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Documentary Looks at Forces Shaping Saudi Arabia; Tuskegee Airmen Celebrated 60th Anniversary; Jude Law Stars in "Alfie" Remake

Aired November 05, 2004 - 14:30   ET

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

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


MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Welcome back. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is LIVE FROM, and I'm Miles O'Brien.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: And I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's what's all new this half hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHEIK ASSIM AL-HAKEEM, MUSLIM CLERIC: Islam tells you that women should stay away from men so that forbidden things may not happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Islam inside Saudi Arabia. Our Nic Robertson previews a fascinating look at a kingdom on the brink.

O'BRIEN: And fighting for America. Years ago the Tuskegee airmen helped liberate Europe in World War II. Today they have another reason to celebrate heroics. We'll talk with one of the flyers, the man named A-Train, in just a moment.

But first, here's what's happening now in the news.

PHILLIPS: U.S. forces on the outskirts of Fallujah preparing for the next phase in their battle against insurgents in the rebel-held city. Iraq's U.S. appointed prime minister, Ayad Allawi, says the window is closing for what he calls a peaceful settlement. U.S. warplanes continued to hit targets in that city overnight.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat remains in a coma at a French military hospital. One official describes his condition as stable. U.S. sources say he's being kept alive by machines, but Palestinian officials dismiss that, calling them baseless. The PLO representative in Paris says Arafat could come out of that coma.

A 48-year-old ranch hand is jailed on arson charges after flames destroyed Texas Lil's Dudes Ranch just north of Fort Worth. Authorities say they found the man covered in fuel and standing near three blazing buildings. No injuries reported.

Saudi Arabia at the crossroads. One of the world's most reclusive and ultra conservative countries is under pressure. Increasing calls for reform are being met with fierce resistance by the powerful religious establishment.

CNN's Nic Robertson has just made an extensive visit to the desert kingdom -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, what we tried to do with this -- our documentary is to look into many of those areas you just can't get into normally in Saudi Arabia.

We talked with multibillionaire princes down to some of the poorest people, some former jihadists and the people who are now sort of the leading liberal voices in Saudi Arabia.

But to get an idea of what the religious establishment is doing in Saudi Arabia, we talked to Sheik Assim al-Hakeem. He gives a weekly broadcast on how to be a good Muslim. He does that on Saudi television every week.

And we spent time with him as he explained the relationship between the Saudi royal family and this ultra conservative religious establishment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): On the drive from his day job in the port city of Jeddah, Sheik Assim explains the passion behind his preaching.

AL-HAKEEM: It's basically the Quran and the Sunna. It's the way the prophet Mohamed; it's the way that he taught his companions.

ROBERTSON: That was 1,400 years ago in the desert town of Mecca, the holiest site in Islam and the place 1.3 billion Muslims turn to face in prayer five times a day. It's where Sheik Assim records his show.

AL-HAKEEM: This is the checkpoint that leads to the restricted area where only Muslims can enter.

ROBERTSON: So revered, I can't go. Likewise, I can't visit him at home, where he has two wives and 11 daughters.

AL-HAKEEM: Islam tells you that women should stay away from men so that forbidden things may not happen, such as adultery, such as, well, fornication, for an example.

ROBERTSON: Instead, we meet in his office, where he's an oil pipe salesman.

(on camera) There are efforts to -- by the royal family to reform the situation here and allow women more into the workplace. It's happening.

AL-HAKEEM: They would dare not do such a thing, because the royal family defends and protects Islamic law, as they know their existence depends on it.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): It dates back to a bargain made at a desert oasis in 1747. Prince Muhammad bin Saud (ph) looking to expand his baron lands, co-opted rising radical cleric Sheik Mohammed bin Wahhab (ph) in his quest to subjugate other tribes, a synergy still successful to this day.

AL-HAKEEM: Look at the flag. The sword is there and on top of it's the testimony that we bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that the prophet Mohamed is his messenger. This is an Islamic state.

ROBERTSON: The Sauds and Wahhabis would find their fortunes wax and wane together.

But following 1979, when a group of fundamentalists temporarily took control of the grand mosque in Mecca and called for the overthrow of the royal family, the Sauds allowed the Wahhabs and their puritanical brand of Islam greater influence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Nic, considering the overall war on terror right now and the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, why did you find it so important to pursue this documentary?

ROBERTSON: Well, Kyra, there had been an upsurge in attacks against westerners in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a quarter of the world's proven oil reserves. It is a country where there's a massive young population, where unemployment is increasing, where there's a level of discontent with the current system that's increasing.

And it is vital to the western world that it has access to these oil reserves.

Beyond that, Saudi Arabia is one of the United States' principal Arab allies in the Middle East. So the future stability and security in Saudi Arabia is critical to the United States, as it is to the rest of the world, Kyra. And that really drove us to go and take a look and see what's happening and see what's going to happen in the next few years.

PHILLIPS: Did anything surprise you as a journalist?

ROBERTSON: It surprised me to get some of the access. I was not expecting to get down into perhaps some of the grassroots level, if you will, and talk to people.

One young man I talked to making this documentary was so upset when I interviewed him on his way home from work. He was a factory worker. I felt like I was on suicide watch, and I didn't expect to get through to some really raw emotions.

I guess one thing that didn't surprise me too much, Kyra, was that a lot of people told me a lot of things off camera that they didn't want to say on camera.

PHILLIPS: Nic Robertson, we sure look forward to it. Thanks. Live from Baghdad there. Nic, thank you.

You can watch more of Nic Robertson's visit to Saudi Arabia this coming Sunday, 8 p.m. Eastern, "CNN PRESENTS: KINGDOM ON THE BRING, THE BATTLE FOR SAUDI ARABIA." That's this Sunday, 8 Eastern, 5 Pacific.

O'BRIEN: All right. Let's flash back about 63 years ago.

The U.S. military was nothing like it is today. Separate and unequal. Units were racially segregated and opportunities were far and few between for African-Americans.

Under pressure, the Army Air Corps created what it considered an experiment at the time, a pilot training school for African-Americans at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute.

The Tuskegee Airman, as they were ultimately known, flew combat missions during World War II, escorting allied bombers over Europe and never losing one. They helped change racial attitudes at the same time.

This weekend, many of the airmen are gathering in South Carolina to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the opening of an advanced training camp for the all-black air wing.

Joining me now, retired Lieutenant Colonel Chuck "A-Train" Dryden, who hasn't traveled to South Carolina this weekend, perhaps because he was court-martialed when he went to South Carolina years ago for part of his training.

First of all, Colonel, good to have you with us.

LT. COL. CHUCK "A-TRAIN" DRYDEN (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Thank you very much, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Tell us about that court-martial, because I think that story tells us a lot about the plight of the Tuskegee Airmen.

DRYDEN: Eight of us from the original 99th Fighter Squadron were sent back to the states in October of 1943, five months after we had left Tuskegee, with our wings and so forth.

And the eight of us ended up at a base in Walter Burr (ph), South Carolina, about 50 miles west of Charleston. And on that base there were German prisoners of war who could do things that we could not do.

O'BRIEN: German prisoners of war had greater freedoms essentially?

DRYDEN: That's right. They could go to the base theater and sit anywhere they pleased. We had to sit in the segregated colored section. They could go into the base P.X. and have a meal, and we couldn't even go into the building.

And I became absolutely enraged. And so, therefore, I had the feeling that the people in this part of the country don't believe that we can fly, so somebody has to show them.

So I led a flight of three other guys, all of whom had graduated from Tuskegee and had not been overseas in combat, on a flight, showing them how you return for a combat mission as quick as possible, which meant that you had to come low at the end of the runway, peel off in such a fast sequence that by the time the leader's airplane reached the end of the runway, turned off, his No. 4 man was heading down. So the integral was just about like that.

Well, what I did was against the Air Force regulation back in the states. So I was grounded, court-martialed, general court-martial, convicted and at first sentenced to be dismissed from the Army Air Corps with a dishonorable discharge.

Fortunately for me, there was a legal technicality in my first trial, and I was granted a second trial by the reviewing authority. In the second trial I was again convicted.

However, instead of being sentenced to be dismissed from the service with a dishonorable discharge, I was charged $110 a month fine. I was confined to the base for a month, and I was suspended from any promotion consideration for a year.

O'BRIEN: Well, I mean, this is after you had risked life and limb over the skies of Europe, had escorted numerous sorties to protect allied bombers. And to get this kind of treatment coming home, we can certainly understand that reaction.

And that was pretty typical among the airmen. They chafed at those constraints and ultimately changed the military. You know, as you look back on it 60 years later, you and the rest of the airmen must have a great deal of pride over that.

DRYDEN: Absolutely. I have mixed feelings. First of all, I am proud, and I'm glad to have survived. And I'm glad that what we perform by never losing a friendly bomber to enemy fire, led President Truman to desegregate the armed forces in 1948.

O'BRIEN: It wouldn't have happened without the Tuskegee Airmen, would it?

DRYDEN: I don't think so. But the other thing that I'm proud -- the thing that saddens me is so many of my buddies passed on before this kind of recognition of today has arrived.

O'BRIEN: It took some time, didn't it? And now you do get that recognition.

DRYDEN: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: What's it like for people of today when they embrace you? In many respects they can't possibly imagine what it's like to see a German prisoner of war treated better than an American citizen. But in the same token, they try to reach out to you and give you a sense of how they feel and how indebted we are all to you.

DRYDEN: Well, many things have happened. And I'll jus tell you one.

I had a book -- I had a book published in 1997, and at a book signing in Rochester, New York, it was a radio program with a telephone link that listeners could call and talk to the interviewee.

Over the phone came a very heavy German accented voice saying, "Colonel Dryden, I'm one of your former enemies."

Not knowing what this ex-Nazi was going to say next, I thought he might start boasting about Aryan superiority, but that's not what he said. What he said was, "My squadron mates and I in the Luftwaffe could never figure out why it was we were never able to shoot down one of the bombers you men were escorting. You had to be the best." That's what he said.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

DRYDEN: Now I didn't have sense enough, I wasn't quick witted enough to realize I should have asked that station for a copy of that tape.

O'BRIEN: Oh, boy, if we could track that down for you, we would do that for you. That was something.

DRYDEN: Well, I tried to have it recovered by my host in Rochester who lives there. And he checked it later. He said, no they've destroyed it.

O'BRIEN: Well, it's part of your memories, and they're wonderful memories and memories of a very difficult, sad time in our country. And your role in changing that is well appreciated by those of us here. Colonel, thank you for your time.

DRYDEN: Well, I'll just say, I was one of 450 of us that went overseas and fought the Germans. So I was just 1/450th, if you will.

O'BRIEN: You are the A-Train. Thank you very much. Colonel Dryden, thank you for your time.

DRYDEN: Thank you for...

O'BRIEN: We appreciate you coming in as always.

DRYDEN: It's my pleasure also. Thank you, sir.

O'BRIEN: All right. My pleasure.

A sneak peek coming for the final "Star Wars" episode. Coming up, a preview of the "Star Wars" plot and the much-hyped movie.

Also, one of the hottest stars today tries to re-create a movie classic. A look at Jude Law in "Alfie." We'll tell you what it's all about.

And later, the amazing sights after a fireworks factory erupts into a series of explosions.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Setting aside the real world for a moment, let's return to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. You remember that line?

When does Anakin turn to the dark side to become Darth Vader? What happens to Padme after Luke and Laura are born? All these and many more questions must be answered in the next installment of everyone's favorite space soap opera, "Star Wars."

With a full monty of galactic goings on you'll have to wait until May 19, though, when "Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith" is released. But fans can whet their appetites. Movie theaters showing "The Incredibles" are now showing the first trailer from the film.

So far, our favorite moment shows Darth Vader doing a Frankenstein as he slowly comes to life on a lab table.

O'BRIEN: I've got to tell you. Wow! Is that one of those prequels? Is that a prequel?

PHILLIPS: Sequel, prequel.

O'BRIEN: It's a prequel. It's a prequel. It's going way back to when Darth Vader was born or made or hatched.

All right. Women love him. Guys want to be him. Brit Jude Law stars as a real cad who celebrates it in the remake of the '66 movie "Alfie." What's it all about Alfie, you know? It opens this weekend.

CNN entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas sat down with the star. She's live from Hollywood, and I tried to sing -- I'm going to let you do it, because you, you actually got some pipes, girl.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you. You do it well.

O'BRIEN: No, no, no.

VARGAS: But you said it, Miles. When it comes to sex appeal, the law of the land is definitely looking like Jude Law. And now he's taking on the role made famous by anotherBritish actor.

I spoke with Law about his work on "Alfie."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS (voice-over): In the '60s, Michael Caine inspired a generation of moviegoers to ask the question, "What's it all about, Alfie?"

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you so impatient about?

VARGAS: This time around it's Jude Law who shows us the sexy as a smooth-talking philanderer in a modern day version of the classic.

JUDE LAW, ACTOR: I didn't introduce myself. I'm... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alfie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alfie!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alfie!

LAW: I'm a blessed man.

VARGAS: Taking on a role made famous by the incomparable Michael Caine was not an easy task.

(on camera) I know initially, you were not 100 percent into it.

LAW: I was scared by the idea, to be honest. And I was a big admirer of the original, a huge admirer of Michael Caine's.

VARGAS (voice-over): Of course, working with a bevy of beautiful and talented women like Susan Sarandon provided its own incentive.

SUSAN SARANDON, ACTRESS: Yea or nay.

VARGAS (on camera): You do get the parts of the sexy women.

SARANDON: I'm happy that people are still giving me parts where I get to kiss great looking guys. It's juicy; it's yummy. I love it. I've always been a fan of Jude's, and I always thought he was much better than he needed to be when he looked like that.

VARGAS (voice-over): Law's good looks had him playing a robotic ladies' man in Spielberg's "Artificial Intelligence."

LAW: It's Joe, at your service.

VARGAS (on camera): How much of Joe Gigolo's lines did you use?

LAW: Funny, because I hadn't thought about it at all. I suppose Alfie is programmed that way in an odd sort of -- yes, you could say that he really doesn't know what he's doing, you know? That he just doesn't have the -- the ability to say, "I'm wrong. I mustn't do this. I'm going to hurt someone."

VARGAS (voice-over): A dynamic that really attracted Law to the role.

LAW: I don't think I've ever been in a film that -- that looks at how we get into and out of relationships, what we need to do to make a relationship work. And it's a side of life that we all deal with and I've never made a film about it. So it kind of intrigued me.

VARGAS: And the actor is hoping audiences will be intrigued with his version of "Alfie."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: And if you just can't get enough of that gorgeous face, Law will also are starring opposite Julia Roberts in the upcoming film, "Closer," and in Martin Scorcese's "The Aviator," where he takes on the role of Errol Flynn.

Now Law did tell me, however, that he hopes audiences aren't getting sick of him.

One person that we will never get sick of here on CNN is our very own Miles O'Brien.

O'BRIEN: You're so sweet. Thank you very much, Sibila Vargas.

PHILLIPS: I am so going to give her a hard time.

O'BRIEN: All right.

PHILLIPS: There goes his ego.

All right. An incredible sight in Denmark. Check out this fireworks factory erupting into a series of earth-rattling explosions. A look at them and the aftermath, coming up right after a break.

O'BRIEN: Also, lawyers lining up to take aim at one of the biggest drug makers in the world. A look at the lawsuits and when they may be filed against the makers of Vioxx.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Usually, when you think of fireworks, you think of the fourth of July, celebrations, having a great time. But we're about to show you how destructive they can be when things go terribly wrong.

O'BRIEN: Here's what happened when a massive fire broke out at a fireworks factory in Denmark. Now, remember, this is no celebration.

One firefighter was killed. At least 20 homes destroyed in that fire that ensued, and here's what's left of the factory now. The fire set off at least one explosion that was as powerful as an earthquake.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

News just keeps getting worse for Merck more than a month after pulling its blockbuster arthritis drug from the market.

O'BRIEN: Rhonda Schaffler is at the New York Stock Exchange with the Vioxx story.

Hello, Rhonda.

(STOCK REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Rhonda Schaffler. And you have a good weekend now. All right.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You, too.

PHILLIPS: And that does it for us. "INSIDE POLITICS" straight ahead. O'BRIEN: "INSIDE POLITICS" is straight ahead. That means Judy Woodruff is straight ahead. And if you like politics, there's no other place you need go on your television dial.

PHILLIPS: No other person you need to listen to.

O'BRIEN: Absolutely nothing. This is it right here.

Hello, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": All right. Keep talking. That's all right.

O'BRIEN: You're liking that.

PHILLIPS: You're just nodding your head. Judy, you know we're big fans. OK? We just try to juice it up. There she is, ladies and gentlemen.

O'BRIEN: Believe the hype.

WOODRUFF: One of these days I get to introduce the two of you, Miles, Kyra.

O'BRIEN: I would like that.

PHILLIPS: It would be an honor.

WOODRUFF: Thanks very much. Have a wonderful weekend.

Thank you for joining us. And as a dramatic week comes to a close, we're going to take a look back at an election four years in the making.

Plus, here on "INSIDE POLITICS," you know it's never too early to start thinking about the next one. We're waging -- already wagering on election 2008. It's going to be here before you know it. We're going to take a look at some of the hypotheticals when "INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired November 5, 2004 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Welcome back. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is LIVE FROM, and I'm Miles O'Brien.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: And I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's what's all new this half hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHEIK ASSIM AL-HAKEEM, MUSLIM CLERIC: Islam tells you that women should stay away from men so that forbidden things may not happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Islam inside Saudi Arabia. Our Nic Robertson previews a fascinating look at a kingdom on the brink.

O'BRIEN: And fighting for America. Years ago the Tuskegee airmen helped liberate Europe in World War II. Today they have another reason to celebrate heroics. We'll talk with one of the flyers, the man named A-Train, in just a moment.

But first, here's what's happening now in the news.

PHILLIPS: U.S. forces on the outskirts of Fallujah preparing for the next phase in their battle against insurgents in the rebel-held city. Iraq's U.S. appointed prime minister, Ayad Allawi, says the window is closing for what he calls a peaceful settlement. U.S. warplanes continued to hit targets in that city overnight.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat remains in a coma at a French military hospital. One official describes his condition as stable. U.S. sources say he's being kept alive by machines, but Palestinian officials dismiss that, calling them baseless. The PLO representative in Paris says Arafat could come out of that coma.

A 48-year-old ranch hand is jailed on arson charges after flames destroyed Texas Lil's Dudes Ranch just north of Fort Worth. Authorities say they found the man covered in fuel and standing near three blazing buildings. No injuries reported.

Saudi Arabia at the crossroads. One of the world's most reclusive and ultra conservative countries is under pressure. Increasing calls for reform are being met with fierce resistance by the powerful religious establishment.

CNN's Nic Robertson has just made an extensive visit to the desert kingdom -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, what we tried to do with this -- our documentary is to look into many of those areas you just can't get into normally in Saudi Arabia.

We talked with multibillionaire princes down to some of the poorest people, some former jihadists and the people who are now sort of the leading liberal voices in Saudi Arabia.

But to get an idea of what the religious establishment is doing in Saudi Arabia, we talked to Sheik Assim al-Hakeem. He gives a weekly broadcast on how to be a good Muslim. He does that on Saudi television every week.

And we spent time with him as he explained the relationship between the Saudi royal family and this ultra conservative religious establishment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): On the drive from his day job in the port city of Jeddah, Sheik Assim explains the passion behind his preaching.

AL-HAKEEM: It's basically the Quran and the Sunna. It's the way the prophet Mohamed; it's the way that he taught his companions.

ROBERTSON: That was 1,400 years ago in the desert town of Mecca, the holiest site in Islam and the place 1.3 billion Muslims turn to face in prayer five times a day. It's where Sheik Assim records his show.

AL-HAKEEM: This is the checkpoint that leads to the restricted area where only Muslims can enter.

ROBERTSON: So revered, I can't go. Likewise, I can't visit him at home, where he has two wives and 11 daughters.

AL-HAKEEM: Islam tells you that women should stay away from men so that forbidden things may not happen, such as adultery, such as, well, fornication, for an example.

ROBERTSON: Instead, we meet in his office, where he's an oil pipe salesman.

(on camera) There are efforts to -- by the royal family to reform the situation here and allow women more into the workplace. It's happening.

AL-HAKEEM: They would dare not do such a thing, because the royal family defends and protects Islamic law, as they know their existence depends on it.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): It dates back to a bargain made at a desert oasis in 1747. Prince Muhammad bin Saud (ph) looking to expand his baron lands, co-opted rising radical cleric Sheik Mohammed bin Wahhab (ph) in his quest to subjugate other tribes, a synergy still successful to this day.

AL-HAKEEM: Look at the flag. The sword is there and on top of it's the testimony that we bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that the prophet Mohamed is his messenger. This is an Islamic state.

ROBERTSON: The Sauds and Wahhabis would find their fortunes wax and wane together.

But following 1979, when a group of fundamentalists temporarily took control of the grand mosque in Mecca and called for the overthrow of the royal family, the Sauds allowed the Wahhabs and their puritanical brand of Islam greater influence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Nic, considering the overall war on terror right now and the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, why did you find it so important to pursue this documentary?

ROBERTSON: Well, Kyra, there had been an upsurge in attacks against westerners in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a quarter of the world's proven oil reserves. It is a country where there's a massive young population, where unemployment is increasing, where there's a level of discontent with the current system that's increasing.

And it is vital to the western world that it has access to these oil reserves.

Beyond that, Saudi Arabia is one of the United States' principal Arab allies in the Middle East. So the future stability and security in Saudi Arabia is critical to the United States, as it is to the rest of the world, Kyra. And that really drove us to go and take a look and see what's happening and see what's going to happen in the next few years.

PHILLIPS: Did anything surprise you as a journalist?

ROBERTSON: It surprised me to get some of the access. I was not expecting to get down into perhaps some of the grassroots level, if you will, and talk to people.

One young man I talked to making this documentary was so upset when I interviewed him on his way home from work. He was a factory worker. I felt like I was on suicide watch, and I didn't expect to get through to some really raw emotions.

I guess one thing that didn't surprise me too much, Kyra, was that a lot of people told me a lot of things off camera that they didn't want to say on camera.

PHILLIPS: Nic Robertson, we sure look forward to it. Thanks. Live from Baghdad there. Nic, thank you.

You can watch more of Nic Robertson's visit to Saudi Arabia this coming Sunday, 8 p.m. Eastern, "CNN PRESENTS: KINGDOM ON THE BRING, THE BATTLE FOR SAUDI ARABIA." That's this Sunday, 8 Eastern, 5 Pacific.

O'BRIEN: All right. Let's flash back about 63 years ago.

The U.S. military was nothing like it is today. Separate and unequal. Units were racially segregated and opportunities were far and few between for African-Americans.

Under pressure, the Army Air Corps created what it considered an experiment at the time, a pilot training school for African-Americans at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute.

The Tuskegee Airman, as they were ultimately known, flew combat missions during World War II, escorting allied bombers over Europe and never losing one. They helped change racial attitudes at the same time.

This weekend, many of the airmen are gathering in South Carolina to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the opening of an advanced training camp for the all-black air wing.

Joining me now, retired Lieutenant Colonel Chuck "A-Train" Dryden, who hasn't traveled to South Carolina this weekend, perhaps because he was court-martialed when he went to South Carolina years ago for part of his training.

First of all, Colonel, good to have you with us.

LT. COL. CHUCK "A-TRAIN" DRYDEN (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Thank you very much, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Tell us about that court-martial, because I think that story tells us a lot about the plight of the Tuskegee Airmen.

DRYDEN: Eight of us from the original 99th Fighter Squadron were sent back to the states in October of 1943, five months after we had left Tuskegee, with our wings and so forth.

And the eight of us ended up at a base in Walter Burr (ph), South Carolina, about 50 miles west of Charleston. And on that base there were German prisoners of war who could do things that we could not do.

O'BRIEN: German prisoners of war had greater freedoms essentially?

DRYDEN: That's right. They could go to the base theater and sit anywhere they pleased. We had to sit in the segregated colored section. They could go into the base P.X. and have a meal, and we couldn't even go into the building.

And I became absolutely enraged. And so, therefore, I had the feeling that the people in this part of the country don't believe that we can fly, so somebody has to show them.

So I led a flight of three other guys, all of whom had graduated from Tuskegee and had not been overseas in combat, on a flight, showing them how you return for a combat mission as quick as possible, which meant that you had to come low at the end of the runway, peel off in such a fast sequence that by the time the leader's airplane reached the end of the runway, turned off, his No. 4 man was heading down. So the integral was just about like that.

Well, what I did was against the Air Force regulation back in the states. So I was grounded, court-martialed, general court-martial, convicted and at first sentenced to be dismissed from the Army Air Corps with a dishonorable discharge.

Fortunately for me, there was a legal technicality in my first trial, and I was granted a second trial by the reviewing authority. In the second trial I was again convicted.

However, instead of being sentenced to be dismissed from the service with a dishonorable discharge, I was charged $110 a month fine. I was confined to the base for a month, and I was suspended from any promotion consideration for a year.

O'BRIEN: Well, I mean, this is after you had risked life and limb over the skies of Europe, had escorted numerous sorties to protect allied bombers. And to get this kind of treatment coming home, we can certainly understand that reaction.

And that was pretty typical among the airmen. They chafed at those constraints and ultimately changed the military. You know, as you look back on it 60 years later, you and the rest of the airmen must have a great deal of pride over that.

DRYDEN: Absolutely. I have mixed feelings. First of all, I am proud, and I'm glad to have survived. And I'm glad that what we perform by never losing a friendly bomber to enemy fire, led President Truman to desegregate the armed forces in 1948.

O'BRIEN: It wouldn't have happened without the Tuskegee Airmen, would it?

DRYDEN: I don't think so. But the other thing that I'm proud -- the thing that saddens me is so many of my buddies passed on before this kind of recognition of today has arrived.

O'BRIEN: It took some time, didn't it? And now you do get that recognition.

DRYDEN: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: What's it like for people of today when they embrace you? In many respects they can't possibly imagine what it's like to see a German prisoner of war treated better than an American citizen. But in the same token, they try to reach out to you and give you a sense of how they feel and how indebted we are all to you.

DRYDEN: Well, many things have happened. And I'll jus tell you one.

I had a book -- I had a book published in 1997, and at a book signing in Rochester, New York, it was a radio program with a telephone link that listeners could call and talk to the interviewee.

Over the phone came a very heavy German accented voice saying, "Colonel Dryden, I'm one of your former enemies."

Not knowing what this ex-Nazi was going to say next, I thought he might start boasting about Aryan superiority, but that's not what he said. What he said was, "My squadron mates and I in the Luftwaffe could never figure out why it was we were never able to shoot down one of the bombers you men were escorting. You had to be the best." That's what he said.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

DRYDEN: Now I didn't have sense enough, I wasn't quick witted enough to realize I should have asked that station for a copy of that tape.

O'BRIEN: Oh, boy, if we could track that down for you, we would do that for you. That was something.

DRYDEN: Well, I tried to have it recovered by my host in Rochester who lives there. And he checked it later. He said, no they've destroyed it.

O'BRIEN: Well, it's part of your memories, and they're wonderful memories and memories of a very difficult, sad time in our country. And your role in changing that is well appreciated by those of us here. Colonel, thank you for your time.

DRYDEN: Well, I'll just say, I was one of 450 of us that went overseas and fought the Germans. So I was just 1/450th, if you will.

O'BRIEN: You are the A-Train. Thank you very much. Colonel Dryden, thank you for your time.

DRYDEN: Thank you for...

O'BRIEN: We appreciate you coming in as always.

DRYDEN: It's my pleasure also. Thank you, sir.

O'BRIEN: All right. My pleasure.

A sneak peek coming for the final "Star Wars" episode. Coming up, a preview of the "Star Wars" plot and the much-hyped movie.

Also, one of the hottest stars today tries to re-create a movie classic. A look at Jude Law in "Alfie." We'll tell you what it's all about.

And later, the amazing sights after a fireworks factory erupts into a series of explosions.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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PHILLIPS: Setting aside the real world for a moment, let's return to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. You remember that line?

When does Anakin turn to the dark side to become Darth Vader? What happens to Padme after Luke and Laura are born? All these and many more questions must be answered in the next installment of everyone's favorite space soap opera, "Star Wars."

With a full monty of galactic goings on you'll have to wait until May 19, though, when "Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith" is released. But fans can whet their appetites. Movie theaters showing "The Incredibles" are now showing the first trailer from the film.

So far, our favorite moment shows Darth Vader doing a Frankenstein as he slowly comes to life on a lab table.

O'BRIEN: I've got to tell you. Wow! Is that one of those prequels? Is that a prequel?

PHILLIPS: Sequel, prequel.

O'BRIEN: It's a prequel. It's a prequel. It's going way back to when Darth Vader was born or made or hatched.

All right. Women love him. Guys want to be him. Brit Jude Law stars as a real cad who celebrates it in the remake of the '66 movie "Alfie." What's it all about Alfie, you know? It opens this weekend.

CNN entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas sat down with the star. She's live from Hollywood, and I tried to sing -- I'm going to let you do it, because you, you actually got some pipes, girl.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you. You do it well.

O'BRIEN: No, no, no.

VARGAS: But you said it, Miles. When it comes to sex appeal, the law of the land is definitely looking like Jude Law. And now he's taking on the role made famous by anotherBritish actor.

I spoke with Law about his work on "Alfie."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS (voice-over): In the '60s, Michael Caine inspired a generation of moviegoers to ask the question, "What's it all about, Alfie?"

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you so impatient about?

VARGAS: This time around it's Jude Law who shows us the sexy as a smooth-talking philanderer in a modern day version of the classic.

JUDE LAW, ACTOR: I didn't introduce myself. I'm... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alfie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alfie!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alfie!

LAW: I'm a blessed man.

VARGAS: Taking on a role made famous by the incomparable Michael Caine was not an easy task.

(on camera) I know initially, you were not 100 percent into it.

LAW: I was scared by the idea, to be honest. And I was a big admirer of the original, a huge admirer of Michael Caine's.

VARGAS (voice-over): Of course, working with a bevy of beautiful and talented women like Susan Sarandon provided its own incentive.

SUSAN SARANDON, ACTRESS: Yea or nay.

VARGAS (on camera): You do get the parts of the sexy women.

SARANDON: I'm happy that people are still giving me parts where I get to kiss great looking guys. It's juicy; it's yummy. I love it. I've always been a fan of Jude's, and I always thought he was much better than he needed to be when he looked like that.

VARGAS (voice-over): Law's good looks had him playing a robotic ladies' man in Spielberg's "Artificial Intelligence."

LAW: It's Joe, at your service.

VARGAS (on camera): How much of Joe Gigolo's lines did you use?

LAW: Funny, because I hadn't thought about it at all. I suppose Alfie is programmed that way in an odd sort of -- yes, you could say that he really doesn't know what he's doing, you know? That he just doesn't have the -- the ability to say, "I'm wrong. I mustn't do this. I'm going to hurt someone."

VARGAS (voice-over): A dynamic that really attracted Law to the role.

LAW: I don't think I've ever been in a film that -- that looks at how we get into and out of relationships, what we need to do to make a relationship work. And it's a side of life that we all deal with and I've never made a film about it. So it kind of intrigued me.

VARGAS: And the actor is hoping audiences will be intrigued with his version of "Alfie."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: And if you just can't get enough of that gorgeous face, Law will also are starring opposite Julia Roberts in the upcoming film, "Closer," and in Martin Scorcese's "The Aviator," where he takes on the role of Errol Flynn.

Now Law did tell me, however, that he hopes audiences aren't getting sick of him.

One person that we will never get sick of here on CNN is our very own Miles O'Brien.

O'BRIEN: You're so sweet. Thank you very much, Sibila Vargas.

PHILLIPS: I am so going to give her a hard time.

O'BRIEN: All right.

PHILLIPS: There goes his ego.

All right. An incredible sight in Denmark. Check out this fireworks factory erupting into a series of earth-rattling explosions. A look at them and the aftermath, coming up right after a break.

O'BRIEN: Also, lawyers lining up to take aim at one of the biggest drug makers in the world. A look at the lawsuits and when they may be filed against the makers of Vioxx.

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PHILLIPS: Usually, when you think of fireworks, you think of the fourth of July, celebrations, having a great time. But we're about to show you how destructive they can be when things go terribly wrong.

O'BRIEN: Here's what happened when a massive fire broke out at a fireworks factory in Denmark. Now, remember, this is no celebration.

One firefighter was killed. At least 20 homes destroyed in that fire that ensued, and here's what's left of the factory now. The fire set off at least one explosion that was as powerful as an earthquake.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

News just keeps getting worse for Merck more than a month after pulling its blockbuster arthritis drug from the market.

O'BRIEN: Rhonda Schaffler is at the New York Stock Exchange with the Vioxx story.

Hello, Rhonda.

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O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Rhonda Schaffler. And you have a good weekend now. All right.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You, too.

PHILLIPS: And that does it for us. "INSIDE POLITICS" straight ahead. O'BRIEN: "INSIDE POLITICS" is straight ahead. That means Judy Woodruff is straight ahead. And if you like politics, there's no other place you need go on your television dial.

PHILLIPS: No other person you need to listen to.

O'BRIEN: Absolutely nothing. This is it right here.

Hello, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": All right. Keep talking. That's all right.

O'BRIEN: You're liking that.

PHILLIPS: You're just nodding your head. Judy, you know we're big fans. OK? We just try to juice it up. There she is, ladies and gentlemen.

O'BRIEN: Believe the hype.

WOODRUFF: One of these days I get to introduce the two of you, Miles, Kyra.

O'BRIEN: I would like that.

PHILLIPS: It would be an honor.

WOODRUFF: Thanks very much. Have a wonderful weekend.

Thank you for joining us. And as a dramatic week comes to a close, we're going to take a look back at an election four years in the making.

Plus, here on "INSIDE POLITICS," you know it's never too early to start thinking about the next one. We're waging -- already wagering on election 2008. It's going to be here before you know it. We're going to take a look at some of the hypotheticals when "INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

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