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CNN Saturday Morning News
Legal Briefs with Lida Rodriguez-Tassef, Nelda Blair
Aired April 24, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is "CNN Saturday Morning." I'm Renay San Miguel.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Catherine Callaway. Thank you very much for being with us this morning. Much ahead coming up this hour. Within two minutes we'll take you live to Iraq for the latest developments coming out of Baghdad and Tikrit.
We'll also have news on the legal front. Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Jayson Williams all have legal issues coming up next week. We'll talk about that.
Then our "Weekend House Call", will explore incredible process of organ donation. It's all ahead in this hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
SAN MIGUEL: Here are the headlines. Humanitarian aide workers have been allowed to go to the scene of a devastating rail explosion in North Korea. Cameras, however, are not allowed. U.N. and Red Cross workers are assessing the damage from Thursday's the fiery blast. North Korea officials say a live power cable touched off a rail car carrying combustible fertilizer.
A number of Iraqis are under arrest in connection with bomb in addition Basra. U.S. forces blame Al Qaeda for five coordinated car bomb attacks in Basra and nearby Zumbire (ph) on Wednesday. The death toll has risen to 74 and more than 160 others were wounded.
A deadly explosion today in Baghdad's Sadr City may have claimed up to 12 victims. Rocket or mortar slammed into a busy market in Baghdad suburb, killing at least three people and wounding dozens more.
CALLAWAY: More now on the top story this hour. The violence on several fronts in Iraq today. Coalition and civilian deaths and including U.S. soldiers killed in a rocket attack that was just north of Baghdad. Let's turn our bureau chief who is standing by there in Baghdad, Jane Arraf.
Jane, what can you tell us about these latest attacks?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Catherine, the rocket attack fired just before dawn, at least two rockets, fired into a U.S. army base near Taji. Now, Taji is about 12 miles north of Baghdad. That attack resulted in the deaths of five U.S. soldiers, six wounded, three critically. It was one of the deadliest rocket attacks on coalition targets in recent months.
In Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, a homemade bomb exploded just outside the U.S. Army base in that town. In that one, there were two Iraqi police and two civilians killed, according to officials. At least 16 other people wounded. This was a homemade bomb detonated just outside the base.
And here in Baghdad, Catherine, on what should have been a normal day shopping for many people in the Shia neighborhood, Sadr City, turned into tragedy when either a rocket or mortar exploded into a marketplace, a crowded market. At least 10 to 12 people appear to have been killed. We're still trying to confirm the exact death toll. But at least one of those was a child. Many others wounded.
Catherine?
CALLAWAY: Jane, you said a moment ago that the Taji was one of the most violent attacks you've seen so far. Can you tell us a little more about that particular area?
ARRAF: Taji is relatively volatile, but has been pretty quiet so far. It's one of the deadliest rocket attacks. Now rocket attacks are fired quite frequently, occasionally, at targets that are inexplicable and mortars, as well, because it's very hard to aim them with a degree of precision.
We do have a lot of mortar attacks, particularly, and rocket attacks in the city of Baghdad. A lot of times they just hit locations with no casualties. Sometimes they hit locations like the ones we saw this morning in the marketplace in Sadr City.
Now this rocket attack overnight obviously quite well aimed to have hit inside the base. But not an unusual occurrence that they're firing rockets, but it is unusual that they did hit their target.
Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Thank you, for pointing that out, Jane.
Jane Arraf.
SAN MIGUEL: Former Arizona Cardinals football player Pat Tillman is being remembered today as a modern-day hero who defended his country with a sense of honor and duty. Tillman was killed while serving with the elite Army Rangers in Afghanistan. Our Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson joins us now live from Kabul with more -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Renay, the details of exactly what happened and what brought about specialist Tillman's death are still not exactly clear. What coalition officials have told us is that about 7:30 p.m. thursday evening, that would be just around dusk, Specialist Tillman was engaged in a patrol close to the Afghan/Pakistan border, a joint patrol with Afghan forces.
They were in vehicles, they were ambushed, they dismounted from their vehicles, moved to the site where they were being ambushed from. That's when Specialist Tillman was killed. We have been told two other soldiers injured in that incident are now in stable condition at Bagram Air Base just outside of Kabul.
Soldiers we've talked to have been not only praising Specialist Tillman's patriotism for giving up the potential to earn a large sum of money playing football, but also they've been surprised that he was killed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just shocking because he is an American hero, as we all are because we are all here doing -- fighting for the cause, but it was a shock. Especially being so close to our compound here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact that it does remind American citizens back home that there is still a war going on here in Afghanistan, even as lax as the situation as it may be. We still are out there. We still have units out there fighting against Al Qaeda, against Taliban and so forth.
ROBERTSON: Certainly all the troops here becoming increasingly aware that this particular border area near the town of Hoest (ph), where this happened, has been becoming an increasing area where U.S. troops, coalition troops can expect to be attacked.
What coalition officials have said is the attackers broke contact on what typically has been happening along that border area. Attacks have been coming from bases inside Pakistan, Al Qaeda and Taliban, people suspected of being affiliated with them, coming just across the border inside Afghanistan to attack Afghan soldiers and coalition soldiers and then making contact and retreating back inside Pakistan, beyond the reach of those U.S. soldiers -- Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Nic Robertson reporting live from Kabul, Afghanistan.
The U.S. military death toll in Iraq now stands at 714; at least 100 of those casualties coming this month. The number injured has also soared in the past two weeks. The Associated Press reports the number of wounded since April 1st is nearly 900, the highest monthly total to date.
The U.S. military says that re-enlistments are exceeding goals set by the Pentagon, despite a rising death toll overseas. All four military branches are reporting higher than expected retention numbers. Some say that a poor job market and re-enlistment bonuses worth thousands of dollars may be a factor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I told the president the following. I told him in our first meeting three years ago, I accepted his request not to harm Arafat physically. I told President Bush that I understand the problems, I understand the different situations, but I am now releasing myself from this responsibility. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: But the White House is warning Israeli leaders that it would be a big mistake to target Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
White House Correspondent Dana Bash is joining us now live from Washington with the latest on that.
Dana, good morning.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Catherine.
After hearing those words from the Israeli minister, saying publicly that he no longer feels bound by a three-year-old promise to President Bush not to harm Yasser Arafat, the White House sent Israel an urgent message: A pledge is a pledge.
That is what senior administration officials say National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said in a telephone call when she expressed her displeasure. She phoned Ariel Sharon's chief of staff, Dove Weissglass.
Now, administration sources do confirm that Sharon did tell the president while in Washington last week he may want to go after Arafat because Sharon said, he thinks, that Arafat has a direct role in terrorism against Israel.
Now, the president himself has made it very clear Yasser Arafat is, in his view, an obstacle to peace. That he's never had Arafat to the White House. And Mr. Bush did not back the so-called road map to peace until there was someone else on the Palestinian side to deal with.
However, the White House strongly believes targeting Arafat would be a huge mistake because they think it would make him a martyr and make the already volatile situation much worse.
Catherine?
CALLAWAY: Dana, thank you very much.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAN MIGUEL: A quick sports note for you. Yao Ming held off the Shaq attack as the Houston Rockets scored their first play off win against the LA Lakers. The score 102 to 91, the final. The Lakers still lead the series two games to one.
The Boston Celtics took it on the chin, loosing 108 to 85, to the Indiana Pacers. It was the worst home court playoff loss ever. The Pacers need just one more win to take that best of seven series.
We'll be right back with more CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SAN MIGUEL: Abortion rights advocates are hoping to make their voices half a million strong tomorrow in Washington. The National Organization for Women is being joined by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union in the March for Freedom of Choice in the nation's capital.
Abortion rights supporters are alarmed by recent political and legal setbacks and are hoping to send a clear election year message to the president.
CALLAWAY: Joining us now to talk about some legal issues that are coming up next week for quite a few celebrities, are our usual legal eagles, former prosecutor Nelda Blair in Houston and civil liberties attorney Lida Rodriguez-Tassef in Miami.
Ladies, thank you for being with us.
LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF, ACLU, MIAMI: Good morning.
NELDA BLAIR, FMR. PROSECUTOR: Good morning.
CALLAWAY: You know what we're going to start with, the Michael Jackson case.
We have an indictment from a grand jury. You've got to wonder how this is going to affect the upcoming trial with the prosecution not having to really put up a preliminary hearing, put up a case yet. Let's start with you, Nelda.
BLAIR: Well, the prosecution has gone through a grand jury proceeding. That's the way this works. In this case, the defense is doing what the defense does best attack anyone except for the person that's accused.
This case the defense is attacking the grand jury system. And they're saying it's not fair to us, it needs to be thrown out. It is not fair to us. This is such an unusual case. Even Michael Jackson has asked people, please quit roaming around in my back yard trying to take pictures.
The grand jury would have been subject to a horrendous amount of publicity had they been all over the news. It had to be done like this.
CALLAWAY: But, Lida, the defense wasn't able to question any witness.
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Exactly. That's what's wrong with the grand jury system. They had a choice, Nelda, and you know it. They could have had a preliminary hearing. They ended up with this super secret process, where you end up with an indictment. We'll hear about it next week on April 30th. And how we got there with these 19 people, we'll never know.
We know they spent 13 days listening to evidence. But that's all we know. One of the more interesting things that has arisen out of this is all these media outlets have filed a petition with the California supreme court in order to lift the gag order that was put in place by the judge, by Judge Melville (ph), in this case. That prevents anybody from talking about this case.
So what we have here is finally somebody is kind of going, wait a second. This prosecution is being had in the name of the people of the state of California, except the people of the state of California don't know what's going on.
CALLAWAY: All right, this --
BLAIR: Lida, this has already been a circus. You're going to make it a multimedia circus.
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Absolutely.
(CROSS TALK)
CALLAWAY: Let us move on ladies. Enough of Jackson, we need to move on to Kobe Bryant. Because another interesting development in this case now with the judge deciding not to release the alleged victims medical records in this case.
You know, let me ask you, Nelda, should the sexual history, the medical records, I should say, the medical records before the attack, for either the defense or the prosecution have anything to do with this case?
BLAIR: No, no, nothing. As a matter of fact, they are protected by the patient/doctor privilege, which is very sacred in this United States. I mean, no one wants the things they talk to their doctor about to become public or to be risked becoming public. It has nothing to do with the defense in this case. The defense tactic is attack the victim. Try the victim instead of the perpetrator.
CALLAWAY: All right, Lida.
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Ah, come on, Nel. Nel, you know what's going on here is that the patient/client privilege is not sacrosanct, it is not indefinite. There are times when you break it. And the defense is arguing here very smartly and very correctly that in this case, when the mind-set of the victim is at issue -- of the alleged victim -- is at issue, when her intent and motive is in question they are absolutely entitled to this. Nelda, you are just too much into secrecy. These cases need to be tried in the public. And you need to let everything out.
BLAIR: Evidently, the judge didn't agree with you on this one, Lida.
(CROSS TALK)
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Well, hey, don't win every time.
CALLAWAY: Did you just say tried in the public, Lida. I thought it was supposed to be tried in the court? RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: No it needs to be tried in court with the public watching it, since you are doing it in the name of the public.
CALLAWAY: But, Nelda, let me ask you, what about the medical records after the alleged attack and before the charges were filed. Certainly that's an important time for the defense.
Well, if it has to do with the rape, yes. The judge may allow them, if it is relevant to their case. But the defense is trying to use it to discredit the witness. It's the same thing they'll do next week to try to have her sexual past also put into court to question her credibility. That's simply not right.
CALLAWAY: Lida?
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Oh, come on, Nelda, you know they can question her credibility. That's what it's all about.
BLAIR: But not with her sexual past.
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: With her sexual past, and her history, if it relates to her motive, and you know it.
CALLAWAY: Lida, let me ask you one question, very quickly, we need a quick answer from both of you. New Jersey authorities, as you know, have decided not to investigate the lead prosecutor in the Jayson Williams manslaughter case.
Let me ask you, Lida, any options left for the defense?
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Well, yeah, ironically, the only option is if he's convicted they can challenge it on appeal. That's absolutely ridiculous. I think the defense has gotten the better end of this case and there's a likelihood of an acquittal.
CALLAWAY: All right, Nelda.
BLAIR: Oh, listen, this is a situation where the defense is now trying the prosecution instead of trying the perpetrator. There is nothing wrong with what the prosecution has done. They've been very zealous in this case. But I do think that we'll know next week when things come down. I think the prosecution has a good case going.
CALLAWAY: All right, ladies. Former prosecutor Nelda Blair and civil liberties attorney Lida Rodriguez, ladies thank you again for getting up early with us on this Saturday morning.
Have a great weekend. See you soon.
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Thank you.
BLAIR: Thank you.
CALLAWAY: See you soon.
(PROMOTIONAL INFORMATION) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER FORECAST)
SAN MIGUEL: We have some breaking news to bring you right now. There's been an attack on a couple -- on two Americans working on an oil rig in Nigeria. Some of these details are still coming in. Jeff Koinange is on the phone from Lagos, Nigeria. He can tell us more about this -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I happen to from a senior source in the Nigerian military, two U.S. oil workers belonging to the oil giant Chevron, have been killed, as well as several of the Nigerian colleagues.
What happened is, they were patrolling along the river deep in Nigeria south, in what they call the Niger District, when they came upon some villagers. This has been a very tense place, part of Nigeria for years. But usually what happens is if they come under attack, boats are impounded and these folks are usually kidnapped and held for ransom. Ransom is paid, life goes on.
This time it has taken a dangerous turn, there was some shooting. And we can confirm that two U.S. workers have been killed.
Back to you.
SAN MIGUEL: Jeff, can you tell us just a little bit more about the situation involving the -- you talked about it being a tense area. Tensions involving other sects or militias going on there in Nigeria or has there been anti-American tensions there, involving oil field workers in the past?
KOINANGE: Basically there's been tensions between two warring factions; they call them the IJaws and the Itsekiris. Obviously, the whole dispute has been over oil. Because both ethnic groups feel they've been disenfranchised in the oil distribution.
And they feel that the culprits are indeed the multinationals. So they attack anything that goes on in their region and that's why it's been so tense over the last five, six years. Most of the time the Nigerian government sends in the military and they can quell them and keep them quiet for a while. But sometimes they rise up and attack anyone in sight.
And this time it has become -- in the last few weeks it's been so dangerous, nobody goes into that region anymore. This is a very dense region, filled with a lot of undergrowth. And this is where the oil rigs and oil companies set up shop.
But, again, despite the fact they have heavy security over there and they pretty much stick to themselves, once in awhile they have to use patrol boats, going up and down, to make sure the oil pipelines aren't attacked and the oil is flowing smoothly. This time around it didn't turn out that way and it's taken a very dangerous and ugly turn. Back to you.
SAN MIGUEL: All right, Jeff Koinange in Lagos, Nigeria. Thank you so much. We'll have more on this story when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues at 9:00 a.m.
Sanjay Gupta is next with "House Call". So, be right back.
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 April 24, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is "CNN Saturday Morning." I'm Renay San Miguel.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Catherine Callaway. Thank you very much for being with us this morning. Much ahead coming up this hour. Within two minutes we'll take you live to Iraq for the latest developments coming out of Baghdad and Tikrit.
We'll also have news on the legal front. Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Jayson Williams all have legal issues coming up next week. We'll talk about that.
Then our "Weekend House Call", will explore incredible process of organ donation. It's all ahead in this hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
SAN MIGUEL: Here are the headlines. Humanitarian aide workers have been allowed to go to the scene of a devastating rail explosion in North Korea. Cameras, however, are not allowed. U.N. and Red Cross workers are assessing the damage from Thursday's the fiery blast. North Korea officials say a live power cable touched off a rail car carrying combustible fertilizer.
A number of Iraqis are under arrest in connection with bomb in addition Basra. U.S. forces blame Al Qaeda for five coordinated car bomb attacks in Basra and nearby Zumbire (ph) on Wednesday. The death toll has risen to 74 and more than 160 others were wounded.
A deadly explosion today in Baghdad's Sadr City may have claimed up to 12 victims. Rocket or mortar slammed into a busy market in Baghdad suburb, killing at least three people and wounding dozens more.
CALLAWAY: More now on the top story this hour. The violence on several fronts in Iraq today. Coalition and civilian deaths and including U.S. soldiers killed in a rocket attack that was just north of Baghdad. Let's turn our bureau chief who is standing by there in Baghdad, Jane Arraf.
Jane, what can you tell us about these latest attacks?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Catherine, the rocket attack fired just before dawn, at least two rockets, fired into a U.S. army base near Taji. Now, Taji is about 12 miles north of Baghdad. That attack resulted in the deaths of five U.S. soldiers, six wounded, three critically. It was one of the deadliest rocket attacks on coalition targets in recent months.
In Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, a homemade bomb exploded just outside the U.S. Army base in that town. In that one, there were two Iraqi police and two civilians killed, according to officials. At least 16 other people wounded. This was a homemade bomb detonated just outside the base.
And here in Baghdad, Catherine, on what should have been a normal day shopping for many people in the Shia neighborhood, Sadr City, turned into tragedy when either a rocket or mortar exploded into a marketplace, a crowded market. At least 10 to 12 people appear to have been killed. We're still trying to confirm the exact death toll. But at least one of those was a child. Many others wounded.
Catherine?
CALLAWAY: Jane, you said a moment ago that the Taji was one of the most violent attacks you've seen so far. Can you tell us a little more about that particular area?
ARRAF: Taji is relatively volatile, but has been pretty quiet so far. It's one of the deadliest rocket attacks. Now rocket attacks are fired quite frequently, occasionally, at targets that are inexplicable and mortars, as well, because it's very hard to aim them with a degree of precision.
We do have a lot of mortar attacks, particularly, and rocket attacks in the city of Baghdad. A lot of times they just hit locations with no casualties. Sometimes they hit locations like the ones we saw this morning in the marketplace in Sadr City.
Now this rocket attack overnight obviously quite well aimed to have hit inside the base. But not an unusual occurrence that they're firing rockets, but it is unusual that they did hit their target.
Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Thank you, for pointing that out, Jane.
Jane Arraf.
SAN MIGUEL: Former Arizona Cardinals football player Pat Tillman is being remembered today as a modern-day hero who defended his country with a sense of honor and duty. Tillman was killed while serving with the elite Army Rangers in Afghanistan. Our Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson joins us now live from Kabul with more -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Renay, the details of exactly what happened and what brought about specialist Tillman's death are still not exactly clear. What coalition officials have told us is that about 7:30 p.m. thursday evening, that would be just around dusk, Specialist Tillman was engaged in a patrol close to the Afghan/Pakistan border, a joint patrol with Afghan forces.
They were in vehicles, they were ambushed, they dismounted from their vehicles, moved to the site where they were being ambushed from. That's when Specialist Tillman was killed. We have been told two other soldiers injured in that incident are now in stable condition at Bagram Air Base just outside of Kabul.
Soldiers we've talked to have been not only praising Specialist Tillman's patriotism for giving up the potential to earn a large sum of money playing football, but also they've been surprised that he was killed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just shocking because he is an American hero, as we all are because we are all here doing -- fighting for the cause, but it was a shock. Especially being so close to our compound here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact that it does remind American citizens back home that there is still a war going on here in Afghanistan, even as lax as the situation as it may be. We still are out there. We still have units out there fighting against Al Qaeda, against Taliban and so forth.
ROBERTSON: Certainly all the troops here becoming increasingly aware that this particular border area near the town of Hoest (ph), where this happened, has been becoming an increasing area where U.S. troops, coalition troops can expect to be attacked.
What coalition officials have said is the attackers broke contact on what typically has been happening along that border area. Attacks have been coming from bases inside Pakistan, Al Qaeda and Taliban, people suspected of being affiliated with them, coming just across the border inside Afghanistan to attack Afghan soldiers and coalition soldiers and then making contact and retreating back inside Pakistan, beyond the reach of those U.S. soldiers -- Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Nic Robertson reporting live from Kabul, Afghanistan.
The U.S. military death toll in Iraq now stands at 714; at least 100 of those casualties coming this month. The number injured has also soared in the past two weeks. The Associated Press reports the number of wounded since April 1st is nearly 900, the highest monthly total to date.
The U.S. military says that re-enlistments are exceeding goals set by the Pentagon, despite a rising death toll overseas. All four military branches are reporting higher than expected retention numbers. Some say that a poor job market and re-enlistment bonuses worth thousands of dollars may be a factor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I told the president the following. I told him in our first meeting three years ago, I accepted his request not to harm Arafat physically. I told President Bush that I understand the problems, I understand the different situations, but I am now releasing myself from this responsibility. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: But the White House is warning Israeli leaders that it would be a big mistake to target Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
White House Correspondent Dana Bash is joining us now live from Washington with the latest on that.
Dana, good morning.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Catherine.
After hearing those words from the Israeli minister, saying publicly that he no longer feels bound by a three-year-old promise to President Bush not to harm Yasser Arafat, the White House sent Israel an urgent message: A pledge is a pledge.
That is what senior administration officials say National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said in a telephone call when she expressed her displeasure. She phoned Ariel Sharon's chief of staff, Dove Weissglass.
Now, administration sources do confirm that Sharon did tell the president while in Washington last week he may want to go after Arafat because Sharon said, he thinks, that Arafat has a direct role in terrorism against Israel.
Now, the president himself has made it very clear Yasser Arafat is, in his view, an obstacle to peace. That he's never had Arafat to the White House. And Mr. Bush did not back the so-called road map to peace until there was someone else on the Palestinian side to deal with.
However, the White House strongly believes targeting Arafat would be a huge mistake because they think it would make him a martyr and make the already volatile situation much worse.
Catherine?
CALLAWAY: Dana, thank you very much.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAN MIGUEL: A quick sports note for you. Yao Ming held off the Shaq attack as the Houston Rockets scored their first play off win against the LA Lakers. The score 102 to 91, the final. The Lakers still lead the series two games to one.
The Boston Celtics took it on the chin, loosing 108 to 85, to the Indiana Pacers. It was the worst home court playoff loss ever. The Pacers need just one more win to take that best of seven series.
We'll be right back with more CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SAN MIGUEL: Abortion rights advocates are hoping to make their voices half a million strong tomorrow in Washington. The National Organization for Women is being joined by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union in the March for Freedom of Choice in the nation's capital.
Abortion rights supporters are alarmed by recent political and legal setbacks and are hoping to send a clear election year message to the president.
CALLAWAY: Joining us now to talk about some legal issues that are coming up next week for quite a few celebrities, are our usual legal eagles, former prosecutor Nelda Blair in Houston and civil liberties attorney Lida Rodriguez-Tassef in Miami.
Ladies, thank you for being with us.
LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF, ACLU, MIAMI: Good morning.
NELDA BLAIR, FMR. PROSECUTOR: Good morning.
CALLAWAY: You know what we're going to start with, the Michael Jackson case.
We have an indictment from a grand jury. You've got to wonder how this is going to affect the upcoming trial with the prosecution not having to really put up a preliminary hearing, put up a case yet. Let's start with you, Nelda.
BLAIR: Well, the prosecution has gone through a grand jury proceeding. That's the way this works. In this case, the defense is doing what the defense does best attack anyone except for the person that's accused.
This case the defense is attacking the grand jury system. And they're saying it's not fair to us, it needs to be thrown out. It is not fair to us. This is such an unusual case. Even Michael Jackson has asked people, please quit roaming around in my back yard trying to take pictures.
The grand jury would have been subject to a horrendous amount of publicity had they been all over the news. It had to be done like this.
CALLAWAY: But, Lida, the defense wasn't able to question any witness.
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Exactly. That's what's wrong with the grand jury system. They had a choice, Nelda, and you know it. They could have had a preliminary hearing. They ended up with this super secret process, where you end up with an indictment. We'll hear about it next week on April 30th. And how we got there with these 19 people, we'll never know.
We know they spent 13 days listening to evidence. But that's all we know. One of the more interesting things that has arisen out of this is all these media outlets have filed a petition with the California supreme court in order to lift the gag order that was put in place by the judge, by Judge Melville (ph), in this case. That prevents anybody from talking about this case.
So what we have here is finally somebody is kind of going, wait a second. This prosecution is being had in the name of the people of the state of California, except the people of the state of California don't know what's going on.
CALLAWAY: All right, this --
BLAIR: Lida, this has already been a circus. You're going to make it a multimedia circus.
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Absolutely.
(CROSS TALK)
CALLAWAY: Let us move on ladies. Enough of Jackson, we need to move on to Kobe Bryant. Because another interesting development in this case now with the judge deciding not to release the alleged victims medical records in this case.
You know, let me ask you, Nelda, should the sexual history, the medical records, I should say, the medical records before the attack, for either the defense or the prosecution have anything to do with this case?
BLAIR: No, no, nothing. As a matter of fact, they are protected by the patient/doctor privilege, which is very sacred in this United States. I mean, no one wants the things they talk to their doctor about to become public or to be risked becoming public. It has nothing to do with the defense in this case. The defense tactic is attack the victim. Try the victim instead of the perpetrator.
CALLAWAY: All right, Lida.
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Ah, come on, Nel. Nel, you know what's going on here is that the patient/client privilege is not sacrosanct, it is not indefinite. There are times when you break it. And the defense is arguing here very smartly and very correctly that in this case, when the mind-set of the victim is at issue -- of the alleged victim -- is at issue, when her intent and motive is in question they are absolutely entitled to this. Nelda, you are just too much into secrecy. These cases need to be tried in the public. And you need to let everything out.
BLAIR: Evidently, the judge didn't agree with you on this one, Lida.
(CROSS TALK)
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Well, hey, don't win every time.
CALLAWAY: Did you just say tried in the public, Lida. I thought it was supposed to be tried in the court? RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: No it needs to be tried in court with the public watching it, since you are doing it in the name of the public.
CALLAWAY: But, Nelda, let me ask you, what about the medical records after the alleged attack and before the charges were filed. Certainly that's an important time for the defense.
Well, if it has to do with the rape, yes. The judge may allow them, if it is relevant to their case. But the defense is trying to use it to discredit the witness. It's the same thing they'll do next week to try to have her sexual past also put into court to question her credibility. That's simply not right.
CALLAWAY: Lida?
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Oh, come on, Nelda, you know they can question her credibility. That's what it's all about.
BLAIR: But not with her sexual past.
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: With her sexual past, and her history, if it relates to her motive, and you know it.
CALLAWAY: Lida, let me ask you one question, very quickly, we need a quick answer from both of you. New Jersey authorities, as you know, have decided not to investigate the lead prosecutor in the Jayson Williams manslaughter case.
Let me ask you, Lida, any options left for the defense?
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Well, yeah, ironically, the only option is if he's convicted they can challenge it on appeal. That's absolutely ridiculous. I think the defense has gotten the better end of this case and there's a likelihood of an acquittal.
CALLAWAY: All right, Nelda.
BLAIR: Oh, listen, this is a situation where the defense is now trying the prosecution instead of trying the perpetrator. There is nothing wrong with what the prosecution has done. They've been very zealous in this case. But I do think that we'll know next week when things come down. I think the prosecution has a good case going.
CALLAWAY: All right, ladies. Former prosecutor Nelda Blair and civil liberties attorney Lida Rodriguez, ladies thank you again for getting up early with us on this Saturday morning.
Have a great weekend. See you soon.
RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Thank you.
BLAIR: Thank you.
CALLAWAY: See you soon.
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(WEATHER FORECAST)
SAN MIGUEL: We have some breaking news to bring you right now. There's been an attack on a couple -- on two Americans working on an oil rig in Nigeria. Some of these details are still coming in. Jeff Koinange is on the phone from Lagos, Nigeria. He can tell us more about this -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I happen to from a senior source in the Nigerian military, two U.S. oil workers belonging to the oil giant Chevron, have been killed, as well as several of the Nigerian colleagues.
What happened is, they were patrolling along the river deep in Nigeria south, in what they call the Niger District, when they came upon some villagers. This has been a very tense place, part of Nigeria for years. But usually what happens is if they come under attack, boats are impounded and these folks are usually kidnapped and held for ransom. Ransom is paid, life goes on.
This time it has taken a dangerous turn, there was some shooting. And we can confirm that two U.S. workers have been killed.
Back to you.
SAN MIGUEL: Jeff, can you tell us just a little bit more about the situation involving the -- you talked about it being a tense area. Tensions involving other sects or militias going on there in Nigeria or has there been anti-American tensions there, involving oil field workers in the past?
KOINANGE: Basically there's been tensions between two warring factions; they call them the IJaws and the Itsekiris. Obviously, the whole dispute has been over oil. Because both ethnic groups feel they've been disenfranchised in the oil distribution.
And they feel that the culprits are indeed the multinationals. So they attack anything that goes on in their region and that's why it's been so tense over the last five, six years. Most of the time the Nigerian government sends in the military and they can quell them and keep them quiet for a while. But sometimes they rise up and attack anyone in sight.
And this time it has become -- in the last few weeks it's been so dangerous, nobody goes into that region anymore. This is a very dense region, filled with a lot of undergrowth. And this is where the oil rigs and oil companies set up shop.
But, again, despite the fact they have heavy security over there and they pretty much stick to themselves, once in awhile they have to use patrol boats, going up and down, to make sure the oil pipelines aren't attacked and the oil is flowing smoothly. This time around it didn't turn out that way and it's taken a very dangerous and ugly turn. Back to you.
SAN MIGUEL: All right, Jeff Koinange in Lagos, Nigeria. Thank you so much. We'll have more on this story when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues at 9:00 a.m.
Sanjay Gupta is next with "House Call". So, be right back.
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