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Senate Committee Mulls 9/11 Panel Recommendations

Aired July 30, 2004 - 13:58   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.


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN, (D), CONNECTICUT: We cannot let another attack succeed because of our own inaction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Urging call for action against terror. Will lawmakers make the massive changes called for in the 9/11 Report?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein's life behind bars -- an exclusive interview with the man who has paid him an official visit.

PHILLIPS: The challengers hit the road. What's their strategy for winning now that the convention love fest is over? Former candidate Howard Dean joins us live this hour.

WHITFIELD: And after cooking up delicious delights for America's presidents, a White House chef -- a pastry chef, in fact -- is hanging up his hat, but not before giving away some secret recipes. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Miles O'Brien is off.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now. Boston's behind them, 20-plus states, 3,500 miles lie ahead, and that's just in the next two weeks. It's all a wind up at the White House if John Kerry and John Edwards have their way. And they're about to ask a pumped up crowed of Pennsylvanians to make it happen. Scranton is their second post-convention campaign stop of the day; Boston Harbor was the first.

But given Pennsylvania's historic status as a battleground state, it's a very conventional choice -- conventional choice, I guess I should say. From Scranton, it's off to Harrisburg, then a Pittsburgh suburb where Kerry-Edwards will very nearly cross paths with George W. Bush.

The incumbent is coming out of his campaign hibernation with a two-day swing through Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, and as mentioned, Pennsylvania. From a morning stop in Springfield, the president proceeded to Grand Rapids, his 17th visit to a state he lost to Al Gore in 2000. In keeping with tradition, Bush stayed out of sight during his opponent's convention. Aides called it a working vacation.

Speed but not haste, those are the watchwords of the Senate panel that's working through the summer vacation on intelligence reform recommendations by the 9/11 investigators. CNN's Sean Callebs brings us up to date -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Indeed, the Senate committee says it is going to tackle what it considers the two most pressing and most complex issues: the creation of a national counter- terrorism center and appointing a national intelligence director to unify all 15 governmental agencies responsible for gathering intelligence.

Commission members continued their candid talk today, again warning that the U.S. is still dangerously vulnerable to a terrorist attack nearly three years after September 11, also in blunt terms, telling the senators that the intelligence community is not going to be able to do its job unless somebody, one person, is in charge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEE HAMILTON, 9/11 COMMISSION VICE CHAIRMAN: Intelligence doesn't usually come to you and say, "OK, the World Trade Center's going to be hit at 9 o'clock in the morning." That's not the kind of intelligence -- you might get that if you're lucky. Ordinarily, you'd get 15, or 20, or 30 pieces of information, and somebody's got to put it together, and somebody has to manage it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Commission members are also urging swift embrace of their recommendation for a massive overhaul of the way the U.S. gathers and shares its intelligence information. Members of the 9/11 Commission did thank lawmakers for their prompt attention to the report. Usually, lawmakers are just beginning a six-week summer recess right now.

But because of the urgency of the findings, both the Senate and House members will be holding hearings. However, Congress is making it clear it will not simply rubber stamp the litany of recommendations. Some senators are concerned about the call to make the national intelligence director a high level White House post.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMILTON: To be very candid about it, it is inconceivable to me that a president of the United States would want his highest national security priority handled somewhere else in the government that is not under his direct control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: The 9/11 Committee also says changes in government organization are important, but not enough to keep the country safe. Among the proposed changes they are pushing for -- tightening up border control. Fredricka, they say if the committee focuses attention on one area but neglects another, the country still remains at risk.

WHITFIELD: Sean Callebs in Washington, thanks very much. Interesting fact if you like to eat muffins and cookies, and the man accused of sending countless Iraqis to be tortured in prison is spending his own time behind bars, gardening, reading books, and writing letters. That's the firsthand account of Iraq's human rights minister. We get details now from CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello to you, Fredricka. U.S. officials are confirming many of the details provided by the Iraq human rights minister about the condition of Saddam Hussein -- his medical condition. Indeed, they say that Saddam Hussein is suffering from a few, perhaps, minor medical problems, the types of things that do happen to older men.

First of all, he does have a hernia, but the Iraqi human rights minister also confirms, as do U.S. officials, that Saddam Hussein is suffering from a recurring prostrate infection. Here's a bit of what the minister had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAH AMIN, IRAQI HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER: He has certain health problems, but generally, his health condition is good. He has suffered from chronic prostrate infection. He got antibiotics for that, and he seems to be OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: U.S. officials say that Saddam Hussein has expressed, however, his reluctance to have any surgical procedure for further diagnosis. That, we are told, might have been a biopsy procedure to once and for all rule out any possibility of cancer. But so far, Saddam Hussein has told the doctors that he does not want any type of further procedures.

And again, the Iraq minister talking a bit more about how Saddam Hussein is spending his days in captivity. Apparently, he does like the muffins and other food that he is being given. He is gardening a little bit, and he is reading the Koran, the Islamic holy book. But the minister said he personally wasn't impressed with that part of what Saddam Hussein is doing. Fredricka...

WHITFIELD: In fact, the minister has said he thought that that was a farce, that he was reading the Koran.

STARR: Indeed.

WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara Starr, thanks very much, from the Pentagon. Kyra...

PHILLIPS: It's another day of contrasts in Iraq. Secretary of State Colin Powell paid a surprise visit to Baghdad today, promising progress and money. But his trip came during deadly fighting in Fallujah. CNN's John Vause has more on both developments from the Iraqi capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amid a great deal of secrecy and a great deal of security, Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Baghdad -- and look at this -- wearing a bulletproof vest, as he met with U.S. troops as well as the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte.

From the airport, it was a short chopper ride to the Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy is. He held top level meetings today with U.S. officials as well as Iraqi officials, notably the new Iraqi president and the Iraqi deputy prime minister. It was after that meeting when Colin Powell held a press conference and he talked about the wave of kidnappings, mostly of foreign workers, and the impact that was having on getting international help for Iraq.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: These kinds of violent actions certainly do have a deterring effect with respect to nations providing troops or to progress with the reconstruction effort. But we have to keep them very much in perspective. These are criminals, these are murderers, these are terrorists who are killing innocent people who have come to Iraq to help the Iraqi people to a better life.

VAUSE: The U.S. secretary of state has also promised to speed up the spending of U.S. funds which have been allocated for job creation and reconstruction. The United States has set aside $18 billion for that. But so far, most of it has been unspent. Meantime, in Fallujah, a reminder for the secretary of state of just how dangerous this country remains -- a fierce firefight overnight between Iraqi militants and U.S. forces.

Doctors in Fallujah tell CNN 13 people were killed, 14 wounded. The U.S. military says marines manning a checkpoint on the eastern outskirts of Fallujah came under heavy fire from mortars and rocket- propelled grenades. They returned fire with tanks and artillery. But the battle escalated and they called in air strikes. A number of buildings were destroyed during those air strikes. There were no U.S. casualties.

John Vause, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: News around the world now. A suicide bomber hits the Israeli embassy in Uzbekistan. Two Uzbek security guards and the bomber are killed at the entrance to the embassy. A separate blast occurred near the American Embassy -- no injuries reported there.

At least 10 people killed, 200 others injured in a gas pipeline explosion in Belgium. The dead include firefighters and police who were responding to reports of a gas leak. The explosion happened after construction workers hit an underground gas line about 20 miles southeast of the capital, Brussels.

Pakistan's finance minister has survived an assassination attempt that killed six people and injured 22 others. Officials say Shauket Aziz escaped two blasts, one a suicide bombing near the capital, Islamabad. Aziz is set to become the country's prime minister. WHITFIELD: From populist outsider to Kerry booster, the topsy -- journey of Howard Dean. He joins us live to talk about where the Democrats and he will go from here. And promising pill -- a new treatment for people struggling with alcohol addiction. And it's one of the best films you've never seen -- big-hearted movie garners lots of awards while taking on a very tough issue. We'll talk with its amazing young star straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The judge in Kobe Bryant's rape case issues an apology for leaks of private information in the case. That comes as the NBA star returned to court today for one of the final hearings ahead of next month's scheduled start of his trial. CNN's Adrian Baschuk is outside the courtroom in Eagle, Colorado with more. Adrian...

ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN, EAGLE, COLORADO: Kyra, good afternoon. With just 29 days left to go to trial, the headline coming out of today's hearing isn't about a motion, an order, or DNA. It's from the judge, who's saying, "I'm sorry."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Judge Terry Ruckriegle offered his, quote, "sincere apology," to the people of Eagle County, the people of Colorado, and the people who have come here from far away for the mistake made by the courts this week. Wednesday, court officials accidentally released confidential information about Kobe Bryant's physical exam and revealed the alleged the victim's name -- the court's third mistake of this kind.

The accuser's attorney, John Clune, dismissed the judge's apology, calling it, quote, "insulting and self-serving remarks designed to improve his own image."

CRAIG SILVERMAN, FORMER DENVER DEPUTY D.A.: Should he have mentioned that he was specifically apologizing to the alleged victim? It did seem sort of unusual that he didn't utter those words.

BASCHUK: The court held confidential discussions this morning. They were expected to talk about the judge's release of 206 pages of sealed transcripts accidentally sent to media organizations in June, 19 pages already released, detailed charges by the defense that the accuser received $17,000 from the state's victims' compensation fund. Bryant's attorneys say this money was an incentive for the woman to lie about her encounter with the NBA star. Victims' advocates say the payment is justified.

CYNTHIA STONE, COAL. AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT: No one's ever made money off the victim compensation fund. All it is is just a reimbursement for some of the hard costs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASCHUK: Now, much of the $17,000, victim advocates say, is used for mental health counseling. Now, the defense says that that amount of money is extraordinary. However, the prosecutors point to the fact that this is a case carrying extraordinary circumstances, involving an internationally famed athlete, where the accuser has had to receive hundreds of death threats -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Adrian Baschuk live from Eagle, Colorado, thanks. Fred...

WHITFIELD: Well, in other news across America now, in Salt Lake City, Utah, police investigating the disappearance of 27-year-old Lori Hacking are taking a break in the search of the city's landfills. A police spokesman says no smoking gun evidence has been found. The young woman disappeared 10 days ago. Her husband remains hospitalized in a psychiatric ward.

Near Dallas, Texas, three people are dead and another is still missing after fierce rainstorms there caused major flooding. The storms dropped 13 inches of rain in some areas, and several bridges were washed out even, and many homes flooded. A local official says he expects searchers to find more dead as the cleanup goes on.

The weather is also a problem for residents of Greenville, South Carolina. Heavy storms caused thousands of residents to lose power. The National Weather Service says some areas got as much as 5 inches of rain overnight.

PHILLIPS: One down, one to go -- the Republicans' countdown to their convention. In a tight race, what will President Bush do to convince undecided voters? We're going to talk about it. And a movie with a message -- an African AIDS orphan turns hero in an award winning film. We'll talk with the movie's director about his heroic quest to get you to see the film, and we'll meet the young star of "Beat the Drum."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Critics have called the film "Beat the Drum" profoundly moving and spiritually uplifting. It's won top awards at several film festivals while tackling an extremely tough topic. The fictional film tells the story of the devastating problem in Africa through the eyes of a South African AIDS orphan. More than 12 million African children have been orphaned by the disease. Thirty million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are HIV positive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: There is a killer among us. It is killing our wives, our neighbors, and our children. It is HIV, AIDS.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And listen to this. The king of Swaziland was so impressed with the message of this film that he is encouraging all schoolchildren in his country to see it. But right now, the filmmakers are struggling to get Hollywood to make it available for American audiences. That's why we're going to talk about it. Joining us from Johannesburg, South Africa are the film's director David Hickson and its star, young actor Junior Singo. What a pleasure to have you both.

DAVID HICKSON, DIRECTOR, "BEAT THE DRUM": Thank you, Kyra. It's a pleasure to be here.

PHILLIPS: Well, there's a little bit of a delay, so we want to let our viewers know that. But David, let's start with you and talk about why you wanted to do this film.

HICKSON: OK, Kyra, as a filmmaker in South Africa, one finds oneself surrounded by so many problems that are so huge and that seem almost insurmountable that I wanted to make a film about something which would just bring the attention of the people around the world to the problems that we face, and to explore different cultures and see how different cultures can work together to tackle the problems that we face in this country.

And I was given the opportunity to do that with "Beat the Drum," when American producers David McBrayer, Karen Shapiro, and Rick Shaw came out to South Africa to make the film.

PHILLIPS: Well, Junior, you were just amazing in this film. I want to know how you came upon David, the project, and how did you get to audition for it?

JUNIOR SINGO, ACTOR: Well, what happened was, I didn't have an agency or anything like that. I wasn't even acting. So they were looking for a boy, and they couldn't find a boy. And my mother's in the industry, so she took me to this audition that I didn't know about, and I auditioned for it. But I didn't care if I was going to get the part or not. But OK, I went for the audition.

And after that, I went for callbacks. Then yeah, I got the part finally, and then everything was fine from there.

PHILLIPS: Well, Junior, from a cultural standpoint, what did you think you had to offer besides just good acting ability?

SINGO: Well, at first, I thought, OK, that's all I could offer, just acting. But then, I had to show my true emotions, to show the world like what AIDS is doing out there. And yeah, actually, change the world, yeah.

PHILLIPS: And you see how AIDS is affecting Africa. As a matter of fact, there's parts that are pretty disturbing. And now, in Swaziland, this is required viewing. David, is this just the beginning?

HICKSON: Well, we hope it's just the beginning because the film tells an emotional journey of somebody, and through that emotional journey really informs and educates people about the problems surrounding the AIDS and HIV issue in South Africa, and in the whole of Africa.

So we're hoping it's just a beginning and that the film will be seen wherever possible so that people can be informed about the problems that we're all facing across the globe. PHILLIPS: All right, let's take a look at a clip. Junior, this is you speaking with the village elder about how you have discovered what is plaguing your village in this film. Let's listen. It's extremely moving.

(MOVIE CLIP)

PHILLIPS: "Tell the people the truth, my lord." It's pretty amazing when you see the myths that go on in Africa, especially in the villages. Junior, I know you go to rallies now and you speak to children. What do you tell them about these myths and how AIDS is something that's got to be stopped and treated medically?

SINGO: I mean, like I say, I have to tell them the truth. I don't have to like read between the lines or anything. I have to tell them the truth. I mean, AIDS is out there, so I just have to tell it the way it is.

PHILLIPS: Well, you sure do tell it the way it is. You speak in the village language. There's only a little bit of subtitle, by the way, in the film, otherwise, it's in English. David, I want to ask you, when we talk about the myths, like when you saw this scene between Junior and the village elder, there were some disturbing scenes in there with regard to those myths -- for example, curing aids, you sleep with a virgin, child or curing aids, you sacrifice an animal.

Tell us about these myths and how you think this film helps educate people in Africa about AIDS?

HICKSON: Well, there are innumerable myths that surround HIV and AIDS in the whole of Africa, and it's the result of the clash of many cultures coming together, who all have different ideas, and different theories, and different beliefs. And each culture carries with it their own set of myths. It's a very complicated problem, because if one culture informs another culture that the myth is incorrect, they're going to be rejected out of hand because they're questioning cultural beliefs, which are very deep and very difficult to change.

We're hoping that a film like "Beat the Drum" will be able to get behind the myths and, through the emotions, touch people to reevaluate the myths and the things that they believe within their culture.

PHILLIPS: Junior, when you see so many kids your age in Africa orphaned by AIDS, how does that make you feel? How do you deal with that? How does it hit home with you?

SINGO: I just wish that the film earlier -- it hurts me inside. But we can still stop it, we can still stop it. We can work together and stop this.

PHILLIPS: Yeah, you make that point in the film. Junior Singo, David Hickson, what an incredible movie. I know it's going to be showing in Harlem, coming up this weekend. Also, the Web site, BeattheDrum.com. I encourage everybody to get on this Web site and see it. And we also want to know, David, if you get a distributor in the United States so we can talk about your film again. Is that a deal?

HICKSON: Absolutely. I'll be here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wonderful. David Hickson, Junior Singo, thank you so much. Junior, and you tell us about your next movie, OK, we'll be looking for you.

SINGO: OK, OK. OK, right after "Beat the Drum," I took the "Wooden Camera." Then, after that, OK, next month, I'm doing a movie in (UNINTELLIGIBLE), "The Trial." And yeah, that's all, yeah.

PHILLIPS: Junior Singo. All right, we'll be watching you both. We're going to take a quick break -- BeattheDrum.com, check it out. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired July 30, 2004 - 13:58   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN, (D), CONNECTICUT: We cannot let another attack succeed because of our own inaction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Urging call for action against terror. Will lawmakers make the massive changes called for in the 9/11 Report?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein's life behind bars -- an exclusive interview with the man who has paid him an official visit.

PHILLIPS: The challengers hit the road. What's their strategy for winning now that the convention love fest is over? Former candidate Howard Dean joins us live this hour.

WHITFIELD: And after cooking up delicious delights for America's presidents, a White House chef -- a pastry chef, in fact -- is hanging up his hat, but not before giving away some secret recipes. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Miles O'Brien is off.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now. Boston's behind them, 20-plus states, 3,500 miles lie ahead, and that's just in the next two weeks. It's all a wind up at the White House if John Kerry and John Edwards have their way. And they're about to ask a pumped up crowed of Pennsylvanians to make it happen. Scranton is their second post-convention campaign stop of the day; Boston Harbor was the first.

But given Pennsylvania's historic status as a battleground state, it's a very conventional choice -- conventional choice, I guess I should say. From Scranton, it's off to Harrisburg, then a Pittsburgh suburb where Kerry-Edwards will very nearly cross paths with George W. Bush.

The incumbent is coming out of his campaign hibernation with a two-day swing through Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, and as mentioned, Pennsylvania. From a morning stop in Springfield, the president proceeded to Grand Rapids, his 17th visit to a state he lost to Al Gore in 2000. In keeping with tradition, Bush stayed out of sight during his opponent's convention. Aides called it a working vacation.

Speed but not haste, those are the watchwords of the Senate panel that's working through the summer vacation on intelligence reform recommendations by the 9/11 investigators. CNN's Sean Callebs brings us up to date -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Indeed, the Senate committee says it is going to tackle what it considers the two most pressing and most complex issues: the creation of a national counter- terrorism center and appointing a national intelligence director to unify all 15 governmental agencies responsible for gathering intelligence.

Commission members continued their candid talk today, again warning that the U.S. is still dangerously vulnerable to a terrorist attack nearly three years after September 11, also in blunt terms, telling the senators that the intelligence community is not going to be able to do its job unless somebody, one person, is in charge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEE HAMILTON, 9/11 COMMISSION VICE CHAIRMAN: Intelligence doesn't usually come to you and say, "OK, the World Trade Center's going to be hit at 9 o'clock in the morning." That's not the kind of intelligence -- you might get that if you're lucky. Ordinarily, you'd get 15, or 20, or 30 pieces of information, and somebody's got to put it together, and somebody has to manage it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Commission members are also urging swift embrace of their recommendation for a massive overhaul of the way the U.S. gathers and shares its intelligence information. Members of the 9/11 Commission did thank lawmakers for their prompt attention to the report. Usually, lawmakers are just beginning a six-week summer recess right now.

But because of the urgency of the findings, both the Senate and House members will be holding hearings. However, Congress is making it clear it will not simply rubber stamp the litany of recommendations. Some senators are concerned about the call to make the national intelligence director a high level White House post.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMILTON: To be very candid about it, it is inconceivable to me that a president of the United States would want his highest national security priority handled somewhere else in the government that is not under his direct control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: The 9/11 Committee also says changes in government organization are important, but not enough to keep the country safe. Among the proposed changes they are pushing for -- tightening up border control. Fredricka, they say if the committee focuses attention on one area but neglects another, the country still remains at risk.

WHITFIELD: Sean Callebs in Washington, thanks very much. Interesting fact if you like to eat muffins and cookies, and the man accused of sending countless Iraqis to be tortured in prison is spending his own time behind bars, gardening, reading books, and writing letters. That's the firsthand account of Iraq's human rights minister. We get details now from CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello to you, Fredricka. U.S. officials are confirming many of the details provided by the Iraq human rights minister about the condition of Saddam Hussein -- his medical condition. Indeed, they say that Saddam Hussein is suffering from a few, perhaps, minor medical problems, the types of things that do happen to older men.

First of all, he does have a hernia, but the Iraqi human rights minister also confirms, as do U.S. officials, that Saddam Hussein is suffering from a recurring prostrate infection. Here's a bit of what the minister had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAKHTIAH AMIN, IRAQI HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER: He has certain health problems, but generally, his health condition is good. He has suffered from chronic prostrate infection. He got antibiotics for that, and he seems to be OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: U.S. officials say that Saddam Hussein has expressed, however, his reluctance to have any surgical procedure for further diagnosis. That, we are told, might have been a biopsy procedure to once and for all rule out any possibility of cancer. But so far, Saddam Hussein has told the doctors that he does not want any type of further procedures.

And again, the Iraq minister talking a bit more about how Saddam Hussein is spending his days in captivity. Apparently, he does like the muffins and other food that he is being given. He is gardening a little bit, and he is reading the Koran, the Islamic holy book. But the minister said he personally wasn't impressed with that part of what Saddam Hussein is doing. Fredricka...

WHITFIELD: In fact, the minister has said he thought that that was a farce, that he was reading the Koran.

STARR: Indeed.

WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara Starr, thanks very much, from the Pentagon. Kyra...

PHILLIPS: It's another day of contrasts in Iraq. Secretary of State Colin Powell paid a surprise visit to Baghdad today, promising progress and money. But his trip came during deadly fighting in Fallujah. CNN's John Vause has more on both developments from the Iraqi capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amid a great deal of secrecy and a great deal of security, Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Baghdad -- and look at this -- wearing a bulletproof vest, as he met with U.S. troops as well as the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte.

From the airport, it was a short chopper ride to the Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy is. He held top level meetings today with U.S. officials as well as Iraqi officials, notably the new Iraqi president and the Iraqi deputy prime minister. It was after that meeting when Colin Powell held a press conference and he talked about the wave of kidnappings, mostly of foreign workers, and the impact that was having on getting international help for Iraq.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: These kinds of violent actions certainly do have a deterring effect with respect to nations providing troops or to progress with the reconstruction effort. But we have to keep them very much in perspective. These are criminals, these are murderers, these are terrorists who are killing innocent people who have come to Iraq to help the Iraqi people to a better life.

VAUSE: The U.S. secretary of state has also promised to speed up the spending of U.S. funds which have been allocated for job creation and reconstruction. The United States has set aside $18 billion for that. But so far, most of it has been unspent. Meantime, in Fallujah, a reminder for the secretary of state of just how dangerous this country remains -- a fierce firefight overnight between Iraqi militants and U.S. forces.

Doctors in Fallujah tell CNN 13 people were killed, 14 wounded. The U.S. military says marines manning a checkpoint on the eastern outskirts of Fallujah came under heavy fire from mortars and rocket- propelled grenades. They returned fire with tanks and artillery. But the battle escalated and they called in air strikes. A number of buildings were destroyed during those air strikes. There were no U.S. casualties.

John Vause, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: News around the world now. A suicide bomber hits the Israeli embassy in Uzbekistan. Two Uzbek security guards and the bomber are killed at the entrance to the embassy. A separate blast occurred near the American Embassy -- no injuries reported there.

At least 10 people killed, 200 others injured in a gas pipeline explosion in Belgium. The dead include firefighters and police who were responding to reports of a gas leak. The explosion happened after construction workers hit an underground gas line about 20 miles southeast of the capital, Brussels.

Pakistan's finance minister has survived an assassination attempt that killed six people and injured 22 others. Officials say Shauket Aziz escaped two blasts, one a suicide bombing near the capital, Islamabad. Aziz is set to become the country's prime minister. WHITFIELD: From populist outsider to Kerry booster, the topsy -- journey of Howard Dean. He joins us live to talk about where the Democrats and he will go from here. And promising pill -- a new treatment for people struggling with alcohol addiction. And it's one of the best films you've never seen -- big-hearted movie garners lots of awards while taking on a very tough issue. We'll talk with its amazing young star straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The judge in Kobe Bryant's rape case issues an apology for leaks of private information in the case. That comes as the NBA star returned to court today for one of the final hearings ahead of next month's scheduled start of his trial. CNN's Adrian Baschuk is outside the courtroom in Eagle, Colorado with more. Adrian...

ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN, EAGLE, COLORADO: Kyra, good afternoon. With just 29 days left to go to trial, the headline coming out of today's hearing isn't about a motion, an order, or DNA. It's from the judge, who's saying, "I'm sorry."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Judge Terry Ruckriegle offered his, quote, "sincere apology," to the people of Eagle County, the people of Colorado, and the people who have come here from far away for the mistake made by the courts this week. Wednesday, court officials accidentally released confidential information about Kobe Bryant's physical exam and revealed the alleged the victim's name -- the court's third mistake of this kind.

The accuser's attorney, John Clune, dismissed the judge's apology, calling it, quote, "insulting and self-serving remarks designed to improve his own image."

CRAIG SILVERMAN, FORMER DENVER DEPUTY D.A.: Should he have mentioned that he was specifically apologizing to the alleged victim? It did seem sort of unusual that he didn't utter those words.

BASCHUK: The court held confidential discussions this morning. They were expected to talk about the judge's release of 206 pages of sealed transcripts accidentally sent to media organizations in June, 19 pages already released, detailed charges by the defense that the accuser received $17,000 from the state's victims' compensation fund. Bryant's attorneys say this money was an incentive for the woman to lie about her encounter with the NBA star. Victims' advocates say the payment is justified.

CYNTHIA STONE, COAL. AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT: No one's ever made money off the victim compensation fund. All it is is just a reimbursement for some of the hard costs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASCHUK: Now, much of the $17,000, victim advocates say, is used for mental health counseling. Now, the defense says that that amount of money is extraordinary. However, the prosecutors point to the fact that this is a case carrying extraordinary circumstances, involving an internationally famed athlete, where the accuser has had to receive hundreds of death threats -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Adrian Baschuk live from Eagle, Colorado, thanks. Fred...

WHITFIELD: Well, in other news across America now, in Salt Lake City, Utah, police investigating the disappearance of 27-year-old Lori Hacking are taking a break in the search of the city's landfills. A police spokesman says no smoking gun evidence has been found. The young woman disappeared 10 days ago. Her husband remains hospitalized in a psychiatric ward.

Near Dallas, Texas, three people are dead and another is still missing after fierce rainstorms there caused major flooding. The storms dropped 13 inches of rain in some areas, and several bridges were washed out even, and many homes flooded. A local official says he expects searchers to find more dead as the cleanup goes on.

The weather is also a problem for residents of Greenville, South Carolina. Heavy storms caused thousands of residents to lose power. The National Weather Service says some areas got as much as 5 inches of rain overnight.

PHILLIPS: One down, one to go -- the Republicans' countdown to their convention. In a tight race, what will President Bush do to convince undecided voters? We're going to talk about it. And a movie with a message -- an African AIDS orphan turns hero in an award winning film. We'll talk with the movie's director about his heroic quest to get you to see the film, and we'll meet the young star of "Beat the Drum."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Critics have called the film "Beat the Drum" profoundly moving and spiritually uplifting. It's won top awards at several film festivals while tackling an extremely tough topic. The fictional film tells the story of the devastating problem in Africa through the eyes of a South African AIDS orphan. More than 12 million African children have been orphaned by the disease. Thirty million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are HIV positive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: There is a killer among us. It is killing our wives, our neighbors, and our children. It is HIV, AIDS.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And listen to this. The king of Swaziland was so impressed with the message of this film that he is encouraging all schoolchildren in his country to see it. But right now, the filmmakers are struggling to get Hollywood to make it available for American audiences. That's why we're going to talk about it. Joining us from Johannesburg, South Africa are the film's director David Hickson and its star, young actor Junior Singo. What a pleasure to have you both.

DAVID HICKSON, DIRECTOR, "BEAT THE DRUM": Thank you, Kyra. It's a pleasure to be here.

PHILLIPS: Well, there's a little bit of a delay, so we want to let our viewers know that. But David, let's start with you and talk about why you wanted to do this film.

HICKSON: OK, Kyra, as a filmmaker in South Africa, one finds oneself surrounded by so many problems that are so huge and that seem almost insurmountable that I wanted to make a film about something which would just bring the attention of the people around the world to the problems that we face, and to explore different cultures and see how different cultures can work together to tackle the problems that we face in this country.

And I was given the opportunity to do that with "Beat the Drum," when American producers David McBrayer, Karen Shapiro, and Rick Shaw came out to South Africa to make the film.

PHILLIPS: Well, Junior, you were just amazing in this film. I want to know how you came upon David, the project, and how did you get to audition for it?

JUNIOR SINGO, ACTOR: Well, what happened was, I didn't have an agency or anything like that. I wasn't even acting. So they were looking for a boy, and they couldn't find a boy. And my mother's in the industry, so she took me to this audition that I didn't know about, and I auditioned for it. But I didn't care if I was going to get the part or not. But OK, I went for the audition.

And after that, I went for callbacks. Then yeah, I got the part finally, and then everything was fine from there.

PHILLIPS: Well, Junior, from a cultural standpoint, what did you think you had to offer besides just good acting ability?

SINGO: Well, at first, I thought, OK, that's all I could offer, just acting. But then, I had to show my true emotions, to show the world like what AIDS is doing out there. And yeah, actually, change the world, yeah.

PHILLIPS: And you see how AIDS is affecting Africa. As a matter of fact, there's parts that are pretty disturbing. And now, in Swaziland, this is required viewing. David, is this just the beginning?

HICKSON: Well, we hope it's just the beginning because the film tells an emotional journey of somebody, and through that emotional journey really informs and educates people about the problems surrounding the AIDS and HIV issue in South Africa, and in the whole of Africa.

So we're hoping it's just a beginning and that the film will be seen wherever possible so that people can be informed about the problems that we're all facing across the globe. PHILLIPS: All right, let's take a look at a clip. Junior, this is you speaking with the village elder about how you have discovered what is plaguing your village in this film. Let's listen. It's extremely moving.

(MOVIE CLIP)

PHILLIPS: "Tell the people the truth, my lord." It's pretty amazing when you see the myths that go on in Africa, especially in the villages. Junior, I know you go to rallies now and you speak to children. What do you tell them about these myths and how AIDS is something that's got to be stopped and treated medically?

SINGO: I mean, like I say, I have to tell them the truth. I don't have to like read between the lines or anything. I have to tell them the truth. I mean, AIDS is out there, so I just have to tell it the way it is.

PHILLIPS: Well, you sure do tell it the way it is. You speak in the village language. There's only a little bit of subtitle, by the way, in the film, otherwise, it's in English. David, I want to ask you, when we talk about the myths, like when you saw this scene between Junior and the village elder, there were some disturbing scenes in there with regard to those myths -- for example, curing aids, you sleep with a virgin, child or curing aids, you sacrifice an animal.

Tell us about these myths and how you think this film helps educate people in Africa about AIDS?

HICKSON: Well, there are innumerable myths that surround HIV and AIDS in the whole of Africa, and it's the result of the clash of many cultures coming together, who all have different ideas, and different theories, and different beliefs. And each culture carries with it their own set of myths. It's a very complicated problem, because if one culture informs another culture that the myth is incorrect, they're going to be rejected out of hand because they're questioning cultural beliefs, which are very deep and very difficult to change.

We're hoping that a film like "Beat the Drum" will be able to get behind the myths and, through the emotions, touch people to reevaluate the myths and the things that they believe within their culture.

PHILLIPS: Junior, when you see so many kids your age in Africa orphaned by AIDS, how does that make you feel? How do you deal with that? How does it hit home with you?

SINGO: I just wish that the film earlier -- it hurts me inside. But we can still stop it, we can still stop it. We can work together and stop this.

PHILLIPS: Yeah, you make that point in the film. Junior Singo, David Hickson, what an incredible movie. I know it's going to be showing in Harlem, coming up this weekend. Also, the Web site, BeattheDrum.com. I encourage everybody to get on this Web site and see it. And we also want to know, David, if you get a distributor in the United States so we can talk about your film again. Is that a deal?

HICKSON: Absolutely. I'll be here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Wonderful. David Hickson, Junior Singo, thank you so much. Junior, and you tell us about your next movie, OK, we'll be looking for you.

SINGO: OK, OK. OK, right after "Beat the Drum," I took the "Wooden Camera." Then, after that, OK, next month, I'm doing a movie in (UNINTELLIGIBLE), "The Trial." And yeah, that's all, yeah.

PHILLIPS: Junior Singo. All right, we'll be watching you both. We're going to take a quick break -- BeattheDrum.com, check it out. We'll be right back.

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