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Marlon Brando Dead at 80; New Images Released of Saddam; Security Stepped Up in Washington for Holiday; International Perception of Saddam Trial Important to New Government; Self-Serve Becoming Widespread

Aired July 02, 2004 - 15:00   ET

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

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to LIVE FROM..., I'm Kyra Phillips.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Miles O'Brien is on assignment. And here's what's happening at this hour.

A generous and talented screen partner, a "Godfather" to young actors. Just some of the comments from Marlon Brando's colleagues in Hollywood upon news of his death. The Academy Award-winning actor was 80. A look back at his life and impact coming up this hour.

Terror fears in Bahrain. CNN has learned the Defense Department is considering pulling American military families out of the Persian Gulf nation. There are no plans to withdraw actual service members. Sources say there are no specific threats, just concern that terrorists might try to target Western interests.

A group that's claiming responsibility for that rocket attack on a Baghdad hotel earlier today. A rocket hit the 10th floor of the Sheraton Hotel, causing minor damage. A second rocket veered into a parking lot, wounding two Iraqis. Al Jazeera reports a group calling itself the Karbala Brigade has claimed responsibility.

And word today that three U.S. soldiers have been charged with manslaughter in the drowning death of an Iraqi detainee. The military says the victim was forced to jump off a bridge in the city of Samara (ph) in January. All three soldiers are based at Colorado's Ft. Carson.

KYRA PHILLIPS, ANCHOR: Up first this hour, remembering a great. He was a motorcycle riding rebel, a mob boss, a boxer who dreamed of being a contender, all just part of an incredible cast of characters created by Marlon Brando.

The legendary actor has died at the age of 80. CNN's Lauren Hunter reports he was as stormy on-screen as off.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARLON BRANDO, ACTOR: Hey, Stella!

LAUREN HUNTER, CNN CORRSPONDENT (voice-over): Marlon Brando's life was remarkable both for his professional triumphs and for his personal tragedies.

BRANDO: I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, but here I am...

HUNTER: He was widely recognized as the greatest American actor of his generation with performances spanning from the 1950s, including "Julius Caesar," to the 1970s with the controversial but critically acclaimed "Last Tango in Paris," to the 1990s with "Don Juan DeMarco."

BRANDO: There isn't anything that pays you as much money as acting while you are deciding what the hell you're going to do with yourself.

You know that I've been on to you from the start, and not once did you pull the wool over this boy's eyes?

HUNTER: His 1951 screen performance as the tortured young Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" made an indelible impression on audiences and critics alike.

That role and others created the myth and allure of Brando, the image of a rebel, a dangerous and attractive sex symbol.

BRANDO: You don't understand. I could have had class. I could have been a contender. I could have been somebody.

HUNTER: His inevitable stardom from "Streetcar," and his Oscar- winning performance in "On the Waterfront" three years later, put Brando squarely in the public eye, a position with which he never felt comfortable.

BRANDO: One thing that has been very problematic about being an actor and getting some measure of celebrity is the fact that you lose your identity. And everybody calls you instantly "Mr. Brando," instead of "Hey you." And then people make up notions; they want your autograph.

HUNTER: In his autobiography entitled "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me," the actor wrote, quote, "I don't think I ever liked being a movie star. No matter what I say or do, people mythologize me."

BRANDO: Ship company, I am taking command of this ship.

HUNTER: His uneasiness with stardom and publicity drove Brando away from Hollywood and away the United States, to live for a time in Tahiti, where he had filmed the remake of "Mutiny on the Bounty."

There he began a relationship and a family with one of his Tahitian co-stars.

BRANDO: I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.

HUNTER: As Brando's professional stature continued to grow, he retreated into a personal shell, made evident to the world in his refusal to accept his second Oscar in 1972 for his performance in "The Godfather." Instead, he sent a representative to protest the treatment of Native Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what Marlon Brando has in his heart is that the image of Native Americans in this country of the United States should be changed.

HUNTER: Brando later said he felt like a prisoner to his celebrityhood.

BRANDO: The idea of being successful and having a lot of money and having all your dreams come true is completely crazy. I've had so much misery in my life, being famous and wealthy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Total sentence imposed is ten years in the state prison.

HUNTER: Christian Brando was the oldest of Marlon's nine children from several marriages. He was sentenced in 1991 after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of 26-year-old Dag Drollett, the boyfriend of Christian's half sister, Cheyenne.

BRANDO: I saw him, Dag, laying there, and I tried to get a hold of myself.

HUNTER: Cheyenne remained in Tahiti and refused to testify against Christian. She tried many times to commit suicide and ultimately hanged herself in 1995 at her mother's home in Tahiti.

At an earlier court hearing for his son, Marlon Brando said he felt responsible for the events leading up to the shooting.

BRANDO: I think that perhaps I failed as a father. Your tendency always is to blame the other parent. But I'm certain that -- that there were things that I could have done differently, had I known better at the time. But I didn't. I did the best I could.

HUNTER: Christian Brando was released from prison in early 1996.

Marlon Brando had already seemed to make peace with himself over the tragedies and disappointments in his life.

BRANDO: The regret is useless in life. It belongs to the past. The only moment we have is right now.

HUNTER: Despite his private sadness, Brando's legacy may continue to be measured by his public triumphs, preserved on film.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: There will be much more on the late actor's extraordinary life and legacy on "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight. "Remembering Marlon Brando" airs at 9 Eastern, 6 Pacific, right here on CNN.

WHITFIELD: A new chapter in Iraq as some fellow Arab states mark a major shift in policy. For the first time, two Arab countries, Jordan and Yemen, are expressing a willingness to join multinational forces in war-ravaged Iraq.

It's still not clear what role Jordanian troops will serve, and Yemen says it will only send peacekeepers if they're part of a United Nations force.

It's been an historic week and a significant day in Iraq. There are new photos of the former Iraqi dictator, more violence and freed hostages. CNN's Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf, has it all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These extraordinary images are coming out in little dribs and drabs. And today's was one of the most extraordinary: Saddam Hussein shackled, the chains clearly visibly around him as he's being led into court. An image that has mesmerized Iraqis, just as it's divided Iraqis, as well.

One mosque -- mosque imam was saying that this was an illegal trial, because it was a puppet government. Yet most people are glad that Saddam Hussein is being brought to account for what they say are decades of his crimes.

As to whether the violence will stop, the answer to that, likely no. We spoke to General Ricardo Sanchez, Lieutenant General Sanchez, who has been in charge of U.S. forces here for 14 months. He's leaving in a few days.

And asked whether Saddam Hussein did indeed have a role anymore in the insurgency, he told us that the problem really now was foreign fighters.

LT. GEN. RICARDO SANCHEZ, U.S. ARMY: I think, as we had anticipated, there has in fact been a steady, continued flow. We think the numbers are still small. It's not overwhelming, but this battlefield is showing more and more involvement on the part of terrorists that striking the Iraqi people and the coalition.

ARRAF: Despite a rocket attack very close to this hotel this morning, it has been uncharacteristically quiet the past few days, officials say.

Indeed, there's even a bit of good news. Three hostages have been released: two Turkish citizens whose company has apparently pledged not to send Turks here anymore to work, and a Pakistani citizen, a truck driver, who was threatened with beheading, all of them freed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, the jobs picture here in the U.S. has improved last month but not as much as economists had hoped. The Labor Department reports that the rate of unemployment remained unchanged at 5.6 percent as companies added 112,000 new payroll jobs.

Reacting at the White House, President Bush seemed to see the good news. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've been through a recession, a national emergency, war, corporate scandals. We've got an economy which is changing. It's -- the nature of the job base is changing. And all that means it's been a difficult period of time.

Yet we're strong, we're getting stronger. We're witnessing steady growth. Steady growth. And that's important. We don't need "boom or bust" type growth; we want just steady consistent growth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Campaigning today in Minnesota, Democrat John Kerry had a different take on the new jobs numbers. Kerry spoke at the start of a three-day bus tour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know how many of you saw the job release just this past month: 112,000 jobs created less again than the 150,000 they promised, less than the 250,000 that they produced before, which was beginning to inch up. But we lost 45,000 jobs, so it's a net 67,000 jobs.

Don't tell the people getting those second rate jobs; don't tell the people working two or three jobs at a time that we can't do better. We have a million and a half jobs lost, and I don't believe that's the best that we can do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: June was the 10th consecutive month of net job gains, but the job growth posted was less than half of that in May and barely 1/3 of April's.

WHITFIELD: In other news across American this Friday, looking for a big payoff, thousands of folks in 11 states are scarfing up lottery tickets, hoping their numbers will lead to mega millions later on tonight. The sixth largest jackpot in U.S. history is now up to $290 million.

Traffic tie-up, everybody complains about them. But a new poll shows few people are willing to park their cars and take mass transit instead. In fact, the survey from the Associated Press found only one in 20 people uses mass transit.

Too smoky to see. Fire officials in Alaska's interior have been forced to ground their aircraft. They're saying it's too smoky to fight a massive wildfire from the air. The fire, northeast of Fairbanks, has grown to 225,000 acres.

PHILLIPS: The FBI tells law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for possible terrorist activity over the Fourth of July weekend. Authorities in Washington are not taking any chance. More now from CNN's Sean Callebs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Metal detectors and security guards greet visitors at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum. No one gets in until pockets are purged and all belongings are passed through the unblinking eye of the X-ray machine.

J.J. MCLAUGHLIN, PROTECTION SERVICES: We're sitting in the middle of the mall, between the Capitol and the Washington monument. The Smithsonian Institution, as far as we're concerned, an American icon.

CALLEBS: The measures are now a permanent fixture for Smithsonian security.

MCLAUGHLIN: How's everything?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going great.

MCLAUGHLIN: We having any problems today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problems whatsoever.

CALLEBS: Government officials have repeatedly warned holiday events that draw crowds, like July 4th on the National Mall, could be terrorist targets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It made me think before I came down but since I've been here I've been very comfortable.

MCLAUGHLIN: We want to make sure that our buildings aren't looked upon as being a soft target.

CALLEBS: This holiday weekend, thousands are expected at the Smithsonian's museums. And outside, at the colorful folk-life festival. And of course, for the traditional fireworks.

Authorities are setting a fence up around the mall. There will be 19 entry points, including some of the Smithsonian museums that will have thorough security screening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that it's complex situation we're living in right now. And -- but I've just been enjoying myself. Because I work hard all year, and I'm just down here to have a good time with some family.

CALLEBS: Sean Callebs, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, you in a hurry? Why don't you just do it yourself? Scan your own groceries, book your own e-ticket -- e- ticket, rather. See how America is turning into a self-service station. We do that all the time.

WHITFIELD: I know. I don't like checking out my own groceries, though. I've got a problem with that.

PHILLIPS: I always screw it up.

All right. Well, so you think -- What do you think of these pictures from Saturn. Aren't they cool? Now we've got sound. That's right, the sound of Saturn for the first time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Earlier, this week, Cassini became the first spacecraft to enter the orbit of Saturn, 930 million miles away. The craft made a daring pass directly through the rings of Saturn and captured pictures that blew away scientists who study ring systems.

Pictures weren't the only thing that Cassini fed back: radio waves. Scientists were equally excited to hear from Saturn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM KURTH, RADIO WAVE SCIENTIST: In space, the one million mile per hour winds are blowing past the planet. The magnetosphere is the obstacle. The bow shock (ph) is basically a sonic boom. And we can actually listen to this one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Whoa! Sounds like something out of a thriller movie or something.

Well, earlier today, Cassini flew by Saturn's largest moon, Titan. And as we speak, the spacecraft is speeding back those pictures.

And we'll be back ourselves in about 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: One American lawyer on Saddam Hussein's legal team says that the court charged with trying the former Iraqi leader is neither impartial nor independent.

And in court Thursday, Saddam repeatedly questioned the judge on whether he represents the Iraqi people or the U.S.-led coalition. It's a question that many people in Iraq and beyond are asking.

And as Bob Franken reports, much of it hinges on how it's answered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)


Aired July 2, 2004 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to LIVE FROM..., I'm Kyra Phillips.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Miles O'Brien is on assignment. And here's what's happening at this hour.

A generous and talented screen partner, a "Godfather" to young actors. Just some of the comments from Marlon Brando's colleagues in Hollywood upon news of his death. The Academy Award-winning actor was 80. A look back at his life and impact coming up this hour.

Terror fears in Bahrain. CNN has learned the Defense Department is considering pulling American military families out of the Persian Gulf nation. There are no plans to withdraw actual service members. Sources say there are no specific threats, just concern that terrorists might try to target Western interests.

A group that's claiming responsibility for that rocket attack on a Baghdad hotel earlier today. A rocket hit the 10th floor of the Sheraton Hotel, causing minor damage. A second rocket veered into a parking lot, wounding two Iraqis. Al Jazeera reports a group calling itself the Karbala Brigade has claimed responsibility.

And word today that three U.S. soldiers have been charged with manslaughter in the drowning death of an Iraqi detainee. The military says the victim was forced to jump off a bridge in the city of Samara (ph) in January. All three soldiers are based at Colorado's Ft. Carson.

KYRA PHILLIPS, ANCHOR: Up first this hour, remembering a great. He was a motorcycle riding rebel, a mob boss, a boxer who dreamed of being a contender, all just part of an incredible cast of characters created by Marlon Brando.

The legendary actor has died at the age of 80. CNN's Lauren Hunter reports he was as stormy on-screen as off.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARLON BRANDO, ACTOR: Hey, Stella!

LAUREN HUNTER, CNN CORRSPONDENT (voice-over): Marlon Brando's life was remarkable both for his professional triumphs and for his personal tragedies.

BRANDO: I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, but here I am...

HUNTER: He was widely recognized as the greatest American actor of his generation with performances spanning from the 1950s, including "Julius Caesar," to the 1970s with the controversial but critically acclaimed "Last Tango in Paris," to the 1990s with "Don Juan DeMarco."

BRANDO: There isn't anything that pays you as much money as acting while you are deciding what the hell you're going to do with yourself.

You know that I've been on to you from the start, and not once did you pull the wool over this boy's eyes?

HUNTER: His 1951 screen performance as the tortured young Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" made an indelible impression on audiences and critics alike.

That role and others created the myth and allure of Brando, the image of a rebel, a dangerous and attractive sex symbol.

BRANDO: You don't understand. I could have had class. I could have been a contender. I could have been somebody.

HUNTER: His inevitable stardom from "Streetcar," and his Oscar- winning performance in "On the Waterfront" three years later, put Brando squarely in the public eye, a position with which he never felt comfortable.

BRANDO: One thing that has been very problematic about being an actor and getting some measure of celebrity is the fact that you lose your identity. And everybody calls you instantly "Mr. Brando," instead of "Hey you." And then people make up notions; they want your autograph.

HUNTER: In his autobiography entitled "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me," the actor wrote, quote, "I don't think I ever liked being a movie star. No matter what I say or do, people mythologize me."

BRANDO: Ship company, I am taking command of this ship.

HUNTER: His uneasiness with stardom and publicity drove Brando away from Hollywood and away the United States, to live for a time in Tahiti, where he had filmed the remake of "Mutiny on the Bounty."

There he began a relationship and a family with one of his Tahitian co-stars.

BRANDO: I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.

HUNTER: As Brando's professional stature continued to grow, he retreated into a personal shell, made evident to the world in his refusal to accept his second Oscar in 1972 for his performance in "The Godfather." Instead, he sent a representative to protest the treatment of Native Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what Marlon Brando has in his heart is that the image of Native Americans in this country of the United States should be changed.

HUNTER: Brando later said he felt like a prisoner to his celebrityhood.

BRANDO: The idea of being successful and having a lot of money and having all your dreams come true is completely crazy. I've had so much misery in my life, being famous and wealthy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Total sentence imposed is ten years in the state prison.

HUNTER: Christian Brando was the oldest of Marlon's nine children from several marriages. He was sentenced in 1991 after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of 26-year-old Dag Drollett, the boyfriend of Christian's half sister, Cheyenne.

BRANDO: I saw him, Dag, laying there, and I tried to get a hold of myself.

HUNTER: Cheyenne remained in Tahiti and refused to testify against Christian. She tried many times to commit suicide and ultimately hanged herself in 1995 at her mother's home in Tahiti.

At an earlier court hearing for his son, Marlon Brando said he felt responsible for the events leading up to the shooting.

BRANDO: I think that perhaps I failed as a father. Your tendency always is to blame the other parent. But I'm certain that -- that there were things that I could have done differently, had I known better at the time. But I didn't. I did the best I could.

HUNTER: Christian Brando was released from prison in early 1996.

Marlon Brando had already seemed to make peace with himself over the tragedies and disappointments in his life.

BRANDO: The regret is useless in life. It belongs to the past. The only moment we have is right now.

HUNTER: Despite his private sadness, Brando's legacy may continue to be measured by his public triumphs, preserved on film.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: There will be much more on the late actor's extraordinary life and legacy on "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight. "Remembering Marlon Brando" airs at 9 Eastern, 6 Pacific, right here on CNN.

WHITFIELD: A new chapter in Iraq as some fellow Arab states mark a major shift in policy. For the first time, two Arab countries, Jordan and Yemen, are expressing a willingness to join multinational forces in war-ravaged Iraq.

It's still not clear what role Jordanian troops will serve, and Yemen says it will only send peacekeepers if they're part of a United Nations force.

It's been an historic week and a significant day in Iraq. There are new photos of the former Iraqi dictator, more violence and freed hostages. CNN's Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf, has it all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These extraordinary images are coming out in little dribs and drabs. And today's was one of the most extraordinary: Saddam Hussein shackled, the chains clearly visibly around him as he's being led into court. An image that has mesmerized Iraqis, just as it's divided Iraqis, as well.

One mosque -- mosque imam was saying that this was an illegal trial, because it was a puppet government. Yet most people are glad that Saddam Hussein is being brought to account for what they say are decades of his crimes.

As to whether the violence will stop, the answer to that, likely no. We spoke to General Ricardo Sanchez, Lieutenant General Sanchez, who has been in charge of U.S. forces here for 14 months. He's leaving in a few days.

And asked whether Saddam Hussein did indeed have a role anymore in the insurgency, he told us that the problem really now was foreign fighters.

LT. GEN. RICARDO SANCHEZ, U.S. ARMY: I think, as we had anticipated, there has in fact been a steady, continued flow. We think the numbers are still small. It's not overwhelming, but this battlefield is showing more and more involvement on the part of terrorists that striking the Iraqi people and the coalition.

ARRAF: Despite a rocket attack very close to this hotel this morning, it has been uncharacteristically quiet the past few days, officials say.

Indeed, there's even a bit of good news. Three hostages have been released: two Turkish citizens whose company has apparently pledged not to send Turks here anymore to work, and a Pakistani citizen, a truck driver, who was threatened with beheading, all of them freed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, the jobs picture here in the U.S. has improved last month but not as much as economists had hoped. The Labor Department reports that the rate of unemployment remained unchanged at 5.6 percent as companies added 112,000 new payroll jobs.

Reacting at the White House, President Bush seemed to see the good news. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've been through a recession, a national emergency, war, corporate scandals. We've got an economy which is changing. It's -- the nature of the job base is changing. And all that means it's been a difficult period of time.

Yet we're strong, we're getting stronger. We're witnessing steady growth. Steady growth. And that's important. We don't need "boom or bust" type growth; we want just steady consistent growth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Campaigning today in Minnesota, Democrat John Kerry had a different take on the new jobs numbers. Kerry spoke at the start of a three-day bus tour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know how many of you saw the job release just this past month: 112,000 jobs created less again than the 150,000 they promised, less than the 250,000 that they produced before, which was beginning to inch up. But we lost 45,000 jobs, so it's a net 67,000 jobs.

Don't tell the people getting those second rate jobs; don't tell the people working two or three jobs at a time that we can't do better. We have a million and a half jobs lost, and I don't believe that's the best that we can do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: June was the 10th consecutive month of net job gains, but the job growth posted was less than half of that in May and barely 1/3 of April's.

WHITFIELD: In other news across American this Friday, looking for a big payoff, thousands of folks in 11 states are scarfing up lottery tickets, hoping their numbers will lead to mega millions later on tonight. The sixth largest jackpot in U.S. history is now up to $290 million.

Traffic tie-up, everybody complains about them. But a new poll shows few people are willing to park their cars and take mass transit instead. In fact, the survey from the Associated Press found only one in 20 people uses mass transit.

Too smoky to see. Fire officials in Alaska's interior have been forced to ground their aircraft. They're saying it's too smoky to fight a massive wildfire from the air. The fire, northeast of Fairbanks, has grown to 225,000 acres.

PHILLIPS: The FBI tells law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for possible terrorist activity over the Fourth of July weekend. Authorities in Washington are not taking any chance. More now from CNN's Sean Callebs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Metal detectors and security guards greet visitors at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum. No one gets in until pockets are purged and all belongings are passed through the unblinking eye of the X-ray machine.

J.J. MCLAUGHLIN, PROTECTION SERVICES: We're sitting in the middle of the mall, between the Capitol and the Washington monument. The Smithsonian Institution, as far as we're concerned, an American icon.

CALLEBS: The measures are now a permanent fixture for Smithsonian security.

MCLAUGHLIN: How's everything?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going great.

MCLAUGHLIN: We having any problems today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problems whatsoever.

CALLEBS: Government officials have repeatedly warned holiday events that draw crowds, like July 4th on the National Mall, could be terrorist targets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It made me think before I came down but since I've been here I've been very comfortable.

MCLAUGHLIN: We want to make sure that our buildings aren't looked upon as being a soft target.

CALLEBS: This holiday weekend, thousands are expected at the Smithsonian's museums. And outside, at the colorful folk-life festival. And of course, for the traditional fireworks.

Authorities are setting a fence up around the mall. There will be 19 entry points, including some of the Smithsonian museums that will have thorough security screening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that it's complex situation we're living in right now. And -- but I've just been enjoying myself. Because I work hard all year, and I'm just down here to have a good time with some family.

CALLEBS: Sean Callebs, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, you in a hurry? Why don't you just do it yourself? Scan your own groceries, book your own e-ticket -- e- ticket, rather. See how America is turning into a self-service station. We do that all the time.

WHITFIELD: I know. I don't like checking out my own groceries, though. I've got a problem with that.

PHILLIPS: I always screw it up.

All right. Well, so you think -- What do you think of these pictures from Saturn. Aren't they cool? Now we've got sound. That's right, the sound of Saturn for the first time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Earlier, this week, Cassini became the first spacecraft to enter the orbit of Saturn, 930 million miles away. The craft made a daring pass directly through the rings of Saturn and captured pictures that blew away scientists who study ring systems.

Pictures weren't the only thing that Cassini fed back: radio waves. Scientists were equally excited to hear from Saturn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM KURTH, RADIO WAVE SCIENTIST: In space, the one million mile per hour winds are blowing past the planet. The magnetosphere is the obstacle. The bow shock (ph) is basically a sonic boom. And we can actually listen to this one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Whoa! Sounds like something out of a thriller movie or something.

Well, earlier today, Cassini flew by Saturn's largest moon, Titan. And as we speak, the spacecraft is speeding back those pictures.

And we'll be back ourselves in about 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: One American lawyer on Saddam Hussein's legal team says that the court charged with trying the former Iraqi leader is neither impartial nor independent.

And in court Thursday, Saddam repeatedly questioned the judge on whether he represents the Iraqi people or the U.S.-led coalition. It's a question that many people in Iraq and beyond are asking.

And as Bob Franken reports, much of it hinges on how it's answered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)