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Hussein's Deputy Killed; DeLay Under Fire; Jordanians Investigate Terrorism
Aired November 11, 2005 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush on the offensive today, lashing out at critics of the war in Iraq. It came during a Veterans Day speech in Pennsylvania and at a time when the Bush administration is mired in controversy and scandal. Fresh charges of the administration manipulated prewar intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq.
Terrorists still attacking and killing civilians. The latest strike, the deadly suicide bombings of three western hotels in Amman, Jordan.
And the indictment of a senior White House official in the CIA leak scandal. In perhaps his strongest defense yet, Mr. Bush rejected his critics, accusing them of rewriting history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The stakes in the global war on terror are too high, and the national interest is too important for politicians to throw out false charges. These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America's will. As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Democrats responded quickly to Mr. Bush's remarks. Senator Edward Kennedy called the speech deeply regrettable and he righted the president for using Veterans Day for what he described as a campaign like attempt to rebuild credibility.
Well now we want to take you now -- we're still working on -- to independently confirm rather the death of a one-time power player in Iraq. Tony Harris in the newsroom working the story for us right now. Tony, you got any new information?
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, let's sort of give you the new information and bring you up to date with where we are. You are correct with that Kyra. We're still trying to independently report this information that is being reported by Al Arabiya and other news organizations that Saddam's number two, really his right-hand man, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, has died.
Now the information was apparently passed on in a statement, a press release from the Baath party. Few details of the death in that statement, so we find ourselves in the position of still looking for proof of life or, in this case, proof of death. I have to remind you that we are independently trying to confirm this information. It must be noted that Ibrahim has been erroneously reported dead before.
Now if this reporting of Ibrahim's death is true, based on again this press release from the Baath party, if it's true, it's significant, Kyra, because as you know, Ibrahim was the most senior member of Saddam's regime still at large. I think we have some side panels here to show you; he was, in fact, Saddam's number two, and his right-hand man in that deck of cards.
The 55 most wanted Iraqis, he was number 6, the king of clubs. He was, is, 63 years old and was reportedly suffering from leukemia. But once again Kyra, we are working to independently confirm this information and we are trying to get our hands on the actual statement from the Baath party. When we have it, we'll read it to you in its entirety.
PHILLIPS: All right. Tony, we'll be checking in with you. Thank you so much.
Meanwhile, patient, thorough and vicious. A Web site posting allegedly from al Qaeda in Iraq shares chilling details of it of the bombings in Amman, Jordan. It boasts that the targets were chosen with precision that pleases god.
The three hotels were reportedly cased for a month ahead of Wednesday's attacks and one of the suicide bombers brought along his wife who chose to, quote, accompany her husband on his road to martyrdom. Masses of Jordanian citizens gather for a second time in the streets of Amman to honor the victims and denounce Abu Musab al- Zarqawi a fellow Jordanian who heads the group taking responsibility for the deadly bombings.
There's no shortage of heartbreaking stories to come out of Amman, Jordan that is for sure. But the losses suffered by one young couple are especially stunning and have been darkened today that should have been pure joy. Since Hala Gorani had the hard time and hard assignment she had to speak with the bride and groom turned pallbearer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It should have been one of the happiest days of Ashraf Da'as life -- his wedding day. Instead ...
ASHRAF DA'AS, GROOM: It's my family, all of them. We lost 16 people and my wife's family lost 12 people and we lost also almost 10 people, friends and close friends.
GORANI: That's 38 people, including his father and father-in- law, dead in the suicide explosion at Amman's Radisson Hotel. At a traditional wake, the groom accepted condolences. Friends and family whispering words of comfort. At the hospital, several injured friends and relatives are being treated. The groom's brother, still dazed recounts the shocking story of a bloodbath.
BACHAR DA'AS, GROOM'S BROTHER: My mom's first cousins, they are 7 or 8. They died on the table.
GORANI: As they recover from the massacre, other guests recall how the bomb went off, right before the wedding procession reached the hotel's main hall. One of the guests, Muhammad, says he fell on the floor and people started trampling him. When he finally fought his way to his feet, he tried to help carry the injured and the dead away from the chaos. The groom's brother, emotional, said Ashraf Da'as was robbed of his happiness.
B. DA'AS: They've been waiting for this day for so long. It was their day. Someone took it from them.
GORANI: In front of the Radisson Hotel, where a day before ambulances rushed to save lives, there is a candlelight vigil. Strangers mourning, sharing the pain of a family united in grief.
Hala Gorani, CNN, Amman.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And one more story that's come to light at the Days Inn. One bomber calmly walked up to the bar and ordered an orange juice and then he tried to detonate his explosive belt. It didn't work. He left and returned about 15 minutes later. This time, he was successful.
Well they were families and friends, parents and children, visitors and locals. Now they are either victims or survivors. CNN's Brent Sadler with more on the people and places in the crosshairs of a terror attack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dozens of bodies are moved in and out of an overcrowded medical center in Amman. Victims who never stood a chance in Jordan's night of terror.
This is one of the hospitals in the Jordanian capital where the injured were taken during the night. Some of the survivors are here. Their physical pain aggravated by the trauma of losing close relatives. "I found the whole room destroyed," sobs this woman. My two daughters lay on the ground, dead. Talking to the families here you get a real sense of the tragedy that's felt by everybody inside this hospital.
Inside here, 4-year-old Amar Calady (ph), being attended by his family. This little boy with a piece of shrapnel inside his head. Parents scrambled to drag their children to safety. This little girl made it, but her mother died. With every passing hour, the shock is setting in deeper and deeper. Among the visitors at this hospital right now, Queen Rania of Jordan.
Close to tears, the queen was visibly shaken by what she saw and heard. Especially with the wounded children.
QUEEN RANIA, JORDAN: There's nowhere else I could be today but be with our people and try to console them and just be with them and give them as much comfort as possible.
SADLER: Thousands of Jordanians rallied outside the targeted hotels. Supporting the monarchy, defying the bombers.
RANIA: If anything, they succeeded in making people go against them even more. We are all united today in fighting this kind of extremism.
SADLER: The first suicide bomb exploded as around 250 guests celebrated a wedding in the Radisson Hotel. Here you'll see part of the wedding party celebrations, the food being taken away there. A lot of activities. You can see around me here, as staff at the Radisson Hotel put the effort in to clear away in very short order the damaged furniture and the false ceiling that collapsed in this area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just about to enter the ball room when the blast happened from inside out.
SADLER: The bombers were sent, it's claimed, by al Qaeda in Iraq, to sow fear on the streets of an American ally. Nearly all of those killed were Arabs. Most of them Jordanians. But these victims came from at least six other countries, westerners, though, largely escaped the powerful blasts. Of all the grief and rage that swept through Jordan, the burden of Asharaf is heavier than most. For he is the groom who hours earlier was celebrating the happiest day of his life. Here, struggling with the body of his father, another victim. To say good-bye.
Brent Sadler, CNN, Amman.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Back here in the United States, we continue to honor Veterans Day. What you are looking at right now, pretty fascinating story. World War II airman Lieutenant Stanley Campbell being honored in the small northern town in Kanash, Nevada. A bit of a ghost town where he'll be laid to rest more than 60 years after his aircraft disappeared over New Guinea.
It was in 1975 the wreckage from Campbell's cargo plane was first spotted and an attempt at a recovery then found only Campbell's jaw. But then in 2004, the joint MIA/POW accounting command in Hawaii returned to that same area and was able to find, recover and identify the remains of Campbell, along with four other servicemen. We'll remember him and those four servicemen, along with every veteran today. We are going to take a quick break, more LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: He's been out of the spotlight for quite awhile thanks to his role in the CIA leak controversy. But last night Karl Rove stepped out to bask in the support of a friendly audience in Washington. The president's top adviser gave a speech to the Federalist Society the conservative legal group, often at the center of the battle over the president's judicial nominees.
Rove criticized Senate Democrats who have opposed the president's picks. He also went out of his way to praise Harriet Miers whose recent high court nomination was scuttled in large part by opposition from conservatives, like the audience he was addressing. Strange twist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL ROVE, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Do you like every one of the 200 judges we've sent forward to the U.S. Congress to be approved and last three years there hasn't been one that hasn't been researched, vetted, studied, analyzed and recommended like my friend Harriet Miers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Rove remains the president's top aid; he also remains under investigation for his role in the leak of a CIA officer's identity to the media. Rebellion in the Republican ranks force house leaders to put off a vote on $50 million in proposed spending cuts.
Republican leaders joined in an unofficial capacity by former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, acknowledged that they didn't have the votes needed to pass that measure. So a group of moderate Republicans has joined Democrats in opposition. They say they can't go along with proposed cuts in social programs. So what's going on with the Republicans?
Party divisions on Capitol Hill, as a grand jury probe reaches deep into the White House. Big names like Rove and DeLay have to lie low or even step aside and there's even talk of a rift at the top and George Bush and Dick Cheney, as close as they once were, what happened? Let's sort it all out with Bob Barr, a former Republican Congressman and CNN contributor in Washington. A lot to talk about Bob.
Maybe we should start with just the issue of leadership and with Karl Rove and Tom DeLay not really in the picture right now. Actually, we're watching live pictures right now of the president, Bob, coming back from a war on terror speech in Scranton. He is arriving at Andrews Air Force Base. But let's talk about his top aide, Karl Rove. Let's talk about Tom DeLay. Both under various investigations. How is this affecting business at the White House?
BOB BARR, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's hurting it quite a bit, Kyra. You know keeping track of 200 and some odd change numbers of Republican members of Congress with different constituencies, very different views, some liberal, some conservative. All over the political fence there is difficult in the best of times.
But where you have a situation as the Republicans are now going through on the hill, with sort of a vacuum of leadership at the White House, a vacuum of leadership in the Congress, particularly in the house, looking at the end of the fiscal year and trying to come up with a budget, it is a recipe for disaster. And the Republicans better get a handle on this pretty quick or they're going to lay the ground work for some real problems in next year's election.
PHILLIPS: What's the worst-case scenario with regard to the budget?
BARR: The worst case scenario is if they get scared and try to cobble together a budget right at the end of the session that increases federal spending, increases pork and really then is something that the Republicans will have to either run on or away from next year. That will hurt them at the polls in that off-year election coming up.
PHILLIPS: What's happen with the president and vice president Dick Cheney? A lot of rumors floating around Capitol Hill, of course. Are they getting along? Are they having problems? What's the inside scoop, Bob?
BARR: Well this is a very unusual situation, Kyra, because you have the vice president and the secretary of defense, Mr. Rumsfeld, who went out there and sold many people think, oversold the war on Iraq because that's what the president wanted them to do. That's their job. Well, now that the thing has turned sour, if not south, they are going to, it looks like they are now becoming the scapegoats, and it really is creating apparently some serious conflicts between the number one and number two men in our government structure.
PHILLIPS: Could you see Cheney stepping down?
BARR: There is -- this town is rife with talk of that right now, Kyra. It would make a lot of sense politically. I think for that to happen next year, and the rumors are swirling up here.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's just, for a moment, talk about Iraqi Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi. This was a strange situation, too. He was here in the United States. A reporter called out a question to the president about why he was here. The president didn't answer the question. As we know, this prime minister, a lot of controversy swirling around him from allegedly giving classified information to Iran, his home, his office raided. The FBI apparently investigating him. We haven't heard much about that.
Various senators coming forward saying he's a manipulator. What's the deal with Chalabi in the relationship to President Bush, to Dick Cheney, and all this -- these allegations of possible corruption.
BARR: Well, of course, being a manipulator in Washington is nothing new. There are a lot of them up here. But this is really, Kyra, one of those things that is absolutely mind-boggling. You have somebody here who clearly has a cloud over his head, very possibly helped to manipulate intelligence prior to the Iraq invasion in 2003, by all accounts, has profited greatly, by the U.S. government and others giving him money. And then all of a sudden, out of the blue, shows up in Washington and gets an audience with no less celebrity than Condoleezza Rice. This one has a lot of people, including this political pundit crashing their heads.
PHILLIPS: Bob Barr, I guess we're all scratching our heads about a lot of things these days, not just politics. Thanks Bob.
BARR: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Well religious broadcaster Pat Robertson has some stern words for people in Dover, Pennsylvania. As we told you Wednesday, Dover is the town that voted out every school board member who advocated the teaching of intelligent design. The eight incumbents were replaced by candidates who support evolution.
Yesterday Robertson used the "700 Club" TV program to tell the people of Dover they made a big mistake. He said in part, "You just voted god out of your city. If that's the case, don't ask for his help because he might not be there." Robertson later added, "if they have future problems in Dover, I recommend they call on Charles Darwin."
Some moments now from Wednesday presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony. Moments we all missed because of the breaking news from Amman, Jordan. Lets take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BUSH: Here at the White House we get an interesting mix of visitors. Already today I met with the secretary of state, secretary of defense and the Dalai Lama. And the sheriff of Mayberry.
ANDY GRIFFITH: Americans of all ages.
BUSH: When you say the greatest of all time is in the room, everyone knows who you mean. It's quite a claim to make. But as Muhammad Ali once said, it's not bragging if you can back it up. And this man backed it up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: You talk about a nightmare at the subway station. Take a look at this tape. A child's stroller gets caught in the train door. See that? And then the train freezes for a moment. The train starts to take off. It happened in Seoul, South Korea yesterday. Look at this. The mother trying to get her baby out at the last minute and then finally with the help of another passenger. But her jacket was caught and then the train began to move again. The third passenger picked up the baby from the platform while the train finally stopped. Amazingly, no one was hurt.
Some people just can't people to get off their cell phones no matter what. Check out this banks surveillance tape, this is unbelievable. Police in northern Virginia say that this woman has robbed four banks in recent weeks, three of them while just chatting away on her cell phone. Police say she was talking as she held up the note to the teller, demanding the money and then investigators say they aren't sure if she's really talking to someone or just pretending to do so. But they'd love to know who. If anyone was on the other end of the line.
Merck may face a tough challenge in the next round of Vioxx trials. Kathleen Hays live from the New York Stock Exchange to explain what's happening. Kathleen.
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Kyra. Yes the New Jersey judge overseeing more than 3,000 Vioxx cases reported ally told lawyers she wants the next 10 or so trials to involve plaintiffs who took the drug for 18 months or longer. According to the "Wall Street Journal", the decision will make it more difficult for Merck to defend itself since Merck acknowledged that Vioxx increases the risk of heart problems for people who use it daily for 18 months or more.
Earlier this month, a jury cleared Merck of liability in a trial involving a man who took Vioxx for just about two months. The drug maker is facing more than 6500 lawsuits filed by people who say they were harmed by the painkiller, which Merck pulled from the market last year -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Give us a final check on the markets, as we wrap up this hour.
HAYS: OK, stocks higher thanks to lower oil prices and a run-up in GM shares. GM is surging 4 percent after unionized workers ratified a landmark deal to help the automaker cut its massive health care costs. As for the Dow Industrials, they are holding on to modest gains of about 36 points while the NASDAQ composite is up about a quarter of a percent. That's the latest from Wall Street, more LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It could be the most momentous event in African politics since the end of Apartheid. Voters in the small West African nation of Liberia apparently have put a woman into the highest office in the land. It's all over, but the official announcement. But those who support her opponent are crying foul. CNN's international correspondent Femi Oke is here with us. Femi also hosts "Inside Africa." That is what takes you to this area.
FEMI OKE, CNN INTERNATIONAL: I was there about three weeks ago, covering the first part of the elections.
PHILLIPS: You had a chance to interview both of the big contenders. Let's talk about Ellen Johnson first. Pretty amazing. Female. Very much involved in politics.
OKE: She's a Harvard graduate. She went to Harvard. She's also been an executive at the World Bank and also has worked at the United Nations DP for African Affairs. So she's really high profile on the international scene. Very seasoned. She's a 66-year-old grandmother.
And then her opponent, the candidate that she's vying with...
PHILLIPS: George Weah? OKE: George Weah. You think of the most famous international athlete you can have in the United States, and he's running for president. So he's very well-known. He's like your most famous export as a soccer star. He's 39, never been a politician before, but he has had huge support.
So take a look at some of the rallies that they went to. They were like carnivals and festivals as well. He's really triggered off the youth vote, the young people of Liberia. And I suppose the last time here on CNN we looked at Liberia was during the end of the civil war. Charles Taylor was taken out.
PHILLIPS: Well, we had -- remember all the live coverage, all the live pictures about Charles Taylor and the protests and all the people in the streets. I mean, we had ongoing coverage about that.
OKE: Rebels running through the streets, gunfire, it was very dramatic. And, of course, the images a lot of people remember from Liberia's history, the young child soldiers drugged up. Now, a lot of these former fighters and former combatants are very big supporters of George Weah and already today there's been a campaign. There have been demonstrations in Monrovia, the capital, asking for the elections to be run again.
PHILLIPS: What do you think? Will that happen or no?
OKE: They've been -- from the international observers that have been in Liberia for the past two months -- about as free and fair elections as you could ever see.
PHILLIPS: So what's the issue? Do they not want a woman running Liberia?
OKE: I think everybody, in the first part of the elections was talking about democracy and talking about how amazing democracy was.
PHILLIPS: They were desperate for democracy.
OKE: Absolutely desperate. You could feel it. I was at the polling stations. People were waiting 12 hours to vote.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
OKE: The turnout was tremendous. And people were going even into really inaccessible places, into the bush. And inaccessible means you can park your car on a road, and then you have to walk for a day to actually get to the polling booth. So it's very challenging to even vote and have democracy in Liberia. So today with demonstrators asking for new elections, it's really very much touch and go as to what might happen next.
PHILLIPS: Now, you spent a lot of time with each candidate one on one. So tell me personally first of all, what was it like to be with Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf?
OKE: She was very interesting, a very seasoned politician indeed. And I spent time in her garden. She was in her gazebo. We had a nice cold drink. She talked policy. She had absolute policy that she was talking about, how she was going to do -- change the utilities in Liberia.
There's no utilities in Liberia whatsoever. There's no water, there's no electricity. How she was going to educate a country that has almost 60 percent illiteracy as well. So she had policies. Then I went to George Weah's house.
PHILLIPS: A lot of trophies in his home, I'm sure.
OKE: Yes, there are. Nice, big soccer trophies.
PHILLIPS: A lot of soccer balls.
OKE: Absolutely. He has a big compound outside the capital ,Monrovia. There were young men outside, huge fans. There were young men inside. There were young mean also playing snooker and pool, and when I went in and asked for the interview, his entourage around him said you have got six minutes.
I managed to get eight but it gives you an idea of the difference between the young would-be politician and former professional soccer player and a seasoned grandmother. It's really chalk and cheese between those two candidates.
PHILLIPS: So what's it like on the streets now? Because the last time we saw the streets in Liberia, it was -- it was during the whole Charles Taylor ousting and everybody was running around, a lot of lawlessness.
OKE: There were U.S. marines there as well.
PHILLIPS: Right.
OKE: And this was just two years ago. But since those two years we've had the United Nations in. It's like the United Nations center. I've never seen so many United Nations organizations there and forces there. The peacekeeping force cost $750 million a year. So it gives you an idea of how much the U.N. and the international community are invested in Liberia.
So, so far, it's been very peaceful. The elections have been very peaceful. So it's really the last couple of days when the elections are coming out and it looks like Africa might get its first elected female president that they could be possibly some rumblings of trouble.
PHILLIPS: But it could change the dynamics for politics there tremendously, right?
OKE: If Liberia can get over this very tense period, absolutely. Because every time there's been any kind of political upheaval, there's been civil war. People don't like the candidate who is in office. There's been some kind of rumbling, some rebel activity. So if it happens this time, the international community is really invested. They are spending a lot of money to make sure this happens. It would be absolutely a new future for Liberia and it really deserves it. It really is desperate for that to happen.
PHILLIPS: Femi Oke, thank you so much.
OKE: You're very welcome.
PHILLIPS: A pleasure.
Well, a political deal was reached in Germany, which means that the country will get its first female chancellor. Let's stay on that sort of female train there. September elections left Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union the Social Democrats of outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder without a majority.
Schroeder agreed to step down as long as his party was given positions in the Merkel cabinet. Well, the deal was to allow parliament to elect Merkel to head only the second grand coalition in German history, and she called it a coalition of new possibilities.
And a warning today for millions of women who use the birth control -- or the birth control patch, rather. We get the details from CNN's senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The FDA approves an updated warning regarding the Ortho Evra patch, specifically saying that in fact it was probably delivering much more estrogen than previously thought, up to 50 to 60 percent higher.
The concern specifically is that if you have more estrogen circulating in the blood, that could be putting women at risk of developing blood clots. Those are clots that might develop in the legs, for example, and then travel to the lungs, even to the brain in rare situations, possibly causing death.
There had been some case reports. About four months ago, The Associated Press reported that around 12 to 20 women possibly had been affected by these blood clots. Some of the women had died, in fact, as a result of these blood clots that were subsequently linked to the Ortho Evra patch.
Now we're hearing some of the first warnings specifically warning about the increased circulating estrogen.
You may remember the patch actually became quite popular. Several million women have used it since it first came out a few years ago, mainly because of its ease of use. It's a once-a-week patch. So for women who forgot to -- would forget to take the pill every single day, could actually put this patch on once a week.
We are hearing these warnings now for the first time. It is unclear exactly what it's going to mean for the fate of this patch. It probably, at a minimum, might mean a complete redesign of the patch so it doesn't deliver as much estrogen and doesn't put women at greater risk for blood clots. Or it could mean the demise of the patch altogether. We'll certainly keep you posted as some of those details come in.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, condom packages in the U.S. are getting a new warning. In addition to cautioning users that condoms reduce but don't eliminate the risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, the new labels will also say that condoms containing the spermicide nonoxynol may cause irritation and increase the risk of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
The military community is bracing for big change. We've got the details. The news keeps coming. We're going to bring it to you. More LIVE FROM after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, on the streets of Amman, the outraged citizens call for his death and chant "burn in hell Abu Musab al-Zarqawi." But clearly, whoever orchestrated the triple attacks wasn't working along, and now Jordanian investigators must try to figure out where the suicide bombers came from and whether there are others lurking, planning other strikes.
CNN's Nic Robertson with more on the search for whodunit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It is Jordan's worst nightmare, repercussions of the two-and- a-half-year war in neighboring Iraq finally erupting in the tiny kingdom.
ALI SHUKRI, FMR. JORDANIAN NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: They have got people trained over there and now they are exporting them.
A statement from al Qaeda in Iraq.
ROBERTSON: General Ali Shukri reads a claim of responsibility from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. A former security adviser to King Hussein, there is little doubt in his mind Jordan's most notorious jihadi, is behind the attack.
SHUKRI: The operation itself, it has the hallmark of the Zarqawi or al Qaeda operations.
ROBERTSON: But there's another new twist. As a result of the war in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees are flooding into Jordan, making it harder for intelligence services to spot terrorists.
In the past, Jordan's intelligence officials have had remarkable success, thwarting an attack last year they said could kill tens of thousands. And in 1999, heading off a plot targeting the same Radisson hotel hit Wednesday.
KARIM KAWAR, JORDANIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: That plan was foiled by our security agencies. Of course we try to be as vigilant as possible, but at the end of the day, we're all vulnerable to such attacks.
ROBERTSON: Zarqawi claims, "We chose the place to carry the mission on some of the hotels which the Jordan dictator turned into a backyard for the enemies of the faith, the Jews and the Crusaders."
If genuine, this mirrors his tactics in Iraq, sending suicide bombers to kill innocent Muslims, while claiming to attack Westerners. The first-ever suicide attack in Jordan.
SHUKRI: We have got to find out who are these suicides, whether they were milken (ph) or whether they came across the borders. And we have got to go into the details of their local support.
ROBERTSON: To do that, says Shukri, will mean focusing on the crime scenes and working back from there. A job made so much harder by hundreds of thousands of Iraqis now seeking refuge in Jordan.
(on camera): Police say they've discovered the remains of two of the suicide bombers whom they believe to be Iraqis, but the very fact that three hotels can be attacked almost simultaneously is an indication not just of lax security, but that Jordan's intelligence service may well have developed a blind spot.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Amman.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And on this Veterans Day, military communities across the U.S. are preparing for big changes. The latest round of recommended base closings became official this week, after Congress rejected an effort to stop the closings. Well, the base closing commission recommended 22 major closures across the country, 33 major realignments and nearly 800 other changes affecting military installations.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called the changes an opportunity to reshape the military for new missions, including bringing 70,000 service members and family members back from Europe and Asia. The nine-member Base Realignment and Closure Commission reviewed 837 recommendations from the Pentagon, calling for some bases to be shut down entirely over the next two years and changing the missions of other facilities. The Pentagon plans to work with people and communities affected by that plan.
Some communities will lose thousands of military and support personnel in the base closings and realignments, others will gain. In Fayetteville, North Carolina, the Army takes over Pope Air Force Base, next door to Fort Bragg. North Carolina officials believe the state could see 20,000 new people. Fayetteville's mayor-elect expects even more people. He thinks military contractors will come into the area to be closer to the new army command.
And here are more highlights from Wednesday's ceremony honoring this year's Medal of Freedom recipients.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Americans like the sound of his voice. His friend Danny Thomas once said to him, you'd better be right, because you sound like God.
One record executive put it this way. "Aretha is still the best singer in the world, bar none. She finds meanings in lyrics that the composers didn't even know they had. She chills you, heats you, affects your soul. It's exhilarating."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: We want to get straight to Tony Harris in the newsroom. Tony, sort of a bizarre case. A man spending time in jail for a rape he didn't commit now going to be charged with murder?
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. The man you're referring to is Steven Avery. And you're right, Kyra, he was in jail for 18 years for rape, sexual assault. He was freed, cleared on new DNA tests on work based on the efforts of the Innocence Project, which helped to free him with that new DNA information and new testing that's now available.
But here's the latest twist in this. And Manitowoc County, that's in Wisconsin, the D.A. is talking about new charges. He is going to charge Steven Avery with the murder of Teresa Halbach, who was last seen on October 31st. You'll remember some of the details of this case and then we'll get to the sound byte.
Steven Avery owned -- was part owner -- his family owned a salvage yard in that county. And remember that Teresa Halbach was looking for a new car. She was taking pictures of used cars to possibly purchase. She visited the salvage yard that was being operated by the Avery family, and then she disappeared. That was on October 31st.
We understand that the investigation has led to new forensic details, new forensic evidence. And let's listen now to the D.A. of Manitowoc County, that's in Wisconsin, as he talks to us now about the new charges that are going to be filed against Steven Avery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prior to November 15th of 2005, I intend to file a criminal complaint in Manitowoc County, charging Steven Avery with first-degree intentional homicide. Information was brought to my attention late last evening and was confirmed today through the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory that significant DNA evidence, including blood of the suspect in this case, Steven Avery, was found in the interior portion...
HARRIS: OK. There you have it. The statement from the D.A. Charges to be filed, first-degree intentional homicide in the case of Teresa Halbach, who was last seen on October 31st.
New forensic evidence, some blood, which was found in seven different spots in Avery's garage. We will continue to follow the developments in this story and bring you additional information as we get it, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Wow, amazing, 18 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit. Now being charged with murder. Unbelievable. We'll stay on the story, Tony. Thank you so much.
HARRIS: OK, sure.
PHILLIPS: All right, we're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Violence in a new film may have spilled off the screen. Curtis Jackson, the rapper known as 50 Cent, is in a new movie called "Get Rich or Die Tryin."
The movie portrays a man involved in drug dealing and violence who turns to music to turn his life around. Loews Theaters pulled the movie from one of its theaters near Pittsburgh after a 30-year-old man was shot and killed.
Police say Shelton Flowers was shot after getting into a confrontation with three men after seeing that film. Earlier this week, our Carol Lin talked to 50 cent about his movie, his life and why some people think he promotes violence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So what do you think is the perception of you and where do you think it's been derailed? Who is the real 50?
CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON, RAPPER/ACTOR: Oh, man, I think it receives small pieces of information through different media outlets and have made their judgment on me based on too little information.
So the actual project, my book, "From Pieces to Weight" and "Get Rich or Die Tryin" is a film that gives a better description of what my upbringing was like.
LIN: Think about the title itself. "Get Rich or Die Tryin'."
JACKSON: Yes, think about it.
LIN: Is that how you have lived your life? Is that how you made your money?
JACKSON: It depends on how a person is interpreting that. Now if you feel like someone is a positive person and they say they're going to get rich or die trying, it simply means that that person is determined. And if you -- when I say get rich or die trying, if you view me in a negative light, you think I mean literally.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, you can see Carol Lin's complete interview with 50 Cent on CNN Saturday night, that's at 10 p.m. Eastern.
Meanwhile, actress Kate Hudson, she's putting a new spin on the old saying, you can never be too rich or thin.
She's pretty upset and telling her legal reps that five British publications are getting it all wrong. She says they're falsely that she has an eating disorder. Entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas has the skinny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE HUDSON, ACTRESS: Ladies and gentleman.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: From her Oscar nominated turn in "Almost Famous" to roles in such comedic hits as "How to Lose a Guy in 10 days" and "Raising Helen," Kate Hudson has quickly become one of America's sweetheart actresses.
But now, the actress is mad as hell. The 26-year-old daughter of actress Goldie Hawn is sticking her legal helms on not one, but five British magazines, for implying she has an eating disorder.
The U.K. edition of "National Enquirer," "Star," "The Daily Mail," "Closer," and "Heat," are all included in the complaint. In a statement from her London law firm, Schillings, Hudson takes aim at quote, published images of her used to accompany and illustrate articles which suggested that she had an eating disorder that was so grave and serious, that she was wasting away to the extreme concern of her mother and family.
And although not stated, of commercial and artistic concern to those who might cast her in movies and choose to use her image to endorse products.
VARGAS (on camera): While Hudson has not endorsed any products to date, attorney and managing editor of the entertainment Web site, tmz.com, Harvey Levin, says future deals could be worth millions. And an unhealthy public image could be a deal breaker.
HARVEY LEVIN, ATTORNEY AND MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ.COM: They absolutely could hurt her career if the word out is that Kate Hudson has a dangerous eating disorder, and if these magazines are wrong, they are in big trouble.
VARGAS (voice-over): Hudson grows a growing list of celebrities making headlines for their thinner images. Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, Lara Flynn Boyle all seen here in the September issue of the U.S. "National Enquirer," have long been targeted for their weight loss. "Star" Magazine calls even more celebs, scary skinny. Hilary Duff, Mary Kate Olsen, Christine Taylor, and again, Kate Hudson make their list.
Ironically, some celebrities now said to be too thin were once scrutinized for the opposite problem.
Just a year ago, U.S. "National Enquirer" focused on Nicole Richie's cellulite, while "Star" now criticizes her for being pin- thin.
Hudson two years ago, while she was pregnant, was drawing tabloid headlines for her weight gain.
Ken Baker, West Coast bureau chief of "US Weekly" says celebrity weight issues are prevalent because they are particularly popular with readers.
KEN BAKER, WEST COAST BUREAU CHIEF, US WEEKLY: As a culture, we're all sort of obsessed with our weight. We are obsessed with celebrities. So, of course, we're going to be obsessed with celebrities' weight.
VARGAS: But apparently this celebrity, like others, has had enough.
LEVIN: There are plenty of stars who are going after the tabloids right now. And this does not have anything, nearly to do with money, as it does making a point to them that, yes, you know what? I may be fair game, but I'm only fair game when it comes to telling the truth. If Kate Hudson wins, the message that will be sent is simple. Don't mess with me or else.
VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So many people named Goliath do you know? Chances are, not many, right? Unless you're a professional wrestler.
But the biblical giant's name is in the news today. And here's why. Archaeologists digging in Jerusalem uncovered a piece of pottery inscribed with the name Goliath.
Now it's referring to the same big lug who met his fate thanks to David's slingshot. Well, that depends on what you believe, of course. But still, it's an interesting find and scientists say that, if anything else, it proves the name Goliath was indeed used during the biblical period. Pretty cool stuff, huh?
News keeps coming. Third hour of LIVE FROM starts right now.
On this Veterans Day, President Bush took to the stage and fired a broadside at critics of the Iraq war, speaking to a largely military audience in Pennsylvania. Mr. Bush defended his decision to invade Iraq three years ago. He minced no words in lashing out at critics who charged the administration, manipulated prewar intelligence to justify going to war.
That speech came at a time when polls show a majority of Americans now oppose the war, and amid the scandal of a senior White House official indicted in the CIA leak investigation. But Mr. Bush denounced those who he accused of making what he calls baseless charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support. I also recognize that some of our fellow citizens and elected officials didn't support the liberation of Iraq. And that is their right and I respect it.
As president and commander in chief I accept the responsibilities and the criticisms and the consequences that come with such a solemn decision. While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision of the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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