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Iraq Takes Over Custody of Saddam; Ralph Nader Worries Democrats Again

Aired June 30, 2004 - 14:30   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to the CNN Center in Atlanta. This is LIVE FROM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips.

Here's what is all new this half hour.

He's setting box office records and setting off his critics, including the authors of a book called "Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man."

WHITFIELD: And who is getting his own dose of reality? Al Sharpton going on the air with some reality TV.

But first, the top stories.

PHILLIPS: The Federal Reserve is raised benchmark federal funds rate one quarter percent to 1.25 percent. The Fed believes ultra-low rates are no longer needed now that the economy and job climate are improving. Analysts say you can look for credit card rates to go up first.

The interim Iraqi government now has legal custody of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The coalition military is retaining physical custody until the new government security apparatus is ready.

Saddam makes his first court appearance early tomorrow morning Eastern time. CNN will have live coverage from Iraq.

Sources close to Saudi intelligence tell CNN a shootout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has left one police officer and several militants dead. Saudi officials believe the militants are linked to al Qaeda. That gunfight reportedly happened in a residential neighborhood.

WHITFIELD: Saddam Hussein isn't changing prison cells yet, but his legal custody has changed. The new Iraqi government assumed official authority of the ousted dictator today.

CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf picks up the story from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): This is the only image Iraqis have seen of Saddam Hussein since he was captured almost eight months ago. The ex-president who turned 67 in detention this year has been transferred to Iraqi legal custody. For security reasons, he will physically remain under custody of American forces.

Soon, the moment Iraqis have been waiting for, some for decades. On Thursday, he's expected to be charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.

(on camera): Coalition sources say despite all the interrogations about weapons of mass destruction and anti-coalition attacks, the normally talkative Saddam Hussein hasn't revealed much at all in detention. Some believe he's saving all his speeches for the trial.

(voice-over): Some of Saddam's closest associates will also appear to hear charges against them. They include Ali Hassan al- Majid, also known as Chemical Ali, facing trial for chemical weapons attacks against the Kurds; Taha Yassin Ramadan, the former Iraqi vice president with Saddam at the beginnings of the Baath Party; and Tariq Aziz, the former deputy prime minister who for years relayed Saddam's message to the West.

Although the charges will be read against them Thursday, the trial will likely be months away.

Allawi has told Iraqis they have to be patient. With the new interim government signaling it will bring back the death penalty, the punishment they say will fit the crimes for which he may be convicted.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Move the wall -- Israel's top court rules on part of the controversial security barrier.

WHITFIELD: And the dough is rolling in for "Fahrenheit 9/11," but so is the criticism. The author of "Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man" -- that's a book -- well, he joins us, the author does.

PHILLIPS: And who would be the best running mate for John Kerry? America's top picks when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News around the world now.

In London, transportation chaos all because of a 24-hour subway strike over worker pay and job security. Millions of commuters were forced into overcrowded buses or tangled highways. Sidewalks were packed and some road bikes to work.

In Israel, a landmark barrier ruling. Israel's supreme court is ordering the government to reroute a 25-mile section of the West Bank wall. The panel says that stretch violates the rights of thousands of Palestinians. The Israeli government says it will comply with the ruling.

And in the Philippines, a brand new term begins for a nation on high alert. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been sworn in for a second term. Her challenger in the May 10th election has refused to concede defeat. In her inaugural address, the president urged Filipinos to set aside their differences and promised to fight poverty and corruption.

WHITFIELD: Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's biggest decision is still shrouded in secrecy, but others are making their views known with results in the CNN/USA Today Gallup poll.

And the winner is: North Carolina Democratic Senator John Edwards as the running mate. He gets the most enthusiastic response from 72 percent of respondents. Second, Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt with 64 percent. Retired General Wesley Clark received 59 percent support, and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh gets 58 percent, and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, 54 percent.

He may get smaller numbers in the polls, but independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader still has a major role to play in affecting November's outcome.

Wolf Blitzer explains now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ralph Nader was campaigning in Washington, D.C. for the Muslim vote.

RALPH NADER, INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's time for the American people to realize that Muslim Americans are only the latest religious and ethnic group to feel the brunt of political hysteria and abuse.

BLITZER: The independent candidate is working the crowds hard. And his poll numbers while tiny compared to President Bush and Senator Kerry are still significant given the Electoral College winner-take- all system in each state.

Check out the latest Quinnipiac University poll in the key battleground state of Florida. In a three-way contest, Bush and Kerry have 43 percent each to Nader's 5 percent. In a two-way contest, Kerry comes in with 46 percent to Bush's 44, a statistical dead heat.

Could Florida be deja vu all over again?

In 2000, Bush carried the state by 537 votes and won the election. Nader received 97,488 votes in Florida, and most observers agree a majority of them would have been more likely to vote for Al Gore than George Bush.

HOWARD DEAN, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Ralph Nader's candidacy is the single biggest danger to the Kerry candidacy. He only has to take 3 percent of the vote in two or three states to send George Bush back to the White House. BLITZER: The Nader effect could indeed be decisive in several other battleground states as well.

In Michigan, a recent poll had Kerry with 45 percent, Bush with 43 percent, and Nader at 3 percent.

In New Hampshire, another poll has Bush and Kerry at 46 percent each with Nader coming in with 2 percent.

Similar numbers in Wisconsin: Bush 44, Kerry 42, Nader with 4 percent.

The Nader factor could be even more important in Pennsylvania. A recent poll had Kerry at 44, Bush 43, Nader 7 percent -- each within the margin of error.

Since announcing his candidacy, Nader has strongly denied he's a spoiler for the Democrats. He says he's attracting Republican votes as well.

NADER: This assumption that my votes only come from the Democrats is simply not true. Even in the year 2000 it wasn't true. A majority of the votes for me in the year 2000 were either people who wouldn't have voted otherwise or who would have voted for Bush.

BLITZER: But Democrats clearly don't buy that; they are worried.

Wolf Blitzer, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And we'll have much more on the presidential election and the candidates on "INSIDE POLITICS" at 3:30 Eastern today right here on CNN.

PHILLIPS: "Extreme Makeover," "Nip and Tuck," "Home Edition." Now how about "Extreme Reverend Al Sharpton Makeover"? OK, it's not what you think. But he is giving people makeovers. Career makeovers, that is, on a new reality TV show.

And don't take his Oscars. Debt collectors may be banking on Marlon Brando's door. There's no way he's letting them take his golden statues. Entertainment story straight ahead on LIVE FROM...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hero or hell-raiser or both? People are saying all kind of things about filmmaker Michael Moore these days. His new documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" is burning up the box office. But he's also catching heat for his methods.

Critics accuse him of playing fast and loose with the facts. Moore calls them "whacko attackos." Well the whacko attackos are kicking things up a notch in their new book "Michael Moore is a Big, Fat Stupid White Man." David T. Hardy and Jason Clarke accuse the filmmaker of using tricks and publicity ploys to manipulate the truth. Now in fairness, we asked Michael Moore about the book. His P.R. rep e-mailed us this response saying the authors have, quote, "a deep hatred for Moore and strong ties to the Republican spin machine."

One of those authors, David Hardy, is with us now from Pennsylvania. Is that true, David? Do you hate Moore? And are you part of the Republican spin machine?

DAVID HARDY, "MICHAEL MOORE IS A BIG, FAT STUPID WHITE MAN": Actually I rather enjoy Moore. It isn't often you meet a worthy adversary. And as far as being part of the Republican spin machine, I'd have to become a Republican first, I think. I'm actually registered as a Libertarian.

PHILLIPS: OK, now that we've cleared that up, let's get down to business here and talk about this book.

First of all, I want to ask you about -- I'm sorry, I lost my train of thought. This is what I wanted to get to. This quote, OK, you talk about the book, you talk about this film and make -- or bring out specific examples of things where you say he hasn't gotten his facts right. Plain and simple. Now, Miramax Films' Harvey Weinstein, he says, "I hired the toughest team of fact checkers I could find. Lawyers and head council from 'The New Yorker.' We invited them to be tough and they were. All journalism should be this careful."

HARDY: Fire them and hire some new ones. I mean one of the points in the book is about the Taliban coming to the U.S. during Bush's being governor. Well, guess who was president while Bush was governor of Texas? I mean, if you don't know that Bill Clinton was governor -- was president at that time, you need to find a new fact checker.

PHILLIPS: Why don't we talk about bin Laden? The Bush administration, the relationship between the Sauds. This is what Moore had to say on CNN just a couple days ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: The movie says that the bin Laden family, Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, called the White House 24 hours after the attack here and asked for special help from the White House so that Saudi royals and bin Ladens could get out of the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Did he get his facts right?

HARDY: Well, I don't know about the facts of the phone call, but the fact of the matter is the decision to let them leave the country, according to Richard Clarke who you notice is no apologist to the Bush administration, he's the one who made the decision after consultation with the FBI.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about this pipeline argument. Unocal, a company in Texas had been willing to discuss a gas pipeline across Afghanistan with the Taliban. Another point that Michael Moore makes in the film. You don't believe that's true?

HARDY: Well, in fact, Unocal was planning on building a pipeline across Afghanistan. The problem is they were being backed by the Clinton administration. It was the Clinton administration which flew them here for those meetings with Unocal. It happens to be a major Democratic contributor.

As far as Bush as governor, he was backing a rival plan which would have avoided a pipeline through Afghanistan, would run the pipes under the Caspian Sea.

Moore confuses the two pipelines in one of his books and then presumably having sorted out and figure there was no way to blame it on George Bush, in the movie turns it around and tries to blame it on Dick Cheney.

PHILLIPS: Talking about blame, he also points out members of Congress and the fact they have no men or women, sons or daughters serving in the war. This is what Michael Moore had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOORE: When I shot that, out of the 535 members of Congress, only one had an enlisted son in Iraq. So I went to Capitol Hill to see if I could find any congressman to send their child to Iraq. Would you be willing to send your child first? If you believe in the war so much, why is it that we send the children of the poor and working class off to fight these wars?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Makes an interesting point, David. I mean can you name one congressman, congresswoman that has a son or daughter serving right now in Operation Iraqi Freedom?

HARDY: I wouldn't know. There's 535 of them. I haven't kept up on their families.

PHILLIPS: All right, my final point. He seems to speak passionately. Many people say that he speaks intelligently in the film. No one else has had, I guess you could say, the chutzpah to step forward and make a film like this. Do you commend him at all for his efforts?

HARDY: I commend him for his efforts to initiating debate. The cure for abuse of freedom of speech is even more freedom of speech. That's what he's doing. That's what Jason and I are doing.

We point out in the book various errors that he's made as far as blaming that on the Bush administration, the bin Ladens leaving the country when actually Richard Clarke made the decision. The fact that he portrays it as something that happened right after 9/11 while the flights were grounded when in fact it didn't leave the country for nearly two weeks after it. Numerous errors like that. Not to mention blaming the pipeline on Bush who was a mere governor when it was Clinton who was trying to negotiate it for a Democratic contributor.

These are numerous significant errors that he is putting forward as objective truth in a documentary. He needs a new set of fact checkers.

PHILLIPS: David Hardy along with Jason Clarke. The book is "Michael Moore is a Big, Fat Stupid White Man." Did you send Michael Moore a copy of your book?

HARDY: Not yet. We probably will. I mean it's a thriving cottage industry and it centers around him. So presumably he should get a copy.

PHILLIPS: Are you going to autograph it for him?

HARDY: "Love and kisses, Dave and Jason."

PHILLIPS: David Hardy, thanks for your time today.

WHITFIELD: Entertainment headlines this whacky Wednesday. When you think career advice, do you think Al Sharpton? Apparently Spike TV does. It's giving the presidential candidate a reality show called "I Hate My Job" in which he will dispense employment pointers and weekly assignments.

Perhaps Marlon Brando might show up for advice. A new bio says the Godfather" star is so hurting for cash he's hidden his Oscars so that creditors don't confiscate them. Author Patricia Ruiz writes that Brando owes banks almost $20 million.

And it's doubtful this guy's in financial peril. "Spider-Man 2" opening around the country today with glowing reviews and a huge fan base from the first flick. It's expected to spin a web of pure gold at the box office.

PHILLIPS: Well if you've been watching you know there's big news on interest rates today. A Wall Street update in just a few minutes.

WHITFIELD: And hands up. Of course not when you're driving. But for those of you -- need to fess up. Do you use your cell phone while you're driving? Well apparently some new laws kick in tomorrow. The hand's free details.

PHILLIPS: And don't try this at home. A Santa Claus-like maneuver land as California boy between a brick and a hard place.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Starting tomorrow, it will be illegal in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. to talk on a handheld mobile phone while driving. The critics say limiting the ban to handheld phones is a mistake.

CNN's Julie Vallese tells us why. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eating, reading and changing the radio are all distractions inside the car, but the distraction many Americans and legislators love to hate is cell phones.

SUE FERGUSON, INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: There's no evidence that passing a law, even if it changes people's behavior and they start using a hands-free rather than a handheld, there's no evidence that that is actually going to reduce crash risk.

VALLESE: Instead, some safety experts say those laws give drivers a false sense of security.

BARBARA HARSHA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GOV. HIGHWAY: Those kind of laws encourage people to use hands-free with the assumption that they are going to be safer and there is not clear evidence that that will be the case.

VALLESE: There is evidence that says almost all drivers participate in some sort of distraction with talking in the car leading the list, which is as much a mental distraction as physical.

(on camera): Research shows even if you are using the ear piece, your mind is still somewhere else and not on the road.

(voice-over): While only a few jurisdictions have passed laws requiring ear pieces, most states do have general laws against negligent driving, which could allow for police to give tickets for using a cell phone -- something the cell phone industry is pushing to avoid.

KIMBERLY KUO, CTIA, THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION: The industry says that education on distractions is so important because it's a judgment call that you shouldn't be talking at all on a cell phone whether it's hands-free or a handheld device.

VALLESE: The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that at any given time a half a million drivers are using their minutes, making our roads a crowded cellular highway.

Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: As expected, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by a quarter point.

WHITFIELD: But the real focus is on what the Fed said about future rate hikes.

(MARKET UPDATE)

WHITFIELD: Well, it will be the middle of the night here in the U.S. when we expect to see Saddam Hussein in court. It will be an image that makes news around the world.

PHILLIPS: And we're going to show you some amazing baby pictures. Check this out, not 3-D, but 4-D inside a mother's womb.

WHITFIELD: Also ahead, tennis great Andrea Jaeger stops by, her view of this year's Wimbledon players and the stars to watch, and what her life has been like.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired June 30, 2004 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to the CNN Center in Atlanta. This is LIVE FROM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips.

Here's what is all new this half hour.

He's setting box office records and setting off his critics, including the authors of a book called "Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man."

WHITFIELD: And who is getting his own dose of reality? Al Sharpton going on the air with some reality TV.

But first, the top stories.

PHILLIPS: The Federal Reserve is raised benchmark federal funds rate one quarter percent to 1.25 percent. The Fed believes ultra-low rates are no longer needed now that the economy and job climate are improving. Analysts say you can look for credit card rates to go up first.

The interim Iraqi government now has legal custody of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The coalition military is retaining physical custody until the new government security apparatus is ready.

Saddam makes his first court appearance early tomorrow morning Eastern time. CNN will have live coverage from Iraq.

Sources close to Saudi intelligence tell CNN a shootout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has left one police officer and several militants dead. Saudi officials believe the militants are linked to al Qaeda. That gunfight reportedly happened in a residential neighborhood.

WHITFIELD: Saddam Hussein isn't changing prison cells yet, but his legal custody has changed. The new Iraqi government assumed official authority of the ousted dictator today.

CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf picks up the story from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): This is the only image Iraqis have seen of Saddam Hussein since he was captured almost eight months ago. The ex-president who turned 67 in detention this year has been transferred to Iraqi legal custody. For security reasons, he will physically remain under custody of American forces.

Soon, the moment Iraqis have been waiting for, some for decades. On Thursday, he's expected to be charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.

(on camera): Coalition sources say despite all the interrogations about weapons of mass destruction and anti-coalition attacks, the normally talkative Saddam Hussein hasn't revealed much at all in detention. Some believe he's saving all his speeches for the trial.

(voice-over): Some of Saddam's closest associates will also appear to hear charges against them. They include Ali Hassan al- Majid, also known as Chemical Ali, facing trial for chemical weapons attacks against the Kurds; Taha Yassin Ramadan, the former Iraqi vice president with Saddam at the beginnings of the Baath Party; and Tariq Aziz, the former deputy prime minister who for years relayed Saddam's message to the West.

Although the charges will be read against them Thursday, the trial will likely be months away.

Allawi has told Iraqis they have to be patient. With the new interim government signaling it will bring back the death penalty, the punishment they say will fit the crimes for which he may be convicted.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Move the wall -- Israel's top court rules on part of the controversial security barrier.

WHITFIELD: And the dough is rolling in for "Fahrenheit 9/11," but so is the criticism. The author of "Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man" -- that's a book -- well, he joins us, the author does.

PHILLIPS: And who would be the best running mate for John Kerry? America's top picks when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News around the world now.

In London, transportation chaos all because of a 24-hour subway strike over worker pay and job security. Millions of commuters were forced into overcrowded buses or tangled highways. Sidewalks were packed and some road bikes to work.

In Israel, a landmark barrier ruling. Israel's supreme court is ordering the government to reroute a 25-mile section of the West Bank wall. The panel says that stretch violates the rights of thousands of Palestinians. The Israeli government says it will comply with the ruling.

And in the Philippines, a brand new term begins for a nation on high alert. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been sworn in for a second term. Her challenger in the May 10th election has refused to concede defeat. In her inaugural address, the president urged Filipinos to set aside their differences and promised to fight poverty and corruption.

WHITFIELD: Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's biggest decision is still shrouded in secrecy, but others are making their views known with results in the CNN/USA Today Gallup poll.

And the winner is: North Carolina Democratic Senator John Edwards as the running mate. He gets the most enthusiastic response from 72 percent of respondents. Second, Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt with 64 percent. Retired General Wesley Clark received 59 percent support, and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh gets 58 percent, and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, 54 percent.

He may get smaller numbers in the polls, but independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader still has a major role to play in affecting November's outcome.

Wolf Blitzer explains now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ralph Nader was campaigning in Washington, D.C. for the Muslim vote.

RALPH NADER, INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's time for the American people to realize that Muslim Americans are only the latest religious and ethnic group to feel the brunt of political hysteria and abuse.

BLITZER: The independent candidate is working the crowds hard. And his poll numbers while tiny compared to President Bush and Senator Kerry are still significant given the Electoral College winner-take- all system in each state.

Check out the latest Quinnipiac University poll in the key battleground state of Florida. In a three-way contest, Bush and Kerry have 43 percent each to Nader's 5 percent. In a two-way contest, Kerry comes in with 46 percent to Bush's 44, a statistical dead heat.

Could Florida be deja vu all over again?

In 2000, Bush carried the state by 537 votes and won the election. Nader received 97,488 votes in Florida, and most observers agree a majority of them would have been more likely to vote for Al Gore than George Bush.

HOWARD DEAN, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Ralph Nader's candidacy is the single biggest danger to the Kerry candidacy. He only has to take 3 percent of the vote in two or three states to send George Bush back to the White House. BLITZER: The Nader effect could indeed be decisive in several other battleground states as well.

In Michigan, a recent poll had Kerry with 45 percent, Bush with 43 percent, and Nader at 3 percent.

In New Hampshire, another poll has Bush and Kerry at 46 percent each with Nader coming in with 2 percent.

Similar numbers in Wisconsin: Bush 44, Kerry 42, Nader with 4 percent.

The Nader factor could be even more important in Pennsylvania. A recent poll had Kerry at 44, Bush 43, Nader 7 percent -- each within the margin of error.

Since announcing his candidacy, Nader has strongly denied he's a spoiler for the Democrats. He says he's attracting Republican votes as well.

NADER: This assumption that my votes only come from the Democrats is simply not true. Even in the year 2000 it wasn't true. A majority of the votes for me in the year 2000 were either people who wouldn't have voted otherwise or who would have voted for Bush.

BLITZER: But Democrats clearly don't buy that; they are worried.

Wolf Blitzer, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And we'll have much more on the presidential election and the candidates on "INSIDE POLITICS" at 3:30 Eastern today right here on CNN.

PHILLIPS: "Extreme Makeover," "Nip and Tuck," "Home Edition." Now how about "Extreme Reverend Al Sharpton Makeover"? OK, it's not what you think. But he is giving people makeovers. Career makeovers, that is, on a new reality TV show.

And don't take his Oscars. Debt collectors may be banking on Marlon Brando's door. There's no way he's letting them take his golden statues. Entertainment story straight ahead on LIVE FROM...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hero or hell-raiser or both? People are saying all kind of things about filmmaker Michael Moore these days. His new documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" is burning up the box office. But he's also catching heat for his methods.

Critics accuse him of playing fast and loose with the facts. Moore calls them "whacko attackos." Well the whacko attackos are kicking things up a notch in their new book "Michael Moore is a Big, Fat Stupid White Man." David T. Hardy and Jason Clarke accuse the filmmaker of using tricks and publicity ploys to manipulate the truth. Now in fairness, we asked Michael Moore about the book. His P.R. rep e-mailed us this response saying the authors have, quote, "a deep hatred for Moore and strong ties to the Republican spin machine."

One of those authors, David Hardy, is with us now from Pennsylvania. Is that true, David? Do you hate Moore? And are you part of the Republican spin machine?

DAVID HARDY, "MICHAEL MOORE IS A BIG, FAT STUPID WHITE MAN": Actually I rather enjoy Moore. It isn't often you meet a worthy adversary. And as far as being part of the Republican spin machine, I'd have to become a Republican first, I think. I'm actually registered as a Libertarian.

PHILLIPS: OK, now that we've cleared that up, let's get down to business here and talk about this book.

First of all, I want to ask you about -- I'm sorry, I lost my train of thought. This is what I wanted to get to. This quote, OK, you talk about the book, you talk about this film and make -- or bring out specific examples of things where you say he hasn't gotten his facts right. Plain and simple. Now, Miramax Films' Harvey Weinstein, he says, "I hired the toughest team of fact checkers I could find. Lawyers and head council from 'The New Yorker.' We invited them to be tough and they were. All journalism should be this careful."

HARDY: Fire them and hire some new ones. I mean one of the points in the book is about the Taliban coming to the U.S. during Bush's being governor. Well, guess who was president while Bush was governor of Texas? I mean, if you don't know that Bill Clinton was governor -- was president at that time, you need to find a new fact checker.

PHILLIPS: Why don't we talk about bin Laden? The Bush administration, the relationship between the Sauds. This is what Moore had to say on CNN just a couple days ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: The movie says that the bin Laden family, Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, called the White House 24 hours after the attack here and asked for special help from the White House so that Saudi royals and bin Ladens could get out of the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Did he get his facts right?

HARDY: Well, I don't know about the facts of the phone call, but the fact of the matter is the decision to let them leave the country, according to Richard Clarke who you notice is no apologist to the Bush administration, he's the one who made the decision after consultation with the FBI.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about this pipeline argument. Unocal, a company in Texas had been willing to discuss a gas pipeline across Afghanistan with the Taliban. Another point that Michael Moore makes in the film. You don't believe that's true?

HARDY: Well, in fact, Unocal was planning on building a pipeline across Afghanistan. The problem is they were being backed by the Clinton administration. It was the Clinton administration which flew them here for those meetings with Unocal. It happens to be a major Democratic contributor.

As far as Bush as governor, he was backing a rival plan which would have avoided a pipeline through Afghanistan, would run the pipes under the Caspian Sea.

Moore confuses the two pipelines in one of his books and then presumably having sorted out and figure there was no way to blame it on George Bush, in the movie turns it around and tries to blame it on Dick Cheney.

PHILLIPS: Talking about blame, he also points out members of Congress and the fact they have no men or women, sons or daughters serving in the war. This is what Michael Moore had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOORE: When I shot that, out of the 535 members of Congress, only one had an enlisted son in Iraq. So I went to Capitol Hill to see if I could find any congressman to send their child to Iraq. Would you be willing to send your child first? If you believe in the war so much, why is it that we send the children of the poor and working class off to fight these wars?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Makes an interesting point, David. I mean can you name one congressman, congresswoman that has a son or daughter serving right now in Operation Iraqi Freedom?

HARDY: I wouldn't know. There's 535 of them. I haven't kept up on their families.

PHILLIPS: All right, my final point. He seems to speak passionately. Many people say that he speaks intelligently in the film. No one else has had, I guess you could say, the chutzpah to step forward and make a film like this. Do you commend him at all for his efforts?

HARDY: I commend him for his efforts to initiating debate. The cure for abuse of freedom of speech is even more freedom of speech. That's what he's doing. That's what Jason and I are doing.

We point out in the book various errors that he's made as far as blaming that on the Bush administration, the bin Ladens leaving the country when actually Richard Clarke made the decision. The fact that he portrays it as something that happened right after 9/11 while the flights were grounded when in fact it didn't leave the country for nearly two weeks after it. Numerous errors like that. Not to mention blaming the pipeline on Bush who was a mere governor when it was Clinton who was trying to negotiate it for a Democratic contributor.

These are numerous significant errors that he is putting forward as objective truth in a documentary. He needs a new set of fact checkers.

PHILLIPS: David Hardy along with Jason Clarke. The book is "Michael Moore is a Big, Fat Stupid White Man." Did you send Michael Moore a copy of your book?

HARDY: Not yet. We probably will. I mean it's a thriving cottage industry and it centers around him. So presumably he should get a copy.

PHILLIPS: Are you going to autograph it for him?

HARDY: "Love and kisses, Dave and Jason."

PHILLIPS: David Hardy, thanks for your time today.

WHITFIELD: Entertainment headlines this whacky Wednesday. When you think career advice, do you think Al Sharpton? Apparently Spike TV does. It's giving the presidential candidate a reality show called "I Hate My Job" in which he will dispense employment pointers and weekly assignments.

Perhaps Marlon Brando might show up for advice. A new bio says the Godfather" star is so hurting for cash he's hidden his Oscars so that creditors don't confiscate them. Author Patricia Ruiz writes that Brando owes banks almost $20 million.

And it's doubtful this guy's in financial peril. "Spider-Man 2" opening around the country today with glowing reviews and a huge fan base from the first flick. It's expected to spin a web of pure gold at the box office.

PHILLIPS: Well if you've been watching you know there's big news on interest rates today. A Wall Street update in just a few minutes.

WHITFIELD: And hands up. Of course not when you're driving. But for those of you -- need to fess up. Do you use your cell phone while you're driving? Well apparently some new laws kick in tomorrow. The hand's free details.

PHILLIPS: And don't try this at home. A Santa Claus-like maneuver land as California boy between a brick and a hard place.

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WHITFIELD: Starting tomorrow, it will be illegal in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. to talk on a handheld mobile phone while driving. The critics say limiting the ban to handheld phones is a mistake.

CNN's Julie Vallese tells us why. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eating, reading and changing the radio are all distractions inside the car, but the distraction many Americans and legislators love to hate is cell phones.

SUE FERGUSON, INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: There's no evidence that passing a law, even if it changes people's behavior and they start using a hands-free rather than a handheld, there's no evidence that that is actually going to reduce crash risk.

VALLESE: Instead, some safety experts say those laws give drivers a false sense of security.

BARBARA HARSHA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GOV. HIGHWAY: Those kind of laws encourage people to use hands-free with the assumption that they are going to be safer and there is not clear evidence that that will be the case.

VALLESE: There is evidence that says almost all drivers participate in some sort of distraction with talking in the car leading the list, which is as much a mental distraction as physical.

(on camera): Research shows even if you are using the ear piece, your mind is still somewhere else and not on the road.

(voice-over): While only a few jurisdictions have passed laws requiring ear pieces, most states do have general laws against negligent driving, which could allow for police to give tickets for using a cell phone -- something the cell phone industry is pushing to avoid.

KIMBERLY KUO, CTIA, THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION: The industry says that education on distractions is so important because it's a judgment call that you shouldn't be talking at all on a cell phone whether it's hands-free or a handheld device.

VALLESE: The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that at any given time a half a million drivers are using their minutes, making our roads a crowded cellular highway.

Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: As expected, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by a quarter point.

WHITFIELD: But the real focus is on what the Fed said about future rate hikes.

(MARKET UPDATE)

WHITFIELD: Well, it will be the middle of the night here in the U.S. when we expect to see Saddam Hussein in court. It will be an image that makes news around the world.

PHILLIPS: And we're going to show you some amazing baby pictures. Check this out, not 3-D, but 4-D inside a mother's womb.

WHITFIELD: Also ahead, tennis great Andrea Jaeger stops by, her view of this year's Wimbledon players and the stars to watch, and what her life has been like.

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