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CNN Live Today

Was Powell's Iran Info Wrong?; U.N. Negotiates Fragile Peace in Sudan

Aired November 19, 2004 - 10:30   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up on the half hour now, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And here's what's happening right "Now in the News." President Bush may see protesters in Santiago, Chile, tonight when he arrives for a summit with Asian Pacific leaders. Mr. Bush is looking for backing to get North Korea to scrap its nuclear plans. The president also wants to tighten global security to facilitate trade. Mr. Bush is going to hold meetings with leaders of Russia, Indonesia, Mexico and China.

The House has given final congressional approval to a bill to raise the nation's debt ceiling, or the amount of money they're allowed to borrow. President Bush plans to sign the bill into law Monday. The debt ceiling will increase from its current $7.74 trillion to $8.2 trillion.

Meanwhile, a $388 billion spending bill for the current fiscal year could be ready for votes sometime later today. We'll follow it. Also we soon could learn what caused the death of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Arafat's nephew, Nasser al-Kidwa, is in Paris in hopes of reviewing his uncle's medical file. The information could lay to rest rumors about Arafat's illness and how exactly he died.

And there may be hopeful signs on the fate of three U.N. workers held hostage in Afghanistan. A militant leader is quoted as saying that there's an 80 percent chance that ongoing negotiations will succeed. He also says the militants may narrow their demand for the release of 15 Taliban prisoners rather than 26. An Afghan government spokesperson is saying slow but gradual progress is being made to free those hostages.

WHITFIELD: Well, we've reported on the allegations concerning Iran's nuclear ambitions but today "The Washington Post" reports the information revealed earlier this week by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has not been verified. Powell said he had seen information indicating Iran was trying to develop nuclear missiles. An Iranian opposition group claims Iran is running a secret nuclear facility intent on producing weapons.

CNN's national security correspondent David Ensor has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At issue is whether Iran is already working on designs for a nuclear warhead that could sit on top of this: the new Shahab 3 missile tested in October and designed to hit targets within 2,000 kilometers, or about 1,200 miles.

On his way to Chile, Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters he has seen new intelligence suggesting Iran may be working not only on how to enrich uranium to bomb grade but also, quote, "on delivery systems."

"I'm talking," said Powell, "about information that says that they not only had these missiles, but I'm aware of information that suggests they were working hard as to how to put the two together.

ADAM ERELI, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: That's another piece of the puzzle. It deals the with the issue of -- not necessarily the development of weapons of mass destruction, but the development of delivery systems.

DAVID ALBRIGHT, INST. SCIENCE & INTL. SECURITY: You have to do a lot of engineering feats in order to be at the point of making a missile carry a nuclear warhead.

ENSOR: The problem for the Bush administration, though, is credibility. After sending Powell to the U.N. with intelligence on Iraq's weapons, much of which now appears to have been wrong, will the world take what it is saying seriously this time?

ALBRIGHT: The United States has been accusing Iran of having an active nuclear weapons program for years. And the information often has been ambiguous or in some cases not very good. And so I think that if this information is actionable and is credible, then I would use it to confront the Iranians, not to just walk away from the deal.

ENSOR: The deal in question is the one agreed in principle by three European governments and Iran. Iran would suspend uranium enrichment and allow inspections in exchange for trade and respectability.

(on camera): Many U.S. officials are highly suspicious that Iran would simply use the deal to buy time to make nuclear weapons.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Meanwhile in Spain, police have again arrested a television correspondent on terrorism charges. Al-Jazeera reporter Tayseer Allouni is accused of belonging to a terrorist organization linked to al Qaeda. He's seen here, as you can probably tell by now, interviewing Osama bin Laden. He was one of nearly three dozen people indicted last September, and he appealed the charges this past week. Judges rejected the appeal and police asked that he be arrested again, citing concerns that he was a flight risk.

Well, North Korea is angrily denying reports that it has removed some public portraits of its leader, Kim Jong Il. Such a move could signal a change in the dictatorship. The government calls the charges groundless fabrications, and one North Korean official compared such an attempt to quote, "trying to remove the sun from the sky."

WHITFIELD: Well, there may be a glimmer of hope this morning in resolving the deepening humanitarian crisis in the African nation of Sudan. Earlier today the government and its rebel foes signed a pledge to end the continent's oldest civil war by the year's end. The agreement came at a unique meeting of the U.N. Security Council in Nairobi, Kenya, where CNN's Charlayne Hunter-Gault picks up the story from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A potentially historic moment. Parties to a conflict that has killed millions of their people, tearing their enormous country apart, committing themselves to peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No later than thirty-first December, this year.

HUNTER-GAULT: This isn't the first time they've done so. But it is the first time they've agreed to a deadline, witnessed by the 15- member Security Council.

JOHN DANFORTH, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The process of turning Sudan into a prosperous nation, at peace with itself and its neighbors, must move forward immediately.

HUNTER-GAULT: The ambassador placed the burden of compliance squarely on the two men representing the two warring sides.

HUNTER-GAULT: Vice President Taha, Dr. Garang, do not let this opportunity slip away. Follow through with your promises. Prove that you are men of your word.

HUNTER-GAULT: The Sudanese government took up the challenge.

V.P. ALI OSMAN TAHA, SUDAN: We are fully committed to give the people of the Sudan and to give Africa, and to give to the international community the gift -- the present of peace with the end of this year and the beginning of the new year.

HUNTER-GAULT: The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army also made the same pledge.

JOHN GARANG, SPLA LEADER: We will do our best to sort these difficulties out and put our country together so that we join the community of nations in peace in development and in prosperity.

HUNTER-GAULT: Outside the council chambers Sudanese activists worried the council's words didn't include specific penalties for failure to keep the promises of peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the average person in Sudan what worries us is our security and our protection.

HUNTER-GAULT: They point to continuing violence in the Darfur region of the country, and the failure of the Sudanese government to rein in the Janjaweed militia, responsible for a wave of atrocities against Africans there, the U.S. has labeled genocide.

(on camera): The Security Council argues that a north-south agreement is the key to peace in Darfur, as well. And while it has placed the burden of delivering peace on the warring sides, it has also staked its own credibility on the strength of its words.

Charlayne Hunter-Gault, CNN, Nairobi, Kenya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, here's what's on the docket today in our look at legal briefs. We begin with a mall shooting in St. Petersburg, Florida. A gunman opens fire last night inside an electronics store, kills two people, wounds a third and then kills himself. Police say the rampage was triggered by an earlier road rage incident.

Closing arguments continue today in the retrial of the Ted Binion murder case. The former stripper and her secret lover are accused of murdering a one-time (INAUDIBLE) executive. Prosecutors say they wanted Binion's fortune.

More legal trouble for pop singer Michael Jackson. His former herbalist says he has failed to pay a bill of $1.2 million. Alfredo Bowman says Jackson worked him round the clock making special herbal compounds. It's the third civil lawsuit this week filed against Jackson, all claiming nonpayment.

WHITFIELD: A court hearing is scheduled today for two middle school kids in suburban Atlanta. They're accused of dishing up cake that sickened their classmates. The father of one of the 13-year-olds says it was a horrible prank.

CNN's Eric Philips explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two 13-year-old girls, their wrists shackled, their futures uncertain, arrested after baking a cake for their seventh grade classmates in Marietta, Georgia, that authorities say was tainted. More than a dozen of the youngsters who ate a piece of the cornbread cake Tuesday were rushed to the hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like a normal cake but when you put it in your mouth it's really bad.

PHILIPS: The two girls appeared at a preliminary hearing Wednesday and were charged with 12 counts of aggravated assault with intent to murder. "Alan," the father of one of the girls, says his daughter had no malicious intent. To her, it was just a joke.

"ALAN," FATHER OF SUSPECT: A prank. A bad prank. What more can you call it? It wasn't anybody trying to kill anybody. PHILIPS: Tests will determine what was put in the cake. But Alan's daughter has been charged with committing a terrorist act for what she allegedly said was in the cake.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the defendants, SAD, made an announcement that there was bleach in the cake.

PHILIPS: The district attorney says he needs to verify the contents of the cake before he makes a final decision on charges.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could be that it stays serious or it could be that the analysis of the cake says that there was nothing in there that was that harmful.

PHILIPS: "Alan" says his daughter denies putting bleach in the cake, but admits to mixing in glue and that she's feeling a range of emotions, including remorse. So is he.

"ALAN": Fear that I might not see my daughter for several years and that my daughter's life could be ruined.

PHILIPS: The girls are being held in juvenile detention. A hearing later today will determine if they'll stay there, or be released to their parents.

Eric Philips, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: A check of the financial markets is coming up next.

Plus, slighted because of her race, a student finally gets her time in the spotlight. It's a moment nearly 60 years in the making.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast now. Five Long Island teenagers have been arrested in the case of a frozen turkey being thrown through a car windshield. The driver of the car, a 44-year-old woman, is hospitalized and in critical condition. Police say the teens stole a credit card to buy the turkey at a grocery store.

Well, you may have heard of the group pushing for a constitutional amendment allowing Arnold Schwarzenegger to run for president. Well an Austin, Texas radio host has launched a Web site opposing the movement. Alex Jones criticizes the California governor for admitted past drug use and alleged mistreatment of women. Schwarzenegger's aides have declined comment on the campaigns for and against a constitutional amendment.

Well, she's had to wait 60 years, but Beulah Swan (ph) got the award she so deserved. Swan became a member of the National Honor Society Wednesday night. A former teacher at a Minnesota high school says Swan's grades were altered, because the school at the time didn't want to have an African-American valedictorian. The record set straight, Swan received the National Honor Society invitation.

SANCHEZ: Well done.

WHITFIELD: Sixty years later.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's great. She's still around, too, so she can -- I guess that's important.

Here's what we have coming up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feast your eyes, Patrick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the patty wagon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So is this movie going to be a hit? What do you think? Mr. Moviefone up next to tell us if you should take your family to the "Spongebob Squarepants" festival.

WHITFIELD: I understand kids and adults already lining up, ready to take it in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Kids and their parents are going to head down to bikini bottom (ph) this weekend to squeeze some fun out of the wacky world of "Spongebob Squarepants The Movie." That's a clip. The yellow guy in the brown pants makes him big screen debut, and here without his snorkel is Mr. Moviefone himself, Mr. Russ Leatherman.

Any sex scenes in this thing?

RUSS LEATHERMAN, "MR. MOVIEFONE": Oh come on, now. It's a pineapple under the sea. You know what, I sort of want to -- I see that clip, I think I would want to live in a pineapple under the sea. Some would argue I already do, but that's another story for another day.

Hey, this is a -- it's great time of year for movies. We're in to the big holiday movie season, and here comes another one, "Spongebob Squarepants." Now if you have kids, you've watched this cartoon, along with your children, because they seem to love it, but it's also has a much bigger following. Teenagers seem to like it and adults seem to like it, too. I think because it's smart, it's funny, it's fast-paced. It's bright, it's witty. It got a lot of good things going for it.

And what I would say is if you like the TV show and you've tolerated it with your kids, you're going to like this movie. Now, if you're an adult who's just not interested in goofy cartoons, then stay away. But this one's really pretty smart, and I really like the movie.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it's funny, because you know, I got four kids. They were never really into this, but lately, I don't, are they pushing the Spongebob Squarepants -- oh, gosh.

LEATHERMAN: Come on now. Well, this stuff is everywhere. I mean, you can literally go buy Spongebob underwear, lunch boxes, you know, everything. And so they are pushing it. But it's one of those things that they're pushing it because it's actually good. This is a quality cartoon. It's not "The Incredibles," which is a fantastic animated movie in theaters now. This is a cartoon that's brought to the big screen.

SANCHEZ: By the way, "The Incredibles" not as good as "Toy Story," just for the record.

LEATHERMAN: I might debate you on that. I thought it was pretty incredible. But those guys at Pixar, they clearly know how to make movies, don't they?

SANCHEZ: We'll save that argument for another day.

"National Treasure." Nicolas Cage, right?

LEATHERMAN: Nicolas Cage is trying to track down the biggest booty in the world.

SANCHEZ: Huh.

LEATHERMAN: That doesn't sound exactly right, does it?

SANCHEZ: Yes, makes you think that Jennifer Lopez is suddenly in this film.

LEATHERMAN: I think what he's looking for is treasure. He's looking for a national treasure that he says our founding fathers have hidden away for years and years, and he's on the hunt to track it down. And it leads him across the country, until he finally ends up discovering that, hey, maybe it's on a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. So he has to go steal that before the bad guys get to it.

Now this is a big, Jerry Bruckheimer-style movie. There's a lot of action. I would say it's not "Indiana Jones." It wants to be. There are signs of "The Da Vinci Code" in here, but we'll see that movie later on. But here's what you can do, you can go to moviefone.com, watch the first 10 minutes of this movie and figure it out for yourself. I thought it was OK; I didn't think it was great, but hey, we've got a lot of movies in theaters to talk about.

SANCHEZ: There's one more we need to talk about. It's called "Finding Neverland." Is this about a search for Michael Jackson?

LEATHERMAN: Wow, you got a million of them, don't you? This is a fantastic movie. This is Johnny Depp really at his best. I think he's a great actor. The nice thing about this time of year is you not only have these big blockbusters, but you also have these quieter little movies. Kate Winslet is also in this movie. It's the story of J.M. Berry (ph), the guy who created Peter Pan, and really the story of where he got his inspiration, by these young children and how they found magic in their lives also. So I would say you've got a lot of choices this weekend. You can go see the big blockbusters, but do yourself a favor, drop the kids off to see "Spongebob," and then go see "Finding Neverland," because it's a really good movie.

SANCHEZ: That's the one you really like.

LEATHERMAN: I loved it.

SANCHEZ: There you go, Mr. Moviefone, Russ, thanks. Hey, appreciate it.

LEATHERMAN: There it is. You guys have a great weekend.

SANCHEZ: All right, appreciate it. You can keep an eye an entertainment 24/7 by simply pointing your Internet browser to CNN.com/entertainment. Among the highlights, find out why Nicolas Cage calls Hollywood a very narrow-minded place.

WHITFIELD: Something about the holidays you always want to check out a good movie, around Thanksgiving, Christmastime.

SANCHEZ: And a lot of popcorn.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and around the holiday season, you always want to head up to the Big Apple because it's always a beautiful sight to see, especially this year.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we're going to show you New York City is spiffing things up, you might say, for the holiday season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back.

New Yorker Mayor Michael Bloomberg and actress Sarah Jessica Parker help light the UNICEF crystal snowflake in midtown Manhattan last night, did you know?

WHITFIELD: Well, now we do. The snowflake has been a holiday attraction for 19 years, and there it is. Starting in 2002, it was dedicated to UNICEF as a beacon of hope, peace and compassion for vulnerable children around the world.

SANCHEZ: That's nice. Pretty to look at, too.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and hopefully they had some nice weather for that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Coming up, a woman on her death bed drops a startling bombshell. She knows where her husband is, unraveling a mystery.

SANCHEZ: Also, a visit to Chile, where people can do something they have never done before. What could that possibly be? We will tell you, right here, as CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired November 19, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up on the half hour now, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And here's what's happening right "Now in the News." President Bush may see protesters in Santiago, Chile, tonight when he arrives for a summit with Asian Pacific leaders. Mr. Bush is looking for backing to get North Korea to scrap its nuclear plans. The president also wants to tighten global security to facilitate trade. Mr. Bush is going to hold meetings with leaders of Russia, Indonesia, Mexico and China.

The House has given final congressional approval to a bill to raise the nation's debt ceiling, or the amount of money they're allowed to borrow. President Bush plans to sign the bill into law Monday. The debt ceiling will increase from its current $7.74 trillion to $8.2 trillion.

Meanwhile, a $388 billion spending bill for the current fiscal year could be ready for votes sometime later today. We'll follow it. Also we soon could learn what caused the death of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Arafat's nephew, Nasser al-Kidwa, is in Paris in hopes of reviewing his uncle's medical file. The information could lay to rest rumors about Arafat's illness and how exactly he died.

And there may be hopeful signs on the fate of three U.N. workers held hostage in Afghanistan. A militant leader is quoted as saying that there's an 80 percent chance that ongoing negotiations will succeed. He also says the militants may narrow their demand for the release of 15 Taliban prisoners rather than 26. An Afghan government spokesperson is saying slow but gradual progress is being made to free those hostages.

WHITFIELD: Well, we've reported on the allegations concerning Iran's nuclear ambitions but today "The Washington Post" reports the information revealed earlier this week by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has not been verified. Powell said he had seen information indicating Iran was trying to develop nuclear missiles. An Iranian opposition group claims Iran is running a secret nuclear facility intent on producing weapons.

CNN's national security correspondent David Ensor has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At issue is whether Iran is already working on designs for a nuclear warhead that could sit on top of this: the new Shahab 3 missile tested in October and designed to hit targets within 2,000 kilometers, or about 1,200 miles.

On his way to Chile, Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters he has seen new intelligence suggesting Iran may be working not only on how to enrich uranium to bomb grade but also, quote, "on delivery systems."

"I'm talking," said Powell, "about information that says that they not only had these missiles, but I'm aware of information that suggests they were working hard as to how to put the two together.

ADAM ERELI, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: That's another piece of the puzzle. It deals the with the issue of -- not necessarily the development of weapons of mass destruction, but the development of delivery systems.

DAVID ALBRIGHT, INST. SCIENCE & INTL. SECURITY: You have to do a lot of engineering feats in order to be at the point of making a missile carry a nuclear warhead.

ENSOR: The problem for the Bush administration, though, is credibility. After sending Powell to the U.N. with intelligence on Iraq's weapons, much of which now appears to have been wrong, will the world take what it is saying seriously this time?

ALBRIGHT: The United States has been accusing Iran of having an active nuclear weapons program for years. And the information often has been ambiguous or in some cases not very good. And so I think that if this information is actionable and is credible, then I would use it to confront the Iranians, not to just walk away from the deal.

ENSOR: The deal in question is the one agreed in principle by three European governments and Iran. Iran would suspend uranium enrichment and allow inspections in exchange for trade and respectability.

(on camera): Many U.S. officials are highly suspicious that Iran would simply use the deal to buy time to make nuclear weapons.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Meanwhile in Spain, police have again arrested a television correspondent on terrorism charges. Al-Jazeera reporter Tayseer Allouni is accused of belonging to a terrorist organization linked to al Qaeda. He's seen here, as you can probably tell by now, interviewing Osama bin Laden. He was one of nearly three dozen people indicted last September, and he appealed the charges this past week. Judges rejected the appeal and police asked that he be arrested again, citing concerns that he was a flight risk.

Well, North Korea is angrily denying reports that it has removed some public portraits of its leader, Kim Jong Il. Such a move could signal a change in the dictatorship. The government calls the charges groundless fabrications, and one North Korean official compared such an attempt to quote, "trying to remove the sun from the sky."

WHITFIELD: Well, there may be a glimmer of hope this morning in resolving the deepening humanitarian crisis in the African nation of Sudan. Earlier today the government and its rebel foes signed a pledge to end the continent's oldest civil war by the year's end. The agreement came at a unique meeting of the U.N. Security Council in Nairobi, Kenya, where CNN's Charlayne Hunter-Gault picks up the story from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A potentially historic moment. Parties to a conflict that has killed millions of their people, tearing their enormous country apart, committing themselves to peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No later than thirty-first December, this year.

HUNTER-GAULT: This isn't the first time they've done so. But it is the first time they've agreed to a deadline, witnessed by the 15- member Security Council.

JOHN DANFORTH, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The process of turning Sudan into a prosperous nation, at peace with itself and its neighbors, must move forward immediately.

HUNTER-GAULT: The ambassador placed the burden of compliance squarely on the two men representing the two warring sides.

HUNTER-GAULT: Vice President Taha, Dr. Garang, do not let this opportunity slip away. Follow through with your promises. Prove that you are men of your word.

HUNTER-GAULT: The Sudanese government took up the challenge.

V.P. ALI OSMAN TAHA, SUDAN: We are fully committed to give the people of the Sudan and to give Africa, and to give to the international community the gift -- the present of peace with the end of this year and the beginning of the new year.

HUNTER-GAULT: The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army also made the same pledge.

JOHN GARANG, SPLA LEADER: We will do our best to sort these difficulties out and put our country together so that we join the community of nations in peace in development and in prosperity.

HUNTER-GAULT: Outside the council chambers Sudanese activists worried the council's words didn't include specific penalties for failure to keep the promises of peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the average person in Sudan what worries us is our security and our protection.

HUNTER-GAULT: They point to continuing violence in the Darfur region of the country, and the failure of the Sudanese government to rein in the Janjaweed militia, responsible for a wave of atrocities against Africans there, the U.S. has labeled genocide.

(on camera): The Security Council argues that a north-south agreement is the key to peace in Darfur, as well. And while it has placed the burden of delivering peace on the warring sides, it has also staked its own credibility on the strength of its words.

Charlayne Hunter-Gault, CNN, Nairobi, Kenya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, here's what's on the docket today in our look at legal briefs. We begin with a mall shooting in St. Petersburg, Florida. A gunman opens fire last night inside an electronics store, kills two people, wounds a third and then kills himself. Police say the rampage was triggered by an earlier road rage incident.

Closing arguments continue today in the retrial of the Ted Binion murder case. The former stripper and her secret lover are accused of murdering a one-time (INAUDIBLE) executive. Prosecutors say they wanted Binion's fortune.

More legal trouble for pop singer Michael Jackson. His former herbalist says he has failed to pay a bill of $1.2 million. Alfredo Bowman says Jackson worked him round the clock making special herbal compounds. It's the third civil lawsuit this week filed against Jackson, all claiming nonpayment.

WHITFIELD: A court hearing is scheduled today for two middle school kids in suburban Atlanta. They're accused of dishing up cake that sickened their classmates. The father of one of the 13-year-olds says it was a horrible prank.

CNN's Eric Philips explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two 13-year-old girls, their wrists shackled, their futures uncertain, arrested after baking a cake for their seventh grade classmates in Marietta, Georgia, that authorities say was tainted. More than a dozen of the youngsters who ate a piece of the cornbread cake Tuesday were rushed to the hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like a normal cake but when you put it in your mouth it's really bad.

PHILIPS: The two girls appeared at a preliminary hearing Wednesday and were charged with 12 counts of aggravated assault with intent to murder. "Alan," the father of one of the girls, says his daughter had no malicious intent. To her, it was just a joke.

"ALAN," FATHER OF SUSPECT: A prank. A bad prank. What more can you call it? It wasn't anybody trying to kill anybody. PHILIPS: Tests will determine what was put in the cake. But Alan's daughter has been charged with committing a terrorist act for what she allegedly said was in the cake.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the defendants, SAD, made an announcement that there was bleach in the cake.

PHILIPS: The district attorney says he needs to verify the contents of the cake before he makes a final decision on charges.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could be that it stays serious or it could be that the analysis of the cake says that there was nothing in there that was that harmful.

PHILIPS: "Alan" says his daughter denies putting bleach in the cake, but admits to mixing in glue and that she's feeling a range of emotions, including remorse. So is he.

"ALAN": Fear that I might not see my daughter for several years and that my daughter's life could be ruined.

PHILIPS: The girls are being held in juvenile detention. A hearing later today will determine if they'll stay there, or be released to their parents.

Eric Philips, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: A check of the financial markets is coming up next.

Plus, slighted because of her race, a student finally gets her time in the spotlight. It's a moment nearly 60 years in the making.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast now. Five Long Island teenagers have been arrested in the case of a frozen turkey being thrown through a car windshield. The driver of the car, a 44-year-old woman, is hospitalized and in critical condition. Police say the teens stole a credit card to buy the turkey at a grocery store.

Well, you may have heard of the group pushing for a constitutional amendment allowing Arnold Schwarzenegger to run for president. Well an Austin, Texas radio host has launched a Web site opposing the movement. Alex Jones criticizes the California governor for admitted past drug use and alleged mistreatment of women. Schwarzenegger's aides have declined comment on the campaigns for and against a constitutional amendment.

Well, she's had to wait 60 years, but Beulah Swan (ph) got the award she so deserved. Swan became a member of the National Honor Society Wednesday night. A former teacher at a Minnesota high school says Swan's grades were altered, because the school at the time didn't want to have an African-American valedictorian. The record set straight, Swan received the National Honor Society invitation.

SANCHEZ: Well done.

WHITFIELD: Sixty years later.

SANCHEZ: Yes, that's great. She's still around, too, so she can -- I guess that's important.

Here's what we have coming up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feast your eyes, Patrick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the patty wagon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So is this movie going to be a hit? What do you think? Mr. Moviefone up next to tell us if you should take your family to the "Spongebob Squarepants" festival.

WHITFIELD: I understand kids and adults already lining up, ready to take it in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Kids and their parents are going to head down to bikini bottom (ph) this weekend to squeeze some fun out of the wacky world of "Spongebob Squarepants The Movie." That's a clip. The yellow guy in the brown pants makes him big screen debut, and here without his snorkel is Mr. Moviefone himself, Mr. Russ Leatherman.

Any sex scenes in this thing?

RUSS LEATHERMAN, "MR. MOVIEFONE": Oh come on, now. It's a pineapple under the sea. You know what, I sort of want to -- I see that clip, I think I would want to live in a pineapple under the sea. Some would argue I already do, but that's another story for another day.

Hey, this is a -- it's great time of year for movies. We're in to the big holiday movie season, and here comes another one, "Spongebob Squarepants." Now if you have kids, you've watched this cartoon, along with your children, because they seem to love it, but it's also has a much bigger following. Teenagers seem to like it and adults seem to like it, too. I think because it's smart, it's funny, it's fast-paced. It's bright, it's witty. It got a lot of good things going for it.

And what I would say is if you like the TV show and you've tolerated it with your kids, you're going to like this movie. Now, if you're an adult who's just not interested in goofy cartoons, then stay away. But this one's really pretty smart, and I really like the movie.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it's funny, because you know, I got four kids. They were never really into this, but lately, I don't, are they pushing the Spongebob Squarepants -- oh, gosh.

LEATHERMAN: Come on now. Well, this stuff is everywhere. I mean, you can literally go buy Spongebob underwear, lunch boxes, you know, everything. And so they are pushing it. But it's one of those things that they're pushing it because it's actually good. This is a quality cartoon. It's not "The Incredibles," which is a fantastic animated movie in theaters now. This is a cartoon that's brought to the big screen.

SANCHEZ: By the way, "The Incredibles" not as good as "Toy Story," just for the record.

LEATHERMAN: I might debate you on that. I thought it was pretty incredible. But those guys at Pixar, they clearly know how to make movies, don't they?

SANCHEZ: We'll save that argument for another day.

"National Treasure." Nicolas Cage, right?

LEATHERMAN: Nicolas Cage is trying to track down the biggest booty in the world.

SANCHEZ: Huh.

LEATHERMAN: That doesn't sound exactly right, does it?

SANCHEZ: Yes, makes you think that Jennifer Lopez is suddenly in this film.

LEATHERMAN: I think what he's looking for is treasure. He's looking for a national treasure that he says our founding fathers have hidden away for years and years, and he's on the hunt to track it down. And it leads him across the country, until he finally ends up discovering that, hey, maybe it's on a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. So he has to go steal that before the bad guys get to it.

Now this is a big, Jerry Bruckheimer-style movie. There's a lot of action. I would say it's not "Indiana Jones." It wants to be. There are signs of "The Da Vinci Code" in here, but we'll see that movie later on. But here's what you can do, you can go to moviefone.com, watch the first 10 minutes of this movie and figure it out for yourself. I thought it was OK; I didn't think it was great, but hey, we've got a lot of movies in theaters to talk about.

SANCHEZ: There's one more we need to talk about. It's called "Finding Neverland." Is this about a search for Michael Jackson?

LEATHERMAN: Wow, you got a million of them, don't you? This is a fantastic movie. This is Johnny Depp really at his best. I think he's a great actor. The nice thing about this time of year is you not only have these big blockbusters, but you also have these quieter little movies. Kate Winslet is also in this movie. It's the story of J.M. Berry (ph), the guy who created Peter Pan, and really the story of where he got his inspiration, by these young children and how they found magic in their lives also. So I would say you've got a lot of choices this weekend. You can go see the big blockbusters, but do yourself a favor, drop the kids off to see "Spongebob," and then go see "Finding Neverland," because it's a really good movie.

SANCHEZ: That's the one you really like.

LEATHERMAN: I loved it.

SANCHEZ: There you go, Mr. Moviefone, Russ, thanks. Hey, appreciate it.

LEATHERMAN: There it is. You guys have a great weekend.

SANCHEZ: All right, appreciate it. You can keep an eye an entertainment 24/7 by simply pointing your Internet browser to CNN.com/entertainment. Among the highlights, find out why Nicolas Cage calls Hollywood a very narrow-minded place.

WHITFIELD: Something about the holidays you always want to check out a good movie, around Thanksgiving, Christmastime.

SANCHEZ: And a lot of popcorn.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and around the holiday season, you always want to head up to the Big Apple because it's always a beautiful sight to see, especially this year.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we're going to show you New York City is spiffing things up, you might say, for the holiday season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Hey, welcome back.

New Yorker Mayor Michael Bloomberg and actress Sarah Jessica Parker help light the UNICEF crystal snowflake in midtown Manhattan last night, did you know?

WHITFIELD: Well, now we do. The snowflake has been a holiday attraction for 19 years, and there it is. Starting in 2002, it was dedicated to UNICEF as a beacon of hope, peace and compassion for vulnerable children around the world.

SANCHEZ: That's nice. Pretty to look at, too.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and hopefully they had some nice weather for that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Coming up, a woman on her death bed drops a startling bombshell. She knows where her husband is, unraveling a mystery.

SANCHEZ: Also, a visit to Chile, where people can do something they have never done before. What could that possibly be? We will tell you, right here, as CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

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