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CNN Saturday Morning News

Mishandling of Koran at Guantanamo Bay; Alabama teenager missing in Aruba; Soccer superstar David Beckham in America; Update on the Michael Jackson trial.

Aired June 04, 2005 - 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.


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: So what's really going on at Guantanamo Bay? New details about prisoner mistreatment and Koran abuses has one senator announcing a special hearing.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It is the 4th of June, my son's birthday.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Already.

Happy birthday.

How old?

HARRIS: Little Michael. Little Michael. Four, five, six.

NGUYEN: You'll say four, 10.

HARRIS: Ten years old.

NGUYEN: I knew it.

HARRIS: Thanks for remembering.

I'm Tony Harris.

Good morning.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.

Our top story in just a moment.

But first, here's what's happening right now in the news.

Police in Aruba tell CNN they are following lots of tips in the search for a missing Alabama teenager and arrests could come soon. Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway disappeared while on a high school graduation trip. Witnesses say she was last seen Monday leaving a nightclub with three local men. We will have a live report from Aruba in just a few minutes.

First, though, the trial, now the wait. Jurors in the Michael Jackson child molestation case deliberated for about two hours yesterday before breaking for the weekend. The judge will allow an audio feed from the courtroom to broadcast the reading of the verdict when it's announced.

And Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says China's military buildup is a threat to Asian security. Now, he made those comments in Singapore while attending a conference on Asian security. Rumsfeld says China is buying large amounts of sophisticated weapons despite facing no threat from any other country.

HARRIS: Also ahead in this hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING, Beck ham brings it on. European football superstar -- look at this guy.

NGUYEN: A lot of women like to look at that guy.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. That's that David Beckham. Well, he hopes to soccer it to the U.S. Our sports business guy, Rick Horrow, takes us beyond that game.

When it comes to the Michael Jackson trial, it seems there are both fair weather and foul weather fans. Ted Rowlands shows us the fervor.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY CLARK, FORMER CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When you actually see with your own eyes the floors that have been sheared off, the pieces of metal and concrete and office equipment that were dangling over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: It is just one of the many defining moments in the 25- year history of CNN.

NGUYEN: We want to begin this morning with new details about the handling of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay. A new Pentagon report reveals detainees are at fault in some cases, and confirms five cases of U.S. personnel mishandling the Koran. Reported abuses have outraged Muslims worldwide, even igniting rioting in Afghanistan.

CNN's Julie Lindsey has more with this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JULIE LINDSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The investigation by Brigadier General Jay Hood about treatment of the Muslim holy book at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was initiated following a "Newsweek" magazine report that military personnel had flushed a Koran down the toilet. The story was later retracted by "Newsweek," but not before angry protests broke out among Muslims in several nations, especially in Afghanistan, where violence during the protests was blamed for at least 16 deaths.

The military investigation cited four confirmed incidents of Korans being "mishandled by U.S. personnel at Guantanamo." An interrogator who was later fired, stepping on a Koran; a soldier deliberately kicking a Koran; an episode where guards threw water balloons and caused two Korans to get wet; and a guard urinating near an air vent which splattered urine into a cell and onto a detainee and his Koran.

The report says the guard was reprimanded and reassigned and the detainee was given clean clothes and a new Koran.

General Hood's report also cited 15 incidents by detainees, including two in which the study says prisoners tried to flush Korans down their talents and then rip pages out of the books. Other incidents included a detainee using the Koran as a pillow and an inmate urinating on the book.

Captain Jeff Weir, an Army spokesman at the facility, told CNN that detainees were typically trying to stage some form of protests when they mishandled the Koran. General Hood says investigators studied thousands of documents and files. He says that mishandling a Muslim holy book at the facility is rare and that his investigation shows that respect for the detainees' religious beliefs is embedded in the U.S. soldiers serving there.

He added that he considers the case closed.

Julie Lindsey, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NGUYEN: All right, well, enough is enough. That from one top Senate Republican who wants to clear any confusion over how detainees should be treated at Guantanamo Bay. Senator Arlen Specter, who heads the Judiciary Committee, will hold hearings this month on the rights of terrorism suspects at both Guantanamo Bay and in the U.S. An aide says Specter is drafting a bill to outline detention procedures, as well.

Now, the GITMO issue is the subject of our morning e-mail question for u. Amnesty International last week called the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo "the gulag of our time." Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld calls that characterization "reprehensible."

But what do you think? Should enemy combatants have more legal protections?

Send us your thoughts at weekends@cnn.com. That's the Web address. We'll be reading your replies all morning long.

HARRIS: Wow, that'll heat up the e-mail box, that's for sure.

The jury in the Michael Jackson trial will get back to work Monday, trying to decide whether the pop icon is guilty of child molestation. The jury deliberated for about two hours yesterday before breaking for the weekend.

During closing arguments, the defense portrayed Jackson as a victim of con artists. The prosecution ended with video images of the accuser in 2003 describing how Jackson molested him. Fans from around the world have turned out at the Santa Maria courthouse to show their support for Jackson. But there is one fan who personifies the word fanatical.

CNN's Ted Rowlands explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Of all of the fanatical voices at the Michael Jackson trial, there is one that stands out.

B.J. HICKMAN, MICHAEL JACKSON SUPPORTER: Michael is innocent! Michael's innocent.

ROWLANDS: B.J. Hickman has been here since January, leaving his home in Knoxville, Tennessee to support Michael Jackson. He says he was here back when Michael Jackson danced on the SUV.

UNIDENTIFIED SUPPORTERS: Michael!

ROWLANDS: In February, he was here with others standing in the rain at 5:00 in the morning, trying to get a seat in the courtroom. And during jury selection, when Michael Jackson went to the hospital with the flu, B.J. followed.

HICKMAN: Because Michael was waving at us. He was looking out of the window giving us the peace symbol.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was standing up. So that means...

HICKMAN: And it was awesome. (INAUDIBLE) out there.

ROWLANDS: While understanding B.J.'s excitement at simply seeing Michael Jackson is a bit difficult to comprehend...

HICKMAN: He waved at me.

ROWLANDS: ... he is not alone. Every day when the pop star walks in and out of court, people from around the world who have traveled here are pressed up against the fence. Some are only able to see Jackson's umbrella. Still, most say, it's worth it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really glad I could be here. I feel really good and want all his fans from all around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I only got a few hours of sleep, but it's worth it for Michael.

ROWLANDS: In the beginning, the crowds were huge. As the trial progressed, the numbers fell off, some days just a handful of fans. Now that the trial is nearing an end, the fans are back in force.

HICKMAN: Michael's innocent!

ROWLANDS: But rain or shine, B.J. has been here. He's living at the local Holiday Inn. He has a job at the local mall, flexible hours to allow him to come see Jackson at the courthouse.

(on camera): Why? You know, that's the question a lot of people...

HICKMAN: I'm just saying, because I'm standing up for something I believe in and I'm standing up for innocence.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): B.J. has apparently has caught the attention of Michael Jackson. And several weeks ago, B.J. says, he was able to meet him.

HICKMAN: It was at Neverland Ranch. He let me inside of his car. It was really cool and I got autographs and stuff.

ROWLANDS: Since then, B.J. says he's been back to Neverland and has even met Jackson's children, which a Jackson spokesperson confirms. B.J. has also caught the attention of police. He spends a lot of time heckling prosecutors and certain members of the media.

HICKMAN: You nasty she-devil racist.

ROWLANDS: B.J. is no longer allowed in the courtroom. He tried talking to Jackson, which is against the rules. How would he handle a guilty verdict? B.J. says he doesn't think it's possible.

HICKMAN: He's innocent. And that's what the verdict will be.

You've got to keep fighting this Michael. We know you're innocent! Innocent! Michael, you got to keep fighting.

ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Santa Maria, California.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NGUYEN: OK, more FBI agents, they will arrive in Aruba, to search for a missing Alabama teen who disappeared five days ago. Natalee Holloway went to the Caribbean island for her high school graduation trip.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Palm Beach, Aruba and joins us by video phone -- Karl, what is the latest in this search?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.

I'm standing outside the Holiday Inn. This is the hotel where Natalee Holloway had been staying during her trip to the island. Now, talking to police chiefs here on the island, they say that tips are coming in from the general public by the minute and they are acting on those tips. They say so far, though, there has been no confirmed sighting of Natalee on the island. There was a false alarm overnight, we're told, when reporting came in of a blond female traveling around in a vehicle. That vehicle was found but the woman inside proved not to be Natalee.

Talking, also, to the island's attorney general, Caren Janssen, she says that FBI officers are on the island. She declined to say how many. More, we understand, have also arrived overnight to help in this search. But the attorney general said that the FBI help was very significant and very helpful. She also said that the search would be concentrating on the coastal areas of this island -- Betty.

NGUYEN: We don't know the exact circumstances surrounding this disappearance.

Karl, let's talk about Aruba. It has this image of paradise, but what's the crime rate there?

PENHAUL: It certainly does fit the image of a tropical paradise in many senses -- broad, white, sandy beaches and a very low crime rate. So far this year, according to police figures, there have been two murders and three rapes. But all those crimes involving local people.

Violent crime against the tourist trade here is virtually unknown here, kidnappings, those kind of crimes also unknown here.

That said, where there is sun and sea of the tropical paradise, it's also somewhat of a party island. There is an element of sex, drugs and rock and roll, too. Aruba, it must be said, is a transshipment point for South American cocaine and heroin heading up to the United States and to Europe. It's also a transshipment point for European made Ecstasy, coming back through to Latin America. And so drugs are freely available on the street.

Also, a number of South American prostitutes working here, as well. So that does add into the mix there, although, as I say, no history of violent crime against the tourist trade -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Karl Penhaul in Aruba.

Thank you for that.

We do invite you to stay with CNN for continuing coverage of this story as it develops. We'll return to Aruba with a live report next hour and also throughout the day.

HARRIS: And if you've flown through the week with no time to watch the news, fear not. Consider CNN your wing man.

Time now to "Rewind" through some of the big stories of the past few days.

Tuesday, mystery solved. A "Vanity Fair" article identified Mark Felt as Deep Throat, the "Washington Post's" secret source behind the Watergate scandal. Felt was the number two man at the FBI in the early '70s.

Wednesday, a landslide in Laguna Beach, California prompted authorities to declare several homes unsafe to enter. The price of the homes in the area is at least $1.5 million. Experts say 28 inches of rain this past winter is likely to blame for the slide.

And Thursday, Serbian police arrested at least eight men filmed killing six Bosnian Muslim prisoners near Srebrenica in 1995. Authorities say the suspects are former members of a Serb paramilitary group. The 10-year-old video came to light this week and was played Wednesday during the war crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Up to 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed in Srebrenica, Europe's worst mass killings since World War 2.

And tomorrow we will "Fast Forward" to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

NGUYEN: But coming up next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, an embattled mayor stands his ground and refuses to step down.

HARRIS: And later, we'll take you live to Iraq, where U.S. troops and Iraqi forces are clamping down on insurgents crossing the border.

Good morning, Rob!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: After 14 weeks of testimony, a jury must now decide the fate of Michael Jackson. Did he molest a boy or is he the target of con artists? Our legal experts take you through the closing arguments in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: His convoy was under fire. Wondering if he'd ever see his family again, driver Allen Petty says it was the worst day of his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN PETTY: The only picture I seen after that was my little 2- year-old, Lydia, whom, at the time she wasn't two, but I remember seeing a picture of her crawling on the floor. I thought man, is this it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Tomorrow on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING," War Through A Windshield -- the story of civilian contacts in Iraq. That is tomorrow, 7:00 a.m. Eastern, on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING."

HARRIS: Well, they're sure to put a damper on any party. We're talking about water balloons here. High school students in Washington State were determined to break the Guinness record for the world's largest water balloon fight. More than 1,000 students bombarded classmates with nearly 11,000 water balloons in eight minutes of mayhem.

NGUYEN: It looks like fun.

HARRIS: Chaos and mayhem, the unofficially -- well, the soaking record, what it is, 8,000 balloons?

NGUYEN: That was the record.

HARRIS: That was the old -- no, no, no, no, here it is. In eight minutes of mayhem, they unofficially soaked the old record of 993 people with 8,000 water balloons.

NGUYEN: Wow!

HARRIS: Now, that's good fun.

NGUYEN: That's a lot of good fun. And they're still trying to dry out from all that.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: All right, simply put, he is the most popular athlete on the planet. Well, outside of the U.S., that is.

HARRIS: What is that? Now...

NGUYEN: That's not him, apparently.

HARRIS: No. There he is!

NGUYEN: That's him.

HARRIS: Soccer superstar David Beckham brings his road show to America. And our own superstar tells us what it means to the game in the U.S. Oh, there he is. Rick Horrow taking a header for the team. He takes us "Beyond The Game" when we come back -- good morning, Rick.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS (voice-over): The David Beckham invasion of America is officially underway. He is the most popular athlete on the planet, except here in the United States. However, if the 30-year-old's marketing machine has its way, America could soon be one of his conquests.

Can Beckham's Western tour bring a surge in soccer's popularity? The topic this morning, as we take you beyond the game.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: Blinded by the flashbulbs and all the photographers.

The U.S. is the only country where football's first image is helmets and shoulder pads. For the rest of the world, football means soccer.

And David Beckham is the game's superstar.

Now for more, we turn to the second most popular man on Earth, the author of "When the Game Is On the Line"...

NGUYEN: Look at that!

HARRIS: ... CNN business sports analyst Rick Horrow.

And he joins us this morning from Miami, Florida -- good morning, sir.

Good to see you.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Hey, who wrote that, man? I've got to tell you...

HARRIS: I did that for you.

HORROW: Well, yes, right.

HARRIS: My friend.

HORROW: Yes, I understand. Look, I took a red eye from San Francisco last night...

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: I have a golf game in Key West in a few hours.

HARRIS: Oh, man, your life.

HORROW: So the informal look, all right?

You want me to put...

HARRIS: Got you.

HORROW: You want me to put a tie on? Are we OK with this?

HARRIS: No, you're good.

HORROW: I know you're a very...

HARRIS: You're good.

HORROW: You're a very rigid guy...

HARRIS: No, no, no, keep it...

HORROW: So I just want to make sure.

HARRIS: Keep it caz' as we talk about Beckham.

HORROW: All right, man.

All right.

Here we go. HARRIS: All right, now, his presence on England's national team in this series against the U.S. team is getting headlines that the game, well, it just normally doesn't get here. Otherwise, what effect will his appearance here have on soccer's popularity, do you think?

HORROW: Well, you know, he's a household name across the pond, quite clearly.

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: But here he drew 51,000 people for the game against Columbia last week at the Meadowlands. He's starting a David Beckham soccer camp in Los Angeles with his partner, Simon, from "American Idol." The guy attended an Adidas opening of his shoe, called the Predator Range shoe, which, by the way, kicks with 3 percent more force than a normal soccer shoe. It should, by the way, at $210 a shoe.

HARRIS: Wow!

HORROW: He's also talking about other things, like maybe even going to the major soccer league after this contract is over.

The bottom line is the guy makes $32 million a year in money, or more or less.

HARRIS: Oh, my.

HORROW: $24 million for endorsements. Now, Tiger, as we know, makes $90 million here. So that's not in that league, but it's still pretty darned good, wouldn't you say?

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes. Well, here's the thing. We're looking at all these side panels here, what, 51,000 fans at the Meadowlands, wasn't it? That's incredible.

Now, during his last trip to America, I guess it was two years ago, with his wife Victoria Posh...

NGUYEN: Posh.

HARRIS: Posh Spice. They said they went virtually unnoticed. Now, that certainly has changed this time around.

Is that a testament to his individual popularity or the game's popularity?

HORROW: Is Betty now helping you ask the questions?

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: You OK? You all right?

HARRIS: I'm all right. I'm OK.

HORROW: All right, I just want to make sure, because I know this is not an area you really know so...

HARRIS: It's just a full partnership, is what it is.

HORROW: Great. I love that partnership.

Thank you, Betty.

I appreciate that.

NGUYEN: You're welcome.

HORROW: The bottom line is, as when, surely when I grew up, and you may be too old to remember this, but, you know, in the '70s we had the North American Soccer League. We had stars like Beckenbauer and Pele...

HARRIS: Sure.

HORROW: ... and those guys, that league didn't work out. Then we had major league soccer, which started 10 years ago, lost $100 million.

We, as fans, watch -- and we want to watch games that are 10-8, not 1-0.

HARRIS: Right.

HORROW: So, maybe soccer hasn't really caught on. But these people are bona fide international celebrities, the Spice Girl lady and Beckham.

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: So, Sir Beckham mania has caught on, maybe not soccer mania, though, in the U.S.

HARRIS: OK. Well, last week we were talking about sports and movies and that marriage. But I'll tell you what, there was a movie a couple of years ago, this "Bend It Like Beckham" film. And I'm wondering if it helped his popularity, the game's popularity?

HORROW: Yes, a good question, Tony.

The bottom line of it is that the U.S. -- we talked about it last week -- has sports theme movies all over the place. We've had the hockey movie called "Miracle" grossing $60 million last year. We had "The Longest Yard" come out this last week, the football movie. We've got "Cinderella Man," the boxing movie, coming out this week. And, of course, those are major box office successes.

"Bend It Like Beckham" grossed $35 million in a limited run last year. That's pretty good.

But remember, last year the top U.S. grossing sports movie, $140 million, about, what? Dodge ball.

HARRIS: That's right. That's right.

All right, you know, because of all your cracks about our partnership here, we don't have time for the Fair Ball/Foul Ball, na na na na.

HORROW: We don't?

HARRIS: We don't.

HORROW: It was a good Fair Ball/Foul Ball. I just want to continue to give you grief. They were good and I know you're not here next week, so we've got to wait a couple weeks when you come back to give you more grief.

HARRIS: See you then, my friend.

HORROW: Talk to you, man.

HARRIS: OK.

NGUYEN: You know he's going to get that grief in one way or the other.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, it's going to happen.

NGUYEN: Hey, speaking of grief, how are you going to feel outside today?

Rob -- I hope this rain stops some time soon.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We needed the rain down here, Betty, so...

HARRIS: Yes, that's true.

MARCIANO: ... we'll take it.

Hey guys, good morning.

HARRIS: Good morning.

NGUYEN: Good morning.

MARCIANO: You guys kind of match there a little bit, Tony.

HARRIS: Isn't it...

NGUYEN: We know. We call each other. We're good like that.

MARCIANO: I hope you call each other.

HARRIS: It's partnering. That's what it is...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, would you call it a full partnership? HARRIS: That's it. That's it.

MARCIANO: From asking the questions to getting dressed in the morning.

NGUYEN: Yes, I do his hair every morning.

MARCIANO: That's so cute.

HARRIS: Oh, nice. She went to the hair.

NGUYEN: Just kidding.

HARRIS: No.

MARCIANO: Now, yes, hey, let's talk about where there could be a bad hair day.

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: All right?

NGUYEN: All right.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: I just got back from Florida and all it did was rain there.

HARRIS: When you were there? It just rained?

NGUYEN: I was there and all it did was rain, Rob.

And you know what? I blame you for that.

MARCIANO: Well, you know, maybe if you were a little nicer to me and had a slightly better attitude...

NGUYEN: You'd change things, right?

MARCIANO: ... the karma would give you nicer weather.

NGUYEN: Oh, I've got to work on that. I'll work on that for you.

HARRIS: This is the moment when I get to stay out. That's good. That's wonderful.

All right, Rob, see you a little later.

NGUYEN: Those are rare.

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: All right. HARRIS: U.S. and Iraqi forces step up efforts to protect Iraqi borders. We'll take you live to the region where we are embedded with U.S. troops right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: Also, a long and tense stand-off and a fiery ending no one expected, as we mark CNN's 25th anniversary. We'll look back on Waco.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We want to welcome you back on this Saturday morning.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.

Let's get you started with a look at the morning headlines.

Now in the news, more FBI agents are joining the search for an Alabama teenager missing in Aruba. Police and volunteers combed the island for a fifth straight day. But there is no sign of Natalee Holloway, who disappeared early Monday while on a high school graduation trip.

Jurors deciding Michael Jackson's fate are off for the weekend. Deliberations will resume Monday. The panel of eight women and four men got the case yesterday. The defense told them if there is reasonable doubt they must acquit the singer.

New details come to light about mishandling the Koran at Guantanamo Bay. A Pentagon investigation has confirmed five incidents. In one of them, a U.S. soldier deliberately kicked the Muslim holy book. But military officials say no guard flushed a detainee's Koran down a toilet.

NGUYEN: "Going Global" takes us to Iraq this morning.

U.S. and Iraqi troops are trying to tighten the border so insurgents can't slip through.

HARRIS: Hala Gorani is in for Anand this morning with that story -- good morning, Hala.

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Tony and Betty.

We're going to start this look around the world in Iraq, as you said.

Jane Arraf is embedded with U.S. troops in Tal Afar in northern Iraq, where U.S. and Iraqi forces are trying dialogue rather than force to try to combat the insurgency.

Jane Arraf comes to us.

She's embedded there with U.S. troops.

What is, is this a new strategy -- Jane?

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hala, it's a strategy that's been tried before. But this really is rather extraordinary. One of the significant differences is you've got a room here of local leaders with Iraqi Army and the U.S. military. And for the first time that I've seen, they're not pointing to the U.S. military and saying you have to solve this, you created this problem. They are discussing how to solve it themselves.

Some of these tribal leaders have got up and said we know where there are neighborhoods with insurgents, we have to go to those neighborhoods and do something about it.

Now, the big question here that they have been trying to debate is in Tal Afar, which is a troubled city with a past where people are afraid to go out, will they launch some military operations? Some say they have to, some say it's not yet time. But that could create more danger.

And behind me, they have agreed on a draft statement to condemn terrorism, to condemn these attacks and to reconstitute the police force. This is a city without police, without law and order -- Hala.

GORANI: All right, a lot of work to be done.

Jane Arraf, embedded with U.S. troops in Tal Afar.

Thanks very much.

In another part of the Middle East, an emotional funeral for a slain Lebanese journalist took place today. Samir Kassir was critical of Syrian involvement in Lebanon. He died when a bomb placed in his car exploded on Thursday. Opposition leaders in Lebanon are demanding an official U.N. investigation into the assassination.

In other world headlines, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld currently on tour in Asia, not mincing his words in his attack against Arab satellite network Al Jazeera. While in Singapore, he said the news channel is encouraging the insurgency in Iraq by airing videos of Western hostages.

Earlier, Rumsfeld bluntly criticized China, calling its military buildup a threat to regional security.

Finally, expect more chilling Srebrenica video to emerge after the release yesterday of 10-year-old footage showing the apparent execution of Muslim civilians by Serb soldiers. The videos are being used in the trial for war crimes of former Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic in the Hague.

You're up to date.

I'm Hala Gorani.

NGUYEN: Now to "Security Watch," which is updating you on the week's major developments in the war on terror. Two U.S. citizens are being held without bail, charged with providing material support to al Qaeda. Prosecutors say the two men conspired to use their skills in martial arts and medicine to aid international terrorists. They'll appear in court on Monday.

A new $6 million x-ray machine is checking cargo at the U.S. Port of Maryland. The Eagle can inspect nearly a dozen containers an hour.

Meanwhile, two California ports are getting radiation detectors. Three machines will be running by the end of the month in the Los Angeles area. A total of 90 will be installed in southern California by next January.

New Jersey officials say the government needs to shell out a lot more money to secure an area dubbed the most dangerous two miles in America. The coastal stretch is home to several potential terrorism targets, including the largest seaport on the East Coast, an airport and several chemical plants. The House has passed a $50 million package for chemical plant security, but it still needs to go before the Senate.

You'll want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

HARRIS: Well, for some people, keeping up with the Joneses means living in the right neighborhood. Our Dot-Com Desk shows us where the grass is greenest, next.

NGUYEN: In many ways, yes.

And this week, CNN remembers the most compelling stories of a generation during our 25th anniversary. This morning, a look back at the Oklahoma City bombing.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center once again.

Here's a look at your "Allergy Forecast."

Problem pollens out there, the hardwoods, the grasses out West, the ragweeds. Meltdown across the Southeast in Florida, not as many bright colors because of the rain. Rain typically helps knock down the pollen. But these reds and yellows and oranges are creeping north, because now we're into the month of June.

Hope you're feeling well on this Saturday.

We'll be right back with more CNN LIVE SATURDAY MORNING in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The police in Aruba say they are confident they will break the case of the missing American high school graduate. A live report at the top of the hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, watched by more Americans than any other news channel.

Now, back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING with Betty Nguyen and Tony Harris.

HARRIS: All right, we've all heard that you're judged by the company you keep. How tough is my life? But those five numbers at the end of your address may reveal much more.

For a closer look at the nation's hottest zip codes, here's CNN's Veronica De La Cruz from the Dot-Com Desk.

How tough is my life?

Good morning.

Good to see you.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

How are you doing?

HARRIS: I'm well, thank you.

DE LA CRUZ: Well, you know, when it comes to the hottest zip codes, forget about 90210.

HARRIS: Right.

DE LA CRUZ: Forget it, Tony, because some of the most desirable five digits across the country may surprise you.

CNN Money.com takes a look at why real estate in certain cities is sizzling.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DE LA CRUZ (voice-over): First off, forget the glitz and glam. Some of the most alluring zip codes exist where yoga studios and martini bars are few and far between. The reason, well, analysts say it's the following three trends driving up home prices.

Number one, affordability. In the priciest cities, buyers are searching far and wide for something they can't afford.

Number two, urban trumps suburban. It used to be buyers would head for the suburbs, but all that is changing, with more and more buyers opting to revitalize older neighborhoods.

Number three, home buyers are going coastal. Not only are they buying closer to the city, but now, nabbing a waterfront home is becoming more and more popular.

So, where are the hottest zip codes across the country? This chart breaks down the top zips in 10 metro areas. And what do they look like? This interactive gallery spotlights what's on the market.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

DE LA CRUZ: And, of course, you can find it all online at Cnnmoney.com/zipcodes. And it is the company you keep, right?

HARRIS: It is the company you keep. I need some of that coastal property. But that is the most pricey...

DE LA CRUZ: I would like to go coastal, you know?

NGUYEN: Yes, any time.

DE LA CRUZ: If we had the opportunity, it would be nice.

NGUYEN: Maybe we should just pool our resources to do that.

HARRIS: There you go.

NGUYEN: And buy that vacation home.

DE LA CRUZ: There's always the pool, there's always the pool this summer, so.

HARRIS: There you go.

DE LA CRUZ: That's not the same. I know.

NGUYEN: All right, it was a defining moment in recent American history and one that most Americans will never forget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARK: When you actually see with your own eyes the floors that have been sheared off, the pieces of metal and concrete and office equipment that were dangling over...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: What happened there is amazing. It was also a key moment in the history of CNN. We'll take you on an emotional trip back in time right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: But first, here's a "CNN Extra" for you this morning.

If you ever get burned by a household cleaner, wash it off with water then reach for the vinegar. A recent article in the journal "Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery" says vinegar neutralizes alkaline burns and can reduce damage to your skin.

Here's something else. You can keep car windows frost-free by coating the windows the night before with a solution of three parts vinegar and one part water.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Look at this. And listen to this.

HARRIS: Is that Daytona?

NGUYEN: Yes.

Good morning, Daytona.

This is a live look thanks to our affiliate, WFTV.

And, oh, what kind of music to wake up to. It almost makes you want to just kind of stay in bed this morning. And so does that rain that we're seeing. Kind of cloudy over Daytona. We'll have your forecast coming up in just a short while.

We'll have your forecast coming up in just a short while.

HARRIS: Louis Armstrong.

NGUYEN: Um-hmm.

HARRIS: Yes.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

LOUIS ARMSTRONG: They only made a black bird.

HARRIS: I just needed to listen. Sorry.

NGUYEN: Let it breathe.

HARRIS: Let's get to our top stories now.

The U.S. military denies U.S. soldiers flushed a copy of the Koran down a toilet at the Guantanamo prison. Instead, the military cites several incidents in which inmates themselves tried to flush it. The Pentagon investigation has confirmed several incidents in which U.S. personnel mishandled the Koran. In one of them, a U.S. soldier deliberately kicked the Muslim holy book.

More FBI agents are joining the search for an Alabama teenager missing in Aruba. There has been no sign of Natalee Holloway, who disappeared early Monday while on a high school graduation trip.

Jurors deciding Michael Jackson's fate are off for the weekend. Deliberations in his child molestation trial will resume Monday. The defense portrayed the pop star as a target of con artists.

NGUYEN: From Tiananmen Square to the fall of communism and the Gulf War, CNN has been there every step of the way.

As part of CNN's 25th anniversary, we are taking a look at these defining moments through the eyes of the news makers and our journalists who lived through them.

This morning, a look at the connection between the tragedies in Waco and Oklahoma City. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shoot-out occurred this morning between ATF agents and members of this religious sect at a compound.

CLARK: There were four ATF agents who were killed in the assault.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A couple of people were shot on the roof, fell off the roof.

CLARK: The call from Atlanta was to get down to Waco as quickly as we could. And I remember thinking at the time, this is going to be over by the time we get there. And 51 days later is when it ended.

People would come there with binoculars, telescopes, to see if they could see it. In fact, even Timothy McVeigh at one point drove his car down and sold bumper stickers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's taking the roof off of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It appears as if they're starting a full scale wrecking operation almost.

CLARK: The building itself was just made of essentially plywood.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you can see on your screen, there is a great deal of smoke coming out of the building.

CLARK: When we saw the smoke, our worst fears, I think, started to come out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a roaring fire here.

ESSIE SLAUGHTER, CNN DIRECTOR: We stayed with the live shot because we wanted to tell the stories. The anchors at that point were not important.

MIKE CAPPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are a mile and a half away from this fire, almost two miles, really, with an .800-millimeter lens.

CLARK: When the facility caught fire, the only way that we could give a description...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This fire is really rolling now.

CLARK: ... was by looking at the monitor of those cameras.

SLAUGHTER: Everyone thought that this was just going to be a standoff, they were going give up and they were going to come out. And that never happened.

CLARK: I think we all knew that there probably were people inside dying. I don't think that was an area that we wanted to talk about on the air. The fire kept getting bigger and bigger. And, in relatively short time, it was all gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's virtually very little of the building left.

CLARK: Timothy McVeigh was captivated, angered, frustrated, incensed by what he saw at Waco.

The morning of the Oklahoma City bombing, I was in Waco. It was an anniversary of the fire.

CALVIN MOSER, OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING SURVIVOR: And I'll never forget that particular flash of light, very brilliant, bright, white.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've had an explosion. We need help.

TERRI SHAW, BOMBING SURVIVOR: It was so fast, you didn't hear anything. It was like kind of a whoosh, like you were just like sucked down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It might be a federal building. I'm not sure.

SLAUGHTER: Someone walked into the room and said we got a live shot. There's been an explosion in Oklahoma.

LEON HARRIS, FORMER CNN ANCHOR: We have learned that there has been a large explosion at the federal courthouse building in Oklahoma City.

SLAUGHTER: Because we didn't have anybody live there. A lot of our video at the initial stage came from the stations that were there in Oklahoma.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy cow!

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We got there. And, at this point, the street where Timothy McVeigh parked the Ryder truck was still open to emergency traffic. People were yelling. People were still screaming. They knew people were trapped inside the building. It really felt like a real life nightmare.

CLARK: I grew up in Oklahoma City. I knew the federal building. I knew exactly where it was. Pictures tell a story. But when you actually see with your own eyes the floors that had been sheared off, the pieces of metal and concrete and office equipment that were dangling over...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But that's what's left of the Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City.

CLARK: This was in my hometown. And to see this in my hometown was incredible.

SHAW: It's hard to believe that a fellow American could do something like that to -- to you. SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I met Timothy McVeigh at a prison where he was being held. He was tall, he was unassuming, he was polite. He didn't want to talk about Oklahoma City. But when you changed the subject to Waco, there was a transformation. His eyes became like fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It took just seconds this morning to bring down the remains of the Murrah Federal Building and remove a symbol of terror and death from Oklahoma City.

SHAW: I had worked in that building for so long. All these people, it was like a small town, all these people that you knew. And all of a sudden, it was gone. It was just -- just gone.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: Amazing pictures, amazing stories, and, boy.

NGUYEN: A part of history that we won't forget.

HARRIS: And moving forward now, if you're looking to buy some fresh honey -- and we are...

NGUYEN: Always on the look for fresh honey.

HARRIS: Top of mind today, honey.

NGUYEN: OK.

HARRIS: At the grocery store, there's a shop in Louisiana you might want to try.

NGUYEN: It doesn't get any fresher than this folks.

HARRIS: It sure doesn't.

NGUYEN: But you probably won't see a lot of shoppers swarming around this shopping cart.

We'll show you more in our "Wows of the Week."

And we will have your forecast for the week.

That is coming up on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right, time now for the "Wows of the Week," stories from the past week that just make you want to say, all right, you know the rest, wow!

First up, long sealed secrets from an ancient cave. Experts say the plant and animal remains from this chamber of secrets near Springfield, Missouri could be the oldest ever found in North America, possibly dating back some 830,000 years. The river bluff cave was airtight and undiscovered until 2001. Now to Louisiana. Beware of this bee hive. Yikes! It wasn't sweet honey they were after, but instead a sweet drink. Bees swarmed an empty can of Dr. Pepper left in a Kroger shopping cart. Look at all those. Crews were called in to help get rid of the bees.

And from honeybees to spelling bees. This 13-year-old from California really knows how to cast a spell.

HARRIS: Look at this guy!

NGUYEN: Look at him! OK, and...

HARRIS: And then he passes out here, he's so happy. Look at this.

NGUYEN: I'm about to pass out trying to pronounce his name. Anurag Kashyap, and I hope I said it at least close to how it sounds.

HARRIS: Really close. That's good. That's good.

NGUYEN: He is this year's national spelling bee champ. He won after his second time trying. Now, here we go, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes?

NGUYEN: His winning word, help me out here, what is it?

HARRIS: What are you asking me for? I don't know what it is. Yes, I don't know what it is. I can't pronounce it, I can't spell it.

NGUYEN: Isn't this supposed to be a full partnership?

HARRIS: Yes, it is. But I'm being honest with you, I don't...

NGUYEN: All right, appoggiatura. Appoggiatura? I don't know.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: Anyways, we're not going to win any spelling bees any time soon. And I don't even think we can pronounce that correctly...

HARRIS: No, no, no.

NGUYEN: ... even if we heard it correctly.

HARRIS: I can spell Rob.

NGUYEN: R-O-B.

HARRIS: There you go -- good morning, Mr. Marciano.

MARCIANO: All right, don't ask me. I'm a number guy. I couldn't even begin.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: All right, gang, one hour down.

We'll see you in a few more minutes.

NGUYEN: All right, see you then.

HARRIS: Very good.

Thank you, Rob.

The issue of legal protections for enemy combatants is the subject of our morning e-mails. Amnesty International last week called the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo "the gulag of our times." Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld calls that characterization "reprehensible."

So what do you think? Should enemy combatants have more legal protections?

NGUYEN: Well, Jeff from Japan says: "I don't agree with President Bush's policies in any way, shape or form. But I also don't agree with the media splashing and mishandling of a book all over front pages to incite riots throughout the world either."

HARRIS: And this from Matt B. From Birdsboro, P.A.: "Let me see if I've got this right. The Muslims worldwide are in an absolute outrage that our troops are mistreating a book, but it's OK to take our citizens and troops, decapitate and rape them. I guess I'm just a stupid American veteran that just doesn't get it at all."

Thank you for the e-mails this morning.

There's the question, the address, weekends@cnn.com. More of your responses next hour.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And speaking of that next hour, it begins right now.

And good morning from the CNN Center. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's June 4, 8:00 a.m. here at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, 5:00 a.m. on the West Coast.

Good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: Good morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: Hey there.

HARRIS: I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us.

Let's get you started with morning headlines now in the news.

Two U.S. soldiers were killed in southeast Afghanistan Friday. They're the latest casualties in a surge of violence in recent months. Their convoy hit a roadside bomb near the Pakistan border. Ten military personnel have been killed in combat in Afghanistan since last March. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is in Singapore for an Asian security conference. He told delegates that China's military buildup is a threat to the region. Rumsfeld says China is buying large amounts of sophisticated weapons, despite facing no threat from any other country.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree postponing legislative elections indefinitely. No explanation was given for the delay. The militant group Hamas has accused President Abbas and his Fatah movement of delaying the vote to shore up support. Hamas has recently whipped Fatah in a number of local elections in Gaza.

NGUYEN: We have much more to come here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

The U.S. dispatches more help to Aruba to look for an Alabama teen who vanished on a graduation trip. We'll have the latest on that.

Plus, a tragedy plays out onstage and on camera. Ohio police release videotape of a deadly nightclub shooting rampage.

And he is one the most recognizable stars in the world. Now his fate rests with a handful of anonymous citizens.

HARRIS: And we begin with the Pentagon investigation into the mishandling of the Muslim holy book, the Qu'ran. The issue has proven to be a fiery one. Earlier reports of U.S. soldiers flushing a Qu'ran down a toilet at the Guantanamo Bay prison sparked a deadly protest in Afghanistan.

That "Newsweek" report has been retracted, and U.S. military officials cite incidents of the inmates themselves trying to flush the Qu'ran. But they also confirmed several cases of abuse involving U.S. personnel. They include one incident of U.S. guards kicking a detainee's Qu'ran, another incident of a guard's urine splashing on a Qu'ran through an air vent. That guard was reassigned to duties not dealing with prisoners. And the military says guards also engaged in a water balloon fight that soaked two Qu'rans.

NGUYEN: Enough is enough. That from one top Senate Republican who wants to clear any confusion over how detainees should be treated at Guantanamo Bay. Senator Arlen Specter, who heads the Judiciary Committee, will hold hearings this month on the rights of terrorism suspects at both Guantanamo Bay and in the U.S. An aide says Specter is drafting a bill to outline detention procedures as well.

Now, the Gitmo issue is the subject of our e-mail question today. Amnesty International last week called the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo "the gulag of our time." Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld calls that characterization reprehensible.

But what do you think? Should enemy combatants have more legal protections? Send us your thoughts at weekends@cnn.com. That's the e-mail address. And we'll reading your replies all morning long. HARRIS: More FBI agents have joined the search for a missing Alabama teen who vanished on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Eighteen- year-old Natalee Holloway (ph) was last seen Monday morning, five full days ago. She was there with friends celebrating her high school graduation.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Palm Beach, Aruba, and he joins us by videophone. Karl, good morning.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Tony.

Police are saying that the longer this search goes on for Natalee Holloway, the more they fear a crime could have been committed. But so far, they say, tips are still coming in from the general public, and they are acting on those tips.

Even last night, there was a suggestion that Natalee Holloway had been sighted in a vehicle driving around this small island. Police acted on that, but in the event, the girl turned out, yes, to be a blonde American, but not Natalee Holloway. So certainly no confirmed sighting as yet.

Neither, Tony, any arrests have been made in this case. Three local men were questioned earlier on in the week. Those were the three men who were last seen in Natalee's company as she was leaving a bar, a Mexican bar called Carlos and Charlie's.

I visited that bar last night. It's certainly a bar for young people. A lot of dancing going on there, certainly a lot of drinking going on there, though no suggestion that anything untoward happened in the bar itself, because Natalee was last seen leaving that bar about 1:30, very early on Monday morning.

Also, the attorney general on the island has said, yes, more FBI agents have been drafted into the island to help in the search. The search so far is concentrated on the coastal areas, and that will be the pattern also for the coming hours, to concentrate on those coastal areas.

But, as I say, no sightings yet, no arrests, and no firm hypothesis as to what could have happened to Natalee, Tony.

HARRIS: Karl Penhaul in Palm Beach, Aruba, following developments in the Natalee Holloway story. Karl, we appreciate it. Thank you.

NGUYEN: In our look at news across America this morning, in San Francisco, a 12-year-old boy is dead after a vicious attack by one or both of his 80-pound pit bulls. Sources say police found Nicholas Favish (ph) in his bedroom, covered in blood. One dog was shot dead, the other is in a shelter.

Despite calls for his resignation, the mayor of Spokane, Washington, says he won't let a gay sex scandal run him out of office. At issue is whether Jim West used his public position to develop sexual relationships with boys and young men, and if he molested two boys decades ago. West denies both claims.

And a bit of a course correction throws runners off course in an Illinois marathon. Organizers of Chicago's Lake Shore Marathon made a last-minute change to the course, and that, well, it caused racers to have to run an extra mile.

HARRIS: Whoa.

NGUYEN: Yes. The event organizer is apologizing for the mistake, and has resigned.

HARRIS: Now to an update on a story out of Columbus, Ohio. Last December, fans of the heavy metal band Damage Plan went to a nightclub to see the group. Instead, what they saw was a deadly rampage. Maurice Rayez (ph) of CNN affiliate WSYX has the story. But first, we want to warn you, this video might be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAURICE RAYEZ, WSYX (voice-over): Last December, heavy metal band Damage Plan took the stage at the El Rosa (ph) villa. During their first set, more than 200 anxious fans packed the concert hall to hear the group and one of the country's most known guitarists, Dime Bag Darrell Abbott (ph), play. But just a few minutes into their first song, trouble broke out.

You can see shooter Nathan Gale, in a black jacket and baseball cap, charging on a stage and pulling out a gun. He was headed straight for Dime Bag Darrell, the band's lead guitarist. The crowd, shocked, unbelievably, didn't move. Someone on stage cried for help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call 911, somebody!

RAYEZ: While Dime Bag Darrell lays onstage, his band members, even fans, trying to resuscitate him, there's chaos. Police say minutes after Gale shot Dime Bag, he takes a hostage and reloads his gun behind a speaker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He killed Dime Bag.

RAYEZ: In a matter of five minutes, Gale fired 15 shots before Officer James Nigameyer (ph) took him down with one single shot, a single shot that saved lives. Moments later, Officer Nigameyer steps in front of the camera, shotgun in hand, a blank look on his face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we had a gun to his head. You had to do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Wow. Friends of the shooter say he accused the guitarist's former band of stealing songs from him.

NGUYEN: Well, after five months and more than 140 witnesses, the Michael Jackson case finally goes to the jury. We will talk about what's going through the jurors' heads. HARRIS: Plus, plenty of people are early in the nation's capital this morning, trying to drum up money and awareness for a very important cause. We'll have the details coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We'll take a look at this live picture right now. Tens of thousands of runners are pounding the pavement, or at least getting ready to, in Washington this hour. What they're doing is raising money in the fight against breast cancer as the 16th annual Susan G. Komen (ph) Race for the Cure. You can see thousands have come out for that all in smiles, helping a very good cause. The runners and walkers include celebrities and some 3,500 breast cancer survivors.

HARRIS: And Rob, correct me if I'm wrong here. What you want if you're a runner, Betty, is, you want cool temperatures

NGUYEN: Oh, yes.

HARRIS: You don't want...

NGUYEN: I'm not a runner, but I can tell you that.

HARRIS: ... blazing heat. Right. Yes.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE), close?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I, you know, I'm not a runner, but I've heard that, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE)...

NGUYEN: We're not athletes here, Tony.

HARRIS: He knows.

MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE), I'm a three miler.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: And yes, I prefer it to be 60 degrees, cloudy with...

NGUYEN: Right.

HARRIS: A little overcast. There you go.

MARCIANO: ... (INAUDIBLE) -- with an air conditioner coming along with me.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: So what are you saying is, it's common sense, Tony. Hello.

MARCIANO: That's right, Tony.

HARRIS: Right.

MARCIANO: Hey, guys, want to start off with there, we have some active weather across the Plains.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

RAYEZ: Could see some tornadoes. We've already seen one, apparently, in Missouri. And we'll likely see more later on this afternoon. We'll keep you posted as we go through the day.

NGUYEN: That time of year. OK, thank you, Rob.

HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE).

And checking our top stories, a newly released Pentagon report cites four incidents in which U.S. personnel mishandled the Qu'ran at Guantanamo Bay. It also found inmates -- inmates, not U.S. soldiers -- trying to flush the Muslim holy book down the toilet.

Police in Aruba say they're following a lot of tips, and they're optimistic they'll crack the case of a missing Alabama teenager. Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway was last seen Monday leaving a nightclub.

Radiation detectors will soon be in place to scan all the cargo containers coming into L.A.-area ports. They're designed to detect nuclear weapons or dirty bombs. Homeland security says some of the equipment will be up and running by the end of the month.

NGUYEN: Well, the parade of stars and the dancing on cars, that is all over. Now Michael Jackson's fate is left to the jury to decide. We will talk about this extraordinary trial with two of our favorite legal experts. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Michael Jackson's lead attorney reminds jurors to honor the principle of reasonable doubt.

In this morning's legal briefs, we will dissect what exactly that means as the jury begins weighing the evidence.

While jurors deciding Michael Jackson's fate are off for the weekend, let's take a closer look at those closing arguments.

So, ready to toss it over to our legal experts. Former prosecutor Nelda Blair is live for us in Houston, and civil liberties attorney Lida Rodriguez-Tassef joins us from Miami.

Good morning, ladies.

NELDA BLAIR, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Morning. LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF, CIVIL LIBERTIES ATTORNEY: Good morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: Let's start with you, Lida. If this case is based on circumstantial evidence, which many may argue that it is, what kind of evidence do we have here to convict Michael Jackson?

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: We don't think we have any evidence here to convict Michael Jackson. Certainly what you have is the testimony of a lying family that has a motive to enrich themselves, that has every reason to lie, that didn't start telling this story after after they had talked to a lawyer, the same lawyer, who might, by the way, represented one of the alleged victims in the early '90s and got him a load of money.

So what you have, essentially, is a young man who goes to police, makes a statement, and then when police ask him, Will you pick up the phone and see if you can call Michael Jackson and see if you can get him to incriminate himself? he says, No. I think that what the prosecution did was, they presented lots of evidence about the '90s, but no evidence about the present case.

NGUYEN: Nelda, is there reasonable doubt here?

BLAIR: There is no reasonable doubt. The jury's going to find Michael Jackson guilty of this charge, of at least one of these charges. And Lida, (INAUDIBLE) in your defense-minded heart, you know that the prosecution has put on a really good case here. Circumstantial, a large, in large part, but really good.

Not only do they have the accuser sitting on the stand telling his side of the story -- by the way, with no one to counter it -- but they also have some physical evidence from Michael Jackson's own bedroom, some pornography, alcohol-related items. And you know what? It is not OK for a 46-year-old man to admit that he takes young boys into his bed.

We have all kinds of evidence here. And, Lida, you know as well as I do, this is most likely going to result in a conviction.

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Yes, but a conviction for what? He's charged with -- there's 10 counts that the jury's going to be looking at. Some of those counts relate to lesser charges dealing with administering alcohol to minors. What are you talking about here? You -- this is a 98-page jury instruction.

What the prosecution was doing was, it was throwing up a lot of dirt and seeing, one of these will stick, and maybe one will. But the bottom line is, the big ones will not stick.

BLAIR: (INAUDIBLE)...

NGUYEN: So what will be the deciding factor here in this case, do you think, Nelda?

BLAIR: Oh, it's going to depend on who the jury believes, absolutely, because because it is a circumstantial case, basically, what the jury has to look at, and there is a little physical evidence, but not much, what they have to look at is who they believe on the stand. Do they believe the prosecution's witnesses, particularly the accuser? Or do they believe that Michael Jackson is really just an innocent, childlike person who has the mind of a 7-year-old instead of a 46-year-old?

And that's what the defense would have them believe. But I do think that the jury's going to find that child credible. I think that they're going to believe something of what he says, and that's all that matters. And when they do that, they'll believe that Michael Jackson has committed a crime.

NGUYEN: Here's something I want to know about, Lida. Michael Jackson went to the hospital yesterday, Friday morning, before he appeared in court. Does the jury know anything about this? And if they do, how is that going to affect this case?

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Well, they're not supposed to know anything about it, because he was on time to court. So it shouldn't affect this case at all whatsoever. They do recall, however, the two previous incidents when he landed himself in the hospital that caused delays in the trial, and one that almost got him thrown in jail, because the court, the judge said if he didn't show up within a certain amount of time, he would be held in contempt.

These things should not affect the mindset of the jury. But, you know, the reality is that jurors consider all sorts of things, even things we don't want them to consider, such as the fact that Michael Jackson didn't take the stand. And if the prosecution wins in this case, it's going to win not because it proved its case, but because it cheated.

It basically got to put on evidence about stuff that happened in the '90s that has nothing to do with this case, that technically is not supposed to be used to convict, and it will be misused by a jury, because it's just human nature. And I don't care what Nelda says, you know as a prosecutor, Nel, that the bottom line is, is that jurors will listen to some of this information, and they'll misuse it.

NGUYEN: All right, bottom line, ladies. Start with you, Lida. What's the verdict here?

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Guilty of the main charges, and not guilty of the conspiracy.

NGUYEN: Nelda?

BLAIR: Oh, Lida, you took my...

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: I know, I'm (INAUDIBLE) surprised by that.

BLAIR: I'm, I'm, she's turning prosecutor. I agree with her.

NGUYEN: You agree with her?

BLAIR: I do, absolutely. I do think (INAUDIBLE)...

NGUYEN: But after all this argument, you both agree on the verdict.

BLAIR: That's true. Conviction on the main charges (INAUDIBLE)...

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Yes, but I think we, I think we disagree on -- we disagree on how they get there.

NGUYEN: I see. All right.

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: I think they -- I...

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: Go ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE)...

NGUYEN: Yes, just throw that in there.

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: I was just going to say, if they convict, it's not because there was evidence to convict. It's because the prosecution created reasonable doubt unfairly by bringing in charges from the '90s.

(CROSSTALK)

BLAIR: Lida, you have...

(CROSSTALK)

BLAIR: ... you do you have to get that part in...

(CROSSTALK)

BLAIR: ... don't you?

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: Yes, she had to get it in there.

(CROSSTALK)

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: I absolutely did.

(CROSSTALK)

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: I wanted to make sure I did.

NGUYEN: OK, ladies. BLAIR: Well, hear it on appeal then, Lida.

NGUYEN: Well, thank you so for your time. We'll see how it plays out. Talk to you next weekend.

BLAIR: All right.

HARRIS: That's a big statement, though. That's a big...

NGUYEN: I know, I can't believe it.

HARRIS: Shocking.

All right, our e-mail question of the morning, Should enemy combatants get more legal protections? What do you think? There's the address. And we've got some responses we want to share with you.

This from Jim in Tennessee, who writes, "America must start feeding the needs of democracy if it continues to attempt to change world governments. Not walking the talk gives countries their out for keeping their government the same. This country continues to have internal human rights violations," big exclamation point there.

NGUYEN: Gini in Maine says, "The entire notion of 'enemy combatants' has been, from day one, nothing more than a way to deny people their legal rights. These prisoners are POWs entitled to every protection of the Geneva Convention."

And, of course, we invite you to send those replies in to our e- mail question of the day, Should enemy combatants have more legal protections? E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com.

The official start of summer, well, that is still just weeks away. Can you believe it? While many of you are already enjoying vacations, barbecues, and fun in the sun, summer accidents can send some of you to the ER.

So next on "HOUSE CALL," Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares his tips for keeping your family safe. That is straight ahead, right after a check of the headlines.

HARRIS: But before we go, this week marks CNN's 25th anniversary, and we are hearing from global leaders about how the network has impacted their lives. Here's former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKHAIL GORBACHEV, FORMER SOVIET LEADER (subtitles): Can I give one answer to all of the questions? CNN is a wonderful invention. I remember when the idea of CNN was conceived. My friend Ted Turner traveled around the world and to Russia. And very soon those (illegible) were connected to each other all around the planet.

CNN is the greatest invention of humanity, the invention which helps humanity to be aware of what's happening in our common home, the planet of earth.

And I do appreciate my connection, which dates years and years back, the tradition with CNN, of which I am grateful. In fact, I very often appear on CNN air, and I'm grateful to this television channel CNN, which pays attention and is interested in. Thank you.

I'd like to congratulate Ted Turner with the 25th anniversary of CNN and say, people like him should not be forgotten.

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 June 4, 2005 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: So what's really going on at Guantanamo Bay? New details about prisoner mistreatment and Koran abuses has one senator announcing a special hearing.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It is the 4th of June, my son's birthday.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Already.

Happy birthday.

How old?

HARRIS: Little Michael. Little Michael. Four, five, six.

NGUYEN: You'll say four, 10.

HARRIS: Ten years old.

NGUYEN: I knew it.

HARRIS: Thanks for remembering.

I'm Tony Harris.

Good morning.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.

Our top story in just a moment.

But first, here's what's happening right now in the news.

Police in Aruba tell CNN they are following lots of tips in the search for a missing Alabama teenager and arrests could come soon. Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway disappeared while on a high school graduation trip. Witnesses say she was last seen Monday leaving a nightclub with three local men. We will have a live report from Aruba in just a few minutes.

First, though, the trial, now the wait. Jurors in the Michael Jackson child molestation case deliberated for about two hours yesterday before breaking for the weekend. The judge will allow an audio feed from the courtroom to broadcast the reading of the verdict when it's announced.

And Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says China's military buildup is a threat to Asian security. Now, he made those comments in Singapore while attending a conference on Asian security. Rumsfeld says China is buying large amounts of sophisticated weapons despite facing no threat from any other country.

HARRIS: Also ahead in this hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING, Beck ham brings it on. European football superstar -- look at this guy.

NGUYEN: A lot of women like to look at that guy.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. That's that David Beckham. Well, he hopes to soccer it to the U.S. Our sports business guy, Rick Horrow, takes us beyond that game.

When it comes to the Michael Jackson trial, it seems there are both fair weather and foul weather fans. Ted Rowlands shows us the fervor.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY CLARK, FORMER CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When you actually see with your own eyes the floors that have been sheared off, the pieces of metal and concrete and office equipment that were dangling over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: It is just one of the many defining moments in the 25- year history of CNN.

NGUYEN: We want to begin this morning with new details about the handling of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay. A new Pentagon report reveals detainees are at fault in some cases, and confirms five cases of U.S. personnel mishandling the Koran. Reported abuses have outraged Muslims worldwide, even igniting rioting in Afghanistan.

CNN's Julie Lindsey has more with this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JULIE LINDSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The investigation by Brigadier General Jay Hood about treatment of the Muslim holy book at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was initiated following a "Newsweek" magazine report that military personnel had flushed a Koran down the toilet. The story was later retracted by "Newsweek," but not before angry protests broke out among Muslims in several nations, especially in Afghanistan, where violence during the protests was blamed for at least 16 deaths.

The military investigation cited four confirmed incidents of Korans being "mishandled by U.S. personnel at Guantanamo." An interrogator who was later fired, stepping on a Koran; a soldier deliberately kicking a Koran; an episode where guards threw water balloons and caused two Korans to get wet; and a guard urinating near an air vent which splattered urine into a cell and onto a detainee and his Koran.

The report says the guard was reprimanded and reassigned and the detainee was given clean clothes and a new Koran.

General Hood's report also cited 15 incidents by detainees, including two in which the study says prisoners tried to flush Korans down their talents and then rip pages out of the books. Other incidents included a detainee using the Koran as a pillow and an inmate urinating on the book.

Captain Jeff Weir, an Army spokesman at the facility, told CNN that detainees were typically trying to stage some form of protests when they mishandled the Koran. General Hood says investigators studied thousands of documents and files. He says that mishandling a Muslim holy book at the facility is rare and that his investigation shows that respect for the detainees' religious beliefs is embedded in the U.S. soldiers serving there.

He added that he considers the case closed.

Julie Lindsey, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NGUYEN: All right, well, enough is enough. That from one top Senate Republican who wants to clear any confusion over how detainees should be treated at Guantanamo Bay. Senator Arlen Specter, who heads the Judiciary Committee, will hold hearings this month on the rights of terrorism suspects at both Guantanamo Bay and in the U.S. An aide says Specter is drafting a bill to outline detention procedures, as well.

Now, the GITMO issue is the subject of our morning e-mail question for u. Amnesty International last week called the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo "the gulag of our time." Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld calls that characterization "reprehensible."

But what do you think? Should enemy combatants have more legal protections?

Send us your thoughts at weekends@cnn.com. That's the Web address. We'll be reading your replies all morning long.

HARRIS: Wow, that'll heat up the e-mail box, that's for sure.

The jury in the Michael Jackson trial will get back to work Monday, trying to decide whether the pop icon is guilty of child molestation. The jury deliberated for about two hours yesterday before breaking for the weekend.

During closing arguments, the defense portrayed Jackson as a victim of con artists. The prosecution ended with video images of the accuser in 2003 describing how Jackson molested him. Fans from around the world have turned out at the Santa Maria courthouse to show their support for Jackson. But there is one fan who personifies the word fanatical.

CNN's Ted Rowlands explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Of all of the fanatical voices at the Michael Jackson trial, there is one that stands out.

B.J. HICKMAN, MICHAEL JACKSON SUPPORTER: Michael is innocent! Michael's innocent.

ROWLANDS: B.J. Hickman has been here since January, leaving his home in Knoxville, Tennessee to support Michael Jackson. He says he was here back when Michael Jackson danced on the SUV.

UNIDENTIFIED SUPPORTERS: Michael!

ROWLANDS: In February, he was here with others standing in the rain at 5:00 in the morning, trying to get a seat in the courtroom. And during jury selection, when Michael Jackson went to the hospital with the flu, B.J. followed.

HICKMAN: Because Michael was waving at us. He was looking out of the window giving us the peace symbol.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was standing up. So that means...

HICKMAN: And it was awesome. (INAUDIBLE) out there.

ROWLANDS: While understanding B.J.'s excitement at simply seeing Michael Jackson is a bit difficult to comprehend...

HICKMAN: He waved at me.

ROWLANDS: ... he is not alone. Every day when the pop star walks in and out of court, people from around the world who have traveled here are pressed up against the fence. Some are only able to see Jackson's umbrella. Still, most say, it's worth it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really glad I could be here. I feel really good and want all his fans from all around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I only got a few hours of sleep, but it's worth it for Michael.

ROWLANDS: In the beginning, the crowds were huge. As the trial progressed, the numbers fell off, some days just a handful of fans. Now that the trial is nearing an end, the fans are back in force.

HICKMAN: Michael's innocent!

ROWLANDS: But rain or shine, B.J. has been here. He's living at the local Holiday Inn. He has a job at the local mall, flexible hours to allow him to come see Jackson at the courthouse.

(on camera): Why? You know, that's the question a lot of people...

HICKMAN: I'm just saying, because I'm standing up for something I believe in and I'm standing up for innocence.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): B.J. has apparently has caught the attention of Michael Jackson. And several weeks ago, B.J. says, he was able to meet him.

HICKMAN: It was at Neverland Ranch. He let me inside of his car. It was really cool and I got autographs and stuff.

ROWLANDS: Since then, B.J. says he's been back to Neverland and has even met Jackson's children, which a Jackson spokesperson confirms. B.J. has also caught the attention of police. He spends a lot of time heckling prosecutors and certain members of the media.

HICKMAN: You nasty she-devil racist.

ROWLANDS: B.J. is no longer allowed in the courtroom. He tried talking to Jackson, which is against the rules. How would he handle a guilty verdict? B.J. says he doesn't think it's possible.

HICKMAN: He's innocent. And that's what the verdict will be.

You've got to keep fighting this Michael. We know you're innocent! Innocent! Michael, you got to keep fighting.

ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Santa Maria, California.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NGUYEN: OK, more FBI agents, they will arrive in Aruba, to search for a missing Alabama teen who disappeared five days ago. Natalee Holloway went to the Caribbean island for her high school graduation trip.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Palm Beach, Aruba and joins us by video phone -- Karl, what is the latest in this search?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.

I'm standing outside the Holiday Inn. This is the hotel where Natalee Holloway had been staying during her trip to the island. Now, talking to police chiefs here on the island, they say that tips are coming in from the general public by the minute and they are acting on those tips. They say so far, though, there has been no confirmed sighting of Natalee on the island. There was a false alarm overnight, we're told, when reporting came in of a blond female traveling around in a vehicle. That vehicle was found but the woman inside proved not to be Natalee.

Talking, also, to the island's attorney general, Caren Janssen, she says that FBI officers are on the island. She declined to say how many. More, we understand, have also arrived overnight to help in this search. But the attorney general said that the FBI help was very significant and very helpful. She also said that the search would be concentrating on the coastal areas of this island -- Betty.

NGUYEN: We don't know the exact circumstances surrounding this disappearance.

Karl, let's talk about Aruba. It has this image of paradise, but what's the crime rate there?

PENHAUL: It certainly does fit the image of a tropical paradise in many senses -- broad, white, sandy beaches and a very low crime rate. So far this year, according to police figures, there have been two murders and three rapes. But all those crimes involving local people.

Violent crime against the tourist trade here is virtually unknown here, kidnappings, those kind of crimes also unknown here.

That said, where there is sun and sea of the tropical paradise, it's also somewhat of a party island. There is an element of sex, drugs and rock and roll, too. Aruba, it must be said, is a transshipment point for South American cocaine and heroin heading up to the United States and to Europe. It's also a transshipment point for European made Ecstasy, coming back through to Latin America. And so drugs are freely available on the street.

Also, a number of South American prostitutes working here, as well. So that does add into the mix there, although, as I say, no history of violent crime against the tourist trade -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Karl Penhaul in Aruba.

Thank you for that.

We do invite you to stay with CNN for continuing coverage of this story as it develops. We'll return to Aruba with a live report next hour and also throughout the day.

HARRIS: And if you've flown through the week with no time to watch the news, fear not. Consider CNN your wing man.

Time now to "Rewind" through some of the big stories of the past few days.

Tuesday, mystery solved. A "Vanity Fair" article identified Mark Felt as Deep Throat, the "Washington Post's" secret source behind the Watergate scandal. Felt was the number two man at the FBI in the early '70s.

Wednesday, a landslide in Laguna Beach, California prompted authorities to declare several homes unsafe to enter. The price of the homes in the area is at least $1.5 million. Experts say 28 inches of rain this past winter is likely to blame for the slide.

And Thursday, Serbian police arrested at least eight men filmed killing six Bosnian Muslim prisoners near Srebrenica in 1995. Authorities say the suspects are former members of a Serb paramilitary group. The 10-year-old video came to light this week and was played Wednesday during the war crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Up to 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed in Srebrenica, Europe's worst mass killings since World War 2.

And tomorrow we will "Fast Forward" to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

NGUYEN: But coming up next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, an embattled mayor stands his ground and refuses to step down.

HARRIS: And later, we'll take you live to Iraq, where U.S. troops and Iraqi forces are clamping down on insurgents crossing the border.

Good morning, Rob!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: After 14 weeks of testimony, a jury must now decide the fate of Michael Jackson. Did he molest a boy or is he the target of con artists? Our legal experts take you through the closing arguments in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: His convoy was under fire. Wondering if he'd ever see his family again, driver Allen Petty says it was the worst day of his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN PETTY: The only picture I seen after that was my little 2- year-old, Lydia, whom, at the time she wasn't two, but I remember seeing a picture of her crawling on the floor. I thought man, is this it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Tomorrow on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING," War Through A Windshield -- the story of civilian contacts in Iraq. That is tomorrow, 7:00 a.m. Eastern, on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING."

HARRIS: Well, they're sure to put a damper on any party. We're talking about water balloons here. High school students in Washington State were determined to break the Guinness record for the world's largest water balloon fight. More than 1,000 students bombarded classmates with nearly 11,000 water balloons in eight minutes of mayhem.

NGUYEN: It looks like fun.

HARRIS: Chaos and mayhem, the unofficially -- well, the soaking record, what it is, 8,000 balloons?

NGUYEN: That was the record.

HARRIS: That was the old -- no, no, no, no, here it is. In eight minutes of mayhem, they unofficially soaked the old record of 993 people with 8,000 water balloons.

NGUYEN: Wow!

HARRIS: Now, that's good fun.

NGUYEN: That's a lot of good fun. And they're still trying to dry out from all that.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: All right, simply put, he is the most popular athlete on the planet. Well, outside of the U.S., that is.

HARRIS: What is that? Now...

NGUYEN: That's not him, apparently.

HARRIS: No. There he is!

NGUYEN: That's him.

HARRIS: Soccer superstar David Beckham brings his road show to America. And our own superstar tells us what it means to the game in the U.S. Oh, there he is. Rick Horrow taking a header for the team. He takes us "Beyond The Game" when we come back -- good morning, Rick.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS (voice-over): The David Beckham invasion of America is officially underway. He is the most popular athlete on the planet, except here in the United States. However, if the 30-year-old's marketing machine has its way, America could soon be one of his conquests.

Can Beckham's Western tour bring a surge in soccer's popularity? The topic this morning, as we take you beyond the game.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: Blinded by the flashbulbs and all the photographers.

The U.S. is the only country where football's first image is helmets and shoulder pads. For the rest of the world, football means soccer.

And David Beckham is the game's superstar.

Now for more, we turn to the second most popular man on Earth, the author of "When the Game Is On the Line"...

NGUYEN: Look at that!

HARRIS: ... CNN business sports analyst Rick Horrow.

And he joins us this morning from Miami, Florida -- good morning, sir.

Good to see you.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Hey, who wrote that, man? I've got to tell you...

HARRIS: I did that for you.

HORROW: Well, yes, right.

HARRIS: My friend.

HORROW: Yes, I understand. Look, I took a red eye from San Francisco last night...

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: I have a golf game in Key West in a few hours.

HARRIS: Oh, man, your life.

HORROW: So the informal look, all right?

You want me to put...

HARRIS: Got you.

HORROW: You want me to put a tie on? Are we OK with this?

HARRIS: No, you're good.

HORROW: I know you're a very...

HARRIS: You're good.

HORROW: You're a very rigid guy...

HARRIS: No, no, no, keep it...

HORROW: So I just want to make sure.

HARRIS: Keep it caz' as we talk about Beckham.

HORROW: All right, man.

All right.

Here we go. HARRIS: All right, now, his presence on England's national team in this series against the U.S. team is getting headlines that the game, well, it just normally doesn't get here. Otherwise, what effect will his appearance here have on soccer's popularity, do you think?

HORROW: Well, you know, he's a household name across the pond, quite clearly.

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: But here he drew 51,000 people for the game against Columbia last week at the Meadowlands. He's starting a David Beckham soccer camp in Los Angeles with his partner, Simon, from "American Idol." The guy attended an Adidas opening of his shoe, called the Predator Range shoe, which, by the way, kicks with 3 percent more force than a normal soccer shoe. It should, by the way, at $210 a shoe.

HARRIS: Wow!

HORROW: He's also talking about other things, like maybe even going to the major soccer league after this contract is over.

The bottom line is the guy makes $32 million a year in money, or more or less.

HARRIS: Oh, my.

HORROW: $24 million for endorsements. Now, Tiger, as we know, makes $90 million here. So that's not in that league, but it's still pretty darned good, wouldn't you say?

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes. Well, here's the thing. We're looking at all these side panels here, what, 51,000 fans at the Meadowlands, wasn't it? That's incredible.

Now, during his last trip to America, I guess it was two years ago, with his wife Victoria Posh...

NGUYEN: Posh.

HARRIS: Posh Spice. They said they went virtually unnoticed. Now, that certainly has changed this time around.

Is that a testament to his individual popularity or the game's popularity?

HORROW: Is Betty now helping you ask the questions?

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: You OK? You all right?

HARRIS: I'm all right. I'm OK.

HORROW: All right, I just want to make sure, because I know this is not an area you really know so...

HARRIS: It's just a full partnership, is what it is.

HORROW: Great. I love that partnership.

Thank you, Betty.

I appreciate that.

NGUYEN: You're welcome.

HORROW: The bottom line is, as when, surely when I grew up, and you may be too old to remember this, but, you know, in the '70s we had the North American Soccer League. We had stars like Beckenbauer and Pele...

HARRIS: Sure.

HORROW: ... and those guys, that league didn't work out. Then we had major league soccer, which started 10 years ago, lost $100 million.

We, as fans, watch -- and we want to watch games that are 10-8, not 1-0.

HARRIS: Right.

HORROW: So, maybe soccer hasn't really caught on. But these people are bona fide international celebrities, the Spice Girl lady and Beckham.

HARRIS: Yes.

HORROW: So, Sir Beckham mania has caught on, maybe not soccer mania, though, in the U.S.

HARRIS: OK. Well, last week we were talking about sports and movies and that marriage. But I'll tell you what, there was a movie a couple of years ago, this "Bend It Like Beckham" film. And I'm wondering if it helped his popularity, the game's popularity?

HORROW: Yes, a good question, Tony.

The bottom line of it is that the U.S. -- we talked about it last week -- has sports theme movies all over the place. We've had the hockey movie called "Miracle" grossing $60 million last year. We had "The Longest Yard" come out this last week, the football movie. We've got "Cinderella Man," the boxing movie, coming out this week. And, of course, those are major box office successes.

"Bend It Like Beckham" grossed $35 million in a limited run last year. That's pretty good.

But remember, last year the top U.S. grossing sports movie, $140 million, about, what? Dodge ball.

HARRIS: That's right. That's right.

All right, you know, because of all your cracks about our partnership here, we don't have time for the Fair Ball/Foul Ball, na na na na.

HORROW: We don't?

HARRIS: We don't.

HORROW: It was a good Fair Ball/Foul Ball. I just want to continue to give you grief. They were good and I know you're not here next week, so we've got to wait a couple weeks when you come back to give you more grief.

HARRIS: See you then, my friend.

HORROW: Talk to you, man.

HARRIS: OK.

NGUYEN: You know he's going to get that grief in one way or the other.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, it's going to happen.

NGUYEN: Hey, speaking of grief, how are you going to feel outside today?

Rob -- I hope this rain stops some time soon.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We needed the rain down here, Betty, so...

HARRIS: Yes, that's true.

MARCIANO: ... we'll take it.

Hey guys, good morning.

HARRIS: Good morning.

NGUYEN: Good morning.

MARCIANO: You guys kind of match there a little bit, Tony.

HARRIS: Isn't it...

NGUYEN: We know. We call each other. We're good like that.

MARCIANO: I hope you call each other.

HARRIS: It's partnering. That's what it is...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, would you call it a full partnership? HARRIS: That's it. That's it.

MARCIANO: From asking the questions to getting dressed in the morning.

NGUYEN: Yes, I do his hair every morning.

MARCIANO: That's so cute.

HARRIS: Oh, nice. She went to the hair.

NGUYEN: Just kidding.

HARRIS: No.

MARCIANO: Now, yes, hey, let's talk about where there could be a bad hair day.

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: All right?

NGUYEN: All right.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: I just got back from Florida and all it did was rain there.

HARRIS: When you were there? It just rained?

NGUYEN: I was there and all it did was rain, Rob.

And you know what? I blame you for that.

MARCIANO: Well, you know, maybe if you were a little nicer to me and had a slightly better attitude...

NGUYEN: You'd change things, right?

MARCIANO: ... the karma would give you nicer weather.

NGUYEN: Oh, I've got to work on that. I'll work on that for you.

HARRIS: This is the moment when I get to stay out. That's good. That's wonderful.

All right, Rob, see you a little later.

NGUYEN: Those are rare.

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: All right. HARRIS: U.S. and Iraqi forces step up efforts to protect Iraqi borders. We'll take you live to the region where we are embedded with U.S. troops right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: Also, a long and tense stand-off and a fiery ending no one expected, as we mark CNN's 25th anniversary. We'll look back on Waco.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We want to welcome you back on this Saturday morning.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.

Let's get you started with a look at the morning headlines.

Now in the news, more FBI agents are joining the search for an Alabama teenager missing in Aruba. Police and volunteers combed the island for a fifth straight day. But there is no sign of Natalee Holloway, who disappeared early Monday while on a high school graduation trip.

Jurors deciding Michael Jackson's fate are off for the weekend. Deliberations will resume Monday. The panel of eight women and four men got the case yesterday. The defense told them if there is reasonable doubt they must acquit the singer.

New details come to light about mishandling the Koran at Guantanamo Bay. A Pentagon investigation has confirmed five incidents. In one of them, a U.S. soldier deliberately kicked the Muslim holy book. But military officials say no guard flushed a detainee's Koran down a toilet.

NGUYEN: "Going Global" takes us to Iraq this morning.

U.S. and Iraqi troops are trying to tighten the border so insurgents can't slip through.

HARRIS: Hala Gorani is in for Anand this morning with that story -- good morning, Hala.

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Tony and Betty.

We're going to start this look around the world in Iraq, as you said.

Jane Arraf is embedded with U.S. troops in Tal Afar in northern Iraq, where U.S. and Iraqi forces are trying dialogue rather than force to try to combat the insurgency.

Jane Arraf comes to us.

She's embedded there with U.S. troops.

What is, is this a new strategy -- Jane?

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hala, it's a strategy that's been tried before. But this really is rather extraordinary. One of the significant differences is you've got a room here of local leaders with Iraqi Army and the U.S. military. And for the first time that I've seen, they're not pointing to the U.S. military and saying you have to solve this, you created this problem. They are discussing how to solve it themselves.

Some of these tribal leaders have got up and said we know where there are neighborhoods with insurgents, we have to go to those neighborhoods and do something about it.

Now, the big question here that they have been trying to debate is in Tal Afar, which is a troubled city with a past where people are afraid to go out, will they launch some military operations? Some say they have to, some say it's not yet time. But that could create more danger.

And behind me, they have agreed on a draft statement to condemn terrorism, to condemn these attacks and to reconstitute the police force. This is a city without police, without law and order -- Hala.

GORANI: All right, a lot of work to be done.

Jane Arraf, embedded with U.S. troops in Tal Afar.

Thanks very much.

In another part of the Middle East, an emotional funeral for a slain Lebanese journalist took place today. Samir Kassir was critical of Syrian involvement in Lebanon. He died when a bomb placed in his car exploded on Thursday. Opposition leaders in Lebanon are demanding an official U.N. investigation into the assassination.

In other world headlines, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld currently on tour in Asia, not mincing his words in his attack against Arab satellite network Al Jazeera. While in Singapore, he said the news channel is encouraging the insurgency in Iraq by airing videos of Western hostages.

Earlier, Rumsfeld bluntly criticized China, calling its military buildup a threat to regional security.

Finally, expect more chilling Srebrenica video to emerge after the release yesterday of 10-year-old footage showing the apparent execution of Muslim civilians by Serb soldiers. The videos are being used in the trial for war crimes of former Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic in the Hague.

You're up to date.

I'm Hala Gorani.

NGUYEN: Now to "Security Watch," which is updating you on the week's major developments in the war on terror. Two U.S. citizens are being held without bail, charged with providing material support to al Qaeda. Prosecutors say the two men conspired to use their skills in martial arts and medicine to aid international terrorists. They'll appear in court on Monday.

A new $6 million x-ray machine is checking cargo at the U.S. Port of Maryland. The Eagle can inspect nearly a dozen containers an hour.

Meanwhile, two California ports are getting radiation detectors. Three machines will be running by the end of the month in the Los Angeles area. A total of 90 will be installed in southern California by next January.

New Jersey officials say the government needs to shell out a lot more money to secure an area dubbed the most dangerous two miles in America. The coastal stretch is home to several potential terrorism targets, including the largest seaport on the East Coast, an airport and several chemical plants. The House has passed a $50 million package for chemical plant security, but it still needs to go before the Senate.

You'll want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

HARRIS: Well, for some people, keeping up with the Joneses means living in the right neighborhood. Our Dot-Com Desk shows us where the grass is greenest, next.

NGUYEN: In many ways, yes.

And this week, CNN remembers the most compelling stories of a generation during our 25th anniversary. This morning, a look back at the Oklahoma City bombing.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center once again.

Here's a look at your "Allergy Forecast."

Problem pollens out there, the hardwoods, the grasses out West, the ragweeds. Meltdown across the Southeast in Florida, not as many bright colors because of the rain. Rain typically helps knock down the pollen. But these reds and yellows and oranges are creeping north, because now we're into the month of June.

Hope you're feeling well on this Saturday.

We'll be right back with more CNN LIVE SATURDAY MORNING in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The police in Aruba say they are confident they will break the case of the missing American high school graduate. A live report at the top of the hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, watched by more Americans than any other news channel.

Now, back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING with Betty Nguyen and Tony Harris.

HARRIS: All right, we've all heard that you're judged by the company you keep. How tough is my life? But those five numbers at the end of your address may reveal much more.

For a closer look at the nation's hottest zip codes, here's CNN's Veronica De La Cruz from the Dot-Com Desk.

How tough is my life?

Good morning.

Good to see you.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

How are you doing?

HARRIS: I'm well, thank you.

DE LA CRUZ: Well, you know, when it comes to the hottest zip codes, forget about 90210.

HARRIS: Right.

DE LA CRUZ: Forget it, Tony, because some of the most desirable five digits across the country may surprise you.

CNN Money.com takes a look at why real estate in certain cities is sizzling.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DE LA CRUZ (voice-over): First off, forget the glitz and glam. Some of the most alluring zip codes exist where yoga studios and martini bars are few and far between. The reason, well, analysts say it's the following three trends driving up home prices.

Number one, affordability. In the priciest cities, buyers are searching far and wide for something they can't afford.

Number two, urban trumps suburban. It used to be buyers would head for the suburbs, but all that is changing, with more and more buyers opting to revitalize older neighborhoods.

Number three, home buyers are going coastal. Not only are they buying closer to the city, but now, nabbing a waterfront home is becoming more and more popular.

So, where are the hottest zip codes across the country? This chart breaks down the top zips in 10 metro areas. And what do they look like? This interactive gallery spotlights what's on the market.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

DE LA CRUZ: And, of course, you can find it all online at Cnnmoney.com/zipcodes. And it is the company you keep, right?

HARRIS: It is the company you keep. I need some of that coastal property. But that is the most pricey...

DE LA CRUZ: I would like to go coastal, you know?

NGUYEN: Yes, any time.

DE LA CRUZ: If we had the opportunity, it would be nice.

NGUYEN: Maybe we should just pool our resources to do that.

HARRIS: There you go.

NGUYEN: And buy that vacation home.

DE LA CRUZ: There's always the pool, there's always the pool this summer, so.

HARRIS: There you go.

DE LA CRUZ: That's not the same. I know.

NGUYEN: All right, it was a defining moment in recent American history and one that most Americans will never forget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARK: When you actually see with your own eyes the floors that have been sheared off, the pieces of metal and concrete and office equipment that were dangling over...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: What happened there is amazing. It was also a key moment in the history of CNN. We'll take you on an emotional trip back in time right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: But first, here's a "CNN Extra" for you this morning.

If you ever get burned by a household cleaner, wash it off with water then reach for the vinegar. A recent article in the journal "Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery" says vinegar neutralizes alkaline burns and can reduce damage to your skin.

Here's something else. You can keep car windows frost-free by coating the windows the night before with a solution of three parts vinegar and one part water.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Look at this. And listen to this.

HARRIS: Is that Daytona?

NGUYEN: Yes.

Good morning, Daytona.

This is a live look thanks to our affiliate, WFTV.

And, oh, what kind of music to wake up to. It almost makes you want to just kind of stay in bed this morning. And so does that rain that we're seeing. Kind of cloudy over Daytona. We'll have your forecast coming up in just a short while.

We'll have your forecast coming up in just a short while.

HARRIS: Louis Armstrong.

NGUYEN: Um-hmm.

HARRIS: Yes.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

LOUIS ARMSTRONG: They only made a black bird.

HARRIS: I just needed to listen. Sorry.

NGUYEN: Let it breathe.

HARRIS: Let's get to our top stories now.

The U.S. military denies U.S. soldiers flushed a copy of the Koran down a toilet at the Guantanamo prison. Instead, the military cites several incidents in which inmates themselves tried to flush it. The Pentagon investigation has confirmed several incidents in which U.S. personnel mishandled the Koran. In one of them, a U.S. soldier deliberately kicked the Muslim holy book.

More FBI agents are joining the search for an Alabama teenager missing in Aruba. There has been no sign of Natalee Holloway, who disappeared early Monday while on a high school graduation trip.

Jurors deciding Michael Jackson's fate are off for the weekend. Deliberations in his child molestation trial will resume Monday. The defense portrayed the pop star as a target of con artists.

NGUYEN: From Tiananmen Square to the fall of communism and the Gulf War, CNN has been there every step of the way.

As part of CNN's 25th anniversary, we are taking a look at these defining moments through the eyes of the news makers and our journalists who lived through them.

This morning, a look at the connection between the tragedies in Waco and Oklahoma City. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shoot-out occurred this morning between ATF agents and members of this religious sect at a compound.

CLARK: There were four ATF agents who were killed in the assault.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A couple of people were shot on the roof, fell off the roof.

CLARK: The call from Atlanta was to get down to Waco as quickly as we could. And I remember thinking at the time, this is going to be over by the time we get there. And 51 days later is when it ended.

People would come there with binoculars, telescopes, to see if they could see it. In fact, even Timothy McVeigh at one point drove his car down and sold bumper stickers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's taking the roof off of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It appears as if they're starting a full scale wrecking operation almost.

CLARK: The building itself was just made of essentially plywood.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you can see on your screen, there is a great deal of smoke coming out of the building.

CLARK: When we saw the smoke, our worst fears, I think, started to come out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a roaring fire here.

ESSIE SLAUGHTER, CNN DIRECTOR: We stayed with the live shot because we wanted to tell the stories. The anchors at that point were not important.

MIKE CAPPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are a mile and a half away from this fire, almost two miles, really, with an .800-millimeter lens.

CLARK: When the facility caught fire, the only way that we could give a description...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This fire is really rolling now.

CLARK: ... was by looking at the monitor of those cameras.

SLAUGHTER: Everyone thought that this was just going to be a standoff, they were going give up and they were going to come out. And that never happened.

CLARK: I think we all knew that there probably were people inside dying. I don't think that was an area that we wanted to talk about on the air. The fire kept getting bigger and bigger. And, in relatively short time, it was all gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's virtually very little of the building left.

CLARK: Timothy McVeigh was captivated, angered, frustrated, incensed by what he saw at Waco.

The morning of the Oklahoma City bombing, I was in Waco. It was an anniversary of the fire.

CALVIN MOSER, OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING SURVIVOR: And I'll never forget that particular flash of light, very brilliant, bright, white.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've had an explosion. We need help.

TERRI SHAW, BOMBING SURVIVOR: It was so fast, you didn't hear anything. It was like kind of a whoosh, like you were just like sucked down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It might be a federal building. I'm not sure.

SLAUGHTER: Someone walked into the room and said we got a live shot. There's been an explosion in Oklahoma.

LEON HARRIS, FORMER CNN ANCHOR: We have learned that there has been a large explosion at the federal courthouse building in Oklahoma City.

SLAUGHTER: Because we didn't have anybody live there. A lot of our video at the initial stage came from the stations that were there in Oklahoma.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy cow!

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We got there. And, at this point, the street where Timothy McVeigh parked the Ryder truck was still open to emergency traffic. People were yelling. People were still screaming. They knew people were trapped inside the building. It really felt like a real life nightmare.

CLARK: I grew up in Oklahoma City. I knew the federal building. I knew exactly where it was. Pictures tell a story. But when you actually see with your own eyes the floors that had been sheared off, the pieces of metal and concrete and office equipment that were dangling over...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But that's what's left of the Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City.

CLARK: This was in my hometown. And to see this in my hometown was incredible.

SHAW: It's hard to believe that a fellow American could do something like that to -- to you. SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I met Timothy McVeigh at a prison where he was being held. He was tall, he was unassuming, he was polite. He didn't want to talk about Oklahoma City. But when you changed the subject to Waco, there was a transformation. His eyes became like fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It took just seconds this morning to bring down the remains of the Murrah Federal Building and remove a symbol of terror and death from Oklahoma City.

SHAW: I had worked in that building for so long. All these people, it was like a small town, all these people that you knew. And all of a sudden, it was gone. It was just -- just gone.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: Amazing pictures, amazing stories, and, boy.

NGUYEN: A part of history that we won't forget.

HARRIS: And moving forward now, if you're looking to buy some fresh honey -- and we are...

NGUYEN: Always on the look for fresh honey.

HARRIS: Top of mind today, honey.

NGUYEN: OK.

HARRIS: At the grocery store, there's a shop in Louisiana you might want to try.

NGUYEN: It doesn't get any fresher than this folks.

HARRIS: It sure doesn't.

NGUYEN: But you probably won't see a lot of shoppers swarming around this shopping cart.

We'll show you more in our "Wows of the Week."

And we will have your forecast for the week.

That is coming up on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right, time now for the "Wows of the Week," stories from the past week that just make you want to say, all right, you know the rest, wow!

First up, long sealed secrets from an ancient cave. Experts say the plant and animal remains from this chamber of secrets near Springfield, Missouri could be the oldest ever found in North America, possibly dating back some 830,000 years. The river bluff cave was airtight and undiscovered until 2001. Now to Louisiana. Beware of this bee hive. Yikes! It wasn't sweet honey they were after, but instead a sweet drink. Bees swarmed an empty can of Dr. Pepper left in a Kroger shopping cart. Look at all those. Crews were called in to help get rid of the bees.

And from honeybees to spelling bees. This 13-year-old from California really knows how to cast a spell.

HARRIS: Look at this guy!

NGUYEN: Look at him! OK, and...

HARRIS: And then he passes out here, he's so happy. Look at this.

NGUYEN: I'm about to pass out trying to pronounce his name. Anurag Kashyap, and I hope I said it at least close to how it sounds.

HARRIS: Really close. That's good. That's good.

NGUYEN: He is this year's national spelling bee champ. He won after his second time trying. Now, here we go, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes?

NGUYEN: His winning word, help me out here, what is it?

HARRIS: What are you asking me for? I don't know what it is. Yes, I don't know what it is. I can't pronounce it, I can't spell it.

NGUYEN: Isn't this supposed to be a full partnership?

HARRIS: Yes, it is. But I'm being honest with you, I don't...

NGUYEN: All right, appoggiatura. Appoggiatura? I don't know.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: Anyways, we're not going to win any spelling bees any time soon. And I don't even think we can pronounce that correctly...

HARRIS: No, no, no.

NGUYEN: ... even if we heard it correctly.

HARRIS: I can spell Rob.

NGUYEN: R-O-B.

HARRIS: There you go -- good morning, Mr. Marciano.

MARCIANO: All right, don't ask me. I'm a number guy. I couldn't even begin.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: All right, gang, one hour down.

We'll see you in a few more minutes.

NGUYEN: All right, see you then.

HARRIS: Very good.

Thank you, Rob.

The issue of legal protections for enemy combatants is the subject of our morning e-mails. Amnesty International last week called the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo "the gulag of our times." Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld calls that characterization "reprehensible."

So what do you think? Should enemy combatants have more legal protections?

NGUYEN: Well, Jeff from Japan says: "I don't agree with President Bush's policies in any way, shape or form. But I also don't agree with the media splashing and mishandling of a book all over front pages to incite riots throughout the world either."

HARRIS: And this from Matt B. From Birdsboro, P.A.: "Let me see if I've got this right. The Muslims worldwide are in an absolute outrage that our troops are mistreating a book, but it's OK to take our citizens and troops, decapitate and rape them. I guess I'm just a stupid American veteran that just doesn't get it at all."

Thank you for the e-mails this morning.

There's the question, the address, weekends@cnn.com. More of your responses next hour.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And speaking of that next hour, it begins right now.

And good morning from the CNN Center. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's June 4, 8:00 a.m. here at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, 5:00 a.m. on the West Coast.

Good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: Good morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: Hey there.

HARRIS: I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us.

Let's get you started with morning headlines now in the news.

Two U.S. soldiers were killed in southeast Afghanistan Friday. They're the latest casualties in a surge of violence in recent months. Their convoy hit a roadside bomb near the Pakistan border. Ten military personnel have been killed in combat in Afghanistan since last March. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is in Singapore for an Asian security conference. He told delegates that China's military buildup is a threat to the region. Rumsfeld says China is buying large amounts of sophisticated weapons, despite facing no threat from any other country.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree postponing legislative elections indefinitely. No explanation was given for the delay. The militant group Hamas has accused President Abbas and his Fatah movement of delaying the vote to shore up support. Hamas has recently whipped Fatah in a number of local elections in Gaza.

NGUYEN: We have much more to come here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

The U.S. dispatches more help to Aruba to look for an Alabama teen who vanished on a graduation trip. We'll have the latest on that.

Plus, a tragedy plays out onstage and on camera. Ohio police release videotape of a deadly nightclub shooting rampage.

And he is one the most recognizable stars in the world. Now his fate rests with a handful of anonymous citizens.

HARRIS: And we begin with the Pentagon investigation into the mishandling of the Muslim holy book, the Qu'ran. The issue has proven to be a fiery one. Earlier reports of U.S. soldiers flushing a Qu'ran down a toilet at the Guantanamo Bay prison sparked a deadly protest in Afghanistan.

That "Newsweek" report has been retracted, and U.S. military officials cite incidents of the inmates themselves trying to flush the Qu'ran. But they also confirmed several cases of abuse involving U.S. personnel. They include one incident of U.S. guards kicking a detainee's Qu'ran, another incident of a guard's urine splashing on a Qu'ran through an air vent. That guard was reassigned to duties not dealing with prisoners. And the military says guards also engaged in a water balloon fight that soaked two Qu'rans.

NGUYEN: Enough is enough. That from one top Senate Republican who wants to clear any confusion over how detainees should be treated at Guantanamo Bay. Senator Arlen Specter, who heads the Judiciary Committee, will hold hearings this month on the rights of terrorism suspects at both Guantanamo Bay and in the U.S. An aide says Specter is drafting a bill to outline detention procedures as well.

Now, the Gitmo issue is the subject of our e-mail question today. Amnesty International last week called the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo "the gulag of our time." Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld calls that characterization reprehensible.

But what do you think? Should enemy combatants have more legal protections? Send us your thoughts at weekends@cnn.com. That's the e-mail address. And we'll reading your replies all morning long. HARRIS: More FBI agents have joined the search for a missing Alabama teen who vanished on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Eighteen- year-old Natalee Holloway (ph) was last seen Monday morning, five full days ago. She was there with friends celebrating her high school graduation.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Palm Beach, Aruba, and he joins us by videophone. Karl, good morning.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Tony.

Police are saying that the longer this search goes on for Natalee Holloway, the more they fear a crime could have been committed. But so far, they say, tips are still coming in from the general public, and they are acting on those tips.

Even last night, there was a suggestion that Natalee Holloway had been sighted in a vehicle driving around this small island. Police acted on that, but in the event, the girl turned out, yes, to be a blonde American, but not Natalee Holloway. So certainly no confirmed sighting as yet.

Neither, Tony, any arrests have been made in this case. Three local men were questioned earlier on in the week. Those were the three men who were last seen in Natalee's company as she was leaving a bar, a Mexican bar called Carlos and Charlie's.

I visited that bar last night. It's certainly a bar for young people. A lot of dancing going on there, certainly a lot of drinking going on there, though no suggestion that anything untoward happened in the bar itself, because Natalee was last seen leaving that bar about 1:30, very early on Monday morning.

Also, the attorney general on the island has said, yes, more FBI agents have been drafted into the island to help in the search. The search so far is concentrated on the coastal areas, and that will be the pattern also for the coming hours, to concentrate on those coastal areas.

But, as I say, no sightings yet, no arrests, and no firm hypothesis as to what could have happened to Natalee, Tony.

HARRIS: Karl Penhaul in Palm Beach, Aruba, following developments in the Natalee Holloway story. Karl, we appreciate it. Thank you.

NGUYEN: In our look at news across America this morning, in San Francisco, a 12-year-old boy is dead after a vicious attack by one or both of his 80-pound pit bulls. Sources say police found Nicholas Favish (ph) in his bedroom, covered in blood. One dog was shot dead, the other is in a shelter.

Despite calls for his resignation, the mayor of Spokane, Washington, says he won't let a gay sex scandal run him out of office. At issue is whether Jim West used his public position to develop sexual relationships with boys and young men, and if he molested two boys decades ago. West denies both claims.

And a bit of a course correction throws runners off course in an Illinois marathon. Organizers of Chicago's Lake Shore Marathon made a last-minute change to the course, and that, well, it caused racers to have to run an extra mile.

HARRIS: Whoa.

NGUYEN: Yes. The event organizer is apologizing for the mistake, and has resigned.

HARRIS: Now to an update on a story out of Columbus, Ohio. Last December, fans of the heavy metal band Damage Plan went to a nightclub to see the group. Instead, what they saw was a deadly rampage. Maurice Rayez (ph) of CNN affiliate WSYX has the story. But first, we want to warn you, this video might be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAURICE RAYEZ, WSYX (voice-over): Last December, heavy metal band Damage Plan took the stage at the El Rosa (ph) villa. During their first set, more than 200 anxious fans packed the concert hall to hear the group and one of the country's most known guitarists, Dime Bag Darrell Abbott (ph), play. But just a few minutes into their first song, trouble broke out.

You can see shooter Nathan Gale, in a black jacket and baseball cap, charging on a stage and pulling out a gun. He was headed straight for Dime Bag Darrell, the band's lead guitarist. The crowd, shocked, unbelievably, didn't move. Someone on stage cried for help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call 911, somebody!

RAYEZ: While Dime Bag Darrell lays onstage, his band members, even fans, trying to resuscitate him, there's chaos. Police say minutes after Gale shot Dime Bag, he takes a hostage and reloads his gun behind a speaker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He killed Dime Bag.

RAYEZ: In a matter of five minutes, Gale fired 15 shots before Officer James Nigameyer (ph) took him down with one single shot, a single shot that saved lives. Moments later, Officer Nigameyer steps in front of the camera, shotgun in hand, a blank look on his face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we had a gun to his head. You had to do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Wow. Friends of the shooter say he accused the guitarist's former band of stealing songs from him.

NGUYEN: Well, after five months and more than 140 witnesses, the Michael Jackson case finally goes to the jury. We will talk about what's going through the jurors' heads. HARRIS: Plus, plenty of people are early in the nation's capital this morning, trying to drum up money and awareness for a very important cause. We'll have the details coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We'll take a look at this live picture right now. Tens of thousands of runners are pounding the pavement, or at least getting ready to, in Washington this hour. What they're doing is raising money in the fight against breast cancer as the 16th annual Susan G. Komen (ph) Race for the Cure. You can see thousands have come out for that all in smiles, helping a very good cause. The runners and walkers include celebrities and some 3,500 breast cancer survivors.

HARRIS: And Rob, correct me if I'm wrong here. What you want if you're a runner, Betty, is, you want cool temperatures

NGUYEN: Oh, yes.

HARRIS: You don't want...

NGUYEN: I'm not a runner, but I can tell you that.

HARRIS: ... blazing heat. Right. Yes.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE), close?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I, you know, I'm not a runner, but I've heard that, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE)...

NGUYEN: We're not athletes here, Tony.

HARRIS: He knows.

MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE), I'm a three miler.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: And yes, I prefer it to be 60 degrees, cloudy with...

NGUYEN: Right.

HARRIS: A little overcast. There you go.

MARCIANO: ... (INAUDIBLE) -- with an air conditioner coming along with me.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: So what are you saying is, it's common sense, Tony. Hello.

MARCIANO: That's right, Tony.

HARRIS: Right.

MARCIANO: Hey, guys, want to start off with there, we have some active weather across the Plains.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

RAYEZ: Could see some tornadoes. We've already seen one, apparently, in Missouri. And we'll likely see more later on this afternoon. We'll keep you posted as we go through the day.

NGUYEN: That time of year. OK, thank you, Rob.

HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE).

And checking our top stories, a newly released Pentagon report cites four incidents in which U.S. personnel mishandled the Qu'ran at Guantanamo Bay. It also found inmates -- inmates, not U.S. soldiers -- trying to flush the Muslim holy book down the toilet.

Police in Aruba say they're following a lot of tips, and they're optimistic they'll crack the case of a missing Alabama teenager. Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway was last seen Monday leaving a nightclub.

Radiation detectors will soon be in place to scan all the cargo containers coming into L.A.-area ports. They're designed to detect nuclear weapons or dirty bombs. Homeland security says some of the equipment will be up and running by the end of the month.

NGUYEN: Well, the parade of stars and the dancing on cars, that is all over. Now Michael Jackson's fate is left to the jury to decide. We will talk about this extraordinary trial with two of our favorite legal experts. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Michael Jackson's lead attorney reminds jurors to honor the principle of reasonable doubt.

In this morning's legal briefs, we will dissect what exactly that means as the jury begins weighing the evidence.

While jurors deciding Michael Jackson's fate are off for the weekend, let's take a closer look at those closing arguments.

So, ready to toss it over to our legal experts. Former prosecutor Nelda Blair is live for us in Houston, and civil liberties attorney Lida Rodriguez-Tassef joins us from Miami.

Good morning, ladies.

NELDA BLAIR, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Morning. LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF, CIVIL LIBERTIES ATTORNEY: Good morning, Betty.

NGUYEN: Let's start with you, Lida. If this case is based on circumstantial evidence, which many may argue that it is, what kind of evidence do we have here to convict Michael Jackson?

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: We don't think we have any evidence here to convict Michael Jackson. Certainly what you have is the testimony of a lying family that has a motive to enrich themselves, that has every reason to lie, that didn't start telling this story after after they had talked to a lawyer, the same lawyer, who might, by the way, represented one of the alleged victims in the early '90s and got him a load of money.

So what you have, essentially, is a young man who goes to police, makes a statement, and then when police ask him, Will you pick up the phone and see if you can call Michael Jackson and see if you can get him to incriminate himself? he says, No. I think that what the prosecution did was, they presented lots of evidence about the '90s, but no evidence about the present case.

NGUYEN: Nelda, is there reasonable doubt here?

BLAIR: There is no reasonable doubt. The jury's going to find Michael Jackson guilty of this charge, of at least one of these charges. And Lida, (INAUDIBLE) in your defense-minded heart, you know that the prosecution has put on a really good case here. Circumstantial, a large, in large part, but really good.

Not only do they have the accuser sitting on the stand telling his side of the story -- by the way, with no one to counter it -- but they also have some physical evidence from Michael Jackson's own bedroom, some pornography, alcohol-related items. And you know what? It is not OK for a 46-year-old man to admit that he takes young boys into his bed.

We have all kinds of evidence here. And, Lida, you know as well as I do, this is most likely going to result in a conviction.

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Yes, but a conviction for what? He's charged with -- there's 10 counts that the jury's going to be looking at. Some of those counts relate to lesser charges dealing with administering alcohol to minors. What are you talking about here? You -- this is a 98-page jury instruction.

What the prosecution was doing was, it was throwing up a lot of dirt and seeing, one of these will stick, and maybe one will. But the bottom line is, the big ones will not stick.

BLAIR: (INAUDIBLE)...

NGUYEN: So what will be the deciding factor here in this case, do you think, Nelda?

BLAIR: Oh, it's going to depend on who the jury believes, absolutely, because because it is a circumstantial case, basically, what the jury has to look at, and there is a little physical evidence, but not much, what they have to look at is who they believe on the stand. Do they believe the prosecution's witnesses, particularly the accuser? Or do they believe that Michael Jackson is really just an innocent, childlike person who has the mind of a 7-year-old instead of a 46-year-old?

And that's what the defense would have them believe. But I do think that the jury's going to find that child credible. I think that they're going to believe something of what he says, and that's all that matters. And when they do that, they'll believe that Michael Jackson has committed a crime.

NGUYEN: Here's something I want to know about, Lida. Michael Jackson went to the hospital yesterday, Friday morning, before he appeared in court. Does the jury know anything about this? And if they do, how is that going to affect this case?

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Well, they're not supposed to know anything about it, because he was on time to court. So it shouldn't affect this case at all whatsoever. They do recall, however, the two previous incidents when he landed himself in the hospital that caused delays in the trial, and one that almost got him thrown in jail, because the court, the judge said if he didn't show up within a certain amount of time, he would be held in contempt.

These things should not affect the mindset of the jury. But, you know, the reality is that jurors consider all sorts of things, even things we don't want them to consider, such as the fact that Michael Jackson didn't take the stand. And if the prosecution wins in this case, it's going to win not because it proved its case, but because it cheated.

It basically got to put on evidence about stuff that happened in the '90s that has nothing to do with this case, that technically is not supposed to be used to convict, and it will be misused by a jury, because it's just human nature. And I don't care what Nelda says, you know as a prosecutor, Nel, that the bottom line is, is that jurors will listen to some of this information, and they'll misuse it.

NGUYEN: All right, bottom line, ladies. Start with you, Lida. What's the verdict here?

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Guilty of the main charges, and not guilty of the conspiracy.

NGUYEN: Nelda?

BLAIR: Oh, Lida, you took my...

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: I know, I'm (INAUDIBLE) surprised by that.

BLAIR: I'm, I'm, she's turning prosecutor. I agree with her.

NGUYEN: You agree with her?

BLAIR: I do, absolutely. I do think (INAUDIBLE)...

NGUYEN: But after all this argument, you both agree on the verdict.

BLAIR: That's true. Conviction on the main charges (INAUDIBLE)...

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: Yes, but I think we, I think we disagree on -- we disagree on how they get there.

NGUYEN: I see. All right.

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: I think they -- I...

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: Go ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE)...

NGUYEN: Yes, just throw that in there.

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: I was just going to say, if they convict, it's not because there was evidence to convict. It's because the prosecution created reasonable doubt unfairly by bringing in charges from the '90s.

(CROSSTALK)

BLAIR: Lida, you have...

(CROSSTALK)

BLAIR: ... you do you have to get that part in...

(CROSSTALK)

BLAIR: ... don't you?

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: Yes, she had to get it in there.

(CROSSTALK)

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: I absolutely did.

(CROSSTALK)

RODRIGUEZ-TASSEF: I wanted to make sure I did.

NGUYEN: OK, ladies. BLAIR: Well, hear it on appeal then, Lida.

NGUYEN: Well, thank you so for your time. We'll see how it plays out. Talk to you next weekend.

BLAIR: All right.

HARRIS: That's a big statement, though. That's a big...

NGUYEN: I know, I can't believe it.

HARRIS: Shocking.

All right, our e-mail question of the morning, Should enemy combatants get more legal protections? What do you think? There's the address. And we've got some responses we want to share with you.

This from Jim in Tennessee, who writes, "America must start feeding the needs of democracy if it continues to attempt to change world governments. Not walking the talk gives countries their out for keeping their government the same. This country continues to have internal human rights violations," big exclamation point there.

NGUYEN: Gini in Maine says, "The entire notion of 'enemy combatants' has been, from day one, nothing more than a way to deny people their legal rights. These prisoners are POWs entitled to every protection of the Geneva Convention."

And, of course, we invite you to send those replies in to our e- mail question of the day, Should enemy combatants have more legal protections? E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com.

The official start of summer, well, that is still just weeks away. Can you believe it? While many of you are already enjoying vacations, barbecues, and fun in the sun, summer accidents can send some of you to the ER.

So next on "HOUSE CALL," Dr. Sanjay Gupta shares his tips for keeping your family safe. That is straight ahead, right after a check of the headlines.

HARRIS: But before we go, this week marks CNN's 25th anniversary, and we are hearing from global leaders about how the network has impacted their lives. Here's former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKHAIL GORBACHEV, FORMER SOVIET LEADER (subtitles): Can I give one answer to all of the questions? CNN is a wonderful invention. I remember when the idea of CNN was conceived. My friend Ted Turner traveled around the world and to Russia. And very soon those (illegible) were connected to each other all around the planet.

CNN is the greatest invention of humanity, the invention which helps humanity to be aware of what's happening in our common home, the planet of earth.

And I do appreciate my connection, which dates years and years back, the tradition with CNN, of which I am grateful. In fact, I very often appear on CNN air, and I'm grateful to this television channel CNN, which pays attention and is interested in. Thank you.

I'd like to congratulate Ted Turner with the 25th anniversary of CNN and say, people like him should not be forgotten.

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