear. So, those are some of the details we're trying to sift through at this point.
But meanwhile, the family here -- and we also do understand that Corporal Hassoun has family in Lebanon as well -- and all of these family members wait to see what will happen next -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We will definitely keep investigating. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.
The Supreme Court has a message for the Bush administration about the way it's conducting part of the war on terror.
CNN's Sean Callebs in our Washington bureau with more details.
Hi -- Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
The U.S. Supreme Court says the United States can hold so-called enemy combatants indefinitely without filing charges, but in its ruling the court issued an important caveat, saying the suspects must be able to use the U.S. court system to challenge their detention.
The head of the ACLU says the rulings are historic and a -- quote -- "strong repudiation of President Bush's policies on the war on terror."
One case involves Yasser Hamdi. Hamdi is a U.S. citizen captured on the battlefield outside of the U.S. in Afghanistan. He hasn't been charged and has been held more than two years in a Navy brig in Charlotte, North Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM GOLDSTEIN, SUPREME COURT LEGAL EXPERT: The Supreme Court today resoundedly rejected by pretty large margins the president's argument that he has the control over what will happen to people who are detained in the war on terrorism. The court said not so fast. This is our judge to decide whether or not these people really can be held.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: In a separate ruling that could affect the 600 or so foreign nationals being held at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the court again said Congress gave President Bush the authority to hold enemy combatants indefinitely; however, they, too, must be able to challenge their detention and the treatment using the U.S. courts. The government had contended that the detainees were outside the federal court's jurisdiction.
In writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens says: "By the express term of its agreements with Cuba, the U.S. exercises complete jurisdiction and control over the Guantanamo base and may continue to do so permanently if it chooses."
Now, in a third case involving the alleged dirty bomber, Jose Padilla, the high court sidestepped the issue. The justices ruling Padilla's lawyer improperly filed the case, and now it must be re- filed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONNA NEWMAN, ATTORNEY FOR JOSE PADILLA: But most significantly, what they did find emphatically was that he must, must receive due process, he must have a hearing. That the government assertion was resoundly rejected, that they simply can tell the court their side of the story. The citizens have a right to give their side of the story, and they will have their day in court. So, we should all rejoice in the Supreme Court's decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: Padilla was born in Brooklyn and has yet to be charged with a crime and has been held more than two years in the Navy brig Charlotte as well -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, live from Washington, Sean Callebs. Thank you.
Too hot to handle, western wildfires prompt an SOS for some elite firefighters to battle the blaze. Details ahead.
And he once said, "These greens are so fast they must bikini-wax them." Well, that humor got him banned from the Masters, but it could have you laughing all the way to your next tee time. This golf pro shares his expertise on the back nine on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A NATO alliance unites to support Iraq's new sovereignty. With more from the summit, CNN's Frank Buckley live from Istanbul, Turkey -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra.
Really, the news here at the NATO summit that Iraqi forces would receive training from NATO forces was really overshadowed by the early handover to the interim government in Iraq, especially given the way President Bush celebrated that handover publicly.
It happened during the morning meeting of the NATO session, taking place here in Istanbul. President Bush was handed a note written by Condoleezza Rice, his national security adviser. She told the president in the note of the exact moment of the handover, 10:26 Iraq time. That happened to be almost exactly the time this NATO session was getting under way.
The president looked at his watch, smiled, and whispered to Prime Minister Tony Blair. And we learned later that he whispered that the handover had just happened. They shook hands as another speaker was making a speech.
But the president later acknowledged in a news conference with Prime Minister Blair that there will be very difficult days ahead and there is a likelihood of additional violence, especially from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
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BUSH: They can't whip our militaries. What they can do is get on your TV screens and stand in front of your TV cameras and cut somebody's head off in order to try to cause us to cringe and retreat. That's their strongest weapon. And we just -- as Prime Minister Allawi has said publicly many times, he will not cower in the face of such brutal murder, and neither will we. Neither will we.
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BUCKLEY: Heads of state gathered here for the NATO summit generally supported the early handover to the Iraqi interim government. That includes those European leaders who opposed the war, like German's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Jacques Chirac, the president of France. But they also remain true to their original positions with regard to NATO troops, both of them doing their best to block any additional deployment of NATO troops to Iraq. Both countries expected, however, Kyra, to become involved in helping to train Iraqi security forces in the days ahead -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: CNN's Frank Buckley live from Istanbul. Thanks, Frank.
Other news across America now.
Thirteen-year-old Mattie Stepanek touched a lot of people in his brief life. Former President Jimmy Carter, Oprah Winfrey, firefighters, bikers, they were among those remembering the child poet in Maryland today. Stepanek died last week from complications of muscular dystrophy.
Calling in the top guns. A rapidly growing wildfire in the Tonto National Forest has Arizona officials a bit worried. The willow fire's rapid growth over the mountainous terrain has prompted the activation of an elite firefighting team. Sparked by lightning late last week, the blaze has burned at least 12,000 acres.
And now some pleasant news for drivers: gas prices dropping nearly seven cents a gallon in the past two weeks. That puts the average price of self-serve regular at $1.94 a gallon.
(BUSINESS NEWS UPDATE)
PHILLIPS: Well, he boasts a no-wins license plate. CBS golf analyst Gary McCord believes he can bring your average golf game up to par. By the way, he can't boast that anymore. He does have one win. We're going to talk to him about "Golf for Dummies" when LIVE FROM returns.
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GARY MCCORD, GOLF'S JESTER IN RESIDENCE: I like to blame my bad shots on a magnetic force field from an alien spacecraft. Later you can learn 10 things to say after hitting a bad shot to make sure the blame always falls squarely off your shoulders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That Gary McCord is too funny for golf. Just ask the folks at the Masters, where McCord is still announcer non-gratis for his repeated fits of irreverence. Let's see, what was that quote? Oh, yes. It was the Masters, 1994, "These greens are so fast, they must bikini-wax them."
Well, that career, blip aside, golf's irrepressible jester is still in the booth and still on tour, and now he's out with a DVD, "Golf for Dummies."
Here he is now, Gary McCord, live from New York.
Now, Gary, you know you have to change that. You have to say the greens are lasered, not bikini-waxed.
MCCORD: Yes, I'm not up to date on that. I kind of got rid of that whole genre of stuff after I got kicked out of Augusta. So, I'll go to something else.
PHILLIPS: Minor (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MCCORD: Yes, just a minor one.
PHILLIPS: All right, let's get back to that DVD. OK, so you blame bad shots on aliens. What else can we blame bad shots on?
MCCORD: Well, Kyra, there are all sorts of things you can blame it on. I like solar flares. Certain times of the years, solar flares turn all sorts of x-rays towards you, and x-rays and my golf ball don't get along. But you can be very, very clever. I've spent a lot of nights after playing at a bet at a bar thinking about something stuff that. So, never blame it on yourself; blame it on something that's basically out of the cosmos.
PHILLIPS: And don't blame it on too much alcohol.
MCCORD: Oh, no, never on that.
PHILLIPS: OK, of course. All right, you give other pieces of advice throughout this DVD. One very special piece of advice about playing with our spouses. Let's take a listen.
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MCCORD: Giving golf lessons to your spouse cannot help your marriage. Don't do it. Doing so can only lead to disaster and sometimes a hefty divorce settlement.
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PHILLIPS: You know, you hit on something here that I identify with, because I told my husband I wouldn't marry him until he learned how to play golf. Now, of course, he's beating me, and every now and then he likes to give me a little advice. And I just give that look, like, you know what? Don't even go there.
MCCORD: No, you just -- that's the worst. And that was my wife on that video. And you just don't. I mean, you don't do it. There are certain things in life that you scratch off and you go, OK, I'm not going to do that. That's one of them. I just have one of my buddies give her a lesson or something and stay away, because they usually after two or three minutes, she ends up crying and I end up paying for it. And that's -- we've been that way throughout our 15 years of marriage. I don't do it.
PHILLIPS: Well, speaking about paying for it, OK, 422 tournaments in 23 years, you couldn't win jack, but then all of a sudden, the Toshiba senior classic. Let's take a little listen here.
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(APPLAUSE)
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PHILLIPS: Now, I don't know who was more excited -- all your fans that have been watching you for so many years or you. How did it finally happen?
MCCORD: Well, right there is Johnny Jacobs (ph). He's one of my best buddies. And we've played golf together for 35 years. And he had just chipped in from about 100 feet, and this was an eagle to tie him. And there was no way I was going to make the putt, and I made it. It was like my first fourth tournament I had played in. And Johnny and I went ring around the rosy for about five holes, just going after each other. We really had a good time at Newport Beach, and that kind of got me started. I won that tournament and then I won one at the end of the year, the Tour championship. So, I got off the no-wins license plate real quick, but I still have that...
PHILLIPS: Well, I would hope so.
MCCORD: ... license plate just to remember this.
PHILLIPS: Yes, let me know if you sell it on eBay. I know some bidders that would be out there.
MCCORD: That might be a good idea.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you can make some money, pal. Second DVD coming out.
MCCORD: Sure.
PHILLIPS: All right, "Tin Cup," this was a movie that, of course, so many golfers loved. I don't think a lot of people knew that this one scene, where Kevin Costner is hitting the ball over and over and over again into the drink was actually a real life story with regard to your life?
MCCORD: Yes, there was a couple -- there was another scene of knocking a penguin off the perch. And I did that, too. I knocked a penguin off its perch. And somehow Ron Shelton found out about it. That's impossible. How did you get that?
PHILLIPS: Are you impressed?
MCCORD: That is unbelievable. I made 15 here, ladies and gentlemen, on this hole.
PHILLIPS: Nice hair, by the way.
MCCORD: I made about a 45-footer for 15. I had one ball left after I threw that one in the water. I can't believe you guys found that.
PHILLIPS: That was back when you were wearing that toupee. Are you impressed?
MCCORD: Yes, that -- I was impressed that my hair was dark and I didn't have a moustache then. But that was dark, as you can see.
PHILLIPS: Well, aside from...
MCCORD: It's amazing the color what you can get.
PHILLIPS: Yes, we had to pay a hefty price for that video, by the way. We're going to bill you later.
MCCORD: Yes, that was very interesting. I made 15 on the 16th hole. And my caddie came up to me. I was hitting a 4 iron. I hit seven 4 irons -- no six 4 irons in the water, and he came up with one ball and a 3 iron. And I got nose to nose, and I said, 'What's this for?' And he said, "You've got one ball left. You'd better get this over." And I did. I made about a 45 footer for 15, and, yes, then Ron Shelton saw that, so he put it in a movie.
PHILLIPS: All right...
MCCORD: Along with the pelican deal.
PHILLIPS: Well, Gary, unfortunately we have to leave it there, along with all of the humor. It's a fun DVD. It's a blast. One thing you can leave us with, just one thing we're going to learn from this book, seriously now, something serious.
MCCORD: Have fun with the game.
PHILLIPS: Amen. Get frustrated and have fun. Put those two together. Gary McCord, thank you so much.
MCCORD: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Well, that wraps up this Monday edition of LIVE FROM.
Judy Woodruff here with a preview of "INSIDE POLITICS."
Hi -- Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra. Thanks very much.
A question: Will today's surprise handover of power reshape the race for the White House? We'll take a look at the possible political fallout and gauge American reaction to the new sovereignty.
Plus, a big weekend at the box office for "Fahrenheit 9/11." But does it translate into good news for Democrats? We'll take a look.
"INSIDE POLITICS" starts in just a moment.
PHILLIPS: Checking headlines at this hour.
Iraqis in control, at least politically. The transfer of power happened two days early in Baghdad today. It's a move designed partly to outmaneuver any insurgent threat that could have derailed the process. It surprised Iraqi citizens, but many people are saying they hope their new government is able to do something coalition forces haven't -- namely, establish security.
A missing Marine. The father of a U.S. Marine reportedly held hostage in Iraq is pleading for his son's life. Al-Jazeera television is broadcasting images of a bound and blindfolded man identified as Corporal Wassef Hassoun. But the U.S. military hasn't confirmed that he was kidnapped.
Challenging the incarcerations, two big rulings by the Supreme Court today are delivering setbacks for the president's terrorism detention policies. They affect the cases of Yasser Hamdi and Jose Padilla and hundreds of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The court ruled that all of them have the right to have their cases heard in U.S. courts.
Now time for Judy Woodruff's "INSIDE POLITICS."
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