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CNN Saturday Morning News
An interview with Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, Nelda Blair
Aired September 18, 2004 - 07:00 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.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, September 18, 8 a.m. in Asheville, North Carolina, 7 a.m. in Gulf Shores, Alabama, two areas hard-hit.
Good morning to you, I'm Drew Griffin.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks for being with us this morning.
A new report this morning on three Westerners who were kidnapped from this Baghdad home two days ago. The Arab TV network Al Jazeera is airing video that it says shows the hostages. CNN cannot confirm whether the video is authentic. It shows an armed man standing behind three blindfolded seated men.
Tropical Storm Jeanne's is losing some strength this morning. But not before leaving behind damage and flooding in the Dominican Republic. Jeanne's top winds have dropped to 45 miles an hour as it heads toward the Bahamas. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center indicates the storm could miss the Southeastern U.S. coastline.
In sports, a historic homer from San Francisco Giants' slugger Barry Bonds! He hit his 700th career home run last night, joining Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth in the 700 Club. Aaron is the all-time homer king at 755 and Ruth is next at 714.
GRIFFIN: Here's what is coming up this hour. Ivan 's devastating blow. It is no longer a hurricane, but it is still deadly and dangerous. We will have live reports, just minutes away, from Florida and North Carolina.
On the campaign trail, Kerry, Bush, both dealing with new findings on their more than 30-year-old military record. We'll go live in the Bush family home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
The mother of Michael Jackson alleged accuser is grilled by his attorney. That's ahead in our "Legal Roundup."
NGUYEN: On to our top story this morning, the destruction of Hurricane Ivan . Now a tropical depression, Ivan is blowing, raining and flooding and wearing itself out in its journey toward northern New England.
It leaves behind, though, 24 deaths in five states, including eight in North Carolina, half of those from a mudslide. Ivan knocked out power to a million and a half homes and businesses in the Southeast. Preliminary damage estimates range from $2 billion to $10 billion, much of it in Florida , still, reeling from Hurricane's Charley and Frances.
GRIFFIN: Floodwaters finally receding in western North Carolina after Ivan . The remnants of that hurricane caused deadly flooding in Asheville and elsewhere. Our Sean Callebs, right now, standing in the muck in Asheville with the latest on this.
Sean, good morning to you.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, to you, Drew.
Really, the remnants of Ivan moving out of this area late last night. You don't think of the mountains of North Carolina being susceptible to hurricanes, but this is the second time in two weeks residents in this area have been forced to clean up, first Frances, now Ivan .
Just to give you an idea, you talked about the muck. There is a thin, thick coating of mud throughout this area. We're actually in the Biltmore Village area. It's a kind of a trendy little area of shops and restaurants down here.
You can see how high the floodwaters were high this yesterday; this high on this building. And they came from a river that's about 100 yards over that way. So really something this region doesn't have to cope with very much.
As bad as the situation is here in Asheville, North Carolina, it was significantly worse in other areas of North Carolina, especially Macon County, that is about an hour and a half to the south of us.
As Betty mentioned just a moment ago, eight deaths reported from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan . Floodwaters came raging through that area; really swollen creeks, swollen rivers, jumping their banks, causing all sorts of damage. There have been scores of roads throughout this entire region, including Interstate 40 and Interstate 26 that have been closed. Many of those roads are open now once again.
And residents, homeowners in this area hope to get down to Asheville today to begin cleaning out, to dig out the muck that they've just got through cleaning up. Many of these little shops were scheduled to open this weekend since the first time since Frances. Now residents have to go through it all again.
We have talked about the damage of the tourism industry in the state of Florida . A $50 billion industry down there. Significant in this area of North Carolina and in the next hour, Drew, we are going to tell you more about that and how this area has been so hard hit. And their big season is coming up with the fall leaf change coming up. Drew?
GRIFFIN: Sean, just incredible to see the reach of this storm. Thank you for joining us. We'll look for your report in the next hour -- Betty.
NGUYEN: People in Pensacola, Florida are also picking up the pieces from Ivan, the hurricane damaged homes, hospitals and beaches there. Our Chris Lawrence is joining us now from Pensacola with the latest.
Good morning to you, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Betty.
We're exactly three days out now from when Hurricane Ivan made land fall here in Pensacola, and it's still incredible to see some of the damage that it caused. As you take a look here, this is a main shopping district here in Pensacola.
You'd imagine maybe some of the smaller trees, like that, to go down. But a building like this, this was some sort of clothing store. You can see just the size of the building, three stories. Looks like a very sturdy structure.
I mean, you can take a look at some of these bricks just in piles that the hurricane, the wind and the water just entirely pushed all of this out of the store. It's an incredible amount of damage here. Now, President George W. Bush will be making his third visit in about a month to a hurricane-damaged area tomorrow.
Let's take a look now at somewhat of he may see as he makes his way across the Florida Panhandle. The damage here has been just incredible. You will see homes that have been destroyed. There have been trees that have been splintered; power lines that have been snapped and then left dangling across the road. There was an incredible amount of damage.
Insurance agencies estimate that across the area, across the Gulf Coast, between $2 and $10 billion in damage. Just to put that in a little bit of perspective. Hurricane's Charley and Frances together, combined, for about $11 billion in damage. So just an incredible amount of damage here.
Florida, right now about 400,000 people still without power. That is down by about 40,000 from yesterday. So they are making some progress, but I can tell you from just going around the area and living here for the past few days, still a long, long way to go. Betty?
NGUYEN: At least they are making a little bit of progress. Thank you there, Chris.
In the eye of the storm, literally, Gulf Shores, Alabama, got slammed when Hurricane Ivan came ashore and these pictures say it all. We'll talk with that city's mayor to find out how people are coping. That's coming up in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
GRIFFIN: To the campaign: The U.S. Navy's inspector general says the old medals John Kerry received for his Vietnam service were properly approved and any further review of them would not be productive. Those are quotes. The group, Judicial Watch claim happened Kerry's medals were awarded on the basis of false official statements. Kerry is in Boston today taping a TV show with Dr. Phil.
The Pentagon has released a new batch of records on President Bush's National Guard service, and they include some press releases and also a letter from Bush's father to an Air Force general. The president at the family's compound in Maine and we are going to go live there with White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, at Kennebunkport.
Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Drew.
The president is getting a brief respite here at the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. The president campaigning hard throughout the week, facing some tough questions about Iraq, but also about his own military record.
It was yesterday, where he was campaigning in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the president argued, making the case that despite no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, that it was the right decision to invade Iraq and to fight the war on terror.
Now looking ahead, Mr. Bush is going to be making that case to world leaders when he meets with them in New York, when he goes before the General Assembly of the United Nations. Also later in the week, President Bush will be holding a joint news conference with the prime minister of Iraq, Iyad Allawi, to present a united front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Prime Minister Allawi is coming here next week. He's a tough guy who believes that Iraq should be free and he cares about the hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, Mr. Bush, also of course being dogged by questions not about his role as commander in chief, but his military record for some 30 years ago. Just whether or not he completed his service, or whether or not he received preferential treatment.
Well, yesterday, the Pentagon released more documents relating to his military record. One that particular document that's getting attention is a letter that was from President Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, thanking one of the military officers for looking after George at the time he was in the squadron.
Critics say this is evident that he received preferential treatment. The White House maintains that the president served honorably. Drew?
GRIFFIN: Suzanne, thank you for joining us from Kennebunkport, Maine. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Florida's Supreme Court has opened the way for Ralph Nader's name to be on the state's presidential ballot, on the Reform Party line. The high court rejected a challenge by Democrats who claim the Reform Party is no longer a viable national party. Now in 2000, Nader got more than 97,000 votes in Florida and George Bush beat Al Gore there by 537.
We want to hear from you this morning. Vietnam, National Guard, are the presidential candidates focusing on the issues that you care about? Send in your responses. Our address is wam@cnn.com. We'll be reading your replies throughout this program.
Well, I bet he wished he'd stayed home this time. Actor MacCauley Culkin in trouble with the law? We'll explain.
GRIFFIN: Speaking of trouble with the law, Texas Rangers pitcher in a lot of trouble after he let some trash-talking Oakland fans get under his skin. We'll have that in our legal roundtable.
NGUYEN: And later on, well sitting too close to the television really make you blind? Medical myths, find out if there is any truth to them. That's ahead on "House Call".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Just back from Athens, medals around the necks, Olympic gymnasts Carley Patterson and Courtney Coopix (ph), will be here live in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Stick around for that.
NGUYEN: And want to say good morning to Nashville. It is the final weekend of the Tennessee State Fair. On the program today, Drew I know you are excited about this, racing pigs ...
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: ...cloggers, of course, the ever popular donkey show.
GRIFFIN: Oh, my.
NGUYEN: Check of the weather for Nashville and the rest of the country. That is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Scanning the news for weather. Orelon Sidney bring us up to date with what is happening with Ivan, please.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.
The remnants of Ivan are moving across the Eastern United States and I think by tomorrow it will pretty much clear just about all of New England, which is great news.
No rain here, that's Nashville. Chilly temperature, OK, it is kind of mild, 58 degrees. I guess if you are me, it is chilly. But highs today will be in the lower 80s, with sunny skies. Excellent news there.
And good news again for parts of New England. You are getting rain this morning stretching all the way from Maine stretching down through Richmond, and even the Washington, D.C. area with some showers. Maybe a little bit of thunderstorm activity early this morning as the remnants of Ivan move through.
But look at some of the rain totals to your south and west. Elimore (ph), West Virginia, in 24 hours picked up almost 12 1/2 of rainfall. Even Allegheny, Pennsylvania picked up 5 1/4.
For today, again, here are those remnants, those will be moving off the coast. That is going to mean a very day for you tomorrow with clear to partly cloudy skies.
Of course, we still have Jeanne, it is located now about -- just to the north or eastern portion of the Great Inagua (ph) Island, 45 mile per hour winds. And, again, at this point, we think it is not expected to affect the U.S. land areas, at least not in the next 72 hours. Drew, Betty?
GRIFFIN: Thanks, Orelon.
SIDNEY: You are welcome.
NGUYEN: Here's a look at some of the other stories making news across America this Saturday. MacCauley Culkin didn't talk to reporters after being released on bond from an Oklahoma City jail. Police arrested the former child star on drug charges during a traffic stop yesterday. They say they found marijuana and other drugs.
Now to Maine, down it goes. Yes there, it went. Officials used explosives to bring down the dome of the Maine Yankee Nuclear Plant. It's the first time explosives have been used to topple a commercial nuclear structure.
And finally tonight's Miss America Pageant, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, will not include a talent show. Producers have done away with most of the talent routines to try to draw more viewers. What? They didn't like talent? What is wrong with talent? Obviously a lot.
GRIFFIN: Oh, looks like Brazil.
Michael Jackson back in court this week. Now his legal troubles include the mother of two of his own children. We'll talk about that and the rest of the week's courtroom highlights next!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Big "Legal Briefs" this morning.
Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart, and a dangerous baseball altercation; you might say it is the famous and the infamous in our "Legal Roundtable" today. Joining our discussion, a dried out Civil Liberties Attorney Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, down in Miami, and former Prosecutor Nelda Blair.
We begin with the Michael Jackson case. You know something had to be happening in court because Michael Jackson actually showed up all dressed in white with his entire entourage. This is actually old video, but he was in white yesterday. A big day in court, based on an evidentiary hearing.
Lida, what's going on here? What's so big about this that the entire Jackson family showed up?
LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF, CIVIL LIBERTIES ATTORNEY: It was the first time Michael Jackson confronted, or was in the same room as the mother of his accuser. And it was, in fact, quite a momentous occasion. Lots of sparks flew. The mother had a lot to say, even making some comments about people in the back of the room. This is an evidentiary hearing and she's testifying in order to determine whether or not he'll stand trial.
GRIFFIN: Nelda, the evidence that they want to have removed from this trial, or the Michael Jackson's team want removed from this trial involves a private investigator that may or may not have been working for Michael Jackson's former attorney. This is kind of a complicated issue, what can the mother bring to the table?
NELDA BLAIR, FMR. PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: Well, the question is whether or not she knew that this private attorney was working for Michael Jackson's lawyer at the time -- excuse me, the private investigator.
The reason is if he was working for Michael Jackson's lawyer, Geragos, then it could be attorney/client privilege and not admissible in court.
But you are right, it is a pretrial hearing, it is very unusual for, particularly a celebrity, defendant to appear in a pretrial hearing. Lida used the right word, Michael Jackson and his group are attempting intimidation. And they did a pretty good job. The lady was rattled the whole time on the stand.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Wait a second, did I say intimidation? I don't remember saying that.
Obviously, he was there because he has a right to be there and he is absolutely entitled to be there. Her comments were hers and hers alone and she was making them. There really probably was no basis to what she was saying, other than she took it as an opportunity to make a statement. In fact, she even used the term when describing his lawyers and his legal team, his damage control team. So it's what happens when you have an accuser having to testify.
GRIFFIN: Lida, doesn't this send the message, though, to anybody who will testify against Michael Jackson this is what you can expect? This is just an evidentiary hearing.
BLAIR: Sure, yes.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Yes, an entire family dressed in white, how bad can it be, really, Drew?
BLAIR: Oh, it can't be bad at all. You're right. He is staring at her the whole time. It was on news reports all day long. There are stories all over the media now. It was an intimidation factor and it worked. The woman had very little to say that was comprehensible. And she even said the pretrial hearing to her was more torture for her and her children. I can't disagree with her.
GRIFFIN: Let's move on, guys. Martha Stewart, she is appealing her conviction but yesterday made this bombshell of announcement. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTHA STEWART, FOUNDER, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: Although I, and my attorneys, firmly believe in the strength of that appeal, recent delays and extensions have now made it abundantly clear that my appeal will not be heard until sometime next year.
So I have decided to serve my sentence now to put this nightmare behind me and get on with my life and living as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Nelda, you are first here. What is the strategy? Why is she going ahead when the appeal is still in process?
BLAIR: This is beyond me. Lida, maybe you can shed some light on this one for me. But I'll tell you what, if I were a defense lawyer I cannot imagine telling my client, during appeal, go ahead and serve your sentence.
Unless Martha has made some kind of deal with her company that she can come back once the sentence is over, I do not understand this. It is very unusual for a defendant to go serve time, while their appeal is still pending. And if Martha Stewart's appeal is overturned to where she is tried again, it's possible she could get a longer sentence. And she's going to go to jail anyway. I do not get it.
What do you think, Lida?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: This is kind of funny. I think what she's doing is she's doing the unexpected. She's serving her sentence in order to be available for the next planting season.
But seriously, I think she realizes that her appeal doesn't really have a prayer in heck because the reality is, is that although her grounds are good, appellate courts have gotten very, very, very tough in overturning sentences based on jury misconduct. And that's what she's alleging with regards to the juror who lied in his questionnaire.
And let's face it, we have Larry Stewart, who is currently going to be tried for perjury, who perjured himself during her trial. Who may, himself, go to jail.
BLAIR: Right.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: And that's not going to be likely enough to save her because the judge below said that she had enough independent evidence of guilt to convict. So I think she realizes she's going to lose this appeal. She's moving on with her life. And heck, she wants to be here for spring.
BLAIR: The only thing is her attorney, at the very same time that she's making this announcement, comes out and boats how great he thinks the appeal is. And that the recent Supreme Court decisions are going to help them out, so they're giving a mixed message.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Hey, Nel, have you ever said you have a bad case when you have a bad case?
(LAUGHTER)
GRIFFIN: Nelda let's talk about cases. Texas Rangers, you're in Texas. What would you charge this pitcher with, he's throwing a chair at the fan.
BLAIR: Oh, assault. No question about it. I have got say, this does not reflect the usual demeanor and the good manners of most Texans. We don't act this way. I promise you.
But there is -- and I agree with Tom Hicks (ph) who owns the Texas Rangers, there is absolutely no excuse for behavior like this, no matter how abusive a fan has become. These people are professionals. They are supposed to act like professionals and the guy's got to be punished.
GRIFFIN: Lida, you get the final word on this. Any defense?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Well, you know, these hecklers. This guy is a firefighter, who was heckling him, but the worst thing is he did is he ducked and allowed the wife to take the hit. That ought to be worthy of a prosecution, Nelda. Even Texans know better.
BLARI: I'm with you!
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Well, I'm glad because most Texans I know are really, really chivalrous. So, this is a little bit, very Californian, that's for darn sure.
GRIFFIN: Oh, now, hold on there! I will not let that one pass.
(LAUGHTER)
GRIFFIN: All right, you two. Take care. See you next week.
BLAIR: Thanks, Drew.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Take care.
NGUYEN: Boy, Lida is a firecracker today on that one.
GRIFFIN: Hey, California? Come on!
NGUYEN: I came from Texas, she gave us a little bit of a compliment, I guess, in a backhanded way.
Let's get on to our e-mail question of the day. Vietnam, National Guard? What are the real issues in this election? Well, we have gotten lots of responses.
This person, without a name, right? "Vietnam is not the issue. The current war on terror is the issue. Who do you think can do a better job fighting that war, 'bring it on' Bush or 'more sensitive war' Kerry?"
GRIFFIN: From Ohio, a swing state, "I don't consider the service of these two candidates to be a legitimate issue during this election. The real issue is keeping us safe from terrorism, because it won't matter how strong an economy we have it will be weakened by a terrorist attack."
Certainly thank you for the e-mails and encourage you to keep writing. We have a couple of more hours to go.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, have you heard the story about the little boy who swallowed his gum and it stayed in his stomach for seven years, well in today's "House Call" Dr. Sanjay Gupta will help us get to the bottom of this and other medical myths. That is next, after a check of the headlines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired September 18, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, September 18, 8 a.m. in Asheville, North Carolina, 7 a.m. in Gulf Shores, Alabama, two areas hard-hit.
Good morning to you, I'm Drew Griffin.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks for being with us this morning.
A new report this morning on three Westerners who were kidnapped from this Baghdad home two days ago. The Arab TV network Al Jazeera is airing video that it says shows the hostages. CNN cannot confirm whether the video is authentic. It shows an armed man standing behind three blindfolded seated men.
Tropical Storm Jeanne's is losing some strength this morning. But not before leaving behind damage and flooding in the Dominican Republic. Jeanne's top winds have dropped to 45 miles an hour as it heads toward the Bahamas. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center indicates the storm could miss the Southeastern U.S. coastline.
In sports, a historic homer from San Francisco Giants' slugger Barry Bonds! He hit his 700th career home run last night, joining Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth in the 700 Club. Aaron is the all-time homer king at 755 and Ruth is next at 714.
GRIFFIN: Here's what is coming up this hour. Ivan 's devastating blow. It is no longer a hurricane, but it is still deadly and dangerous. We will have live reports, just minutes away, from Florida and North Carolina.
On the campaign trail, Kerry, Bush, both dealing with new findings on their more than 30-year-old military record. We'll go live in the Bush family home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
The mother of Michael Jackson alleged accuser is grilled by his attorney. That's ahead in our "Legal Roundup."
NGUYEN: On to our top story this morning, the destruction of Hurricane Ivan . Now a tropical depression, Ivan is blowing, raining and flooding and wearing itself out in its journey toward northern New England.
It leaves behind, though, 24 deaths in five states, including eight in North Carolina, half of those from a mudslide. Ivan knocked out power to a million and a half homes and businesses in the Southeast. Preliminary damage estimates range from $2 billion to $10 billion, much of it in Florida , still, reeling from Hurricane's Charley and Frances.
GRIFFIN: Floodwaters finally receding in western North Carolina after Ivan . The remnants of that hurricane caused deadly flooding in Asheville and elsewhere. Our Sean Callebs, right now, standing in the muck in Asheville with the latest on this.
Sean, good morning to you.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, to you, Drew.
Really, the remnants of Ivan moving out of this area late last night. You don't think of the mountains of North Carolina being susceptible to hurricanes, but this is the second time in two weeks residents in this area have been forced to clean up, first Frances, now Ivan .
Just to give you an idea, you talked about the muck. There is a thin, thick coating of mud throughout this area. We're actually in the Biltmore Village area. It's a kind of a trendy little area of shops and restaurants down here.
You can see how high the floodwaters were high this yesterday; this high on this building. And they came from a river that's about 100 yards over that way. So really something this region doesn't have to cope with very much.
As bad as the situation is here in Asheville, North Carolina, it was significantly worse in other areas of North Carolina, especially Macon County, that is about an hour and a half to the south of us.
As Betty mentioned just a moment ago, eight deaths reported from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan . Floodwaters came raging through that area; really swollen creeks, swollen rivers, jumping their banks, causing all sorts of damage. There have been scores of roads throughout this entire region, including Interstate 40 and Interstate 26 that have been closed. Many of those roads are open now once again.
And residents, homeowners in this area hope to get down to Asheville today to begin cleaning out, to dig out the muck that they've just got through cleaning up. Many of these little shops were scheduled to open this weekend since the first time since Frances. Now residents have to go through it all again.
We have talked about the damage of the tourism industry in the state of Florida . A $50 billion industry down there. Significant in this area of North Carolina and in the next hour, Drew, we are going to tell you more about that and how this area has been so hard hit. And their big season is coming up with the fall leaf change coming up. Drew?
GRIFFIN: Sean, just incredible to see the reach of this storm. Thank you for joining us. We'll look for your report in the next hour -- Betty.
NGUYEN: People in Pensacola, Florida are also picking up the pieces from Ivan, the hurricane damaged homes, hospitals and beaches there. Our Chris Lawrence is joining us now from Pensacola with the latest.
Good morning to you, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Betty.
We're exactly three days out now from when Hurricane Ivan made land fall here in Pensacola, and it's still incredible to see some of the damage that it caused. As you take a look here, this is a main shopping district here in Pensacola.
You'd imagine maybe some of the smaller trees, like that, to go down. But a building like this, this was some sort of clothing store. You can see just the size of the building, three stories. Looks like a very sturdy structure.
I mean, you can take a look at some of these bricks just in piles that the hurricane, the wind and the water just entirely pushed all of this out of the store. It's an incredible amount of damage here. Now, President George W. Bush will be making his third visit in about a month to a hurricane-damaged area tomorrow.
Let's take a look now at somewhat of he may see as he makes his way across the Florida Panhandle. The damage here has been just incredible. You will see homes that have been destroyed. There have been trees that have been splintered; power lines that have been snapped and then left dangling across the road. There was an incredible amount of damage.
Insurance agencies estimate that across the area, across the Gulf Coast, between $2 and $10 billion in damage. Just to put that in a little bit of perspective. Hurricane's Charley and Frances together, combined, for about $11 billion in damage. So just an incredible amount of damage here.
Florida, right now about 400,000 people still without power. That is down by about 40,000 from yesterday. So they are making some progress, but I can tell you from just going around the area and living here for the past few days, still a long, long way to go. Betty?
NGUYEN: At least they are making a little bit of progress. Thank you there, Chris.
In the eye of the storm, literally, Gulf Shores, Alabama, got slammed when Hurricane Ivan came ashore and these pictures say it all. We'll talk with that city's mayor to find out how people are coping. That's coming up in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
GRIFFIN: To the campaign: The U.S. Navy's inspector general says the old medals John Kerry received for his Vietnam service were properly approved and any further review of them would not be productive. Those are quotes. The group, Judicial Watch claim happened Kerry's medals were awarded on the basis of false official statements. Kerry is in Boston today taping a TV show with Dr. Phil.
The Pentagon has released a new batch of records on President Bush's National Guard service, and they include some press releases and also a letter from Bush's father to an Air Force general. The president at the family's compound in Maine and we are going to go live there with White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, at Kennebunkport.
Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Drew.
The president is getting a brief respite here at the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. The president campaigning hard throughout the week, facing some tough questions about Iraq, but also about his own military record.
It was yesterday, where he was campaigning in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the president argued, making the case that despite no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, that it was the right decision to invade Iraq and to fight the war on terror.
Now looking ahead, Mr. Bush is going to be making that case to world leaders when he meets with them in New York, when he goes before the General Assembly of the United Nations. Also later in the week, President Bush will be holding a joint news conference with the prime minister of Iraq, Iyad Allawi, to present a united front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Prime Minister Allawi is coming here next week. He's a tough guy who believes that Iraq should be free and he cares about the hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, Mr. Bush, also of course being dogged by questions not about his role as commander in chief, but his military record for some 30 years ago. Just whether or not he completed his service, or whether or not he received preferential treatment.
Well, yesterday, the Pentagon released more documents relating to his military record. One that particular document that's getting attention is a letter that was from President Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, thanking one of the military officers for looking after George at the time he was in the squadron.
Critics say this is evident that he received preferential treatment. The White House maintains that the president served honorably. Drew?
GRIFFIN: Suzanne, thank you for joining us from Kennebunkport, Maine. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Florida's Supreme Court has opened the way for Ralph Nader's name to be on the state's presidential ballot, on the Reform Party line. The high court rejected a challenge by Democrats who claim the Reform Party is no longer a viable national party. Now in 2000, Nader got more than 97,000 votes in Florida and George Bush beat Al Gore there by 537.
We want to hear from you this morning. Vietnam, National Guard, are the presidential candidates focusing on the issues that you care about? Send in your responses. Our address is wam@cnn.com. We'll be reading your replies throughout this program.
Well, I bet he wished he'd stayed home this time. Actor MacCauley Culkin in trouble with the law? We'll explain.
GRIFFIN: Speaking of trouble with the law, Texas Rangers pitcher in a lot of trouble after he let some trash-talking Oakland fans get under his skin. We'll have that in our legal roundtable.
NGUYEN: And later on, well sitting too close to the television really make you blind? Medical myths, find out if there is any truth to them. That's ahead on "House Call".
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GRIFFIN: Just back from Athens, medals around the necks, Olympic gymnasts Carley Patterson and Courtney Coopix (ph), will be here live in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Stick around for that.
NGUYEN: And want to say good morning to Nashville. It is the final weekend of the Tennessee State Fair. On the program today, Drew I know you are excited about this, racing pigs ...
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: ...cloggers, of course, the ever popular donkey show.
GRIFFIN: Oh, my.
NGUYEN: Check of the weather for Nashville and the rest of the country. That is coming up.
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GRIFFIN: Scanning the news for weather. Orelon Sidney bring us up to date with what is happening with Ivan, please.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.
The remnants of Ivan are moving across the Eastern United States and I think by tomorrow it will pretty much clear just about all of New England, which is great news.
No rain here, that's Nashville. Chilly temperature, OK, it is kind of mild, 58 degrees. I guess if you are me, it is chilly. But highs today will be in the lower 80s, with sunny skies. Excellent news there.
And good news again for parts of New England. You are getting rain this morning stretching all the way from Maine stretching down through Richmond, and even the Washington, D.C. area with some showers. Maybe a little bit of thunderstorm activity early this morning as the remnants of Ivan move through.
But look at some of the rain totals to your south and west. Elimore (ph), West Virginia, in 24 hours picked up almost 12 1/2 of rainfall. Even Allegheny, Pennsylvania picked up 5 1/4.
For today, again, here are those remnants, those will be moving off the coast. That is going to mean a very day for you tomorrow with clear to partly cloudy skies.
Of course, we still have Jeanne, it is located now about -- just to the north or eastern portion of the Great Inagua (ph) Island, 45 mile per hour winds. And, again, at this point, we think it is not expected to affect the U.S. land areas, at least not in the next 72 hours. Drew, Betty?
GRIFFIN: Thanks, Orelon.
SIDNEY: You are welcome.
NGUYEN: Here's a look at some of the other stories making news across America this Saturday. MacCauley Culkin didn't talk to reporters after being released on bond from an Oklahoma City jail. Police arrested the former child star on drug charges during a traffic stop yesterday. They say they found marijuana and other drugs.
Now to Maine, down it goes. Yes there, it went. Officials used explosives to bring down the dome of the Maine Yankee Nuclear Plant. It's the first time explosives have been used to topple a commercial nuclear structure.
And finally tonight's Miss America Pageant, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, will not include a talent show. Producers have done away with most of the talent routines to try to draw more viewers. What? They didn't like talent? What is wrong with talent? Obviously a lot.
GRIFFIN: Oh, looks like Brazil.
Michael Jackson back in court this week. Now his legal troubles include the mother of two of his own children. We'll talk about that and the rest of the week's courtroom highlights next!
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GRIFFIN: Big "Legal Briefs" this morning.
Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart, and a dangerous baseball altercation; you might say it is the famous and the infamous in our "Legal Roundtable" today. Joining our discussion, a dried out Civil Liberties Attorney Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, down in Miami, and former Prosecutor Nelda Blair.
We begin with the Michael Jackson case. You know something had to be happening in court because Michael Jackson actually showed up all dressed in white with his entire entourage. This is actually old video, but he was in white yesterday. A big day in court, based on an evidentiary hearing.
Lida, what's going on here? What's so big about this that the entire Jackson family showed up?
LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF, CIVIL LIBERTIES ATTORNEY: It was the first time Michael Jackson confronted, or was in the same room as the mother of his accuser. And it was, in fact, quite a momentous occasion. Lots of sparks flew. The mother had a lot to say, even making some comments about people in the back of the room. This is an evidentiary hearing and she's testifying in order to determine whether or not he'll stand trial.
GRIFFIN: Nelda, the evidence that they want to have removed from this trial, or the Michael Jackson's team want removed from this trial involves a private investigator that may or may not have been working for Michael Jackson's former attorney. This is kind of a complicated issue, what can the mother bring to the table?
NELDA BLAIR, FMR. PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: Well, the question is whether or not she knew that this private attorney was working for Michael Jackson's lawyer at the time -- excuse me, the private investigator.
The reason is if he was working for Michael Jackson's lawyer, Geragos, then it could be attorney/client privilege and not admissible in court.
But you are right, it is a pretrial hearing, it is very unusual for, particularly a celebrity, defendant to appear in a pretrial hearing. Lida used the right word, Michael Jackson and his group are attempting intimidation. And they did a pretty good job. The lady was rattled the whole time on the stand.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Wait a second, did I say intimidation? I don't remember saying that.
Obviously, he was there because he has a right to be there and he is absolutely entitled to be there. Her comments were hers and hers alone and she was making them. There really probably was no basis to what she was saying, other than she took it as an opportunity to make a statement. In fact, she even used the term when describing his lawyers and his legal team, his damage control team. So it's what happens when you have an accuser having to testify.
GRIFFIN: Lida, doesn't this send the message, though, to anybody who will testify against Michael Jackson this is what you can expect? This is just an evidentiary hearing.
BLAIR: Sure, yes.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Yes, an entire family dressed in white, how bad can it be, really, Drew?
BLAIR: Oh, it can't be bad at all. You're right. He is staring at her the whole time. It was on news reports all day long. There are stories all over the media now. It was an intimidation factor and it worked. The woman had very little to say that was comprehensible. And she even said the pretrial hearing to her was more torture for her and her children. I can't disagree with her.
GRIFFIN: Let's move on, guys. Martha Stewart, she is appealing her conviction but yesterday made this bombshell of announcement. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTHA STEWART, FOUNDER, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: Although I, and my attorneys, firmly believe in the strength of that appeal, recent delays and extensions have now made it abundantly clear that my appeal will not be heard until sometime next year.
So I have decided to serve my sentence now to put this nightmare behind me and get on with my life and living as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Nelda, you are first here. What is the strategy? Why is she going ahead when the appeal is still in process?
BLAIR: This is beyond me. Lida, maybe you can shed some light on this one for me. But I'll tell you what, if I were a defense lawyer I cannot imagine telling my client, during appeal, go ahead and serve your sentence.
Unless Martha has made some kind of deal with her company that she can come back once the sentence is over, I do not understand this. It is very unusual for a defendant to go serve time, while their appeal is still pending. And if Martha Stewart's appeal is overturned to where she is tried again, it's possible she could get a longer sentence. And she's going to go to jail anyway. I do not get it.
What do you think, Lida?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: This is kind of funny. I think what she's doing is she's doing the unexpected. She's serving her sentence in order to be available for the next planting season.
But seriously, I think she realizes that her appeal doesn't really have a prayer in heck because the reality is, is that although her grounds are good, appellate courts have gotten very, very, very tough in overturning sentences based on jury misconduct. And that's what she's alleging with regards to the juror who lied in his questionnaire.
And let's face it, we have Larry Stewart, who is currently going to be tried for perjury, who perjured himself during her trial. Who may, himself, go to jail.
BLAIR: Right.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: And that's not going to be likely enough to save her because the judge below said that she had enough independent evidence of guilt to convict. So I think she realizes she's going to lose this appeal. She's moving on with her life. And heck, she wants to be here for spring.
BLAIR: The only thing is her attorney, at the very same time that she's making this announcement, comes out and boats how great he thinks the appeal is. And that the recent Supreme Court decisions are going to help them out, so they're giving a mixed message.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Hey, Nel, have you ever said you have a bad case when you have a bad case?
(LAUGHTER)
GRIFFIN: Nelda let's talk about cases. Texas Rangers, you're in Texas. What would you charge this pitcher with, he's throwing a chair at the fan.
BLAIR: Oh, assault. No question about it. I have got say, this does not reflect the usual demeanor and the good manners of most Texans. We don't act this way. I promise you.
But there is -- and I agree with Tom Hicks (ph) who owns the Texas Rangers, there is absolutely no excuse for behavior like this, no matter how abusive a fan has become. These people are professionals. They are supposed to act like professionals and the guy's got to be punished.
GRIFFIN: Lida, you get the final word on this. Any defense?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Well, you know, these hecklers. This guy is a firefighter, who was heckling him, but the worst thing is he did is he ducked and allowed the wife to take the hit. That ought to be worthy of a prosecution, Nelda. Even Texans know better.
BLARI: I'm with you!
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Well, I'm glad because most Texans I know are really, really chivalrous. So, this is a little bit, very Californian, that's for darn sure.
GRIFFIN: Oh, now, hold on there! I will not let that one pass.
(LAUGHTER)
GRIFFIN: All right, you two. Take care. See you next week.
BLAIR: Thanks, Drew.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Take care.
NGUYEN: Boy, Lida is a firecracker today on that one.
GRIFFIN: Hey, California? Come on!
NGUYEN: I came from Texas, she gave us a little bit of a compliment, I guess, in a backhanded way.
Let's get on to our e-mail question of the day. Vietnam, National Guard? What are the real issues in this election? Well, we have gotten lots of responses.
This person, without a name, right? "Vietnam is not the issue. The current war on terror is the issue. Who do you think can do a better job fighting that war, 'bring it on' Bush or 'more sensitive war' Kerry?"
GRIFFIN: From Ohio, a swing state, "I don't consider the service of these two candidates to be a legitimate issue during this election. The real issue is keeping us safe from terrorism, because it won't matter how strong an economy we have it will be weakened by a terrorist attack."
Certainly thank you for the e-mails and encourage you to keep writing. We have a couple of more hours to go.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, have you heard the story about the little boy who swallowed his gum and it stayed in his stomach for seven years, well in today's "House Call" Dr. Sanjay Gupta will help us get to the bottom of this and other medical myths. That is next, after a check of the headlines.
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