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Identity of Deep Throat Revealed; Two Terror Suspect Arrested for Planning to Aid al Qaeda; Teen Teaches Islam to Faithful

Aired May 31, 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.


TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: "Vanity Fair" magazine is running a sensational article by a lawyer who says the long-retired G-man fessed up to him in 2002.
Felt now is '91 and letting his children and grandchildren do his talking for him. We'll get to them in a moment.

As for Woodstein, a loquacious no comment, quoting now, "I have seen the reports," says Bob Woodward. "And I'll tell you, as I have said in the past, over the past 30 years, neither Carl Bernstein nor Ben Bradlee nor I are going to say anything at all regarding the identity of Deep Throat. We've gone down this road for 30 years, and for 30 years we have not said anything. That won't change today because of the report in 'Vanity Fair'."

Says Carl Bernstein, "As in the past, we're not going to say anything about this. There have been many books, articles and speculation about the identity of the person known as Deep Throat. We've said all along that when that person dies, we will disclose his identity and describe in context and great detail our dealings with him. With all our confidential sources, we agreed not to identity them until their deaths. Nothing has changed that. No one has released us from any pledge. It is our intention not to identity Deep Throat until his death."

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: But the family, on the other hand, is happy he lived to see the recognition they feel he's long deserved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK JONES, W. MARK FELT'S GRANDSON: The family believes my grandfather, Mark Felt Sr., is a great American hero who went well above and beyond the call of duty at much risk to himself to save his country from a horrible injustice. We all sincerely hope the country will see him this way, as well.

My grandfather's pleased that he's being honored for his role as Deep Throat with his friend Bob Woodward. He's also pleased by the attention this has drawn to his career and his 32 years of service to this country, but he believes in his heart that the men and women of the FBI who have put their -- who have put their lives at risk for more than 50 years to keep this country safe, deserve recognition more than he.

Mark had reserved reservations in the past about revealing his identity and about whether his actions were appropriate for an FBI man. But as he recently told my mother, I guess people used to think Deep Throat was a criminal, but now they think he's a hero.

Our family believes older people are our national treasure and should be honored and respected in the declining years of their lives. My grandfather is one of those special people, and on behalf of the Felt family, we hope you see him as worthy of honor and respect as we do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Investigative reporter Ron Kessler has spent his career shedding light on Washington's deepest, darkest secrets. He joins us with his impressions of the Felt report.

Ron, good to see you. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.

RON KESSLER, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Thanks for having us.

HARRIS: Well, Ron, you're not surprised by the name. Are you a bit surprised by the circumstances under which we learned the name?

KESSLER: Well, somewhat. Apparently, it's secondhand. Mark Felt himself is not being interviewed.

To me the impressive thing was what I learned when I went out to interview Mark Felt in 2001, which was that his daughter told me that Bob Woodward had been out there about a year earlier and had shown up without calling, came in a limousine. Stayed about half a -- the limousine stayed about a block away so he wouldn't be seen and went out and had martinis with him for lunch, which is very unusual for Woodward. I know him very well.

But No. 1, why would Woodward want to go out to see him? At that point, he already was having memory problems.

No. 2, why would Woodward be so secretive about it, having the limousine park around the corner? To me, this added up to a very clandestine relationship.

Plus the fact that Mark Felt was in the perfect position to provide both reporters with incredible information about the FBI's investigation of Watergate. He was -- Mark Felt was No. 2 in the FBI at the time.

I interviewed FBI agents who were on the case. And they tell me that a day or two after they would do an interview, some of the information would show up in the "Washington Post," under the byline of Woodward and Bernstein. So obviously, the two reporters had a very, very important source in the FBI who was giving them this information.

HARRIS: Ron, why now? Why do you think now? The timing of it all?

KESSLER: Well, I think Mark Felt, throughout his life, felt that he didn't want to reveal that he was Deep Throat, because he thought his FBI colleagues would think less of him. And now, perhaps that he's much older, he thinks that it's going to be OK.

I do think he was -- he was an American hero for coming out with this. The country was at an incredibly critical juncture in its history, where Richard Nixon was engaged in this criminal conspiracy and cover-up and trying to suppress the FBI investigation of what he had done. And that, I think, is one reason that Mark Felt did help Woodward and Bernstein.

Another reason may be, just as a minor thought, that Mark Felt was offended at the acting FBI director, L. Patrick Gray, who had been appointed by Nixon. And thought that if he got rid of Nixon, maybe Nixon would appoint him as FBI director.

HARRIS: For those of us -- any of us in this new generation, 20- some-odd years hence here who are still just sort of -- who know the story but don't know the detail of the story. Tell us why this was such an important bit of information. What is it that Deep Throat provided that moved the investigation forward?

KESSLER: You know, I think that most of the stories would have been done regardless. But Howard Simons, the managing editor of the "Washington Post" had this wry sense of humor and dubbed this particular source Deep Throat.

And Deep Throat, besides steering them in the right direction at the critical times, giving them clues at points, would also just reassure them that they were on the right track.

And that was so important. Because these two reporters were up against whole federal government. Nixon was engaged in all kinds of investigations of -- and dirty tricks of anybody who was considered an enemy, and certainly these reporters were. And so it was very important to know from the inside that, yes, they were on the right track, that Richard Nixon really was the criminal that he turned out to be.

HARRIS: Ron Kessler, we appreciate it. Thanks for your time.

KESSLER: Thank you.

HARRIS: Judy Woodruff will have more about today's revelation on "INSIDE POLITICS" at the bottom of the hour, including a look by our Candy Crowley at efforts to get at the bottom of Washington's deepest secret.

PHILLIPS: President Bush is defending the U.S. government from charges of human rights violations. The latest allegations pertain to the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, which is likened to a Soviet gulag in a newly published report by Amnesty International.

Mr. Bush's retort, emphatic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am aware of the Amnesty International report, and it's absurd. It's an absurd allegation. The United States is a country that is -- promotes freedom around the world. When there's accusations made about certain actions by our people, they're fully investigated in a transparent way. It's just an absurd allegation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Mr. Bush is speaking at a White House news conference. Among other nuggets in news, he said he'll continue to fight to make changes to Social Security. He also said the Iraqi government will be able to some point -- at some point rather, be able to protect the Iraqi people. He did not predict when.

HARRIS: And news across America now.

An accused killer who spent more than two days perched atop a crane in Atlanta is fighting extradition back to Florida. Carl Roland is wanted in the killing of his girlfriend. Her body was found the day before the standoff began. It ended after Roland was tackled and tasered by police.

Roland apparently has a copycat. Atlanta police say another man scaled a crane in the same neighborhood last night. Police managed to lure him down about five hours later with, listen to this, doughnuts and cigarettes. He is now facing charges.

Actor Christian Slater is also in trouble with the law. Slater was arrested in Manhattan earlier this morning, after a woman told police, he groped her. He denies it. Slater, who's starring in the Broadway play "The Glass Menagerie," served time years ago for charges stemming from a fight.

Operation Lightning is striking in Iraq.

PHILLIPS: The massive crackdown against insurgents is apparently getting some results in Baghdad. We've got details on that straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

HARRIS: And the state says violent or sexually-explicit video games are not child's play, but efforts to keep them out of the hands of minors may be struck down.

PHILLIPS: And teenage teacher. A young Muslim boy is wowing the faithful with his wisdom. Hear why some people are calling him a miracle, just ahead.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Our Security Watch focuses on two U.S. citizens, now terror suspects, both in court today, one in New York, the other in Florida. Both charged with conspiring to support al Qaeda. An update now from CNN's Mary Snow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here at U.S. district court in New York, Tarik Shah appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge just briefly. This was a presentment not an arraignment, so a plea was not entered.

Shah is being held. His attorney requested time to make a bail application. Shah is a self-proclaimed martial arts expert. Prosecutors allege he pledged support to Osama bin Laden and intended to train terrorist supporters using hand to hand combat.

His attorney, Anthony Ricco, said he doesn't want to comment on the case until he reviews the evidence. But he called it "a desperate prosecution by the government" and questioned the length of the investigation.

ANTHONY RICCO, SHAH'S ATTORNEY: It makes me wonder what they have been talking about for the last two years? If somebody is really a threat to our security, what are they talking about for two years? So, you know, that's a very powerful and important fact in this case.

SNOW: Earlier today, in Fort Pierce, Florida, Rafiq Sabir appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge. He had not yet retained an attorney. Sabir is a doctor.

Prosecutors allege that he planned to head for Saudi Arabia this week. They say that he intended to provide medical assistance to terrorist supporters.

He is scheduled to return to court on Friday. Shah must appear within 30 days here in New York.

Now, these men are described as lifelong friends. They are charged with one count each of conspiracy to provide material support for al Qaeda. If convicted, the penalty for this is a maximum 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: We, of course, are committed to bringing you the most reliable news about your security. Stay tuned to CNN day and night.

HARRIS: News from around the world now.

Operation Lightning is still striking. Both U.S. and Iraqi officials say their massive crackdown on insurgents in Baghdad has been fruitful. They say they have captured or killed insurgents and disabled car bombs and other hidden explosives. Similar future crackdowns are expected in other Iraqi cities.

France's new prime minister gets little time to settle into the new job. President Chirac appointed former interior minister Dominique de Villepin to the post today. He has been charged with forming a new French government by the end of the week.

Miss Canada, a 23-year-old Russian immigrant from Toronto, is the new Miss Universe. Natalie Glebova was crowned in Bangkok, Thailand, today. Glebova says she will spend the next year trying to raise awareness and money for the fight against AIDS.

PHILLIPS: Lawmakers in the state of Illinois want to keep violent video games out of the hands of children.

HARRIS: Susan Lisovicz joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with that story.

Hi, Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

HARRIS: Susan, thank you.

American teenagers tend to focus on their iPods or video games.

PHILLIPS: Or spouses do the same thing...

HARRIS: That's true.

PHILLIPS: ... in some cases. But we found out one who gets his kicks, well, teaching the word of Allah, and the adults are listening. We've tell you about this young man. Boy wonder is what they call him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINA PARK, CNN.COM: Well, what's hot online? We're checking some of the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.

For the top 10 reports our users are clicking on the most, surf on over to our web site and click on "most popular." It's at the top right-hand side of your screen.

One of our most requested stories today, actor Christian Slater arrested in Manhattan for sexual harassment. Police say the actor grabbed a woman's behind on the street, adding that he was intoxicated at the time. The 35-year-old says, quote, "I didn't do anything."

He stared in films like "Interview with the Vampire," "True Romance" and "Heathers."

Also on CNN.com, the so-called mermaid baby is set to begin 15 years of surgery. Peruvian baby Milagros Cerron was born with legs fused from her thighs to her ankles. Doctors say it could take 15 years of operations to correct her birth defect. Milagros, which means "miracles," is one of only three children in the world known to have mermaid syndrome.

Finally, two superpowers join forces to say "I do." Ubiquitous socialite Paris Hilton is engaged to her boyfriend, Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis. No date has been set for the wedding yet. It would be the first marriage for both. Hmm, I wonder where the wedding could be?

For the most popular stories on CNN.com, just click on over to CNN.com/MostPopular.

I'm Christina Park, reporting from the dot com desk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Here now the story of a charismatic evangelist who has built a faithful flock as a tender adolescent. Now, we've seen it before in our part of the world, but the scene of this story is a run- down corner of a place called the holy land.

CNN's John Vause reports from the Gaza Strip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They call him the little sheik. Amjad Abu Seedo has been delivering lessons to a growing number of men and women in Gaza's mosques for more than a year.

He speaks for up to two hours, quoting the Quran without notes and in formal Arabic, a difficult language to master even for adults.

To the men, he teaches the value of patience and justice. To the women, how to be a good wife.

"The first thing a woman will be asked on the day of judgment," he tells them, "did she pray and was she faithful to her husband?"

Fatma al-Habas has been a regular at Amjad's lessons and believes this 13-year-old boy is a gift from God.

FATMA AL-HABAS, ATTENDS AMJAD ABU SEEDO'S LESSONS: I feel that my tears are coming to -- come out from out my eyes because I have great feeling when I see such this boy, of this boy speak fluently, speak quickly, speak with understanding.

VAUSE: Amjad lives in a poor neighborhood in Gaza City. He spends his day studying the Quran and listening to sermons over the Internet.

"When I'm preaching," he tells me, "I have been to be touched by what I'm saying so the worshipers will be touched by me."

He discovered the talent for preaching at his religious school. Each week he delivers the sermon to his classmates, but unlike some of the imams and sheiks in Gaza, Amjad says he doesn't preach violence and avoids politics.

"I don't like politics. I don't follow politics," he says. "I only follow the stories of the prophet Mohammed and his followers. That's it." (on camera) In the next week or so, Amjad will deliver his first ever sermon at Friday prayers, the most important day of worship for Muslims everywhere. And here in Gaza, where Islam plays a major role in almost everyone's life, that's a pretty big responsibility for a boy who's barely a teenager.

(voice-over) And if he's nervous, he's not showing it. "The people, they love me," he says, "and they show their love to me."

John Vause, CNN, Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: He's smart. Stay away from the politics. Full-contact sport. Unless you're a pro like Judy Woodruff, huh?

PHILLIPS: There you go. She always stays in the game.

Judy, I'm curious what do you think of this Deep Throat? I guess some are saying they don't believe it. Others are saying yes, this is the guy.

JUDY WOODWARD, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Yes. I think it's impossible to know. Mr. Felt's family is saying yes. And Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are saying they're not saying. So we'll find out.

It is the story of the day, Kyra. And we're going to focus on it on "INSIDE POLITICS." We will have reaction to all this from a member of the Nixon administration. And we'll also look at why Watergate and Deep Throat, why do they matter so much. Our Bruce Morton takes a look back at the effect this story has had on American history.

"INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END

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Aired May 31, 2005 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: "Vanity Fair" magazine is running a sensational article by a lawyer who says the long-retired G-man fessed up to him in 2002.
Felt now is '91 and letting his children and grandchildren do his talking for him. We'll get to them in a moment.

As for Woodstein, a loquacious no comment, quoting now, "I have seen the reports," says Bob Woodward. "And I'll tell you, as I have said in the past, over the past 30 years, neither Carl Bernstein nor Ben Bradlee nor I are going to say anything at all regarding the identity of Deep Throat. We've gone down this road for 30 years, and for 30 years we have not said anything. That won't change today because of the report in 'Vanity Fair'."

Says Carl Bernstein, "As in the past, we're not going to say anything about this. There have been many books, articles and speculation about the identity of the person known as Deep Throat. We've said all along that when that person dies, we will disclose his identity and describe in context and great detail our dealings with him. With all our confidential sources, we agreed not to identity them until their deaths. Nothing has changed that. No one has released us from any pledge. It is our intention not to identity Deep Throat until his death."

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: But the family, on the other hand, is happy he lived to see the recognition they feel he's long deserved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK JONES, W. MARK FELT'S GRANDSON: The family believes my grandfather, Mark Felt Sr., is a great American hero who went well above and beyond the call of duty at much risk to himself to save his country from a horrible injustice. We all sincerely hope the country will see him this way, as well.

My grandfather's pleased that he's being honored for his role as Deep Throat with his friend Bob Woodward. He's also pleased by the attention this has drawn to his career and his 32 years of service to this country, but he believes in his heart that the men and women of the FBI who have put their -- who have put their lives at risk for more than 50 years to keep this country safe, deserve recognition more than he.

Mark had reserved reservations in the past about revealing his identity and about whether his actions were appropriate for an FBI man. But as he recently told my mother, I guess people used to think Deep Throat was a criminal, but now they think he's a hero.

Our family believes older people are our national treasure and should be honored and respected in the declining years of their lives. My grandfather is one of those special people, and on behalf of the Felt family, we hope you see him as worthy of honor and respect as we do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Investigative reporter Ron Kessler has spent his career shedding light on Washington's deepest, darkest secrets. He joins us with his impressions of the Felt report.

Ron, good to see you. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.

RON KESSLER, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Thanks for having us.

HARRIS: Well, Ron, you're not surprised by the name. Are you a bit surprised by the circumstances under which we learned the name?

KESSLER: Well, somewhat. Apparently, it's secondhand. Mark Felt himself is not being interviewed.

To me the impressive thing was what I learned when I went out to interview Mark Felt in 2001, which was that his daughter told me that Bob Woodward had been out there about a year earlier and had shown up without calling, came in a limousine. Stayed about half a -- the limousine stayed about a block away so he wouldn't be seen and went out and had martinis with him for lunch, which is very unusual for Woodward. I know him very well.

But No. 1, why would Woodward want to go out to see him? At that point, he already was having memory problems.

No. 2, why would Woodward be so secretive about it, having the limousine park around the corner? To me, this added up to a very clandestine relationship.

Plus the fact that Mark Felt was in the perfect position to provide both reporters with incredible information about the FBI's investigation of Watergate. He was -- Mark Felt was No. 2 in the FBI at the time.

I interviewed FBI agents who were on the case. And they tell me that a day or two after they would do an interview, some of the information would show up in the "Washington Post," under the byline of Woodward and Bernstein. So obviously, the two reporters had a very, very important source in the FBI who was giving them this information.

HARRIS: Ron, why now? Why do you think now? The timing of it all?

KESSLER: Well, I think Mark Felt, throughout his life, felt that he didn't want to reveal that he was Deep Throat, because he thought his FBI colleagues would think less of him. And now, perhaps that he's much older, he thinks that it's going to be OK.

I do think he was -- he was an American hero for coming out with this. The country was at an incredibly critical juncture in its history, where Richard Nixon was engaged in this criminal conspiracy and cover-up and trying to suppress the FBI investigation of what he had done. And that, I think, is one reason that Mark Felt did help Woodward and Bernstein.

Another reason may be, just as a minor thought, that Mark Felt was offended at the acting FBI director, L. Patrick Gray, who had been appointed by Nixon. And thought that if he got rid of Nixon, maybe Nixon would appoint him as FBI director.

HARRIS: For those of us -- any of us in this new generation, 20- some-odd years hence here who are still just sort of -- who know the story but don't know the detail of the story. Tell us why this was such an important bit of information. What is it that Deep Throat provided that moved the investigation forward?

KESSLER: You know, I think that most of the stories would have been done regardless. But Howard Simons, the managing editor of the "Washington Post" had this wry sense of humor and dubbed this particular source Deep Throat.

And Deep Throat, besides steering them in the right direction at the critical times, giving them clues at points, would also just reassure them that they were on the right track.

And that was so important. Because these two reporters were up against whole federal government. Nixon was engaged in all kinds of investigations of -- and dirty tricks of anybody who was considered an enemy, and certainly these reporters were. And so it was very important to know from the inside that, yes, they were on the right track, that Richard Nixon really was the criminal that he turned out to be.

HARRIS: Ron Kessler, we appreciate it. Thanks for your time.

KESSLER: Thank you.

HARRIS: Judy Woodruff will have more about today's revelation on "INSIDE POLITICS" at the bottom of the hour, including a look by our Candy Crowley at efforts to get at the bottom of Washington's deepest secret.

PHILLIPS: President Bush is defending the U.S. government from charges of human rights violations. The latest allegations pertain to the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, which is likened to a Soviet gulag in a newly published report by Amnesty International.

Mr. Bush's retort, emphatic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am aware of the Amnesty International report, and it's absurd. It's an absurd allegation. The United States is a country that is -- promotes freedom around the world. When there's accusations made about certain actions by our people, they're fully investigated in a transparent way. It's just an absurd allegation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Mr. Bush is speaking at a White House news conference. Among other nuggets in news, he said he'll continue to fight to make changes to Social Security. He also said the Iraqi government will be able to some point -- at some point rather, be able to protect the Iraqi people. He did not predict when.

HARRIS: And news across America now.

An accused killer who spent more than two days perched atop a crane in Atlanta is fighting extradition back to Florida. Carl Roland is wanted in the killing of his girlfriend. Her body was found the day before the standoff began. It ended after Roland was tackled and tasered by police.

Roland apparently has a copycat. Atlanta police say another man scaled a crane in the same neighborhood last night. Police managed to lure him down about five hours later with, listen to this, doughnuts and cigarettes. He is now facing charges.

Actor Christian Slater is also in trouble with the law. Slater was arrested in Manhattan earlier this morning, after a woman told police, he groped her. He denies it. Slater, who's starring in the Broadway play "The Glass Menagerie," served time years ago for charges stemming from a fight.

Operation Lightning is striking in Iraq.

PHILLIPS: The massive crackdown against insurgents is apparently getting some results in Baghdad. We've got details on that straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

HARRIS: And the state says violent or sexually-explicit video games are not child's play, but efforts to keep them out of the hands of minors may be struck down.

PHILLIPS: And teenage teacher. A young Muslim boy is wowing the faithful with his wisdom. Hear why some people are calling him a miracle, just ahead.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Our Security Watch focuses on two U.S. citizens, now terror suspects, both in court today, one in New York, the other in Florida. Both charged with conspiring to support al Qaeda. An update now from CNN's Mary Snow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here at U.S. district court in New York, Tarik Shah appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge just briefly. This was a presentment not an arraignment, so a plea was not entered.

Shah is being held. His attorney requested time to make a bail application. Shah is a self-proclaimed martial arts expert. Prosecutors allege he pledged support to Osama bin Laden and intended to train terrorist supporters using hand to hand combat.

His attorney, Anthony Ricco, said he doesn't want to comment on the case until he reviews the evidence. But he called it "a desperate prosecution by the government" and questioned the length of the investigation.

ANTHONY RICCO, SHAH'S ATTORNEY: It makes me wonder what they have been talking about for the last two years? If somebody is really a threat to our security, what are they talking about for two years? So, you know, that's a very powerful and important fact in this case.

SNOW: Earlier today, in Fort Pierce, Florida, Rafiq Sabir appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge. He had not yet retained an attorney. Sabir is a doctor.

Prosecutors allege that he planned to head for Saudi Arabia this week. They say that he intended to provide medical assistance to terrorist supporters.

He is scheduled to return to court on Friday. Shah must appear within 30 days here in New York.

Now, these men are described as lifelong friends. They are charged with one count each of conspiracy to provide material support for al Qaeda. If convicted, the penalty for this is a maximum 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: We, of course, are committed to bringing you the most reliable news about your security. Stay tuned to CNN day and night.

HARRIS: News from around the world now.

Operation Lightning is still striking. Both U.S. and Iraqi officials say their massive crackdown on insurgents in Baghdad has been fruitful. They say they have captured or killed insurgents and disabled car bombs and other hidden explosives. Similar future crackdowns are expected in other Iraqi cities.

France's new prime minister gets little time to settle into the new job. President Chirac appointed former interior minister Dominique de Villepin to the post today. He has been charged with forming a new French government by the end of the week.

Miss Canada, a 23-year-old Russian immigrant from Toronto, is the new Miss Universe. Natalie Glebova was crowned in Bangkok, Thailand, today. Glebova says she will spend the next year trying to raise awareness and money for the fight against AIDS.

PHILLIPS: Lawmakers in the state of Illinois want to keep violent video games out of the hands of children.

HARRIS: Susan Lisovicz joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with that story.

Hi, Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

HARRIS: Susan, thank you.

American teenagers tend to focus on their iPods or video games.

PHILLIPS: Or spouses do the same thing...

HARRIS: That's true.

PHILLIPS: ... in some cases. But we found out one who gets his kicks, well, teaching the word of Allah, and the adults are listening. We've tell you about this young man. Boy wonder is what they call him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINA PARK, CNN.COM: Well, what's hot online? We're checking some of the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.

For the top 10 reports our users are clicking on the most, surf on over to our web site and click on "most popular." It's at the top right-hand side of your screen.

One of our most requested stories today, actor Christian Slater arrested in Manhattan for sexual harassment. Police say the actor grabbed a woman's behind on the street, adding that he was intoxicated at the time. The 35-year-old says, quote, "I didn't do anything."

He stared in films like "Interview with the Vampire," "True Romance" and "Heathers."

Also on CNN.com, the so-called mermaid baby is set to begin 15 years of surgery. Peruvian baby Milagros Cerron was born with legs fused from her thighs to her ankles. Doctors say it could take 15 years of operations to correct her birth defect. Milagros, which means "miracles," is one of only three children in the world known to have mermaid syndrome.

Finally, two superpowers join forces to say "I do." Ubiquitous socialite Paris Hilton is engaged to her boyfriend, Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis. No date has been set for the wedding yet. It would be the first marriage for both. Hmm, I wonder where the wedding could be?

For the most popular stories on CNN.com, just click on over to CNN.com/MostPopular.

I'm Christina Park, reporting from the dot com desk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Here now the story of a charismatic evangelist who has built a faithful flock as a tender adolescent. Now, we've seen it before in our part of the world, but the scene of this story is a run- down corner of a place called the holy land.

CNN's John Vause reports from the Gaza Strip.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They call him the little sheik. Amjad Abu Seedo has been delivering lessons to a growing number of men and women in Gaza's mosques for more than a year.

He speaks for up to two hours, quoting the Quran without notes and in formal Arabic, a difficult language to master even for adults.

To the men, he teaches the value of patience and justice. To the women, how to be a good wife.

"The first thing a woman will be asked on the day of judgment," he tells them, "did she pray and was she faithful to her husband?"

Fatma al-Habas has been a regular at Amjad's lessons and believes this 13-year-old boy is a gift from God.

FATMA AL-HABAS, ATTENDS AMJAD ABU SEEDO'S LESSONS: I feel that my tears are coming to -- come out from out my eyes because I have great feeling when I see such this boy, of this boy speak fluently, speak quickly, speak with understanding.

VAUSE: Amjad lives in a poor neighborhood in Gaza City. He spends his day studying the Quran and listening to sermons over the Internet.

"When I'm preaching," he tells me, "I have been to be touched by what I'm saying so the worshipers will be touched by me."

He discovered the talent for preaching at his religious school. Each week he delivers the sermon to his classmates, but unlike some of the imams and sheiks in Gaza, Amjad says he doesn't preach violence and avoids politics.

"I don't like politics. I don't follow politics," he says. "I only follow the stories of the prophet Mohammed and his followers. That's it." (on camera) In the next week or so, Amjad will deliver his first ever sermon at Friday prayers, the most important day of worship for Muslims everywhere. And here in Gaza, where Islam plays a major role in almost everyone's life, that's a pretty big responsibility for a boy who's barely a teenager.

(voice-over) And if he's nervous, he's not showing it. "The people, they love me," he says, "and they show their love to me."

John Vause, CNN, Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: He's smart. Stay away from the politics. Full-contact sport. Unless you're a pro like Judy Woodruff, huh?

PHILLIPS: There you go. She always stays in the game.

Judy, I'm curious what do you think of this Deep Throat? I guess some are saying they don't believe it. Others are saying yes, this is the guy.

JUDY WOODWARD, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Yes. I think it's impossible to know. Mr. Felt's family is saying yes. And Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are saying they're not saying. So we'll find out.

It is the story of the day, Kyra. And we're going to focus on it on "INSIDE POLITICS." We will have reaction to all this from a member of the Nixon administration. And we'll also look at why Watergate and Deep Throat, why do they matter so much. Our Bruce Morton takes a look back at the effect this story has had on American history.

"INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

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