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Grim Discoveries in Falluja; Palestinians Prepare for Arafat's Death; Scott Peterson Juror Replaced
Aired November 10, 2004 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: Grim discoveries in the fight for Falluja. Just ahead, a report from our CNN reporter embedded with the troops.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: Who will replace departing members of the Bush cabinet? We are live from the White House with that.
HARRIS: If you're taking Vitamin E for your health, you could be making a deadly mistake. A new study, out today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Holding these children is just the most incredible thing that I've ever done in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: A new mom, single and 56 years old. Hear her story in her own words.
From the CNN center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Kyra Phillips and Miles O'Brien are off. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
And we begin this hour with grisly finds in Falluja. On day three of that U.S. and Iraqi campaign to subdue Iraq's foremost insurgent hot bed, troops are said to control some 70 percent of city, including the mayor's office and several mosques.
We are also hearing from the top Iraqi commander that troops have discovered what he calls slaughter houses, places where foreign hostages were held, cataloged, and apparently executed. We get the latest from CNN's Jane Arraf, on the phone in Falluja -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, we're trying to find out whether there's actually evidence that hostages were executed in those places the Iraqi commander says they have found.
We do now that officials have believed for a long time that there has been a stronghold of the Zarqawi network and other groups that have been holding and beheading hostages. Details still coming in on that story.
In other parts of the city, Tony, in the east where we have been going through with Army troops, they have found a trail of explosives (UNINTELLIGIBLE). It seems as if they have laid out entire streets, entire buildings, set to explode. And almost everywhere we went, there were mines laid, homemade bombs, places where they were making bombs. They had a very sophisticated strategy to stop the troops from entering.
But the insurgents not part of the city, left only with only pockets of isolated cells, shooting at soldiers as they went through. The organized resistance just wasn't there -- Tony.
HARRIS: And Jane, just to recap, just -- just sporadic gunfire, sporadic fighting back from the insurgents, nothing particularly organized at this point?
HARRIS: It doesn't appear so, Tony. And when we're talking organized on a wide scale, we're talking more than what we've been seeing which is generally cells of three to five people.
In other cases, for instance, yesterday, say, the Army called in artillery strikes on a gathering place where they say they believed they killed 15 to 20 insurgents, saw another 15 to 20 fleeing. That may be one of the biggest groups that they believe they have killed.
So far, it has been lately -- since the major bombardment ended, and that was two days of very intense artillery air strikes, ground strikes that really bombarded the city. Since then, they've only been seeing, they say, small pockets.
HARRIS: And Jane, one final question. Is it your sense that the troops essentially, relatively speaking, have the city of Falluja under control?
ARRAF: They do have most of the city in general under control. The part that they don't have that is not under control, is because they really haven't been able to go through those sections yet.
What they've been doing, really, is no different from other battles we've seen in other cities. They have used the maximum firepower available to launch various kinds of strikes in a relatively short period of time. So there was a combination of air strikes, artillery, ground strikes, and then the tanks came in.
We were with a division that -- a mechanized division that rolled in with tanks. There were very heavy strikes in the beginning that lessened the resistance now -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Jane Arraf, embedded with U.S. troops in and around and throughout Falluja. Jane, thank you -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, we are just getting word out of Baghdad that a bomb blast near an Iraqi police checkpoint has killed seven people. We will bring you more information as we get it.
Also this hour, Iraq's hostage nightmare hits very close to home for Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Allawi's spokesman is confirming gunmen kidnapped three of the prime minister's relatives last night in Baghdad: a 75-year-old cousin, the man's wife and the couple's daughter-in-law, all of whom are threatened with decapitation if Iraqi detainees are not freed and the fight for Falluja called off in 48 hours.
Now, to the northern city of Mosul today, another attack on symbols of Iraqi security and another government curfew. The attack killed two Iraqi police officers and a civilian and left five officers wounded. The curfew starts much earlier than the one in Baghdad. It's at 4 p.m.
HARRIS: A colleague and confidant of Yasser Arafat tells CNN the Palestinian leader's liver and kidneys have shut down but his heart and lungs still function.
A day and a half after a brain hemorrhage that plunged Arafat deeper into a coma, Palestinians still insist he won't be taken off life support. But preparations continue for death rites, now to include a state funeral in Egypt. More about that in a moment.
First, to greater Paris, where CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney is keeping watch at Arafat's hospital -- Fionnuala.
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Tony there you are quoting a Palestinian senior official, indeed, the Palestinian foreign minister, Nabil Sha'ath, who told CNN earlier that Yasser Arafat's kidneys and liver have shut down. His heart and lungs are still functioning. And as such there will be no taking him off any life support until there is no sign of life left in his body.
That, according to the senior Islamic cleric who came here to Paris last evening from the West Bank and Gaza. Shaikh Taissir al- Tami (ph) going to Yasser Arafat's bedside, spending an hour and a half there earlier this day reading verses from the Quran, apparently reporting that he saw a shoulder of Yasser Arafat's move, which convinced him that Yasser Arafat is, indeed, still alive. Now, he is due back here at the hospital this evening.
But the situation here remains as it has done. Yasser Arafat is in an even deeper coma, remains critical, and is fighting for his life -- Tony.
HARRIS: Fionnuala, if you would, give us a sense of the importance of this visit by the clerics.
SWEENEY: well, the importance for Muslims, and particularly for the Palestinian people, of the visit of this cleric is to ensure that Islamic traditions are maintained.
There has been a lot of speculation, as you know, about euthanasia, that is that Yasser Arafat might be taken off life support. That goes against every tenet of Islam. And the shaikh is really here to give the final Islamic declaration that Yasser Arafat is dead, in the event that that happens -- Tony.
HARRIS: Fionnuala Sweeney, reporting live for us today. Fionnuala, thank you -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, all the while, the delicate logistics surrounding Arafat's funeral and burial are firming up, and CNN's Michael Holmes checks in now from Ramallah with the latest on that.
Hi, there, Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Betty.
Well, for the last few hours, we've been listening to the sound of earth moving equipment and trucks as they rumble around behind me, inside the Palestinian Authority compound.
What are they doing? Well, they're clearing away the mess from three years of Israeli incursions into the West Bank. The damage done to the Palestinian Authority headquarters has been considerable over those years.
There are wrecked cars in there. There are also drums filled with concrete and steel poles that were put there because Yasser Arafat feared Israeli commandos would come in in helicopters and take him away to exile. Well, that's all being cleared away, because it is in that area that Yasser Arafat will be buried. That is now confirmed.
What we do know from Palestinian officials is that when the ailing leader does pass away, his body will be taken to Cairo, where it will lay in state for a matter of a few hours. And Palestinian officials say world leaders and officials will attend that ceremony.
He'll then be flown by Egyptian military helicopter, right here to the Muqataa, the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah, where he will be put into a monument, and what one official called a tomb, which will become, really, a focal point for Palestinians who see Arafat as the father of the Palestinian struggle and their aspirations for nationhood.
The -- as I said, the Muqataa is very much a -- a ruined area at the moment. And so there's cleanup going ahead a pace. This was all planned really for Friday. However, as we know, Yasser Arafat's still very much alive. So it could be moved 24 hours, 48 hours. We just don't know yet. It depends on what happens in Paris -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Michael, let's talk about that movable monument that Arafat will be placed in there in Ramallah. Now, it's movable. Is that because there is still the hope that one day he will be buried in Jerusalem?
HOLMES: Indeed, that's exactly why. I've spoken to several senior Palestinians. And we, in fact, have spoken to people who are involved in the design of this monument, if you like.
And we were told that it's very much going to be a movable thing, something that can be literally craned up, taken away, and taken to Jerusalem.
What Palestinian officials are saying is one day -- one day, whenever that is, it could be years away, it may be never, they hope to see Jerusalem or east Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, an independent nation. And they say when that happens, they think it fitting that Yasser Arafat be interred there. And in fact, it is what he wished for, as well.
So while he may be here for an indefinite period of time in Ramallah, it is the Palestinian hope that he may -- that he will end up in Jerusalem. That is certainly not the way the Israelis see it. They say not on their watch -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Michael Holmes in -- Ramallah, that is, for us. Thank you -- Tony.
HARRIS: To be clear about this, the Palestinian constitution makes clear a line of succession. But it's also clear the passing of the only leader most Palestinians have ever known will lead to a volatile region and to largely uncharted waters.
CNN's John Vause is in Ramallah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As long as he breathes, he leads. Still, with Yasser Arafat in a coma and close to death, Palestinians are asking, who could ever possibly take his place?
Mouza Shabat (ph), a wood carver in Ramallah proudly displays his photo with the Palestinian leader.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He's the first and the last president of Palestine and if you ask anyone, he'll tell you, no one can fill his position.
VAUSE: Still, the power play is under way, and the likely favorite is Mahmoud Abbas. The No. 2 man in the PLO, known as Abu Mazen, was prime minister for just four months, but quit after a fight with Arafat.
There's the current prime minister, Ahmed Qorei, also called Abu Alaa. He was closely involved in the Oslo peace process and since taking office last year has clashed with Arafat over political reforms and has threatened to quit many times.
Both men are now effectively in charge. And, importantly for Israel, are considered moderates.
YOSSI BELIN, ISRAELI POLITICIAN: Right now, the coordination, the cooperation between Abu Mazen and Abu Alaa is very promising. I believe that both of them are respected.
VAUSE: Mohammad Dahlan sees himself as a possible leader, but the former Gaza security chief is viewed with suspicion by many Palestinians because of his dealings with Israel and the United States.
The most popular, though, after Arafat is Marwan Barghouti, one of the leaders of Arafat's Fatah political party. But he's currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail.
MUSTAFA BARGOUTI, POLITICAL ANALYST: And without free democratic elections, no leader will have the legitimacy of working on behalf of the Palestinian people.
VAUSE (on camera): Under Palestinian law, should Arafat die, the speaker of the parliament assumes power and must call elections within 60 days. The question now, will there be free and fair elections?
Or will the Palestinians travel the same road as virtually every other Arab nation, where the new leader is the one who emerges strongest after an internal power struggle?
BASSEM EID, POLITICAL ANALYST: This is the Arab mentality. And I don't think that the Palestinian Authority or Arafat is going to be different.
VAUSE (voice-over): And then there is also the Israeli factor. Road closures and curfews will make an election almost impossible, especially now with the Israeli military on high alert, fearing potential chaos in the West Bank and Gaza.
John Vause, CNN, Ramallah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A terrorist on tape. He's making threats against his fellow Americans. Investigators say they think he know who he is. That's just ahead.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rusty Dornin in Redwood City. Did the dismissed juror in the Scott Peterson trial have anything to do with a possible deadlock? Find out, coming up.
HARRIS: And listen to this, an employee at this smoothie stand says her boss went too far to prove a point. She says he bent her over his knee and spanked her.
NGUYEN: What?
HARRIS: That's later, on LIVE FROM.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, first it was a threat of a deadlock. Now a juror in the Scott Peterson double murder trial has been ousted and replaced. What could this mean for the case?
CNN's Rusty Dornin joins us from Redwood City -- Rusty. DORNIN: Well, Tony, it looks like the prosecution and defense team have gone behind closed doors with the judge about a half hour ago. Apparently, just moments ago, they came back into the courtroom. We're not sure if they're going to be asking, or if the jury's been asking for more evidence or what.
But it's back to the drawing board for this jury, with a new panel member, after juror No. 7 was dismissed yesterday.
Sources close to the case tell CNN that during that dismissal process, the judge interviewed each juror and in that process, discovered just how contentious this jury is, that there's a real battle going on behind the scenes. But apparently, the dismissed juror was not part of that problem that they were talking about, about a deadlock.
Now, the alternate coming in is a woman in her late 20s, early 30s. She has four kids. She's a former bank employee. She told the court during jury selection she had nine tattoos. She has a tendency to change her hair color every week or so.
Legal experts here say that usually doesn't bode well for the prosecution. The prosecution usually likes someone more towards the middle, someone who doesn't stand out.
Also, sources close to the case tell CNN that the defense is very happy with the addition of this juror. She has expressed a lot of emotion during the case, crying both when shown autopsy photos, but also when Scott Peterson was in the middle of a television interview after his wife went missing.
They'll continue deliberations today. But tomorrow's Veterans Day. They'll be no court, so they'll be back on Friday -- Tony.
HARRIS: Rusty, a quick question. Aren't we at the point now where this judge is doing everything that he possibly can to save this case, to save this jury?
DORNIN: He's doing everything he can, absolutely. And, you know, the one thing he has to do, though, is make sure that this juror, because she was accused of doing some undisclosed, independent research, that she didn't taint the other members of the jury, because that is a sure-fire way to have a mistrial.
So he had to make sure that the other jurors hadn't been, you know, influenced anything or prejudiced by whatever she did.
HARRIS: Rusty Dornin, following the Peterson case for us. Rusty, thank you -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Intelligence officials are reporting a breakthrough and possibly identifying an American man recently seen on tape, threatening to attack the U.S. And as CNN national security correspondent David Ensor reports, the man is no stranger to law enforcement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the videotape obtained in Pakistan in late October by ABC News, a young man identified as Azam, the American, his face concealed, threatened more terrorism against the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The magnitude and ferocity of what is coming your way will make your forget all about September 11.
ENSOR: Now U.S. intelligence officials say they believe that voice is probably the same as this one, the voice of Adam Gadahn, of Riverside County in southern California, who appeared years ago as a teenager, along with his father, discussing environmental issues at a news conference.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does the garbage project help the future of the earth?
ENSOR: Gadahn, born in 1978 as Adam Perlman, has been on an FBI list since May of suspects wanted for possible involvement in terrorist threats.
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: Adam Gadahn. He is a U.S. citizen who converted to Islam. Is associated with Abu Zubaydah in Pakistan, and he attended the training camps in Afghanistan.
He is known to have performed translations for al Qaeda as part of the services he has provided to al Qaeda.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: It's somebody that the FBI regards as one of the seven people they'd most like to find. One or two of those people have been found in Pakistan since, but Gadahn obviously remains at liberty.
ENSOR (on camera): Officials note that Gadahn's voice also appears to be on another al Qaeda tape released earlier. U.S. officials say his family is under loose surveillance in case he tries to contact them.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: News across America now.
Another American accused of having ties to terrorists is in custody in Texas. Nineteen-year-old Mark Walker was arrested Saturday crossing into Texas from Mexico. Authorities say he admitted he was planning to buy night vision goggles and bulletproof vests for a Somalian terrorist group.
A manhunt is underway in Texas for two suspected serial bank robbers. Police released this dramatic videotape from a chase which started after a robbery last Thursday. A third suspect turned himself in. A disturbing story out of Oregon. Two high school students are accused of beating a classmate, videotaping it, setting it to rap music, then selling it to follow students on DVD. Look at this.
The victim, who police believe may have been selected at random, required medical attention. One of alleged assailants has been charged with assault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is something that I really wanted.
HARRIS: Barrier breaker. What's it like to be a new mom to twins at age 56? You'll hear from her, ahead.
Later on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never thought I'd be waiting for my husband to come home from war.
HARRIS: Home-front anxiety, while fight for Falluja wages on.
And wounded veterans of the Iraq war trying to ensure all their comrades get a warm welcome home. Their new mission, tomorrow on LIVE FROM.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So you eat right. You exercise. You take your vitamins. Wait a second on that last one.
Yes, a new study yanks the rug out from under Vitamin E and its reputation as a boost to a healthier heart.
CNN's Elizabeth Cohen says that in this case, more is not necessarily better.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Years ago, there was big excitement about Vitamin E. Researchers said that if you took mega doses -- that's 400 international units -- that you could decrease your chance of having a heart attack. And many doctors, even cardiologists, starting megadosing on Vitamin E.
But now there's a new study coming out of the American Heart Association that says that they looked at 19 different studies and found that not only does Vitamin E not help; it actually could hurt.
They found that folks who megadosed on Vitamin E -- that is, took about 400 international units a day -- actually had a higher chance of dying during the course of the study, including dying from heart problems.
So then the question becomes, well, what should people do? Should they take Vitamin E supplements? Well, the researchers at Johns Hopkins who did the study say start with your diet. We have here some foods that are rich in Vitamin E. Your leafy greens have a lot of Vitamin E, broccoli, almonds, canola oil. All of those are high in Vitamin E.
Now, even if you eat well, it can be tough to get the amount of Vitamin E you're supposed to every day, which is about 10 to 20 international units a day. And so these doctors said go ahead and take a multivitamin if you'd like to, if you feel like you're not getting it enough in food.
Now, we talked to the doctors at the Harvard School of Public Health who did the original Vitamin E studies. They stand by their studies. They think more like 100 or 200 international units of Vitamin E are a good thing. But many other people disagree with them.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. The Federal Reserve is expected to boost interest rates for the fourth time this year in just about 45 minutes. For a breakdown of what that means to you, Rhonda Schaffler joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange.
Hello. Hi, Rhonda.
(STOCK REPORT)
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Aired November 10, 2004 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: Grim discoveries in the fight for Falluja. Just ahead, a report from our CNN reporter embedded with the troops.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: Who will replace departing members of the Bush cabinet? We are live from the White House with that.
HARRIS: If you're taking Vitamin E for your health, you could be making a deadly mistake. A new study, out today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Holding these children is just the most incredible thing that I've ever done in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: A new mom, single and 56 years old. Hear her story in her own words.
From the CNN center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Kyra Phillips and Miles O'Brien are off. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
And we begin this hour with grisly finds in Falluja. On day three of that U.S. and Iraqi campaign to subdue Iraq's foremost insurgent hot bed, troops are said to control some 70 percent of city, including the mayor's office and several mosques.
We are also hearing from the top Iraqi commander that troops have discovered what he calls slaughter houses, places where foreign hostages were held, cataloged, and apparently executed. We get the latest from CNN's Jane Arraf, on the phone in Falluja -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, we're trying to find out whether there's actually evidence that hostages were executed in those places the Iraqi commander says they have found.
We do now that officials have believed for a long time that there has been a stronghold of the Zarqawi network and other groups that have been holding and beheading hostages. Details still coming in on that story.
In other parts of the city, Tony, in the east where we have been going through with Army troops, they have found a trail of explosives (UNINTELLIGIBLE). It seems as if they have laid out entire streets, entire buildings, set to explode. And almost everywhere we went, there were mines laid, homemade bombs, places where they were making bombs. They had a very sophisticated strategy to stop the troops from entering.
But the insurgents not part of the city, left only with only pockets of isolated cells, shooting at soldiers as they went through. The organized resistance just wasn't there -- Tony.
HARRIS: And Jane, just to recap, just -- just sporadic gunfire, sporadic fighting back from the insurgents, nothing particularly organized at this point?
HARRIS: It doesn't appear so, Tony. And when we're talking organized on a wide scale, we're talking more than what we've been seeing which is generally cells of three to five people.
In other cases, for instance, yesterday, say, the Army called in artillery strikes on a gathering place where they say they believed they killed 15 to 20 insurgents, saw another 15 to 20 fleeing. That may be one of the biggest groups that they believe they have killed.
So far, it has been lately -- since the major bombardment ended, and that was two days of very intense artillery air strikes, ground strikes that really bombarded the city. Since then, they've only been seeing, they say, small pockets.
HARRIS: And Jane, one final question. Is it your sense that the troops essentially, relatively speaking, have the city of Falluja under control?
ARRAF: They do have most of the city in general under control. The part that they don't have that is not under control, is because they really haven't been able to go through those sections yet.
What they've been doing, really, is no different from other battles we've seen in other cities. They have used the maximum firepower available to launch various kinds of strikes in a relatively short period of time. So there was a combination of air strikes, artillery, ground strikes, and then the tanks came in.
We were with a division that -- a mechanized division that rolled in with tanks. There were very heavy strikes in the beginning that lessened the resistance now -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Jane Arraf, embedded with U.S. troops in and around and throughout Falluja. Jane, thank you -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, we are just getting word out of Baghdad that a bomb blast near an Iraqi police checkpoint has killed seven people. We will bring you more information as we get it.
Also this hour, Iraq's hostage nightmare hits very close to home for Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Allawi's spokesman is confirming gunmen kidnapped three of the prime minister's relatives last night in Baghdad: a 75-year-old cousin, the man's wife and the couple's daughter-in-law, all of whom are threatened with decapitation if Iraqi detainees are not freed and the fight for Falluja called off in 48 hours.
Now, to the northern city of Mosul today, another attack on symbols of Iraqi security and another government curfew. The attack killed two Iraqi police officers and a civilian and left five officers wounded. The curfew starts much earlier than the one in Baghdad. It's at 4 p.m.
HARRIS: A colleague and confidant of Yasser Arafat tells CNN the Palestinian leader's liver and kidneys have shut down but his heart and lungs still function.
A day and a half after a brain hemorrhage that plunged Arafat deeper into a coma, Palestinians still insist he won't be taken off life support. But preparations continue for death rites, now to include a state funeral in Egypt. More about that in a moment.
First, to greater Paris, where CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney is keeping watch at Arafat's hospital -- Fionnuala.
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Tony there you are quoting a Palestinian senior official, indeed, the Palestinian foreign minister, Nabil Sha'ath, who told CNN earlier that Yasser Arafat's kidneys and liver have shut down. His heart and lungs are still functioning. And as such there will be no taking him off any life support until there is no sign of life left in his body.
That, according to the senior Islamic cleric who came here to Paris last evening from the West Bank and Gaza. Shaikh Taissir al- Tami (ph) going to Yasser Arafat's bedside, spending an hour and a half there earlier this day reading verses from the Quran, apparently reporting that he saw a shoulder of Yasser Arafat's move, which convinced him that Yasser Arafat is, indeed, still alive. Now, he is due back here at the hospital this evening.
But the situation here remains as it has done. Yasser Arafat is in an even deeper coma, remains critical, and is fighting for his life -- Tony.
HARRIS: Fionnuala, if you would, give us a sense of the importance of this visit by the clerics.
SWEENEY: well, the importance for Muslims, and particularly for the Palestinian people, of the visit of this cleric is to ensure that Islamic traditions are maintained.
There has been a lot of speculation, as you know, about euthanasia, that is that Yasser Arafat might be taken off life support. That goes against every tenet of Islam. And the shaikh is really here to give the final Islamic declaration that Yasser Arafat is dead, in the event that that happens -- Tony.
HARRIS: Fionnuala Sweeney, reporting live for us today. Fionnuala, thank you -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, all the while, the delicate logistics surrounding Arafat's funeral and burial are firming up, and CNN's Michael Holmes checks in now from Ramallah with the latest on that.
Hi, there, Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Betty.
Well, for the last few hours, we've been listening to the sound of earth moving equipment and trucks as they rumble around behind me, inside the Palestinian Authority compound.
What are they doing? Well, they're clearing away the mess from three years of Israeli incursions into the West Bank. The damage done to the Palestinian Authority headquarters has been considerable over those years.
There are wrecked cars in there. There are also drums filled with concrete and steel poles that were put there because Yasser Arafat feared Israeli commandos would come in in helicopters and take him away to exile. Well, that's all being cleared away, because it is in that area that Yasser Arafat will be buried. That is now confirmed.
What we do know from Palestinian officials is that when the ailing leader does pass away, his body will be taken to Cairo, where it will lay in state for a matter of a few hours. And Palestinian officials say world leaders and officials will attend that ceremony.
He'll then be flown by Egyptian military helicopter, right here to the Muqataa, the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah, where he will be put into a monument, and what one official called a tomb, which will become, really, a focal point for Palestinians who see Arafat as the father of the Palestinian struggle and their aspirations for nationhood.
The -- as I said, the Muqataa is very much a -- a ruined area at the moment. And so there's cleanup going ahead a pace. This was all planned really for Friday. However, as we know, Yasser Arafat's still very much alive. So it could be moved 24 hours, 48 hours. We just don't know yet. It depends on what happens in Paris -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Michael, let's talk about that movable monument that Arafat will be placed in there in Ramallah. Now, it's movable. Is that because there is still the hope that one day he will be buried in Jerusalem?
HOLMES: Indeed, that's exactly why. I've spoken to several senior Palestinians. And we, in fact, have spoken to people who are involved in the design of this monument, if you like.
And we were told that it's very much going to be a movable thing, something that can be literally craned up, taken away, and taken to Jerusalem.
What Palestinian officials are saying is one day -- one day, whenever that is, it could be years away, it may be never, they hope to see Jerusalem or east Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, an independent nation. And they say when that happens, they think it fitting that Yasser Arafat be interred there. And in fact, it is what he wished for, as well.
So while he may be here for an indefinite period of time in Ramallah, it is the Palestinian hope that he may -- that he will end up in Jerusalem. That is certainly not the way the Israelis see it. They say not on their watch -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Michael Holmes in -- Ramallah, that is, for us. Thank you -- Tony.
HARRIS: To be clear about this, the Palestinian constitution makes clear a line of succession. But it's also clear the passing of the only leader most Palestinians have ever known will lead to a volatile region and to largely uncharted waters.
CNN's John Vause is in Ramallah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As long as he breathes, he leads. Still, with Yasser Arafat in a coma and close to death, Palestinians are asking, who could ever possibly take his place?
Mouza Shabat (ph), a wood carver in Ramallah proudly displays his photo with the Palestinian leader.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He's the first and the last president of Palestine and if you ask anyone, he'll tell you, no one can fill his position.
VAUSE: Still, the power play is under way, and the likely favorite is Mahmoud Abbas. The No. 2 man in the PLO, known as Abu Mazen, was prime minister for just four months, but quit after a fight with Arafat.
There's the current prime minister, Ahmed Qorei, also called Abu Alaa. He was closely involved in the Oslo peace process and since taking office last year has clashed with Arafat over political reforms and has threatened to quit many times.
Both men are now effectively in charge. And, importantly for Israel, are considered moderates.
YOSSI BELIN, ISRAELI POLITICIAN: Right now, the coordination, the cooperation between Abu Mazen and Abu Alaa is very promising. I believe that both of them are respected.
VAUSE: Mohammad Dahlan sees himself as a possible leader, but the former Gaza security chief is viewed with suspicion by many Palestinians because of his dealings with Israel and the United States.
The most popular, though, after Arafat is Marwan Barghouti, one of the leaders of Arafat's Fatah political party. But he's currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail.
MUSTAFA BARGOUTI, POLITICAL ANALYST: And without free democratic elections, no leader will have the legitimacy of working on behalf of the Palestinian people.
VAUSE (on camera): Under Palestinian law, should Arafat die, the speaker of the parliament assumes power and must call elections within 60 days. The question now, will there be free and fair elections?
Or will the Palestinians travel the same road as virtually every other Arab nation, where the new leader is the one who emerges strongest after an internal power struggle?
BASSEM EID, POLITICAL ANALYST: This is the Arab mentality. And I don't think that the Palestinian Authority or Arafat is going to be different.
VAUSE (voice-over): And then there is also the Israeli factor. Road closures and curfews will make an election almost impossible, especially now with the Israeli military on high alert, fearing potential chaos in the West Bank and Gaza.
John Vause, CNN, Ramallah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A terrorist on tape. He's making threats against his fellow Americans. Investigators say they think he know who he is. That's just ahead.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rusty Dornin in Redwood City. Did the dismissed juror in the Scott Peterson trial have anything to do with a possible deadlock? Find out, coming up.
HARRIS: And listen to this, an employee at this smoothie stand says her boss went too far to prove a point. She says he bent her over his knee and spanked her.
NGUYEN: What?
HARRIS: That's later, on LIVE FROM.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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HARRIS: Well, first it was a threat of a deadlock. Now a juror in the Scott Peterson double murder trial has been ousted and replaced. What could this mean for the case?
CNN's Rusty Dornin joins us from Redwood City -- Rusty. DORNIN: Well, Tony, it looks like the prosecution and defense team have gone behind closed doors with the judge about a half hour ago. Apparently, just moments ago, they came back into the courtroom. We're not sure if they're going to be asking, or if the jury's been asking for more evidence or what.
But it's back to the drawing board for this jury, with a new panel member, after juror No. 7 was dismissed yesterday.
Sources close to the case tell CNN that during that dismissal process, the judge interviewed each juror and in that process, discovered just how contentious this jury is, that there's a real battle going on behind the scenes. But apparently, the dismissed juror was not part of that problem that they were talking about, about a deadlock.
Now, the alternate coming in is a woman in her late 20s, early 30s. She has four kids. She's a former bank employee. She told the court during jury selection she had nine tattoos. She has a tendency to change her hair color every week or so.
Legal experts here say that usually doesn't bode well for the prosecution. The prosecution usually likes someone more towards the middle, someone who doesn't stand out.
Also, sources close to the case tell CNN that the defense is very happy with the addition of this juror. She has expressed a lot of emotion during the case, crying both when shown autopsy photos, but also when Scott Peterson was in the middle of a television interview after his wife went missing.
They'll continue deliberations today. But tomorrow's Veterans Day. They'll be no court, so they'll be back on Friday -- Tony.
HARRIS: Rusty, a quick question. Aren't we at the point now where this judge is doing everything that he possibly can to save this case, to save this jury?
DORNIN: He's doing everything he can, absolutely. And, you know, the one thing he has to do, though, is make sure that this juror, because she was accused of doing some undisclosed, independent research, that she didn't taint the other members of the jury, because that is a sure-fire way to have a mistrial.
So he had to make sure that the other jurors hadn't been, you know, influenced anything or prejudiced by whatever she did.
HARRIS: Rusty Dornin, following the Peterson case for us. Rusty, thank you -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Intelligence officials are reporting a breakthrough and possibly identifying an American man recently seen on tape, threatening to attack the U.S. And as CNN national security correspondent David Ensor reports, the man is no stranger to law enforcement.
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DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the videotape obtained in Pakistan in late October by ABC News, a young man identified as Azam, the American, his face concealed, threatened more terrorism against the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The magnitude and ferocity of what is coming your way will make your forget all about September 11.
ENSOR: Now U.S. intelligence officials say they believe that voice is probably the same as this one, the voice of Adam Gadahn, of Riverside County in southern California, who appeared years ago as a teenager, along with his father, discussing environmental issues at a news conference.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does the garbage project help the future of the earth?
ENSOR: Gadahn, born in 1978 as Adam Perlman, has been on an FBI list since May of suspects wanted for possible involvement in terrorist threats.
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: Adam Gadahn. He is a U.S. citizen who converted to Islam. Is associated with Abu Zubaydah in Pakistan, and he attended the training camps in Afghanistan.
He is known to have performed translations for al Qaeda as part of the services he has provided to al Qaeda.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: It's somebody that the FBI regards as one of the seven people they'd most like to find. One or two of those people have been found in Pakistan since, but Gadahn obviously remains at liberty.
ENSOR (on camera): Officials note that Gadahn's voice also appears to be on another al Qaeda tape released earlier. U.S. officials say his family is under loose surveillance in case he tries to contact them.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: News across America now.
Another American accused of having ties to terrorists is in custody in Texas. Nineteen-year-old Mark Walker was arrested Saturday crossing into Texas from Mexico. Authorities say he admitted he was planning to buy night vision goggles and bulletproof vests for a Somalian terrorist group.
A manhunt is underway in Texas for two suspected serial bank robbers. Police released this dramatic videotape from a chase which started after a robbery last Thursday. A third suspect turned himself in. A disturbing story out of Oregon. Two high school students are accused of beating a classmate, videotaping it, setting it to rap music, then selling it to follow students on DVD. Look at this.
The victim, who police believe may have been selected at random, required medical attention. One of alleged assailants has been charged with assault.
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HARRIS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is something that I really wanted.
HARRIS: Barrier breaker. What's it like to be a new mom to twins at age 56? You'll hear from her, ahead.
Later on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never thought I'd be waiting for my husband to come home from war.
HARRIS: Home-front anxiety, while fight for Falluja wages on.
And wounded veterans of the Iraq war trying to ensure all their comrades get a warm welcome home. Their new mission, tomorrow on LIVE FROM.
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NGUYEN: All right. So you eat right. You exercise. You take your vitamins. Wait a second on that last one.
Yes, a new study yanks the rug out from under Vitamin E and its reputation as a boost to a healthier heart.
CNN's Elizabeth Cohen says that in this case, more is not necessarily better.
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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Years ago, there was big excitement about Vitamin E. Researchers said that if you took mega doses -- that's 400 international units -- that you could decrease your chance of having a heart attack. And many doctors, even cardiologists, starting megadosing on Vitamin E.
But now there's a new study coming out of the American Heart Association that says that they looked at 19 different studies and found that not only does Vitamin E not help; it actually could hurt.
They found that folks who megadosed on Vitamin E -- that is, took about 400 international units a day -- actually had a higher chance of dying during the course of the study, including dying from heart problems.
So then the question becomes, well, what should people do? Should they take Vitamin E supplements? Well, the researchers at Johns Hopkins who did the study say start with your diet. We have here some foods that are rich in Vitamin E. Your leafy greens have a lot of Vitamin E, broccoli, almonds, canola oil. All of those are high in Vitamin E.
Now, even if you eat well, it can be tough to get the amount of Vitamin E you're supposed to every day, which is about 10 to 20 international units a day. And so these doctors said go ahead and take a multivitamin if you'd like to, if you feel like you're not getting it enough in food.
Now, we talked to the doctors at the Harvard School of Public Health who did the original Vitamin E studies. They stand by their studies. They think more like 100 or 200 international units of Vitamin E are a good thing. But many other people disagree with them.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN.
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HARRIS: OK. The Federal Reserve is expected to boost interest rates for the fourth time this year in just about 45 minutes. For a breakdown of what that means to you, Rhonda Schaffler joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange.
Hello. Hi, Rhonda.
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