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Defense Rests in Jackson Trial; New U.S. Offensive Begins in Iraq; Shootdown Ordered?
Aired May 25, 2005 - 14:00 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, CNN ANCHOR: "The Washington Post" says this plane was seconds away from a shootdown. The Pentagon says that's wrong. We'll have an update on the plane that caused evacuations in Washington.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The runaway bride runs into legal trouble. We're live with details on a felony indictment.
O'BRIEN: Smackdown on Hollywood. Bill Goldberg hits the shower after a remake of "The Longest Yard." He joins us in a LIVE FROM interview.
PHILLIPS: His shirt will be on.
And check this out. An explosive situation on a Dallas highway. Amazingly, the driver survives.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
And we begin with the Michael Jackson trial. After about a month of testimony from the defense, the defense for Michael Jackson has, in fact, rested, with one key witness not being called to the stand -- Michael Jackson himself. Not too big a surprise, but, nevertheless, sets the stage now for prosecution rebuttals and then ultimately closing arguments in the child molestation trial against the pop star.
Joining us with the latest, CNN's Ted Rowlands, who just left the courtroom -- Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, that prosecution rebuttal case has already begun. They are expected to go about two days, and that means we should have closing arguments starting most likely next Tuesday and Wednesday, or possibly Wednesday, Thursday. Bottom line, the jury is expected to get this case by the end of next week.
The defense finished with Chris Tucker, comedian Chris Tucker and actor. He was on the stand a little bit yesterday and for most of the morning here.
Tucker was close to the family involved here and said the accuser was a cunning, smart, young boy. He said that the accuser asked him for money on separate occasions and that he was warned, was Tucker, by his brother and his handlers to watch out for this family. Tucker then said after seeing the mother go crazy, he pulled Michael Jackson aside and ended up warning Jackson.
The defense ended with a couple celebrity high-profile witnesses. Yesterday, it was Jay Leno. And Jay Leno also had an interaction with this family, but nothing compared to what Chris Tucker had in terms of getting to know this family.
Leno just had a few phone conversations. The family left messages for him. Tucker, on the other hand, spent considerable time with the family.
As you mentioned, Michael Jackson did not take the stand. Obviously a decision the defense made so the prosecution could not go into other areas that could embarrass or hurt Jackson himself. They felt they didn't need to bring him on here to refute the allegations of molestation.
Again, the defense has rested. And we expect the jury will get this case most likely by the end of next week -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. So the jury gets it by the end of the week. I assume they will be sequestered during their deliberations. Is that what you -- your understanding, Ted?
ROWLANDS: It has not been decided yet -- or it hasn't been announced yet. I'm sure the judge has a decision made on that.
You would think that they would be sequestered because, at this point, you know, why risk it, from the judge's standpoint? You might as well keep the record. And the expense will be minimal. They weren't sequestered during the long trial, but I think it's a safe bet to stay that they will be sequestered during the verdict -- or during the deliberations, until they reach a verdict.
O'BRIEN: Another thought here. During the prosecution's case, there were many witnesses who seemed to help the defense. Sort of the opposite occurred in the defense's case. Is it -- at this point, is it difficult to really get a sense of where the jury is right now and what their impression might be?
ROWLANDS: Oh, extremely difficult. You talk to people that have been in court every single day who have commented on the case and you'll get two different opinions depending on who you talk to.
This really is a horserace. And I think it's safe to say it could go either way. Closing arguments are going to be very, very important for both sides.
O'BRIEN: All right. Ted Rowlands, who's been watching this trial for us. Thank you. Get back to work there.
In just a little while we'll speak to a Michael Jackson's spokesperson, Raymone Bain. We'll ask her about what next -- what lies ahead for Michael Jackson and why Michael Jackson wasn't called to the stand. And we'll ask her what might be ahead for him regardless, win lose or draw. A lot of talk about him perhaps moving to Europe.
That's all coming up on LIVE FROM -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: A new U.S. offensive under way right now in Iraq aimed at choking off insurgents following a deadly spat of attacks. Operation New Market was launched this morning in western Iraq.
Joining me now by phone from the Al Asad Air Base is the operations commander, Marine Colonel Stephen Davis.
Colonel Davis, good to have you with us.
COL. STEPHEN DAVIS, U.S. MARINES: Good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: Go ahead and tell me about this operation and exactly what the -- the mission at hand was as you began to plan for this.
DAVIS: Well, Operation New Market is a continuation of a lot of the mission that we do out here on a routine basis, which is to interdict and disrupt insurgent activity throughout western Iraq. The town of Haditha is central to our efforts out here, and recently, going back to the 7th of May, there was a fairly significant suicide bombing that took out a major piece of the Haditha hospital, ruining civilian infrastructure and limiting the medical care available to the people that live in this region. It also killed three Marines and one sailor.
There's been significant amounts of indirect fire from both mortars and rockets in this area. So this is just an extension of our continuation to -- to interdict and disrupt the insurgents out here.
PHILLIPS: Colonel, why Haditha? Why has there been an increased threat, specifically in that area?
DAVIS: Well, I don't know that there's an increased threat in that area, specifically. There's increased threat everywhere. We go where our intelligence tells us to.
We've got great sources amongst the Iraqi people out here. And when we get enough stuff pointing us in one direction, that's where we'll go start working our operations.
PHILLIPS: Have you had the chance to interrogate any of these insurgents? I'm curious where they are from, their background. Any information with regard to where they are coming from?
DAVIS: Well, to answer your question directly, I have not interrogated them. I -- my interrogators are working on a number of detainees at the present time.
I think the question you're really getting after, though, is, are there foreign fighters out here that are involved in this? And there is clearly a foreign fighter influence and foreign fighters themselves here.
We found that out in Operation Matador out further west in the Al Qaim-Ramana region. Their influence extends all across the western area for which I have responsibility.
PHILLIPS: And you know the U.S. military has come out and said that it believes that the militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is behind many of these attacks. Do you believe he's behind these particular insurgents that you have been going after?
DAVIS: I have seen the reports on Zarqawi, and he clearly is an influence out here. There are clearly leaks to him and to his elements that are out here in western Iraq.
PHILLIPS: And there is talk that he could be wounded, possibly even dead. Do you think that will make an impact on the insurgency?
DAVIS: Well, I think, yes, it probably will have some impact, although I suspect that impact may be shorter term. A lot of people have been looking for Zarqawi. That's not our function out here.
Our function is to go after the networks that facilitate the foreign fighters and the insurgent networks, the financiers and the operations they've got we're much more interested in, dismantling these networks and taking -- taking those guys off the street than chasing the guys in the headlines.
PHILLIPS: Success noted. And also, the fact that U.S. and Iraqi troops are working together, specifically in this operation. Marine Colonel Stephen Davis, commander there of that operation, Operation New Market, thank you for your time, sir.
O'BRIEN: Evacuations yes, anxiety, sure, and possibly here and there a little panic. But did that airspace alert over D.C. two weeks ago now elicit a shootdown order from the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld? Contrary to what you may have read, the Pentagon says, unequivocally, in a word, no.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre live with some borderline ballistic reaction to a report in "The Washington Post" -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, a very strong denial from the Pentagon today to "The Washington Post" account which quoted two federal officials as saying that that plane that violated airspace over Washington, D.C., on May 11 came within 15 or 20 seconds of being shot down.
"The Post" said -- quoted, again -- two federal officials said a law enforcement official had corroborated their accounts. But the Pentagon today issued a very strong denial and were saying it just didn't happen that way.
Spokesman Larry DiRita says, "The defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, was nearby." He said, "He was not asked to provide any authority." And DiRita said, "As such, there is," in his words, "zero percent chance that the next 15 seconds would have been any different than they turned out to be."
He called it low-level, disconnected sources speculating according to a theoretical timeline. He said, "That's wrong, ill- informed, misleading to the public."
You can't get much more of a specific denial than that.
Again, the Pentagon says that while Secretary Rumsfeld was fully prepared to give that authorization, he was never asked. And another source says that they never came close to making that determination, although they did get close to asking Rumsfeld to come on the line.
They never did that either. So he wasn't even on the call when this deliberation took place. And the Pentagon says they are discussing the story with "The Washington Post" and they'll ask for a correction, perhaps even a retraction. We've gotten no response from "The Post" yet.
O'BRIEN: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Thank you very much.
We may be seeing more traffic in the skies near Washington. Next hour, the government is expected to announce that it is reopening Reagan National Airport to private planes. The airport has been closed to general aviation since the 9/11 attacks. The flights will be phased back in with tight restrictions.
PHILLIPS: She's in. The most famous or infamous member of the Supreme Court of Texas can finally pack for New Orleans.
Four years after Pricilla Owen was tapped for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, her path of confirmation is behind her. And for all the controversy, all the conflict, all the consternation, the final vote was a ho-hum 56-43. And as expected, the ayes numbered fewer than the 60 required to break a Democratic filibuster, the certainty of which kept Owen's nomination in neutral since 2001.
A hard-won compromise cleared Owen and two other judicial nominees for simple majority up-or-down confirmation votes.
Now the fate of U.N. ambassador nominee John Bolton is being kicked around the Senate floor as we speak, with a vote expected sometime late tomorrow. That controversy there is largely over the allegedly undiplomatic tendencies of the veteran diplomat who current serves as arms control chief at the State Department.
Critics there, of course, see belligerence and abrasiveness. Supporters see refreshing candor and straight shooting. Ahead of the debate, a Republican senator, Voinovich of Ohio, urged his colleagues to vote that nomination down.
O'BRIEN: News "Across America" now.
Another suspect fingered in the Wendy's chili mystery. Investigators believe the husband of the woman accused of planting a finger in her bowl of Wendy's chili gave her the finger, so to speak. He's now facing charges. Authorities believe the finger belonged to the husband's co-worker.
Doctors being warned to closely watch patients who've undergone organ transplants and blood transfusions. Six organ transplant patients died after becoming infected with rodent-born viruses. The three most recent deaths were in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Health officials believe the organ donor was infected and passed the virus along to patients.
A frightening scene in Dallas. An 18-wheeler carrying combustible materials -- I guess we don't have to tell you that -- burst into flames on Interstate 20 during rush hour yesterday.
The driver survived. Suffered some burns, however. Investigators believe the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Back behind bars. A Florida judge has denied bail for Lionel Tate.
Tate was free just last year after serving time for killing a 6- year-old playmate when he was 12. Tate is now 18. He is charged with holding up a pizza deliveryman. His attorney is calling it a case of mistaken identity.
PHILLIPS: Well, Jennifer Wilbanks is facing the music. No, not "Here Comes the Bride." A grand jury has indicted the runaway bride weeks after she fled Georgia and concocted an elaborate tale that she had been kidnapped.
CNN's Sara Dorsey joins us now live from Lawrenceville, Georgia, with the details on the charges -- Sara.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, she is in hot water. And the last time the world saw Jennifer Wilbanks, she was hiding her head under a blanket. The next time we may get a glimpse of her could be when she turns herself into authorities.
A Gwinnett County grand jury today charged Wilbanks with making a false statement, a felony that carries a one to five-year prison sentence and up to $10,000 in fines. She's also charge with a misdemeanor, filing a false report. That could land her in jail for up to 12 months and add $1,000 in fines.
Earlier today, the mayor of Duluth, Georgia, reacted to those charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR SHIRLEY LASSETER, DULUTH, GEORGIA: I think I was a little stunned they went for both of the felony, as well as the misdemeanor, but we just don't underestimate the grand jury. They are very thorough and do what they believe is to be justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORSEY: And you might remember Duluth hosted that full-scale search for Wilbanks, and they are now asking for $43,000 in restitution for the manpower wasted. Wilbanks' attorney is not commenting on today's charges, but the mayor said Wilbanks is offering a $13,000 truce for overtime spent during the search. So far, we are told no official agreement has been reached. The district attorney tells us a bench warrant will now be issued for Jennifer Wilbanks' arrest. However, the D.A. says he is willing to work with Wilbanks' attorney so she can turn herself in.
No one out here is really commenting on Wilbanks' whereabouts. However, we know earlier this month she did voluntarily take herself into a treatment center, hoping to get both physical and mental treatment according to a statement released by her attorneys -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Sara Dorsey, thanks so much -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Well, plenty of celebrities have taken the stand, but Michael Jackson did not in his own child molestation trial. We'll talk about that and some other matters with his spokeswoman after we take a break.
And this guy definitely has some bigger fish to fry. We got the vital stats on the one that did not get away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a decision on the award of Super Bowl XLIII to be played in February 2009, and I'm very pleased to announce that the city selected by the owners is Tampa Bay.
PHILLIPS: There you go. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay, of course, the next home -- well, actually for 2009 for the Super Bowl.
The vote of NFL owners took place today. The announcement was made, as you just heard.
Tampa most recently hosted the NFL title game in 2001, beat out finalists Atlanta, Houston and Miami. Tampa also hosted Super Bowls back in 1984 and 1991.
O'BRIEN: I believe it's XLIII.
PHILLIPS: XLIII?
O'BRIEN: Yes, not XXX. If you're doing Roman numerals, XL...
PHILLIPS: Did they bring that up on the screen?
O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes, I don't mean to be nibbly (ph) about it, but it's XLIII.
PHILLIPS: No, you've got to get it right.
O'BRIEN: All right. We're getting into some big numbers of the Super Bowl. Gosh. Feeling old. All right.
Michael Jackson's defense team decides not to put him on the stand at his child molestation trial. That comes as the defense rests. We just told you about that a few moments ago.
Analysts say the case could go to the jury next week. You heard Ted Rowlands report that just a few moments ago.
Joining me now is Raymone Bain, Jackson's spokeswoman, publicists from Washington. She talks to Mr. Jackson at least once a day and sometimes more. Just spoke to him today.
First of all, good to have you with us, Ms. Bain.
RAYMONE BAIN, MICHAEL JACKSON SPOKESWOMAN: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Why didn't Michael Jackson take the stand?
BAIN: Well, his attorneys did not feel at this point in time in the trial it was necessary.
O'BRIEN: What do you think? What did you think? Did you think it would be a good idea?
BAIN: Well, we've had some very powerful witnesses, and I don't think his attorneys felt that it was necessary for Michael.
O'BRIEN: No, I'm asking -- I'm asking what you think, though. Do you think Michael Jackson, if had the chance, could have been persuasive to the jurors?
BAIN: I think that Michael would have been good witness for himself. I really do.
I think that he would have spoken the truth. And he has always maintained his innocence throughout this trial. And -- but, as I've said continuously for the last three weeks, Michael listened to his defense team, and he was not going to say, well, I just demand on testifying.
It was a group decision. And at the end of the day, it was decided that it was not necessary for him to. But I thought that he would have been a good witness had the decision been made for him to testify. And I've maintained that throughout the trial.
O'BRIEN: And certainly people who are convinced of their innocence would like to share that with the jury, wouldn't they?
BAIN: Well, he has, technically. They have played hours of his interview with Mr. Bashir, different outtakes from that, rebuttal videos. So Michael Jackson has not gone without a voice in this trial. And as I've said, he has been heard for hours in his own voice, and I feel that his defense team probably felt that that was enough.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well, you've said already that you feel pretty confident that Michael Jackson will be acquitted.
Why are you so confident of that? Because looking at the testimony, as I have, is I think there might be a jury there that's a little bit confused. A lot of prosecution witnesses helping the defense, a lot of defense witnesses possibly helping the prosecution.
BAIN: Well, I think that we have had some very strong witnesses. I think that his defense team has done an excellent job.
And let me say, I've been getting so many calls from the members of the media saying, well, Tom Mesereau said it was going to six to eight weeks and then five weeks. Well, our witnesses have been so powerful, they have not been cross-examined. We have had seven, eight witnesses come in per day, and the cross-examination of them has been probably nil, if maybe 30 minutes.
O'BRIEN: Well, no. But, I mean, in the case of Larry King, it was ruled...
BAIN: But I think that...
O'BRIEN: ... it was ruled irrelevant and hearsay. So, in some cases, the witnesses were not even strong enough to go before the jury.
BAIN: Well, that was Larry King. But I'm not speaking of Larry. And that was unfortunate that he was not able to testify.
But we have had witnesses seven -- at least six to seven witnesses a day who have not been cross-examined. That is why the trial is on the fast pace right now, because some of our witnesses have been so powerful that there has not been any cross-examination.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let me ask you a question about Michael Jackson's mindset right now. You talk to him all of the time. Does he have a grip on reality right now?
BAIN: Well, he has strong grip on reality. Michael knows exactly what's going on. Michael has known exactly what has been going on since day one.
He is, as you and I, one day he might be in a good mood. The next he's not.
This has been very tough on him both physically, emotionally. It has taken a toll on his family. He has children that he is with every day after court. He's wanting the quality of life for them not to be affected by this. That's very hard when you are sitting there and you're hearing all of these things on a day-to-day basis about yourself.
He has conducted himself very mannerly. He has not said anything off the cuff. He's been in there every single day on time other than when he became ill.
He has acted in a manner, I think, that is appropriate. And he has taken this, I think, as best as he could. But there have some been good days and there have been some bad days. And I'm sure that right now we are going to all be a little nervous because it is the waiting game about to begin.
You know, once the closing arguments, once the case is rested and the jury is instructed, then it's a waiting period. And that's not easy at all. O'BRIEN: All right. One final question. Win, lose are draw, you, as one of Michael Jackson's closest advisers, would you advise him in the furture to not go out of his way to be in the company of so many children who are not his own?
BAIN: Well, Michael has indicated that he is not going to place himself in this position again. His love for children has been an innocent one. He has not done anything criminal or anything wrong.
And it's unfortunate that we are where we are. But he has said that.
And let me also say something. I want to state for the record, unequivocally, Michael Jackson has not sold Neverland. He is not moving to Europe. That is a rumor.
It started two weeks ago. I addressed it in Santa Maria. The American press has not played up on it, but a couple of the European papers decided to make it headline news. And I have been getting calls all day regarding that.
Michael Jackson has not sold Neverland. And he will be remaining at Neverland, and he is not moving to Europe.
O'BRIEN: All right. We'll leave it at that. Raymone Bain, obviously the trial continues. And we would love to have you back as events warrant. Thanks for your time.
BAIN: Look forward to it. And thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right.
We'll have more on the Jackson case and where it's heading. "Inside Edition's" Jim Moret will be joining us very soon. There he is live. Bottom of the hour, as they say.
Stay with us.
PHILLIPS: Also, Hollywood is remaking a classic movie, "The Longest Yard." Do you remember the old one? Do you remember seeing Burt Reynolds in the original? Well, a news producer who didn't understand the movie or see the movie got slapped around, shall we say. We're going to show you what happened later on LIVE FROM.
And one of the stars of that remake, former pro wrestler Bill Goldberg, joins me live in a LIVE FROM interview. I'm just hoping he doesn't put us in a headlock.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
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Aired May 25, 2005 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: "The Washington Post" says this plane was seconds away from a shootdown. The Pentagon says that's wrong. We'll have an update on the plane that caused evacuations in Washington.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The runaway bride runs into legal trouble. We're live with details on a felony indictment.
O'BRIEN: Smackdown on Hollywood. Bill Goldberg hits the shower after a remake of "The Longest Yard." He joins us in a LIVE FROM interview.
PHILLIPS: His shirt will be on.
And check this out. An explosive situation on a Dallas highway. Amazingly, the driver survives.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
And we begin with the Michael Jackson trial. After about a month of testimony from the defense, the defense for Michael Jackson has, in fact, rested, with one key witness not being called to the stand -- Michael Jackson himself. Not too big a surprise, but, nevertheless, sets the stage now for prosecution rebuttals and then ultimately closing arguments in the child molestation trial against the pop star.
Joining us with the latest, CNN's Ted Rowlands, who just left the courtroom -- Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, that prosecution rebuttal case has already begun. They are expected to go about two days, and that means we should have closing arguments starting most likely next Tuesday and Wednesday, or possibly Wednesday, Thursday. Bottom line, the jury is expected to get this case by the end of next week.
The defense finished with Chris Tucker, comedian Chris Tucker and actor. He was on the stand a little bit yesterday and for most of the morning here.
Tucker was close to the family involved here and said the accuser was a cunning, smart, young boy. He said that the accuser asked him for money on separate occasions and that he was warned, was Tucker, by his brother and his handlers to watch out for this family. Tucker then said after seeing the mother go crazy, he pulled Michael Jackson aside and ended up warning Jackson.
The defense ended with a couple celebrity high-profile witnesses. Yesterday, it was Jay Leno. And Jay Leno also had an interaction with this family, but nothing compared to what Chris Tucker had in terms of getting to know this family.
Leno just had a few phone conversations. The family left messages for him. Tucker, on the other hand, spent considerable time with the family.
As you mentioned, Michael Jackson did not take the stand. Obviously a decision the defense made so the prosecution could not go into other areas that could embarrass or hurt Jackson himself. They felt they didn't need to bring him on here to refute the allegations of molestation.
Again, the defense has rested. And we expect the jury will get this case most likely by the end of next week -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. So the jury gets it by the end of the week. I assume they will be sequestered during their deliberations. Is that what you -- your understanding, Ted?
ROWLANDS: It has not been decided yet -- or it hasn't been announced yet. I'm sure the judge has a decision made on that.
You would think that they would be sequestered because, at this point, you know, why risk it, from the judge's standpoint? You might as well keep the record. And the expense will be minimal. They weren't sequestered during the long trial, but I think it's a safe bet to stay that they will be sequestered during the verdict -- or during the deliberations, until they reach a verdict.
O'BRIEN: Another thought here. During the prosecution's case, there were many witnesses who seemed to help the defense. Sort of the opposite occurred in the defense's case. Is it -- at this point, is it difficult to really get a sense of where the jury is right now and what their impression might be?
ROWLANDS: Oh, extremely difficult. You talk to people that have been in court every single day who have commented on the case and you'll get two different opinions depending on who you talk to.
This really is a horserace. And I think it's safe to say it could go either way. Closing arguments are going to be very, very important for both sides.
O'BRIEN: All right. Ted Rowlands, who's been watching this trial for us. Thank you. Get back to work there.
In just a little while we'll speak to a Michael Jackson's spokesperson, Raymone Bain. We'll ask her about what next -- what lies ahead for Michael Jackson and why Michael Jackson wasn't called to the stand. And we'll ask her what might be ahead for him regardless, win lose or draw. A lot of talk about him perhaps moving to Europe.
That's all coming up on LIVE FROM -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: A new U.S. offensive under way right now in Iraq aimed at choking off insurgents following a deadly spat of attacks. Operation New Market was launched this morning in western Iraq.
Joining me now by phone from the Al Asad Air Base is the operations commander, Marine Colonel Stephen Davis.
Colonel Davis, good to have you with us.
COL. STEPHEN DAVIS, U.S. MARINES: Good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: Go ahead and tell me about this operation and exactly what the -- the mission at hand was as you began to plan for this.
DAVIS: Well, Operation New Market is a continuation of a lot of the mission that we do out here on a routine basis, which is to interdict and disrupt insurgent activity throughout western Iraq. The town of Haditha is central to our efforts out here, and recently, going back to the 7th of May, there was a fairly significant suicide bombing that took out a major piece of the Haditha hospital, ruining civilian infrastructure and limiting the medical care available to the people that live in this region. It also killed three Marines and one sailor.
There's been significant amounts of indirect fire from both mortars and rockets in this area. So this is just an extension of our continuation to -- to interdict and disrupt the insurgents out here.
PHILLIPS: Colonel, why Haditha? Why has there been an increased threat, specifically in that area?
DAVIS: Well, I don't know that there's an increased threat in that area, specifically. There's increased threat everywhere. We go where our intelligence tells us to.
We've got great sources amongst the Iraqi people out here. And when we get enough stuff pointing us in one direction, that's where we'll go start working our operations.
PHILLIPS: Have you had the chance to interrogate any of these insurgents? I'm curious where they are from, their background. Any information with regard to where they are coming from?
DAVIS: Well, to answer your question directly, I have not interrogated them. I -- my interrogators are working on a number of detainees at the present time.
I think the question you're really getting after, though, is, are there foreign fighters out here that are involved in this? And there is clearly a foreign fighter influence and foreign fighters themselves here.
We found that out in Operation Matador out further west in the Al Qaim-Ramana region. Their influence extends all across the western area for which I have responsibility.
PHILLIPS: And you know the U.S. military has come out and said that it believes that the militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is behind many of these attacks. Do you believe he's behind these particular insurgents that you have been going after?
DAVIS: I have seen the reports on Zarqawi, and he clearly is an influence out here. There are clearly leaks to him and to his elements that are out here in western Iraq.
PHILLIPS: And there is talk that he could be wounded, possibly even dead. Do you think that will make an impact on the insurgency?
DAVIS: Well, I think, yes, it probably will have some impact, although I suspect that impact may be shorter term. A lot of people have been looking for Zarqawi. That's not our function out here.
Our function is to go after the networks that facilitate the foreign fighters and the insurgent networks, the financiers and the operations they've got we're much more interested in, dismantling these networks and taking -- taking those guys off the street than chasing the guys in the headlines.
PHILLIPS: Success noted. And also, the fact that U.S. and Iraqi troops are working together, specifically in this operation. Marine Colonel Stephen Davis, commander there of that operation, Operation New Market, thank you for your time, sir.
O'BRIEN: Evacuations yes, anxiety, sure, and possibly here and there a little panic. But did that airspace alert over D.C. two weeks ago now elicit a shootdown order from the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld? Contrary to what you may have read, the Pentagon says, unequivocally, in a word, no.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre live with some borderline ballistic reaction to a report in "The Washington Post" -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, a very strong denial from the Pentagon today to "The Washington Post" account which quoted two federal officials as saying that that plane that violated airspace over Washington, D.C., on May 11 came within 15 or 20 seconds of being shot down.
"The Post" said -- quoted, again -- two federal officials said a law enforcement official had corroborated their accounts. But the Pentagon today issued a very strong denial and were saying it just didn't happen that way.
Spokesman Larry DiRita says, "The defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, was nearby." He said, "He was not asked to provide any authority." And DiRita said, "As such, there is," in his words, "zero percent chance that the next 15 seconds would have been any different than they turned out to be."
He called it low-level, disconnected sources speculating according to a theoretical timeline. He said, "That's wrong, ill- informed, misleading to the public."
You can't get much more of a specific denial than that.
Again, the Pentagon says that while Secretary Rumsfeld was fully prepared to give that authorization, he was never asked. And another source says that they never came close to making that determination, although they did get close to asking Rumsfeld to come on the line.
They never did that either. So he wasn't even on the call when this deliberation took place. And the Pentagon says they are discussing the story with "The Washington Post" and they'll ask for a correction, perhaps even a retraction. We've gotten no response from "The Post" yet.
O'BRIEN: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Thank you very much.
We may be seeing more traffic in the skies near Washington. Next hour, the government is expected to announce that it is reopening Reagan National Airport to private planes. The airport has been closed to general aviation since the 9/11 attacks. The flights will be phased back in with tight restrictions.
PHILLIPS: She's in. The most famous or infamous member of the Supreme Court of Texas can finally pack for New Orleans.
Four years after Pricilla Owen was tapped for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, her path of confirmation is behind her. And for all the controversy, all the conflict, all the consternation, the final vote was a ho-hum 56-43. And as expected, the ayes numbered fewer than the 60 required to break a Democratic filibuster, the certainty of which kept Owen's nomination in neutral since 2001.
A hard-won compromise cleared Owen and two other judicial nominees for simple majority up-or-down confirmation votes.
Now the fate of U.N. ambassador nominee John Bolton is being kicked around the Senate floor as we speak, with a vote expected sometime late tomorrow. That controversy there is largely over the allegedly undiplomatic tendencies of the veteran diplomat who current serves as arms control chief at the State Department.
Critics there, of course, see belligerence and abrasiveness. Supporters see refreshing candor and straight shooting. Ahead of the debate, a Republican senator, Voinovich of Ohio, urged his colleagues to vote that nomination down.
O'BRIEN: News "Across America" now.
Another suspect fingered in the Wendy's chili mystery. Investigators believe the husband of the woman accused of planting a finger in her bowl of Wendy's chili gave her the finger, so to speak. He's now facing charges. Authorities believe the finger belonged to the husband's co-worker.
Doctors being warned to closely watch patients who've undergone organ transplants and blood transfusions. Six organ transplant patients died after becoming infected with rodent-born viruses. The three most recent deaths were in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Health officials believe the organ donor was infected and passed the virus along to patients.
A frightening scene in Dallas. An 18-wheeler carrying combustible materials -- I guess we don't have to tell you that -- burst into flames on Interstate 20 during rush hour yesterday.
The driver survived. Suffered some burns, however. Investigators believe the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Back behind bars. A Florida judge has denied bail for Lionel Tate.
Tate was free just last year after serving time for killing a 6- year-old playmate when he was 12. Tate is now 18. He is charged with holding up a pizza deliveryman. His attorney is calling it a case of mistaken identity.
PHILLIPS: Well, Jennifer Wilbanks is facing the music. No, not "Here Comes the Bride." A grand jury has indicted the runaway bride weeks after she fled Georgia and concocted an elaborate tale that she had been kidnapped.
CNN's Sara Dorsey joins us now live from Lawrenceville, Georgia, with the details on the charges -- Sara.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, she is in hot water. And the last time the world saw Jennifer Wilbanks, she was hiding her head under a blanket. The next time we may get a glimpse of her could be when she turns herself into authorities.
A Gwinnett County grand jury today charged Wilbanks with making a false statement, a felony that carries a one to five-year prison sentence and up to $10,000 in fines. She's also charge with a misdemeanor, filing a false report. That could land her in jail for up to 12 months and add $1,000 in fines.
Earlier today, the mayor of Duluth, Georgia, reacted to those charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR SHIRLEY LASSETER, DULUTH, GEORGIA: I think I was a little stunned they went for both of the felony, as well as the misdemeanor, but we just don't underestimate the grand jury. They are very thorough and do what they believe is to be justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORSEY: And you might remember Duluth hosted that full-scale search for Wilbanks, and they are now asking for $43,000 in restitution for the manpower wasted. Wilbanks' attorney is not commenting on today's charges, but the mayor said Wilbanks is offering a $13,000 truce for overtime spent during the search. So far, we are told no official agreement has been reached. The district attorney tells us a bench warrant will now be issued for Jennifer Wilbanks' arrest. However, the D.A. says he is willing to work with Wilbanks' attorney so she can turn herself in.
No one out here is really commenting on Wilbanks' whereabouts. However, we know earlier this month she did voluntarily take herself into a treatment center, hoping to get both physical and mental treatment according to a statement released by her attorneys -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Sara Dorsey, thanks so much -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Well, plenty of celebrities have taken the stand, but Michael Jackson did not in his own child molestation trial. We'll talk about that and some other matters with his spokeswoman after we take a break.
And this guy definitely has some bigger fish to fry. We got the vital stats on the one that did not get away.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a decision on the award of Super Bowl XLIII to be played in February 2009, and I'm very pleased to announce that the city selected by the owners is Tampa Bay.
PHILLIPS: There you go. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay, of course, the next home -- well, actually for 2009 for the Super Bowl.
The vote of NFL owners took place today. The announcement was made, as you just heard.
Tampa most recently hosted the NFL title game in 2001, beat out finalists Atlanta, Houston and Miami. Tampa also hosted Super Bowls back in 1984 and 1991.
O'BRIEN: I believe it's XLIII.
PHILLIPS: XLIII?
O'BRIEN: Yes, not XXX. If you're doing Roman numerals, XL...
PHILLIPS: Did they bring that up on the screen?
O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes, I don't mean to be nibbly (ph) about it, but it's XLIII.
PHILLIPS: No, you've got to get it right.
O'BRIEN: All right. We're getting into some big numbers of the Super Bowl. Gosh. Feeling old. All right.
Michael Jackson's defense team decides not to put him on the stand at his child molestation trial. That comes as the defense rests. We just told you about that a few moments ago.
Analysts say the case could go to the jury next week. You heard Ted Rowlands report that just a few moments ago.
Joining me now is Raymone Bain, Jackson's spokeswoman, publicists from Washington. She talks to Mr. Jackson at least once a day and sometimes more. Just spoke to him today.
First of all, good to have you with us, Ms. Bain.
RAYMONE BAIN, MICHAEL JACKSON SPOKESWOMAN: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Why didn't Michael Jackson take the stand?
BAIN: Well, his attorneys did not feel at this point in time in the trial it was necessary.
O'BRIEN: What do you think? What did you think? Did you think it would be a good idea?
BAIN: Well, we've had some very powerful witnesses, and I don't think his attorneys felt that it was necessary for Michael.
O'BRIEN: No, I'm asking -- I'm asking what you think, though. Do you think Michael Jackson, if had the chance, could have been persuasive to the jurors?
BAIN: I think that Michael would have been good witness for himself. I really do.
I think that he would have spoken the truth. And he has always maintained his innocence throughout this trial. And -- but, as I've said continuously for the last three weeks, Michael listened to his defense team, and he was not going to say, well, I just demand on testifying.
It was a group decision. And at the end of the day, it was decided that it was not necessary for him to. But I thought that he would have been a good witness had the decision been made for him to testify. And I've maintained that throughout the trial.
O'BRIEN: And certainly people who are convinced of their innocence would like to share that with the jury, wouldn't they?
BAIN: Well, he has, technically. They have played hours of his interview with Mr. Bashir, different outtakes from that, rebuttal videos. So Michael Jackson has not gone without a voice in this trial. And as I've said, he has been heard for hours in his own voice, and I feel that his defense team probably felt that that was enough.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well, you've said already that you feel pretty confident that Michael Jackson will be acquitted.
Why are you so confident of that? Because looking at the testimony, as I have, is I think there might be a jury there that's a little bit confused. A lot of prosecution witnesses helping the defense, a lot of defense witnesses possibly helping the prosecution.
BAIN: Well, I think that we have had some very strong witnesses. I think that his defense team has done an excellent job.
And let me say, I've been getting so many calls from the members of the media saying, well, Tom Mesereau said it was going to six to eight weeks and then five weeks. Well, our witnesses have been so powerful, they have not been cross-examined. We have had seven, eight witnesses come in per day, and the cross-examination of them has been probably nil, if maybe 30 minutes.
O'BRIEN: Well, no. But, I mean, in the case of Larry King, it was ruled...
BAIN: But I think that...
O'BRIEN: ... it was ruled irrelevant and hearsay. So, in some cases, the witnesses were not even strong enough to go before the jury.
BAIN: Well, that was Larry King. But I'm not speaking of Larry. And that was unfortunate that he was not able to testify.
But we have had witnesses seven -- at least six to seven witnesses a day who have not been cross-examined. That is why the trial is on the fast pace right now, because some of our witnesses have been so powerful that there has not been any cross-examination.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let me ask you a question about Michael Jackson's mindset right now. You talk to him all of the time. Does he have a grip on reality right now?
BAIN: Well, he has strong grip on reality. Michael knows exactly what's going on. Michael has known exactly what has been going on since day one.
He is, as you and I, one day he might be in a good mood. The next he's not.
This has been very tough on him both physically, emotionally. It has taken a toll on his family. He has children that he is with every day after court. He's wanting the quality of life for them not to be affected by this. That's very hard when you are sitting there and you're hearing all of these things on a day-to-day basis about yourself.
He has conducted himself very mannerly. He has not said anything off the cuff. He's been in there every single day on time other than when he became ill.
He has acted in a manner, I think, that is appropriate. And he has taken this, I think, as best as he could. But there have some been good days and there have been some bad days. And I'm sure that right now we are going to all be a little nervous because it is the waiting game about to begin.
You know, once the closing arguments, once the case is rested and the jury is instructed, then it's a waiting period. And that's not easy at all. O'BRIEN: All right. One final question. Win, lose are draw, you, as one of Michael Jackson's closest advisers, would you advise him in the furture to not go out of his way to be in the company of so many children who are not his own?
BAIN: Well, Michael has indicated that he is not going to place himself in this position again. His love for children has been an innocent one. He has not done anything criminal or anything wrong.
And it's unfortunate that we are where we are. But he has said that.
And let me also say something. I want to state for the record, unequivocally, Michael Jackson has not sold Neverland. He is not moving to Europe. That is a rumor.
It started two weeks ago. I addressed it in Santa Maria. The American press has not played up on it, but a couple of the European papers decided to make it headline news. And I have been getting calls all day regarding that.
Michael Jackson has not sold Neverland. And he will be remaining at Neverland, and he is not moving to Europe.
O'BRIEN: All right. We'll leave it at that. Raymone Bain, obviously the trial continues. And we would love to have you back as events warrant. Thanks for your time.
BAIN: Look forward to it. And thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right.
We'll have more on the Jackson case and where it's heading. "Inside Edition's" Jim Moret will be joining us very soon. There he is live. Bottom of the hour, as they say.
Stay with us.
PHILLIPS: Also, Hollywood is remaking a classic movie, "The Longest Yard." Do you remember the old one? Do you remember seeing Burt Reynolds in the original? Well, a news producer who didn't understand the movie or see the movie got slapped around, shall we say. We're going to show you what happened later on LIVE FROM.
And one of the stars of that remake, former pro wrestler Bill Goldberg, joins me live in a LIVE FROM interview. I'm just hoping he doesn't put us in a headlock.
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