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CNN Live Today

Iran Responds; U.K. Terror Suspects; Ramsey Case Suspect; Saddam Hussein On Trial; The U.S. & Iran

Aired August 22, 2006 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Daryn Kagan standing by for us right now in Atlanta.
Daryn, take it away.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. You guys have a great day in New York City.

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: We have a lot to get to over the next couple of hours. Let's get started this hour with our eye on a number of important stories. Here is what we know at the top of the hour.

Iran responding to U.N. demands concerning its nuclear program. We will go live to Tehran.

Terror suspects in court. Eleven charged in the alleged airline terror plot face a judge in London today.

And we're keeping a close eye on the JonBenet Ramsey case. A couple hours from now, suspect John Mark Karr will be due in court in Los Angeles. You will see that here on CNN.

Let's begin with Iran. Just days ahead of a U.N. deadline, Iran has issued its response to demands that it stop enriching uranium. That response was delivered to two western envoys just a few minutes ago. CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Tehran. He, by the way, is the only American reporter now in the Iran capital.

Hello.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.

As you say, an officials response has now come from Iranian officials about the incentives package that has been offered to get the country to suspend its nuclear program. It happened just a few moments ago. Some video to show you of the country's chief nuclear negotiator handing over that written reply to representatives, we understand, from the countries backing this deal, Russia, China, France, Germany, Britain, and representing the U.S. who has no diplomat ties with Iran here in Tehran, are the Swiss.

Now we are still waiting to get a copy. It perhaps might not be given out on the ground until tomorrow. Western capitals might have it earlier. We get the sense, though, in this document Iran is offering a new formula to discuss all of this.

The headline, though, remains that Iran has no intention of suspending its nuclear program. It is intent, though, on trying to restart dialogue. Dialogue that Iran says it must not have as a precondition the suspension of the nuclear program.

Iranian officials from the start have said they're pursuing a peaceful nuclear program despite concerns raised by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog and by the west about it pursuing a nuclear bomb. And Iran has said that if any action is taken by the U.N., it might respond by kicking out inspectors and pursuing its program in secret.

Where we go from here, Daryn? Today was a self-made deadline by Iran. The official U.N. deadline comes at the end of the month. So there's some time before that. We expect a press conference next week by Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He could then further clarify this response that we've seen today.

Today might not be the final word, but Iran is desperate to prevent that deadline from taking hold, to prevent sanctions from coming on the country. It wants more talk, but it does not, by all indications, want to suspend its nuclear program.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Aneesh live in Tehran there. Now as we look behind you, we see a lot of people make their way on the street. What's the mood of the people? The world is watching, trying to hear what Iran's response will be. But is this at the top of the list of concern for everyday Iranians?

RAMAN: Not really. The world may be watching, the majority of Iranians today at least are not. We're at Tedred (ph) Square, a very busy market area in northern Tehran. A main bus stop as well.

The people here are celebrating. The reason why is this is a very auspicious Muslim holiday. The day, according to Muslim faith, that the prophet was given his mission by God. So people have been out with sweets, greeting others. They're at their homes. Many of even the news organizations within Tehran are closed today.

It's a mix, Daryn. Among the people, a sense of resignation. There's very little they can do. This whole issue is up to their government's decisions. But also there has been and is a fierce sense of nationalist pride in this nuclear program. Everyone we speak to -- Wushud Caveat (ph) is a western news organization -- tell us they believe the government's denial about pursuing a nuclear weapon. They believe it's a peaceful nuclear program and that Iran did it on its own. That's a big deal here. Iran figured out how to enrich uranium and Iran, they say, should have the right to pursue it.

There is, though, now quiet unease among certain segments of the people about what may happen next. Harsh economic sanctions that could come. But again, they're resigned to the fact that basically we'll have to just wait and see what happens.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Aneesh Raman live in Tehran, thank you.

For a closer look at Iran' leader and its people, we will talk with the country's nuclear showdown. We're talking about that with the west. New insight from a man who knows the country well. You'll want to hear what he has to say. That's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

Right now we move on to other news of the day. Tight security in Britain. Eleven suspects accused in the alleged airline terror plot. They go to court today. CNN's Robin Oakley is covering the case in London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Court proceedings have begun over the charges following the alleged plot to blow up as many as 10 airliners en route from Britain to the United States. Eight suspects are being charged with conspiracy to murder. Specifically that they assembled bomb-making equipment which they were planning to take on board aircraft and detonate on board.

Conspiracy to murder is one charge and also they're being charged with the new offense under British law of acts prepared (ph) to terrorism. Two others are being charged with failing to disclose information which could have prevent add terrorist act and one 17- year-old youth, who can't be named, is being charged with possessing materials useful to terrorists.

Police have revealed a considerable amount of the kind of evidence that will be used against those charged. This includes martyrdom videos. It includes explosive materials, which have been found, including hydrogen peroxide and electrical equipment and bomb- making manuals. But the police are stressing that this is a long process ahead. A very, very intensive investigation involving every branch of forensic science and worldwide in its scope.

So far, in the early court proceedings, everybody who's appeared before the district judge has been remanded in custody until September the 10th. Tomorrow, the authorities have to decide what to do about the 11 men who still remain in police custody without charge. They have one more day before they have to go to the court and ask for extra time to question them.

Robin Oakley, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We have a developing story out of Ukraine this morning. CNN is following reports from the news agency Interfax. A Russian passenger plane with about 170 people has crashed. That's according to reports from Russia's state-run news. The wreckage has been found in eastern Ukraine. Interfax says the plane is a Russian made TU-154. The pilot reported turbulence before the plane disappeared from radar. We'll have more details as they come into us here at CNN this morning.

The man who claims he killed JonBenet Ramsey is due in court shortly. CNN will have live coverage of that. For suspect John Karr, today's hearing is a stepping stone to Boulder, Colorado. CNN's Drew Griffin explains that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: By all accounts, it should be a very brief hearing. John Mark Karr is expected to waive his extradition rights, agreeing to go back to Colorado and face the murder charge in the JonBenet Ramsey case from 1996.

The question will be, will Mr. Karr be represented by an attorney or will he represent himself? That hearing is going to take place later this morning inside the criminal courts building here in Los Angeles. He did see a couple of attorneys yesterday in his jail cell at the Los Angeles county jail. But as of right now, we do not know if an attorney will represent John Mark Karr in the extradition hearing that will take place here in Los Angeles.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And CNN plans live coverage of John Karr's extradition hearing. This is how it's going to work. Court is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time. A number of people on the docket. And when we do see John Mark Karr appear, we will go there live. We'll be monitoring the proceedings.

The Boulder D.A. is hard at work building her case against John Mark Karr. Our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, has some perspective on the prosecution.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The accused has given the prosecution some leads, but they're unlikely to be enough. His confession is alarming, but it's not a confession to murder. Even if Karr was with JonBenet Ramsey when she died, he claims her death was an accident. So by itself, the so-called confession is not enough to guarantee a conviction. That's probably why Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy is being so cautious.

MARY LACY, BOULDER DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Do not jump to conclusions. Do not jump to judgment. Do not speculate. Let the justice system take its course.

TOOBIN: The D.A. will need hard evidence, starting with proof of Karr's presence at the crime scene. How could a man in Alabama become so obsessed with a six-year-old beauty pageant winner in Boulder, Colorado, that he would travel halfway across the country to be with her and then murder her?

Most importantly, what about physical evidence like DNA? Karr has already give an sample, but it needs to be matched to the DNA found at the murder scene.

There were also fingerprints at the scene and the now famous ransom note. Can they be tied to Karr's prints and his handwriting? Only if the prosecution can answer those outstanding questions might it be able to convince a jury that John Mark Karr is guilty of killing JonBenet Ramsey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you an innocent man?

JOHN MARK KARR, RAMSEY MURDER SUSPECT: No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: You might want to stop talking. That could be the first advice that John Karr's attorney gives him. A look at defense strategy for the case. That's ahead in our next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.

The reaction from the Ramsey family is one of hope. That's according to the attorney for JonBenet's father. Here was what Lin Wood had to say on last night's "Larry King Live."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIN WOOD, RAMSEY FAMILY ATTORNEY: John Ramsey wants what Mary Lacy, the district attorney in Boulder wants, what I think many millions of Americans want. He wants the person who brutally murdered his daughter to be brought to justice. He does not know whether Mr. Karr is guilty of that crime. He does not know the evidence upon which the district attorney is relying on making the arrest of Mr. Karr.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well, in other trial news, the defendant is the same, but the trial has changed. Survivors pointing the finger at Saddam Hussein. You're going to see it here on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Suspected terrorist captured in Iraq by the dozens. That word comes this morning from U.S. military officials in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE IRAQ: Iraqi and coalition forces continue to pursue individuals intent on using violence to impose their narrow, political and ideological views on others. Operations by Iraqi and coalition forces this past week resulted in the capture of well over 100 known and suspected al Qaeda terrorists and terrorist associates during many raids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: General Caldwell says at least 3,500 people were killed in Iraq last month. That makes July the deadliest month since the start of the war.

Gripping testimony at today's genocide trial of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. An Iraqi Kurd describes greenish smoke, the smell of rotten fruit, then watching a baby die during a poison gas attack. Hussein is charged in the deaths of thousands of Kurds during the 1980s. One of his six co-defendants testified that Iraqi troops were targeting Iranian soldier and Kurdish rebels, not civilians. The case is the second trial for the former Iraqi leader. Hussein is waiting for a verdict in his first trial.

New trial, same defendant. Well, actually, there's Saddam Hussein again. Talking about this and giving us a little bit of background on this. Let's go ahead and hear from Harris Whitbeck.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The cemetery near the village of Swasnan in Iraqi Kurdistan is a peaceful place. Grave markers carved from local stone are shaded by old, leafy trees. For the last 16 years, Gabian Mahid (ph) has visited the cemetery every two weeks. Six of her relatives are buried here.

GABIAN MAHID, (through translator): This is my husband Abdula's (ph) grave. This is my daughter Asla's (ph) grave. This is my other daughter Gajal's grave. This is my son-in-law graves. And the other two graves are his parents.

WHITBECK: They all died the same day, March 22, 1988, killed by the mustard gas in Serin (ph), which prosecutors say Saddam Hussein order unleashed on some 2,000 villages in Kurdistan. Part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing code named Al Anfal, the spoils.

Just down the road in Swasnan, Mohammed Abdullah keeps the photos of the 13 members of his family he lost on that day. He remembers the attack as if it were yesterday.

MOHAMMED ABDULLAH, FAMILY KILLED IN ATTACK, (through translator): Two hours before sunset, a plane came over this town and it hovered around the village for 30 minutes. During dinnertime, this village was attacked by rockets. I was at my sisters house at the time. I still remember how women and children were horrified and how they were screaming.

WHITBECK: Mohammed was saved that day because he was upwind of the area where the gas was dropped. But he was condemned to relive time and again the nightmare of what he saw.

As Saddam Hussein and his top Baath Party officials and military commanders face trial for the al Anfal campaign, some of the survivors will testify. And Mohammed hopes the trial will somehow bring him peace.

ABDULLAH: I'm happy with the trial. Not only me, but all Kurdish people are happy to see Saddam go through this trial. We're all ready to be witnesses against Saddam in this trial. WHITBECK: The group Human Rights Watch says over 100,000 people died during the attacks, which lasted several weeks. Saddam Hussein and his officers are accused of being the first government ever to use chemical weapons against its own people.

The Kurdish survivors say they think this second trial for Saddam Hussein is a luxury he doesn't deserve.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, (through translator): He should have been executed the day he was captured because he did many horrible things in his life.

WHITBECK: Saddam Hussein already faces a death sentence if he's convicted of crimes against humanity in his first trial. He faces the same penalty if found guilty in this one.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A pacemaker for a former president. Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at that head on CNN, your most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's talk Debby, which I understand is about to become a tropical storm. But, Chad, right now, Debby's just a little depressed.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: A dramatic shoot-out happened in the state of Georgia at a courthouse. Jackson County authorities say a prisoner grabbed a deputy's gun, shot the deputy and then tried to get away in a sheriff's van. Authorities say the inmate was shot by other deputies. He later died. The wounded deputy is in the hospital. He is said to be in good conditions this morning.

An update for you now on a story you saw unfold live here on CNN. A two-day manhunt ends. An escaped Virginia inmate is in custody this morning. Charles Morva was found hiding near the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg. The school was shutdown while police searched that area. Morva is accused of killing two law enforcement officers during his escape attempt. He's facing capital murder charges.

Former President Gerald Ford is recuperating at the Mayo Clinic this morning. Doctors say the -- I gave the 93-year-old former president a pacemaker. Some question this procedure for a patient for his age. Our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, responds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, we sort of dissected a little bit of his medical history, most recently shortness of breath, pneumonia, things like that. Those can both be linked to the heart just not working that well. Fluid would starts to build up in the lungs. That can cause pneumonia and shortness of breath. If you can regulate the heart's function, the better, so there's more output of the heart, so fluid is not building up in other parts of the body. It can improve not only some of their illnesses, recovery from those illnesses, but also their overall feeling of just being robust and things like that as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Thank you, Sanjay. We will keep you updated on the former president's progress. He is expected to remain in the hospital for several days.

Facing justice in London. Eleven suspects in the alleged plot to blow up jetliners go to court. A report is just ahead.

And Iran, it's leaders and its people. A closer look at the country's nuclear showdown with the west. New insight from a man who knows the country well. That's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A developing story out of Ukraine this morning. A Russian passenger plane with about 170 people has crashed. The wreckage has been found in eastern Ukraine. The plane is a Russian- made TU-154. The pilot reported a fire on board and turbulence. Ukrainian emergency officials say when the pilot tried to make an emergency landing, the landing gear wouldn't work and then he attempted a belly landing. We'll have more details as they come in this morning.

Western envoys presumably are now pouring over Iran's response to U.N. demands on its nuclear program. According to Iranian media reports, Iran delivered its response a short time ago in Tehran. There's no information yet on what it says. It comes nine days ahead of a deadline set by the U.N. demanding that Iran stop nuclear work or face possible sanctions. We are watching that story closely. More details as they come in.

If it comes to it, how would the U.S. respond to a threat from Iran? Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iran's latest military exercises, these missile firings, designed perhaps to send a message that Iran is determined to be a player on the world stage. These maneuvers come just as the country's leaders say Iran will not suspend its nuclear enrichment program despite international pressure. For President Bush publicly there are no alternatives but diplomacy.

BUSH: Imagine how difficult this issue would be if Iran had a nuclear weapon. And so therefore it's up to the international community, including the United States, to work in concert to -- for effective diplomacy.

STARR: But there is little indication that U.N. sanctions, if imposed, would change Iran's mind. So what next?

COL. SAM GARDINER (RET.), NATIONAL WAR COLLEGE INSTRUCTOR: The primary military option on the table right now with respect to Iran seems to be an air operation, an operation that would involve maybe four or five nights of very intense air attacks, it would include cruise missiles, b-2 bombers, b-52 bombers with cruise missiles, striking the Iranian nuclear facilities and probably other military targets.

STARR: Analysts say support for a strike against Iran would be tough. U.S. forces in Iraq would have to be protected from Iranian retaliation. U.S. military assets such as tanker aircraft and ships must be put into position. A U.N. peacekeeping force first must be deployed in Lebanon to protect Israel. But perhaps toughest?

GARDINER: The long pole in the tent is to convince the world and the American people that Iran has reached the category of serious enough that it requires a strike.

STARR (on camera:) Senior U.S. military commanders say there are no current plans to strike Iran. But they also acknowledge that Tehran seems emboldened these days, especially with Hezbollah still operating inside Lebanon.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: So what is behind this move by Iran, and what should Western powers read into it?

Afshin Molavi is the author of "The Soul of Iran" and a fellow with the New America Foundation. Also just kind of a very interesting guy to talk to. Speaks English about these things. And in that I don't just mean these language, I mean things that people can understand. He is with me now from Washington.

Good morning. Good to have you with us.

AFSHIN MOLAVI, FELLOW, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: Thank you, Daryn. It's nice to be with you.

KAGAN: Are you surprised what appears to be the early reports of what Iran's response is, and that is, thanks, but no thanks?

MOLAVI: In fact I'm not surprised. This is something that Iranian officials have been saying for the past few weeks, that they are not interested in the suspension of uranium enrichment as a prerequisite to negotiations. Now they view, justifiably so, that the international community wants them to ultimately suspend uranium enrichment. So they're not ready to put that on the table right now at the beginning of these talks. And they also are operating, in their view, from a position of strength. They see U.S. forces bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan. They see what is a perceived Hezbollah victory in Israel, and they have oil at $72 a barrel, so their the coffers are brimming with cash.

So in many ways, they view themselves in a position of strength, and they have some aces in the hole, and they're not willing to fold their cards right now.

KAGAN: Here's one of the things that you're so good at, that we don't get from other people, giving us a perspective of folks within Iran. Let's talk about a topic that you really like to write about and talk is the Iranian middle class, which is significant in numbers, also significant in that it could be an asset to the West and to America.

MOLAVI: Absolutely, Daryn. This is probably the most pro- American secular middle class that you're going to find in the Middle East region. And it's very interesting because they are living in this theocratic regime.

Now one of the things that this middle class is suffering under is a lack of economic dignity. There's widespread unemployment, high prices, underemployment. And what I worry about is if we were to see a robust economic sanctions program, what we would be doing is simply harming that same middle class that actually could be an ally to the United States. And when you isolate countries, you get Cuba and North Korea; you don't necessarily improve their behavior.

KAGAN: So you're saying if sanctions are imposed here, who's really going to hurt the middle class, who's actually is-West, pro- America, and in their hurting might lose some of that favorable feeling. But if you don't do that, then what do you do? You can't just let Iran continue to do what it wants to do.

MOLAVI: No, I think justifiably right now the sort of sanctions that are being talked about are not the kind of sanctions that would be broad sanctions on the Iranian population. Right now what, the U.N. is talking about, and what American officials are talking about, are targeted sanctions, travel bands of Iranian officials, perhaps the freezing of assets of Iranian officials, and I think right now those are the sort of sanctions that would do far less damage.

But I think, in general, right now the problem is that the two major adversaries, the United States and Iran, are not engaged in any sort of dialogue. I mean, even, Daryn, during the height of the Cold War, we engaged with the Soviet Union, we engaged with Eastern European states. And engagement does not mean endorsement, nor does it mean appeasement; it simply means sitting down for hard negotiations over, you know, these issues that could lead us to war.

KAGAN: Even if it was back channel diplomacy, perhaps?

MOLAVI: Absolutely. In fact, I favor back-channel diplomacy, because right now what we're seeing is the diplomacy being played out through the headlines, through incendiary statements made by Iranian officials, tough statements made by U.S. officials. And when that happens, you know, both positions become hardened, whereas if you were able to do some back-channel diplomacy, which actually worked in the run-up to the war in Afghanistan, when Iranian officials, by all accounts according to U.S. officials I spoke with, proved to be very helpful in laying the groundwork for that war.

KAGAN: We will be watching it, especially as we get to know more about exactly what is in the response that Iran turned into the Western powers today.

Afshin Molavi, Thank you for your time.

MOLAVI: Thank you, Daryn. It's a pleasure.

All right, days after fighting ended in Lebanon, people are still dying there. Many of them are children. CNN's Jim Clancy has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I want my mother.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 12-year-old Signa Mary (ph) is the face of pain, a victim of an unexploded cluster bomblet.

Her cousin, 10-year-old Hassan, lies in a bed next to her. As a monitor tracks his heartbeat, Hassan remembers the gruesome details of almost being killed.

HASSAN THAHIYE, BOMBING VICTIM (through translator): It was her and my cousin and Signa (ph) picked up the bomb. It was shaped like a ball. There was an explosion. My insides fell out. I held them and I started running and screaming.

CLANCY: For a time doctors weren't sure they would survive, but both have stabilized. They're the lucky ones. Outside the hospital room, a nurse tells us, this is the new phase of the war.

(On camera): Inside the homes and gardens across south Lebanon, there are troops on the front lines in this phase of the war. They are the unexploded ordinance teams who search out and destroy the bomblets that are scattered in their tens of thousands across this country.

(Voice-over): This is the only way to get rid of those bomblets. Before the blasts, some were taped to secure the triggers, but others had already armed themselves and couldn't be touched.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to check everywhere. OK. One is here.

CLANCY: Frederick Grah (ph) is with the Mine Advisory Group. They're working with the U.N. and the Lebanese. Time and time again, Frederick will check to see if a cluster bomblet has armed or not.

JIHAD SAMHAT, MINE ADVISORY GROUP: OK, we have the second one to do. It spread everywhere. On the roofs, we have to check the roof to see if there is something up. OK, it is good for here.

CLANCY: Anxious villagers south of Tyre have reported hundreds of sightings. They're welcoming Frederick and his team with Arabic coffee, but there isn't time. Cluster bombs have smashed through windows and now lie inside homes. Some of their deadly cargo may be underneath or anywhere up to a kilometer away.

We keep warning the children, says an exacerbated mother. We keep telling them. Her children have been gathering up metal to sell. Including the shell of this cluster bomb.

Cluster bomblets are meant to explode when they hit the ground, but there's always about a 10 percent failure rate. Because these are so old, they may have a failure rate of around 40 percent.

But those are cold, hard numbers, and this is real pain. Hassan and Signa (ph) will be weeks in the hospital. For others, there will be no going home at all.

Jim Clancy, CNN, Tyre, Lebanon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: You can catch more of Jim's report on ANDERSON COOPER 360, weeknights at 10:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.

Making a match, it is a key to the Karr case. Inside a DNA lab, ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: This just in. The Associated Press is reporting that Iran and Iran's top nuclear negotiator is saying that it is ready, that country is ready to enter some what they call "serious negotiations" with the West, with the U.N., over Iran's disputed nuclear program. Now, this is on the day that Iran has turned in its report and its response to demands that the U.N. has made that it stop its enriching -- its uranium enrichment program.

What's unclear about this early report is whether or not Iran is willing to stop that uranium enrichment program. Much more context and information available as it comes in. And we also, by the way, will be going live to Tehran with our Aneesh Raman at the top of the hour.

Meanwhile, we move on. It is just about 42 minutes before the top of -- after the hour.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

KAGAN: Turning our eyes toward Southern California. In the next hour, in fact about 45 minutes, we expect to see this man, John Mark Karr, the suspect in the JonBenet murder case, who's just made his way from Thailand to Los Angeles. He faces an extradition hearing. We do expect there to be a camera in the courtroom. Again, that begins at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, 8:30 a.m. Pacific. We do plan live coverage as that begins.

Meanwhile, there's a confession in this case, but the case against Karr must be built on other evidence, as well. Experts say that DNA could be a cornerstone alone.

CNN's Randi Kaye has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A spot of blood found on JonBenet Ramsey's underwear and evidence from under her fingernails. They are the makings of a DNA profile that for 10 years has been labeled John Doe. But investigators hope to learn soon whether John Doe will be renamed John Karr.

LAWRENCE KOBILINSKY, PH.D., JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The case is closed. The game is over.

KAYE: Professor Lawrence Kobilinsky is a forensic scientist at John Jay College. He says DNA is so reliable that if Karr's profile matches, there is only a one in greater than 1 trillion chance that someone other than Karr committed the crime.

(on camera): Think of DNA as your own personal bar code. Every cell in our body contains a copy of our own DNA. Only identical twins have the same genetic code.

(voice-over): To determine a match, scientists first look for a sample of DNA on fabric. This demonstration shows how ultraviolet light highlights it.

KOBILINSKY: This may very well be semen. Semen is known to fluoresce when it's in the dried state.

KAYE: That DNA is then cut from the fabric so the extraction can begin.

KOBILINSKY: We would add the specimen of interest to a tube, containing this kelex (ph) resin.

KAYE: The resin extracts and isolates the DNA. When the sample is heated up in this shaking water bath, Professor Kobilinsky gets a printout of how many nanograms of DNA he has.

KOBILINSKY: A nanogram is a billionth of a gram of DNA. It's a very tiny amount of DNA. You really can't see it with the naked eye.

KAYE (on camera): Tiny but key.

KOBILINSKY: Tiny but key

KAYE (voice-over): Next, something called a thermal cycler is able to multiply the sample.

KOBILINSKY: Literally making billions of copies by running 30 cycles of temperature changes. KAYE: And then finally answers from this genetic analyzer.

KOBILINSKY: There is a very thin capillary here and the samples are obtained from vials in this box. They're sucked into this needle, travel through the capillary, are detected with a special camera, a laser beam hits the specimens and the software does the rest.

KAYE (on camera): And then you get a snapshot basically of the profile.

KOBILINSKY: Precisely.

KAYE: Sends it to the computer.

KOBILINSKY: Correct.

KAYE: And then you can see what the profile actually looks like. And if they match, case is over.

KOBILINSKY: Then case is closed.

KAYE (voice-over): This is what a profile looks like on paper. If the profiles are identical, the DNA is a match.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: More of Randi's reporting is on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." You can watch "AC 360" weeknights at 10:00 Eastern, and of course only here on CNN.

His future digs and his past trail. More on John Mark Karr ahead on CNN, including his court appearance in Los Angeles.

Also, in this school, homework is a blast. Higher education in the war on terror, ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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KAGAN: Watching developments out of Tehran, Iran, on this, on the day that Iranian officials have turned in their response to Western demands that it give up its uranium-enrichment program. Well, now according to reports from the Associated Press, Iran's top nuclear negotiator says Iran is ready to enter serious negotiations beginning tomorrow over its disputed nuclear program. What's not clear whether part of the negotiations would be, is Iran indeed willing to halt its uranium enrichment program? Following that out of Tehran and also out of the U.N.

Let's move on to bomb schools. Students take the course, then take on terrorism.

Our Kelli Arena has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Iraq and Afghanistan, lethal truck bombs are a constant threat. When they explode, U.S. troops are forced to become crime scene investigators, a role few are prepared for. The FBI is trying to change that.

KEVIN MILES: It's going to be a record breaker, guys. This may be the biggest crime scene we've ever had.

ARENA: At the FBI's large vehicle bomb school, bomb technician Kevin Miles oversees the construction of a 4,000-pound truck bomb. Another 400 pounds is loaded into this smaller vehicle to recreate a real life scenario experienced by U.S. troops in Baghdad, in which a suicide bomber attacks those who have responded to the first blast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two-four. We're going fire in the hole, shot one. Fire in the hole, shot one. Push it.

ARENA: The second explosion also goes off without a hitch. The next day students are brought in to try to figure out what happened.

(on camera): Debris from these explosions scattered almost 4,000 feet, creating a 374 acre crime scene. With only 45 students investigating the bombings, instructors here think that maybe they gave them a little more than they could handle.

(voice-over): An advanced team does a preliminary search for evidence, and all are keenly aware of the clock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Afghanistan and Iraq, if you get an hour, you're very lucky. I've seen it where we've only had maybe 15, 20 minutes on the ground due to the area may not be secure.

ARENA: This Navy lieutenant commander expects to be redeployed soon and for security reasons doesn't want his name used.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got an engine number.

ARENA: Teams photograph and flag pieces of potential evidence and swab a vehicle caught in the crossfire for explosive residue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any indicator of any type of initiation device, you know?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. They might have it up over on that end then, hopefully.

ARENA: They eventually find most of what they're looking for, including batteries and a telephone key pad they determined was used to trigger the second bomb. Robert Pursley, a 27-year law enforcement veteran, says the training is invaluable, in part because he expects terrorism to make its way back to U.S. soil.

LT. ROBERT PURSLEY, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: We've had our incidents here already. That's an indicator. And that's why we're doing this training.

ARENA: Kevin Miles says more than 400 people signed up to take the course. To keep up with the enemy, he's constantly modifying his classes, but not his message.

MILES: The evidence that they are looking for is out there somewhere and if they know where to look for it, they'll find it.

ARENA: Kelli Arena, CNN, Fallon, Nevada.

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KAGAN: Stay tuned for CNN day and night for the most reliable news about security. And by the way, you can see more of Kelli's stories on "THE SITUATION ROOM" this afternoon at 4:00 Eastern. Also primetime at 7:00.

It's a guessing game no longer. Iran responding to U.N. demands that it stop uranium enrichment. The latest on that nuclear fallout, ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

We're back.

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