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Former Lebanese Prime Minister Killed by Car Bomb; Reports of Spy Plane Over Iran Raises Questions; Witness Lists in Michael Jackson Trial Include Big Names; Kurds Finish Strong in Iraq Elections; Jose Canseco Book Claims Widespread Steroid Use in Baseball

Aired February 14, 2005 - 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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Alberto Gonzales is a nominee no more. Sworn in this morning as the nation's new attorney general. He replaces John Ashcroft, who left the post last month.
And finally, a traditional treat for your Valentine's sweet hits a sour note with U.S. lawmakers. Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa says the chocolate industry hasn't moved quickly enough to end forced child labor on West African cocoa farms. The Chocolate Manufacturers Association says it is puzzled by the charges. They say they have met every deadline established under the 2001 protocol.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Ten p.m. in Beirut, where the smoke has cleared but the shock and outrage persist and the repercussions can only be guessed at. It was midday in the Lebanese capital when a huge explosion devastated the famous corniche on the Mediterranean Sea and killed the country's most prominent, most powerful, certainly most wealthy former politician.

He's Rafik Hariri, billionaire businessman and prime minister until he resigned over last fall in dispute over Syrian control of Lebanese politics.

Despite a claim of responsibility by a group citing Hariri's ties to Saudi Arabia, Lebanese opposition members blame Syria and its proxy Lebanese government.

Syria, meanwhile, joins a chorus of governments and the U.N. in denouncing the attack and urging Lebanese not to return to the bad old days of civil war.

Here's White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president was shocked and angered to learn of the terrorist attack in Beirut today that murdered former Prime Minister Hariri and killed and injured several others. Mr. Hariri was a fervent supporter of Lebanese independence and worked tirelessly to rebuild a free, independent and prosperous Lebanon following its brutal civil war and despite its continued foreign occupation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Well, that occupation line was a dig at Syria's military presence in and general domination of its neighbor to the west. Many people thought if anyone would return Lebanon to its glory days, if anyone could look Damascus in the eye and not blink, it was Rafik Hariri.

CNN's Brent Sadler looks back at Hariri's battles and passions, which often were one and the same.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dateline Beirut, a decade ago. Buildings topple in the war-ravaged Lebanese capital, demolished by controlled explosions.

Lebanon at peace after some 16 years of civil war. And with it, the start of a gigantic plan to reconstruct the heart of the city, reducing old frontlines to mountains of rubble, turning downtown Beirut into one of the largest building sites the world has known.

The driving force behind it, five times Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, taking his 5-year-old grandson, Hassam, for a spin through the now vibrant city, expressing rare personal candor about his passion for the project.

RAFIK HARIRI, FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: Every day, every day, every single day when I drive in Beirut, I love it more. And every day I cannot forget the days of war. Thank God that it is behind us now.

SADLER: The civil conflict tore communities to shreds. Beirut's swish hotel went up in flames. A nation once known as the Switzerland of the Middle East mourned a golden age.

Driven further into an abyss by the 1981 Israeli invasion to crush Palestinian forces, pounding the infrastructure of a derelict and powerless Lebanese state. Estimated costs of overall damage: a staggering $25 billion.

Hariri's vision of reconstruction was seen as bold, risky and often unpopular. It was designed to tear down the old and rebuild anew in a country overwhelmed with demands on its meager finances.

Still, some $8.5 billion have so far been spent on reconstructing the country, according to government officials, making up a quarter of Lebanon's massive $35 billion debt.

HARIRI: It is very difficult, and I was criticized by so many people, so many people, but I know that we can make it. I know that we have to make it. It has to be rebuilt.

SADLER: That unashamed and unrelenting determination to get the job done has now been internationally recognized.

This self-made billionaire, who amassed his fortune from construction in Saudi Arabia, boards his private jet, soaring above Beirut for a flight to Barcelona in Spain to receive a distinguished pat on the back, honored with a top United Nations award for outstanding and visionary leadership in the post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction of Lebanon.

(on camera) Buying into this trendy new part of Beirut, though, comes at a sky-high price. These luxury apartments can cost as much as those in some of the world's most exclusive cities.

(voice-over) Proving, says Hariri, that Lebanon is bouncing back.

HARIRI: Rebuilding the center as you see it now, it shows the damage of the country.

SADLER: But the residential part of the city, claimed developers, is still a work in progress, stressing that in the meantime, Beirut has become a hot travel destination. More than a million tourists this past year, a record. Mostly from Arab states but growing numbers of European visitors too.

(on camera) And do you still have the will power, the energy?

HARIRI: Of course I do.

SADLER: And enthusiasm to carry on with this?

HARIRI: Of course. Of course. I am young man. I am only 60.

SADLER: Brent Sadler, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Competing government sources and competing accounts of U.S. efforts to spy on Iran. The claims of ramped up U.S. reconnaissance come over growing concerns over Iran's nuclear arms and reports that Washington will not stand idly by.

CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No government agency willing to say it is them, but somebody apparently is flying unmanned spy planes either over Iran or near off the coastline, perhaps looking for those air defenses, perhaps looking to collect intelligence on Iran's nuclear program.

Well-placed sources do confirm to CNN that it's happening, but nobody, neither the intelligence community or the military, is willing to say it is them. But the military is concerned about the step up in rhetoric f you will, concerned about the possibility of strategic miscalculation with the Iranians.

It's a very close neighborhood. Go look at that map again about what exactly the geography looks like. There are two places on the map that the U.S. military is most concerned, where it regularly does run into the Iranians. One is the Iran/Iraq border. That border, there's a lot of concern about Iranian Shia influences into southern Iraq right now on that border. A lot of concern that the Iranians are trying to influence what is going on in Iraq and install a Shia-based government in Baghdad.

Listen to what the No. 2 general at the U.S. Central Command had to say last week.

LT. GEN. LANCE SMITH, DEPUTY COMMANDER, CENTCOM: Our focus is on what are they doing to try and influence what's going on in Iraq. And we are seeing, you know, mixed -- mixed activity there.

STARR: Going back to the map again, look at the northern end of the Arabian or Persian Gulf. That's a very narrow stretch of water. The U.S. Navy encounters the Iranian navy up there all the time. They run into them.

They say their dealings with Iranians are professional but this is the thing the Pentagon is worried about right now. As the rhetoric escalates, if they run into them and there is some kind of miscalculation, misreading of the signals there's a lot of concern that things could get out of hand.

So here at the Pentagon, a bit of a tradeoff, if you will. They know the intelligence has to be collected, they know that no one can really -- in the world community is willing to tolerate Iran playing that nuclear blackmail card, if you will, but lot of concern what's going on in the neighborhood as it exists now. They live with the Iranians in the neighborhood across the border with Iraq in the Persian Gulf. And they want to make sure that nothing slips out of control because of the rhetoric from so many sides right now -- Miles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thank you -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: A Columbine copycat. Well, authority say the suspect in yesterday's mall shooting in upstate New York was fascinated with the 1999 Colorado school shooting and they say a search of Robert Boneli's home turned up a collection of media accounts and other items related to Columbine.

Boneli was arraigned early this morning just hours after police say he opened fire at the Hudson Valley Mall, wounding two people. Authorities are still seeking a motive.

O'BRIEN: The jury pool is shrinking, and the witness list is growing in that Michael Jackson trial. Attorneys for the pop star revealed to potential jurors today a star-studded list of witnesses they want to call in on the case. CNN's Miguel Marquez got a look at the list.

Miguel, they're going to have to put a red carpet out there at the courthouse? MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You stole my thunder.

O'BRIEN: I'm sorry.

MARQUEZ: The Oscars and the Grammys and everything going on out here so you might as well have one more sort of Hollywood affair up here in Santa Maria.

The defense read its witness list today to the 113 potential jurors gathered here. Two hundred and -- almost 250 people long, that witness list. Here's just a few of the high lights. It seems if you're not on this list you're just a nobody these days. I'm not on the list.

Kobe Bryant; Ed Bradley of CBS News; Nick and Aaron Carter, the singers; David Blaine, the magician. Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, they need no introduction. Paris Michael Jackson, Paris Jackson or Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Jackson. That's his own children; Mark Geragos, his Former attorney; Larry King; Quincy Jones.

Also on the defense list is Tom Sneddon. He had earlier testified in this case. The defense-- in the pretrial hearings defense claiming that Mr. Sneddon had overstepped his bounds as prosecutor and was overly zealous in actually investigating Jackson and wants to prove that he has a personal stake, or a vendetta against Mr. Jackson.

On the prosecution's witness list, a couple of standouts: Debbie Rowe, Mr. Jackson's -- the mother of Mr. Jackson's two children; and Mr. Jackson's 93 accuser, as well. Kind of gives you an idea of where the prosecution expects to go with this case.

One guy has been released from the jury so far for -- for medical reasons. The judge has pretty much gone through the jury with all of his questions. Very basic questions. Now both sides, the prosecutors and the defense, are having their crack at the jurors.

The way this is working, even though all 113 jurors are in the room at one time, only 18 at a time are being questioned. Both sides, defense and prosecution, are going through that right now. And starting to challenge jurors for cause and dismissing them.

As that jury pool shrinks we'll get nearer to possibly the point where we'll eventually have that 12 jurors plus eight alternates -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Miguel Marquez on the red carpet there, thank you -- Kyra.

O'BRIEN: He found amid the debris of the tsunami and then this baby boy became the center of an emotional custody battle. I think we all wanted him. Well, who are his real parents? We've got a development in that story straight ahead.

And can you cut it in the big leagues without taking steroids? Former first baseman Jose Canseco speaks out and rats out some current players in his tell-all book.

And some folks not feeling the love this Valentine's Day. Find out why they've burned up -- why they're all burned up about it, I guess, ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: More blood is shed in the fight for Iraq. A U.S. soldier killed, three others wounded by a roadside bomb near Baqubah. The unit was on combat patrol in the area.

To the south, in Baghdad, insurgents target police. Two senior officers killed in a drive-by shooting there. Three others injured in a mortar attack at their police station.

And the oil field near Kirkuk is burning. Officials blame insurgents, say it will take three days to put out the fire and repair the pipeline.

One group that has been celebrating the results of last month's elections in Iraq are the Kurds. The Kurdistan Alliance, a coalition of two main Kurdish parties, finished in second place with nearly 26 percent of the vote.

CNN's Matthew Chance reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Through the decades persecuted Iraqi Kurds had little to celebrate, making their strong showing in this Iraqi election all the more sweet.

Thousands came out in the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk once the final and dramatic results were announced.

"I'm so happy because we got so many seats," says this Kurd, "70 in the national assembly, which is what we wanted," he says.

Kurdish leaders like the Iraqi foreign minister were also upbeat.

HOSHIYAR ZEBARI, INTERIM IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: The Kurdish population participated very actively and enthusiastically, and the outcome was within our expectation that they have performed very, very well indeed.

CHANCE: And in the uncertainty that's likely to follow this election, Kurds, for the moment holding off on demands for an independent state, are emerging as an important political block, king makers demanding real power in the new Iraq.

Right now the Kurds, I think, are looking for the position of president. Now, that's a largely ceremonial post. Jalal Talabani, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan -- this is one of the two main Kurdish parties -- is said to be in line to assume that position.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this would be a pretty dramatic statement. It would probably the first time in an Arab country, a majority Arab country, where a person from the ethnic minority has assumed the president through democratic elections. It would make a statement about, I think, Iraq's changing landscape or a pretty dramatic one at that.

CHANCE: After decades of repression at the hands of Saddam Hussein, Iraq's minority Kurds seem on the brink of a new start.

Matthew Chance, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Other news around the world now.

Terror strikes again in the Philippines. At least 10 people are dead after a trio of bombs exploded. A radio station caller says the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf is behind those attacks.

A happy ending for one family in Sri Lanka after DNA evidence reveals that they are the parents of the boy known for weeks as Baby 81. Dozens of frantic tsunami survivors had claimed they were the parents of the 3-month-old child. Court officials say the family will be reunited on Wednesday.

Well, if you hate Valentine's Day you would have felt right at home today in New Delhi, India, where Hindu hardliners torched paper hearts and other symbols of love. Religious activists say the increasing popularity of Valentine's Day is more proof of western influence among the young. They say they'll keep kicking Cupid to the curb to preserve traditional culture.

O'BRIEN: A retired baseball player blows the lid off steroid use in the nation's pastime, but can Jose Canseco be believed? Reaction to his tell-all book is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Former bad boy of baseball Jose Canseco says steroids made him a major league star. Got really white teeth too. But that confession is renewing the debate over steroid abuse in the major leagues.

O'BRIEN: What does that have to do with anything?

PHILLIPS: He's kind of -- the fake and bake tan going on, too.

O'BRIEN: I see.

PHILLIPS: Sorry. But just in time...

O'BRIEN: So nothing's real is what you're saying? Nothing is real.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, check out his new book. It's out in stores today. Michelle Bonner...

O'BRIEN: I think Kyra's a little skeptical.

PHILLIPS: She reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE BONNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After retiring from baseball in 2002, Jose Canseco said one day he would write a tell-all book. That day has come.

During an interview about his new book with "60 Minutes," Canseco claimed he used steroids with former Oakland teammate Mark McGwire.

JOSE CANSECO, FORMER OAKLAND A'S PLAYER: Mark and I weren't really in a sense of buddy buddies. We were more acquaintances than actually anything else, but there's certain subjects that we could talk about like, obviously, steroids and so forth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he was a user, if you will.

CANSECO: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With you?

CANSECO: Yes.

BONNER: McGwire has consistently denied ever using steroids. Canseco also went on to name Jason Giambi, Rafael Palmiero, Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez as former teammates who used steroids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you were an eyewitness to seeing Palmiero, Gonzalez, Rodriguez?

CANSECO: I injected them absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huh?

CANSECO: I injected them. Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You injected them?

CANSECO: Yes.

BONNER: All three of those players have denied the accusations. Jason Giambi, during his testimony before a grand jury, reportedly admitted to using steroids. The grand jury is investigating a California company for the illegal distribution of steroids.

Although some question Canseco's credibility, not everyone is ready to completely dismiss his allegations.

KEN ROSENTHAL, "THE SPORTING NEWS": You can look at his credibility two ways. One, he's not credible. He's a guy that is an outcast in the sport. He's out make a buck. He's clearly looking to bring people down for his own benefit.

At the same time, this is a person who was a firsthand witness to all the steroid use in the late '80s, early '90s and 2000. He was right in the middle of everything. And you would think that he would have some idea of who did what.

And they can have denial after denial after denial, and I don't think anyone should believe anyone at this point. The credibility of everyone in the sport is lacking.

BONNER: Baseball's brightest star, Barry Bonds, was not named in Canseco's book but remains in the spotlight on this story. According to the "San Francisco Chronicle," Bonds testified to a grand jury that he unknowingly used steroids, thinking he was taking flaxseed oil and a rubbing balm.

The seven-time MVP could break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record this season, so the questions will continue to be asked.

ROSENTHAL: I don't think there is a light at the end of the tunnel for baseball any time soon. You have Bonds this year; when he approaches Ruth and approaches Aaron, people are going to wonder is this real or something else.

BONNER: Michelle Bonner, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: He thought it was rubbing balm.

PHILLIPS: You going to buy his book?

O'BRIEN: No. But I'm going to get some rubbing balm for sure.

That wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM.

PHILLIPS: Taking us through the next hour of political headlines -- we won't even talk about Jose Canseco; we'll talk politics -- Judy Woodruff.

Hi, Judy.

O'BRIEN: Hello, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": You won't catch me commenting on any of that.

O'BRIEN: Politics is always real, right, Judy?

WOODRUFF: Thank you, both.

All right. Today is Valentine's Day, but you won't find Cupid on Capitol Hill. With all the partisan bickering, love and law making are at odds. So what will it take to soften hearts?

Plus, a couple of years ago, hardly anyone knew what they were. Now they have become as common as computers. Coming up, we will go inside the blogs. Why their growing influence is all but impossible to ignore. "INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Now in the news, an influential Lebanese statesman is assassinated. Former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, was killed after a massive bomb exploded in Beirut today. Although it cannot be authenticated, a previously unknown group called Victory and Jihad has claimed responsibility for that blast.

President Bush moves to fill the long-term -- long time vacancy, rather, at the top of the nation's food chain. He's nominated Lester Crawford to head the Food and Drug -- Food and Drug Administration. That position has been vacant for almost a year. Crawford has been acting FDA commissioner since March 2004.

A season iced over a labor dispute. Sources tell the A.P. that the National Hockey League will cancel the season after players and owners could not reach an agreement on a player salary cap. An official announcement is expected tomorrow.

Stay tuned. We'll be back here tomorrow on LIVE FROM. "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS" up next.

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Aired February 14, 2005 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Alberto Gonzales is a nominee no more. Sworn in this morning as the nation's new attorney general. He replaces John Ashcroft, who left the post last month.
And finally, a traditional treat for your Valentine's sweet hits a sour note with U.S. lawmakers. Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa says the chocolate industry hasn't moved quickly enough to end forced child labor on West African cocoa farms. The Chocolate Manufacturers Association says it is puzzled by the charges. They say they have met every deadline established under the 2001 protocol.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Ten p.m. in Beirut, where the smoke has cleared but the shock and outrage persist and the repercussions can only be guessed at. It was midday in the Lebanese capital when a huge explosion devastated the famous corniche on the Mediterranean Sea and killed the country's most prominent, most powerful, certainly most wealthy former politician.

He's Rafik Hariri, billionaire businessman and prime minister until he resigned over last fall in dispute over Syrian control of Lebanese politics.

Despite a claim of responsibility by a group citing Hariri's ties to Saudi Arabia, Lebanese opposition members blame Syria and its proxy Lebanese government.

Syria, meanwhile, joins a chorus of governments and the U.N. in denouncing the attack and urging Lebanese not to return to the bad old days of civil war.

Here's White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president was shocked and angered to learn of the terrorist attack in Beirut today that murdered former Prime Minister Hariri and killed and injured several others. Mr. Hariri was a fervent supporter of Lebanese independence and worked tirelessly to rebuild a free, independent and prosperous Lebanon following its brutal civil war and despite its continued foreign occupation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Well, that occupation line was a dig at Syria's military presence in and general domination of its neighbor to the west. Many people thought if anyone would return Lebanon to its glory days, if anyone could look Damascus in the eye and not blink, it was Rafik Hariri.

CNN's Brent Sadler looks back at Hariri's battles and passions, which often were one and the same.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dateline Beirut, a decade ago. Buildings topple in the war-ravaged Lebanese capital, demolished by controlled explosions.

Lebanon at peace after some 16 years of civil war. And with it, the start of a gigantic plan to reconstruct the heart of the city, reducing old frontlines to mountains of rubble, turning downtown Beirut into one of the largest building sites the world has known.

The driving force behind it, five times Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, taking his 5-year-old grandson, Hassam, for a spin through the now vibrant city, expressing rare personal candor about his passion for the project.

RAFIK HARIRI, FORMER LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: Every day, every day, every single day when I drive in Beirut, I love it more. And every day I cannot forget the days of war. Thank God that it is behind us now.

SADLER: The civil conflict tore communities to shreds. Beirut's swish hotel went up in flames. A nation once known as the Switzerland of the Middle East mourned a golden age.

Driven further into an abyss by the 1981 Israeli invasion to crush Palestinian forces, pounding the infrastructure of a derelict and powerless Lebanese state. Estimated costs of overall damage: a staggering $25 billion.

Hariri's vision of reconstruction was seen as bold, risky and often unpopular. It was designed to tear down the old and rebuild anew in a country overwhelmed with demands on its meager finances.

Still, some $8.5 billion have so far been spent on reconstructing the country, according to government officials, making up a quarter of Lebanon's massive $35 billion debt.

HARIRI: It is very difficult, and I was criticized by so many people, so many people, but I know that we can make it. I know that we have to make it. It has to be rebuilt.

SADLER: That unashamed and unrelenting determination to get the job done has now been internationally recognized.

This self-made billionaire, who amassed his fortune from construction in Saudi Arabia, boards his private jet, soaring above Beirut for a flight to Barcelona in Spain to receive a distinguished pat on the back, honored with a top United Nations award for outstanding and visionary leadership in the post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction of Lebanon.

(on camera) Buying into this trendy new part of Beirut, though, comes at a sky-high price. These luxury apartments can cost as much as those in some of the world's most exclusive cities.

(voice-over) Proving, says Hariri, that Lebanon is bouncing back.

HARIRI: Rebuilding the center as you see it now, it shows the damage of the country.

SADLER: But the residential part of the city, claimed developers, is still a work in progress, stressing that in the meantime, Beirut has become a hot travel destination. More than a million tourists this past year, a record. Mostly from Arab states but growing numbers of European visitors too.

(on camera) And do you still have the will power, the energy?

HARIRI: Of course I do.

SADLER: And enthusiasm to carry on with this?

HARIRI: Of course. Of course. I am young man. I am only 60.

SADLER: Brent Sadler, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Competing government sources and competing accounts of U.S. efforts to spy on Iran. The claims of ramped up U.S. reconnaissance come over growing concerns over Iran's nuclear arms and reports that Washington will not stand idly by.

CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No government agency willing to say it is them, but somebody apparently is flying unmanned spy planes either over Iran or near off the coastline, perhaps looking for those air defenses, perhaps looking to collect intelligence on Iran's nuclear program.

Well-placed sources do confirm to CNN that it's happening, but nobody, neither the intelligence community or the military, is willing to say it is them. But the military is concerned about the step up in rhetoric f you will, concerned about the possibility of strategic miscalculation with the Iranians.

It's a very close neighborhood. Go look at that map again about what exactly the geography looks like. There are two places on the map that the U.S. military is most concerned, where it regularly does run into the Iranians. One is the Iran/Iraq border. That border, there's a lot of concern about Iranian Shia influences into southern Iraq right now on that border. A lot of concern that the Iranians are trying to influence what is going on in Iraq and install a Shia-based government in Baghdad.

Listen to what the No. 2 general at the U.S. Central Command had to say last week.

LT. GEN. LANCE SMITH, DEPUTY COMMANDER, CENTCOM: Our focus is on what are they doing to try and influence what's going on in Iraq. And we are seeing, you know, mixed -- mixed activity there.

STARR: Going back to the map again, look at the northern end of the Arabian or Persian Gulf. That's a very narrow stretch of water. The U.S. Navy encounters the Iranian navy up there all the time. They run into them.

They say their dealings with Iranians are professional but this is the thing the Pentagon is worried about right now. As the rhetoric escalates, if they run into them and there is some kind of miscalculation, misreading of the signals there's a lot of concern that things could get out of hand.

So here at the Pentagon, a bit of a tradeoff, if you will. They know the intelligence has to be collected, they know that no one can really -- in the world community is willing to tolerate Iran playing that nuclear blackmail card, if you will, but lot of concern what's going on in the neighborhood as it exists now. They live with the Iranians in the neighborhood across the border with Iraq in the Persian Gulf. And they want to make sure that nothing slips out of control because of the rhetoric from so many sides right now -- Miles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thank you -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: A Columbine copycat. Well, authority say the suspect in yesterday's mall shooting in upstate New York was fascinated with the 1999 Colorado school shooting and they say a search of Robert Boneli's home turned up a collection of media accounts and other items related to Columbine.

Boneli was arraigned early this morning just hours after police say he opened fire at the Hudson Valley Mall, wounding two people. Authorities are still seeking a motive.

O'BRIEN: The jury pool is shrinking, and the witness list is growing in that Michael Jackson trial. Attorneys for the pop star revealed to potential jurors today a star-studded list of witnesses they want to call in on the case. CNN's Miguel Marquez got a look at the list.

Miguel, they're going to have to put a red carpet out there at the courthouse? MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You stole my thunder.

O'BRIEN: I'm sorry.

MARQUEZ: The Oscars and the Grammys and everything going on out here so you might as well have one more sort of Hollywood affair up here in Santa Maria.

The defense read its witness list today to the 113 potential jurors gathered here. Two hundred and -- almost 250 people long, that witness list. Here's just a few of the high lights. It seems if you're not on this list you're just a nobody these days. I'm not on the list.

Kobe Bryant; Ed Bradley of CBS News; Nick and Aaron Carter, the singers; David Blaine, the magician. Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, they need no introduction. Paris Michael Jackson, Paris Jackson or Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Jackson. That's his own children; Mark Geragos, his Former attorney; Larry King; Quincy Jones.

Also on the defense list is Tom Sneddon. He had earlier testified in this case. The defense-- in the pretrial hearings defense claiming that Mr. Sneddon had overstepped his bounds as prosecutor and was overly zealous in actually investigating Jackson and wants to prove that he has a personal stake, or a vendetta against Mr. Jackson.

On the prosecution's witness list, a couple of standouts: Debbie Rowe, Mr. Jackson's -- the mother of Mr. Jackson's two children; and Mr. Jackson's 93 accuser, as well. Kind of gives you an idea of where the prosecution expects to go with this case.

One guy has been released from the jury so far for -- for medical reasons. The judge has pretty much gone through the jury with all of his questions. Very basic questions. Now both sides, the prosecutors and the defense, are having their crack at the jurors.

The way this is working, even though all 113 jurors are in the room at one time, only 18 at a time are being questioned. Both sides, defense and prosecution, are going through that right now. And starting to challenge jurors for cause and dismissing them.

As that jury pool shrinks we'll get nearer to possibly the point where we'll eventually have that 12 jurors plus eight alternates -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Miguel Marquez on the red carpet there, thank you -- Kyra.

O'BRIEN: He found amid the debris of the tsunami and then this baby boy became the center of an emotional custody battle. I think we all wanted him. Well, who are his real parents? We've got a development in that story straight ahead.

And can you cut it in the big leagues without taking steroids? Former first baseman Jose Canseco speaks out and rats out some current players in his tell-all book.

And some folks not feeling the love this Valentine's Day. Find out why they've burned up -- why they're all burned up about it, I guess, ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: More blood is shed in the fight for Iraq. A U.S. soldier killed, three others wounded by a roadside bomb near Baqubah. The unit was on combat patrol in the area.

To the south, in Baghdad, insurgents target police. Two senior officers killed in a drive-by shooting there. Three others injured in a mortar attack at their police station.

And the oil field near Kirkuk is burning. Officials blame insurgents, say it will take three days to put out the fire and repair the pipeline.

One group that has been celebrating the results of last month's elections in Iraq are the Kurds. The Kurdistan Alliance, a coalition of two main Kurdish parties, finished in second place with nearly 26 percent of the vote.

CNN's Matthew Chance reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Through the decades persecuted Iraqi Kurds had little to celebrate, making their strong showing in this Iraqi election all the more sweet.

Thousands came out in the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk once the final and dramatic results were announced.

"I'm so happy because we got so many seats," says this Kurd, "70 in the national assembly, which is what we wanted," he says.

Kurdish leaders like the Iraqi foreign minister were also upbeat.

HOSHIYAR ZEBARI, INTERIM IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: The Kurdish population participated very actively and enthusiastically, and the outcome was within our expectation that they have performed very, very well indeed.

CHANCE: And in the uncertainty that's likely to follow this election, Kurds, for the moment holding off on demands for an independent state, are emerging as an important political block, king makers demanding real power in the new Iraq.

Right now the Kurds, I think, are looking for the position of president. Now, that's a largely ceremonial post. Jalal Talabani, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan -- this is one of the two main Kurdish parties -- is said to be in line to assume that position.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this would be a pretty dramatic statement. It would probably the first time in an Arab country, a majority Arab country, where a person from the ethnic minority has assumed the president through democratic elections. It would make a statement about, I think, Iraq's changing landscape or a pretty dramatic one at that.

CHANCE: After decades of repression at the hands of Saddam Hussein, Iraq's minority Kurds seem on the brink of a new start.

Matthew Chance, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Other news around the world now.

Terror strikes again in the Philippines. At least 10 people are dead after a trio of bombs exploded. A radio station caller says the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf is behind those attacks.

A happy ending for one family in Sri Lanka after DNA evidence reveals that they are the parents of the boy known for weeks as Baby 81. Dozens of frantic tsunami survivors had claimed they were the parents of the 3-month-old child. Court officials say the family will be reunited on Wednesday.

Well, if you hate Valentine's Day you would have felt right at home today in New Delhi, India, where Hindu hardliners torched paper hearts and other symbols of love. Religious activists say the increasing popularity of Valentine's Day is more proof of western influence among the young. They say they'll keep kicking Cupid to the curb to preserve traditional culture.

O'BRIEN: A retired baseball player blows the lid off steroid use in the nation's pastime, but can Jose Canseco be believed? Reaction to his tell-all book is up next.

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PHILLIPS: Former bad boy of baseball Jose Canseco says steroids made him a major league star. Got really white teeth too. But that confession is renewing the debate over steroid abuse in the major leagues.

O'BRIEN: What does that have to do with anything?

PHILLIPS: He's kind of -- the fake and bake tan going on, too.

O'BRIEN: I see.

PHILLIPS: Sorry. But just in time...

O'BRIEN: So nothing's real is what you're saying? Nothing is real.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, check out his new book. It's out in stores today. Michelle Bonner...

O'BRIEN: I think Kyra's a little skeptical.

PHILLIPS: She reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHELLE BONNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After retiring from baseball in 2002, Jose Canseco said one day he would write a tell-all book. That day has come.

During an interview about his new book with "60 Minutes," Canseco claimed he used steroids with former Oakland teammate Mark McGwire.

JOSE CANSECO, FORMER OAKLAND A'S PLAYER: Mark and I weren't really in a sense of buddy buddies. We were more acquaintances than actually anything else, but there's certain subjects that we could talk about like, obviously, steroids and so forth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he was a user, if you will.

CANSECO: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With you?

CANSECO: Yes.

BONNER: McGwire has consistently denied ever using steroids. Canseco also went on to name Jason Giambi, Rafael Palmiero, Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez as former teammates who used steroids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you were an eyewitness to seeing Palmiero, Gonzalez, Rodriguez?

CANSECO: I injected them absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huh?

CANSECO: I injected them. Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You injected them?

CANSECO: Yes.

BONNER: All three of those players have denied the accusations. Jason Giambi, during his testimony before a grand jury, reportedly admitted to using steroids. The grand jury is investigating a California company for the illegal distribution of steroids.

Although some question Canseco's credibility, not everyone is ready to completely dismiss his allegations.

KEN ROSENTHAL, "THE SPORTING NEWS": You can look at his credibility two ways. One, he's not credible. He's a guy that is an outcast in the sport. He's out make a buck. He's clearly looking to bring people down for his own benefit.

At the same time, this is a person who was a firsthand witness to all the steroid use in the late '80s, early '90s and 2000. He was right in the middle of everything. And you would think that he would have some idea of who did what.

And they can have denial after denial after denial, and I don't think anyone should believe anyone at this point. The credibility of everyone in the sport is lacking.

BONNER: Baseball's brightest star, Barry Bonds, was not named in Canseco's book but remains in the spotlight on this story. According to the "San Francisco Chronicle," Bonds testified to a grand jury that he unknowingly used steroids, thinking he was taking flaxseed oil and a rubbing balm.

The seven-time MVP could break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record this season, so the questions will continue to be asked.

ROSENTHAL: I don't think there is a light at the end of the tunnel for baseball any time soon. You have Bonds this year; when he approaches Ruth and approaches Aaron, people are going to wonder is this real or something else.

BONNER: Michelle Bonner, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: He thought it was rubbing balm.

PHILLIPS: You going to buy his book?

O'BRIEN: No. But I'm going to get some rubbing balm for sure.

That wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM.

PHILLIPS: Taking us through the next hour of political headlines -- we won't even talk about Jose Canseco; we'll talk politics -- Judy Woodruff.

Hi, Judy.

O'BRIEN: Hello, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": You won't catch me commenting on any of that.

O'BRIEN: Politics is always real, right, Judy?

WOODRUFF: Thank you, both.

All right. Today is Valentine's Day, but you won't find Cupid on Capitol Hill. With all the partisan bickering, love and law making are at odds. So what will it take to soften hearts?

Plus, a couple of years ago, hardly anyone knew what they were. Now they have become as common as computers. Coming up, we will go inside the blogs. Why their growing influence is all but impossible to ignore. "INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

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PHILLIPS: Now in the news, an influential Lebanese statesman is assassinated. Former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, was killed after a massive bomb exploded in Beirut today. Although it cannot be authenticated, a previously unknown group called Victory and Jihad has claimed responsibility for that blast.

President Bush moves to fill the long-term -- long time vacancy, rather, at the top of the nation's food chain. He's nominated Lester Crawford to head the Food and Drug -- Food and Drug Administration. That position has been vacant for almost a year. Crawford has been acting FDA commissioner since March 2004.

A season iced over a labor dispute. Sources tell the A.P. that the National Hockey League will cancel the season after players and owners could not reach an agreement on a player salary cap. An official announcement is expected tomorrow.

Stay tuned. We'll be back here tomorrow on LIVE FROM. "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS" up next.

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