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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Ambushes Against U.S. Troops in Iraq Continue; Prosecutors to File Motion to Unseal Autopsy Reports of Laci Peterson, her Unborn Child

Aired May 29, 2003 - 17:00   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.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A CNN exclusive: inside the war room, Saddam strikes back. How close did he come to wiping out coalition commanders?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Missile launch from Iraq. Area has missed Kuwait (ph). Lightning, lightning, lightning.

BLITZER: A missile attack on a key headquarters. CNN was there.

U.S. troops still under attack. Who's behind these daily, deadly ambushes?

AHMED CHALABI, IRAQI NATIONAL CONGRESS: Saddam is still alive and he's still in Iraq and he is renewing his activity, his network.

BLITZER: And a century of Hope.

BOB HOPE, ENTERTAINER: Happy to be here. I don't know where the hell we are, but I'm happy.

BLITZER: Bob Hope turns 100. He's kept us laughing for nearly as long.

ANNOUNCER CNN live this hour: WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital, with correspondents from around the world.

WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Thursday, May 29, 2003. Hello from Washington. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

We'll get to that CNN exclusive report on how Saddam Hussein almost knocked out the entire U.S. military's ground command headquarters in Kuwait in just a few moments.

But first, there's been a dramatic development in the Laci Peterson murder case. The district attorney's office in Modesto, California now says it will file a motion to unseal the autopsy reports of Laci Peterson and her -- and her unborn child. CNN's David Mattingly is joining us now live from Modesto, California. He has details on this dramatic development -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Laci Peterson's body and the body of her unborn son, Conner, were discovered in April after washing ashore on San Francisco Bay.

Since that time the coroner's findings, the autopsy reports, have been kept out of the public eye, sealed by the court so no one could see them. Well, today some details of that report have been made -- leaked to the public and have been made public. One source familiar with the investigation who has seen the autopsy reports tells us that it has to do with the body of baby Conner, that there was a cut found on the baby's body as well as something wrapped around the baby's neck. This was the finding being reported today.

Now when we look for confirmation, public confirmation from the district attorney and from the defense attorneys, no one had anything public to say today. But the district attorney releasing a statement a short time ago, a dramatic turnaround, as you said, Wolf, was that the district attorney's is now saying that they cannot verify the accuracy of these reports because these reports have been sealed. So in direct response to the developments, the D.A. will be filing a motion to withdraw their opposition to the unsealing of the autopsy report.

We had been waiting today for the judge in the case to make a ruling as to whether or not to keep these reports sealed. We are now waiting to find out what the judge has to say about this.

Also in court, the judge said earlier that he is not likely to make these reports public. So again, interesting to see what will happen now. The judge also earlier had said that he was concerned about seeing so much information coming out in the public, in the press and not in the courtroom. And for that reason he was wondering if a gag order would be necessary in this case. That decision will be made some time next week -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What's the reaction to all of these developments from the defense attorney, Mark Geragos, in particular? He's asked that these documents remained sealed like the district attorney, like the prosecution used to want.

MATTINGLY: The defense and the prosecution had said they wanted to keep these documents filed, these documents closed because they wanted to continue the investigation. The D.A. obviously changing his mind as some of the details have gone public. No comment today from the defense.

BLITZER: But it does represent a potentially significant development, this coroner's report, as far as the defense argument is concerned that perhaps others beyond Scott Peterson, could have done this to Laci Peterson and Conner.

MATTINGLY: That has been the contention all along that the real killer of Laci Peterson and her unborn son by the defense, they are saying that the real killer is out there and they are continuing the investigation.

One of the scenarios that has been part of the speculation here is that the baby may have been taken from the mother before it was killed. So there's so much speculation, they can come up with any type of information that comes out, waiting until now to find out what the prosecutor will do, what the court will do with this accurate -- with these accurate documents if they are going to be made public -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. David Mattingly in Modesto for us, on the scene. Thanks, David, very much.

Let's get legal analysis now. Joining us, Jeffrey Toobin, our CNN legal analyst.

All right. Give us your analysis. What does this mean this, this about face by the prosecution to now seek to unseal the coroner's reports.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Wolf, I think to put this in perspective -- what we've today is kind of a cable TV feeding frenzy of reports. Some contradictory, frankly, about what the autopsy actually says about how the unborn child, how Conner died. There is a suggestion in some of these reports that there was some direct effort to harm Conner like plastic tape, possibly around his neck, like a wound inflicted on the fetus itself, not just through the mother.

I'm sorry to talk about this as if this is evidence and not real human beings, but these leaks appear to be designed to help the defense, to suggest there was some sinister force out there to get Conner directly. What the prosecution seems to have done is sort of called the bluff and said, Look, let's get the report out there, get rid of these crazy stories, show what the autopsy actually says so there will be no more speculation with people that have an interest, an ax to grind, put forward.

BLITZER: Did any -- but by leaking the actual words, presumably from this report, this autopsy report involving Conner, was a crime committed?

TOOBIN: It's hard to know.

You know, leaking is one of those things that is theoretically a crime in lots of places. It is almost never prosecuted because the recipients of the leak, that is you and me and our colleagues in the news media, we never have an incentive to say who gave us the material. So it is a crime that journalists essentially refuse to participate abet (ph) in the investigation of and we feel like we're doing, you know, the public's business by getting information.

Whether this specifically was a crime, possibly it was some form of contempt of court. But in the real world no one is ever prosecuted for this kind of leaking.

BLITZER: All right. We know the news media, the newspapers in the area have been seeking permission from the court to release these documents. Now the prosecution says go ahead to the judge, release it. We haven't heard from Mark Geragos, the defense attorney, yet if he's changed his mind. But do you think now that the D.A. says to the judge, Go ahead, release it, that will have an impact?

TOOBIN: That's a very interesting question, Wolf. I don't know. I mean, this would be an interesting example of seeing whether the defense wants his bluff called. Do they want this document really out in the public or do they want their selective leaks, their spin on the document out there?

My sense is that they will probably preserve their position of saying we don't want disclosure to try to be consistent. I frankly don't know what's going on happen on this. It's an interesting -- it's an interesting question.

BLITZER: One final question -- they didn't change their mind on releasing the documents involve the search warrants, only the autopsy reports. Is that your understanding?

TOOBIN: That's right, and I think significantly, there have not been the same kind of detailed leaks regarding what was found in the house, the results of those search. So I think the prosecution doesn't feel like they need to correct the record or call the defenses bluff on the -- on what was found in the house. It's only these autopsy records where there was the very specific, very controversial reports today. That's what the prosecution is hoping to clean up by getting the real stuff on the record.

BLITZER: All right. Jeffrey Toobin, thanks very much. We'll continue to follow this apparent about face by the prosecution, now going forward and saying go ahead and release the autopsy reports.

Let's move on and report about our exclusive story: how an Iraqi missile came within seconds, seconds of possibly wiping out coalition ground force headquarters during the war with Iraq. A CNN crew was embedded at the headquarters in Kuwait at the time and captured what was going on.

Here's CNN national correspondent Mike Boettcher.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready, general?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just received a report that they are shooting civilians trying to flee on An-Najaf.

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A report from the frontlines during the morning BUA, the battlefield update assessment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lightning, lightning, lightning.

BOETTCHER: Suddenly, the headquarters in the rear is on the frontlines. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Missile launch from Iraq area has missed Kuwait (ph). Lightning, lightning, lightning.

BOETTCHER: In a war that began with a strike aimed at killing Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi high command, the Iraqis are launching a counter-attack.

KEN ROBINSON, NATL. SECURITY ANALYST: It was Saddam's decapitation attempt.

BOETTCHER: Inside the operation center, General McKiernan and his crew keep going with their updates, gas masks and all. The patriots on their way to intercept the Iraqi missile. A dull roar overhead.

LT. GEN. DAVID MCKIERNAN, COMMANDER, COALITION GROUND FORCES: The idea is just to, first of all, try to maintain a little calmness and continue on. And, by God, that patriot knocked the missile down.

BOETTCHER: At the Air Missile Defense Command in the building next to the operation center, they plot the trajectory of the Iraqi missile and realized it came within seconds of wiping out the war room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This right here is the building you're standing in where the arrow is. That was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) headquarters.

BOETTCHER: General Wester believes the Iraqis have chosen their target and time carefully, and had very good intelligence.

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM WESTER, DEP. GROUND FORCES COMMANDER: We've been operating out of these two buildings for ten years. And so there's been a long time for that information to get back from agents to Saddam and for him to lay that grid into his weapons systems and prepare to shoot it.

BOETTCHER: Now it's the coalition's turn to hunt for the Iraqi missile crew.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The access, as you can see from the story, was unprecedented. And because of that, because CNN was allowed into secret and classified locations, some of the video did have a prior security review. The CNN documentary team received the access after agreeing to hold the material after until after the conflict was over.

Joining me now, a key member of that CNN team. He was inside the coalition war room at the time of the Iraqi attacks, CNN national security analyst Ken Robinson. Thanks, Ken, very much for that excellent reporting. To Henry Schuster (ph) our producer who was on the scene with you as well.

General McKiernan remarkably, as we saw, kept his cool when they thought a missile was about to go in. How did he do that? ROBINSON: The military has a maxim that they call -- that soldiers will default to their level of training.

And one of the things that General McKiernan did with his team, his hand-picked team was he put them through a series of vignettes of assumptions about the type of threats they were going to receive so that they'd be prepared when the actual day came, to continue with their mission, to continue coolly running their operations center and not reacting to the threats, but allowing the specific people responsible to react.

And that's what the missile team does that we see in the documentary.

BLITZER: We know that, as we heard from General McKiernan, General Wester, this is the building where they'd been operating from, what, ten years or so. But all of the top command leadership was inside at the time. That would have been a disaster had that missile struck. Is there some suspicion how the Iraqis might have known who was inside at that particular time when that missile was fired?

ROBINSON: One of the things that was discussed at the time was the number of guest workers who were on the base in Camp Doha in Kuwait City. There are foreign guest workers from all over Asia who were imported in who do work on the compound. They go through a security check and they take about three hours just to get on the base every day.

And it's very possible that one of those people would have been one of the ones that possibly conducted reconnaissance and reported back which location, where were high value targets to be found.

BLITZER: How did you personally, and Henry Schuster, our producer, our camera crew -- you guys were inside when that was going down. How did you react?

ROBINSON: It happened so fast and the professionalism of the people we were observing continuing with their mission, the reaction was simply as you see in the documentary.

It was at the moment's notice the cameraman immediately started moving, capturing -- Dave Tempko (ph) -- capturing the action at each location. And we simply allowed the situation to develop as it did which was listen to the patriot very quickly take off. The roar, you could feel it in the room. And just a minute later you heard the explosion when the patriot intercepted the missile.

BLITZER: Dave Tempko, our photographer, Henry Schuster, our producer, Ken Robinson, our national security analyst, you guys did a terrific job. Thanks very much.

ROBINSON: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And for much more on how the U.S. planes managed to destroy the Iraqi missile launcher and for the an extraordinary look as our cameras take you inside the war room as the war was being fought, watch "CNN PRESENTS INSIDE THE WAR ROOM." That's this Sunday 8:00 p.m., Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

The British Prime Minister Tony Blair spent much of the day in southern Iraq. The first visit to that country by a world leader since the ouster of Saddam Hussein. He met with local leaders, the U.S. administrator Paul Bremer and with the British forces who helped topple the Iraqi regime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think it will be very clear that when people look back on this time and look back on this conflict, I honestly believe they will see this as one of the defining moments of our century. And you did it. It was your courage and your professionalism that did it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: U.S. forces in Iraq are still being targeted. The U.S. Central Command says another soldier was killed today by hostile fire while traveling along a supply route north of Baghdad. As U.S. commanders vow a crack down, Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress today laid the blame at a familiar doorstep.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHALABI: Saddam is still alive and he's still in Iraq. And he's renewing his activity, his network...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: For more now on the dangers facing U.S. troops, here's Matthew Chance in the Iraqi capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Day and night, U.S. patrols are on the streets. Throughout Baghdad and other places the search for weapons and followers of Saddam is nonstop. The latest deadly attacks on units like this underscore how dangerous Iraq remains to these troops.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go out, America. Go out, America. Go out.

CHANCE: The area of Ramadi (ph), to the west of Baghdad, is a hostile place for U.S. forces. At the town of Hit (ph), the local police station still smolders after rioters, angered by what they say were intrusive weapons searches, burnt it down. Iraqi police and U.S. troops have now left. U.S. military officials say armed opposition in this majority Sunni Muslim area appears organized and coordinated.

MCKIERNAN: That was an area that we know that some of the regime leadership tried to make their way out of Baghdad through. We know that there was a Special Forces brigade that was in that area as we fought the decisive combat operations. And what I can tell you is that we will apply all the necessary combat power to make sure that that opposition is removed. CHANCE: Back in Baghdad, where there has also been deadly opposition, people and cars are searched on the street. Next week, a weapons amnesty goes into force, imposing security as a new urgency. Without it, victory is incomplete.

(on camera): In flash points outside the capital, U.S. commanders say they may send additional forces to crush the opposition. On the streets of Baghdad, searches and security patrols have been stepped up. And while major combat operations here have long come to an end, U.S. Army commanders acknowledge their war is far from won.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: On May 1, nearly a month ago, President Bush stood on the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and announced an end to major combat operations in Iraq. The war itself was not declared over and indeed the war very much continues as underscored by these numbers: 168 Americans have died since the war began, 31 of these deaths have come after that May 1 speech by the president. That's an average of roughly one a day.

President Bush takes on French television. Is he ready to warm up to France, to Europe and the Arab world? We'll bring you excerpts from that interview.

Plus, a ground breaking meeting in the Middle East. Will it clear the way for the president to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians?

Also, she claimed to be a September 11 victim before she allegedly knocked over a few banks. The "Blonde Bandit," as she's now being called, gets busted in New York. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Just ahead of a visit by President Bush, the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers have held a late night meeting in Jerusalem discussing how to turn the U.S. so-called roadmap for peace into reality.

Let's go live to Jerusalem. That's where CNN's Kelly Wallace is standing by. That meeting still going to, Kelly?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: No, Wolf, it broke up a little bit ago. About two and a half hours the two men spent behind closed doors. Their first meeting just about 12 days ago, failed to achieve a breakthrough. Not clear if they achieved any breakthrough in this meeting, but the indications are from both sides that they made some progress. Israeli officials saying it was a good atmosphere behind closed doors. Palestinians describing it as serious, candid, beneficial. The two men, we are told, enjoying a dinner over stuffed chicken, salad and dessert and talking about serious issues. Israeli officials say that Prime Minister Sharon offered what he offered just about two weeks ago for Israeli troops to redeploy from the center of West Bank towns and from the northern Gaza Strip if the Palestinians feel they are ready and willing to take control of security in those areas. Not clear what the Palestinian response to that was.

Also the Israelis are announcing that they are going to institute a number of confidence-building measures, issuing some 25,000 work permits for Palestinians to work in Israel, lifting the closure on Palestinian access into Israel from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Now as for the Palestinians, sources are telling us that Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas went into this meeting calling for a number of steps for the Israelis to take including ending military operations. Again, not exactly clear what came out of this although there is a pledge for the two sides to start meeting again in the future -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Kelly Wallace, who's going to be busy over the next few days. Kelly, thanks very much for that report from Jerusalem.

A decision on the death penalty in the Louisiana serial killer case. That story right after a break.

Also, Arab and French reporters are going one-on-one with President Bush. He's talking Middle East peace, fighting the war on terror and U.S. relations with France. Can they be repaired?

Plus, Mike Tyson on rape. The ex-con and heavyweight champ weighs in. You'll never believe what he's saying now.

And later, the worsening SARS crisis in Toronto. The latest efforts to control the deadly disease.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's been a major development in the Louisiana serial killer case and that tops our justice files today. Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty, against suspect Derrick Todd Lee. He was denied bail today in a closed-circuit TV hearing before a Baton Rouge judge.

A hearing also in the case of the accused D.C.-area sniper John Mohammed. The judge refused defense requests to dismiss one of the two death penalty counts against Mohammed and for a gag order in the case.

And former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson said he never committed that rape that sent him to prison for three years, but he said he would do it now. In a TV interview he's as quoted saying this of his accuser;

Quote, "I hate her guts. She put me in that state, where I don't know, I really wish I did know. But now I really do want to rape her."

He's speaking of the beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington, who said Tyson attacked her in 1991 in an Indianapolis hotel room.

New York tabloids call her "The Blonde Bandit" and "The 9/11 Bandit." Pamela Kaichen is charged with robbing two banks and she's a suspect in four other bank holdups. Just what triggered her alleged crime spree?

For that and more details, CNN's Maria Hinojosa is standing by in Scarsdale, New York -- Maria.

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN URBAN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a story that breaks through a certain kind of stereotype, though not with the outcome that any one might have imagined.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HINOJOSA (voice-over): Look at her smile, the clothes, the hair, Pamela Kaichen had an upscale address just a mile from Bill and Hillary Clinton. You would never think that this suburban woman with the business degree might be guilty of this: she walked into six suburban banks over the course of just 48 hours, according to a federal complaint, robbing them of thousands of dollars.

Her disguise: a plain yellow rain slicker and a long blond wig.

"I lost a loved one on September 11. Please put every thing from your top drawer in this bag. I have a gun."

And also: "I went through the September 11 attacks," she said, "And I'm very angry today. Don't make a sound or every one is going to die."

No one did die, but she did flash a gun. Not exactly the woman next door.

(on camera): And not exactly the sort of person who typically robs banks. Of the 8,800 bank robberies in 2001, only 511 were done by women. Of those, about equal numbers of black and white.

CAROL HALPERIN, KAICHEN'S LANDLORD: But you see where that window is up in the corner? That's where she lived.

HINOJOSA (voice-over): Pamela Kaichen once ran her own marketing firm and was considered an expert horse rider. It's not clear whether she really lost a loved one on September 11 or was even there, but this woman facing a judge on robbery charges told people she volunteered tirelessly at Ground Zero. Now the tabloids are calling her "The 9/11 Bandit," "The Soccer Mom," a latter-day Bonnie without the Clyde.

HALPERIN: She was perky and fun, most of the time very up. Occasionally, you saw some dark side to her. HINOJOSA: Carol Halperin rented a room to Pamela for eight years. She says Kaichen was single and childless and that her life unraveled when her business partner's husband sold every thing she had.

HALPERIN: I could well imagine the turmoil she must have been going through. You know, a lot of us have problems, but we have somebody to talk to or somebody to confide in and somebody who will give us a hand, and I don't think she had that.

HINOJOSA: So according to the FBI, she went on a string of bank heists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pulled her over just about here.

HINOJOSA (on camera): Right over here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Asked for her license and registration.

HINOJOSA: Officer Paul Carroccio stopped Pamela because she wasn't wearing her seat belt -- right smack in the middle of her alleged robbery spree.

OFFICER PAUL CARROCCIO, DANBURY POLICE: At night, I'm at home watching the 11:00 news. They showed a still photo from a bank surveillance camera, and without question, I said, "Hey, I gave that woman a ticket today."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HINOJOSA: She was arrested just five days later. So the so- called blonde bandit who, by the way, has actually a thick mane of long black hair, now is facing federal charges and up to 120 years in a maximum sentence -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Maria Hinojosa, reporting for us from New York.

Mending fences with Europe and the Middle East. Hear what President Bush is telling French television only moments ago. Also -- Canada's big oops. How the SARS virus once again has exploded in Toronto. Can America's northern neighbor keep it from spreading here? I'll ask the man in charge of containing this deadly disease.

And a century of hope -- Bob Hope, that is. A look back at all those years of entertainment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

Is President Bush trying to mend fences with France? Hear what he's telling French television. That's coming up. First, the latest headlines.

California prosecutors say they'll file a motion to unseal the autopsy reports on Laci Peterson and her unborn son. Their move came after news reports that the unborn child's body had plastic tape around his neck and a cut on his body. The autopsy reports had been sealed by court order.

U.S. forces in Baghdad raided the Palestinian authority's mission in the Iraqi capital, arresting seven Palestinians and a Syrian. The commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq says numerous weapons were found, including automatic rifles, grenades, a sub machine gun and a book on terrorism.

A group of broadcasters has agreed to put at least 22 television antennas atop the 1,776-foot spire planned for the World Trade Center site. The Metropolitan Television Alliance signed the agreement with developer Larry Silverstein, who owns the lease on the Trade Center. The antennas will appear as a single unit on the skyline.

And the family of former POW Jessica Lynch says she remembers everything about her ordeal. Her military doctors have said she was suffering from some form of amnesia surrounding the events of her capture. The family also says they're not supposed to talk about details of her experience. There have been reports that the Pentagon made her rescue more dramatic than it had to be.

The total number of SARS cases in Toronto jumped to more than 60 today as Canadian officials began reclassifying cases according to World Health Organization guidelines. The new breakdown is 33 probable cases and 29 suspect cases. This comes as officials today closed a suburban high school after a student became ill. Yesterday 2,000 students and staff at the school were quarantined.

All of this is raising growing concern that the World Health Organization may issue another warning against travel to Toronto. Joining us now for some insight, Dr. Colin D'Cunha, Ontario's commissioner of health.

Dr. D'Cunha, thanks so much for joining us. How did this happen? What happened? We thought only days ago that the problem, basically, had been worked out in Toronto?

DR. COLIN D'CUNHA, COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH, ONTARIO, CANADA: Well, until last Thursday I would have drawn the same conclusion myself. What became apparent was -- on Thursday -- there was a 96- year-old male admitted for pelvic surgery to one of the wards at one of our hospitals, who got infected, had a post-op pneumonia, which is considered normal and then around the 19th of April represented with the pneumonia, which, in retrospect, has now been diagnosed as SARS. This individual was sitting unprotected in the hospital and infected a few other patients. So as we came off very strict, vigilant precautions in May -- on the 17th of May -- there were a whole bunch of other people who were accidentally infected.

BLITZER: So the misdiagnosis of this individual apparently is now spreading the problem because it's a very contagious disease. Is that right?

D'CUNHA: What I've got to do is clarify. It was one of those local cases -- I'll put -- this was one that went below the radar screen. This is certainly responsible for infecting now in this cluster approximately 33 individuals and probable -- and I need to correct you, Wolf -- it's eight suspect. The figure 29 comes from the old "health Canada" definition. Some of these individuals overnight got reclassified as probable. So the correct numbers are 33 probable, eight suspect.

BLITZER: And how many people are quarantined right now? We've had various estimates, as you well know.

D'CUNHA: Sure. Essentially, out in the community, some 7,000 individuals are in quarantine. In addition, some 400 individuals, health-care workers are in quarantine, and approximately -- as best as we can determine -- some 5,000 individuals are in working quarantine. Mainly, they stay isolated at home. They're supposed to commute, which the bulk of them do in their own car or grab a ride wearing a mask, and when they're in the hospital, they are practicing full infection control practices, changing their gear, whether it's the mask, the eyewear, the gloves and the gowns, moving from patient to patient. And overly on top of all of this is if they develop the symptoms of SARS, they're not supposed to come into work and seek a clinical assessment as soon as possible under respiratory isolation conditions.

BLITZER: Dr. D'Cunha, good luck to you. Good luck to all our friends in Toronto, else where in Canada. Thanks very much for joining us.

D'CUNHA: Thank you, Wolf.

One-on-one with President Bush. He is talking about French relations with The United States on French television. They've been strained for some time. We'll tell you what he is staying. That story right after a quick break. But first, a look at some other news making headlines around the world.

A man stabbed two flight attendants on a Quantas Airlines flight in Australia in an apparent attempt to hijack the plane and crash it. He was eventually overpowered by the crew and passengers, and the plane landed safely. One official describes the man as mentally unstable.

Nigeria's president was sworn in for a second term as leader of Africa's most populous country, a first for a civilian government there. More than a dozen African heads of state looked on with Education Secretary Rod Paige representing the United States.

Leaders from around the world are streaming into St. Petersburg to help mark the 300th anniversary of the city's founding. It's Russia's second largest city and was the capital under the czar.

And celebrations in Nepal to mark 50 years since the conquest of Mount Everest. It was May 29, 1953 when Sir Edmund Hillary and guide Tenzig Norgay reached the top of the world's tallest mountain. In honor of his achievement, Nepal made Hillary an honorary citizen. Norgay died 17 years ago. And that's our look "Around the World."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: President Bush leaves tomorrow for Europe and among other things, the G-8 summit over the weekend in France and then on to a crucial meeting in the Middle East on his road map for peace. His European stop could help mend some ties with traditional allies, severely strained by the Iraq war and go far silencing critics who say he's all but ignored the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He talked about the issue today in an interview with the French television channel FR3.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIAN MALAR, FRANCE-3 TV: Mr. President, are you going to forgive the French attitude on Iraq? What are you going to tell President Chirac when you're going to see him face-to-face? Are still you mad at him? Are you going to take sanctions against France?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, no, no sanctions. I'm not mad. I mean, I'm disappointed, and the American people are disappointed. But now is the time to move forward. And there's a lot of issues that we can work together on.

I know that Jacques Chirac feels strongly about Africa and so do I. And therefore we can work together, for example, on the AIDS pandemic in Africa. I laid out a big initiative here for the American people and the Congress passed a $15 billion five-year plan to work on HIV-AIDS in Africa. And there would be an opportunity, for example, for America and the French to work together to solve some big problems.

And I'm going to remind him, as like I'm going to remind a lot of people, that we can do a heck of a lot more together than we can arguing with each other. And you know I can understand why some didn't agree with our policy in Iraq, but it is now time to move forward.

MALAR: Concering the road map, peace in the Middle East, you are going to be most of the protagonists next week. How do you plan on quickly to succeed where your predecessors failed?

BUSH: Yes. Well, first of all, I appreciate the understanding of Jacques Chirac and the administration about me leaving a little early form Avignon to go to the Middle East where I will first meet with our Arab friends, some of the leaders in the neighborhood and remind them they have a responsibility to the process. In other words, they are interested in the achievement of peace, that they must cut off funding, for example, or work to cut off the financing of money to terrorist groups that would like to destroy the process.

Secondly, I believe that the Palestinian authority, the new prime minister, is firmly committed to the defeat of terror and the advancement of a state and the institutions necessary to make a state viable. And so I'm very encouraged by his emergence.

And thirdly, I believe Israel recognizes it's in their self interest to support the notion of two states living side by side in peace. I'm the first president to have ever proposed that. I did so at the United Nations. And I take that vision into the Middle East knowing that the process is going to be difficult but I believe that people now see the necessity of achieving that end result.

MALAR: Mr. President, what do you answer to the American press trying to say that you are not released yet the proof of the existence of arms of massive destructions in Iraq? What do you answer to them?

BUSH: Well they must not be paying attention, is what I answer, because we've discovered mobile biological laboratories. The very same laboratories that Colin Powell talked about at the United Nations. The very same laboratories that were banned by the resolutions of the United Nations.

MALAR: The situation in Iraq is far from being stabilized. We have seen American soldiers killed. Do you fear the rise of Muslim fundamentalism in this region against the occidental world? Against the United States? And do you feel at the same time of the risk creation of an Islamic republic backed by neighboring Iran?

BUSH: No, I don't fear that. I think the Iraqi people want to run their own state. They don't need to have an Iranian-backed regime. I think the Iraqi people are plenty capable of managing their own affairs.

Secondly, I fully recognize that democracy didn't flourish overnight, but I didn't expect it to. This is a country which has been ravished by a brutal dictator who murdered and tortured to stay in power. And it wasn't all that long ago that they were liberated from Saddam Hussein. So it's going to take a while. And therefore I've told Jerry Bremer that our government, my government would be patient as he makes progress toward improving the lives of the Iraqi people.

And I say he, it's not only Jerry Bremer and the United States. There's a lot of people that are involved with the reconstruction of Iraq. And as life returns back to normal and as we get a hold of the situation, particularly in Baghdad of the killers and people that are wreaking havoc, in other words, as we bring security to neighborhoods, you'll see a good Democratic government emerge.

MALAR: Is Iran a preoccupation for you? The ayatollah as with al Qaeda which might be in that country's (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

BUSH: Well, we are concerned that there's al Qaeda inside of Iran and made our concerns very clearly and this will give me a chance to do so again, to the extent that they have got al Qaeda in their country. We expect them to detain them and eventually hand them over to their countries of origin.

There's no preoccupation. Our main focus right now is to find al Qaeda wherever they exist and bring them to justice. And we will do that. We continue to do that and we expect others to join us.

And I want to compliment the French for joining in this fight against al Qaeda. The French intelligence service have been very good to work with and we've been very good to work with. and we've shared intelligence, which has made France more secure and America more secure, and for that I'm greatful.

MALAR: Mr. President, I want to thank you very much and definitely I wish you all of the best and great success.

BUSH: Thank you, sir. Thanks for coming. Appreciate you being here.

MALAR: Oh, all of the time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And our thanks once again to FR3, the French television network, for letting us broadcast that interview with the president.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. "Our Web Question of the Day" is this, should President Bush mend the relationship with France? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf.

While you're there I'd love to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'm try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column. cnn.com/wolf.

A milestone for a legendary American performer. Bob Hope hits 100-years-old today. We'll look back at his incredible career, entertaining U.S. troops among other things. Thanks, Bob, for the memories.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The 76 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee ended just a few moments ago. Today's round started with 84 competitors this, is how it ended.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pococurante, it's an adjective meaning not concerned, indifferent, nonchalant. Pococurante.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: P-o-c-o-c-u-r-a-n-t-e, Pococurante.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's the champion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The winner of the 2003 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, Sai Gunturi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: There he is, 13-year-old Sai Gunturi is an eighth grader from Dallas, Texas. In addition to his trophy he walks away with $12,000 in prize money. Good spelling.

This is Bob Hope's 100th birthday. The comedian is marking it quietly at home with his family in Los Angeles. Even though he's been out of the public eye for the last three years or so, he's still a national icon.

CNN's, Thelma Gutierrez shows us why.

HOPE: Here we for West Berlin, ladies and gentleman. West Berlin, that's a PX surrounded by Russians.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was there during World War II in the '40s.

HOPE: Ladies and Gentle here we are in Seoul, Korea.

GUTIERREZ: In the'50s, he was in Korea.

HOPE: Here I am in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) better known as god city.

GUTIERREZ: The '60s, took him to Vietnam.

Fast forward to the '90s in the Middle East.

HOPE: It's been a while since I've entertained servicemen, but Washington told me if we can bring ships out of mothballs, why not you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's hear it for him, Bob Hope!

GUTIERREZ: Doing comedy in a war zone was dangerous business. During a trip to Saigon, Hope's hotel was bombs minutes before he arrived.

HOPE: We were 15 minutes late getting on the road because we had to wait for Barney and the cue cards, and when we got to the hotel it was just blown up. It makes you think a little bit.

GUTIERREZ: But it never stopped him. In fact, Hope was credited for putting the USO on the map. In 1991, Hope was given the lifetime achievement award by President Bush. Perhaps more than anything, he made the troops with a little help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard about your lovemaking.

HOPE: It's nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what I heard.

HOPE: This is dangerous, if this audience sees steak they'll come right up here after it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know, they've seen ham all evening and you're still here.

HOPE: All right, everybody down off the ceiling, all right. Happy to be here. I don't know where the hell we are, but I'm happy.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: For all of our viewers, of course, happy birthday, Bob Hope, many more to come.

Former President Gerald Ford, meanwhile, is talking about the near collapse that sent him to the hospital recently. He was golfing in almost 100 degree heat near Palm Springs in California when he became dizzy. He said it was a frightening experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALD FORD, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just almost collapsed and I was saved from my dizziness by -- by the secret service and my golfing partner, but it did scare me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. Excuse me. Vice President Ford was checked out of the hospital and sent home, but returned later for an overnight stay when the dizziness came back. Of course, President Ford. He blamed the whole thing on the heat, good luck to you, President Ford, as well.

Our hot web question of the day is this, "Should President Bush mend the relationship with France?"

Vote now at cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our web question of the day. Remember, weave been asking you, this "Should President Bush mend the relationship with France?"

Look at this, 69 percent of you say, yes, 31 percent of you say, no.

You can find the exact vote tally and continue to vote, by the way, on our web site, cnn.com/wolf. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.

A reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at this time, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, 2:00 p.m. on the West Coast. See you again tomorrow for the latest developments.

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




to File Motion to Unseal Autopsy Reports of Laci Peterson, her Unborn Child>


Aired May 29, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A CNN exclusive: inside the war room, Saddam strikes back. How close did he come to wiping out coalition commanders?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Missile launch from Iraq. Area has missed Kuwait (ph). Lightning, lightning, lightning.

BLITZER: A missile attack on a key headquarters. CNN was there.

U.S. troops still under attack. Who's behind these daily, deadly ambushes?

AHMED CHALABI, IRAQI NATIONAL CONGRESS: Saddam is still alive and he's still in Iraq and he is renewing his activity, his network.

BLITZER: And a century of Hope.

BOB HOPE, ENTERTAINER: Happy to be here. I don't know where the hell we are, but I'm happy.

BLITZER: Bob Hope turns 100. He's kept us laughing for nearly as long.

ANNOUNCER CNN live this hour: WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital, with correspondents from around the world.

WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Thursday, May 29, 2003. Hello from Washington. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

We'll get to that CNN exclusive report on how Saddam Hussein almost knocked out the entire U.S. military's ground command headquarters in Kuwait in just a few moments.

But first, there's been a dramatic development in the Laci Peterson murder case. The district attorney's office in Modesto, California now says it will file a motion to unseal the autopsy reports of Laci Peterson and her -- and her unborn child. CNN's David Mattingly is joining us now live from Modesto, California. He has details on this dramatic development -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Laci Peterson's body and the body of her unborn son, Conner, were discovered in April after washing ashore on San Francisco Bay.

Since that time the coroner's findings, the autopsy reports, have been kept out of the public eye, sealed by the court so no one could see them. Well, today some details of that report have been made -- leaked to the public and have been made public. One source familiar with the investigation who has seen the autopsy reports tells us that it has to do with the body of baby Conner, that there was a cut found on the baby's body as well as something wrapped around the baby's neck. This was the finding being reported today.

Now when we look for confirmation, public confirmation from the district attorney and from the defense attorneys, no one had anything public to say today. But the district attorney releasing a statement a short time ago, a dramatic turnaround, as you said, Wolf, was that the district attorney's is now saying that they cannot verify the accuracy of these reports because these reports have been sealed. So in direct response to the developments, the D.A. will be filing a motion to withdraw their opposition to the unsealing of the autopsy report.

We had been waiting today for the judge in the case to make a ruling as to whether or not to keep these reports sealed. We are now waiting to find out what the judge has to say about this.

Also in court, the judge said earlier that he is not likely to make these reports public. So again, interesting to see what will happen now. The judge also earlier had said that he was concerned about seeing so much information coming out in the public, in the press and not in the courtroom. And for that reason he was wondering if a gag order would be necessary in this case. That decision will be made some time next week -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What's the reaction to all of these developments from the defense attorney, Mark Geragos, in particular? He's asked that these documents remained sealed like the district attorney, like the prosecution used to want.

MATTINGLY: The defense and the prosecution had said they wanted to keep these documents filed, these documents closed because they wanted to continue the investigation. The D.A. obviously changing his mind as some of the details have gone public. No comment today from the defense.

BLITZER: But it does represent a potentially significant development, this coroner's report, as far as the defense argument is concerned that perhaps others beyond Scott Peterson, could have done this to Laci Peterson and Conner.

MATTINGLY: That has been the contention all along that the real killer of Laci Peterson and her unborn son by the defense, they are saying that the real killer is out there and they are continuing the investigation.

One of the scenarios that has been part of the speculation here is that the baby may have been taken from the mother before it was killed. So there's so much speculation, they can come up with any type of information that comes out, waiting until now to find out what the prosecutor will do, what the court will do with this accurate -- with these accurate documents if they are going to be made public -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. David Mattingly in Modesto for us, on the scene. Thanks, David, very much.

Let's get legal analysis now. Joining us, Jeffrey Toobin, our CNN legal analyst.

All right. Give us your analysis. What does this mean this, this about face by the prosecution to now seek to unseal the coroner's reports.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, Wolf, I think to put this in perspective -- what we've today is kind of a cable TV feeding frenzy of reports. Some contradictory, frankly, about what the autopsy actually says about how the unborn child, how Conner died. There is a suggestion in some of these reports that there was some direct effort to harm Conner like plastic tape, possibly around his neck, like a wound inflicted on the fetus itself, not just through the mother.

I'm sorry to talk about this as if this is evidence and not real human beings, but these leaks appear to be designed to help the defense, to suggest there was some sinister force out there to get Conner directly. What the prosecution seems to have done is sort of called the bluff and said, Look, let's get the report out there, get rid of these crazy stories, show what the autopsy actually says so there will be no more speculation with people that have an interest, an ax to grind, put forward.

BLITZER: Did any -- but by leaking the actual words, presumably from this report, this autopsy report involving Conner, was a crime committed?

TOOBIN: It's hard to know.

You know, leaking is one of those things that is theoretically a crime in lots of places. It is almost never prosecuted because the recipients of the leak, that is you and me and our colleagues in the news media, we never have an incentive to say who gave us the material. So it is a crime that journalists essentially refuse to participate abet (ph) in the investigation of and we feel like we're doing, you know, the public's business by getting information.

Whether this specifically was a crime, possibly it was some form of contempt of court. But in the real world no one is ever prosecuted for this kind of leaking.

BLITZER: All right. We know the news media, the newspapers in the area have been seeking permission from the court to release these documents. Now the prosecution says go ahead to the judge, release it. We haven't heard from Mark Geragos, the defense attorney, yet if he's changed his mind. But do you think now that the D.A. says to the judge, Go ahead, release it, that will have an impact?

TOOBIN: That's a very interesting question, Wolf. I don't know. I mean, this would be an interesting example of seeing whether the defense wants his bluff called. Do they want this document really out in the public or do they want their selective leaks, their spin on the document out there?

My sense is that they will probably preserve their position of saying we don't want disclosure to try to be consistent. I frankly don't know what's going on happen on this. It's an interesting -- it's an interesting question.

BLITZER: One final question -- they didn't change their mind on releasing the documents involve the search warrants, only the autopsy reports. Is that your understanding?

TOOBIN: That's right, and I think significantly, there have not been the same kind of detailed leaks regarding what was found in the house, the results of those search. So I think the prosecution doesn't feel like they need to correct the record or call the defenses bluff on the -- on what was found in the house. It's only these autopsy records where there was the very specific, very controversial reports today. That's what the prosecution is hoping to clean up by getting the real stuff on the record.

BLITZER: All right. Jeffrey Toobin, thanks very much. We'll continue to follow this apparent about face by the prosecution, now going forward and saying go ahead and release the autopsy reports.

Let's move on and report about our exclusive story: how an Iraqi missile came within seconds, seconds of possibly wiping out coalition ground force headquarters during the war with Iraq. A CNN crew was embedded at the headquarters in Kuwait at the time and captured what was going on.

Here's CNN national correspondent Mike Boettcher.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready, general?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just received a report that they are shooting civilians trying to flee on An-Najaf.

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A report from the frontlines during the morning BUA, the battlefield update assessment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lightning, lightning, lightning.

BOETTCHER: Suddenly, the headquarters in the rear is on the frontlines. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Missile launch from Iraq area has missed Kuwait (ph). Lightning, lightning, lightning.

BOETTCHER: In a war that began with a strike aimed at killing Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi high command, the Iraqis are launching a counter-attack.

KEN ROBINSON, NATL. SECURITY ANALYST: It was Saddam's decapitation attempt.

BOETTCHER: Inside the operation center, General McKiernan and his crew keep going with their updates, gas masks and all. The patriots on their way to intercept the Iraqi missile. A dull roar overhead.

LT. GEN. DAVID MCKIERNAN, COMMANDER, COALITION GROUND FORCES: The idea is just to, first of all, try to maintain a little calmness and continue on. And, by God, that patriot knocked the missile down.

BOETTCHER: At the Air Missile Defense Command in the building next to the operation center, they plot the trajectory of the Iraqi missile and realized it came within seconds of wiping out the war room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This right here is the building you're standing in where the arrow is. That was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) headquarters.

BOETTCHER: General Wester believes the Iraqis have chosen their target and time carefully, and had very good intelligence.

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM WESTER, DEP. GROUND FORCES COMMANDER: We've been operating out of these two buildings for ten years. And so there's been a long time for that information to get back from agents to Saddam and for him to lay that grid into his weapons systems and prepare to shoot it.

BOETTCHER: Now it's the coalition's turn to hunt for the Iraqi missile crew.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The access, as you can see from the story, was unprecedented. And because of that, because CNN was allowed into secret and classified locations, some of the video did have a prior security review. The CNN documentary team received the access after agreeing to hold the material after until after the conflict was over.

Joining me now, a key member of that CNN team. He was inside the coalition war room at the time of the Iraqi attacks, CNN national security analyst Ken Robinson. Thanks, Ken, very much for that excellent reporting. To Henry Schuster (ph) our producer who was on the scene with you as well.

General McKiernan remarkably, as we saw, kept his cool when they thought a missile was about to go in. How did he do that? ROBINSON: The military has a maxim that they call -- that soldiers will default to their level of training.

And one of the things that General McKiernan did with his team, his hand-picked team was he put them through a series of vignettes of assumptions about the type of threats they were going to receive so that they'd be prepared when the actual day came, to continue with their mission, to continue coolly running their operations center and not reacting to the threats, but allowing the specific people responsible to react.

And that's what the missile team does that we see in the documentary.

BLITZER: We know that, as we heard from General McKiernan, General Wester, this is the building where they'd been operating from, what, ten years or so. But all of the top command leadership was inside at the time. That would have been a disaster had that missile struck. Is there some suspicion how the Iraqis might have known who was inside at that particular time when that missile was fired?

ROBINSON: One of the things that was discussed at the time was the number of guest workers who were on the base in Camp Doha in Kuwait City. There are foreign guest workers from all over Asia who were imported in who do work on the compound. They go through a security check and they take about three hours just to get on the base every day.

And it's very possible that one of those people would have been one of the ones that possibly conducted reconnaissance and reported back which location, where were high value targets to be found.

BLITZER: How did you personally, and Henry Schuster, our producer, our camera crew -- you guys were inside when that was going down. How did you react?

ROBINSON: It happened so fast and the professionalism of the people we were observing continuing with their mission, the reaction was simply as you see in the documentary.

It was at the moment's notice the cameraman immediately started moving, capturing -- Dave Tempko (ph) -- capturing the action at each location. And we simply allowed the situation to develop as it did which was listen to the patriot very quickly take off. The roar, you could feel it in the room. And just a minute later you heard the explosion when the patriot intercepted the missile.

BLITZER: Dave Tempko, our photographer, Henry Schuster, our producer, Ken Robinson, our national security analyst, you guys did a terrific job. Thanks very much.

ROBINSON: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And for much more on how the U.S. planes managed to destroy the Iraqi missile launcher and for the an extraordinary look as our cameras take you inside the war room as the war was being fought, watch "CNN PRESENTS INSIDE THE WAR ROOM." That's this Sunday 8:00 p.m., Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.

The British Prime Minister Tony Blair spent much of the day in southern Iraq. The first visit to that country by a world leader since the ouster of Saddam Hussein. He met with local leaders, the U.S. administrator Paul Bremer and with the British forces who helped topple the Iraqi regime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think it will be very clear that when people look back on this time and look back on this conflict, I honestly believe they will see this as one of the defining moments of our century. And you did it. It was your courage and your professionalism that did it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: U.S. forces in Iraq are still being targeted. The U.S. Central Command says another soldier was killed today by hostile fire while traveling along a supply route north of Baghdad. As U.S. commanders vow a crack down, Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress today laid the blame at a familiar doorstep.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHALABI: Saddam is still alive and he's still in Iraq. And he's renewing his activity, his network...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: For more now on the dangers facing U.S. troops, here's Matthew Chance in the Iraqi capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Day and night, U.S. patrols are on the streets. Throughout Baghdad and other places the search for weapons and followers of Saddam is nonstop. The latest deadly attacks on units like this underscore how dangerous Iraq remains to these troops.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go out, America. Go out, America. Go out.

CHANCE: The area of Ramadi (ph), to the west of Baghdad, is a hostile place for U.S. forces. At the town of Hit (ph), the local police station still smolders after rioters, angered by what they say were intrusive weapons searches, burnt it down. Iraqi police and U.S. troops have now left. U.S. military officials say armed opposition in this majority Sunni Muslim area appears organized and coordinated.

MCKIERNAN: That was an area that we know that some of the regime leadership tried to make their way out of Baghdad through. We know that there was a Special Forces brigade that was in that area as we fought the decisive combat operations. And what I can tell you is that we will apply all the necessary combat power to make sure that that opposition is removed. CHANCE: Back in Baghdad, where there has also been deadly opposition, people and cars are searched on the street. Next week, a weapons amnesty goes into force, imposing security as a new urgency. Without it, victory is incomplete.

(on camera): In flash points outside the capital, U.S. commanders say they may send additional forces to crush the opposition. On the streets of Baghdad, searches and security patrols have been stepped up. And while major combat operations here have long come to an end, U.S. Army commanders acknowledge their war is far from won.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: On May 1, nearly a month ago, President Bush stood on the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and announced an end to major combat operations in Iraq. The war itself was not declared over and indeed the war very much continues as underscored by these numbers: 168 Americans have died since the war began, 31 of these deaths have come after that May 1 speech by the president. That's an average of roughly one a day.

President Bush takes on French television. Is he ready to warm up to France, to Europe and the Arab world? We'll bring you excerpts from that interview.

Plus, a ground breaking meeting in the Middle East. Will it clear the way for the president to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians?

Also, she claimed to be a September 11 victim before she allegedly knocked over a few banks. The "Blonde Bandit," as she's now being called, gets busted in New York. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Just ahead of a visit by President Bush, the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers have held a late night meeting in Jerusalem discussing how to turn the U.S. so-called roadmap for peace into reality.

Let's go live to Jerusalem. That's where CNN's Kelly Wallace is standing by. That meeting still going to, Kelly?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: No, Wolf, it broke up a little bit ago. About two and a half hours the two men spent behind closed doors. Their first meeting just about 12 days ago, failed to achieve a breakthrough. Not clear if they achieved any breakthrough in this meeting, but the indications are from both sides that they made some progress. Israeli officials saying it was a good atmosphere behind closed doors. Palestinians describing it as serious, candid, beneficial. The two men, we are told, enjoying a dinner over stuffed chicken, salad and dessert and talking about serious issues. Israeli officials say that Prime Minister Sharon offered what he offered just about two weeks ago for Israeli troops to redeploy from the center of West Bank towns and from the northern Gaza Strip if the Palestinians feel they are ready and willing to take control of security in those areas. Not clear what the Palestinian response to that was.

Also the Israelis are announcing that they are going to institute a number of confidence-building measures, issuing some 25,000 work permits for Palestinians to work in Israel, lifting the closure on Palestinian access into Israel from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Now as for the Palestinians, sources are telling us that Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas went into this meeting calling for a number of steps for the Israelis to take including ending military operations. Again, not exactly clear what came out of this although there is a pledge for the two sides to start meeting again in the future -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Kelly Wallace, who's going to be busy over the next few days. Kelly, thanks very much for that report from Jerusalem.

A decision on the death penalty in the Louisiana serial killer case. That story right after a break.

Also, Arab and French reporters are going one-on-one with President Bush. He's talking Middle East peace, fighting the war on terror and U.S. relations with France. Can they be repaired?

Plus, Mike Tyson on rape. The ex-con and heavyweight champ weighs in. You'll never believe what he's saying now.

And later, the worsening SARS crisis in Toronto. The latest efforts to control the deadly disease.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's been a major development in the Louisiana serial killer case and that tops our justice files today. Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty, against suspect Derrick Todd Lee. He was denied bail today in a closed-circuit TV hearing before a Baton Rouge judge.

A hearing also in the case of the accused D.C.-area sniper John Mohammed. The judge refused defense requests to dismiss one of the two death penalty counts against Mohammed and for a gag order in the case.

And former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson said he never committed that rape that sent him to prison for three years, but he said he would do it now. In a TV interview he's as quoted saying this of his accuser;

Quote, "I hate her guts. She put me in that state, where I don't know, I really wish I did know. But now I really do want to rape her."

He's speaking of the beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington, who said Tyson attacked her in 1991 in an Indianapolis hotel room.

New York tabloids call her "The Blonde Bandit" and "The 9/11 Bandit." Pamela Kaichen is charged with robbing two banks and she's a suspect in four other bank holdups. Just what triggered her alleged crime spree?

For that and more details, CNN's Maria Hinojosa is standing by in Scarsdale, New York -- Maria.

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN URBAN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is a story that breaks through a certain kind of stereotype, though not with the outcome that any one might have imagined.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HINOJOSA (voice-over): Look at her smile, the clothes, the hair, Pamela Kaichen had an upscale address just a mile from Bill and Hillary Clinton. You would never think that this suburban woman with the business degree might be guilty of this: she walked into six suburban banks over the course of just 48 hours, according to a federal complaint, robbing them of thousands of dollars.

Her disguise: a plain yellow rain slicker and a long blond wig.

"I lost a loved one on September 11. Please put every thing from your top drawer in this bag. I have a gun."

And also: "I went through the September 11 attacks," she said, "And I'm very angry today. Don't make a sound or every one is going to die."

No one did die, but she did flash a gun. Not exactly the woman next door.

(on camera): And not exactly the sort of person who typically robs banks. Of the 8,800 bank robberies in 2001, only 511 were done by women. Of those, about equal numbers of black and white.

CAROL HALPERIN, KAICHEN'S LANDLORD: But you see where that window is up in the corner? That's where she lived.

HINOJOSA (voice-over): Pamela Kaichen once ran her own marketing firm and was considered an expert horse rider. It's not clear whether she really lost a loved one on September 11 or was even there, but this woman facing a judge on robbery charges told people she volunteered tirelessly at Ground Zero. Now the tabloids are calling her "The 9/11 Bandit," "The Soccer Mom," a latter-day Bonnie without the Clyde.

HALPERIN: She was perky and fun, most of the time very up. Occasionally, you saw some dark side to her. HINOJOSA: Carol Halperin rented a room to Pamela for eight years. She says Kaichen was single and childless and that her life unraveled when her business partner's husband sold every thing she had.

HALPERIN: I could well imagine the turmoil she must have been going through. You know, a lot of us have problems, but we have somebody to talk to or somebody to confide in and somebody who will give us a hand, and I don't think she had that.

HINOJOSA: So according to the FBI, she went on a string of bank heists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pulled her over just about here.

HINOJOSA (on camera): Right over here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Asked for her license and registration.

HINOJOSA: Officer Paul Carroccio stopped Pamela because she wasn't wearing her seat belt -- right smack in the middle of her alleged robbery spree.

OFFICER PAUL CARROCCIO, DANBURY POLICE: At night, I'm at home watching the 11:00 news. They showed a still photo from a bank surveillance camera, and without question, I said, "Hey, I gave that woman a ticket today."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HINOJOSA: She was arrested just five days later. So the so- called blonde bandit who, by the way, has actually a thick mane of long black hair, now is facing federal charges and up to 120 years in a maximum sentence -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Maria Hinojosa, reporting for us from New York.

Mending fences with Europe and the Middle East. Hear what President Bush is telling French television only moments ago. Also -- Canada's big oops. How the SARS virus once again has exploded in Toronto. Can America's northern neighbor keep it from spreading here? I'll ask the man in charge of containing this deadly disease.

And a century of hope -- Bob Hope, that is. A look back at all those years of entertainment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN.

Is President Bush trying to mend fences with France? Hear what he's telling French television. That's coming up. First, the latest headlines.

California prosecutors say they'll file a motion to unseal the autopsy reports on Laci Peterson and her unborn son. Their move came after news reports that the unborn child's body had plastic tape around his neck and a cut on his body. The autopsy reports had been sealed by court order.

U.S. forces in Baghdad raided the Palestinian authority's mission in the Iraqi capital, arresting seven Palestinians and a Syrian. The commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq says numerous weapons were found, including automatic rifles, grenades, a sub machine gun and a book on terrorism.

A group of broadcasters has agreed to put at least 22 television antennas atop the 1,776-foot spire planned for the World Trade Center site. The Metropolitan Television Alliance signed the agreement with developer Larry Silverstein, who owns the lease on the Trade Center. The antennas will appear as a single unit on the skyline.

And the family of former POW Jessica Lynch says she remembers everything about her ordeal. Her military doctors have said she was suffering from some form of amnesia surrounding the events of her capture. The family also says they're not supposed to talk about details of her experience. There have been reports that the Pentagon made her rescue more dramatic than it had to be.

The total number of SARS cases in Toronto jumped to more than 60 today as Canadian officials began reclassifying cases according to World Health Organization guidelines. The new breakdown is 33 probable cases and 29 suspect cases. This comes as officials today closed a suburban high school after a student became ill. Yesterday 2,000 students and staff at the school were quarantined.

All of this is raising growing concern that the World Health Organization may issue another warning against travel to Toronto. Joining us now for some insight, Dr. Colin D'Cunha, Ontario's commissioner of health.

Dr. D'Cunha, thanks so much for joining us. How did this happen? What happened? We thought only days ago that the problem, basically, had been worked out in Toronto?

DR. COLIN D'CUNHA, COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH, ONTARIO, CANADA: Well, until last Thursday I would have drawn the same conclusion myself. What became apparent was -- on Thursday -- there was a 96- year-old male admitted for pelvic surgery to one of the wards at one of our hospitals, who got infected, had a post-op pneumonia, which is considered normal and then around the 19th of April represented with the pneumonia, which, in retrospect, has now been diagnosed as SARS. This individual was sitting unprotected in the hospital and infected a few other patients. So as we came off very strict, vigilant precautions in May -- on the 17th of May -- there were a whole bunch of other people who were accidentally infected.

BLITZER: So the misdiagnosis of this individual apparently is now spreading the problem because it's a very contagious disease. Is that right?

D'CUNHA: What I've got to do is clarify. It was one of those local cases -- I'll put -- this was one that went below the radar screen. This is certainly responsible for infecting now in this cluster approximately 33 individuals and probable -- and I need to correct you, Wolf -- it's eight suspect. The figure 29 comes from the old "health Canada" definition. Some of these individuals overnight got reclassified as probable. So the correct numbers are 33 probable, eight suspect.

BLITZER: And how many people are quarantined right now? We've had various estimates, as you well know.

D'CUNHA: Sure. Essentially, out in the community, some 7,000 individuals are in quarantine. In addition, some 400 individuals, health-care workers are in quarantine, and approximately -- as best as we can determine -- some 5,000 individuals are in working quarantine. Mainly, they stay isolated at home. They're supposed to commute, which the bulk of them do in their own car or grab a ride wearing a mask, and when they're in the hospital, they are practicing full infection control practices, changing their gear, whether it's the mask, the eyewear, the gloves and the gowns, moving from patient to patient. And overly on top of all of this is if they develop the symptoms of SARS, they're not supposed to come into work and seek a clinical assessment as soon as possible under respiratory isolation conditions.

BLITZER: Dr. D'Cunha, good luck to you. Good luck to all our friends in Toronto, else where in Canada. Thanks very much for joining us.

D'CUNHA: Thank you, Wolf.

One-on-one with President Bush. He is talking about French relations with The United States on French television. They've been strained for some time. We'll tell you what he is staying. That story right after a quick break. But first, a look at some other news making headlines around the world.

A man stabbed two flight attendants on a Quantas Airlines flight in Australia in an apparent attempt to hijack the plane and crash it. He was eventually overpowered by the crew and passengers, and the plane landed safely. One official describes the man as mentally unstable.

Nigeria's president was sworn in for a second term as leader of Africa's most populous country, a first for a civilian government there. More than a dozen African heads of state looked on with Education Secretary Rod Paige representing the United States.

Leaders from around the world are streaming into St. Petersburg to help mark the 300th anniversary of the city's founding. It's Russia's second largest city and was the capital under the czar.

And celebrations in Nepal to mark 50 years since the conquest of Mount Everest. It was May 29, 1953 when Sir Edmund Hillary and guide Tenzig Norgay reached the top of the world's tallest mountain. In honor of his achievement, Nepal made Hillary an honorary citizen. Norgay died 17 years ago. And that's our look "Around the World."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: President Bush leaves tomorrow for Europe and among other things, the G-8 summit over the weekend in France and then on to a crucial meeting in the Middle East on his road map for peace. His European stop could help mend some ties with traditional allies, severely strained by the Iraq war and go far silencing critics who say he's all but ignored the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He talked about the issue today in an interview with the French television channel FR3.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIAN MALAR, FRANCE-3 TV: Mr. President, are you going to forgive the French attitude on Iraq? What are you going to tell President Chirac when you're going to see him face-to-face? Are still you mad at him? Are you going to take sanctions against France?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, no, no sanctions. I'm not mad. I mean, I'm disappointed, and the American people are disappointed. But now is the time to move forward. And there's a lot of issues that we can work together on.

I know that Jacques Chirac feels strongly about Africa and so do I. And therefore we can work together, for example, on the AIDS pandemic in Africa. I laid out a big initiative here for the American people and the Congress passed a $15 billion five-year plan to work on HIV-AIDS in Africa. And there would be an opportunity, for example, for America and the French to work together to solve some big problems.

And I'm going to remind him, as like I'm going to remind a lot of people, that we can do a heck of a lot more together than we can arguing with each other. And you know I can understand why some didn't agree with our policy in Iraq, but it is now time to move forward.

MALAR: Concering the road map, peace in the Middle East, you are going to be most of the protagonists next week. How do you plan on quickly to succeed where your predecessors failed?

BUSH: Yes. Well, first of all, I appreciate the understanding of Jacques Chirac and the administration about me leaving a little early form Avignon to go to the Middle East where I will first meet with our Arab friends, some of the leaders in the neighborhood and remind them they have a responsibility to the process. In other words, they are interested in the achievement of peace, that they must cut off funding, for example, or work to cut off the financing of money to terrorist groups that would like to destroy the process.

Secondly, I believe that the Palestinian authority, the new prime minister, is firmly committed to the defeat of terror and the advancement of a state and the institutions necessary to make a state viable. And so I'm very encouraged by his emergence.

And thirdly, I believe Israel recognizes it's in their self interest to support the notion of two states living side by side in peace. I'm the first president to have ever proposed that. I did so at the United Nations. And I take that vision into the Middle East knowing that the process is going to be difficult but I believe that people now see the necessity of achieving that end result.

MALAR: Mr. President, what do you answer to the American press trying to say that you are not released yet the proof of the existence of arms of massive destructions in Iraq? What do you answer to them?

BUSH: Well they must not be paying attention, is what I answer, because we've discovered mobile biological laboratories. The very same laboratories that Colin Powell talked about at the United Nations. The very same laboratories that were banned by the resolutions of the United Nations.

MALAR: The situation in Iraq is far from being stabilized. We have seen American soldiers killed. Do you fear the rise of Muslim fundamentalism in this region against the occidental world? Against the United States? And do you feel at the same time of the risk creation of an Islamic republic backed by neighboring Iran?

BUSH: No, I don't fear that. I think the Iraqi people want to run their own state. They don't need to have an Iranian-backed regime. I think the Iraqi people are plenty capable of managing their own affairs.

Secondly, I fully recognize that democracy didn't flourish overnight, but I didn't expect it to. This is a country which has been ravished by a brutal dictator who murdered and tortured to stay in power. And it wasn't all that long ago that they were liberated from Saddam Hussein. So it's going to take a while. And therefore I've told Jerry Bremer that our government, my government would be patient as he makes progress toward improving the lives of the Iraqi people.

And I say he, it's not only Jerry Bremer and the United States. There's a lot of people that are involved with the reconstruction of Iraq. And as life returns back to normal and as we get a hold of the situation, particularly in Baghdad of the killers and people that are wreaking havoc, in other words, as we bring security to neighborhoods, you'll see a good Democratic government emerge.

MALAR: Is Iran a preoccupation for you? The ayatollah as with al Qaeda which might be in that country's (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

BUSH: Well, we are concerned that there's al Qaeda inside of Iran and made our concerns very clearly and this will give me a chance to do so again, to the extent that they have got al Qaeda in their country. We expect them to detain them and eventually hand them over to their countries of origin.

There's no preoccupation. Our main focus right now is to find al Qaeda wherever they exist and bring them to justice. And we will do that. We continue to do that and we expect others to join us.

And I want to compliment the French for joining in this fight against al Qaeda. The French intelligence service have been very good to work with and we've been very good to work with. and we've shared intelligence, which has made France more secure and America more secure, and for that I'm greatful.

MALAR: Mr. President, I want to thank you very much and definitely I wish you all of the best and great success.

BUSH: Thank you, sir. Thanks for coming. Appreciate you being here.

MALAR: Oh, all of the time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And our thanks once again to FR3, the French television network, for letting us broadcast that interview with the president.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. "Our Web Question of the Day" is this, should President Bush mend the relationship with France? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf.

While you're there I'd love to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'm try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column. cnn.com/wolf.

A milestone for a legendary American performer. Bob Hope hits 100-years-old today. We'll look back at his incredible career, entertaining U.S. troops among other things. Thanks, Bob, for the memories.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The 76 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee ended just a few moments ago. Today's round started with 84 competitors this, is how it ended.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pococurante, it's an adjective meaning not concerned, indifferent, nonchalant. Pococurante.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: P-o-c-o-c-u-r-a-n-t-e, Pococurante.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's the champion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The winner of the 2003 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, Sai Gunturi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: There he is, 13-year-old Sai Gunturi is an eighth grader from Dallas, Texas. In addition to his trophy he walks away with $12,000 in prize money. Good spelling.

This is Bob Hope's 100th birthday. The comedian is marking it quietly at home with his family in Los Angeles. Even though he's been out of the public eye for the last three years or so, he's still a national icon.

CNN's, Thelma Gutierrez shows us why.

HOPE: Here we for West Berlin, ladies and gentleman. West Berlin, that's a PX surrounded by Russians.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was there during World War II in the '40s.

HOPE: Ladies and Gentle here we are in Seoul, Korea.

GUTIERREZ: In the'50s, he was in Korea.

HOPE: Here I am in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) better known as god city.

GUTIERREZ: The '60s, took him to Vietnam.

Fast forward to the '90s in the Middle East.

HOPE: It's been a while since I've entertained servicemen, but Washington told me if we can bring ships out of mothballs, why not you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's hear it for him, Bob Hope!

GUTIERREZ: Doing comedy in a war zone was dangerous business. During a trip to Saigon, Hope's hotel was bombs minutes before he arrived.

HOPE: We were 15 minutes late getting on the road because we had to wait for Barney and the cue cards, and when we got to the hotel it was just blown up. It makes you think a little bit.

GUTIERREZ: But it never stopped him. In fact, Hope was credited for putting the USO on the map. In 1991, Hope was given the lifetime achievement award by President Bush. Perhaps more than anything, he made the troops with a little help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard about your lovemaking.

HOPE: It's nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what I heard.

HOPE: This is dangerous, if this audience sees steak they'll come right up here after it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know, they've seen ham all evening and you're still here.

HOPE: All right, everybody down off the ceiling, all right. Happy to be here. I don't know where the hell we are, but I'm happy.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: For all of our viewers, of course, happy birthday, Bob Hope, many more to come.

Former President Gerald Ford, meanwhile, is talking about the near collapse that sent him to the hospital recently. He was golfing in almost 100 degree heat near Palm Springs in California when he became dizzy. He said it was a frightening experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALD FORD, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just almost collapsed and I was saved from my dizziness by -- by the secret service and my golfing partner, but it did scare me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. Excuse me. Vice President Ford was checked out of the hospital and sent home, but returned later for an overnight stay when the dizziness came back. Of course, President Ford. He blamed the whole thing on the heat, good luck to you, President Ford, as well.

Our hot web question of the day is this, "Should President Bush mend the relationship with France?"

Vote now at cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our web question of the day. Remember, weave been asking you, this "Should President Bush mend the relationship with France?"

Look at this, 69 percent of you say, yes, 31 percent of you say, no.

You can find the exact vote tally and continue to vote, by the way, on our web site, cnn.com/wolf. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.

A reminder, you can always catch WOLF BLITZER REPORTS weekdays at this time, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, 2:00 p.m. on the West Coast. See you again tomorrow for the latest developments.

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




to File Motion to Unseal Autopsy Reports of Laci Peterson, her Unborn Child>