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Defense Pleads For Scott Peterson's Life; Interview With CNN Producer Riad Ali

Aired December 09, 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, CNN ANCHOR: The prosecution has finished its closing argument. The defense is having its turn before jurors begin grappling with the fate of Scott Peterson.
CNN's Ted Rowlands joining us now from Redwood City.

Ted, is it true Mark Geragos plans to wind thing up for the defense in just a few minutes?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they actually took an early lunch break here. So jurors have gone away for the lunch break. They'll be reconvened at 12:45 local, about 45 minutes from now. And, at that point, Mark Geragos will finish the defense closing statements in this penalty phase.

Pat Harris, the other defense attorney, started it off earlier, before they took this break. And at one point, he looked at jurors and said, I am not asking you. I am begging you to spare Scott Peterson's life. Harris was very soft-spoken as he talked about Scott Peterson and his redeeming qualities.

He talked about the witnesses that have came forward to talk about Scott Peterson as a young man, a boy growing up, his family life, and all of the good things that he did for people as he was growing up. And Harris said, he can do these good things in jail. If you kill hill, it's irreversible. Again, I beg to you to save his life.

Before that, it was the prosecution's last chance to address the jury. And it was handled by prosecutor Dave Harris. He gave a very compelling argument, saying that what we've been hearing about this perfect couple, Scott and Laci Peterson, was only half of the story. The people that have been coming up here talking about that didn't know the real Scott Peterson. And he showed a photo of Peterson smiling at the candlelight vigil for his missing wife at the time and then played an audiotape of him talking to Amber Frey that same night, claiming he was in Paris, France, with his buddies Pascual and Francois.

He then talked about how he lied to every single person, his mother included, his father. All of those 34 witnesses, he said, Scott Peterson had lied to. In the end, Harris got up and said, for 116 days, Scott Peterson let his wife's body rot in the San Francisco Bay -- he held up an autopsy photo for the jurors to see -- while her parents grieved and wondered where she was. He implored the jury to sentence him to death. The jury will get this case after about 20 minutes worth of jury instructions read by the judge. We're expecting that to take place early this afternoon. Whether or not they'll have enough time to deliberate today and return a verdict remains to be seen. But they should get the case about 2:30, 3:00 this afternoon Pacific time -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll check in with you then. Thanks so much, Ted Rowlands -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, police in Ohio say they may never know motive behind a deadly rampage at a Columbus nightclub.

The band Damageplan had just started to play last night when a gunman stormed the stage and shot and killed guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. This is how one witness described what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALVIN BOTA, EYEWITNESS: Somebody came -- I don't know where they came from, out of the audience or whatnot. But they came on to the stage and then basically he shot the guitarist at first, fired a couple other shots, and then he hid behind the stage a little bit. And then everyone started scattering. There's mayhem everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It didn't stop there. Police say the gunman, 25- year-old Nathan Gale, shot and killed three more people before he was shot dead by police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. BRENT MULL, COLUMBUS POLICE CHIEF: The believe that the suspect had a hostage underneath his arm, pretty much in a headlock situation, had his firearm out, shooting. And they believe that the suspect, at that point, was going to take the gun to his hostage. Once the hostage was able to help us out, as far as getting out of the way somewhat, the officer took advantage of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The band Damageplan was started by two members of the group Pantera, one of the most popular metal bands of the early 1990s. Damageplan has been on a promotional tour to promote its debut album, "New Found Power," released earlier this year. Brothers "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, killed in the shooting, and Vinnie Paul, were founding members of Pantera.

PHILLIPS: One more down, two to go. President Bush has named his nominee to replace the outgoing veterans affairs secretary. That leaves just two Cabinet positions to fill. The president's pick is Ambassador Jim Nicholson. Nicholson is currently the United States ambassador to the Vatican and is a former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

If confirmed, Nicholson would replace Anthony Principi as head of Veteran Affairs.

WHITFIELD: Here's some of the latest news from Iraq. Japan agrees to remain in Iraq for at least another year. The Japanese contingent in southern Iraq is 500 strong and performs noncombat duties. The extension was announced as a show of support for Washington.

In Baghdad, mortar rounds land near a military base. Reports say several civilians were killed and eight Iraqi soldiers were wounded. United States forces fought Iraqi insurgents west of the city, killing four.

And Senator Kerry announces he'll visit Iraq next month. Several Senate colleagues just returned from Iraq, describing personal dangers they experienced firsthand there. Kerry's office says he plans to travel solo.

PHILLIPS: A well-known photographer is back from Iraq, sharing some of what he saw there. He's put together a book now. And he named the collection "Why Mister, Why?" He says it's a question that troops often hear from ordinary Iraqis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEERT VAN KESTEREN, PHOTOGRAPHER: In total, I spent seven months in Iraq. I came in a few days after the war ended. I came in.

At first, I thought I missed the war. It's bad as a photographer. But, actually, then the war was starting. So, from the first week, I was in Iraq, I have been concentrating on how the Americans and the Iraqis are communicating with each other.

I'm trying to explain what is happening in Iraq. If I'm with a platoon of soldiers who are in Iraq for 10 months without translator who are raiding houses, who don't understand a word of Arabic, who are telling me, listen, Iraqis will never like you, so they must fear you, if that's what they are telling me, then that's what my photographs will show.

When I'm with an Iraqi family, I want to see their perception as well. I want to feel how they live and what it is to be in a war, an ever-lasting war. The mass graves has been, within my career as a photographer, I think, one of the most saddest things I've ever, ever, ever witnessed.

We went in a truck into the desert. And there was nothing to see. And suddenly, in the middle of the desert, there were old shoes, 10-year-old shoes who were laying there. People took a shovel, started digging. And, suddenly, hundreds of dead bodies came out of the ground. There was one family, the family of Teda Hafet (ph). And she found the remains of two of her sons.

It shows Iraq just after the war, this bizarre place, full of weapons, destruction. But people also would laugh. And you see a woman kissing an American soldier. There's still hope. People want to try to live again. Then the discovery of these horrible mass graves, it explains a lot, that, yes, Saddam was a brutal dictator. The book has been built up in several different pieces, but that shows the whole -- if I just emphasized the mass graves or I just emphasized the raids or I just emphasized the bombs, I only had a small part of this historic year in Iraq. It's about giving everybody a fair chance to see what happened and what's going on in Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Photographer Geert Van Kesteren left Iraq last month. He was there on assignment for "Newsweek" magazine.

WHITFIELD: And someone else who was held hostage in the Middle East will be joining us.

PHILLIPS: That's right, producer Riad Ali is here to share his experience, how it changed his life, covering not only the affairs there in the Middle East, but, as you remember this video, when he was kidnapped, he's got a pretty amazing story to tell.

WHITFIELD: Also ahead, that morning jolt of Joe is going to cost you a bit more, even if you home-brew.

PHILLIPS: And ushering in a new era. This singer is racking up the award shows -- or awards -- and getting ready for the Grammys later on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's been 2 1/2 months since CNN producer Riad Ali was taken hostage on the streets of Gaza City, for reasons he still doesn't understand. He was held less than 24 hours, which, in that situation, is a lifetime for anyone. But he returned back to his grateful family and his colleagues physically unharmed. A lot has happened since then, but Riad is still an invaluable CNN resource in that region.

And we're happy to welcome him to the CNN Center at this turning point in Israeli/Palestinian affairs.

It's so great to finally meet you.

RIAD ALI, CNN PRODUCER: Thanks a lot.

PHILLIPS: Well, you and I really had a great time to talk this morning. And just your whole story really moved me tremendously.

And I want our viewers to hear not any of the specifics about what happened. I know we can't go there. We don't want to go there. But when you were taken, when you were kidnapped, and you were in that room, not knowing if you were going to get out or not, tell me what was going through your mind, what you faced, faith-wise, you know, faced death. It was amazing what you told me.

ALI: You know, in many ways, I'm still there, you know? I'm still sitting on that chair, my head covered with a black sack, my hands tied to the back of that chair.

And, you know, once, I read, you know, somewhere -- I remember I read that you can't feel your freedom unless you have experienced the moment just before death. And I've experienced this moment for 24 hours, you know? I was sitting face to face with my death, you know? He was challenging me. I was challenging him.

I was talking with him, you know? And the most important, you know, moment was when I start to convince myself to accept my fate and to prepare myself to my death, because all of the signs around -- the kidnappers actually give me the feeling that they are going to kill me. And it was a crucial decision for me to prepare myself to my death and to accept that fate.

And that moment, you know, your whole life just start to move like a movie opposite your eyes. I remembered all of my beloved. I remembered all of the things that I have experienced. It was kind of soul-search in which, you know -- it's happened that, just a week before my kidnapping, I went to the school and I spoke with the principal to let my kids actually leave the school for a week, so I could take them for a vacation. And he refused. And I insist that I want to take them for a vacation.

And we went together. We spent the whole week together. And the week after I was kidnapped, you know, and I just start to ask myself, you know, if I knew it in advance, you know, if I felt that I'm going to be killed, so I insist to take them to their last journey with me. And this picture just came up and -- again and again.

PHILLIPS: Just thinking about your kids?

ALI: Seeing my children, see my kids swimming in the pool, laughing, running around.

And it's amazing kind of -- I start to talk with my death and to deal with the memory. And I just dealt with the issue, if I'm going to remember these pictures after my death, how long my kids are going to remember me and how such that journey to Elat, south of Israel, would affect their life, how they would remember me.

You know, my life has dramatically changed. And, as I told you at the beginning, I'm still there. And it seems very, very difficult, actually, to leave that chair and just to take off this sack, black sack, over my head. It's still there.

PHILLIPS: Riad, but you were able to get out of there. You were able to see your kids again. And I know you've even told me that there's a mission for you in life now. And that is to cover a conflict that is so real.

Your kidnapping really brought that home for a lot of people. Wow. You were in the middle of something where so many people want a solution to this Palestinian-Israeli situation. You're very unique in that you are Palestinian and you're Israeli. You told me it's like fighting these two fires. By having both cultures in your heart, in your background, in your history, how does that help your cover this story fairly, specifically for CNN?

ALI: Well, being member of two conflicted societies, this could be an advantage, in many ways, the fact that I'm fluent in both languages, the fact that I know both cultures. I'm close to their aspiration. I know I can feel their pains.

In many ways, I don't want to see both of them collapse. I just want to see both of them actually live in peace, because, once one of these people actually collapse, destroyed, part of me will be destroyed. So it's kind of mission actually to try to give the people as much as possible the right picture. And, as a journalist, just being part of these two societies, conflicted societies, actually, it's put me in kind of a difficult situation, in which I actually have to prove myself as a fair journalist, not to be accused of taking one side or be loyal to the other side or against one side, because the both sides actually are observing me.

They see me as part of them. So, my duty actually is to prove to both of them that I'm fair enough, actually, to provide the right picture and to go only with the facts. It's very difficult, you know, but I'm trying to use that as an advantage.

PHILLIPS: And you are continually, Riad Ali.

As it goes forward, of course, the passing of Arafat and the peace deal at hand and a lot of new leaders, we look forward to more of your reports and your research. And thank you so much for being with us today.

ALI: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: Well, in entertainment news, Usher is running out of space on the mantle.

Isn't that right, Sibila?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra.

What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas, especially if you're R&B star Usher. I'll tell you what the singer was up to in Sin City last night when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It would be a boon for the traveling business person and the bane of those who are just trying to get away from it all. Next week, the FCC plans to take up the issue of whether to allow cell phone calls on commercial airline flights. One suggestion that's been floated, allowing cell phones to be used in a segregated area of the cabin.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's one of the biggest nights on the music calendar, the annual Billboard Awards. And there was even an award for best ring tone. But the star who walked away with the biggest haul last night was R&B singer Usher.

For the details, let's go to our Sibila Vargas in Los Angeles -- Sibila.

VARGAS: Hey, Fredricka.

There was plenty of excitement at last night's Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. But the evening belonged to a man with one name, Usher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 2004 Billboard Music Awards artist of the year is Usher.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: That's right. The cutie walked away with a coveted artist of the year prize. And, by the end of the night, he took home 11 trophies in all, including two for album of the year awards. We caught up with him backstage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

USHER, MUSICIAN: Artist of the year, 11 awards, man, I'm on top of the world, on top of the night, but all with hard work in front of me. And I'm thinking in the distance. There's so many things that have happened wonderful this year. To win 11, man, that's just amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: Now artist Alicia Keys also scored big with seven trophies of her own, followed by OutKast with five. And Kanye West did pretty good with four. Congratulations to all the winners.

Well, he may not have won big at last night's show, but, believe me, this man is definitely sitting on top of the world, or at least a music empire. Oh, yes, he may sing about 99 problems, but from now on, you can refer to Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter as Mr. President. The rapper has become president and chief executive officer of Def Jam records. Jay-Z will continue to head up Roc-A-Fella Records, which he co-founded. The label is now owned entirely by Def Jam. Jay-Z starts his new job the first week of January -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: He's got no problems anymore.

VARGAS: No, no problems.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk a little movies now. "Shrek 3" apparently coming to a theater near you, a little later than folks expected, however?

VARGAS: A little bit later. I don't know about you. I'm a big "Shrek" fan. I'm sure you are as well.

WHITFIELD: I liked it. It was a lot of fun. I only saw one, though.

VARGAS: It was. But fans -- well, fans of the big green ogre and donkey will have to sit tight if they want to get a refill. DreamWorks has announced that it's delaying the release of "Shrek 3" by six months. The third installment of the highly successful blockbuster was expected to be in theaters November 2006, but will now open May 2007.

Now, DreamWorks says it's all part of a marketing strategy that would increase profitability. The company says releasing it in May would allow it to sell DVDs based on the movie in the following holiday season. So it makes a lot of financial sense, but not so great for me. I love him -- Fredricka.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: You'll have to wait. Just be patient.

VARGAS: I'll have to wait.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sibila, thanks a lot.

VARGAS: Thanks, Fred.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're just getting word of a stunning upshot to yesterday's spectacle of a U.S. defense secretary under fire from his own troops. A reporter from a Tennessee newspaper who happens to be embedded with some of the GIs attending Donald Rumsfeld's town hall meeting in Kuwait yesterday says he planted that dramatic question about using scrap metal to protect unarmed vehicles.

In an e-mail, reporter Edward Lee Pitts says that he was told before the event, "Only soldiers could ask questions, so I brought two of them along with me as escorts." He goes on, "Beforehand, we worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor their vehicles going into combat have. While waiting for the VIP, I went and found the sergeant in charge of the microphone for the question- and-answer session and made sure he knew to get my guys out of the crowd."

Pitts says, "I believe lives are at stake with so many soldiers going across the border, riding as scrap metal as protection. And it may be too late for the unit I am with, but hopefully not for those who come after."

Rumsfeld, the Pentagon and President Bush himself have responded to the soldier's complaint and vow to do everything humanly possible to get armor to the troops who need it. Needless to say, we're pursuing reaction to this latest development. You'll hear it first, right here on CNN.

JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS is up next.

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Aired December 9, 2004 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The prosecution has finished its closing argument. The defense is having its turn before jurors begin grappling with the fate of Scott Peterson.
CNN's Ted Rowlands joining us now from Redwood City.

Ted, is it true Mark Geragos plans to wind thing up for the defense in just a few minutes?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they actually took an early lunch break here. So jurors have gone away for the lunch break. They'll be reconvened at 12:45 local, about 45 minutes from now. And, at that point, Mark Geragos will finish the defense closing statements in this penalty phase.

Pat Harris, the other defense attorney, started it off earlier, before they took this break. And at one point, he looked at jurors and said, I am not asking you. I am begging you to spare Scott Peterson's life. Harris was very soft-spoken as he talked about Scott Peterson and his redeeming qualities.

He talked about the witnesses that have came forward to talk about Scott Peterson as a young man, a boy growing up, his family life, and all of the good things that he did for people as he was growing up. And Harris said, he can do these good things in jail. If you kill hill, it's irreversible. Again, I beg to you to save his life.

Before that, it was the prosecution's last chance to address the jury. And it was handled by prosecutor Dave Harris. He gave a very compelling argument, saying that what we've been hearing about this perfect couple, Scott and Laci Peterson, was only half of the story. The people that have been coming up here talking about that didn't know the real Scott Peterson. And he showed a photo of Peterson smiling at the candlelight vigil for his missing wife at the time and then played an audiotape of him talking to Amber Frey that same night, claiming he was in Paris, France, with his buddies Pascual and Francois.

He then talked about how he lied to every single person, his mother included, his father. All of those 34 witnesses, he said, Scott Peterson had lied to. In the end, Harris got up and said, for 116 days, Scott Peterson let his wife's body rot in the San Francisco Bay -- he held up an autopsy photo for the jurors to see -- while her parents grieved and wondered where she was. He implored the jury to sentence him to death. The jury will get this case after about 20 minutes worth of jury instructions read by the judge. We're expecting that to take place early this afternoon. Whether or not they'll have enough time to deliberate today and return a verdict remains to be seen. But they should get the case about 2:30, 3:00 this afternoon Pacific time -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll check in with you then. Thanks so much, Ted Rowlands -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, police in Ohio say they may never know motive behind a deadly rampage at a Columbus nightclub.

The band Damageplan had just started to play last night when a gunman stormed the stage and shot and killed guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. This is how one witness described what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALVIN BOTA, EYEWITNESS: Somebody came -- I don't know where they came from, out of the audience or whatnot. But they came on to the stage and then basically he shot the guitarist at first, fired a couple other shots, and then he hid behind the stage a little bit. And then everyone started scattering. There's mayhem everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It didn't stop there. Police say the gunman, 25- year-old Nathan Gale, shot and killed three more people before he was shot dead by police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. BRENT MULL, COLUMBUS POLICE CHIEF: The believe that the suspect had a hostage underneath his arm, pretty much in a headlock situation, had his firearm out, shooting. And they believe that the suspect, at that point, was going to take the gun to his hostage. Once the hostage was able to help us out, as far as getting out of the way somewhat, the officer took advantage of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The band Damageplan was started by two members of the group Pantera, one of the most popular metal bands of the early 1990s. Damageplan has been on a promotional tour to promote its debut album, "New Found Power," released earlier this year. Brothers "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, killed in the shooting, and Vinnie Paul, were founding members of Pantera.

PHILLIPS: One more down, two to go. President Bush has named his nominee to replace the outgoing veterans affairs secretary. That leaves just two Cabinet positions to fill. The president's pick is Ambassador Jim Nicholson. Nicholson is currently the United States ambassador to the Vatican and is a former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

If confirmed, Nicholson would replace Anthony Principi as head of Veteran Affairs.

WHITFIELD: Here's some of the latest news from Iraq. Japan agrees to remain in Iraq for at least another year. The Japanese contingent in southern Iraq is 500 strong and performs noncombat duties. The extension was announced as a show of support for Washington.

In Baghdad, mortar rounds land near a military base. Reports say several civilians were killed and eight Iraqi soldiers were wounded. United States forces fought Iraqi insurgents west of the city, killing four.

And Senator Kerry announces he'll visit Iraq next month. Several Senate colleagues just returned from Iraq, describing personal dangers they experienced firsthand there. Kerry's office says he plans to travel solo.

PHILLIPS: A well-known photographer is back from Iraq, sharing some of what he saw there. He's put together a book now. And he named the collection "Why Mister, Why?" He says it's a question that troops often hear from ordinary Iraqis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEERT VAN KESTEREN, PHOTOGRAPHER: In total, I spent seven months in Iraq. I came in a few days after the war ended. I came in.

At first, I thought I missed the war. It's bad as a photographer. But, actually, then the war was starting. So, from the first week, I was in Iraq, I have been concentrating on how the Americans and the Iraqis are communicating with each other.

I'm trying to explain what is happening in Iraq. If I'm with a platoon of soldiers who are in Iraq for 10 months without translator who are raiding houses, who don't understand a word of Arabic, who are telling me, listen, Iraqis will never like you, so they must fear you, if that's what they are telling me, then that's what my photographs will show.

When I'm with an Iraqi family, I want to see their perception as well. I want to feel how they live and what it is to be in a war, an ever-lasting war. The mass graves has been, within my career as a photographer, I think, one of the most saddest things I've ever, ever, ever witnessed.

We went in a truck into the desert. And there was nothing to see. And suddenly, in the middle of the desert, there were old shoes, 10-year-old shoes who were laying there. People took a shovel, started digging. And, suddenly, hundreds of dead bodies came out of the ground. There was one family, the family of Teda Hafet (ph). And she found the remains of two of her sons.

It shows Iraq just after the war, this bizarre place, full of weapons, destruction. But people also would laugh. And you see a woman kissing an American soldier. There's still hope. People want to try to live again. Then the discovery of these horrible mass graves, it explains a lot, that, yes, Saddam was a brutal dictator. The book has been built up in several different pieces, but that shows the whole -- if I just emphasized the mass graves or I just emphasized the raids or I just emphasized the bombs, I only had a small part of this historic year in Iraq. It's about giving everybody a fair chance to see what happened and what's going on in Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Photographer Geert Van Kesteren left Iraq last month. He was there on assignment for "Newsweek" magazine.

WHITFIELD: And someone else who was held hostage in the Middle East will be joining us.

PHILLIPS: That's right, producer Riad Ali is here to share his experience, how it changed his life, covering not only the affairs there in the Middle East, but, as you remember this video, when he was kidnapped, he's got a pretty amazing story to tell.

WHITFIELD: Also ahead, that morning jolt of Joe is going to cost you a bit more, even if you home-brew.

PHILLIPS: And ushering in a new era. This singer is racking up the award shows -- or awards -- and getting ready for the Grammys later on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's been 2 1/2 months since CNN producer Riad Ali was taken hostage on the streets of Gaza City, for reasons he still doesn't understand. He was held less than 24 hours, which, in that situation, is a lifetime for anyone. But he returned back to his grateful family and his colleagues physically unharmed. A lot has happened since then, but Riad is still an invaluable CNN resource in that region.

And we're happy to welcome him to the CNN Center at this turning point in Israeli/Palestinian affairs.

It's so great to finally meet you.

RIAD ALI, CNN PRODUCER: Thanks a lot.

PHILLIPS: Well, you and I really had a great time to talk this morning. And just your whole story really moved me tremendously.

And I want our viewers to hear not any of the specifics about what happened. I know we can't go there. We don't want to go there. But when you were taken, when you were kidnapped, and you were in that room, not knowing if you were going to get out or not, tell me what was going through your mind, what you faced, faith-wise, you know, faced death. It was amazing what you told me.

ALI: You know, in many ways, I'm still there, you know? I'm still sitting on that chair, my head covered with a black sack, my hands tied to the back of that chair.

And, you know, once, I read, you know, somewhere -- I remember I read that you can't feel your freedom unless you have experienced the moment just before death. And I've experienced this moment for 24 hours, you know? I was sitting face to face with my death, you know? He was challenging me. I was challenging him.

I was talking with him, you know? And the most important, you know, moment was when I start to convince myself to accept my fate and to prepare myself to my death, because all of the signs around -- the kidnappers actually give me the feeling that they are going to kill me. And it was a crucial decision for me to prepare myself to my death and to accept that fate.

And that moment, you know, your whole life just start to move like a movie opposite your eyes. I remembered all of my beloved. I remembered all of the things that I have experienced. It was kind of soul-search in which, you know -- it's happened that, just a week before my kidnapping, I went to the school and I spoke with the principal to let my kids actually leave the school for a week, so I could take them for a vacation. And he refused. And I insist that I want to take them for a vacation.

And we went together. We spent the whole week together. And the week after I was kidnapped, you know, and I just start to ask myself, you know, if I knew it in advance, you know, if I felt that I'm going to be killed, so I insist to take them to their last journey with me. And this picture just came up and -- again and again.

PHILLIPS: Just thinking about your kids?

ALI: Seeing my children, see my kids swimming in the pool, laughing, running around.

And it's amazing kind of -- I start to talk with my death and to deal with the memory. And I just dealt with the issue, if I'm going to remember these pictures after my death, how long my kids are going to remember me and how such that journey to Elat, south of Israel, would affect their life, how they would remember me.

You know, my life has dramatically changed. And, as I told you at the beginning, I'm still there. And it seems very, very difficult, actually, to leave that chair and just to take off this sack, black sack, over my head. It's still there.

PHILLIPS: Riad, but you were able to get out of there. You were able to see your kids again. And I know you've even told me that there's a mission for you in life now. And that is to cover a conflict that is so real.

Your kidnapping really brought that home for a lot of people. Wow. You were in the middle of something where so many people want a solution to this Palestinian-Israeli situation. You're very unique in that you are Palestinian and you're Israeli. You told me it's like fighting these two fires. By having both cultures in your heart, in your background, in your history, how does that help your cover this story fairly, specifically for CNN?

ALI: Well, being member of two conflicted societies, this could be an advantage, in many ways, the fact that I'm fluent in both languages, the fact that I know both cultures. I'm close to their aspiration. I know I can feel their pains.

In many ways, I don't want to see both of them collapse. I just want to see both of them actually live in peace, because, once one of these people actually collapse, destroyed, part of me will be destroyed. So it's kind of mission actually to try to give the people as much as possible the right picture. And, as a journalist, just being part of these two societies, conflicted societies, actually, it's put me in kind of a difficult situation, in which I actually have to prove myself as a fair journalist, not to be accused of taking one side or be loyal to the other side or against one side, because the both sides actually are observing me.

They see me as part of them. So, my duty actually is to prove to both of them that I'm fair enough, actually, to provide the right picture and to go only with the facts. It's very difficult, you know, but I'm trying to use that as an advantage.

PHILLIPS: And you are continually, Riad Ali.

As it goes forward, of course, the passing of Arafat and the peace deal at hand and a lot of new leaders, we look forward to more of your reports and your research. And thank you so much for being with us today.

ALI: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: Well, in entertainment news, Usher is running out of space on the mantle.

Isn't that right, Sibila?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra.

What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas, especially if you're R&B star Usher. I'll tell you what the singer was up to in Sin City last night when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It would be a boon for the traveling business person and the bane of those who are just trying to get away from it all. Next week, the FCC plans to take up the issue of whether to allow cell phone calls on commercial airline flights. One suggestion that's been floated, allowing cell phones to be used in a segregated area of the cabin.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's one of the biggest nights on the music calendar, the annual Billboard Awards. And there was even an award for best ring tone. But the star who walked away with the biggest haul last night was R&B singer Usher.

For the details, let's go to our Sibila Vargas in Los Angeles -- Sibila.

VARGAS: Hey, Fredricka.

There was plenty of excitement at last night's Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. But the evening belonged to a man with one name, Usher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 2004 Billboard Music Awards artist of the year is Usher.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: That's right. The cutie walked away with a coveted artist of the year prize. And, by the end of the night, he took home 11 trophies in all, including two for album of the year awards. We caught up with him backstage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

USHER, MUSICIAN: Artist of the year, 11 awards, man, I'm on top of the world, on top of the night, but all with hard work in front of me. And I'm thinking in the distance. There's so many things that have happened wonderful this year. To win 11, man, that's just amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: Now artist Alicia Keys also scored big with seven trophies of her own, followed by OutKast with five. And Kanye West did pretty good with four. Congratulations to all the winners.

Well, he may not have won big at last night's show, but, believe me, this man is definitely sitting on top of the world, or at least a music empire. Oh, yes, he may sing about 99 problems, but from now on, you can refer to Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter as Mr. President. The rapper has become president and chief executive officer of Def Jam records. Jay-Z will continue to head up Roc-A-Fella Records, which he co-founded. The label is now owned entirely by Def Jam. Jay-Z starts his new job the first week of January -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: He's got no problems anymore.

VARGAS: No, no problems.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk a little movies now. "Shrek 3" apparently coming to a theater near you, a little later than folks expected, however?

VARGAS: A little bit later. I don't know about you. I'm a big "Shrek" fan. I'm sure you are as well.

WHITFIELD: I liked it. It was a lot of fun. I only saw one, though.

VARGAS: It was. But fans -- well, fans of the big green ogre and donkey will have to sit tight if they want to get a refill. DreamWorks has announced that it's delaying the release of "Shrek 3" by six months. The third installment of the highly successful blockbuster was expected to be in theaters November 2006, but will now open May 2007.

Now, DreamWorks says it's all part of a marketing strategy that would increase profitability. The company says releasing it in May would allow it to sell DVDs based on the movie in the following holiday season. So it makes a lot of financial sense, but not so great for me. I love him -- Fredricka.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: You'll have to wait. Just be patient.

VARGAS: I'll have to wait.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sibila, thanks a lot.

VARGAS: Thanks, Fred.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're just getting word of a stunning upshot to yesterday's spectacle of a U.S. defense secretary under fire from his own troops. A reporter from a Tennessee newspaper who happens to be embedded with some of the GIs attending Donald Rumsfeld's town hall meeting in Kuwait yesterday says he planted that dramatic question about using scrap metal to protect unarmed vehicles.

In an e-mail, reporter Edward Lee Pitts says that he was told before the event, "Only soldiers could ask questions, so I brought two of them along with me as escorts." He goes on, "Beforehand, we worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor their vehicles going into combat have. While waiting for the VIP, I went and found the sergeant in charge of the microphone for the question- and-answer session and made sure he knew to get my guys out of the crowd."

Pitts says, "I believe lives are at stake with so many soldiers going across the border, riding as scrap metal as protection. And it may be too late for the unit I am with, but hopefully not for those who come after."

Rumsfeld, the Pentagon and President Bush himself have responded to the soldier's complaint and vow to do everything humanly possible to get armor to the troops who need it. Needless to say, we're pursuing reaction to this latest development. You'll hear it first, right here on CNN.

JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS is up next.

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