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Bush Visits New Hampshire on Way to Convention; RNC Reaches out to Moderates, Undecideds; Rapid Response from DNC

Aired August 30, 2004 - 13:59   ET

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

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


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Not exactly a stop the presses moment, but while that was being crossed off the Republicans to do list in New York City, the candidate was in New Hampshire, a state known both for conservatism and stubborn independence. You know the license plates there: "Live Free or Die."
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is there.

Hello, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, Miles.

President Bush, of course, kicking off a big move towards the convention. The key strategy here is to highlight those items on those agenda in critical states.

New Hampshire, as you know, is known for its fierce independence. President Bush won this state in 2000 by just one percent of the vote, 7,000 votes.

Now, despite the fact this state is historically conservative, as well as Republican, campaign aides believe that the biggest challenge here is going to win over those undecided and mobilize those independent votes. Now, the tragedy here is to capitalize the fact that the voters here in New Hampshire neither like to be taxed nor like big government.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, thank you very much -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the platform may lean sharply to the right, but the podium at this year's RNC is middle of the road, at least in primetime. Opening night speakers include former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, and firebrand U.S. senator, John McCain, both of whom have had their differences with the grand old party.

CNN's grand but not old Bob Franklin (sic) -- Bob Franken, rather, on the -- darn it, I had the first part there, and then I stumble over your name, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I was starting to like it.

PHILLIPS: This is the first time I have seen you laugh this hard in a long time. God bless America. Nice pink -- are those pink seats behind you there, fuchsia? FRANKEN: So they are. So they are.

PHILLIPS: Nice.

FRANKEN: Only you would notice that. Yes, it is a fashion statement.

PHILLIPS: It's a big fashion statement. And you look great.

FRANKEN: Right now, we are hearing on the platform from Victor Carrillo, who is the Texas Railroad commissioner. We're sort of at that stage of events.

As far as what has been going on here today, well, first of all, the party platform you referred to, one that had generated some controversy as it was being drawn up, generated none here today. It will not surprise you that it was approved very, very easily.

And, of course, there's no controversy over the nominees of this party, at least not in this hall. The nominees, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, have been put out. The final votes will be concluded on Wednesday night.

We all know the result. We all know what is coming up next.

We have Senator John McCain, who is going to be making his speech tonight, along with Rudy Giuliani. McCain, who seems to have reconciled his differences, at least now, with George Bush. And this will go on.

Vice President Cheney was in the hall while the nominations were going on, by the way, doing a little bit of planning (ph). It's not usually the kind of term you hear when you hear Dick Cheney, but that's what he was doing here.

He will be back on Wednesday night to make his speech, his acceptance speech. Then Thursday night, the president, George W. Bush, hoping for a bounce that gets him out of here and with some sort of edge in what promises to be a very rugged fight in the fall for the election -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Bob, talk to us a little bit about the expectations going on there at the convention. The Republicans, how are they feeling right now? They feel they have a little bit of an -- more of an edge, I guess, in the past few days, past few weeks?

FRANKEN: Well, right now, the polls seem to be trending slightly towards George W. Bush, but everybody is aware here that this is going to be a particularly hard-fought contest. So don't think that you'll see much over-confidence. But what you are hearing now is the belief that they are going to be able to beat the Democrat, but not without a hard fight.

PHILLIPS: All right. Bob Franken live from the floor there with a fuchsia seat background. All about the -- the ambience, the color. We'll check in with you. Thanks, Bob. All right. And stay with CNN tonight for a special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360," 7:00 p.m. Eastern, followed by "America Votes 2004" at 8:00 Eastern and "LARRY KING LIVE" from Madison Square Garden, 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 p.m. in the West.

O'BRIEN: All right. So Zell Miller at Ed Koch's side. It's Democrats' turn for a week below the radar, right? Well, not exactly.

As Republicans did at the DNC, Democrats have set up truth squads -- their term -- to put out lightning-fast responses to Republicans slurs or what they perceive to be slurs. Nor have the Democratic candidates themselves gone into seclusion. And CNN's Kelly Wallace is following all this from her vantage point at the RNC -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, you know, you talk about that rapid response. The Kerry-Edwards team already sending out a whole slew of e-mails. And this Republican National Convention just a few hours old. And as you said, these Democratic candidates also not quite ceding the spotlight.

Just a short time ago, the Democrats dispatched John Edwards, the vice presidential candidate, to give a major, what they call a major foreign policy speech in North Carolina. Something Democrats are seizing on today, they are seizing on an interview the president did with NBC's "Today Show."

Matt Lauer of NBC asking the president if he thought the war on terror could be won. And the president saying, "I don't think you can win it." Well, here's what John Edwards said about that just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When it comes to how America fights terror and leads the world, make no mistake, this election offers the American people a very real choice. We believe -- we believe, John Kerry and I -- that this war is winnable. They don't. And that is a difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: The Democratic presidential candidate himself, John Kerry, is pretty much staying out of the spotlight, enjoying some R&R up in Nantucket, Massachusetts. However, he will be doing one campaign event on Wednesday, speaking before the American Legion in Tennessee. And this is sort of breaking tradition, because President Bush, during John Kerry's convention, pretty much stayed out of the spotlight, stayed at his Crawford, Texas, ranch home.

When Kerry advisers -- we asked Kerry advisers about this. They said the senator was invited to speak so he is going. They also say that in years past, namely in 1996, Bill Clinton and Bob Dole were each out campaigning during the other's convention.

So that's a look at hat the Democrats will be doing during this week when the Republicans are on center stage -- Miles. O'BRIEN: Tell us a little bit more about these truth squads, Kelly. Are they going to be roaming the halls of the Madison Square Garden, correcting things as they happen? Or is it something different than that.

WALLACE: Well, it's -- as you said, you talked about they named it a truth squad. But they set up a war room. It's about seven or eight blocks from Madison Square Garden, again, just like the Republicans did during the Democratic National Convention.

And the theme on the part of the Democrats, they are saying "Mission not accomplished." They are playing on that banner we all know from last year, when the president was standing on that naval carrier, talking about operations in Iraq. Well, they are saying the mission is not accomplished when it comes to health care and the economy.

Most of it is done by e-mail. I mean, we all get zapped with hundreds and hundreds of e-mails every day. So you'll be getting e- mails, you'll be getting phone calls. They are doing daily conference calls with reporters to try to get the Democratic message out.

This is something the Republicans did, as well. And they are also putting out their surrogates. So you will see some Democrats throughout the halls. And they will be appearing on television programs, again, to try to get the Kerry-Edwards message out this week -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. Wherever it comes from, whether it's in person, on the air, or through the blackberry, Kelly Wallace is there to give it to us. Thank you very much -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Other news across America now begins with a frightening site in northwestern Montana. Two men aboard this small plane were killed when it crashed into a house yesterday. The family that lives there was not at home. It was -- it, too, was killed in the accident.

Now, picking up the pieces after Tropical Gaston, some 80,000 people in South Carolina are still without power. Governor Mark Sanford flew over the hardest hit areas today and got some welcome news. Early damage estimates for $53 million may be too high.

Multi-homer odyssey Barry Bonds hit a pair of long homeruns in last night's San Francisco Giants win over the Braves in Atlanta. That gives him 696 homers in his career. The slugger may get the chance to break that lofty 700 mark today as the Giants play the Braves again.

Indulge in chocolate and open an artery. Scientists say eating dark chocolate helps blood vessels function better. The say it improves the blood flow. But don't race down the candy aisle just yet. Nutritionists say if you eat too much, of course, it may counteract the positive effects.

O'BRIEN: So just what did accused murder Scott Peterson have on his computer hard drive? An expert will take the stand. We're live from the trial straight ahead.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Lawrence, live outside the courthouse in Eagle, Colorado, where a jury is beginning to take shape in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case.

O'BRIEN: And that rebel cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, promises to lay down his arms, but he may have already won his personal war in Iraq. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Trying to impanel an impartial jury in the Kobe Bryant case, lawyers for both sides are questioning the jury pool in a closed-door session. And today, we're getting a glimpse of the questionnaire that they responded to. Our Chris Lawrence is in Eagle, Colorado, with the details.

What does it say, Chris?

LAWRENCE: Well, Kyra, right now, the court has been closed to the public. And privately, those attorneys are asking these potential jurors to explain their answers to what could be some very personal questions, including specifically such things as, how do you know the accuser, or do you have any experience with sexual assault?

Now, they have already filled out those 82 answers to the questionnaire, the jury questionnaire. And some of the questions included in that questionnaire include, "Do you think people who make a lot of money are treated better in the court system?"

Another question, "Have you ever been afraid of or had a negative experience with an African-American?" A third question, "Which of the following describes your opinion of professional basketball players?" And they're given a choice, ranging from very positive to very negative.

Now, they were also shown a list of potential witnesses and asked if and how they knew them. Of the 300 people who filled out those questionnaire Friday, over the weekend the attorneys got together and eliminated about a hundred of them. So these are the people who are coming back now for their private questioning behind closed doors. This process will continue probably for the next few days and then be opened up again to the media and the public probably come Thursday -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Chris Lawrence following the Kobe Bryant case. We'll check in with you later. Thanks -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: They're calling back the IT guy in another high-profile legal case. Scott Peterson's murder trial in California is, of course, what we're talking about. A computer expert resuming his testimony today about what he discovered on Peterson's hard drive.

Now, outside the courthouse in Redwood City, our Rusty Dornin is live with details.

Hello, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, yes, more computer searches this morning about Scott -- he had four different computers at home, and also at the office. And these are talking about the searches that Peterson conducted on those computers in early December and on December 24.

Prosecutors are contending that Peterson only began searching for a boat and fishing information the day after Amber Frey's friend confronted him with the fact that he was married. Now, the defense says that's not true, that one of the Web pages shows December 5. That was at least two days before Peterson was confronted.

Also, the computer expert admitted on the stand that on the December 24 searches, there was one search in the morning from about 8:30 to 8:45. Apparently, the expert says there isn't any way for him to know who actually logged on to that computer.

The defense is implying that possibly Laci Peterson herself logged on to that computer. There was a search for an umbrella stand and also a scarf. So, at this point, either side may not be able to determine who conducted that search.

We are expecting that computer expert to finish up on the stand within the next hour or so, and then the wiretap investigator, Steve Jacobson, he'll be back. We may hear some more tapes of wiretap recordings from the police department, and then the judge says we'll be going on to dog tracking and then perhaps to GPS. That's when they put the GPS device on Scott Peterson's truck in early February of last year -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Rusty Dornin in Redwood City, thank you very much.

An Afghanistan bombing. Americans are among the dead and the Taliban claims responsibility. Is the group that harbored Osama bin Laden making a comeback? We'll talk about that after a break.

FRED KATAYAMA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Would you choose to stay at your current job if you didn't have to? Some workers are saying yes. I'll have that report next.

TUCKER CARLSON, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": I'm Tucker Carlson, live in New York. Tonight's RNC marquis draw: John McCain joins Judy Woodruff today at 3:00 for a special 90-minute edition of "INSIDE POLITICS." Hear his take on the state of the race.

Then, will Rudy Giuliani and John McCain really help Bush? Join me, Tucker Carlson, at 4:30 today with James Carville, as we debate the convention. See you then.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Cautioning Americans in Afghanistan. The U.S. embassy in Kabul is now warning Americans living and working in Afghanistan to be vigilant and observe strict security measures.

Nine people were killed yesterday in an explosion targeting the DynCorp security company. At least three of the dead are Americans. The Taliban is reportedly claiming responsibility for that attack. Are they regrouping?

Let's talk about it more with our military intelligence analyst, Ken Robinson. He's in Washington.

Ken, first, let's give viewers a little 101 on DynCorp. A very important organization, training police there, and also providing protection for the acting president.

KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: DynCorp is a major security corporation with a lot of government contracts. Much of their security work around the world, they work under the supervision of the Diplomatic Security Service of the State Department, as well as commercial clients. And, yes, it shows that even the most secure can be vulnerable when a terrorist gets to choose the time and the place.

PHILLIPS: So give us a Taliban reality check. You have been back to Afghanistan a number of times. How -- are they regrouping? Did they never stop growing? Talk to us about training, where the Taliban is the strongest right now.

ROBINSON: They are strongest in the south, in an area, the Zabul (ph) district in southern Afghanistan. And they correspond in their strength in an area which is very near the Pakistan border, where they've received refuge in that area of southern Waziristan, where they believe that remnants of al Qaeda have been held up, and a lot of Arab foreign fighters.

There's also another organization called the Hig, H-I-G, hig which is after a man named Hekmaktiar (ph), who was one of the guys that Osama bin Laden studied at the feet of in terms of being an Afghan terrorists. And these groups have been gaining strength in the south. And they threaten the elections in October.

PHILLIPS: What about Osama bin Laden? Leading these efforts, somehow working behind the scenes, or not involved?

ROBINSON: You know, there's no real way to know other than his ideology may be motivating people. The belief is that he personally is too involved in his own personal security to be commanding and controlling any insurgent activity in Afghanistan. And most of the warlords in that group never disarmed and re-integrated back in.

About 6,000 militias have turned in their weapons and re- integrated back in to other jobs. But most warlords still maintain their weapons. And it's one of the great challenges to the central government as they move to presidential elections on October 9. PHILLIPS: Do you think those elections are at stake? Do you think that that's probably the next prime target for the Taliban?

ROBINSON: Well, it certainly is a target for any insurgent who believes that lawlessness is the way forward. About nine million Afghans have registered to vote, 41 percent of them are women. And a democracy threatens an older institution and way of life, which is the tribal rule of law.

So Karzai doesn't have his own militia. He has an army. His army has about 13,000 people in it, and his police, they think are going to have about 30,000 come election time. And so, yes, the insurgent groups and the terrorist groups are going to challenge that transition to democracy.

PHILLIPS: All right. Since we have you, Ken, let's just hit one question here with regard to Muqtada al-Sadr and the future of Najaf and other parts of Iraq. Specifically, that region, though.

Now that he's come forward, asked his militia to lay down their arms, apparently he reached some sort of peace deal with the Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani. Is he going to go away? Is he going to slowly sort of leak out of the picture now?

ROBINSON: Well, in the short term, it looks like he's won. His strategy won, and that was to create an Alamo situation where he could defend from, which was the holiest shrine to Shia Islam.

It's doubtful that his Mehdi militia, who some call an army, will disband, because they are really not a formal army. Most of these individuals came to jihad on a call, and they own their own weapons. And it's very unlikely that they will dismantle their weapons and their ability to secure themselves.

Sadr is going to try to join the political process, but he may fall by way of suicide or assassination, like many others before him in the Shia community. He challenged the great Grand Ayatollah Sistani. And there's no telling how this is going to play out now that it's Iraqi on Iraqi.

PHILLIPS: Military intelligence analyst Ken Robinson. Thanks, Ken.

ROBINSON: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Some workers are choosing to hold on to their jobs and not seek new ones, even as the economy strengthens.

PHILLIPS: Fred Katayama live from the New York Stock Exchange with that report.

Hi, Fred.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: New accusation against the so-called poster child of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. Private Jeremy Sivits, the only guard to plead guilty so far, testified that Lynndie England stomped on the fingers and toes of Iraqi prisoners. The Sivits statements to military investigators earlier this year did not mention England.

A court-martial under way for a National Guard soldier at Fort Lewis in Washington State. Ryan Anderson is accused of trying to give military information to al Qaeda. Key evidence, a videotape showing Anderson sharing information with agents who posed as al Qaeda operatives. Anderson has pleaded not guilty.

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 August 30, 2004 - 13:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Not exactly a stop the presses moment, but while that was being crossed off the Republicans to do list in New York City, the candidate was in New Hampshire, a state known both for conservatism and stubborn independence. You know the license plates there: "Live Free or Die."
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is there.

Hello, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, Miles.

President Bush, of course, kicking off a big move towards the convention. The key strategy here is to highlight those items on those agenda in critical states.

New Hampshire, as you know, is known for its fierce independence. President Bush won this state in 2000 by just one percent of the vote, 7,000 votes.

Now, despite the fact this state is historically conservative, as well as Republican, campaign aides believe that the biggest challenge here is going to win over those undecided and mobilize those independent votes. Now, the tragedy here is to capitalize the fact that the voters here in New Hampshire neither like to be taxed nor like big government.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux, thank you very much -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the platform may lean sharply to the right, but the podium at this year's RNC is middle of the road, at least in primetime. Opening night speakers include former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, and firebrand U.S. senator, John McCain, both of whom have had their differences with the grand old party.

CNN's grand but not old Bob Franklin (sic) -- Bob Franken, rather, on the -- darn it, I had the first part there, and then I stumble over your name, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I was starting to like it.

PHILLIPS: This is the first time I have seen you laugh this hard in a long time. God bless America. Nice pink -- are those pink seats behind you there, fuchsia? FRANKEN: So they are. So they are.

PHILLIPS: Nice.

FRANKEN: Only you would notice that. Yes, it is a fashion statement.

PHILLIPS: It's a big fashion statement. And you look great.

FRANKEN: Right now, we are hearing on the platform from Victor Carrillo, who is the Texas Railroad commissioner. We're sort of at that stage of events.

As far as what has been going on here today, well, first of all, the party platform you referred to, one that had generated some controversy as it was being drawn up, generated none here today. It will not surprise you that it was approved very, very easily.

And, of course, there's no controversy over the nominees of this party, at least not in this hall. The nominees, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, have been put out. The final votes will be concluded on Wednesday night.

We all know the result. We all know what is coming up next.

We have Senator John McCain, who is going to be making his speech tonight, along with Rudy Giuliani. McCain, who seems to have reconciled his differences, at least now, with George Bush. And this will go on.

Vice President Cheney was in the hall while the nominations were going on, by the way, doing a little bit of planning (ph). It's not usually the kind of term you hear when you hear Dick Cheney, but that's what he was doing here.

He will be back on Wednesday night to make his speech, his acceptance speech. Then Thursday night, the president, George W. Bush, hoping for a bounce that gets him out of here and with some sort of edge in what promises to be a very rugged fight in the fall for the election -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Bob, talk to us a little bit about the expectations going on there at the convention. The Republicans, how are they feeling right now? They feel they have a little bit of an -- more of an edge, I guess, in the past few days, past few weeks?

FRANKEN: Well, right now, the polls seem to be trending slightly towards George W. Bush, but everybody is aware here that this is going to be a particularly hard-fought contest. So don't think that you'll see much over-confidence. But what you are hearing now is the belief that they are going to be able to beat the Democrat, but not without a hard fight.

PHILLIPS: All right. Bob Franken live from the floor there with a fuchsia seat background. All about the -- the ambience, the color. We'll check in with you. Thanks, Bob. All right. And stay with CNN tonight for a special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360," 7:00 p.m. Eastern, followed by "America Votes 2004" at 8:00 Eastern and "LARRY KING LIVE" from Madison Square Garden, 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 p.m. in the West.

O'BRIEN: All right. So Zell Miller at Ed Koch's side. It's Democrats' turn for a week below the radar, right? Well, not exactly.

As Republicans did at the DNC, Democrats have set up truth squads -- their term -- to put out lightning-fast responses to Republicans slurs or what they perceive to be slurs. Nor have the Democratic candidates themselves gone into seclusion. And CNN's Kelly Wallace is following all this from her vantage point at the RNC -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, you know, you talk about that rapid response. The Kerry-Edwards team already sending out a whole slew of e-mails. And this Republican National Convention just a few hours old. And as you said, these Democratic candidates also not quite ceding the spotlight.

Just a short time ago, the Democrats dispatched John Edwards, the vice presidential candidate, to give a major, what they call a major foreign policy speech in North Carolina. Something Democrats are seizing on today, they are seizing on an interview the president did with NBC's "Today Show."

Matt Lauer of NBC asking the president if he thought the war on terror could be won. And the president saying, "I don't think you can win it." Well, here's what John Edwards said about that just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When it comes to how America fights terror and leads the world, make no mistake, this election offers the American people a very real choice. We believe -- we believe, John Kerry and I -- that this war is winnable. They don't. And that is a difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: The Democratic presidential candidate himself, John Kerry, is pretty much staying out of the spotlight, enjoying some R&R up in Nantucket, Massachusetts. However, he will be doing one campaign event on Wednesday, speaking before the American Legion in Tennessee. And this is sort of breaking tradition, because President Bush, during John Kerry's convention, pretty much stayed out of the spotlight, stayed at his Crawford, Texas, ranch home.

When Kerry advisers -- we asked Kerry advisers about this. They said the senator was invited to speak so he is going. They also say that in years past, namely in 1996, Bill Clinton and Bob Dole were each out campaigning during the other's convention.

So that's a look at hat the Democrats will be doing during this week when the Republicans are on center stage -- Miles. O'BRIEN: Tell us a little bit more about these truth squads, Kelly. Are they going to be roaming the halls of the Madison Square Garden, correcting things as they happen? Or is it something different than that.

WALLACE: Well, it's -- as you said, you talked about they named it a truth squad. But they set up a war room. It's about seven or eight blocks from Madison Square Garden, again, just like the Republicans did during the Democratic National Convention.

And the theme on the part of the Democrats, they are saying "Mission not accomplished." They are playing on that banner we all know from last year, when the president was standing on that naval carrier, talking about operations in Iraq. Well, they are saying the mission is not accomplished when it comes to health care and the economy.

Most of it is done by e-mail. I mean, we all get zapped with hundreds and hundreds of e-mails every day. So you'll be getting e- mails, you'll be getting phone calls. They are doing daily conference calls with reporters to try to get the Democratic message out.

This is something the Republicans did, as well. And they are also putting out their surrogates. So you will see some Democrats throughout the halls. And they will be appearing on television programs, again, to try to get the Kerry-Edwards message out this week -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. Wherever it comes from, whether it's in person, on the air, or through the blackberry, Kelly Wallace is there to give it to us. Thank you very much -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Other news across America now begins with a frightening site in northwestern Montana. Two men aboard this small plane were killed when it crashed into a house yesterday. The family that lives there was not at home. It was -- it, too, was killed in the accident.

Now, picking up the pieces after Tropical Gaston, some 80,000 people in South Carolina are still without power. Governor Mark Sanford flew over the hardest hit areas today and got some welcome news. Early damage estimates for $53 million may be too high.

Multi-homer odyssey Barry Bonds hit a pair of long homeruns in last night's San Francisco Giants win over the Braves in Atlanta. That gives him 696 homers in his career. The slugger may get the chance to break that lofty 700 mark today as the Giants play the Braves again.

Indulge in chocolate and open an artery. Scientists say eating dark chocolate helps blood vessels function better. The say it improves the blood flow. But don't race down the candy aisle just yet. Nutritionists say if you eat too much, of course, it may counteract the positive effects.

O'BRIEN: So just what did accused murder Scott Peterson have on his computer hard drive? An expert will take the stand. We're live from the trial straight ahead.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Lawrence, live outside the courthouse in Eagle, Colorado, where a jury is beginning to take shape in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case.

O'BRIEN: And that rebel cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, promises to lay down his arms, but he may have already won his personal war in Iraq. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Trying to impanel an impartial jury in the Kobe Bryant case, lawyers for both sides are questioning the jury pool in a closed-door session. And today, we're getting a glimpse of the questionnaire that they responded to. Our Chris Lawrence is in Eagle, Colorado, with the details.

What does it say, Chris?

LAWRENCE: Well, Kyra, right now, the court has been closed to the public. And privately, those attorneys are asking these potential jurors to explain their answers to what could be some very personal questions, including specifically such things as, how do you know the accuser, or do you have any experience with sexual assault?

Now, they have already filled out those 82 answers to the questionnaire, the jury questionnaire. And some of the questions included in that questionnaire include, "Do you think people who make a lot of money are treated better in the court system?"

Another question, "Have you ever been afraid of or had a negative experience with an African-American?" A third question, "Which of the following describes your opinion of professional basketball players?" And they're given a choice, ranging from very positive to very negative.

Now, they were also shown a list of potential witnesses and asked if and how they knew them. Of the 300 people who filled out those questionnaire Friday, over the weekend the attorneys got together and eliminated about a hundred of them. So these are the people who are coming back now for their private questioning behind closed doors. This process will continue probably for the next few days and then be opened up again to the media and the public probably come Thursday -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Chris Lawrence following the Kobe Bryant case. We'll check in with you later. Thanks -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: They're calling back the IT guy in another high-profile legal case. Scott Peterson's murder trial in California is, of course, what we're talking about. A computer expert resuming his testimony today about what he discovered on Peterson's hard drive.

Now, outside the courthouse in Redwood City, our Rusty Dornin is live with details.

Hello, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, yes, more computer searches this morning about Scott -- he had four different computers at home, and also at the office. And these are talking about the searches that Peterson conducted on those computers in early December and on December 24.

Prosecutors are contending that Peterson only began searching for a boat and fishing information the day after Amber Frey's friend confronted him with the fact that he was married. Now, the defense says that's not true, that one of the Web pages shows December 5. That was at least two days before Peterson was confronted.

Also, the computer expert admitted on the stand that on the December 24 searches, there was one search in the morning from about 8:30 to 8:45. Apparently, the expert says there isn't any way for him to know who actually logged on to that computer.

The defense is implying that possibly Laci Peterson herself logged on to that computer. There was a search for an umbrella stand and also a scarf. So, at this point, either side may not be able to determine who conducted that search.

We are expecting that computer expert to finish up on the stand within the next hour or so, and then the wiretap investigator, Steve Jacobson, he'll be back. We may hear some more tapes of wiretap recordings from the police department, and then the judge says we'll be going on to dog tracking and then perhaps to GPS. That's when they put the GPS device on Scott Peterson's truck in early February of last year -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Rusty Dornin in Redwood City, thank you very much.

An Afghanistan bombing. Americans are among the dead and the Taliban claims responsibility. Is the group that harbored Osama bin Laden making a comeback? We'll talk about that after a break.

FRED KATAYAMA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Would you choose to stay at your current job if you didn't have to? Some workers are saying yes. I'll have that report next.

TUCKER CARLSON, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": I'm Tucker Carlson, live in New York. Tonight's RNC marquis draw: John McCain joins Judy Woodruff today at 3:00 for a special 90-minute edition of "INSIDE POLITICS." Hear his take on the state of the race.

Then, will Rudy Giuliani and John McCain really help Bush? Join me, Tucker Carlson, at 4:30 today with James Carville, as we debate the convention. See you then.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Cautioning Americans in Afghanistan. The U.S. embassy in Kabul is now warning Americans living and working in Afghanistan to be vigilant and observe strict security measures.

Nine people were killed yesterday in an explosion targeting the DynCorp security company. At least three of the dead are Americans. The Taliban is reportedly claiming responsibility for that attack. Are they regrouping?

Let's talk about it more with our military intelligence analyst, Ken Robinson. He's in Washington.

Ken, first, let's give viewers a little 101 on DynCorp. A very important organization, training police there, and also providing protection for the acting president.

KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: DynCorp is a major security corporation with a lot of government contracts. Much of their security work around the world, they work under the supervision of the Diplomatic Security Service of the State Department, as well as commercial clients. And, yes, it shows that even the most secure can be vulnerable when a terrorist gets to choose the time and the place.

PHILLIPS: So give us a Taliban reality check. You have been back to Afghanistan a number of times. How -- are they regrouping? Did they never stop growing? Talk to us about training, where the Taliban is the strongest right now.

ROBINSON: They are strongest in the south, in an area, the Zabul (ph) district in southern Afghanistan. And they correspond in their strength in an area which is very near the Pakistan border, where they've received refuge in that area of southern Waziristan, where they believe that remnants of al Qaeda have been held up, and a lot of Arab foreign fighters.

There's also another organization called the Hig, H-I-G, hig which is after a man named Hekmaktiar (ph), who was one of the guys that Osama bin Laden studied at the feet of in terms of being an Afghan terrorists. And these groups have been gaining strength in the south. And they threaten the elections in October.

PHILLIPS: What about Osama bin Laden? Leading these efforts, somehow working behind the scenes, or not involved?

ROBINSON: You know, there's no real way to know other than his ideology may be motivating people. The belief is that he personally is too involved in his own personal security to be commanding and controlling any insurgent activity in Afghanistan. And most of the warlords in that group never disarmed and re-integrated back in.

About 6,000 militias have turned in their weapons and re- integrated back in to other jobs. But most warlords still maintain their weapons. And it's one of the great challenges to the central government as they move to presidential elections on October 9. PHILLIPS: Do you think those elections are at stake? Do you think that that's probably the next prime target for the Taliban?

ROBINSON: Well, it certainly is a target for any insurgent who believes that lawlessness is the way forward. About nine million Afghans have registered to vote, 41 percent of them are women. And a democracy threatens an older institution and way of life, which is the tribal rule of law.

So Karzai doesn't have his own militia. He has an army. His army has about 13,000 people in it, and his police, they think are going to have about 30,000 come election time. And so, yes, the insurgent groups and the terrorist groups are going to challenge that transition to democracy.

PHILLIPS: All right. Since we have you, Ken, let's just hit one question here with regard to Muqtada al-Sadr and the future of Najaf and other parts of Iraq. Specifically, that region, though.

Now that he's come forward, asked his militia to lay down their arms, apparently he reached some sort of peace deal with the Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani. Is he going to go away? Is he going to slowly sort of leak out of the picture now?

ROBINSON: Well, in the short term, it looks like he's won. His strategy won, and that was to create an Alamo situation where he could defend from, which was the holiest shrine to Shia Islam.

It's doubtful that his Mehdi militia, who some call an army, will disband, because they are really not a formal army. Most of these individuals came to jihad on a call, and they own their own weapons. And it's very unlikely that they will dismantle their weapons and their ability to secure themselves.

Sadr is going to try to join the political process, but he may fall by way of suicide or assassination, like many others before him in the Shia community. He challenged the great Grand Ayatollah Sistani. And there's no telling how this is going to play out now that it's Iraqi on Iraqi.

PHILLIPS: Military intelligence analyst Ken Robinson. Thanks, Ken.

ROBINSON: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Some workers are choosing to hold on to their jobs and not seek new ones, even as the economy strengthens.

PHILLIPS: Fred Katayama live from the New York Stock Exchange with that report.

Hi, Fred.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: New accusation against the so-called poster child of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. Private Jeremy Sivits, the only guard to plead guilty so far, testified that Lynndie England stomped on the fingers and toes of Iraqi prisoners. The Sivits statements to military investigators earlier this year did not mention England.

A court-martial under way for a National Guard soldier at Fort Lewis in Washington State. Ryan Anderson is accused of trying to give military information to al Qaeda. Key evidence, a videotape showing Anderson sharing information with agents who posed as al Qaeda operatives. Anderson has pleaded not guilty.

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