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Ice May Be Factor in Ebersol Crash; U.N. Leader's Son Investigated as Part of Oil-For-Food Scandal; Iran Seals Deal to Stop Uranium Program; Israeli Community Reaches out to Beslan Survivors; Godzilla Turns 50

Aired November 29, 2004 - 15:00   ET

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

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Now in the news, another video from al Qaeda, this time featuring bin Laden's top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Arabic language news network Al Jazeera aired a brief portion today. In it, al-Zawahiri promises to continue fighting the U.S. until he says Muslims are treated with respect. That tape apparently was made before the U.S. presidential election.
A military spokesperson now confirms seven U.S. soldiers from Fort Hood were killed in that crash of an Army helicopter in central Texas today. The chopper crashed in heavy fog just north of Temple. There are unconfirmed reports that the Black Hawk hit a wire supporting a TV transmission tower. The crew has flying from Fort Hood to Texarkana.

From a cereal company to the White House. President Bush names Kellogg's CEO Carlos Gutierrez to be the next commerce secretary. Gutierrez became a political refugee more than 40 years ago after leaving Cuba. If confirmed by the Senate, Gutierrez would replace outgoing Commerce Secretary Don Evans.

The U.S. Supreme Court says on -- stays on the sidelines in the debate over same-sex marriage. A conservative group had asked the court to overturn the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. The high court rejected that challenge without comment.

TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: At this hour, there is still no word on the condition of Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports. He was on that jet that crashed and burned in Colorado, killing as many as three people, apparently including one of Ebersol's sons. Authorities now are saying the plane was not deiced in the snowy conditions before takeoff.

CNN's David Mattingly joins us now wit this latest on this story.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Icing just one of the many things that investigators are looking at in this crash right now.

If you look at those dramatic photographs at the time of the accident, you wonder how anyone managed to survive this crash. Just look at them.

Witnesses say they heard explosions and saw large clouds of smoke as the jet crashed on takeoff yesterday morning. The plane was apparently torn apart before it burned, killing the pilot and copilot. The cockpit was broken away from the aircraft, as was the seat belonging to Dick Ebersol's 14-year-old son, Edward.

Ebersol, his older son, Charles, and someone described as a member of the flight crew survived and remain hospitalized. The whereabouts of the 14-year-old Edward -- Teddy, he's also known as -- remain unknown. After searches of the area and the wreckage, authorities say it's likely the young Ebersol did not survive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT EILTS, DEPUTY CORONER: We have done a complete, thorough search of the area surrounding the crash site, looking for the potential of an ejection. Have been unsuccessful in finding anybody. We believe at this time that the boy has probably perished in the crash.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Weather conditions at the time of the crash were cold, snowy and windy. Someone that works for the company that provides deicing services at the Montrose Regional Airport says the jet was not deiced before takeoff. That is a procedure left up to the discretion of the pilots and the airlines. No one can say if icing was a factor in the crash.

The airport in Colorado is again open, and all flights departing today are being thoroughly deiced.

HARRIS: Yes. So David, the NTSB, we understand, is on its way to the scene. And what do you think they'll be looking for?

MATTINGLY: They're actually there now. They're going to be looking at the eyewitness accounts of what happened as this plane apparently veered to the right of the runway before it seemed to lose control and it crashed across the end -- through the fence at the end of the runway.

They'll be looking for mechanical error. They'll be looking for weather conditions. Of course, this -- this issue about deicing obviously will have to be very high on their list.

HARRIS: OK, David. We appreciate it. Thank you -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: The charges of graft within the United Nations have touched the family of Kofi Annan. Today, the secretary-general responded to revelations that his son received payments from a firm with a U.N. contract.

Potentially worse for Annan, that firm was involved in the oil- for-food program in prewar Iraq, which is the subject of widespread bribery allegations.

CNN's Richard Roth is at the U.N. to tell us more about it -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, no formal charges have been placed against the secretary-general of the U.N. or his son, Kojo. But the secretary-general acknowledges there is a perception problem, perhaps of a conflict of interests.

The secretary general's son did do some work for a Swiss company that handled much of the inspections in the controversial oil for food program. And now, it appears, contrary to what the U.N. has said twice before, that the son was on the payroll for many more years than first acknowledged.

Today, in his first public comments, I asked the secretary- general of the U.N., what did he know and when did he know it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: Actually, I have warm family relations with my son. But he's in a different field. He's an independent businessman. He's a grown man. And I don't get involved with his activities. And he doesn't get involved in mine.

On -- and also, as I've stated earlier, I have no involvement with granting of contracts, either on this particular one or this (ph). And I would also suggest that if you have any questions about his business activities, why should direct it to him or the companies concerned. In the meantime, I would just ask all to be patient until Mr. Volcker completes his work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Kofi Annan said he is very disappointed and surprised in -- by the news about his son, Kojo. He said he talked to the son, didn't want to talk about it on Friday.

The spokesman for Kofi Annan said you can't blame the father for the since of the son, if there are sins of the son.

U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Danforth says his country, the U.S., remains concerned about the oil-for-food situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DANFORTH, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: What it means is this deserves very careful attention, a very close investigation. And let all the facts come out.

The most important thing that can happen in an investigation is to have all of the facts out there. Let the chips fall where they may. Don't attempt to prejudge the facts before they're learned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Someone at the legal office for representing Kojo Annan, the secretary-general's son, said Kojo Annan is cooperating with the U.N. independent panel investigating oil-for-food.

Of course, Kyra, there are at least six other probes, ranging from the Justice Department, we believe, to congressional committees.

Back to you. PHILLIPS: And of course, this has been out for quite awhile. And now finally, it's being talked about in more of a public manner.

Kojo Annan, what -- what is he doing now? Has he ceased all relationships with various contracts, for example, having to do with Iraq or other countries of this sort? Has he stopped business completely? Or is he going on with normal business affairs?

ROTH: Kojo Annan is a business person, a consultant, mostly traveling or living in Africa and Europe. According to what we know, earlier this year is when he stopped receiving so-called non-compete payments from this Swiss company, Cotecna.

But the U.N., every time they try to say this story is at least on hold while it's being investigated by former fed chairman Paul Volcker, as one official said, you turn over another leaf and then there's something else there.

Very big image problem for the U.N. and a bigger problem if it's eventually proven that U.N. officials may have been on the take.

PHILLIPS: Can you tell us more about Cotecna?

ROTH: Well, Cotecna is based in Switzerland. It didn't get to inspect every humanitarian good or service that went into Iraq. It claims that it did nothing wrong, that it is cooperating with the Paul Volcker panel and that it was working with the U.N. even before this controversy erupted in the '90s.

But Kojo Annan is not supposedly connected to the Iraq humanitarian project in any way. They say he did consulting in West Africa.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. And of course, we can't forget about all the humanitarian aid that allegedly got into Iraq and went to the people didn't, right, Richard? I mean, so much of this went to support Saddam Hussein and his military.

ROTH: Well, this is the dilemma the U.S. had. They wanted to keep the sanctions on, so whether they purposely turned a blind eye or just couldn't get it past the Russians and the French, they knew that there was misconduct.

But for the United States now, they're -- they need the U.N., maybe, in Iraq. But they don't like what they're hearing on oil-for- food.

PHILLIPS: No doubt. CNN's Richard Roth from the U.N. Thanks, Richard.

HARRIS: And turning to Iraq, where two months before its planned presidential election, deadly insurgent violence escalates.

A car bomb killed six and wounded at least eight today in Baghdadi, a city near Ramadi. Officials say the bomb targeted an Iraqi police station. And terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi may be behind the latest killings of Iraqi security forces in Mosul. The al Qaeda group led by al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for the killings in a statement yesterday on an Islamist web site. Recently, dozens of bodies have been found in the Mosul area.

PHILLIPS: No decision yet on whether to hold a new presidential elections in the Ukraine. That's the nation's highest court as it still weighs in on all the arguments as protesters take to the streets for an eighth straight day. We're talking thousands of protesters. They claim that the vote was rigged. And earlier today, Ukraine's outgoing president, Leonid Kuchma, says that a new election may be the only way to preserve democracy there.

HARRIS: Nuclear negotiations. The U.N.'s atomic watchdog agency passes a resolution today on Iran's nuclear program. The resolution could allow Iran to escape U.N. sanctions, but Washington is not on board with the decision.

CNN's Matthew Chance is live in London with the details -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, thanks.

Well, Washington's in fact -- the U.S. is one of the countries, the 35 countries on the board of governors on the IAEA. And it actually voted for this resolution to be passed, as well. There are a great deal of concerns.

For the moment, the deal has lifted the threat of Iran being referred to the U.N. Security Council to face possible sanctions over its nuclear activity. It was a great deal of behind the scenes negotiations that led to this deal.

Iran, though, eventually dropping its or freezing its uranium enrichment program. Uranium, of course, can be used to manufacture a nuclear weapon. It also dropped its demand for 20 uranium centrifuges, which are the devices used to enrich uranium, to actually be dropped, as well. It said it didn't need those centrifuges anyway. So a complete suspension of all its uranium enrichment activities, which is what the E.U. countries, European countries had been negotiating for.

Mohamed ElBaradei is the secretary-general of the IAEA, and he welcomed the deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED ELBARADEI, SECRETARY-GENERAL, IAEA: We are going to continue with full vigor our verification in Iran. I call on Iran again to demonstrate maximum transparency, active cooperation. The more transparency demonstrated by Iran, the sooner we can provide the international community with the needed -- with the needed assurances that Iran program is litigated for peaceful purposes.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHANCE: There was also word from the Iranian ambassador to the IAEA, as well. He said that this latest deal marked what he called a new phase of relations, potentially, between Iran and the rest of the world. He said the deal was a confidence-building measure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYRIS NASERI, IRANIAN DELEGATE TO IAEA: There is now, I believe, on both sides, a good level of confidence on the positive intentions on both sides and on good faith of each party. This is important. This is what we intend to focus upon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Well, the compromise is on the European side, as well. Gone are a clause in the resolution calling for intrusive inspections to inspect any site in Iran that the U.N. believes can be the site of nuclear activities. Gone also to a reference to any automatic trigger for Iran to be referred to the U.N. Security Council if it goes back on this deal.

So there was a deal that was done. But critics like those in the U.S. argue that it may have been done at an extremely high price -- Tony.

HARRIS: Matthew Chance from London. Matthew, thank you.

Shoppers spent a lot of money this weekend. But apparently, Wall Street investors are feeling stingy today. We'll have a market wrap ahead.

Plus, he emerged from the bottom of the -- whoa, from the bottom of the sea and rose to superstardom. And now, Godzilla is ready for his golden moment in Hollywood. And we've got the scoop ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: You remember on September 1, the town of Beslan, Russia, Was attacked in a way its citizens will never forget. At the end of a bloody hostage siege, more than 300 lay dead and hundreds more were injured.

And although the physical wounds have had hardly any time to heal, the mental scars will obviously linger even longer. CNN's John Vause on how another community reached out to help.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some wake in the night terrified. Others simply can't fall asleep alone. And there are the physical scars, as well. They're the children of Beslan. And almost three months later, the pain and trauma is still just below the surface.

"I'll probably think about it forever," Ustan (ph) says. But for three weeks, these children, 18 in all, have had a chance to escape their nightmares. They came to Israel, invited and paid for by the people of Ashkelon, a community predominantly of Russian immigrants. Almost all of these kids are Christian. Some are Muslims. None are Jewish.

MAYOR RON MAHATZRI, ASHKELON, ISRAEL (through translator): We are a country which has learned about terror, and we have learned how to deal with it. And that is way we decided to help these kids.

VAUSE: They toured the sites: the Church of the Holy Sepulcher one day, a trip to the zoo, fishing in the Sea of Galilee.

Valery Solkozarov lost his wife and daughter. Now, it's just him and his son.

VALERY SOLKOZAROV, BESLAN VISITOR (through translator): Here, it is like a holiday for the boy. Every day, there is no rest. We go from place to place.

VAUSE: Woven through it all, therapy from Israeli counselors, experts on dealing with kids and terror.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

VAUSE: Like simple painting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first days, you can see, if you look at the pictures, you see they're mostly -- mostly sad.

VAUSE: But a week later, the dark colors, the sadness is gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A week after they come here, much more optimistic.

VAUSE: Even the beating of a drum, so these children no longer associate loud noises with gunshots and explosions.

(on camera) The Israeli counselors say these children have made remarkable progress. For the first time in months, they're smiling and laughing. Some are even sleeping better at night.

But no one knows for sure what will happen when this holiday from reality comes to an end and they must return home to Beslan.

(voice-over) One thing is certain, the good-byes were hard. But the last three weeks have been a little brighter. And maybe the future will be, as well.

John Vause, CNN, Tipiera (ph), Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK REPORT) PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rhonda.

His creator thought that he'd only last through one movie.

HARRIS: But Godzilla made it through 50 years. Ahead, the man who first put on a rubber suit reveals why he had to carry a car battery between his knees to bring the -- yes, to bring the monster to life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, he's old enough to join the AARP. He's big enough to squash skyscrapers. He's radioactive enough, Kyra, to scorch entire cities. And now he's reached the Acme of celebrity.

Godzilla meets the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We understand the lovable lizard was on-hand -- or claw -- for the ceremonies today on Hollywood Boulevard.

At the age of 50, Godzilla's no geezer. In his new movie, "Godzilla: Final Wars," he'll battle a whole flock of famous foes from Mothra to Rodan.

PHILLIPS: Isn't that an artist?

HARRIS: Rodan? No, that's -- yes.

PHILLIPS: The Thinker.

HARRIS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Godzilla -- Godzilla's a deep thinker. I'm sorry. Finish your thought. You were talking about "Final Wars."

HARRIS: Well, it's a new movie...

PHILLIPS: OK.

HARRIS: ... that Godzilla is starring in. But it's not going to be the last movie.

PHILLIPS: OK.

HARRIS: He's going to be around as long as time. That's what the studio head who owns the franchise is saying to us.

PHILLIPS: Very good. Happy birthday, Godzilla.

HARRIS: Happy birthday.

PHILLIPS: All right. We tried to get him as an interview. But we couldn't. He's not talking.

HARRIS: Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Let's move on. Why is the world still nutty about this overgrown gecko with anger-management issues? Well, CNN's Atika Schubert on that phenomenon that is Godzilla and the actors who have risked their lives to wear that rubber suit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SCHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Big G is back and looking a healthy 50 years old. He's got a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. And "Final Wars," a new movie that producers promise will be his last, featuring every Godzilla friend and foe ever created.

It started as something of a joke. Who knew a guy in a rubber suit stomping around Tokyo would become an icon, much less, the subject of serious discussion?

What is Godzilla? Is he is the embodiment of Japan's nuclear post war trauma? Or is he Japan's national hope, cleverly disguised as a fire-breathing monster?

(on camera) What is Godzilla is still under debate, but who is Godzilla pretty easy to find out, especially since all the actors who played him still live in Tokyo.

Haruo Nakajima is the original Godzilla. He has suffered burns, electric shocks and near suffocation while playing the monster. Not surprising, since the suit weighed almost 100 kilograms, about 200 pounds, powered by a car battery, wedged between his knees.

Now 75, Nakajima says today's actors could learn something from playing a monster.

"Actors shouldn't know weakness," he says. "You can't say, 'I have no oxygen,' in the middle of filming. Actors shouldn't cry. If they complain, they should just quit."

The current Godzilla, Tsutomu Kitagawa, takes that advice to heart and happily gives us lessons in proper stomping technique.

"The suit is very tight. I can't see very well. And inside, there is a tube for breathing. Once it came undone when I was under water, and I was drowning. Godzilla may look great on the outside. But inside, it's pretty desperate."

Godzilla's creators never figured he would last beyond one movie. Fifty years and 28 films later, Godzilla's biggest problem is finding a way to stomp into the sunset for good.

Atika Schubert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Do you audition for that?

PHILLIPS: Can you imagine? Suffocating in a rubber suit? But look, he got famous.

HARRIS: What's the motivation? Stomp all over the -- all right. That wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM.

PHILLIPS: To take us through the next hour of political headlines, "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS."

Hi, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Hi, Kyra. Thanks to you and Tony.

Question is, what would the Founding Fathers say? Are elections in this country sometimes actually bad for us? Bill Schneider has some thoughts.

Plus, shadows of the past in Alabama. We'll look at the state's refusal to approve an amendment to erase segregation-era wording in its constitution.

"INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: President Bush looks to the private sector in picking his next commerce secretary.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Carlos Gutierrez is one of America's most respected business leaders.

ANNOUNCER: Is this a sign of things to come as Mr. Bush overhauls his economic team?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I now pronounce that you are married.

ANNOUNCER: Gay marriage, it was one of the hot button issues in the presidential election. But the Supreme Court steers clear of a Massachusetts law that legalizes same sex marriages.

Fifty years after the high court rules...

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 November 29, 2004 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Now in the news, another video from al Qaeda, this time featuring bin Laden's top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Arabic language news network Al Jazeera aired a brief portion today. In it, al-Zawahiri promises to continue fighting the U.S. until he says Muslims are treated with respect. That tape apparently was made before the U.S. presidential election.
A military spokesperson now confirms seven U.S. soldiers from Fort Hood were killed in that crash of an Army helicopter in central Texas today. The chopper crashed in heavy fog just north of Temple. There are unconfirmed reports that the Black Hawk hit a wire supporting a TV transmission tower. The crew has flying from Fort Hood to Texarkana.

From a cereal company to the White House. President Bush names Kellogg's CEO Carlos Gutierrez to be the next commerce secretary. Gutierrez became a political refugee more than 40 years ago after leaving Cuba. If confirmed by the Senate, Gutierrez would replace outgoing Commerce Secretary Don Evans.

The U.S. Supreme Court says on -- stays on the sidelines in the debate over same-sex marriage. A conservative group had asked the court to overturn the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. The high court rejected that challenge without comment.

TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: At this hour, there is still no word on the condition of Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports. He was on that jet that crashed and burned in Colorado, killing as many as three people, apparently including one of Ebersol's sons. Authorities now are saying the plane was not deiced in the snowy conditions before takeoff.

CNN's David Mattingly joins us now wit this latest on this story.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Icing just one of the many things that investigators are looking at in this crash right now.

If you look at those dramatic photographs at the time of the accident, you wonder how anyone managed to survive this crash. Just look at them.

Witnesses say they heard explosions and saw large clouds of smoke as the jet crashed on takeoff yesterday morning. The plane was apparently torn apart before it burned, killing the pilot and copilot. The cockpit was broken away from the aircraft, as was the seat belonging to Dick Ebersol's 14-year-old son, Edward.

Ebersol, his older son, Charles, and someone described as a member of the flight crew survived and remain hospitalized. The whereabouts of the 14-year-old Edward -- Teddy, he's also known as -- remain unknown. After searches of the area and the wreckage, authorities say it's likely the young Ebersol did not survive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT EILTS, DEPUTY CORONER: We have done a complete, thorough search of the area surrounding the crash site, looking for the potential of an ejection. Have been unsuccessful in finding anybody. We believe at this time that the boy has probably perished in the crash.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Weather conditions at the time of the crash were cold, snowy and windy. Someone that works for the company that provides deicing services at the Montrose Regional Airport says the jet was not deiced before takeoff. That is a procedure left up to the discretion of the pilots and the airlines. No one can say if icing was a factor in the crash.

The airport in Colorado is again open, and all flights departing today are being thoroughly deiced.

HARRIS: Yes. So David, the NTSB, we understand, is on its way to the scene. And what do you think they'll be looking for?

MATTINGLY: They're actually there now. They're going to be looking at the eyewitness accounts of what happened as this plane apparently veered to the right of the runway before it seemed to lose control and it crashed across the end -- through the fence at the end of the runway.

They'll be looking for mechanical error. They'll be looking for weather conditions. Of course, this -- this issue about deicing obviously will have to be very high on their list.

HARRIS: OK, David. We appreciate it. Thank you -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: The charges of graft within the United Nations have touched the family of Kofi Annan. Today, the secretary-general responded to revelations that his son received payments from a firm with a U.N. contract.

Potentially worse for Annan, that firm was involved in the oil- for-food program in prewar Iraq, which is the subject of widespread bribery allegations.

CNN's Richard Roth is at the U.N. to tell us more about it -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, no formal charges have been placed against the secretary-general of the U.N. or his son, Kojo. But the secretary-general acknowledges there is a perception problem, perhaps of a conflict of interests.

The secretary general's son did do some work for a Swiss company that handled much of the inspections in the controversial oil for food program. And now, it appears, contrary to what the U.N. has said twice before, that the son was on the payroll for many more years than first acknowledged.

Today, in his first public comments, I asked the secretary- general of the U.N., what did he know and when did he know it?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: Actually, I have warm family relations with my son. But he's in a different field. He's an independent businessman. He's a grown man. And I don't get involved with his activities. And he doesn't get involved in mine.

On -- and also, as I've stated earlier, I have no involvement with granting of contracts, either on this particular one or this (ph). And I would also suggest that if you have any questions about his business activities, why should direct it to him or the companies concerned. In the meantime, I would just ask all to be patient until Mr. Volcker completes his work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Kofi Annan said he is very disappointed and surprised in -- by the news about his son, Kojo. He said he talked to the son, didn't want to talk about it on Friday.

The spokesman for Kofi Annan said you can't blame the father for the since of the son, if there are sins of the son.

U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Danforth says his country, the U.S., remains concerned about the oil-for-food situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DANFORTH, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: What it means is this deserves very careful attention, a very close investigation. And let all the facts come out.

The most important thing that can happen in an investigation is to have all of the facts out there. Let the chips fall where they may. Don't attempt to prejudge the facts before they're learned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Someone at the legal office for representing Kojo Annan, the secretary-general's son, said Kojo Annan is cooperating with the U.N. independent panel investigating oil-for-food.

Of course, Kyra, there are at least six other probes, ranging from the Justice Department, we believe, to congressional committees.

Back to you. PHILLIPS: And of course, this has been out for quite awhile. And now finally, it's being talked about in more of a public manner.

Kojo Annan, what -- what is he doing now? Has he ceased all relationships with various contracts, for example, having to do with Iraq or other countries of this sort? Has he stopped business completely? Or is he going on with normal business affairs?

ROTH: Kojo Annan is a business person, a consultant, mostly traveling or living in Africa and Europe. According to what we know, earlier this year is when he stopped receiving so-called non-compete payments from this Swiss company, Cotecna.

But the U.N., every time they try to say this story is at least on hold while it's being investigated by former fed chairman Paul Volcker, as one official said, you turn over another leaf and then there's something else there.

Very big image problem for the U.N. and a bigger problem if it's eventually proven that U.N. officials may have been on the take.

PHILLIPS: Can you tell us more about Cotecna?

ROTH: Well, Cotecna is based in Switzerland. It didn't get to inspect every humanitarian good or service that went into Iraq. It claims that it did nothing wrong, that it is cooperating with the Paul Volcker panel and that it was working with the U.N. even before this controversy erupted in the '90s.

But Kojo Annan is not supposedly connected to the Iraq humanitarian project in any way. They say he did consulting in West Africa.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. And of course, we can't forget about all the humanitarian aid that allegedly got into Iraq and went to the people didn't, right, Richard? I mean, so much of this went to support Saddam Hussein and his military.

ROTH: Well, this is the dilemma the U.S. had. They wanted to keep the sanctions on, so whether they purposely turned a blind eye or just couldn't get it past the Russians and the French, they knew that there was misconduct.

But for the United States now, they're -- they need the U.N., maybe, in Iraq. But they don't like what they're hearing on oil-for- food.

PHILLIPS: No doubt. CNN's Richard Roth from the U.N. Thanks, Richard.

HARRIS: And turning to Iraq, where two months before its planned presidential election, deadly insurgent violence escalates.

A car bomb killed six and wounded at least eight today in Baghdadi, a city near Ramadi. Officials say the bomb targeted an Iraqi police station. And terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi may be behind the latest killings of Iraqi security forces in Mosul. The al Qaeda group led by al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for the killings in a statement yesterday on an Islamist web site. Recently, dozens of bodies have been found in the Mosul area.

PHILLIPS: No decision yet on whether to hold a new presidential elections in the Ukraine. That's the nation's highest court as it still weighs in on all the arguments as protesters take to the streets for an eighth straight day. We're talking thousands of protesters. They claim that the vote was rigged. And earlier today, Ukraine's outgoing president, Leonid Kuchma, says that a new election may be the only way to preserve democracy there.

HARRIS: Nuclear negotiations. The U.N.'s atomic watchdog agency passes a resolution today on Iran's nuclear program. The resolution could allow Iran to escape U.N. sanctions, but Washington is not on board with the decision.

CNN's Matthew Chance is live in London with the details -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, thanks.

Well, Washington's in fact -- the U.S. is one of the countries, the 35 countries on the board of governors on the IAEA. And it actually voted for this resolution to be passed, as well. There are a great deal of concerns.

For the moment, the deal has lifted the threat of Iran being referred to the U.N. Security Council to face possible sanctions over its nuclear activity. It was a great deal of behind the scenes negotiations that led to this deal.

Iran, though, eventually dropping its or freezing its uranium enrichment program. Uranium, of course, can be used to manufacture a nuclear weapon. It also dropped its demand for 20 uranium centrifuges, which are the devices used to enrich uranium, to actually be dropped, as well. It said it didn't need those centrifuges anyway. So a complete suspension of all its uranium enrichment activities, which is what the E.U. countries, European countries had been negotiating for.

Mohamed ElBaradei is the secretary-general of the IAEA, and he welcomed the deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED ELBARADEI, SECRETARY-GENERAL, IAEA: We are going to continue with full vigor our verification in Iran. I call on Iran again to demonstrate maximum transparency, active cooperation. The more transparency demonstrated by Iran, the sooner we can provide the international community with the needed -- with the needed assurances that Iran program is litigated for peaceful purposes.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHANCE: There was also word from the Iranian ambassador to the IAEA, as well. He said that this latest deal marked what he called a new phase of relations, potentially, between Iran and the rest of the world. He said the deal was a confidence-building measure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYRIS NASERI, IRANIAN DELEGATE TO IAEA: There is now, I believe, on both sides, a good level of confidence on the positive intentions on both sides and on good faith of each party. This is important. This is what we intend to focus upon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Well, the compromise is on the European side, as well. Gone are a clause in the resolution calling for intrusive inspections to inspect any site in Iran that the U.N. believes can be the site of nuclear activities. Gone also to a reference to any automatic trigger for Iran to be referred to the U.N. Security Council if it goes back on this deal.

So there was a deal that was done. But critics like those in the U.S. argue that it may have been done at an extremely high price -- Tony.

HARRIS: Matthew Chance from London. Matthew, thank you.

Shoppers spent a lot of money this weekend. But apparently, Wall Street investors are feeling stingy today. We'll have a market wrap ahead.

Plus, he emerged from the bottom of the -- whoa, from the bottom of the sea and rose to superstardom. And now, Godzilla is ready for his golden moment in Hollywood. And we've got the scoop ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: You remember on September 1, the town of Beslan, Russia, Was attacked in a way its citizens will never forget. At the end of a bloody hostage siege, more than 300 lay dead and hundreds more were injured.

And although the physical wounds have had hardly any time to heal, the mental scars will obviously linger even longer. CNN's John Vause on how another community reached out to help.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some wake in the night terrified. Others simply can't fall asleep alone. And there are the physical scars, as well. They're the children of Beslan. And almost three months later, the pain and trauma is still just below the surface.

"I'll probably think about it forever," Ustan (ph) says. But for three weeks, these children, 18 in all, have had a chance to escape their nightmares. They came to Israel, invited and paid for by the people of Ashkelon, a community predominantly of Russian immigrants. Almost all of these kids are Christian. Some are Muslims. None are Jewish.

MAYOR RON MAHATZRI, ASHKELON, ISRAEL (through translator): We are a country which has learned about terror, and we have learned how to deal with it. And that is way we decided to help these kids.

VAUSE: They toured the sites: the Church of the Holy Sepulcher one day, a trip to the zoo, fishing in the Sea of Galilee.

Valery Solkozarov lost his wife and daughter. Now, it's just him and his son.

VALERY SOLKOZAROV, BESLAN VISITOR (through translator): Here, it is like a holiday for the boy. Every day, there is no rest. We go from place to place.

VAUSE: Woven through it all, therapy from Israeli counselors, experts on dealing with kids and terror.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

VAUSE: Like simple painting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first days, you can see, if you look at the pictures, you see they're mostly -- mostly sad.

VAUSE: But a week later, the dark colors, the sadness is gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A week after they come here, much more optimistic.

VAUSE: Even the beating of a drum, so these children no longer associate loud noises with gunshots and explosions.

(on camera) The Israeli counselors say these children have made remarkable progress. For the first time in months, they're smiling and laughing. Some are even sleeping better at night.

But no one knows for sure what will happen when this holiday from reality comes to an end and they must return home to Beslan.

(voice-over) One thing is certain, the good-byes were hard. But the last three weeks have been a little brighter. And maybe the future will be, as well.

John Vause, CNN, Tipiera (ph), Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK REPORT) PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rhonda.

His creator thought that he'd only last through one movie.

HARRIS: But Godzilla made it through 50 years. Ahead, the man who first put on a rubber suit reveals why he had to carry a car battery between his knees to bring the -- yes, to bring the monster to life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, he's old enough to join the AARP. He's big enough to squash skyscrapers. He's radioactive enough, Kyra, to scorch entire cities. And now he's reached the Acme of celebrity.

Godzilla meets the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We understand the lovable lizard was on-hand -- or claw -- for the ceremonies today on Hollywood Boulevard.

At the age of 50, Godzilla's no geezer. In his new movie, "Godzilla: Final Wars," he'll battle a whole flock of famous foes from Mothra to Rodan.

PHILLIPS: Isn't that an artist?

HARRIS: Rodan? No, that's -- yes.

PHILLIPS: The Thinker.

HARRIS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Godzilla -- Godzilla's a deep thinker. I'm sorry. Finish your thought. You were talking about "Final Wars."

HARRIS: Well, it's a new movie...

PHILLIPS: OK.

HARRIS: ... that Godzilla is starring in. But it's not going to be the last movie.

PHILLIPS: OK.

HARRIS: He's going to be around as long as time. That's what the studio head who owns the franchise is saying to us.

PHILLIPS: Very good. Happy birthday, Godzilla.

HARRIS: Happy birthday.

PHILLIPS: All right. We tried to get him as an interview. But we couldn't. He's not talking.

HARRIS: Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Let's move on. Why is the world still nutty about this overgrown gecko with anger-management issues? Well, CNN's Atika Schubert on that phenomenon that is Godzilla and the actors who have risked their lives to wear that rubber suit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SCHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Big G is back and looking a healthy 50 years old. He's got a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. And "Final Wars," a new movie that producers promise will be his last, featuring every Godzilla friend and foe ever created.

It started as something of a joke. Who knew a guy in a rubber suit stomping around Tokyo would become an icon, much less, the subject of serious discussion?

What is Godzilla? Is he is the embodiment of Japan's nuclear post war trauma? Or is he Japan's national hope, cleverly disguised as a fire-breathing monster?

(on camera) What is Godzilla is still under debate, but who is Godzilla pretty easy to find out, especially since all the actors who played him still live in Tokyo.

Haruo Nakajima is the original Godzilla. He has suffered burns, electric shocks and near suffocation while playing the monster. Not surprising, since the suit weighed almost 100 kilograms, about 200 pounds, powered by a car battery, wedged between his knees.

Now 75, Nakajima says today's actors could learn something from playing a monster.

"Actors shouldn't know weakness," he says. "You can't say, 'I have no oxygen,' in the middle of filming. Actors shouldn't cry. If they complain, they should just quit."

The current Godzilla, Tsutomu Kitagawa, takes that advice to heart and happily gives us lessons in proper stomping technique.

"The suit is very tight. I can't see very well. And inside, there is a tube for breathing. Once it came undone when I was under water, and I was drowning. Godzilla may look great on the outside. But inside, it's pretty desperate."

Godzilla's creators never figured he would last beyond one movie. Fifty years and 28 films later, Godzilla's biggest problem is finding a way to stomp into the sunset for good.

Atika Schubert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Do you audition for that?

PHILLIPS: Can you imagine? Suffocating in a rubber suit? But look, he got famous.

HARRIS: What's the motivation? Stomp all over the -- all right. That wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM.

PHILLIPS: To take us through the next hour of political headlines, "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS."

Hi, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Hi, Kyra. Thanks to you and Tony.

Question is, what would the Founding Fathers say? Are elections in this country sometimes actually bad for us? Bill Schneider has some thoughts.

Plus, shadows of the past in Alabama. We'll look at the state's refusal to approve an amendment to erase segregation-era wording in its constitution.

"INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: President Bush looks to the private sector in picking his next commerce secretary.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Carlos Gutierrez is one of America's most respected business leaders.

ANNOUNCER: Is this a sign of things to come as Mr. Bush overhauls his economic team?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I now pronounce that you are married.

ANNOUNCER: Gay marriage, it was one of the hot button issues in the presidential election. But the Supreme Court steers clear of a Massachusetts law that legalizes same sex marriages.

Fifty years after the high court rules...

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